ASSESSMENT PLAN

PHILOSOPHY

Evaluation is the process of using tests, observations, and work samples to assess student progress and the effectiveness of implemented programs. School improvement at all levels is, and must be, assessment driven. The Stafford Township School district is committed to utilizing a variety of assessment instruments providing valid and reliable information that will promote the enhancement of district programs and the successful monitoring of individual student achievement.

Testing and Assessment

Educational testing, or assessment, is a key component of all school systems. Assessments can be used to monitor student ability, help improve curricula, evaluate the effectiveness of teaching and instructional practices, measure student achievement, and determine a student's mastery of skills.

Standards, Then Testing

When a local school system sets out to improve their education programs, it is imperative that a logical sequence of events be followed toward setting and achieving goals. First, goals for each school system must be set. Second, standards need to be adopted that outline what children should know and be able to do at certain levels. These standards should be written in a way that will help students meet the stated goals. Following the setting of standards, curricula need to be produced that will help teachers help their students meet the standards. And lastly, assessments should be developed to measure students' progress toward meeting the standards. In other words, assessment should follow, not lead, the movement to improve our instructional practices. As we continue to find ways to improve education for all of our students, it is important for all stake-holders to stick with a sequence that starts with goal setting and ends with assessment. Only then can we select and use tests that accurately measure student achievement.

No Single Test Does Everything--The Importance of Multiple Measures

No single test can do it all. A diagnostic test to determine a car's emission level will not tell you if the tires need air. A different procedure will provide the mechanic with that information. The same goes for tests in education. No single test can ascertain whether all educational goals are being met. A variety of tests--or, "multiple measures"--is necessary to provide educators with a well-rounded view of what students know and can do. Just as different tests provide different information, no one kind of test can tell us all we need to know about a student's learning. This "multiple-measures approach" to assessment is the keystone to valid, reliable and fair information about student achievement. Any one type of test--whether it be norm-referenced, multiple-choice or performance assessment--is only one part of a balanced approach to assessment. Some tests, for example, are designed to indicate whether a student needs additional work in specific subjects, while others measure overall group progress toward broadly stated goals. 

CATEGORIES

Tests are categorized as either high stakes or low stakes assessment. Low stakes assessment procedures are informative in nature and are utilized to guide instructional practice. Students are not adversely affected by their performance on these tests; in contrast, students often receive needed instruction as a result of test analysis. However, tests that are used to determine course grades, class assignments, program placement, and can adversely affect students, are considered high stakes assessment.

Norm-referenced Tests

These high-stake tests provide information that allows comparisons of accomplishment between district students and a representative sample of other students who are of the same age or in the same grade level. Many norm-referenced tests assess basic knowledge of content area and require only low level thinking skills; others are designed to assess the potential for learning. Since these tests are not directly aligned with district curriculum, the information that is gleaned from analysis of the results has only a limited influence on instructional practice. However, the results can be used as a screening tool to identify those students in need of additional assistance for either enhancement or remediation.

–    EXAMPLES

	Terra Nova
	Test of Cognitive Skills / In-View

Criterion-referenced Tests

These high-stakes tests are used to compare student performance to a set standard of proficiency. Results can be used to identify students who have not yet mastered required expectations and programs that do not adequately address mandated requirements.  Although it can be argued that the standards may be set arbitrarily, the results can provide valuable information that is useful when making instructional decisions. When standards are clearly defined, student progress towards mastery can be readily identified and instructional practices and programs can be easily adjusted and modified as needed.

–     EXAMPLES:

	NJ - ASK (GRADES 3-4)
	NJ- PASS (GRADES 5 -6)

Authentic Assessment

Teacher assessment is valuable to the evaluation process. This assessment can be documented by careful observation and the recording of individual strengths, weaknesses, and progress. Assessment procedures that reflect the actual learning outcomes and instructional practices and include teacher judgment are often referred to as authentic assessment.  Although results of authentic assessments often provide valuable information to inform instructional practice, this type of assessment is referred to as low-stakes testing. The results provide quick, reliable, and valid information about student achievement and program effectiveness. Results are used to enhance and improve programs and provide additional instruction to students in need.  Samples of authentic assessment include running records/miscue analysis, retellings, observations/anecdotal records, portfolios, and self-reflections. Rubrics, which provide descriptions of desirable performance and define those that are unsatisfactory, add objectivity to evaluation and must be utilized in all authentic assessment practices.

Running Records/Miscue Analysis

This assessment involves listening to individual students read selected pieces of text, benchmarks, and evaluating the errors to determine the needed instruction.

Retellings

This is the process of describing a selected piece of text, a benchmark, that has been read.  The results are then analyzed to determine how students construct and comprehend text.

Observations/Anecdotal Records

Daily observations of student performance are conducted to identify individual strengths and weaknesses and captured by recording what has been observed.  Anecdotal records are used to describe the applied learning so that a focus for instruction can be determined. These dated reports provide valuable information about individual student progress.

Portfolios

Samples of student work are collected and reviewed to note progress.  The maintenance of individual student portfolios allows for yearly assessment of student progress. Students should be involved in the selection of samples.  This becomes feasible only after specific goals and objectives are identified and criteria are clearly defined to note proficiency.

Self-Reflections

Students learn to assess their own progress by reflecting on their own learning, listing their individual accomplishments, and with the help of teachers, putting together a plan for continued achievement.

On-Going "Global" Assessments

For Grades 3 through 6, students are assessed several times a year in the areas of Math, Reading, and Language Arts (Writing.) These assessments are done on computers in the classroom or computer labs. These assessments are utilized to note student growth over the course of the school year.  They are aligned with the district curriculum and learning outcomes, and are administered in October, December and March of each school year.  Results will be used to help us identify students in need of assistance and to modify and enhance our instructional practices. 

PARTICIPATION

	All district students will participate in testing designed and or implemented for each specific grade level. Authentic assessment procedures have been implemented in every grade level and standardized, norm-referenced testing, begins with an ability and achievement test in grade two.
	Special education students will also be expected to participate, unless otherwise specified by the student’s individual educational plan, IEP. Results from all assessments will be reviewed by case managers to assist in determining appropriate program placements.
	Students new to our district will be expected to have comparable testing results included in their transfer folders.  If no such information is available, the new student will be administered the coordinating norm-referenced or criterion-referenced test within thirty days of enrollment.