Assessment
Andy Peterson
Assessment and Research Director
- Assessment Calendar
- Civics Assessment
- Data Analysis Forms
- Data Progress Monitoring
- Diagnostic Flowchart
- Dynamic Learning Maps
- Early Literacy and Math Alternate Assessments
- KEEP
- Kindergarten Report Card
- Preschool Resources and PEEP
- School Report Cards
- TCSD Benchmarks
- Testing Information for Parents
- Testing Information for Staff
- Renaissance DnA (formerly Illuminate )
- Research Requests
- Resources and Information
- ADA Accessible Documents
Assessment Calendar
2024-2025 Assessment Calendar
Printable 2024-2025 Assessment Calendar
Tooele County School District 2024-2025 Assessment Calendar
TEST |
GRADE LEVELS |
SUBJECT AREA |
TEST WINDOW |
STUDENT DATA SUBMITTED |
REMOTE TESTING ALLOWED? |
AAPPL |
3 - 9 |
Dual Language Immersion (DLI) |
October 14 - November 29 |
UTREx – AAPPL |
YES |
Acadience Reading |
K - 3 (all)
4, 5 & 6 (only below benchmark prior year) |
Reading |
Beginning of Year (BOY): August 26 - September 20 Middle of Year (MOY): January 6 - 30 End of Year: April 21 - May 14 |
UTREx – ALO Skyward: Gr. 1-3 Interventions (Y/N) within 2 weeks following BOY & MOY window. EOY – By May 22 |
YES |
Acadience Math |
K - 3 |
Math |
Beginning of Year (BOY): August 26 - September 20 Middle of Year (MOY): January 6 - 30 End of Year: April 21 – May 14 |
Acadience Data Management (within one week of administration) |
NO |
ACCESS 2.0 (WIDA) |
K - 12 |
EL/ML |
January 7 - March 7 |
UTREx – DRC WIDA AMS |
NO |
ACT |
11 |
English, Reading, Math & Science |
Online March 11 (Window: March 11 - 14, and March 17 – 21) |
UTREx – Pearson Access |
NO |
Civics Exam |
8 & 11
12
|
US History I US History II
Graduating Seniors |
1st Semester Course: November 5 - December 20 2nd Semester Course: April 16 - May 21
Graduating Seniors: November 12 - 26, & ongoing as needed
|
Illuminate – DnA |
YES, online option |
CTE Skills |
9 - 12 |
CTE |
Open Window |
You Science/ Precision Exams |
YES |
CogAT |
2 6 |
Accelerated Programs |
April 7 – May 2 September 30 – October 25 |
Riverside Insights To Gifted Programs Director by: Feb 18 |
NO |
District Benchmarks (TCSD) |
4 - 10 |
ELA & Math |
See “2024-2025 Benchmark Schedule” on TCSD Assessment webpage. |
Illuminate (gr. 9-10) RISE (gr. 4-8) |
Illuminate – YES RISE – YES |
CORE Phoneme Segmentation/ CORE Phonics Survey |
Grade K - 6 (as per TCSD diagnostic flowchart) |
Reading |
Beginning of Year (BOY): August 21 - October 4 (within 2 weeks of Acadience benchmark) Middle of Year (MOY): January 7 - February 13 (within 2 weeks of Acadience benchmark) |
Illuminate
BOY: by October 4 MOY: by Feb. 13 |
CORE Phonics Survey has online option |
DLM/UAA |
3 - 11 |
ELA, Math, & Science |
Mid-Year (optional): Sept. 9 - February 21 Spring Summative Window: March 10 – May 21 System Offline: December 20 - January 1 |
DLM: UTREx—Kite
UAA: Spreadsheet
|
NO |
Financial Literacy |
11 - 12 |
Financial Literacy Course |
Open Window |
You Science/ Precision Exams |
YES |
Keyboarding Proficiency Report |
5 |
Elementary Keyboarding |
Beginning of Year: August 30 - October 25 End of Year: February 28 - March 28 |
USBE Google Form, one per school |
NO |
NAEP |
4, 8, 12 |
|
Selected schools, October 7 – December 13 (Age 13), January 6 – March 14 (Age 9), January 27 – March 7 (2025 Field Test)
|
UTREx – NAEP |
|
Pre-Kindergarten Entry-Exit Profile (PEEP) |
Pre-K |
Literacy Numeracy |
Entry: 4 weeks before first day of school – 4 weeks after preschool starts Exit: Last 4 weeks of preschool |
