ABC’s of standardized testing in Idaho

There have been a lot of question around standardized testing in Idaho, especially with the current changeover to the Idaho Standards Achievement Test 2 (ISAT). The test was previously known as the Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium, or SBAC, but was re-named.

Last spring was a “test of the test,” and thus educators won’t get results until after spring 2015’s exam. Students, however, take a lot more standardized tests than that. Luci Willits is the current chief of staff and the Idaho State Department of Education, and explains the state-based tests.

“Here’s what parents need to know if their child is in K through third grade: They will take a reading assessment. We are going to make sure they are reading on grade level by the time they leave third grade. They are also going to start taking the ISAT, which is a test that is aligned to standards in the state of Idaho. They are going to take that test from third grade up until 11th grade,” said Willits.

Districts can choose to do extra assessments.

“The Idaho Reading Indicator, we do that three times a year as well. We are only required to do that in the fall and spring but we choose to do it in the winter,”said Kelly Coughenour, director of elementary education for Idaho Falls District 91.

Sugar-Salem School District also does the “extra” IRI.

“They (the teachers) like to have that midpoint check, so we aren’t waiting clear until the end of the school year to see where our students are,” said Bryon Kennedy, student and teacher service director, Sugar-Salem SD.

Without current state data, it can be tough to compare schools. Parents can still track their own child’s growth through district assessments.

“Parents should be able to go to their teacher and say, ‘Tell me where my child is weak and strong across the board.’ The teacher should be able to lay that all out. We have the data to be able to do that,” said Coughenour.