Testing
Tests can be helpful tools in assessing whether students are mastering academic standards, but at Westfield Washington Schools, we believe no single assessment of academic progress can tell the full story. We look at many pieces of information to determine whether single students, or our students as a whole, are learning what they need to know.
Test Security and Integrity
Westfield Washington Schools is committed to following the test security and integrity procedures as set forth in 511 IAC 5-5-3. Staff of Westfield Washington Schools who administer, handle, or have access to secure test materials are familiar with the procedures and activities described in the Indiana Department of Education's Code of Ethical Practices and Procedures. These practices and procedures are required for all components of the Indiana Assessment System (ILEARN, I AM, ISTEP+, WIDA, IREAD-3).
If you have a concern about an instance of cheating, a security breach, or test administration breach, please contact the Westfield Washington Schools Corporation Test Coordinator, Lynn Schemel, at schemelm@wws.k12.in.us or 317-867-8004.
Click WWS Assessments 18-19 to see our 2018-19 assessments.
Parent University-Assessments Presentation
Parent University-ILEARN Presentation
Corporation Snapshot and Annual Performance Report
Visit the Indiana Department of Education site to learn about our demographics, ISTEP+ test results, and other statistics. The Annual Performance Report (APR) is a required publication that includes academic and performance data for all Indiana school corporations. The APR for all Indiana school corporations may be accessed on the Indiana Department of Education site and is also posted in mid-late March in a local newspaper publication.
Annual Performance Report Explanation
NWEA Testing
Students in grades K-8 take the Northwest Evaluation Association (NWEA) Measures of Academic Progress (MAP) assessments. These assessments are research-based and aligned to the Indiana Academic Standards in mathematics, language usage, and reading and are given three times during the year (fall, winter, and spring). The assessments are computerized adaptive tests that provide us information on the instructional level of each student and the amount of growth that occurs during the school year. The results help us to identify the skills and concepts individual students have learned, diagnose instructional needs, monitor academic growth over time, make data-driven decisions about curriculum, instruction, and resources at the classroom, school, and district levels, and place new students into appropriate instructional programs. During the 2018-2019 school year, Kindergarten students will only be testing in the winter and spring and some schools/grade levels will not be taking the language usage test. Student Progress Reports are sent or carried home by students in the fall and spring.
NWEA Fall Parent Letter English
NWEA Fall Parent Letter Spanish
NWEA Quick Reference Guide-Student Progress Report
ILEARN
ILEARN measures student achievement and growth according to Indiana Academic Standards. ILEARN is the summative accountability assessment for Indiana students and assesses:
- English/Language Arts (Grades 3-8)
- Mathematics (Grades 3-8)
- Science (Grades 4 and 6)
- Social Studies (Grade 5)
- Biology (High School)
ILEARN Score Report Interpretive Guide for Parents-English
ILEARN Score Report Interpretive Guide for Parents-Spanish
Schools and districts are held accountable for student results under Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). More information can be found at the Indiana Department of Education website under Assessments and ILEARN: IDOE site.
ISTEP+ Testing
Students in grade 10 continue to participate in the the Indiana Statewide Testing for Educational Progress (ISTEP+) in the areas of English and math. These tests are given in the spring of each school year and test the Indiana Academic Standards. For those students who do not pass, retest opportunities are provided in grades 11 and 12 during winter, spring, and summer testing windows as governed by the Indiana Department of Education. Schools and districts are held accountable for student results under Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA).
ISTEP+ Grade 10 tests are the graduation qualifying exam for students. (Beginning with the Class of 2023, students will no longer take ISTEP+ in grade 10 and will be required to meet the Graduation Pathways requirements.)
Spring 2019 ISTEP Parent Portal Grade 10 Results
Spring 2019 ISTEP Pearson Parent Portal Guide
IREAD-3
Students in grade 3 take IREAD-3 as the requirement for House Enrolled Act 1367 "requires the evaluation of reading skills to ensure that all students can read proficiently before moving on to grade four."
IREAD-3 Spring Parent Letter English
IREAD-3 Informational Video English
IREAD-3 Scoring Interpretation Guide English
IREAD-3 Spring Parent Letter Spanish
IREAD-3 Informational Video Spanish
IREAD-3 Scoring Interpretation Guide Spanish
i-Ready
i-Ready Cheat Sheet Diagnostic Results (Student)
PSAT
Students in grades 9-11 take the PSAT, a standardized test measuring evidence-based reading, writing and language, and math, provides firsthand practice for the SAT. It also gives students a chance to enter National Merit scholarship programs and gain access to college and career planning tools.
Advanced Placement (AP), Advanced College Project (ACP), and Dual Credit
Students enrolled in college-level courses take exams to earn college credit or placement while still in high school.
