Appendix C: Item Types
Item and Response Types
Students engaging with the Smarter Balanced and CAST assessments will be given test items that require the students to respond in several ways, some of which may be new to the students.
There are resources for teachers and students to use to get ready for the test, including sample items at the beginning of the test. The sample items will be administered by test administrators prior to the beginning of each test; completing these items will provide students with an opportunity to view and practice each of the item types.
Summary of Item Types and How to Provide Responses
Table 1 lists the different item types and briefly describes each one.
| Item Types | Brief Description of Item Type |
|---|---|
| Multiple-choice, single-correct response | Three- and four-option multiple-choice |
| Multiple-choice, multiple-correct select response | Multiple-options selected responses |
| Grid in | Numeric values entered in a grid |
| Two-part multiple-choice, with evidence-based responses | Four-option multiple-choice followed by another four- to six-option multiple-choice using evidence |
| Matching-table response | Respond to a series of two to four statements or questions and mark a response for each |
| Short-text response | A brief written response of one or two paragraphs |
| Full write | A multiparagraph written response or essay; also referred to as the writing extended response |
| Constructed-response items | Write equations, plot points, fill in tables, provide brief written explanations, etc. |