Assessments Overview

Standardized Assessments are tests that are given outside of the curriculum and instruction process. They are typically purchased from a test vendor and provide normative comparisons at the national or state level. The timing of the administration of assessments is more closely related to the school year calendar and program decision-making timelines, than to the pacing of the curriculum and instruction in the classroom. They are used to measure student progress toward meeting grade-level standards, predict performance on state accountability tests, triangulate data for program decisions, screen students for remediation or enrichment, and identify relative strengths and weaknesses in district curriculum and instruction practices to inform professional development and curriculum resource decisions.

We administer several standardized assessments to monitor student academic achievement, academic growth and preparedness for college and career goals. They fall into three categories.

State Accountability Tests: These tests are mandated by the state and are used to measure student attainment of Minnesota Grade Level Standards, school/district effectiveness and student readiness for MN State College and University courses.

District Standardized Tests - These tests are purchased by the district and administered to inform educational programming and instructional decision-making.

National College and Career Readiness Tests - These tests inform students, parents and staff on student progress toward national college and career readiness standards.

State Accountability

Minnesota Comprehensive Assessments (MCA)

Minnesota Test of Academic Skills (MTAS)

ACCESS for ELs (ACCESS)

District-Wide Formative Assessments

Grades EC-4

FastBridge screener aReading and aMath

Cognitive Abilities Test (CogAT)

Grades 5-9

Measures of Academic Progress (NWEA-MAP) in Reading and Mathematics

National College and Career Readiness Exams

PSAT

Pre-ACT

ACT plus Writing

Advanced Placement (AP) Subject Tests

Below is a list of district standardized assessments. Click on the assessment below to view more details about the administration.

For specific testing dates, please visit the Assessments Calendars page.

ACCESS for ELs

ACCESS/Alternate ACCESS Assessing Comprehension & Communication in English State to State
Grade Level(s)	K-12 English Language Learners
Season/Subject(s)	Listening, Reading, Speaking and Writing
State Window	Late January - Mid March
District Testing Dates	District Assessment Calendar
Test Length	Kindergarten: Up to 45 min Grades 1-12: Listening: Up to 40 min (20 min for Alt. ACCESS) Speaking: Up to 30 min (20 min for Alt. ACCESS) Reading: Up to 35 min (20 min for Alt. ACCESS) Writing: Up to 65 min(20 min for Alt. ACCESS)
Source	State Required: https://www.wida.us/assessment/ACCESS20.aspx
Purpose	· Helps understand level of English language proficiency · Used to help determine whether students are prepared to exit English language support programs. · Assists in determining if students have attained the language proficiency needed to participate meaningfully in content area classrooms without program support. · Provides information that enhance instruction and learning in programs for English learners. · Will help evaluate the effectiveness of EL/bilingual programs
Timeline and format for disseminating results	· Results mailed to parents within 60 days of results received from the state. · Results also available in online portal

ACT

ACT

American College Testing

Grade Level(s)

11^th Grade

Season

Spring

District Date

District Assessment Calendar

Test Length

3 hours 25 minutes

Source

State requires opportunity: MN Statute 120B.30 Subd. 1, Section (e)

Purpose

Serves as college entrance exam.

Timeline and format for disseminating result

Results are mailed to students 6-8 weeks after testing.

AP (Advanced Placement)

Grade Level(s)	11^th – 12th
Season	Spring
District Date(s)	May 3 – May 14
Test Length	1 – 2 hours per exam
Source	Local (optional): https://ap.collegeboard.org/
Purpose	Advanced Placement testing is an optional testing opportunity for students enrolled in a specific AP course. AP testing provides students with the opportunity to earn college credit while in high school and qualify for more advanced courses in college. AP test results provide instructors with a measure of curriculum effectiveness and informs instruction in preparing students for rigorous college course offerings.
Timeline and format for disseminating result	Students are notified of results in the late summer via their AP accounts.

CogAT (Cognative Abilities Test)

CogAT Cognitive Abilities Test
Season/Subject(s)	Winter
Grade Level(s)	Select 2nd grade students
Test Window	Early February District Assessment Calendar
Test Length	Verbal: 30-45 Minutes Quantitative: 30-45 Minutes Non-Verbal: 30-45 Minutes
Source	District screening for potential challenge programming services.
Purpose	The Cognitive Abilities Test (CogAT) is a multiple-choice K-12 assessment that measures reasoning skills with different types of verbal, quantitative, and nonverbal questions
Timeline and format for disseminating result	Results are mailed to families at the completion of the Winter testing window. Results available in online database at the conclusion of window.

FAST

Season/Subject(s)	Fall	Winter	Spring
Grade Level(s)	Grades K-4	Grades K-4	Grades K-4
Test Window	District Assessment Calendar
Test Length	Reading: 15-20 Minutes Math: 15-20 Minutes
Source	District Required
Purpose	The FAST Assessment is a first step in identifying children who may be at risk of future difficulty in school and those who may have special needs in learning. A one-time snapshot of a child entering a kindergarten classroom cannot capture all of the cumulative experiences in programs, in the home, and in the community of a young child from birth to that day in kindergarten, therefore assessments will be done throughout the kindergarten year to help the teacher target and recalibrate instruction throughout the year. The entry assessment provides the teacher with baseline information.
Timeline and format for disseminating result	Results are shared with parents during Parent/Teacher conferences.
Website	www.fastbridge.org

MAP (Measure of Academic Progress)

MAP (NWEA) Measures of Academic Progress
Season/Subject(s)	Fall	Winter	Spring
Grade Level(s)	Grades 5-12 students as needed	All students Grades 5-9 and other students as needed	Grades 5-12 students as needed
Test Window	District Assessment Calendar
Test Length	Reading: 45 minutes Math: 45 minutes
Source	District Required
Purpose	The Northwest Evaluation Association (NWEA) Measure of Academic Progress (MAP) test is used to measure your student’s reading and math progress or growth in school. These computerized tests are adaptive and the difficulty of each question is based on how well a student answers all the previous questions. As the student answers correctly, questions become more difficult. If the student answers incorrectly, the questions become easier. In an optimal test, a student answers approximately half the items correctly and half incorrectly. The final score is an estimate of the student’s achievement level.
Timeline and format for disseminating result	Results are mailed to families at the completion of the Winter testing window. Results available in online at the conclusion of window.

