This webpage suggests that the tests were at least somewhat adaptive:
http://www.caaspp.org/about/smarter-balanced/

The bottom of this webpage suggests a reason for not using the test to capacity this year:
http://www.cde.ca.gov/ta/tg/sa/sbcommonqa.asp

"This year’s results will establish a new baseline for the progress we expect students to make over time."

...pronounced like the long vowel and first letter of the alphabet...