WHAT TEST IS THIS?

Within the Appleton Area School District, a variety of different assessments are being administered to students in our pursuit of ensuring high-quality educational programming for each student. Each of these accountability measures provide valuable data that assist teachers with making instructional decisions that maximize student learning while also fulfilling state and federal accountability expectations. When viewed collectively, the various assessment data provides a comprehensive picture of a student’s growth and achievement.

FIND DESCRPITIONS OF EACH ASSESSMENT BELOW:

FORWARD EXAM

The Exam is designed to gauge how well students are doing in relation to the Wisconsin Academic Standards. These standards outline what students should know and be able to do in order to be college and career ready.

The Forward Exam is administered online in the spring of each school year at:

grades 3-8 in English Language Arts (ELA) and mathematics,
grades 4 and 8 in Science and,
grades 4, 8, and 10 in Social Studies.

Accommodations and supports for students with disabilities and/or English language learners are built into the system so that the progress of students can be accurately measured.

The Forward Exam is a high quality, research-based, and affordable assessment that meets Wisconsin’s expectations. It is a customized assessment with innovative item types that includes test items reviewed and approved by Wisconsin educators.

DYNAMIC LEARNING MAPS (DLM)

The DLM™ assessment measures the academic progress of students with the most significant cognitive disabilities in the following areas:

ELA and Mathematics at grades 3-11
Science at grades 4 and 8-11
Social Studies at grades 4, 8, and 10

This is an online assessment delivered via the computer; however, some students may need their teacher to present the items to them.

The DLM system is designed to map a student’s learning throughout the year. The system will also use items and tasks that are embedded in day-to-day instruction. Instruction for these students is based upon the Wisconsin Essential Elements and aligns with the Wisconsin Academic Standards.

ASSESSMENT OF READING READINESS

Each pupil enrolled in 4-year-old kindergarten to 2nd grade in a school district or in a charter school is required to be annually assessed for reading readiness. Each school board and the operator of each charter school shall select the appropriate, valid, and reliable assessment of literacy fundamentals to be used. The school board or operator shall ensure that the assessment evaluates whether a pupil possesses phonemic awareness and letter sound knowledge. The Appleton Area School District uses i-Ready for this assessment in grades K-2. Students in 4K will participate in PALS.

CIVICS EXAMINATION

Beginning with the graduating class of 2016-17, a high school diploma may not be granted until all students have taken and passed, with a score of 65 or better, the assessment; students with an IEP do not have to pass but must take the exam.

This exam may be taken until passed. This is a required examination that is locally formatted, administered, and scheduled. The 100 question examination must be identical to the U.S. citizenship test administered by the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services.

ACT PLUS WRITING

ACT Plus Writing consists of an essay test that measures writing skills and four multiple-choice tests: English, Math, Reading, and Science.

The test will be administered to 11th grade students in the spring.

PreACT Secure

PreACT Secure is an online assessment for early high school students that assess their readiness in English, Math, Science, and Reading. Students in grades 9 and 10 will be assessed in spring.

Parent resources from the Appleton Area School District can be found by clicking here.

For additional information visit the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction website.