Assessment

A comprehensive system of data collection includes measures of different purposes that include screening, diagnostic, and progress monitoring tools, which are used to measure multiple points in time within a school year. Additionally, a comprehensive assessment system includes data sharing across school years to ensure vertical alignment of educational goals and progress as well as program evaluation and improvement.

In Byron, Balanced Assessment Systems are administered by teachers for several specific reasons:

• Identify students who are at-risk or who are experiencing difficulties on an ongoing basis and who may need extra instruction or intensive interventions if they are to make adequate progress toward grade-level expectations (screening measurements).
• Inform instructional planning in order to meet the needs of individual students (diagnostic measurements).
• Monitor students’ progress during the year to determine whether students in the intervention are making adequate progress in literacy development (progress monitoring measurements).
• Evaluate the effectiveness of interventions and whether the instruction provided is intense enough to help students achieve grade-level outcomes by the end of each year (evaluation measurements). (MDE/MRA, 2010).