Questions on Common Core? Smarter Balanced to Convene Member States and Education Experts in St. Louis. The Public is Invited to a Two-Hour Discussion Period.

Do you have questions for the SBAC Consortium?  Here's your chance to ask them.

The Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium (SBAC) is meeting in St. Louis and will have a 2  hour public discussion open to the public.  Representatives from MEW are planning to attend and gather  information from the consortium and ask questions.  If you cannot attend (and if you are teacher, it is doubtful you can, as it occurs during school  hours) but have questions and/or comments, please send them to us and we will present them to the state education chiefs in written form.

You can send your questions and/or concerns via the comment section on this blog or send them directly to stlgretchen@gmail.com or anngie1984@gmail.com.  All comments may be anonymous and email information, names, etc will not be revealed.  If you are not in Missouri but in the SBAC consortium, please send your questions and comments because, as we know, these standards and assessments are "common" and will affect your state in the same manner.

From  the SBAC website:

State Education Chiefs Meeting Open to the Public

 

OLYMPIA, Wash. — September 4, 2012 – The Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium (Smarter Balanced) will host a conference in St. Louis to discuss the design and implementation of the assessment system.

The second Smarter Balanced Collaboration Conference will bring together representatives from the Consortium’s 25 member states—including state education chiefs, K-12 state leads, higher education leads, work group members, and contractors—to facilitate coordination on key projects, such as the test delivery, administration, and reporting systems.

State education chiefs will meet during the conference in a two-hour public session to discuss the test blueprint, process for developing achievement level descriptors, the Pilot Test scheduled for early 2013, and sustainability planning. As a state-led consortium, the 21 Smarter Balanced Governing States each have a vote on major policy decisions. Members of the public and the media are invited to attend this session.

When:
Wednesday, September 12, 2012 from 1:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m. (Central Time).

Where:
Renaissance St. Louis Airport Hotel
9801 Natural Bridge Road
St. Louis, MO 63134

Please RSVP to info@smarterbalanced.org.

Who:
State Education Chiefs of the Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium

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About Smarter Balanced
The Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium brings together states to create a common, innovative assessment system for mathematics and English language arts/literacy that is aligned with the Common Core State Standards and helps prepare students for college and careers. The Consortium involves educators, researchers, policymakers, and community groups in a transparent and consensus-driven process to help all students thrive in a knowledge-driven global economy. The Consortium’s projects are funded through a four-year, $175 million grant from the U.S. Department of Education, comprising 99 percent of activity resources, with the remaining support provided through generous contributions of charitable foundations. Membership is open to any interested U.S. state. For more information, please visit www.smarterbalanced.org.