UTREx In USBE Data Gateway By Sept. 30 & May 22 |
NO |
RISE |
3 - 8 4 - 8 5 & 8 |
ELA & Math Science Writing |
Midyear Summative: November 5 – February 21 Summative: March 24 – May 14
|
UTREx – Cambium Assessment CAI |
NO (Certain exceptions) |
Avant Stamp Test |
7 - 8 |
DLI |
March 10 - 28 |
Avant Stamp |
YES (13+) |
Utah Aspire Plus |
9 - 10 |
ELA Math Reading Science |
March 10 - May 2 |
UTREx - PearsonNext |
NO (Certain exceptions) |
District Benchmark Schedule
District Benchmark Schedule
1. See “Benchmark Schedule” under the TCSD Benchmarks tab.
2. TCSD’s published schedule specifies the last possible date for administration of each benchmark. PLC teams have the autonomy to decide the exact dates, but each benchmark must be administered by the specified last possible date.
a. ELA benchmark dates are scheduled at approximately equal intervals between the beginning of the school year and summative assessments in April. The benchmark modules of Reading Informational Text and Reading Literature Text are both administered twice throughout the year totaling four benchmark administrations. A different form (similar assessment and content but different questions) is used for each respective module and benchmark administration. An example of a typical year’s ELA benchmark schedule is roughly as follows: Informational Text 1-Week 7, Literature Text 1-Week 13, Informational Text 2-Week 20, Literature Text 2-Week 27. See the current year’s benchmark schedule for exact dates.
b. Math benchmarks are scheduled in conjunction with the timeline of the TCSD curriculum guides. Each module is scheduled shortly after the information on each module is scheduled to be taught. The dates set represent the last possible date, to provide adequate time between completion of teaching and the date the benchmark is due to be administered.
3. Additional benchmarks may be administered at the discretion of site-based teachers and administrators.
4. For more information about TCSD benchmarks, see “TCSD Benchmarks 2.0 Description” on the TCSD Assessment webpage.
Civics Assessment
Data Analysis Forms
Data Progress Monitoring
TCSD Progress Monitoring Guidelines
1. What is the purpose of progress monitoring?
● To monitor and verify the growth of all students and to determine if individual students are responding to strategic or intensive instruction. For growth to be detected in students who are below benchmark, it is critical that adequate intervention/targeted skill-based instruction be provided between progress monitoring assessments.
2. Which skills should be progress monitored in each grade?
● Progress monitoring is not dependent on grade level.
The skills that are progress monitored are based on the demonstrated skill level of the individual student. This means teachers should determine the progress monitoring measure that is in alignment with the skills for which the student is receiving intervention (see next question).
● This will result in students in the same grade level participating in different progress monitoring measures.
3. How do I identify the appropriate measure I should use for progress monitoring?
● Analyze student’s individual Acadience Learning Online measures, specifically the probes (FSF, LNF, PSF, NWF, ORF-A, ORF, MAZE).
● Identify the foundational skill deficit and match intervention to student need.
● Identify Acadience Learning Online Recommended PM Measure.
4. After I identify the appropriate measure, what do I do next?
● After identifying the foundational skill deficit, provide at least 2 weeks of intervention. Collect data to show growth of the targeted skill(s).
5. How often should students participate in progress monitoring?
● After at least 2 weeks of intervention, then use progress monitoring to determine if the intervention is effective
● Students below benchmark (intensive/red or strategic/yellow) = at least every 2 weeks
● Students at benchmark (green) = at least every 4 weeks
● Students above benchmark (blue) = at least every 6 weeks
● Students should not be progress monitored during the specified benchmark period.
6. How do I know when to move to a new progress monitoring submeasure?
● When 3 data points are above the aim line, move to a new submeasure and intervention.
● When 3 data points are below the aim line, continue with the same submeasure, but change the intervention.
