Mountain View, California (PRWEB) March 05, 2015

“Common Core” and “Smarter Balanced” may sound like an ab workout and a low-fat butter substitute, but in reality, they’re more about working out your brain than your body. (Although deciphering the Common Core Standards might actually burn some calories, too.)

Shmoop’s guides to the Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium (SBAC)—for both 8th grade and 11th grade—will help students decipher fuzzy assessment-ese and ace those newfangled technology-enhanced items, including drag and drop, hot spot, graphic response, and equation response…not to mention more types of multiple-choice than you can shake a stick at. The guides also include CCSS- and SBAC-aligned diagnostic assessments, practice items, and performance tasks for ELA/literacy and Mathematics to help test-takers get into fighting shape for this year’s exam.

Recently, Shmoop expanded their offerings to provide California with state-specific SBAC goodies. Smarter Balanced California is aligned to the California State University Early Assessment Program (EAP) and explains the stakes of the Grade 11 SBAC assessment in terms of readiness and remediation strategies for senior year. Every assessment in Shmoop’s SBAC CA prep also features a “What Your Score Means” breakdown based on SBAC achievement levels and provides recommended Shmoop products for each level. For instance, a student who is designated “conditionally ready” in ELA will be recommended the Shmoop test prep guide and crash course for the SAT® exam with a blurb that specifies the cut score for readiness. A student who does not demonstrate readiness in math, on the other hand, will be recommended Shmoop’s Algebra II, Geometry, and Algebra I courses and learning guides. And maybe a calculator.

Educators can use the tool to help students prepare for the Grade 11 SBAC assessment, identify Shmoop resources that provide appropriate intervention and remediation in the senior year of high school, demonstrate CSU and California community college readiness, and avoid costly and time-consuming remediation options at the college level. All that plus another acronym to add to the academic mix—not too shabby.

This spring, Shmoop will also be releasing test prep for the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC). Discounts are available for schools and districts; contact sales(at)shmoop(dot)com for more information.

About Shmoop

Shmoop is a digital curriculum and test prep company that makes fun, rigorous learning and teaching resources. Shmoop content is written by experts and teachers, who collaborate to create high-quality and engaging materials for teachers and students. Shmoop Courses, Test Prep, Teaching Guides, and Learning Guides balance a teen-friendly, approachable style with academically rigorous concepts. Shmoop sees 10 million unique visitors a month on its site and offers more than 7,000 titles across the Web, iPhone, Android devices, iPad, Kindle, Nook, and Sony Reader. The company has been honored twice by the Webby Awards, named “Best in Tech” twice by Scholastic Administrator, and awarded Annual Education Software Review Awards (EDDIES) three years in a row. Launched in 2008, Shmoop is headquartered in a labradoodle-patrolled office in Mountain View, California.

SAT is a registered trademark of the College Board, which was not involved in the production of, and does not endorse, this product.






Tags