Subgroup Smarter Balanced Professional Development Resources

As school teams analyze student data, teachers may have questions about how certain subgroups of students could be supported to address the achievement gap. The resources below should be used by school instructional leadership teams and professional development leaders to explore how these results are connected to student needs and what strategies may support greater success for student subgroups.

English Language Learners
SBAC Digital Library - The digital library has many resources and examples of formative assessments to support teachers in learning about instructional strategies to support English Language Learners.
Understanding Language: Language, Literacy and Teaching in the Content Areas - This website was created by the Stanford Graduate School of Education to heighten awareness of the language and literacy issues embedded within the new California Standards. Within the website are many resources such as papers and videos from experts for whole school teams and content area teams to explore.
Realizing Opportunities for ELLs in the Common Core English Language Arts and Disciplinary Literacy Standards - This page provides and article and video addressing the need for students to have opportunities to approach texts with different purposes in mind.
English Language Development Standards - This link is to the Multilingual and Multicultural Education Department, but you can access the ELD Standards information in the tab at the top. These new standards clarify what knowledge, skills, and abilities are needed to help ELs engage with and master the state’s content standards, including college- and career-readiness standards. All teachers are expected to know and use these new standards alongside the California standards when teaching English Learners.

Special Education Students
Access for All: Six Principles for Principals to Consider in Implementing CCSS for Students with Disabilities - This article provides guidance about how schools and school leadership can support the success of students with disabilities on the new California State Standards.
Common Core Resources for Special Education - This California Department of Education website provides resources for school teams to utilize to understand how teachers can support all students in learning the new California State Standards.
Universal Design for Learning (UDL) - UDL is a framework to improve and optimize teaching and learning for all people based on scientific insights into how humans learn. This framework provides concrete examples of instructional strategies that teachers can utilize to ensure all students are engaged and learning.