Diagnostic Flowchart
Dynamic Learning Maps
Early Literacy and Math Alternate Assessments
Literacy
Guide to the Early Literacy Alternate Assessment
EARLY LITERACY ALTERNATE ASSESSMENT KINDERGARTEN
Early Literacy Alternate Assessment First Grade
Early Literacy Alternate Assessment Second Grade
Early Literacy Alternate Assessment Third Grade
Math
Guide to the Early Math Alternate Assessment
EARLY MATH ALTERNATE ASSESSMENT KINDERGARTEN
Early Math Alternate Assessment First Grade
Early Math Alternate Assessment Second Grade
Early Math Alternate Assessment Third Grade
Alternate KEEP
KEEP
Kindergarten Report Card
Preschool Resources and PEEP
Pre-Kindergarten Assessment Materials and Resources
Pre-Kindergarten Benchmark Dates
|
Assessment |
Dates |
Last Day to Enter Data |
Send home summary report |
Term 1 Aug. 24-Oct. 18 |
PEEP |
Aug. 10 – Sept. 21 |
September 29, 2023 |
October 24, 2023 |
B1 |
Sept. 5 – Sept. 29 |
Oct. 13, 2023 |
||
DOT |
Sept. 1 - Nov. 30 |
Nov. 30, 2023 |
||
Terms 2-3 Oct. 24 -March 7 |
B2 |
Jan. 9 – Feb. 2 |
Feb. 16, 2024 |
March 1, 2024 |
DOT |
Dec. 1 – Feb. 28 |
Feb. 28, 2024 |
||
Term 4 March 11-May 17 |
PEEP |
Apr. 22 – May 17 |
May 31, 2024 |
May 17, 2024 |
B3 |
Apr. 8 – May 3 |
May 15, 2024 |
||
DOT |
Mar. 1 – May 19 |
May 26, 2024 |
School Report Cards
School Report Cards
The dashboard available from the link below displays key information about schools. Users can click through each school to learn more.
School performance is measured across multiple indicators, including academic achievement, academic growth, progress in English language proficiency, and postsecondary readiness. Each of these indicators receives a specific point value that translates to a rating for each indicator.
In the coming months, new contextual information will be added to the Utah School Report Cards, including per-pupil expenditures, National Assessment of Education Progress (NAEP), and other metrics.
TCSD Benchmarks
Benchmark Information
TCSD (Tooele County School District) Benchmark Information
Why Benchmarks?
Benchmark assessments are an educational industry standard as part of a well-rounded assessment framework. Benchmarks are a critical tool for monitoring student progress and informing classroom instruction. Benchmarks do not replace teacher-created common formative assessments. In TCSD, benchmarks serve three primary functions:
• To assess students’ progress toward mastery of high-leverage grade-level standards.
• To identify students’ strengths and weaknesses related to high-leverage grade-level domains and standards.
• To inform teachers’ instructional plans, district curriculum guides, and other school and district support systems.
Note: Teachers are not recommended to conduct extensive “reviews” to prepare students for performance on benchmark assessments. Reviewing content prior to benchmarks should only include what a teacher would typically do to ensure students have learned the necessary content.
What are TCSD Benchmarks?
TCSD benchmarks are brief assessments, closely aligned to the format and rigor of summative assessments, administered throughout the school year in English Language Arts (ELA) and Mathematics, grades 4-10. Each benchmark assessment contains no more than 20 questions.
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ELA benchmarks include modules for reading informational text and literature text; each module is administered twice (in different forms), once near the beginning of the year and once near the middle of the year, equaling four ELA assessments each year.
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Math benchmark suites (with 3-4 modules in each suite) are administered for high-leverage standards identified in each grade. Three suites of module assessments are administered each year.
Two platforms are utilized for TCSD benchmarks.
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Utah RISE benchmarks for grades 4-8.
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In grades 9-10, the DnA-Renaissance platform is used to administer standards-aligned questions from the Inspect High School assessments.
How are benchmark results used?
Following each benchmark administration, teachers employ a data protocol to identify precise areas for immediate and future improvement.
Using the TCSD benchmark analysis protocol, plans for immediate support of student needs are created for the concepts and skills on which students struggled most. The protocol is designed to assist teachers in identifying specific learning gaps, designing effective instructional responses, and assessing student progress following instructional responses. The protocol has been created to analyze student responses to inform targeted instructional actions to improve student understanding. Additionally, the protocol specifically guides teachers to involve students in analyzing their own performance. Upon completion of the protocol, teachers/teams should consult with school administration about their instructional response plans and requirements for submission.
