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Standardized Assessment

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New England Common Assessment Program (NECAP)

The NECAP is a comprehensive standardized assessment given to students in grades 3-5 and is designed to measure each student's progress in meeting New Hampshire’s Grade Level Expectations, or GLEs.  The GLEs define the knowledge and skills a student should have mastered by the end of each school year.  The grade 3 test, for example, will measure what a student should know and be able to do after completing second grade.  The reading test includes short and long reading passages with related multiple choice and constructed response questions.  The mathematics test includes multiple choice, short answer, and constructed response questions.  The writing test includes multiple choice and constructed response questions, and a single extended writing prompt.  A constructed response question requires students to show their work and/or explain their reasoning.  The NECAP is given in the fall and test results are available in February.  The NECAP results are available to parents and educators to determine how well our school is helping students meet standards and grade level expectations.  Each year the state of NH determines whether our school is making adequate yearly progress (AYP) in the areas of reading and mathematics.  In 2010, EKES was identified as a school in need of improvement in the area of reading specific to our special needs population.  I am pleased to annouce that we made AYP in this disaggegated area in 2011 and we waiting to hear if we made it for 2012.  If we do, we will be removed as a school in need of improvement in that disaggeated grouping.  Click on the link below for an overview of our 2012 NECAP scores in reading, writing (Gr. 5) and mathematics.

http://reporting.measuredprogress.org/nhprofile/reports.aspx?view=41

 

School-wide Assessment

Developmental Reading Assessment (DRA2)

The Developmental Reading Assessment (DRA2) helps educators identify each student’s reading ability and level, document progress, and tailor teaching to drive effective reading instruction. Use the tools in DRA2 to assess accuracy, fluency, and comprehension. This quick and accurate assessment will:

  • Build students’ reading skills and confidence by identifying their independent reading levels and helping teachers match students with appropriate text.
  • Deliver immediate analysis and instructional suggestions to group student appropriately and better address their needs.
  • Target critical points of intervention and compare student progress against benchmark expectations with easy-to-use data analysis.
  • Disaggregate DRA2 data in order to meet accountability requirements of NCLB.

Teachers administer the DRA2 in the fall and again in the spring to determine student progress over the course of the year.  Last year was our pilot year to implement the DRA2 school-wide.  Fall 2007 data will be posted winter, 2008.

K-5 Writing Continuum

The EKES staff has developed a school-wide writing continuum* that will be used by teachers to better define the writing skills we need to be teaching at each grade level, and as a foundational rubric to build lesson specific rubrics.  Bi-annual grade level writing rubrics have been developed to better assess student progress in meeting grade level expectations.   

*Modified from the Write Traits Writing Rubric, Great Source Inc.

Informal Classroom Assessment

Reading running records
Writing prompts
End of unit tests
Projects
Conferencing
Student observation
Curriculum area rubrics
Student portfolios