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  2. Assessments and Testing

Assessments and Testing

Assessments and Testing

Assessments are used in the Valley School District to help educators and families measure how students are meeting academic goals.

District Assessments

District assessments are typically given during the school year to help teachers see progress toward College and Career Readiness Standards in subjects such as math and language arts. Teachers can use the information from these assessments to work collaboratively with their colleagues to plan lessons and provide support for individual students.

The Measures of Academic Progress (MAP) assessment is taken on a computer and typically requires about an hour each for math and reading. The assessment measures a student's developing skills through a series of questions that adapt to the child’s level of learning.
 

State Assessments

State assessments are required for federal accountability and also provide a common measure of student progress at the school, district and state levels. Our educators examine the results and use them to help determine which resources and support are needed to close achievement gaps.

Washington state requires all districts to administer the Smarter Balanced Assessments (SBA) and Washington Comprehensive Assessment of Science (WCAS) each spring. These tests:

  • Measure how well students are meeting College and Career Readiness Standards
  • Help teachers and districts identify which students need more support
  • Cover math, English language arts, and science
  • Take about 2.5-4 hours per subject
  • Are given to students in grades 3 to 8 and 10/11
  • Are required for federal and state accountability

School performance data on state assessments is available on the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) website at www.k12.wa.us. To view your child's school data, click on the link below. Once you are on the OSPI Report Card webpage, type in your school or district name in the search box and select that name from the drop-down menu; then click "GO" to arrive on the school Report Card page. You may then select specific data measures for additional details.
     washingtonstatereportcard.ospi.k12.wa.us  

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