What’s the fuss about? A look at the 4th Grade Smarter Balanced test

By Marianne Deal Stephens

Washington, like 42 other states, has adopted the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) for Math and English Language Arts. Related to but not the same as the new learning standards, Washington is implementing a new standardized testing system by the Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium (SBAC).  

I recently took the 4th Grade Smarter Balanced English Language Arts (ELA) practice test. The test begins with a 544-word fable about Coyote imitating Bear in order to steal honey and asks students to answer questions based on the passage.

Question #4 gave me pause:

“What conclusion can be drawn about the author’s point of view? Support your answer with details from the passage.”

My inner dialogue: Shouldn't the question ask about the narrator’s point of view instead of the author’s? The actual author is a test writer! Do they want me to say that the narrator has a third-person point of view? Did any English teachers review this question? 

I may have been overthinking, but my experience exemplifies one of main criticisms of Smarter Balanced (SBAC) tests: some questions are unclear.

I took three tests:  4th Grade English Language Arts; 4th Grade English Language Arts Performance Task (an extended writing task); and 11th Grade English Language Arts.

While I noted significant problems in the tests, I am not opting my student out of state testing in the Shoreline School District. I advocate testing the test and using the results to inform statewide conversations and decisions. 

A few observations of the 4th grade tests, many of which have been noted by others in local and national media:

• Reading passages are long. Multiple passages of 400-550 words seem excessive for 10 year olds. 
• The variety in types of questions may be a good thing. The tests aren’t so robotic as standardized tests that consist of columns of multiple choice bubbles.
• The variety in types of questions may be a problem. I almost missed a direction to “choose three” of the given options since similar questions had asked for one.
• Some open-ended questions like the one I encountered above may be a good thing, depending on how credit is given. Different students notice different things.
• Every screen shot is complex and text-heavy. The right section of the window contains the test questions (or later, a space for typing an essay) and the left section contains overall directions and the passage in question. The subheadings and sections could be overwhelming, particularly for struggling readers. 

Practice test - 4th grade

• The performance task seems overly complicated for 4th grade. 
• The 4th grade test and the 11th grade test are strikingly similar, suggesting a too-steep early learning curve. 

For the ELA performance task, I read three 400+ word articles about animals and their surroundings and then integrated the information into an informational article.

The instructions and source materials in the left column necessitated scrolling down and back up at least seven screen lengths on my large screen; students may well have to scroll down and up ten or more screen lengths on smaller computers. The instructions for the essay are complex.

Performance Task Student Directions
4th grade

On the actual test, students may be asked to write a narrative, an informational/ explanatory article, or an opinion/ argument, so prior to the test, the teacher must prepare students to be ready for any of the three. Students are not timed on this test, removing time pressure, but they could conceivably take an entire day or even longer to complete it.  

Though many have common reservations about the tests, there is not uniform opinion among teachers. A conscientious local 4th grade teacher has spent years researching the Common Core standards and SBAC tests, and draws a distinction between the two. While she believes that the standards identify valuable skills, she thinks that the SBAC tests are pitched way too high and worries that her developing readers may be judged too harshly. Another 4th grade teacher is not overly worried; she points out that the test is adaptive (it changes based on how students answer), and quips that the SBAC can't be worse than previous tests Washington has administered. 

After I took the 4th grade test, I expected the 11th grade test to be very difficult, reflecting 7 years of education and intellectual development. However, while the 11th grade passages are more sophisticated, the writing style of those passages and the complexity of the instructions are roughly comparable to those on the 4th grade test.

Though I did not take all of the tests and cannot provide all grade level data points, I imagine a graph on which the the slope of difficulty from Kindergarten to 4th grade is very steep and then becomes more gradual after that. Though I also found problematic wording and unclear questions in the 11th grade test, I am more troubled by the 4th grade test.

Most high school kids can digest multi-step instructions and will have the fortitude to persevere on an extended task. The 4th grade performance task for 10-year olds is not only quite similar to the 11th grade ELA test; it is more difficult than the writing portion of the SAT and ACT that we ask college applicants to tackle.

As a former writing teacher, I worry that the tests may hinder students’ writing skills rather than boost them. Writing is thinking, and too much infrastructure may obscure the synergy between thought and expression. I find myself dreaming up writing tests for 10 year olds:  “Which are better, cars or trucks? Explain why.” “How should grown ups figure out if kids are learning?” 

Despite my judgments about the tests, I do not think that pulling kids out is the answer either for the individual student or for the larger testing issue. Every student can help test the tests. If the tests are a disaster, then we can blame the tests, not an incomplete testing cohort. A large proportion of opt-outs may delay a larger fix and make state and national issues appear to be local.

Under state laws, school districts use data from tests to monitor student progress, identify and address achievement gaps, and come up with report cards that families use when looking at schools. 

If we all opt out, we may end up shorting ourselves. In addition to data, students can provide valuable experience. Their feedback could be the best material we have if we want to change the system, plus their ideas will be great starting points for writing. Let’s ask our kids about their point of view after they tackle the tests.

Next time: Standardized testing and the Lake Wobegon problem. 

Further Reading/ Viewing

Teacher: I am not against Common Core or testing—but here’s my line in the sand. An excellent article by a 5th grade teacher who trained to score the New York versions of the tests.  

Washington Post articles on Common Core and related tests 

Last Week Tonight with John Oliver:  Standardized Testing. This amusing and occasionally profane (you have been warned!) look at standardized testing is making the rounds in social media. 

SBAC Practice Tests. Take the tests: go to the Student Interface and click through the logins. Select a grade level and then test options for that grade.

SBAC Common Questions about Computer-Based Writing Assessments for elementary students. 

SBAC ELA Practice Test Scoring Guide Grade 4 Performance Task

Includes the test, scoring examples, and writing rubrics for grades 3-5. 

Marianne is a parent, longtime school volunteer, tutor, and former college writing instructor.