MCA (Minnesota Comprehensive Assessment)

Early March through early May

Subject(s)	Math	Reading	Science
Grade Level(s)	3-8, 11	3-8, 10	5, 8, HS (after biology course)
State Window
District Dates	District Testing Calendar	District Testing Calendar	District Testing Calendar
Test Length	Grades 3-6: 2.5 – 3.5 hours Grades 7-8: 2 – 2.5 hours Grade 11: 1.5 – 2.5 hours	Grades 3-8: 2.5-3.5 hours Grade 10: 2 – 3 hours	Grades 5, 8: 1.75 hours HS: 2 hours
Source	State required: http://education.state.mn.us/MDE/dse/test/mn/
Purpose	The Minnesota Comprehensive Assessments (MCA) and alternate assessment Minnesota Test of Academic Skills (MTAS) are the state tests that help districts measure student progress toward Minnesota’s academic standards and also meet federal and state legislative requirements. Students take one test in each subject. Most students take the MCA, but students who receive special education services and meet eligibility requirements may take the alternate assessment MTAS instead.
Timeline and format for disseminating result	Individual Student reports are handed out during open house, or mailed within the first 30 days of the new school year. Results are also available on online portal.

MTAS (Minnesota Test of Academic Skills)

Season/Subject(s)	Math, Reading & Science
Grade Level(s)	Identified students
State Window	Early March through early May
District Testing	District Testing Calendar
Test Length	Math 30-60 Minutes	Reading 45-90 Minutes	Science 30-60 Minutes
Source	State required: http://education.state.mn.us/MDE/dse/test/mn/
Purpose	To guide and evaluate instruction against the Minnesota State Standards in Language Arts, Math and Science
Timeline and format for disseminating result	Individual Student reports are handed out during open house, or mailed within the first 30 days of the new school year. Results are also available on online portal.

NAEP (National Assessment of Academic Progress

Grade Level(s)

4, 8

Season/Subject(s)

Math & Reading

District Assessment Calendar

Length

120 Minutes (Includes transition time, directions and survey)

Source

Nationaly Required Participation:

http://nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard

Purpose

NAEP 2019 Information for District Testing Calendar

The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) is the largest nationally representative and continuing assessment of what our nation’s students know and can do in various subjects for grades 4, 8, and 12. The purpose of NAEP is to provide state and national trend data on student achievement. NAEP data are used to compare and understand the performance of demographic groups within Minnesota, the nation, and other states/jurisdictions. NAEP is not designed to collect or report results for individual students, classrooms, or schools.

Federal law specifies that NAEP is voluntary for every student, school, or school district. However, federal law also requires all school districts that receive Title I funds to participate in NAEP reading and mathematics assessments at fourth- and eighth-grades.

NAEP is designed to cause minimal disruption of classroom activities. Including transition time, directions, and the completion of a survey questionnaire, it takes approximately 90 to 120 minutes for students to complete the assessment. Each student will be assessed in one subject only. Districts, schools, and teachers do not need to prepare their students to take the assessment but should encourage them to do their best. Within a school, just some of the student population participates, and student responses are combined with those from other participating students to produce the results. Student responses on NAEP are confidential, and the privacy of each participating school and student is essential. The information each student provides will be used for statistical purposes only.

Timeline and format for disseminating results

Results will be released at the national, state, and TUDA levels for the mathematics and reading assessments at grades 4 and 8. National results will be released for the science assessment at grades 4, 8, and 12 and the mathematics and reading assessments at grade 12. NAEP will also administer pilot assessments in 2019. Information collected from pilots will be used to ensure that future NAEP assessments continue to be a reliable measure of student achievement. By participating in pilot assessments, schools and students take an active role in how NAEP is administered and how other students will experience the assessment. Most students will take the assessment on tablets, while a small subset of students will take paper-and-pencil versions. Administering assessments via both tablets and paper booklets help in evaluating any difference in student performance between the two types of administration.

Pre-ACT

Season/Subject(s)	English, Mathematics, Reading and Science
Grade Level(s)	10th Grade
District Date	Early November District Assessment Calendar
Test Length	2 hours 15 minutes
Source	District - Optional
Purpose	The Pre-American College Test (Pre-ACT) provides students with a potential prediction of their future ACT score and progress towards career and college readiness as well as entry-level college courses. Curriculum effectiveness while preparing students for career and college readiness is evaluated.
Timeline and format for disseminating result	Students will be handed out 4-6 weeks upon completion of the test.

PSAT

Season/Subject(s)	Mathematics, Reading and Writing
Grade Level(s)	10^th and 11^th grade students
District Date	Early/Mid October District Assessment Calendar
Test Length	2 hours 45 minutes
Source	District - Optional
Purpose	The Pre-SAT (PSAT) test provides students with a measure of potential career and college readiness and success. Scores from the PSAT taken in the junior year are considered for the National Merit Scholarship competition
Timeline and format for disseminating result	Results are mailed to student home address when scoring is complete

Assessment