CogAT Testing
Students in grades K, 2, and 6 take an off-level cognitive abilities test in the areas of verbal, quantitative, and non-verbal. Testing results provide our staff information for educational programming through our RtI (Response to Instruction) process. RtI is the continuum of identification and services that we provide to all of our students based on their performance and abilities.
CogAT Parent Letter Kindergarten English
CogAT Parent Letter Kindergarten Spanish
CogAT Parent Letter 2nd Grade English
CogAT Parent Letter 2nd Grade Spanish
Early Literacy Intervention and Indiana Dyslexia Legislation
Beginning with the 2019-2020 school year, Indiana’s public and charter schools must meet added requirements to identify, as early as possible, struggling readers who show risk factors for dyslexia. Schools must provide systematic, sequential, and multisensory instruction to meet these students’ needs. All students in grades kindergarten through second grade will undergo universal screeners to check their skills in six different areas. These areas are: phonological and phonemic awareness (ability to separate and change sounds in words), alphabet knowledge (name different letters), sound symbol relationship (phonics), decoding (reading), rapid naming (quickly name common objects), and encoding (spelling). Westfield Washington Schools utilizes the NWEA MAP Reading Fluency Dyslexia Screener to screen all students within those grade levels. Students who fall below a set score or benchmark on the universal screener will be considered by their school to be “at risk” or “at some risk” for the characteristics of dyslexia. Students who are considered “at risk” or “at some risk” will receive targeted, intensive instruction to grow their foundational literacy skills.
Dyslexia as defined by IC 20-18-2-3.5 is a specific learning disability that:
- is neurological in origin and characterized by:
- difficulties with accurate or fluent word recognition; and
- poor spelling and encoding abilities;
- typically results from a deficit in the phonological component of language that is often unexpected in relation to other cognitive abilities and the provision of effective classroom instruction;
- may include problems in reading comprehension and reduced reading experience that can impede the growth of vocabulary and background knowledge; and
- may require the provision of special education services after an eligibility determination is made in accordance with 511 IAC 7-40.
While the characteristics of Dyslexia screening may be a part of this assessment, it is important to understand that we do not diagnose Dyslexia. We conduct this screening to provide us with further information to guide our intervention on general reading instruction for students..
WHAT INTERVENTION PROGRAMS ARE USED TO ASSIST STUDENTS WHO SHOW RISK FACTORS FOR DYSLEXIA?
Students in Westfield Washington Schools who need intervention in foundational literacy skills receive targeted research based multi-sensory approaches to instruction through a research based interventions that may include, but are not limited to Wilson Reading Intervention, Orton-Gillingham Approach, LRA Reading Intervention, SRA Reading Intervention, etc.
HOW MANY STUDENTS WERE IDENTIFIED AS BEING “AT SOME RISK” OR “AT RISK” FOR DYSLEXIA DURING THE 2022-2023 SCHOOL YEAR?
All students in kindergarten, 1st, and 2nd grades were assessed using approved universal screeners. Of the 2075 students tested, 274 students were found to be “at some risk” or “at risk” for dyslexia.
HOW MANY STUDENTS RECEIVED DYSLEXIA INTERVENTIONS DURING THE 2022-2023 SCHOOL YEAR?
In the 2022-2023 school year, Westfield Washington Schools had 262 students in grades K-2 working with teachers to receive targeted and explicit direct instruction that is intensive and systematic.
Naturalization Examination (IC 20-30-5-7(d))
Each student enrolled in a U.S. Government course where credit is awarded for General, Core 40, Core 40 with Academic Honors, or Core 40 with Technical Honors designation is required to take the naturalization examination provided by the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) as administered by the student’s high school. U.S. Government courses include Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate, dual credit, and Cambridge International courses. Students do not need to pass the naturalization examination in order to pass the U.S.Government course. Retests are not required or published in the results.
General information regarding the naturalization examination can be found here. The 2020 naturalization examination contains 128 items. Students participating in the naturalization examination complete 20 of the 128 items. These items are presented orally by the U.S. Government instructor. The U.S. Government instructor is responsible for selecting the 20 items to present to students. A student score of 60 percent (12/20) is considered passing on the student’s first attempt. The total number of students, student scores, and student passing rates are collected at the school level for each semester or trimester the course is offered.
Schools are required to report the following each semester or trimester during which students are enrolled in the U.S. Government course. (1) The number of students who took the naturalization examination, (2) The number of students who passed the naturalization examination by a score of not less than sixty percent (60%) on their first attempt, and (3) The pass rate of the naturalization examination regarding the students who participated. The school must also post results from the naturalization examination to the school’s website.
2022-2023 Naturalization Examination Results