Information about the concepts and skills with which students struggle, as identified through the analysis protocol, is intended to be used by individual teachers and PLCs (Professional Learning Communities) to improve pedagogy and future iterations of the course curriculum. When benchmark data identifies concepts students struggle with, instructional strategy, curricular sequence, and time allocations should be adjusted.
While benchmarks are intended primarily for student and teacher feedback purposes, school and district leaders also utilize the results of benchmark assessments to guide decisions related to curriculum programs and guides, instructional supports, and professional development offerings.
Why RISE for 4-8 and DnA-Illuminate for 9-10?
In selecting benchmark assessments, there were a few important considerations.
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To find assessments directly aligned with the Utah Core Standards for ELA and math.
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Ensure the content, format, and rigor align with the Utah summative assessments (Utah RISE and Utah Aspire Plus).
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Provide teachers, PLCs, and site leaders with data in an intuitive and supportive way. Data output is necessary to provide easily accessible information at the question, student, class, school, and district levels. This level of information enables what we believe is the most crucial aspect of any benchmark assessment process: data-informed instructional response.
With these considerations in mind, the benchmark committee determined that the benchmark modules available on the RISE platform effectively meet the needs of grades 4-8 while providing the additional benefit of uniformity with state summative in the students’ and teachers’ assessment platform experience.
Please note: All benchmark modules given in RISE should have a Test Reason of TEST ONE.
Utah Aspire Plus benchmarks replace RISE benchmarks as the state-offered benchmark platform in grades 9-10. The committee determined that the Utah Aspire Plus benchmarking platform has limitations in data output capabilities that preclude its use for district benchmark assessments. The focused benchmarks provided via Renaissance’s DnA platform meet the abovementioned considerations.
How were the modules selected for ELA and math?
A committee of TCSD teachers, school leaders, and district leaders was assembled to develop a meaningful benchmarking system that ensures the fulfillment of these purposes. This group considered module selection among a range of ideas related to the TCSD benchmarking system. ELA and math were approached uniquely due to the progressively cumulative nature of math skills compared to the continuously cyclical nature of ELA skills. We recognize there are nuances to the nature of skills embedded in ELA and math, but this was the general thought process behind the approach.
ELA
Following data analysis, discussion, and deliberation, the committee decided that among the modules available for ELA, the most essential were the informational and literature text modules. This does not mean that the non-benchmarked ELA content is not important, but in the interest of devoting reasonable amounts of instructional time to benchmark assessment, analysis, and response, all modules could not be included.
The committee placed a high value on being able to assess and monitor the skills associated with the informational text and literature text modules throughout the year, as this approach allows both modules to be administered twice throughout the year, which then informs progress toward end-of-year proficiency and provides an indication of growth between benchmarks.
Math
The math benchmark schedule was designed to assess skills as they are accumulated throughout the year. To identify the RISE and Utah Aspire Plus math benchmark modules to be used, the committee consulted USBE’s Major 1 and the Achieve the Core’s Focus by Grade Level2 documents to determine the major standards for each grade level. The committee also reviewed RISE and Utah Aspire Plus Blueprints3 to verify that the selected standards align with the domains accounting for the highest proportion of questions on RISE and Utah Aspire Plus summative assessments, respectively. The committee selected modules representing the domains with the greatest overlap among the three sources. to verify that the selected standards align with the domains accounting for the highest proportion of questions on RISE and Utah Aspire Plus summative assessments, respectively. The modules representing the domains with the greatest overlap among the three sources were selected.
When are benchmarks scheduled to be administered?
The district’s published schedule specifies the last possible date for the administration of each benchmark. Benchmark windows will open 3 weeks before the last possible date. PLC teams have the autonomy to decide the exact dates, but each benchmark must be administered by the specified last possible date.
See the current year’s benchmark schedule for exact dates each year.
