Benchmark Assessments

Benchmark assessments are administered up to three times per year (fall, winter, & spring) to students in grades 4-8 in English language arts, mathematics, science, and social studies. Benchmark assessments measure the extent to which students are demonstrating mastery over the course of the school year on key skills in English language arts, mathematics, science, and social studies. Students in grades K-3 also have access to optional benchmark assessments three times per year. All assessments are developed with year-end testing in mind as a gauge to determine students' progression of mastery on essential grade level standards.  The benchmark assessment platform utilized in the 2022-2023 school year is Mastery Connect. 

Brigance Screening

The Brigance Kindergarten Screening tool provides quick, easy, and accurate screening of skills that are critical predictors of school success, including physical development, language, academic/cognitive, self-help, and social-emotional skills.  A copy of this screening report is provided as part of Kindergarten Screening for parent review.

Common Assessments

Common assessments are designed to assess student progress at the end of specific grading periods to guide and inform instruction. These checkpoint assessments are administered periodically throughout the school year in K-12 in English language arts, math, science, and social studies. 

Universal Screener

A universal screener is an abbreviated screening assessment of academic skills (i.e. basic reading skills, reading fluency, reading comprehension, math calculation, math problem-solving, written expression) administered to all students in grades K-3 to determine whether students demonstrate the skills necessary to achieve grade-level standards. Additionally, the universal screener is given to high school students new to the district or students who are identified as performing below grade-level standards. Universal screening reveals which students are performing at or above the level considered necessary for achieving long-term success (general outcome measure). This data can also serve as a benchmark for measuring the improvement of a group, class, grade, school, or district.

The universal screener may be administered three times per year: at the beginning, middle, and end of the school year. Individual benchmark reports are sent home to parents after each of the benchmark assessments. Students who fall below or significantly below grade-level expectations may be identified for additional instructional assistance and be administered short progress monitoring probes weekly or bi-weekly to track progress.  The universal screener platform utilized in the 2022-2023 school year is aimswebPlus.