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Assessment in 109

Standardized Assessments/Universal Screeners

Benchmark assessments are designed to measure critical skills shown to be strong indicators of student learning, growth and performance. Screening results provide a measurement against local and national criteria, and are one source of information to gauge a child’s level of proficiency. Students in grades K-8 will be universally screened two to three times per year, depending on grade and assessment type.

two first graders working together in their classroom

Academic:

  • Kindergarten Individual Development Survey (KIDS)
  • Illinois Assessment of Readiness (IAR)- English Language Arts & Mathematics (3-8)
  • Illinois Science Assessment (ISA) (5 & 8)
  • Measure of Academic Progress (MAP)- Reading and Mathematics (K-8)

Social-Emotional Learning:

  • Panorama SEL Screener (3-8)

Formative/Classroom Assessments

Formative assessments are designed and used to inform instruction and track student learning during a lesson, unit, or course. These assessments help teachers to identify how students are progressing as learners in regard to mastering concepts or standards, pinpoint specific areas or skills that require reinforcement, and determine when students are ready to move forward with specific learning progressions. These are day-to-day forms of assessment that include completed student work, interactions between the teacher and students and teacher observations of students.

Examples of Formative Assessments

Artifacts Interactions Observations
  • Student Notebooks
  • Rubrics
  • Exit Slips
  • Quizzes
  • Unit Assessments
  • Pre/Post Tests
  • Projects
  • Running Records
  • Conferring (teacher notes)
  • Class Discussions
  • Small Group Instruction
  • Independent Practice
  • Partner Work
  • Group Work
  • Presentations