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The Battle Ground Public Schools Department of Assessment provides information about the extent to which students are meeting district and state standards and guides educational improvement efforts in partnership with teachers, administrators, and support staff.

Standards Based Reporting K-4

Battle Ground Public Schools has aligned our student report cards to standards based assessments and the Washington State Learning Standards. The goal of our report cards is to create a district wide consistency in the reporting progress. This process will help align practices for accurate and timely reporting of student learning to parents and students.

Click here to learn more and view sample report cards.

Federal Assessments – NAEP

The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) is the only national assessment. Assessments are conducted periodically in mathematics, reading, science, writing, the arts, civics, economics, geography, and U.S. history.

Since NAEP assessments are administered uniformly using the same sets of test booklets across the nation, NAEP results serve as a common metric for all states and selected urban districts. The assessment stays essentially the same from year to year, with only carefully documented changes. This permits NAEP to provide a clear picture of student academic progress over time.

About every two years, schools in Battle Ground are randomly selected to participate in the NAEP, and a small group of students within each of these schools is selected to actually test. Since not all students are tested, schools and districts DO NOT receive local results from this test; results are compiled at the state level only.

State Assessments – SBA

The Smarter Balanced Assessment (SBA) has replaced existing state tests in English and math for grades 3-8, 10 and 11 beginning in the 2014-2015 school year. These new assessments measure students’ learning of the new state standards and will provide parents and teachers with better information to monitor student progress and help them be successful in their learning. Click here to learn more about the Smarter Balanced assessments and parent guides.

State Assessments – MSP

Until the 2014-2015 school year, the Measurements of Student Progress (MSP) was the state’s exam for Math (grades 3-8), Reading (grades 3-8), Writing (grades 4-7), and Science (grades 5 and 8).

Starting the spring of 2015, Washington’s assessment system changed to Smarter Balanced for English language arts (formerly reading and writing) and math. Students in grades 5 and 8 will continue to take the science MSP.

Parents and community members can examine results of testing from prior years at the State Report Card site: http://reportcard.ospi.k12.wa.us

State Assessments – HSPE

Until the 2014-2015 school year, the High School Proficiency Exams (HSPE) were the state’s exams for reading and writing. These 10th grade tests were used for graduation assessment requirements and federal accountability.

Starting in the 2014-2015 school year, 10th graders will no longer take the HSPEs. Reading and Writing HSPEs will be available to 11th and 12th graders who have not yet passed one or both of these tests in spring and fall of 2015, and to 12th graders in the spring of 2016.

Parents and community members can examine results of testing from prior years at the State Report Card site: http://reportcard.ospi.k12.wa.us

State Assessments – Classroom-Based Assessments

The State of Washington has developed assessments that can be used in the classroom and throughout the school year by classroom teachers to gauge student understanding of the learning standards in social studies, the arts, and health/fitness. Classroom-Based Assessments (CBAs) are built from the state’s learning standards. These assessments are given in the classroom by a teacher. Health and fitness standards and arts standards (visual arts, music, dance, and theater) are assessed at least once at every level (primary, middle, and high school) for all students taking these courses.

Social studies standards (history, geography, civics, and economics) are assessed for all students in grades 3, 5, 8, 10, 11, and 12.

Parents and community members wishing more information about these assessments are encouraged to see the state website at http://www.k12.wa.us/assessment/OSPI-DevelopedAssessments.aspx

State Assessments – Second Grade Reading Assessment

All second-graders in Washington are required to have their oral reading skills tested within the first six weeks of the school year. Scores are not reported to the state, but should be used by the teacher, school, and district to provide support for students who need help. Results must be available by fall parent-teacher conferences. For students whose skills are “substantially below grade level,” a plan must be created that involves the student, parents and school. Those students also must be tested one more time before the end of second grade.

For more information about the Second Grade Reading Assessment, please see the state website at 2nd Gr Reading Assessment.

