Assessments

FFC8 Philosophy of Assessment

Fountain-Fort Carson School District 8 believes in a balanced assessment system grounded in classroom assessment as, of, and for learning where both instructional staff and students are the final users of data to empower student agency and academic growth.
The goal of any assessment system is for the student to “own” the assessment and use it to better understand their own learning.
The ultimate goal is for the student to use self assessment and feedback as they become life long learners.
The assessment should always benefit the student.
Students should be able to use the results of their assessment to describe their learning, their progress, and their goals to the trusted adults in their lives.
Assessments should maximize student learning time.

Assessment for learning is a core value in District 8. It is the 3^rd standard within our school effectiveness framework. C lick here (page 41) for a more detailed explanation of what assessment should look like from the students’ perspective, the teacher’s perspective, and the schools’ perspective.

Assessment In A Comprehensive Assessment System Graphic

Skilled Trade Assessment In Action

Assessment Calendar

Assessments

Classroom

Formative

Teachers and students are constantly assessing their work. The majority of assessments occur in real-time with teachers and students giving each other feedback on the work at hand. This is known as formative assessment. Assessments that help guide and inform learning in real time.

Some examples of formative assessment might include:

· Teachers observations

· Student self-assessment

· Peer-to-peer feedback

· A real-time dialogue or discussion

· Student-to-parent feedback regarding their learning

· In-the-moment class work, labs, and experiences that enable a student to test their thinking.

· Assessments that help the student know what they know and how far they have to go before mastering a summative assessment

Summative

Summative assessments let us know if a student has mastered a concept after a unit or course of study. These are the types of assessments that are given after the learning is finished. Though they can be used to help identify areas of learning that need to be addressed, they are primarily used to confirm that the learning or growth has occurred. While an end-of-unit test or final is commonly thought of as a summative assessment there are many other forms of summative assessment. A band concert is an excellent example of a summative assessment. The teacher and students will have spent countless hours giving each other feedback to build up to this final demonstration of learning.

Some examples of summative assessment might include:

· Final grades

· Unit test scores

· Choir or band concerts that encapsulates an entire semester of learning

· Science fair

· Sports competitions

· Lab reports

· A business plan for a DECA project

District

Assessment	Purpose	Use	Grade and timeline
Acadience	Provide feedback on the early literacy mastery	Identify the specific skills and mastery levels necessary for an elementary student to read at grade level Identify students that may have a significant reading deficiency.	K-5^th Fall, Winter, Spring
Illuminate DNA	Provide a broad overview of grade level standard mastery in English Language Arts and Math	Identify which standards students have already mastered and which standards they still need to master.	2^nd – 8^th Fall, Winter, Spring
FastBridge	To give a quick, broad overview of a student’s ELA and Math content knowledge.	Targeted progress monitoring for specifically identified students and/or to help identify students in need of intervention.	K-12 (select students only) Fall, Winter, Spring
Cognitive Abilities Test CogAT	To universal screener to identify relative cognitive strengths for each child in the areas of verbal reasoning, spatial reasoning, and mathematical reasoning. Given to all 2^nd, 5^th and 8^th grade students. Can also be given on an individual grade level / one-on-one basis for gifted identification.	Helps both the teacher, the student, and the family understand how the student learns best so that we can present them with learning opportunities that speak to their strengths.	5^th and 8^th Fall - September 2^nd Winter – February
WIDA Screener	Evaluate English Language Acquisition	Used to screen potential English Language Learners to determine if they need assistance in the acquisition of the English Language.	All Grades Upon enrollment (if applicable)

State/National

Test	Subject Area(s)	Grade Levels	Purpose and use	Time of year
SAT / PSAT	ELA, Math	9^th – 11^th	To evaluate the acquisition of reading, writing and math skills that a student might need in college. Schools and districts are held accountable to these results May be used for college admission	April Any student can also sign up to take the test on their own throughout the year.
CMAS (Colorado Measures of Academic Success)	ELA, Math	3^rd – 8^th	To evaluate student performance against some of the Colorado Academic Standards. Common test given to all students across the state of Colorado Can be used to compare student growth against similar students	April
CMAS - Science	Science	5, 8 and 11	“”	April
CMAS – Social Studies	Social Studies	No longer administered	“”
WIDA ACCESS	English Language Development	K – 12 based on need	To evaluate the student’s acquisition and use of the English Language specifically in the areas of speaking, reading, writing, and listening. National assessment that is federal mandated for all English Language Learners to help ensure equity in learning	January – February
CO-ALT (Colorado Alternative Assessment)	ELA, Math and Science	Same as grade levels for traditional assessments	Provides our most highly impacted students with the opportunity to demonstrate their relative mastery of the Colorado Academic Standards through extended evidence outcomes	April

Culinary Assessment In Action

Music Assessment In Action

Physics Assessment In Action

Sed Keller
Director of Research/Evaluations/Assessments
719.382.1300

Phoebe Owens
Administrative Assistant
719.382.1567

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Assessments

FFC8 Philosophy of Assessment

Skilled Trade Assessment In Action

Assessments

Classroom

District

State/National

Culinary Assessment In Action

Resources/FAQ

Can I opt my student out of state assessments?

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Music Assessment In Action

Physics Assessment In Action