• Duneland Teaching and Learning Header

    Assessment Information

    Duneland School Corporation uses a variety of standardized assessment tools to learn more about student needs and achievement.  Some of these tests are required by state law.  Others have been thoughtfully chosen by Duneland School Corporation teachers to provide information about student needs so that they may adjust instruction appropriately during the school year. 

    Advanced Placement (AP) Assessments (Optional, High School)

    Advanced Placement (AP) is a program created by the College Board which offers college-level curricula and examinations to high school students.  The AP curriculum for each of the various subjects is created for the College Board by a panel of experts and college-level educators in that field of study. For a high school course to have the AP designation, the course must be audited by the College Board to ascertain that it satisfies the AP curriculum. Students may opt to take the AP examinations for various courses in May. American colleges and universities often grant placement and course credit to students who obtain high scores on the examinations which are scored using a 1-5 point system.   

    CogAT (Grades K and 2)

    CogAT measures abilities across the symbol systems that are most highly correlated with fluid reasoning, problem solving, and success in school. With its separate measures of Verbal, Quantitative, and Nonverbal reasoning, this research-based and proven test provides multiple perspectives on student ability and is administered to all students in Kindergarten and grade 2.  

    College Board PSAT/NMSQT (Grades 9-11)

    Students in grades 9, 10 and 11 will take the Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT), a standardized test administered by the College Board and co-sponsored by the National Merit Scholarship Corporation (NMSC).  Approximately 3.5 million students take the PSAT/NMSQT each year.  The PSAT/NMSQT provides students a chance for early preparation for the SAT as it measures the same skills, format, directions, and question types.  Additionally, students who take the PSAT/NMSQT receive free access to personalized online college-planning guides and tools driven by their test results which assist them with college major and career exploration. Each student’s Score Report will provide personalized feedback on test performance, ability to see questions answered incorrectly and suggestions to improve academic skills where assistance is still necessary.

    mCLASS/DIBELS Assessment –Reading -- Grades K-4   

    This test is administered one-on-one with your student and his/her teacher or other test administrator.  We continue to find this individual testing valuable not only in the information it provides but the time that a teacher is able to spend with a child and truly learn more about his/her reading ability.

    DIBELS analyzes your child’s development in grade-appropriate foundational reading skills. Our teachers use this data to focus their instruction around your child’s specific needs in areas that may include: hearing and using sounds in spoken words (Phonemic Awareness), knowing the sounds of letters and sounding out written words (Alphabetic Principle), reading words in stories easily, quickly, and correctly (Accuracy and Fluency) and understanding what they read (Reading Comprehension). 

    A stop light color coding system is used to help families understand whether a student is above level (blue), at level (green), below level (yellow), or far below level(red).  The TRC assessment offers a leveled letter score starting with Below Print Concepts (<PC), Print Concepts (PC), Reading Behaviors (RB) and then progresses alphabetically from A-Z.  While we review all data from this assessment we find the TRC score most beneficial for tracking and monitoring reading growth over time.

    NWEA – MAP Test –Reading & Math -- Grades K-8  

    Measures of Academic Progress (MAP)  tests are unique in that they are adaptive tests your child took on a computer. That means that the test became more difficult the more questions your child answered correctly. When your child incorrectly answered a question, the test became easier. Therefore, your child took a test specifically created for his or her learning level. 

    Your child’s MAP results are reported in RIT scores. This is a different type of score than a typical test that provides a percentage correct. The RIT score is an equal-interval scale, like feet and inches, that is independent of grade level.  As a result, we can measure growth in learning across months or even years. This type of score increases the value of the tests as a tool to improve student learning because it enables teachers to recognize where to focus attention for your child’s learning. 

    IREAD-3 (Indiana Reading Evaluation and Determination) (Grade 3)

    The IREAD-3 assessment is a test of basic reading skills that was developed by the Indiana Department of Education in accordance with Public Law 109. This law requires all third grade students to be assessed in reading foundational skills and to meet third grade proficiency before moving on to fourth grade.  State law mandates remediation, retesting, and possible grade level retention for students not meeting proficiency on the IREAD-3 assessment. 

    ILEARN (Grades 3-8 and 10)

    ILEARN measures student achievement and growth according to Indiana Academic Standards. ILEARN is the summative accountability assessment for Indiana students and assesses:

    • English/Language Arts (Grades 3-8)
    • Mathematics (Grades 3-8)
    • Science (Grades 4 and 6)
    • Social Studies (Grade 5)
    • Biology (High School)*
      • *Upon completion of the respective high school course.

    ILEARN is a standards-based, computer-adaptive test (CAT). The goal of a standards-based, computer-adaptive test is to enact a complex blueprint that ensures breadth of coverage of the state’s content standards, as well as the depth of knowledge of those standards as also defined in the standards.

