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Interim Assessments (IABs, ICAs, & FIABs)

Smarter Balanced Interim Assessments

Interim Assessment Blocks (IABs):

Interim Assessment Blocks

assessments teachers can use throughout the school year to assess smaller bundles of content. They are intended to provide educators and students the ability to check where they are at that moment in time, and educators can use results to determine next steps for instruction. Since the IABs are more granular than the ICAs, educators can use IABs during the school year more consistently with the sequence of their curricula.

Focused Interim Assessment Blocks (FIABs) : 

Focused Interim Assessment Blocks

assess no more than three assessment targets to provide educators with a more detailed understanding of student learning.

Interim Comprehensive Assessments (ICAs): 

Interim Comprehensive Assessments

measure similar content to the summative assessment and may be helpful for determining the knowledge and skills of students who are new to the district or the state. ICAs can also provide information about students’ knowledge and skills after a significant period of instruction. Addditionally, the ICAs test the same content and report scores on the same scale as the summative assessments (SBAC).

Interim Assessment Security

The interim assessments are considered student and teacher facing ONLY. This designation provides educators the flexibility to access the test questions and their students' responses to the test questions. However, interim assessments must not be publicly displayed or distributed outside the classroom to ensure all educators can use the interim assessments as intended. Only authorized local educational agency staff and students should have access to the interim assessments. Finally, interim assessment items must not be copied into third party systems without the permission of Smarter Balanced. Without permission, such activity is a copyright violation. Staff and students are expected to adhere to these requirements to the greatest extent possible.

Interim Resources

Interim Assessment Administration Guide

Smarter Balanced Interim Assessment Video Series