All districts across Washington
State will be administering the
new Common Core assessments
for Grades 3-8 and 11. These
assessments will have the
following features:
Transitioning to
New State Assessments
• On-line test items will be
adaptive, meaning they will
adjust in difficulty depending
upon how well students
are doing as they take the
assessments.
We are raising the
• On-line testing will take advantage of current technology
with animations, drag-and-drop items and a variety of
electronic tools for students to use while testing.
• In addition to multiple choice, selected response, and shortanswer items, assessments will include performance tasks.
These performance tasks allow students to apply their
mathematics, reading, writing, speaking, and listening skills
in the context of real-world scenarios.
• Student scores will be reported on a career and college
readiness trajectory, with 3rd through 11th Grade scores on
one scale, showing growth from year to year.
For more information on Common Core visit:
www.svsd410.org
www.ReadyWA.org
www.corestandards.org
learning expectations
for all students at every
grade level. Research
shows that when you
raise expectations,
students will work
harder to reach them.
It may take some
time for students
to meet and exceed
the standards. Most
parents and students
understand that we are
setting a new baseline
on rigorous learning
standards. Scores from
the previous state tests
cannot be compared
to the new Smarter
Balanced Assessments.
Parent Information
New Standards &
New Assessments
A New Baseline of Student Performance in Washington
Think of the standards
and the assessment as
a new target with new
results.
 Smarter Balanced assessments measure the full range of
the Common Core State Standards. They are designed to
let teachers and parents know whether students are on
track to be college – and career-ready by the time they
graduate.
Envision Two
Mountains
People who
successfully climb Mt.
Rainier (at 14,000 ft.),
will find Mt. McKinley
(at 20,000 ft.) more
challenging. Some
will be able to meet
the challenge, some
will be close, and
some who previously
were able to summit
Rainier will not be
able to summit
McKinley at first.
 Because the new standards set higher expectations for
students – and the new tests are designed to assess
student performance against these higher expectations –
our definition of grade level performance is higher than it
used to be.
Mount Rainier Elevation 14, 000 feet
 As a result, it’s likely that fewer students will meet grade
level standards, especially for the first few years. Results
should improve as students have additional years of
instruction aligned to the new standards and become
better equipped to meet the challenges they present.
 This does not mean that our students are “doing worse”
than they did last year. Rather, the scores represent a
“new baseline” that provides a more accurate indicator
for educators, students, and parents as they work to meet
the rigorous demands of college and career readiness.
Mount McKinley Elevation 20, 000 feet