Assessment refers to the wide variety of methods or tools that educators use to evaluate, measure, and document the academic readiness, learning progress, skill acquisition, or educational needs of students.
Formative and Summative Assessments
Formative assessments, administered throughout the learning process, offer real-time feedback to both educators and learners, guiding adjustments to instruction and enhancing understanding. These assessments foster a dynamic learning environment where students actively engage with material, identify areas for improvement, and develop critical thinking skills.
Summative assessments typically are completed at the end of a unit or course, evaluate overall learning outcomes, providing a comprehensive snapshot of students’ achievements.
By combining both formative and summative assessments, teachers gain an overall understanding of student performance.
State and Federally Required Student Assessments
Some assessments are mandated by Iowa Code (Chapter 12) and used for district accreditation and federal reporting. The District Assessment Schedule includes dates for these assessments along with others that are not required.
Iowa Statewide Assessment of Student Progress (ISASP)
The Information for Families resources assist parents and students with understanding the student ISASP assessment results. This assessment is given each spring. The results are sent home with students, and parents can also access the results through their district PowerSchool account.
FastBridge
The district utilizes the Iowa Department of Education approved FastBridge product to screen students K-8 in literacy and math three times per year. The results are used with additional classroom and teacher data to determine if a student needs additional time and instruction in these subjects.