Assessment

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District Assessments

Benchmark Assessments

 Benchmark assessments are standards-based, administered and used throughout the year to gauge student progress through the curriculum and Massachusetts Curriculum Frameworks. Students are assessed 3 - 4 times a year in each grade level/content area.  Teachers use remedial skills lessons and other resources for continued reteaching for struggling students.  

 Instruction and Formative AssessmentProgress Monitoring is used to track student data and provide recommendations for reteaching. For students who need additional instruction, each skill lesson has a related remedial skill lesson that can be assigned at any point in the year. Progress toward standards mastery is ongoing throughout the school year.  Formative assessment is embedded in instructional activities, including:

    • Discussion/Student Participation
    • Running Records
    • Annotations
    • Q & A
    • Vocabulary Activities
    • Writing Samples
    • Entry/Exit Tickets
    • Rubrics
    • Progress Monitoring Assessments
    • Daily work
    • Quizzes
    • Dipsticks
    • Student Response to Feedback

    Grades kindergarten through 4 use the Dynamic Indicators of Basic Literacy Skills (DIBELS), which provides teachers with data on early literacy skills such as letter recognition, sound awareness, and fluency.  DIBELS is also used as a dyslexia screener. For more information about DIBELS specifically, please see the links below. 

    State Mandated Assessments

    MCAS: Students educated with Massachusetts public funds are required by federal laws and the 1993 Massachusetts Education Reform Law, state M.G.L. Chapter 69, section 1l, to participate in statewide testing. The statewide testing requirement includes students enrolled in public schools. The Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) regularly assesses student proficiency in Reading, English Language Arts, Math and Science/Technology using the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System (MCAS). The elementary MCAS tests are intended to help schools and teachers know if students have mastered the content required to succeed in high school. The statewide test schedule is available through the DESE.

    Opting Out of MCAS

    As the Commissioner of Education Jeffrey Riley has communicated, there is no formal process for students to opt-out of MCAS participation.

    Parents should send the opt-out request, in writing, to their school principal in advance of the testing date. The request is to be submitted annually.

     

    ACCESS for ELs: The Abington Public Schools also tests English Learners (EL) on their oral and written English proficiency using the Commonwealth's ACCESS for ELs (ACCESS). ACCESS test results are used by the District to determine if a student continues to need EL services or other academic support services to help them master English.

     

    HELPING YOUR CHILD WITH TEST-TAKING

    Visit the U.S. Department of Education website for tips on ways you can help your child with test-taking.