Testing In Our District
As most of you are already aware, the school participates in state assessments every year. What some of you may not know, is that our district has other assessments taking place throughout the year as well.
The General Education Assessment for the areas of ELA, Math, and Science is administered in March and April. The ELA & Math assessments are given to students in 3rd-8th & 10th grade. The Science assessment is only given to students in 5th, 8th, & 11th grade. There will also be a new classroom based assessment called the HGSS (History, Government, & Social Studies). This will be given to 4th, 7th, & 11th grade students.
There are optional interim predictive assessments that are open three different times throughout the year. These are practice assessments to help students become familiar with the KITE (assessment) system and to provide data throughout the year.
Our K-12 English Learning (EL) students take the KELPA (Kansas English Language Proficiency Assessment) in February and March to assess their language proficiency. They are tested in four domains: listening, reading, writing, and speaking.
The Instructionally Embedded model of the Dynamic Learning Maps (DLM) alternate assessment takes place throughout the entire year to test students with the most significant cognitive disabilities. The alternate assessments are available for ELA, Math, and Science for students who qualify in 3rd-11th grade.
The high school students have already begun their testing. Our juniors have the choice to either take the WorkKeys or the ACT. The WorkKeys assessment tests what employers say are critical for on-the-job training and career success. This is designed for students that plan to join the work force immediately after high school. The WorkKeys assessment has already taken place, and the ACT will happen in April. All freshmen and sophomore students will take the Pre-ACT next month.
Assessments are an important part of the educational system in every district. Whether students are testing in the fall, winter, or spring, our USD 495 staff is always busy preparing our students for success.
Jennifer Keith
District Test Coordinator
FLES Assistant Principal