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- Last Updated: 16 June 2021 16 June 2021
The current Sioux Falls School District assessment program includes both district-developed and state-mandated achievement testing. The South Dakota General Education Assessments and the SD Alternate Assessments are state-mandated tests that take place in grades 3-8 and 11 for Math and English Language Arts. The South Dakota Science and Science Alternate Assessment are state-mandated tests that take place in grades 5, 8, and 11 for Science. The WIDA ACCESS for ELLs test is administered to all qualifying ELL students at Grades K-12. MAP Growth Assessments are administered in grades K-8 in Math, Reading, and Language Usage. Semester tests are developed at the district level for selected courses in English, Mathematics, Personal Finance, Science, Social Studies, and World Language. Assessment data is reported to parents/guardians and is available online for district staff.
High School students may elect to take college entrance tests such as the American College Test (ACT) or the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT). The Preliminary Scholastic Aptitude Test (PSAT) is available to students who wish to be considered for a National Merit Scholarship.
Annual Assessments
| Date | Assessment | Grade Levels | Purpose | Contact |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 26 – Aug. 26 | Course Equivalency Exams (at Central Services) | 9 through 12 | Option for high school students to receive credit for DOE approved courses prior to attending the class (Estimated test time = 90 minutes) | Assessment and Evaluation |
| Aug. 27 – May 25 | Course Equivalency Exams (in buildings) | *Individual results are shared with parents/guardians within 15 days | CE proctor in building | |
| Aug. 24 – May 7 | SD Interim Assessments (IAB’s & FIAB’s) | 3 through 12 | Formative assessments available within the Smarter Balanced system (Estimated test time = 20 minutes) | Curriculum Services |
| Aug. 31 - Sept. 18 | MAP Growth Assessment and Alt. | K – 8 (KG-Optional) | Formative assessment to guide instruction and measure student growth in reading, language usage, and math (Estimated test time = 60 min per test) | Assessment and Evaluation |
| *Individual results are shared with parents/guardians at conferences | ||||
| Sept. 14 - 25 | Reading Inventory (RI) and Phonics Inventory (PI) | 6 through 8 | Determine reading intervention needs (Estimated test time = 15 to 30 minutes) | Special Services |
| Fall 2020 | National Career Readiness Certificate (NCRC) | 12 (Year 3 of 3-Year Pilot) | The ACT® NCRC is a national credential designed to offer an accurate prediction about the success of people in the workplace | Assessment and Evaluation |
| Fall 2020 | Youth Risk Behavior Survey | 9 through 12 (Schools selected by SD Dept. of Health) | Federally funded research with support from SD School Administrators | SD Dept. of Health |
| Oct. 1 – Nov. 1 | NNAT3 Gifted Screener | 2 | District-wide screener for Gifted Ed identification (Estimated test time = 30 to 90 minutes) | Assessment and Evaluation |
| Nov. 27 – Dec. 22 | Bully Prevention Survey | 3 through 8 | Data used to support the efforts of Olweus at the Elementary and Middle School levels | Student Support Services |
| Dec. 1 - 22 (Winter window cannot start until Dec 1) | MAP Growth Assessment and Alt. | K through 8 | Formative assessment to guide instruction and measure student growth in reading, language usage, and math (Estimated test time = 60 min per test) | Assessment and Evaluation |
| *Individual results are shared with parents/guardians at conferences | ||||
| Dec. 7 - 18 | Reading Inventory (RI) and Phonics Inventory (PI) | 6 through 8 | Determine reading intervention needs (Estimated test time = 15 to 30 minutes) | Special Services |
| Jan. 12 – 13 (MS) | District HS Semester One Tests | 7 through 12 | Summative assessments for selected high school courses offered across the district (Estimated test time = 90 minutes) | Assessment and Evaluation |
| Jan. 13 – 14 (HS) | ||||
| Jan. 25 – March 12 | ACCESS for ELLs® and ACCESS for ELLs Alternate Assessment | All EL Students (K through 12) | State required assessment to measure English language proficiency for students identified as EL (Estimated test time = 3 hours) | Assessment and Evaluation |
| *Individual results are shared with parents/guardians at the end of the year | ||||
| POSTPONED until 2022 due to COVID-19 | National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) | 4 and 8 | The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) is the only nationally representative and continuing assessment of what America's students know and can do in various subjects. Its two major goals are to measure student achievement and to report change in student performance over time (Estimated test time = 90 to 120 minutes) | SD DOE |
| TBD | Tobacco Survey | 6 through 8 | Research partnership with SDSDU and support from SD School Administrators | SD Dept. of Health |
| Feb. 25 - Mar. 5 | Reading Inventory (RI) - Optional | 6 through 8 | Determine reading intervention needs (Estimated test time = 15 to 30 minutes) | Special Services |
| March 8 – May 7 | SD English Language Arts Assessment and SD Math Assessment | 3 through 8, 11 | State required summative assessment measuring ELA and math achievement (Estimated test time = 2 to 4 hours per test) | Assessment and Evaluation |
| *Individual results are sent home during the summer | ||||
| March 15 –April 30 | MSAA - ELA and Math Alternate Assessment | 3 through 8, 11 | State required alternate, summative assessment measuring ELA and math achievement for identified SPED students (Estimated test time = 2.5 hours) | Special Services |
| *Individual results are shared with parents/guardians the following fall. | ||||
| Spring 2021 | SFSD Climate Surveys | Students 3 through 12 All Staff, All Parents/Guardians | Local survey to assess District Measurable Goals in the Strategic Plan | Assessment and Evaluation |
| March 8 – May 7 | SD Science and Science Alternate | 5, 8, 11 | State required summative assessment measuring science achievement (Estimated test time = 2 hours) | Assessment and Evaluation |
| *Individual results for the SD Science Assessment are sent home in the summer; SD Science Alternate individual results are shared the following fall. | ||||
| April 26 - May 14 | MAP Growth Assessment and Alt. | K through 8 | Formative assessment to guide instruction and measure student growth in reading, language usage, and math (Estimated test time = 60 min per test) | Assessment and Evaluation |
| *Individual results are sent home at the end of the school year | ||||
| May 3 - 14 | Reading Inventory (RI) and Phonics Inventory (PI) | 6 through 8 | Determine reading intervention needs (Estimated test time = 15 to 30 minutes) | Special Services |
| May 3 – 14 | AP – Advanced Placement Exams | 9 through 12 | Optional tests for students in AP courses; colleges use score to determine if students receive credit. | Curriculum Services |
| April 26 - May 20 | STAMP Spanish Immersion Testing | 5, 8, HS | Summative assessment to measure Spanish language proficiency (Estimated test time = 1.5 to 3 hours) | Curriculum Services |
| May 21 - 24 (MS) | District HS Semester Two Tests | 7 through 12 | Summative assessments for selected high school courses offered across the district (Estimated test time = 90 minutes) | Assessment and Evaluation |
| May 24 - 25 (HS) | ||||
| State-Mandated Assessments | State-Mandated Assessments | State-Mandated Assessments | State-Mandated Assessments | State-Mandated Assessments |
