1/19/2022
What is Scantron and How is it Used?
This week, grades 2-8 are taking the Scantron Performance Series assessment. This is a Diocesan mandated standardized test for grades 3-7, taken in the fall, winter, and spring of each school year to check in on students' progression in Reading, Math, and Language Arts.
This particular assessment can be used in all grade levels from Kindergarten through seniors in high school, however, the Diocese of Arlington mandates that only grades 3-7 complete this assessment. It is an adaptive test, which means that based upon the answers that students give, the next question is either a little easier or a little harder. Students may work both above and below grade level within this particular assessment as their skills progress.
Because it is adaptive, the test is able to pinpoint specific areas of knowledge and areas for growth within the broad labels of Reading, Math, and Language Arts. For instance, feedback from this assessment immediately can tell a teacher that a particular student or group of students have mastered addition and subtraction skills, but struggle with measurements to the inch versus to the centimeter.
This feedback allows for instruction to be tweaked as the year progresses, as needed. Teachers have the ability to download activities directly from the Performance Series or to correlate the strengths and challenges for their class with their existing textbooks and activities. The Performance Series assessment is correlated with the Diocesan Curriculum Guidelines.
However, we believe that a single moment in time (one test) is never indicative of any child’s complete knowledge. This is one data point in determining your child’s strengths and challenges. We continue to use our in-house assessments, which were explained earlier this year and may be found at the following URL: https://bit.ly/3FEvuDD
The following are assessments we use in addition to the Scantron Performance Series:
- Fountas and Pinnell Leveled Reading Assessment (F&P)
- Developmental Spelling Assessment (DSA)
- Math assessments via the curriculum and math series used in individual grades
- K-2: Sight Word Assessments
- In Kindergarten: the Phonological Awareness Literacy Screening (PALS) shows emergent phonics and reading knowledge
This week, second grade students took the Performance Series Assessment for the first time. This decision was made based upon teacher and student feedback. In previous years, the mechanics of taking an online test was both difficult and confusing for our third grade students. Since the Performance Series is adaptive, a practice assessment is not available for students to complete. After much discussion with the second grade teachers, the decision was made to provide this opportunity and experience for their students and lessen the nervousness associated with standardized testing.
Our amazing students have completed two of the three assessments. The last one will take place on Friday morning, so please make sure to get a good night’s sleep, have a healthy breakfast, and send in your device fully charged. Please be sure to be on time to school. Any student who was absent or late will attend a make-up session within the next week.