A Parent’s Guide to Universal Assessment

 Universal Assessments used in the Middle School

Universal Assessments – Assessments given throughout the school year to determine which students are “at risk” for not meeting grade level standards.  Students whose scores on the screening fall below an established cut-off are identified as needing continued progress monitoring and possibly more intensive interventions.  Students with scores well above a certain cut-off are considered for possible enrichment.

PSSA

The Pennsylvania System of School Assessment provides an understanding of student and school performance and determines the degree to which programs enable students to attain proficiency of academic standards.   Students are assessed in the areas of Reading in 7^th and 8^th grade, Mathematics in 7^th and 8^th grade, Writing in 8^th grade, and Science in 8^th grade. The PSSA is given one time per year in each of these subject areas.

4Sight

Pennsylvania 4Sight Reading and Mathematics Benchmark Assessments are “mini state tests” that are closely aligned to our state standards and assessments.  We administer them at the beginning of the school year and throughout the year, so that we can see the impact of instruction on our students’ achievement and predict their performance on the PSSA. The 4Sight assessment is given to all students three times per school year.

4Sight Benchmarks provide us with three kinds of information:                                                                                             

1) They predict student performance on high-stakes state tests.  That means they allow us to say, “If your child took the PSSA today, this is the performance level that he/she would be likely to score in.”  We need to be very careful when looking at 4Sight scores in the beginning of the year because we are measuring the students against the end-of-the-year standards (information they have not yet been taught).

2) They also give us diagnostic subscale information.  The diagnostic scales, which are based on state standards, break down the test questions into content areas.  This information enables teachers to begin to identify the instructional needs of the class and of individual students and to plan instruction accordingly.

3) Finally, using the 4Sight scaled scores, growth toward expected goals can be measured.  Repeated measurements allow us to monitor achievement, to celebrate success, and to make adjustments when indicated.

STAR Reading and STAR Math

Star Reading is a reliable, valid, and efficient progress-monitoring assessment of general reading achievement and reading comprehension.  STAR Reading provides accurate, norm-referenced reading scores, criterion-referenced measures of students’ instructional reading levels, and a way for teachers to track student growth throughout the year.  STAR Reading uses a computer-adaptive technology to tailor each student’s test based on responses to previous items.  By administering test items that are closely matched to student achievement levels, STAR Reading’s reliability is enhanced and testing time is minimized.  Using STAR Reading, students’ reading abilities are assessed in 10 minutes or less and the software immediately generates a variety of informative, easy-to-understand reports for teachers. STAR Reading is given to all students as an Universal Assessment four times per year.  It is also used as a progress monitoring tool.  It is given one time per month in Tier 2 and two times per month in Tier 3.

STAR Math is a reliable, valid and efficient progress monitoring assessment of general math achievement.  STAR Math provides teachers with quick, accurate estimates of math ability for students relative to national norms, criterion-referenced diagnostic assessments of math skills development, and a way to track student growth throughout the year.  It uses a computer-adaptive technology to tailor each student’s assessment based on his or her responses to previous items.  By administering test items that are closely matched to student achievement levels, STAR Math’s reliability is enhanced.  Using STAR Math, math skills can be assessed in less than 15 minutes, and the software can immediately generate a variety of informative, easy-to-understand reports for teachers. STAR Math is given to all students as an Universal Assessment four times per year.  It is also used as a progress monitoring tool.  It is given one time per month in Tier 2 and two times per month in Tier 3.

Stanford Diagnostic Reading Test (SDRT)

The Stanford Diagnostic Reading Test (SDRT) is a group-administered, norm-referenced multiple-choice test that assesses comprehension, vocabulary, and scanning skills. The SDRT provides information on student progress and can target individual students who are in need of additional reading support.  It also provides data on the strengths and weaknesses of students as readers which can be used to plan instruction and/or remediation.  The SDRT provides a grade-level equivalent for each student's overall reading level and comprehension, vocabulary, and scanning skills. The SDRT is given to our Tier 2 and Tier 3 students twice per year, once in the fall and once in the spring, using two different forms of the test.

OJRMS Assessment Schedule:

 If you have questions or concerns please contact Mrs. Venza, Instructional Support Facilitator:

 Krista Venza, M.Ed. – kvenza@ojrsd.com – 610-469-5522