Assessment refers to how schools gather evidence of student learning. Put more simply, assessment is when students show what they know and can do. Assessment isn’t just a multiple choice test or a fill in the blank question. Any school activity, including a presentation or art project, can become an assessment when a teacher uses it to understand what a student has learned. Students may show what they have learned through drawing, writing, speaking or demonstrating. Teachers also gather evidence of student learning during class discussions and other learning activities.
Assessments provide information that teachers, administrators, students and families can all use. Teachers may use assessment data to make decisions about what skills students need to practice. School leaders may use the information to make decisions about staffing or curriculum. Most importantly, students and their families can use results to track their progress toward learning and life goals. It is important that ALL students are included in assessment.
What are the purposes of assessment?
Assessments provide key information for students, teachers, families and policymakers. In the classroom, students and teachers use assessment results to make decisions about learning. Parents and families use assessment reports to support their children’s learning. School leaders use results when making decisions about policies.
What kinds of assessments do students participate in?
State Academic Assessments
ESSA requires that all students participate in the same academic assessments. This includes students with disabilities. There is only one limited exception for those students with the most significant cognitive disabilities. More information on alternate assessments can be found on the page Which students should participate in alternate assessments? This means that most students with disabilities will participate in general academic assessments. ESSA requires states to allow students with disabilities to use accessibility features or accommodations during assessments. The US Department of Education provides details of ESSA on its site.
ESSA requires schools to include students in the assessment that is designed for their enrolled grade. In other words, a student in grade 6 cannot be given the assessment designed for grade 4. Participating in the right assessment ensures that information about progress is based on a student’s enrolled grade. This helps provide critical information for students with disabilities and their parents.
English learners may take a test of English language proficiency (ELP). They will also take the general academic assessments. A few students with significant cognitive disabilities will take an alternate English language proficiency test and the alternate academic assessment.
IDEA and ESSA require states to test all students. Required assessments start in grade 3 and continue through high school. Every year students take reading/language arts, math, and science assessments developed by their state. In some states, students might take assessments in other subject areas like history or writing.
District, School and Classroom Assessments
The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) requires districts and schools to include students with disabilities in all assessments. However, schools and districts do not all use the same assessments. For example, districts often administer standardized reading and math tests four times a year. Additionally, elementary schools may use reading fluency tests that require students to read aloud. In the classroom, teachers also assess reading but in more informal ways. During the IEP process, parents and families should discuss which assessments their children will take and what results will be shared.
How are assessment results shared?
State Academic Assessments
School and district performance on state assessments is shared with the public every year. Information on school performance is shared on state education agency websites. ESSA requires states to report student performance by groups of students. This means that the public can view how well schools and districts are meeting the needs of students with disabilities or other identified groups of students.
Individual student assessment results are available to families and educators. Individual student results are not available to the public. Parents and families should receive annual reports on how their child is progressing toward state standards. Many state websites have guides to help parents and families understand assessment reports.
District, School and Classroom Assessments
Districts choose which assessments to use at each grade level. Parents should ask which assessments their children will take and when they can expect to receive results. For example, reading assessments may be given every quarter in elementary school. Some districts might administer benchmark assessments three times a year to monitor student learning. Clear, easy to understand assessment results let families know if their children are on track to meet annual goals.
How do schools and policymakers use assessment results?
Assessments provide school leaders and policymakers with information about student performance. Assessment results can be looked at in many ways. Policymakers can compare results between schools and districts. They can also look at results for distinct groups of students like students with disabilities. Policymakers often look at assessment results to make decisions about school and district issues.
Assessment results can be used to determine:
Why should students with disabilities participate in state tests?
Participation in state assessments is critical if schools are to be held accountable for the progress of students with disabilities. It is important that students with significant disabilities are included in assessments so that their performance is measured and their instruction is targeted for improvement as needed.
How Assessments Help the Whole School
- Check if the school’s lessons and books are helping all students learn.
- Show what extra training teachers need to better support their students.
- Decide which classes and subjects the school should offer each year.
- Plan how many teachers and staff members are needed in each building.
- Measure how well the school and district are meeting the needs of every child.
How Assessments Help Your Child
- Find the specific areas where your child needs extra help or practice.
- Follow how much your child is learning and growing throughout the year.
- Help teachers decide your child’s grades based on what they have mastered.
- Place your child in the best small groups for special classroom activities.
- Guide the teacher in making a personal plan that fits your child’s learning style.
- Support your child’s applications for college or other programs after they graduate high school.