Assessments
Illinois Assessment of Readiness
The Illinois Assessment of Readiness is a federally required measure of student mastery of the Illinois Learning Standards in English language arts (ELA) and mathematics in grades 3 through 8. The Illinois Assessment of Readiness goes beyond the traditional paper-pencil, fill-in-the-bubble tests, using new, innovative technology-enhanced items. The Illinois Assessment of Readiness asks students to answer a variety of types of questions, show their work, and explain their reasoning. This assessment system aims to help increase the number of graduating students ready to succeed in college and the workforce.
You can find additional information regarding the family reports by visiting this website: https://il.mypearsonsupport.com/reporting/. In addition, ISBE has created an enhanced Parent Portal that can be found here.
For more information visit: Math Structure and ELA Structure.
Illinois Science Assessment
Our students take federally required assessments every spring. The science assessment for grades 5 and 8 is called the Illinois Science Assessment (ISA). The ISA aligns with our Illinois Learning Standards for science. This assessment helps us understand how well students are performing academically and see whether they are on track to succeed in college. The ISA is designed to reflect classroom experiences. The ISA pushes students to apply their knowledge when they give answers, thus better preparing them for higher education and a career.
State Assessment Parent Resources
iReady
What is i-Ready?
i-Ready is an online assessment that will help us determine your child’s strengths and areas for growth, personalize their learning, and monitor their progress throughout the school year. i-Ready allows us to meet your child where they are and provides us with data to inform instruction.
The i-Ready Diagnostic is an adaptive assessment that adjusts its questions to suit your child’s needs. Each item a student receives is based on their answer to the previous question. For example, a series of correct answers will result in slightly harder questions, while a series of incorrect answers will yield slightly easier ones. The purpose of this is not to give your child a score or grade but to determine how to best support their learning. Students in grades K-8 will take the iReady diagnostic assessment during three testing windows (fall, winter, spring). Results will be shared with families after each testing window.
What can I do to help my child prepare for the diagnostic?
To help prepare your child for the i-Ready Diagnostic, encourage them to:
- Get a good night’s sleep and eat a full breakfast the day of the assessment.
- Try their best on each question and try not to rush.
- Try not to worry about questions they do not know—remind them that it is expected that they will only get about half of the questions correct.
- Be respectful of other students who take longer to finish.
What happens after the diagnostic?
The i-Ready Diagnostic will provide results that help us identify your child’s strengths and determine next steps for instruction. We look forward to sharing these results with you throughout the year and providing a learning experience that will engage your child while teaching important skills and concepts. Additionally, the results of this assessment will allow us to measure growth in learning over time and to determine specific programming needs for all students. This type of data increases the value of the assessment as a tool to improve student learning because it enables teachers to recognize where to focus attention for each child’s individual learning needs.