The ACCESS for ELLs is used to monitor students’ progress in acquiring academic English. The results aid in determining when ELLs have attained the language proficiency needed to participate meaningfully in content-area classrooms without program support and on state academic content tests without accommodations. It identifies the English language proficiency (ELP) levels of students with respect to the WIDA ELP Standards’ levels 1-6. ACCESS for ELLs is used for accountability purposes in adherence to U.S. federal law.
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ACT Aspire Early High School is a summative assessment that measures what students have learned in the areas of English, reading, math, science, and writing.
ACT Aspire Early High School is an online assessment. Only a small number of students who require testing in a specialized format, such as braille or large-print materials, or those students who require American Sign Language translation will be tested with a paper-and-pencil test.
ACT Aspire Early High School scores predict how a student will perform on both the ACT and ACT WorkKeys when they reach grade 11. Students who need academic interventions or challenges can be identified earlier in their high school careers.
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The ACT tests include reading, math, English, science, and writing. The ACT plus writing is a paper-and-pencil test.
The ACT plus writing helps students understand what they need to learn next so that they can build rigorous high school course plans and identify career areas that align with their interests.
Wisconsin high schools will be certified as ACT state testing sites. Scores from the administration of the ACT plus writing (if taken with ACT Standard Time or ACT-approved accommodations) can be used by students for a variety of purposes, including college admission, scholarships, course placement, and NCAA eligibility.
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Starting with the class of 2017, students graduating from a Wisconsin high school must take a civics test composed of 100 questions that are identical to the 100 questions that may be asked of an individual during the process of applying for U.S. citizenship by the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services. Students will meet the graduation requirement by correctly answering at least 65 of the 100 questions.
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The CogAT (Cognitive Abilities Test) assesses students’ abilities in reasoning and problem solving using verbal, quantitative, and nonverbal (spatial) symbols. It is used as a screener in 2nd grade to help identify students for possible eligibility for gifted and talented programs and may also be used to in other grade levels on an individual student basis.
The Dynamic Learning Maps assessment measures the academic progress of students with significant cognitive disabilities in the subject areas of ELA and mathematics at grades 3-11, in science at grades 4 and 8-11, and in social studies at grades 4, 8, and 10. This is an online assessment delivered via the computer; however, some students may need their teacher to present the items to them. The teacher will then enter the student’s response into the online platform.
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The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), also known as the "Nation's Report Card," is the only nationally representative and continuing assessment of what America’s students know and can do in school. The National Center for Education Statistics in the U.S. Department of Education is responsible by law for carrying out the NAEP project. It yields public school state results for grades 4 and 8 and public/nonpublic national results for grades 4, 8, and sometimes grade 12. As a part of NAEP, MPS also participates in the Trial Urban District Assessment (TUDA), which is used to report on the performance of public school students at the district level.
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Wis. Stats. 118.016 requires each pupil enrolled in 4-year-old kindergarten to 2nd grade in a school district or in a charter school to be annually assessed for reading readiness. Starting in 2021-2022, MPS will use a new combination of tools to meet these requirements at each grade level.
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Star is a district assessment used in 1st grade through high school. It is a computer-adaptive test used to screen students three times per year in the areas of early literacy, reading, and math. It is also used for progress monitoring of students who receive academic interventions.
Since the 2015-2016 school year, students in the state of Wisconsin have been taking the Wisconsin Forward Exam. The exam is designed to gauge how well students are doing in relation to the Wisconsin Academic Standards and is administered in English language arts and mathematics in grades 3 through 8, in science in grades 4 and 8, and in social studies in grades 4, 8, and 10.
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