Assessment

Assessment in the Cedarburg School District

The Cedarburg comprehensive balanced assessment system includes classroom assessments, grade/course common assessments, district and statewide assessments. All are standards-based and each type of assessment provides information about the attainment of proficiency in both content knowledge and skills.

Quality assessment impacts students’ motivation for learning and improves instruction. The teaching and learning interaction is informed by both summative and formative assessment. 

Formative assessment is a planned process in which assessment-elicited evidence of students’ status is used by teachers to adjust their ongoing instructional procedures, or by students to adjust their current learning-tactics.   Recent research on learning supports assessment that is integrated into instruction and gives teachers timely information about how well students are responding to instruction. All Cedarburg educators are engaged in collaborative efforts with colleagues to develop quality common assessments that are directly linked to curricular learning targets and can be used formatively.

Summative assessments are found at the classroom, district and state level and can be graded and used for accountability. The information gathered from summative assessments is evaluative and is used to assess standards-based proficiency. Summative assessments include selected response items (multiple-choice, true/false, matching) and constructed response items (fill in the blank, brief/extended written response, and performance tasks).

The district and state assessments that are conducted outside of the context of the regular classroom curriculum are detailed below.

2017-2018 District Assessments

NWEA Measures of Academic Progress (MAP)  - grades Kindergarten-8

• The MAP assessment is a computer-adaptive assessment that is administered in the Fall, Winter and Spring each year measuring student progress and growth in reading and math. This assessment complements state and classroom level assessments that are used to monitor progress in student learning, inform curriculum development and guide programming decisions.

Fountas and Pinnell Benchmark Assessment System (BAS) - grades Kindergarten-5, selected students grades 6-8

• The BAS assessment is a one-on-one, teacher-administered, comprehensive assessment that is to determines reading level of each student.  The  BAS is administered in the Fall and Spring each year and the results are used to provide interventions, inform instruction and monitor progress.

ACT Aspire - grade 9

• The ACT Aspire is a standards-based system of assessments to monitor progress toward college and career readiness content areas of English, math, reading, science and writing.  The Aspire is administered in the fall of the school year, online with multiple question types including multiple choice, constructed response and technology-enhanced items and is capable of predicting outcomes on the ACT. The district administration of the ACT Aspire is conducted in the Fall.

PreACT  - grade 10, 11

• The PreACT is a standards-based system of assessments to monitor progress toward college and career readiness content areas of English, math, reading, science and writing.  The PreACTis administered in the fall of the school year, paper and pencil with multiple question types including multiple choice,  and constructed response and is capable of predicting outcomes on the ACT. The district administration of the PreACT is conducted in the Fall.

PSAT/NMSQT The Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT)*

• The PSAT is a standardized test administered by the College Board composed of Math, Verbal and Writing sections. The  scores from the PSAT/NMSQT are used to determine eligibility and qualification for the National Merit Scholarship Program.  

2017-2018 State Assessments

Wisconsin Forward Exam - grades 3-8, 10

• The Forward Exam is the new online state assessment that will be administered in the spring of 2016 in English language arts and mathematics in grades 3 through 8, in science in grades 4 and 8, and in social studies in 4, 8, and 10. The Forward Exam will be administered between March and May of the school year.
• Forward Exam Parent Brochure
   

ACT Aspire - grades 9 and 10

• The ACT Aspire is a standards-based system of assessments to monitor progress toward college and career readiness content areas of English, math, reading, science and writing.  The Aspire is administered in the fall of the school year, online with multiple question types including multiple choice, constructed response and technology-enhanced items and is capable of predicting outcomes on the ACT. The state Administration of the ACT Aspire is conducted in the Spring.
• ACT Aspire Parent Brochure

ACT Plus Writing and ACT WorkKeys - grade 11

• The ACT is a standard The ACT WorkKeys system is a paper and pencil assessment used to help students understand how they can improve their career readiness skills and helps employers determine whether individuals are qualified for positions. The 2016 administration of the ACT Plus Writing is scheduled for March 1st, 1016 and ACT WorkKeys is March 2nd, 2016 with make-up dates of March 15th and 16th, 2016.
• ACT Aspire Parent Brochure

Dynamic Learning Map (DLM)*

• The DLM™ assessment measures the academic progress of students with significant cognitive disabilities in the subject areas of ELA and Mathematics at grades 3-11, Science at grades 4 and 8 - 11, and in Social Studies at grades 4, 8, and 10. The DLM Is Administered in the Spring of each year.
• DLM Parent Brochure

Access for English Language Learners*

• ACCESS for ELLs is an annual assessment of the developing social and academic English language proficiency of English learners (ELs) in grades K through 12. This assessment allows educators, students, and families to monitor students’ progress in acquiring academic English in the domains of speaking, listening, reading, and writing. The ACCESS test is administered by the ELL Specialist between December and February of the school year.
• ACCESS Parent Brochure

* for select students