Skip to main content
Main Menu Toggle
Contact Us
District
Search
Academics and Learning » Assessment

Assessment

Educational assessments are used to support learning, as well as validate it. Making data-informed decisions can be instrumental in moving student learning forward. District 84 utilizes the following assessments to help us determine students' academic needs and growth.
 
NWEA MEASURES OF ACADEMIC PROGRESS (MAP)
  • Computerized achievement test designed to measure growth in student learning.
  • Teachers in grades 1st - 8th administer the test 2 times a year - winter and spring. Students in kindergarten will take the test 3 times a year - fall, winter and spring. Students in 6th grade and new students to the district will also take the screener exam within the first two weeks of starting school.
  • Students take the Reading and Math tests.
  • Data provides teachers with a baseline for where students begin the year and can measure individual growth. The data also provides insights into individual student areas of growth which assist in differentiation. 
AIMSweb 
  • Used for identifying struggling students and monitoring their progress.
  • Students are benchmarked in the fall, winter, and spring.
  • Benchmark testing is done by specialist teachers or language arts teachers at Hester.
  • Progress monitoring is done by an interventionist.
ACCESS (for ELL students)
  • ACCESS is the English language proficiency test administered to ELL students (K-8). 
  • Students are assessed in speaking, listening, reading, and writing skills. ACCESS administration is mandated by the state.
  • ACCESS testing is administered by the TPE/TPI teachers. 
ILLINOIS ASSESSMENT OF READINESS (IAR)
  • The IAR is the state assessment and accountability measure for Illinois students enrolled in a public school district.
  • The IAR assesses the Illinois Learning​ Standards, and is mandated by the state.
  • The IAR is administered in English Language Arts and Mathematics in the spring each school year in 3rd thru 8th grade.
ILLINOIS SCIENCE ASSESSMENT (ISA)
  • All fifth and eighth graders will take the ISA.
  • The ISA aligns with the Illinois Learning Standards in science and satisfies federal accountability requirements.
KINDERGARTEN DEVELOPMENT SURVEY (KIDS)
  • KIDS is an observational tool designed to help teachers, administrators, families and policymakers better understand the developmental readiness of children entering kindergarten.
  • KIDS focuses on the knowledge, skills, and behaviors across four key domains that most impact long-term student success. The domains are: Approaches to Learning and Self-Regulation; Social and Emotional Development; Language and Literacy Development; and Cognition: Math.