Columbus Public Schools use both formative and summative assessments. Tests are either created by teachers and aligned with the curriculum or developed by outside educational organizations and aligned with state and national standards.

Formative Assessments

• Assessment for learning

• Given before and during instruction to provide feedback on what students know and can do

• Given often throughout the learning process and instruction

• Provide information for beneficial changes in instruction

Summative Assessments

• Assessment of learning

• Given at end of instructional time (unit, term, semester)

• Assess a student's mastery of a topic and student is given a score

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NSCAS is a series of summative tests that promote accountability to meet state and federal requirements. NSCAS tests are given annually to students in grades 3-8 in the spring to measure learning standards in English language arts, math, and science.

• Provide growth and feedback to students and parents

• Measure program success and effectiveness

• Inform curriculum development and revision

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The PreACT is given to all students in grade 10, during the spring semester to familiarize our students who will be taking the American College Test (ACT).

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The ACT is a college admission tool that assesses college and career readiness in English, math, reading, science, and writing. It is given in the spring to all 11th graders as the state summative test. CHS offers John Baylor ACT test prep to 11th graders to help prepare them.

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MAP is a national test administered to CPS students in grades K-2 in September, January and May.

MAP is a computerized adaptive test. The test adapts test items to the student's performance level:

• Answer a question correctly, the student advances to a more difficult question

• Answer a question incorrectly, and the student receives an easier question

Results

Students:

• Determine if they are performing on grade level.

• Set goals for classroom performance.

• See their academic strengths and areas for improvement.

Parents:

• See child's performance on/at/below grade level.

• See if the child is showing growth in reading and math.

• Allows them to see a comparison to the national average.

Teachers:

• Use results to help guide and individualize day to day instruction in reading and math.

• Use a student's RIT score to help set the instructional level.

• Use the data to engage students in personal goal-setting.

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DIBELS is an assessment that measures how students are performing on the following important reading skills:

• Phonemic awareness

• Phonics

• Fluency

• Reading Comprehension 

Students in grades K-6 are tested three times a year: fall, winter, and spring.  Students are monitored and tested for progress in learning to read several times a year.

Results are used for:

• DIBELS scores help teachers prepare their day-to-day reading lessons.

• Scores provide teachers and parents information about whether or not a student is on track for grade-level reading success.

• Teachers can quickly identify students who do not meet DIBELS measure goals and provide intervention.

Results are shared with parents:

• Fall and winter results are shared with parents at parent-teacher conferences.

• Spring results are mailed home with the end-of-year report card.

Proficiency is measured by a student's ability to orally read words accurately, smoothly, and with expression.

Grade level targets for a student to achieve are:

• 1st grade:  39 wpm (words per minute)

• 2nd grade: 94 wpm

• 3rd grade: 114 wpm

• 4th grade: 125 wpm

• 5th grade: 137 wpm

• 6th grade: 141 wpm

Kindergartners do not read DIBELS passages. They are tested orally over individual sounds and the ability to blend the sounds into words.

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