ELA
ELA benchmark dates are scheduled near the beginning of the year and near the middle of the year, approximately 2-3 months before summative assessments. The benchmark modules of Reading Informational Text and Reading Literature Text are both administered at those points, totaling four benchmark administrations. A different form (similar assessment and content but different questions) is used for each respective module and benchmark administration. An example of a typical year’s ELA benchmark schedule is as follows: Informational Text 1-Week 1-2, Literature Text 1-Week 2-3, Informational Text 2-Week 19-20, Literature Text 2-Week 20-21. See the current year’s benchmark schedule for exact dates each year.
Math
Math benchmarks are scheduled in conjunction with the timeline of the TCSD curriculum guides. Each suite of benchmark modules is scheduled shortly after the information on each module is scheduled to be taught. The dates set represent the last possible date to provide adequate time between the completion of teaching and the date the benchmark is due to be administered.
Can benchmarks be graded?
Yes; however, TCSD would encourage that benchmarks only be graded in a way that can help, not hurt, a student's grade. Examples of grading may include counting the benchmark as a missing assignment or giving extra credit points for the correct answers on the benchmark. It is important to note that benchmark tests can be opted out of.
Are there any other requirements associated with TCSD benchmarks?
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Assessment data analysis is recommended to be completed at the PLC meeting immediately following benchmark administration, but recognizing extenuating circumstances, the requirement for completion of data analysis is within two weeks of administration.
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Begin instructional responses within two school weeks of administration.
Will Acadience Math and Acadience Reading benchmarks continue for grades 4-6?
Acadience Reading
Acadience Reading benchmarks will continue for grades K-3. Students in grades 4-6 will only participate in Acadience Reading benchmark if they did not score at grade level proficiency on their previous benchmark. Teachers in grades 4-6 may choose to assess individual students at their discretion where there is evidence the student may be struggling with foundational reading skills.
Acadience Math
Acadience Math benchmarks will continue for grades 1-3. For students in grades 4-6, teachers may choose to assess students, but Acadience Math is not required.
How can I offer suggestions and feedback about TCSD benchmarks and protocols?
A survey link is available above to allow suggestions and feedback at any time. Adjustments from this and other feedback will be considered at least annually. If you have questions, please contact the TCSD assessment director or the respective TCSD curriculum director (ELA or math).
Benchmark Schedule
Week | Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | |
Aug. 12 - Aug. 16 | 0 | School Starts | ||||
Aug. 19 - Aug. 23 | 1 | |||||
Aug. 26 - Aug. 30 | 2 | |||||
Sept. 2 - Sept. 6 | 3 | No School - Labor Day | ||||
Sept. 9 - Sept. 13 | 4 | ELA - Informational 1 Window | ELA - Informational 1 Window | ELA - Informational 1 Window | ELA - Informational 1 Window | ELA - Informational 1 Window |
Sept. 16 - Sept. 20 | 5 | ELA - Informational 1 Window | ELA - Informational 1 Window | ELA - Literature 1 Window | ELA - Literature 1 Window | ELA - Literature 1 Window |
Sept. 23 - Sept. 27 | 6 | ELA - Literature 1 Window | ELA - Literature 1 Window | ELA - Literature 1 Window | ELA - Literature 1 Window | ELA - Literature 1 Window |
Sept. 30 - Oct. 4 | 7 | |||||
Oct. 7 - Oct. 11 | 8 | |||||
Oct. 14 - Oct. 18 | 9 | No School - Fall Break | No School - Fall Break | |||
Oct. 21 - Oct. 25 | 10 | End of 1st Term Teacher Work Day - No School - Students |
Start of 2nd Term | |||
Oct. 28 - Nov. 1 | 11 | 7th Grade NS (1, 2, 3) Benchmark | ||||
