Connecticut SBAC writing practice, built like the real test.
Connecticut administers the Smarter Balanced ELA assessment in grades 3 through 8. Generate complete performance task practice: a research scenario, sources students can cite, the assignment with the exact criteria language from released Smarter Balanced practice tests, the official rubric, and an exemplar.
Pick a grade and writing purpose, choose a topic, and generate the full task: Part 1 scenario, two sources, and the Part 2 assignment with the official criteria checklist. Connecticut scores the full write on the same official Smarter Balanced rubrics as every member state.
Smarter Balanced Assessments performance task builderFree tool · no sign-in
1. GradeGrade 42. Purposeinformational3. TopicWhat it takes to become …4. GenerateFull performance task
Choose a topic
Pick a curated topic or write your own. Opinion and argumentative topics are screened so both sides have citable evidence in the sources.
Directions and criteria are verbatim from the released Grade 4 “Animals and Their Surroundings Informational Performance Task”.
02 FAQ
Connecticut SBAC writing, answered.
What writing is on the Connecticut state ELA test?
Connecticut administers the Smarter Balanced ELA assessment in grades 3 through 8. The ELA performance task ends with a full write: grades 3 to 5 write narrative, informational, or opinion pieces; grades 6 to 8 write narrative, explanatory, or argumentative pieces; grade 11 (where tested) writes explanatory or argumentative essays.
How is Connecticut's writing scored?
On the official Smarter Balanced rubric for the writing purpose: Organization/Purpose (1 to 4), Evidence/Elaboration or Development/Elaboration (1 to 4), and Conventions (0 to 2). Every member state scores the full write on the same consortium rubrics.
Where can I find official Connecticut practice tests?
Through the Connecticut State Department of Education assessment pages and the Smarter Balanced portal (portal.smarterbalanced.org), which publishes practice tests and performance task scoring guides with annotated student responses.
More Smarter Balanced resources
The consortium details, California, and the rubric library
