Why Assessments
WHY ASSESSMENTS
TESTING IS A RITE OF PASSAGE
We test to drive, to fly, to become doctors, lawyers, and soldiers. We test because we have to know if someone is qualified. Education shouldn’t be any different – students need to take standardized tests so that we know whether they are mastering the knowledge and skills necessary to thrive.
Annual statewide tests provide actionable data on student learning to help inform instruction, continue recovery, and strategically allocate resources, ensuring they are targeted to the students most in need. They are just one component of a state’s assessment system and have their own unique role.
STATEWIDE ANNUAL ASSESSMENTS
Help policymakers understand what information their state’s assessment system can provide. A good assessment system can indicate if students are ready for today’s workforce.
Give a clear picture as to where students are academically, so state, district, and school leaders can know how well schools are serving every student and prioritize how to help them succeed.
Allow educators, parents, and policymakers to compare student performance across students, schools, districts, and states to ensure all students are receiving high-quality education and to target resources and improvement efforts accordingly.
Reveal and close Honesty Gaps between what parents are told and how students are actually performing. Statewide assessments shine a light on whether students are truly on track—or being misled by inflated grades or inconsistent local benchmarks.
WHAT ARE THEY?
States have established college and career-ready standards that set out the skills and knowledge in each grade that all students will need upon high school graduation to be prepared for success in work and college. Every state education system chooses its own annual summative test in grades 3 to 8 and again in high school to measure progress toward all students mastering the state’s standards. Across the country, there are a variety of tests being used, more information on the assessments each state is using in grades 3 to 8 can be found here.
Defining assessments
Formative
Used on an ongoing basis to inform teaching practice.
Interim
Taken throughout the school year to understand progress toward student mastery of learning goals.
Summative
Taken at the end of the course/school year and used to evaluate student mastery of learning goals and educational system performance.