Nov. 4 - Nov. 8 | 12 | |||||
Nov. 11 - Nov. 15 | 13 | |||||
Nov. 18 - Nov. 22 | 14 | |||||
Nov. 25 - Nov. 29 | 15 | No School - Thanksgiving Break | No School - Thanksgiving Break | No School - Thanksgiving Break | ||
Dec. 2 - Dec. 6 | 16 | Math II Benchmark 1 | ||||
Dec. 9 - Dec. 13 | 17 | |||||
Dec. 16 - Dec. 20 | 18 | 6th Grade Expressions and Equations (1-2, 3-4, 5-8, 9) Benchmark Math I Benchmark 1 |
End of 2nd Term Teacher Work Day - No School - Students |
|||
Dec. 23 - Dec. 27 | No School - Winter Break | No School - Winter Break | No School - Winter Break | No School - Winter Break | No School - Winter Break | |
Dec. 30 - Jan. 3 | No School - Winter Break | No School - Winter Break | No School - Winter Break | No School - Winter Break | No School - Winter Break | |
Jan. 6 - Jan. 10 | 19 | Start of 3rd Term ELA - Informational 2 Window |
ELA - Informational 2 Window | ELA - Informational 2 Window | ELA - Informational 2 Window | 5th Grade Number and Operations in Base Ten (1-4, 5, 6-7) Benchmark ELA - Informational 2 Window |
Jan. 13 - Jan. 17 | 20 | ELA - Informational 2 Window | ELA - Informational 2 Window | ELA - Literature 2 Window | ELA - Literature 2 Window | ELA - Literature 2 Window |
Jan. 20 - Jan. 24 | 21 | No School - Martin Luther King Day | ELA - Literature 2 Window | ELA - Literature 2 Window | ELA - Literature 2 Window | 8th Grade Expressions and Equations (1-4, 5-6, 7) Benchmark Math II Benchmark 2 ELA - Literature 2 Window |
Jan. 27 - Jan. 31 | 22 | 4th Grade Number and Operations in Base Ten (1-3, 4, 5-6) Benchmark | ||||
Feb. 3 - Feb. 7 | 23 | 6th Grade Number System (1, 2-4, 5-6, 7-8) Benchmark 7th Grade Ratios and Proportional Relationship (1-3, Forms 4 and 5) Benchmark 8th Grade Functions (1-3, 4-5) Benchmark |
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Feb. 10 - Feb. 14 | 24 | District Day - No School - Students | ||||
Feb. 17 - Feb. 21 | 25 | No School - Presidents' Day | ||||
Feb. 24 - Feb. 28 | 26 | 4th Grade Operations and Algebraic Thinking (1-3, 4-5) Benchmark | ||||
Mar. 3 - Mar. 7 | 27 | Math I Benchmark 2 | End of 3rd Term Teacher Work Day - No School - Students |
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Mar. 10 - Mar. 14 | 28 | Start of 4th Term | 5th Grade Number and Operations - Fractions (1-2, 3&7, 4-6) Benchmark 6th Grade Ratios and Proportional Relationship (1-3, Forms 4 and 5) Benchmark 7th Grade Expressions and Equations (1-2, 3-4) Form 2 Benchmark |
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Mar. 17 - Mar. 21 | 29 | |||||
Mar. 24 - Mar. 28 | 30 | |||||
Mar. 31 - Apr. 4 | 31 | No School - Spring Break | No School - Spring Break | No School - Spring Break | No School - Spring Break | No school - Spring Break |
Apr. 7 - Apr. 11 | 32 | 4th Grade Number and Operations - Fractions (1-2, 3, 4, 5-7) Benchmark 8th Grade Geometry (1-5, 6-8, 9) Benchmark |
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Apr. 14 - Apr. 18 | 33 | No School - Easter Break | ||||
Apr. 21 - Apr. 25 | 34 | No School - Easter Break | ||||
Apr. 28 - May 2 | 35 | |||||
May 5 - May 9 | 36 | Math I Benchmark 3 Math II Benchmark 3 |
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May 12 - May 16 | 37 | 5th Grade Measurement and Data (1-2, 3-4, 5) Benchmark | ||||
May 19 - May 23 | 38 | Last Day of School for Students | Teacher Work Day |
TCSD ELA and Math Benchmarks Training and Resources
Testing Information for Parents
Parental Exclusion Forms - for State Assessments (Opt-Out)
Parental Exclusion Form Elementary
Parental Exclusion Form Secondary
Benefits of State Testing Videos
Testing Information for Staff
Accommodations and Ethics Policies
Utah Participation and Accommodations Policy
Renaissance DnA (formerly Illuminate )
Research Requests
GUIDELINES FOR CONDUCTING RESEARCH IN TOOELE COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICT
Please retain this page for future reference.
1. Anyone who conducts research in the Tooele County District must obtain approval from the Director of
Assessment & Research.
