ASSESSMENT

The Battle Ground Public Schools Department of Assessment provides information about the extent to which students are meeting district and state standards and guides educational improvement efforts in partnership with teachers, administrators, and support staff.

Contents

Standards Based Reporting K-4
Student Participation

District Common Assessments – Formative Assessments
District Common Assessments – Summative Assessments
District Assessments – Early Literacy Skills Assessments
District Assessments – i-Ready

Federal Assessments – NAEP
Federal Assessments – TIMSS
Federal Assessments – ICILS

State Assessments – SBA
State Assessments – Classroom-Based Assessments
State Assessments – Second Grade Reading Assessment
State Assessments – WA-AIM
State Assessments – WIDA

Standards Based Reporting K-4

Battle Ground Public Schools has aligned our student report cards to standards based assessments and the Washington State Learning Standards. The goal of our report cards is to create a district wide consistency in the reporting progress. This process will help align practices for accurate and timely reporting of student learning to parents and students.

Learn more and view sample report cards.

Student Participation

We encourage parents and students to be informed about testing procedures and expectations. Our schools and district office have multiple resources to aid families through the testing process. Special accommodations can be made to assist your child. Please contact your school’s assessment coordinator for more information about special accommodations, resources, and questions regarding participation or withdrawing a student from testing. You can also contact the district’s Assessment Department for more information.

District Common Assessments – Formative Assessments

Over the course of a year, teachers can build in many opportunities to assess how students are learning and then use this information to make beneficial changes in instruction. This diagnostic use of assessment is called formative assessment. It stands in contrast to summative assessment, which generally takes place after a period of instruction and provides information about the learning that has occurred (e.g., by grading or scoring a test or paper).

Formative assessment may be broadly defined as including all activities that teachers and students undertake to get information that can be used diagnostically to alter teaching and learning. Under this definition, assessment encompasses teacher observation, classroom discussion, and analysis of student work, including homework and tests. Assessments become formative when the information is used to adapt teaching and learning to meet student needs. When teachers know how students are progressing and where they are having trouble, they can use this information to make necessary instructional adjustments, such as re-teaching, trying alternative instructional approaches, or offering more opportunities for practice. These activities can lead to improved student success.

District Common Assessments – Summative Assessments

Summative assessments are cumulative evaluations used to measure student growth after instruction and are generally given at the end of a course (or end of a unit of study) in order to determine whether long-term learning goals have been met. Summative assessments are not like formative assessments, which are designed to provide the immediate, explicit feedback useful for helping the teacher and student during the learning process. High quality summative information can shape how teachers organize their curricula or what courses schools offer their students. Although there are many types of summative assessments, the most common examples include:

  • State-mandated assessments
  • District end-of-course exams
  • End-of-unit or-chapter tests

District Assessments – Early Literacy Skills Assessment (ELSA)

The Early Literacy Skills Assessment (ELSA) is completed with students in kindergarten through 2nd grade to assess alphabet knowledge, phonological awareness, sight words, and in kindergarten, basic math skills.  These assessments are done in a one-on-one setting up to three times per year to monitor progress of a student in these foundational skills.  This information is used by classroom teachers and intervention programs to provide support for students, as needed.

ELSA is one component of the screening used to meet the state requirements of the legislation to support students showing areas of weakness that may be associated with dyslexia.

District Assessments – Rapid Automatized Naming (RAN)

The Rapid Automatized Naming (RAN) assessment is completed with students in kindergarten and 1st grade as a part of the literacy screening process.  These assessments are done in a one-on-one setting once per year in kindergarten and 1st grade, and as necessary in 2nd grade.

RAN is one component of the screening used to meet the state requirement for the legislation supporting students showing areas of weakness that may be associated with dyslexia.

District Assessments – i-Ready

Battle Ground Public Schools uses the i-Ready Diagnostic assessments in reading and mathematics 2-3 times per year for our 1st through 8th grade students. The scores from the i-Ready along with additional data points are used to inform teachers of student skills and to determine if any interventions are needed for students. i-Ready is a computer adaptive assessment that is nationally normed.

Get more information on i-Ready.

State Assessments – SBA

The Smarter Balanced Assessment (SBA) replaced existing state tests in English and math for grades 3-8, 10 and 11. These assessments measure students’ learning of the state standards and will provide parents and teachers with better information to monitor student progress and help them be successful in their learning. Learn more about the Smarter Balanced assessments and parent guides.

State Assessments – WaKIDS

The Washington Kindergarten Inventory of Developing Skills (WaKIDS) is a transition process that helps to ensure a successful start to the K-12 experience and connect the key adults in a child’s life.  WaKIDS guides the classroom teachers in assessing kindergartners’ readiness in six areas:  social emotional, physical, language, cognitive, literacy and math.  The components of WaKIDS are:

  1. Family connection welcomes families into the Washington K-12 system as partners in their child’s education.
  2. Whole-child assessment helps kindergarten teachers learn about the skills and strengths of the children in their classrooms so they can meet the needs of each child.
  3. Early learning collaboration aligns practices of early learning professionals and kindergarten teachers to support smooth transitions for children.

For additional information please watch this introduction video.

