Policy ILBA
Assessment of Educational Programs
School Board Approved: July 23, 2018
The Superintendent will develop and manage an assessment program that provides ongoing evaluation of the effectiveness of the curriculum on improving student performance. The program must adhere to the processes for selection, use, and interpretation of assessment instruments specified below. This program will include both local and statewide assessment tools. The program must be aligned with the goals of the Jaffrey-Rindge Cooperative School District and be designed to assess each student’s progress toward meeting the defined learning goals/competencies.
Definitions
For the purposes of assessment of K-12 education through the demonstration of student mastery of competencies, the following definitions are established:
Content: the expected content, concepts, and skills to be mastered.
Competency/Benchmark Assessment: the process by which a student demonstrates sufficient evidence of learning.
Mastery: a student presenting sufficient evidence of attainment of the required competencies/learning levels.
Selection of Assessment Instruments
The selection process will include input from the professional staff in its efforts to investigate new assessment tools and evaluate existing ones. Assessment instruments selected will provide an evaluation of student learning outcomes through multiple formative and summative assessment instruments including, but not limited to, teacher observation of project-based learning, including off-site learning experiences; competency-based assessments; and teacher-designed assessments. Additional instruments may include written examinations, oral examinations, alternative questions, demonstrations, writing exercises, individual projects, group projects, performances, student portfolios, and samples of the student’s best works.
Administration and Use of Assessment Instruments
The assessment program will include an approximate schedule for when assessment tools will be administered to students. The schedule will be distributed to staff and the Board before the start of each school year. Teachers may adjust this schedule and may administer other research based assessment instruments’ as they deem necessary. Each building principal will ensure that test procedures are followed at the school level, including the distribution and collection of test materials, test security, use of test results and testing dates as well as other pertinent requirements. Readiness assessment shall be administered to all children entering Kindergarten. Disabled students must be provided the opportunity to participate in all student assessments. Any modifications in administration should be made and documented during the Individualized Education Program (IEP) review.
Assessment results will be analyzed and used with other data for the following purposes:
- To identify individual student strengths and weaknesses in skill development.
- To diagnose strengths and weaknesses of groups.
- To individualize instruction.
- To report progress to parents.
- To select curriculum materials.
- To set the pace of instruction.
- To select methods of instruction.
- To counsel students.
- To help determine revisions needed in the curriculum.
Interpretation of Assessment Instruments
The Superintendent or designee will ensure that data from the student assessment program is compiled, analyzed, summarized, and reported to the Board annually. The Superintendent or designee is responsible for the scores of individual students and they shall be made available only to appropriate personnel within the school in which the student is enrolled and to parent(s) or legal guardian(s) of each student as provided by law. Interpretation of test results shall be made available to parents and students.
The Board will provide funding for the student assessment program, including professional development for teachers in the use of tools to understand assessment results, to adjust instruction to meet personalized needs of students, and to monitor progress.
The Superintendent will provide an ongoing evaluation of the assessment program, and will provide regular reports to the Board showing the effectiveness of the learning progressions, instructional strategies, and feedback systems on improving student performance.
Evaluation of Assessment Instruments
The Superintendent will evaluate the instructional programs annually in accordance with Board policies and local or state guidelines. He/she shall report annually to the Board on the progress the District is making towards the attainment of its educational goals.
Legal References:
RSA 193-C, Statewide Education Improvement and Assessment Program
Ed 306.24, Assessment
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