Assessments

"Assessment is today's means of modifying tomorrow's instruction."  -Carol Ann Tomlinson

A Comprehensive Assessment Program

A comprehensive assessment program shall be established and maintained to evaluate the educational program of the school district. The program will meet all federal and
state requirements. The Humboldt Community School District believes that assessment is a planned, integral part of instruction. Assessments with multiple formats (i.e.. Criterion-referenced, norm-referenced, portfolios, surveys, and self-constructed written response) should provide information regarding the following:

• student individual and group performance on district standards and benchmarks
• student individual and group performance on state suggested standards in comparison to peers, state-wide and nationally
• student individual performance on district standards and benchmarks as it compares to others within their grade
• student individual and group growth on district standards and benchmarks

Data from the assessments will be used for the following purposes:

• to evaluate and improve programs, curriculum and instruction;
• to provide students/ parents with progress on their learning continuum of standards and benchmarks
• to provide students/ parents with comparisons of individual student performance to others within and outside the district; and to determine the need for individual interventions, where necessary.

This information will be analyzed, disaggregated and used as the basis for district goal setting. Selected data will then be reported to meet state and national requirements.
Assessments will be administered, at least annually, according to a district-wide matrix that will provide current, periodic and consistent student performance data. It shall be the responsibility of the superintendent to develop, implement and monitor the testing program in accordance with the above-stated requirements.

Assessments will also be administered to provide non-achievement data on the condition of youth, educational environment and academic services provided by the district. No student shall be required, as part of a program funded by the US Department of Education, to submit, without prior written consent from the student's parent, to surveys, analysis of evaluation which reveals information concerning the following:

a.) political affiliations;
b.) mental and psychological problems potentially embarrassing to the student or the student's family;
c.) sex behavior and attitudes;
d.) illegal, anti-social, self-incriminating and demeaning behavior;
e.) critical appraisals of other individuals with whom students have close family relationships;
f.) legally recognized, privileges and analogous relationships, such as those of lawyers, physicians and ministers;or
g.) income, but not including income required by law, to determine eligibility for participation in a program or program or for receiving financial assistance under such program.

It shall be the responsibility of the superintendent, in conjunction with the principals, to develop administrative regulations regarding this policy. It shall be the responsibility of the board to review and approve the evaluation and testing program. NOTE: This is a mandatory policy and reflects federal law.

Humboldt CSD Philosophy of Assessment

Assessment is an integral part of instruction, as it determines whether or not the goals of education are being met. Assessment affects decisions about grades, placement, advancement, instructional needs, curriculum, and, in some cases, funding. Assessment inspire us to ask these hard questions: "Are we teaching what we think we are teaching?" "Are students learning what they are supposed to be learning?" "Is there a way to teach the subject better, thereby promoting better learning?"

Today's students need to know not only the basic reading and math skills but also skills that will allow them to face a world that is continually changing. They must be able to think critically, to analyze, and to make inferences. Changes in the skills base and knowledge our students need require new learning goals; these new learning goals change the relationship between assessment and instruction. Teachers need to take an active role in making decisions about the purpose of assessment and the content that is being assessed.

When assessment works best, it does the following:

PROVIDE DIAGNOSTIC FEEDBACK: What is the student's knowledge base? What is the student's performance base? What are the students needs? What has to be taught?	HELPS EDUCATORS SET STANDARDS: What performance demonstrates understanding? What performance demonstrates knowledge? What performance demonstrates mastery?	EVALUATE PROGRESS: How is the student doing? What teaching methods or approaches are most effective? What changes or modifications to a lesson are needed to help the student?
RELATES TO A STUDENT'S PROGRESS What has the student learned? Can the student talk about the new knowledge? Can the student demonstrate and use the new skills in other projects?	MOTIVATES PERFORMANCE OR STUDENT SELF EVALUATION: Now that I'm in charge of my learning, how am I doing? Now that I know how I'm doing, how can I do better? What else would I like to learn?	FOR TEACHER SELF EVALUATION: What is working for the students? What can I do to help the students more? In what direction should we go next?