2. To initiate the review process, a research project request form must be completed and
submitted to the Director of Assessment & Research.
3. Research project requests must be accompanied by a project proposal and must include a copy
of the measurement instruments that will be used.
4. Approval of the research project request authorizes the applicant to proceed with the research.
However, approval does not necessarily obligate the participation of any school or employee
of Tooele County School District.
5. Once permission from the Director of Assessment & Research is granted, the applicant must obtain
written, informed permission from those who will be directly involved in the study: principals, teachers,
and, where appropriate, parents.
6. Permission to deviate from the approved process and design must be secured in writing.
7. When students are tested, interviewed, or required to fill out questionnaires/surveys, it may, depending
upon the nature of the study, be necessary to obtain written, informed parental permission. The
researcher should retain these permission documents for one year.
8. Participation in any research project must always be voluntary at each stage of the study.
9. Any media publicity regarding the project must first be approved by both the Director of
Assessment & Research and Communications Director.
10. Information about individual teachers and students must be confidential, and the subjects’ right to
privacy must be protected. Confidentiality is of paramount importance.
11. Research projects that require participation of teachers and/or students during the first two weeks
or the last six weeks of the school year will generally not be approved.
12. Requests to conduct research about religion, family life, sexual practices or preferences, or other
controversial issues will generally be denied.
If you have further questions concerning research within Tooele County School District, please
contact Andy Peterson at 435-833-1900 or apeterson@tooeleschools.org.
Resources and Information
- AAPPL
- Acadience Learning
- ACT
- DRC
- LTI
- Qualtrics
- RISE
- USBE Data Gateway
- Utah Aspire Plus: UA+
- Utah Compose
- WIDA
AAPPL
AAPPL Resources
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AAPPL Client Site Manual for School Personnel Administering the AAPPL.
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AAPPL 2.0 Testing & Proctoring Guide for Test Administrators.
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How-to Videos on AAPPL Test administration.
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Acadience Learning
Acadience Math
Acadience Data Management Website
Acadience Data Management Test Manual
To access additional testing materials click on the button below.
You must enter your district email address and agree to the terms.
Acadience Reading
Video: Accessing Reading Benchmark Data in ALO- Summary by Gauges
Video: Accessing Reading Benchmark Data in ALO- Student Level Data
Video: Accessing Reading Benchmark Data in ALO- Class and School Level
ACT
Additional Resources
This website is created and maintained by ACT for Utah regarding the statewide ACT test administration of Grade 11 students.
Shmoop:ACT Online Test Prep Tool
This webpage has information regarding the online ACT prep tool provided by Shmoop for students and educators. Every high school student, teacher, counselor, and administrator in Utah now has free, unlimited, and secure access to the Shmoop ACT Prep Tool.
ACT: Utah Administration Training
ACT Writing FAQs
This page contains the answers to the most frequently asked questions about the ACT writing test. Check here for quick answers to most questions.
Q. Is the writing section required?
A. All 11th grade students who are taking the ACT during the 2017-2018 spring testing window (Feb/March 2018) will be taking the writing portion of the test.
Q. How long is the writing section?
A. The writing section is 40 minutes long and consists of 1 writing prompt. The writing section is timed.
Q. If we are administering the standard sections of the ACT on paper, can students complete the writing portion online?
A. No. You cannot mix testing modes by student. If you are doing paper testing, your students will complete the writing portion on paper. If you are doing online testing, your students will complete the writing portion online.
Q. What happens if a student doesn’t complete the writing portion of the test?
A. If a student doesn’t complete the writing portion, he or she will not get an English Language Arts score, but he or she will get a composite English score if there were no testing security or other test irregularity concerns.
Q. Is the extended break between the standard ACT sections and the writing section optional or required?
A. The extended break is optional by school. Schools can select to participate, or to not participate. It is not optional by room or testing area – only on a whole school or testing site basis.