    • Within the constraint of matching the blueprint, items are selected to maximize test information at the student’s estimated ability level.
    • The difficulty of the test will adjust to each student’s skills, providing a better measure of what the student knows and can do.
    • Adaptive tests measure the same content for all students on the basis of the test blueprint.
    • More precise: CATs more precisely measure the ability of students who struggle and those who excel.
    • More secure: Maintaining test security on a CAT is easier than on paper-based tests, because the items administered vary from student to student.
    • More engaging: Because item selection is targeted to the individual’s level of mastery, the items are maximally engaging to students.

    IAM (Indiana’s Alternate Measure) (Grades 3-8 and 10)

    IAM measures student achievement and growth according to Indiana’s Alternate Academic Standards or Content Connectors. IAM is the summative accountability assessment for students with significant cognitive disabilities in grades 3-8. It assesses:

    • English/Language Arts (Grades 3-8 and 10)
    • Mathematics (Grades 3-8 and 10)
    • Science (Grades 4 and 6 and 10)
    • Social Studies (Grade 5)

    Indiana Statewide Testing for Educational Progress (ISTEP+) (Grade 10)

    Students in grade 10 take the ISTEP+ test in the spring of each year during two different windows (the first in March and the second in April/May).The purpose of the Indiana Statewide Testing for Educational Progress Plus (ISTEP+) is to measure student achievement in the subject areas of English/language arts and mathematics.  Students will take the ISTEP+ math and English/language arts tests during their 10th grade year and must pass as a requirement for graduation.  ISTEP+ reports student achievement levels according to the Indiana Academic Standards adopted by the Indiana State Board of Education. The ISTEP+ assessment is criterion-referenced and is designed to measure students’ mastery of the standards. Students are not compared to others but are simply striving to answer enough questions correctly to attain a passing score which is set by the state.  Student performance on ISTEP+ is part of school accountability measures required by law. 

    inView (4th and 6th grade)

    Per Data Recognition Corporation, InView™ is an innovative cognitive abilities assessment comprising five tests that reliably measure skills and abilities important for academic success. inView scores can be used to improve instruction, address specific student strengths and needs. Anticipated Achievement scores allows comparison of student performance with that of similar individuals and groups

    inView assesses thinking and not knowledge in content areas.  In many ways, this test allows educators  to see and identify some of the “out of the box” thinkers. Cognitive Skills Index (CSI) scores from InView™ provide a highly reliable measure of overall academic aptitude—valuable information for guidance, activities planning, and special program identification.

    This assessment is given for a variety of reasons.  Having additional knowledge on how our students think and learn helps teachers  better to support and challenge the students.  Some of this information, along with additional assessment data, is considered when identifying students as high ability and for class placement.

    Northwest Evaluation Association (NWEA) (Grades K-8)

    Students in grades K-8 take the NWEA Measures of Academic Progress (MAP) tests three times a year (Fall, Winter, Spring). This brief computerized assessment (about 40-50 questions each in math, reading, and language skills) creates a personalized assessment experience by adapting to each student’s learning level as the student progresses through the test. The bank of questions has a broad range, and thus, it offers a measure of growth and achievement beyond grade level standards which is extremely helpful for teachers with high performing students to determine whether their students are adequately challenged by instruction.  NWEA is a growth-based assessment and provides national norms and expectations for typical learner growth in a year of instruction.  Scores are used to determine readiness levels for learning various concepts and student growth percentiles.

    SAT, PSAT, PSAT NMSQT -- Grades 7-12

    The SAT Suite of Assessments is an integrated system made up of these tests:

    • SAT
    • PSAT/NMSQT and PSAT 10
    • PSAT 8/9

    The tests measure the same skills and knowledge in ways that make sense for different grade levels, so it's easier for students, parents, and educators to monitor student progress.  In Duneland School Corporation, all students in grades 7, 8, and 9 will take the PSAT 8/9, and all Sophomores and Juniors will take PSAT/NMSQT.  These tests occur in the Fall, generally in October, during school hours. 

    WIDA (Grades K - 12) 

    Under the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001, Title III (Language Instruction for Limited English Proficient and Immigrant Students) requires that schools identify limited English proficient students, assess their progress in English language proficiency, and provide eligible children with services that would increase their English proficiency and their academic achievement. 

    The purpose of the English Language Proficiency assessments is to determine a student's level of English proficiency. A Placement Test, administered upon a student's arrival in the United States, is used to determine which English Learner (EL) services are appropriate for the student. The annual assessment, administered in January and February, is used to determine the student's current level of English proficiency. The annual assessment is also used for accountability purposes.

    Indiana’s ESEA Flexibility Waiver requires the state to adopt an English language proficiency assessment that is college- and career-ready and aligned to Indiana’s English language development standards. Indiana adopted the World-Class Instructional Design and Assessment (WIDA) English language development standards in October 2013. WIDA offers a comprehensive assessment system that consists of the WIDA-ACCESS Placement Test (W-APT), WIDA ACCESS for ELLs and Alternate ACCESS for ELLs.

    Indiana uses Kindergarten W-APT and WIDA Screener to identify English learners (ELs). ACCESS for ELLs is administered to all identified ELs during the annual testing window

    References: