How SBAC And The CDE Sidestep The 1:1 Requirement I Was Hoping For

I found this in the updated FAQ on the cde website today:

Q. What is SBAC computer adaptive testing?

A. This type of testing is a form of computer based testing that adapts to the student’s ability level. The SBAC summative assessments are being developed for use with technology known as computer adaptive testing (CAT). The CAT assessment “engine” begins by delivering a short series of moderately difficult grade-level test items to the student, and then, depending on the student’s initial performance, delivers items that are either more or less difficult. This process continues until the student’s level of proficiency is determined.

With CAT, every student essentially receives a unique assessment, eliminating the need to test all students at one time. Schools will be able to group and assess students in a configuration that matches their specific capacity. CAT also permits a much longer assessment window to run all the students through the assessment. This will allow California to move into the next generation of computer-delivered assessments without causing disadvantages to some schools because of limited bandwidth or computers-to-students ratio. (emphasis mine)

So it looks like they are going to bypass the need to test all students at the same time, never mind how we are going to teach all students to be ready to take the computer adaptive test. Apparently that’s not their problem anymore. Welcome to the wonderful world of equity in education at it’s finest.