Level Testing

["Bechinski, Cindy" <BechinsC@sd281.k12.id.us>]

Good Morning -- I just read the concerns posed on Vision 2020 regarding
Achievement Level Testing.  I am very glad these questions were asked, and I
would like to take this opportunity to clarify the purposes of level
testing, and to provide a brief overview of the new Idaho State Board of
Education Comprehensive Assessment Program.

*	Achievement Level Testing (ALT) consists of a series of tests
aligned with our state curriculum.
*	ALT provides scores that measure current student achievement levels
based on a curriculum continuum in the areas of reading, language usage, and
math.   This information is extremely helpful to teachers in targeting
individual and class instruction.
*	ALTs also provide scores that compare the performance of our
students with a large national norm group according to grade level, much
like the Iowa Tests of Basic Skills.
*	Additionally, and very importantly, ALT monitors the growth of each
student in reading, language usage, and math, from the fall "pretest" to the
spring "posttest", and from year to year.
*	Prior to the Achievement Level Tests,  Locator Tests (short
placement tests) are administered to determine the appropriate test levels
for each student.
*	Achievement Level Testing  was developed by Northwest Evaluation
Association (NWEA).  NWEA is a nonprofit association which was first
organized in 1977.  They focus on the use of meaningful data to improve
instruction.  
*	The Idaho State Board of Education has selected NWEA to provide
Achievement Level Tests for grades 2-9 statewide beginning in the fall of
2002. 
*	The State Board has also selected NWEA to develop the Idaho
Standards Achievement Test (ISAT) which is designed to determine whether a
student is proficient in  the reading, language usage, and math standards
prior to graduation. 
*	Other components (not from NWEA) of the statewide assessment system
include:
*	The Direct Math Assessment (DMA) to be given in grades 4, 6, and 8.
*	The Direct Writing Assessment (DWA) to be given in grades 5, 7, and
9.
*	The Idaho Reading Indicator (IRI) to be given in grades K-3.
*	The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) is to be
given in grades 4 and 8.

	I hope this information is helpful.  I am the Curriculum Coordinator
for the Moscow School District, and I am also a Commissioner for the State
Board of Education's Assessment and Accountability Commission.  This is a
very important topic, and I want to ask you to please feel free to contact
me if you have any questions or concerns.  

Cindy Bechinski, Ph.D.
Curriculum Coordinator
Moscow School District # 281
650 N. Cleveland
Moscow, ID  83843
208/892-1155
bechinsc@sd281.k12.id.us
fax: 208/883-4440