State Assessments – Classroom-Based Assessments

The State of Washington has developed assessments that can be used in the classroom throughout the school year by teachers to gauge student understanding of the learning standards in social studies, the arts, health, and physical education. Classroom-Based Assessments (CBAs) are built from the state’s learning standards. These assessments are given by the classroom teacher. Health and fitness standards and arts standards (visual arts, music, dance, and theater) are assessed at least once at every level (primary, middle, and high school) for all students taking these courses.

Parents and community members wishing more information about these assessments are encouraged to visit the state website.

State Assessments – Second Grade Reading Assessment

All second-graders in Washington are required to have their oral reading skills tested within the first six weeks of the school year. Scores are not(?) reported to the state, but should be used by the teacher, school, and district to provide support for students who need help. Results must be available by fall parent-teacher conferences. For students whose skills are “substantially below grade level,” a plan must be created that involves the student, parents and school. Those students also must be tested one more time before the end of second grade.

For more information about the Second Grade Reading Assessment, please visit the OSPI website.

State Assessments – WA-AIM

The WA-Access to Instruction & Measurement (WA-AIM) is an alternate assessment aligned to the state standards for students with significant cognitive challenges. The WA-AIM will be used for federal and state accountability in grades 3-8 and 11.

Get more information about the WA-AIM.

State Assessments – WIDA

The WIDA Screener is used to determine initial eligibility for ELD services. The WIDA Kindergarten Screener is a paper-based assessment.  In grades one through three, the assessment is paper-based for writing and online for listening, reading and speaking. In grades four through twelve this is an online assessment. WIDA assessments measure proficiency in the four language domains of reading, writing, listening, and speaking. This test is typically administered to potential English learners upon initial enrollment in a Washington school.

The annual WIDA ACCESS assessment is administered to all students who qualify for English language development (ELD) services through the WIDA screener placement test. The annual assessment measures students’ English language proficiency, both knowledge and skills, in reading, listening, writing, and speaking. Results from this test determine which students remain eligible to continue receiving ELD services.

Please see the state website for English Proficiency Assessments for more information about the WIDA Screener, Annual WIDA ACCESS or WIDA Alternate ACCESS.

Federal Assessments – NAEP

The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) assessments are conducted periodically in mathematics, reading, science, writing, the arts, civics, economics, geography, and U.S. history.

Since NAEP assessments are administered uniformly using the same sets of test booklets across the nation, NAEP results serve as a common metric for all states and selected urban districts. The assessment stays essentially the same from year to year, with only carefully documented changes. This permits NAEP to provide a clear picture of student academic progress over time.

About every two years, schools in Battle Ground are randomly selected to participate in the NAEP, and a small group of students within each of these schools is selected to actually test. Since not all students are tested, schools and districts DO NOT receive local results from this test; results are compiled at the state level only.

Federal Assessments – TIMSS

Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS). Over the past 28 years, TIMSS has measured U.S. students’ science and mathematics achievement in an international context. TIMSS’ high quality, internationally comparative trend data provide critical information to inform education policy discussions and monitor educational inequalities (e.g., socioeconomic, racial/ethnic, and gender) within and across countries.

What type of assessment is TIMSS?
TIMSS is developed through an international consensus building process involving input from U.S. and international experts in mathematics, science, and measurement. The assessment contains a mix of questions: some require students to select appropriate responses, while others require that students solve problems and provide written answers. TIMSS 2023 will be a digitally-based assessment administered on supplied tablets.

Other information collected by TIMSS
TIMSS also considers the context in which learning occurs. Students, teachers, and schools are asked about a variety of aspects of the environments in which content is taught, learned, practiced, and applied. In this way, TIMSS provides each country with information on the factors related to mathematics and science achievement.

TIMSS is sponsored by the International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement (IEA) and conducted in the United States by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), part of the U.S. Department of Education.

Federal Assessments – ICILS

The United States (U.S.) is participating in an important international study: International Computer and Information Literacy Study 2023 (ICILS). The ICILS study is administered once every five years. It provides crucial information on U.S. students’ skills and technology experience compared with our peer countries worldwide. In addition to assessing students’ computer and information skills, ICILS provides information on factors such as teachers’ experiences and school resources supporting computer and information literacy education. This high-quality, international comparative study includes vital information to inform education policy discussions while identifying educational inequalities across socioeconomic, racial/ethnic, and gender lines.

What type of assessment is ICILS?

ICILS is a computer-based assessment. It is developed through an international collaborative process involving input from U.S. and international experts in computer and information literacy and measurement. As a final step, the assessment is endorsed as suitable by all participating countries. The assessment contains a mix of interactive computer tasks.

ICILS

Examples of released ICILS items may be found in the 2018 ICILS report “Preparing for Life in a Digital World” on pp. 60-62 and pp. 94-95.

Contact Us

Co-Directors of Curriculum, Assessment and Instruction
David Cresap 360-885-5394 cresap.david@battlegroundps.org
Allison Tuchardt 360-885-5364 tuchardt.allison@battlegroundps.org

Assessment Data Technician
Molly Stickler 360-885-5441 stickler.molly@battlegroundps.org

Administrative Assistants
Lacey Marsolek 360-885-5391 marsolek.lacey@battlegroundps.org
Paula Delano 360-885-5438 delano.paula@battlegroundps.org

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400 N. Parkway Ave. Battle Ground, WA 98604

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