This year's SNE Workshop will be held in Portland, Oregon, at the Embassy Suites by Hilton Portland Downtown from Tuesday, July 9 to Thursday, July 11.
Frequently Asked Questions
The State Network of Educators (SNEs) is comprised of educators from Smarter Balanced Consortium states and territories. SNEs are avid users and advocates of the formative assessment process. SNEs attend workshops to develop resources that support students' and teachers' use of the formative assessment process for teaching and learning.
Smarter Balanced is committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion. Our goal is for SNEs to reflect the diversity of the students we serve, ensuring that students have equitable access to high-quality instruction. We are committed to the implementation of inclusive practices in assessment and instruction. Together, we strive to be an inclusive and equitable team that values, honors, and respects the shared lived experiences and deep knowledge of our diverse student populations.
To become an SNE, educators should meet the following qualifications:
- Currently certified or licensed in ELA/literacy, mathematics, English learners, or students with disabilities;
- Currently teaching in, or employed by, a public school, district, or state education entity, including higher education, located within a Smarter Balanced member state with Tools for Teachers access;
- Currently (or within the past three years): Teaching ELA/literacy or mathematics in grades 3 through 8 or high school or working in a classroom content support role such as a literacy or district or state content specialist;
- Teaching students with disabilities or English learners, in grades 3 through 8 or high school or working in a support role such as a district/school coordinator or instructional specialist;
- Working in a classroom content support role such as a literacy or mathematics coach/coordinator or instructional specialist; OR
- Working in a state assessment, accessibility, ELA/literacy, or mathematics content role.
State representatives help Smarter Balanced select educators for the workshop based on workshop goals and participant expertise to meet ELA/literacy or mathematics content/grade level needs and to provide differentiation and accessibility coaching support.
Please know that not being selected is in no way a reflection of an individual's educational skill set and expertise; we simply have a limited number of seats for this event.
Participant selection is based on state lead recommendations, the number of seats allocated for your state/territory, and the content- and grade-area expertise needed for a given workshop.
Hotel, travel, and meals are covered. Stipends are available depending on your role and state/territory policy. Generally, instructional resource writers get $250 on the acceptance of their resource. In addition, some states/territories count workshop time towards licensure hours.
More information will be provided to registered SNEs.
On the first two days, the workshop will run from 8:15 a.m. to 4:15 p.m. local time. On the third day, the workshop will run from 8:15 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. local time. Educators who have later flights are welcome to continue working until 4:00 p.m. local time.
The workshop is structured to meet workshop goals based on resource needs. Participants will be assigned to an ELA or math content/grade level team with educators from across the Smarter Balanced member states/territories.
Educators will have two weeks following the workshop to complete and submit their resource(s) for final review.
Still have questions? Contact Sarah Birgé, Tools for Teachers Lead, at sarah.birge@smarterbalanced.org.