Q. What is the ACT writing test?
A. From the ACT Technical Manual Supplement (2017), 1.11, “The ACT writing test is a 40-minute essay test that measures students’ writing skills – specifically those skills emphasized in high school English classes and in entry-level college composition courses. The information from the writing test tells postsecondary institutions about students’ ability to think critically about an issue, consider different perspectives on it, and compose an effective argumentative essay in a timed condition. . . . Students are asked to read the prompt and write an essay in which they develop their own perspective on the issue. The essay must analyze the relationship between their own perspective and one or more other perspectives. Student may adopt one of the perspectives given in the prompt as their own, or they may introduce one that is completely different from those given. Their score will not be affected by the point of view they take on the issue.”
Q. How does ACT writing scoring work?
A. There are four test domains in ACT writing: Ideas & Analysis, Development & Support, Organization, and Language & Conventions. Two trained readers score each essay on a scale from 1 – 6 in each of the four domains. Each domain score is a sum of the two readers’ scores using the analytic rubric. If the readers’ ratings disagree by more than one point, a third reader evaluates the essay and resolves the discrepancy.
Q. Where can I fine more information about the writing test and how is it scored?
A. You can find the writing rubric and detailed information about the writing test on the ACT website ACT Writing Test Prep (http://www.act.org/content/act/en/products-and-services/the-act/testpreparation/writing-test-prep.html) and in the ACT Technical Manual Supplement (http://www.act.org/content/dam/act/unsecured/documents/ACT-Technical-Manual-Supplement.pdf).
DRC
LTI
Tests Resources:
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LTI Client Site Manual for Test Administrators.
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Proctoring Guidelines (Non-AAPPL Tests) for Test Administrators.
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How-to Videos on Test administration.
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Qualtrics
RISE
Readiness Improvement Success Empowerment (RISE)
The RISE assessment is a multistage computer adaptive criterion referenced assessment system that includes summative tests for English Language Arts (ELAs), Mathematics, Science, and Writing. The summative tests are scheduled to be delivered to the following grades.
Links for RISE:
RISE Performance Level Descriptors
USBE Data Gateway
Utah Aspire Plus: UA+
http://utah.pearsonaccessnext.com/
The Utah Aspire Plus assessment is a hybrid of ACT Aspire and Utah Core test items. It is a computer delivered, fixed form end-of-grade-level high school assessment for students in 9 and 10. Utah Aspire Plus includes four subtests: reading, English, mathematics, and science. Students receive predicted ACT score ranges for each subtest, as well as an overall predicted composite ACT score range. The assessment also provides proficiency scores for end-of-grade-level expectations for 9th and 10th grade students in English language arts, mathematics, and science.
Test Administration Manual for Spring 2022
(Teacher 'Say' Script for use during LIVE testing-must be read verbatim for each test session)
Preparing Students
Preparing Staff
Utah Aspire Plus Testing Workflow
Utah Core Standards Benchmarks Training - Basics
Utah Core Standards Benchmarks Training - Beyond Basics
Reporting Resources
Development and Scoring Guide: Understanding Your Data
Additional Reporting Resources
Testing Times
English Tests: Grade 9 and Grade 10, 50 Operational and 9-10 Field Test Items: 45 Minutes
Math Tests: Grade 9 and Grade 10, 40 Operational and 5 Field Test Items: 75 Minutes
Reading Tests: Grade 9 and Grade 10, 35 Operational and 10 Field Test Items: 75 Minutes
Science Tests: Grade 9 and Grade 10, 36 Operational and 4 Field Test Items: 60 Minutes
Tests cannot be divided into sections. Each test must be completed in one sitting (unless student has an IEP or 504 accommodation for stop-the-clock breaks or for securely extending the test over multiple days).
Utah Compose
Enrollment Procedure
• Teachers who have never logged onto Utah Compose will need to fill out a registration page. When a teacher logs on, they will click on Teacher Sign-up on the Sign In page.
• Teachers must have a CACTUS ID and their Social Security number to register. Your name must match your CACTUS ID exactly—no nicknames allowed.
• When teachers fill out this information, they will be able to create their own username and password to log onto Utah Compose. It is recommended to use T+CACTUS ID as your username. For example, T12345.
• Teachers who have already logged onto Utah Compose and used their accounts will be able to log on with the same credentials used in 2018-2019.
• Teachers who don’t remember their password have the option to click on the Forgot your password? link located on the Sign In page.
• Please contact Utah Compose Support for any inquiries: support@utahcompose.com (866)-691-1231
WIDA
ADA Accessible Documents