Smithton District Assessment Plan
Smithton CCSD #130 believes that the primary purpose of assessments is for educators, parents and students to better understand the student's academic strengths and areas of focus. To know if students are meeting the standards, their progress must be measured over time. Most of this measuring will occur in the classroom where teachers see students on a daily basis. There, teachers can check progress in many ways - by observing, questioning, reviewing work assignments, testing or judging projects and performances.
The District also recognizes the value of large-scale assessments such as those required by federal and state law. This information can provide useful guidance to the Board of Education and staff on the direction of school improvement efforts. By extension, progress data can inform teachers and administrators about where to make changes and improvements in programs, resources and supports.
State Mandatory Assessments
ACCESS for ELL's (WIDA)
Administered in January through February for English Language Learners in Grades K-8 in the areas of speaking, listening, reading and writing. For more information, please see: ISBE Access for ELL
Dynamic Learning Maps (DLM)
The Dynamic Learning Maps assessment is an alternative assessment administered to students in grades 3-8 each spring for whom general assessments are not appropriate. For more information, please see: ISBE DLM-AA
Illinois Science Assessment (ISA)
The Illinois Science Assessment is administered to students in 5th and 8th grades during the spring of each year. It is aligned to the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS). There are three tests, approximately 1 hour in length. For more information, please see: ISBE Illinois Science Assessment.
Illinois Assessment of Readiness (IAR)
The Illinois Assessment of Readiness (IAR) is the state assessment and accountability measure for Illinois students enrolled in a public school district. IAR assesses the Illinois Learning Standards and is administered in English Language Arts (ELA) and Mathematics. Students in Grades 3-8 complete the IAR during the Spring of each year. For more information, please see: ISBE IAR.
Kindergarten Individual Development Survey (KIDS)
The Kindergarten Individual Development Survey (KIDS) is an observational tool designed to help teachers, administrators, families and policymakers better understand the developmental readiness of children entering Kindergarten. For more information, please see: ISBE KIDS.
FitnessGram
All students in Grades 3-8, unless otherwise exempted under school code, must be tested annually in the second semester. Schools must test students' fitness in an effort to meet State Goal 20, where students achieve and maintain a health-enhancing level of physical fitness. Based upon continual self-assessment, fitness testing can assist students in identifying their fitness levels and set goals for improvement. Gathering this data also enables parents & schools to better understand the health trends within their region and encourage enhancements in a schools PE program. The assessment protocols include the following components: aerobic activity, flexibility, muscular endurance and muscular strength. For more information, see: Illinois Physical Fitness Assessment
Smithton CCSD #130 Assessments
Pearson aimswebPlus (Kindergarten-1st Grade) & Renaissance Star Reading & Star Math (2nd-8th Grade)
Both are web-based assessment systems that are designed to be universal screening and progress monitoring tools. Smithton School uses these programs 3 times per school year to determine whether students meet benchmark goals, which represent minimum levels of performance for all students to reach in order to be considered "on track." Specific students who demonstrate need will be progress monitored between benchmark periods using a related monitoring assessment to more closely determine growth and provide intervention as necessary.
Educational Software for Guiding Instruction (ESGI)
Used by our Kindergarten teachers to monitor student skill development throughout the school year. This instrument is web-based and allows teachers to administer individual standards-aligned reading and math assessments. ESGI provides benchmark data to assist teachers in identifying supporting students who need targeted assistance to achieve grade-level proficiency on foundational skills.