District Formative Assessment:

 

Common Formative Assessments

At each K-12 school, teachers use Common Formative Assessments (CFAs) to check student understanding of key skills and concepts. These short, regular assessments help teachers see what students have mastered and where they may need extra support, ensuring instruction is tailored to meet every child’s needs.

Benchmark Assessments

To track student growth and guide instruction, we use benchmark assessments three times each year—at the beginning (BOY), middle (MOY), and end (EOY) of the school year. Students in grades K–2 take the Exact Path Diagnostic, while students in grades 3–8 complete ILEARN Checkpoints. These assessments help teachers identify strengths and areas for growth, ensuring that every child receives the support they need to succeed.

 

State Summative Assessments:

Dyslexia Screener

Indiana law (SEA 217, 2018), also known as “The Dyslexia Law,” requires that all students in kindergarten, first grade, and second grade are screened each school year for early signs of dyslexia. These screenings cover six important skill areas: phonemic awareness, alphabet knowledge, sound-symbol relationships, decoding, rapid naming, and encoding (spelling). The purpose of the screener is not to diagnose dyslexia, but to help teachers identify students who may need extra support in reading. This early identification allows us to provide targeted interventions to strengthen foundational literacy skills and ensure every child has the tools they need to become a successful reader.

IREAD

The Indiana Reading Evaluation and Determination (IREAD-3) is a state assessment designed to measure foundational reading skills through the end of grade three. Based on the Indiana Academic Standards and established by state law (House Enrolled Act 1367, Public Law 109 in 2010), the test ensures that students are able to read proficiently before moving on to fourth grade. Students first take IREAD in grade 2. If they do not pass, they will have additional opportunities each year to retake the test until they demonstrate proficiency or enter 7th grade. The goal of IREAD is to confirm that every student has the strong reading foundation needed for future academic success.

ILEARN Grades 3-8

ILEARN assesses achievement of Indiana Academic Standards for the following grades and subject areas:

  • English/Language Arts (ELA) (Grades 3-8)
  • Mathematics (Grades 3-8)
  • Science (Grades 4, 6, and Biology)
  • Social Studies (Grade 5)
  • U.S. Government (optional)

PSAT/NMSQT

The Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT) is a standardized assessment administered by College Board and co-sponsored by the National Merit Scholarship Corporation (NMSC) in the United States. The State of Indiana provides funds (as appropriated in HEA 1001 [2019]) to measure students’ college- and career-readiness, indicate student academic strengths and challenges, and provide additional support to students (I.C. 20-32-9-3). PSAT/NMSQT may be administered to students in grade 10 and/or grade 11 for this purpose.

SAT

Indiana will use the SAT (provided by College Board) to fulfill requirements listed in Indiana Code 20-32-5.1-7(d) for high school accountability. Students may also use scores to fulfill some high school graduation requirements. SAT assesses high school Mathematics, Reading, and Writing standards in grade 11. The SAT is administered in the spring of each school year, beginning Spring 2022.

End of Course Assessment-High School

ILEARN Biology and U.S. Government (Optional) ECA is administered to students in grades 7-12 taking those courses. 

WIDA

The Elementary and Secondary Education Act, as amended by the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), requires state education agencies to establish and implement standardized, statewide entrance and exit procedures for English Learners (Section 3113). In accordance with federal regulations, all states are required to:

  • Identify the languages other than English present in their student population;
  • Assess the language proficiency of students in order to place them in the appropriate language development program; and
  • Administer an annual assessment of English proficiency, which includes measuring a student’s oral language, reading, and writing skills in English.