Assessment

Assessment is an important aspect of education.  It is one way in which teachers, parents, and the community can gauge the effectiveness of programming and instruction.  With that said, it is important to recognize that there are different types of assessments, and that each serves a different purpose.  Some examples of different assessments and how they can be used include: 

Local Classroom Assessments - These assessments, which can vary in and of themselves, include everything from classwork and homework to tests, quizzes, and projects.  They are developed by classroom teachers, grade level teams, or content specialists.  They are focused on local standards, which take into account local contexts and the needs of students.  They are administered consistently throughout units of study as students learn and when learning is done in a particular course of study. Local classroom assessments allow teachers, parents, and students to see immediate results, which provides the best information about how a student is performing on the standards being taught.  

Benchmark Assessments - These assessments are used as a way of measuring a student’s knowledge and skills at specific points during the school year.  As a district, we use both Acadience and NWEA as our benchmark assessments.  Our schools use these benchmarks as a way of progress monitoring students, providing interventions to students in need (both in the classroom and through Title I services), and reviewing core instructional resources.  These are nationally developed assessments, taken by students throughout many schools and districts across the country.  They are focused on nationally recognized standards in reading, writing, and mathematics.  

State Accountability Assessments - These assessments include the SAT and NH Statewide Assessment System (NHSAS).  Such assessments are reported on by the New Hampshire Education Department, and are the only assessments whose scores are published on the internet or in local news media outlets.  Accountability Assessments are a way to look at students across the State, across a district, or across a school.  They are a “snapshot” in time, and are most useful to look at a cohort of students as they grow or to evaluate specific grade level programming. 

New Hampshire Statewide Assessments - Information and Resources

Each year, students in grades 3 through 8 participate in the New Hampshire Statewide Assessment System (NH SAS) and Gr. 11 students participate in the College Board School Day SAT and NH SAS science assessment. Students who have the most significant cognitive disabilities are eligible to take the Dynamic Learning Maps (DLM) Assessment, as designed in their  individualized education program (IEP).