State Assessments – WA-AIM

The WA-Access to Instruction & Measurement (WA-AIM) is an alternate assessment aligned to the state standards for students with significant cognitive challenges and is replacing the Washington Alternate Assessment System (WAAS). The WA-AIM will be used for federal and state accountability in grades 3-8 and 11 and can be used to meet a student’s CIA (Certificate of Individual Achievement) requirements.

For more information about the WA-AIM, please see the state website at http://www.k12.wa.us/assessment/WA-AIM/

State Assessments – WELPA & ELPA21

The Washington English Language Proficiency Assessment (WELPA) is used to determine student eligibility for English Language services each fall as a placement assessment. Starting in the spring of 2016 the annual profociency exam will be changed to the English Language Proficiency Assessment for the 21st Century (ELPA21) which will be administered online. Students in grades K-12 are tested in reading, writing, listening, and speaking.

For more information about the WELPA or ELPA21, please see the state website at WELPA or ELPA21.

District Common Assessments – Formative Assessments

Over the course of a year, teachers can build in many opportunities to assess how students are learning and then use this information to make beneficial changes in instruction. This diagnostic use of assessment is called formative assessment. It stands in contrast to summative assessment, which generally takes place after a period of instruction and provides information about the learning that has occurred (e.g., by grading or scoring a test or paper).

Formative assessment may be broadly defined as including all activities that teachers and students undertake to get information that can be used diagnostically to alter teaching and learning. Under this definition, assessment encompasses teacher observation, classroom discussion, and analysis of student work, including homework and tests. Assessments become formative when the information is used to adapt teaching and learning to meet student needs. When teachers know how students are progressing and where they are having trouble, they can use this information to make necessary instructional adjustments, such as re-teaching, trying alternative instructional approaches, or offering more opportunities for practice. These activities can lead to improved student success.

Black and William (1998) conducted an extensive research review of 250 journal articles and book chapters winnowed from a much larger pool to determine whether formative assessment raises academic standards in the classroom. They concluded that efforts to strengthen formative assessment produce significant learning gains. In Battle Ground, many teachers are using informal formative assessment tactics to help students improve their learning. In addition, groups of teachers are working to develop a system of common formative assessments based on state standards, which teachers and students from all over the district may use to inform instruction. As these assessments are developed, they are made available to teachers via the district intranet.

(Note – much of this information was taken from the following article: Boston, Carol (2002). The concept of formative assessment. Practical Assessment, Research & Evaluation, 8(9). Additional reference: Black, P. and Wiliam, D. (1998). Inside the black box: Raising standards through classroom assessment. Phi Delta Kappan, 80 (2): 139-148.)

District Common Assessments – Summative Assessments

Summative assessments are cumulative evaluations used to measure student growth after instruction and are generally given at the end of a course (or end of a unit of study) in order to determine whether long-term learning goals have been met. Summative assessments are not like formative assessments, which are designed to provide the immediate, explicit feedback useful for helping the teacher and student during the learning process. High quality summative information can shape how teachers organize their curricula or what courses schools offer their students. Although there are many types of summative assessments, the most common examples include:

• State-mandated assessments
• District six-week assessments
• District end-of-course exams
• End-of-unit or-chapter tests

In Battle Ground, groups of teachers are working to develop a system of common summative assessments based on state standards that teachers and students from all over the district may use to revise instructional strategies and report on student progress. As these assessments are developed, they are made available to teachers via the district intranet. These summative assessments include six-week assessments used to monitor progress, and end-of-course exams.

Contact Us

Director of Assessment

• David Cresap (360) 885-5394 cresap.david@battlegroundps.org

Assistant Director of Assessment

• Allison Tuchardt (360) 885-5364 tuchardt.allison@battlegroundps.org

Assessment Data Technician

• Molly Stickler (360) 885-5441 stickler.molly@battlegroundps.org

Secretary

• Judy Ritola (360) 885-5391 ritola.judy@battlegroundps.org