Simply put, assessments allow schools (school leaders, teachers, parents, students) to measure student learning in a particular area to plan instruction and instructional pathways for students.
An analogy I typically use is going to the doctor. Whenever you go to a doctor, regardless of why you are going, there are a certain set of questions they ask before coming to a conclusion of next steps after your visit. You might get a questionnaire via a text or an app or online, and when you arrive they take your vitals - blood pressure, SpO2, weight, etc.
Once you are in the office, the doctor asks you why you are there and asks about any signs or symptoms you've experienced to try to "diagnose" a possible illness. The doctor might have an idea of what might be wrong, based on the vitals and the symptoms. To confirm, they may run lab work to properly "diagnose" what is happening and "prescribe" a specific plan of action.
The same thing happens if you take your car to the mechanic., or if you call a plumber, etc.
Bottom line, assessments, or diagnostics, are performed to pin-point as close as possible the "needs" to create an action plan for improvement.
As you all know, we are a Charter School and Charter Schools are bound by the Charter Petition. Charter Petitions outline the state, federal and local education codes to be followed in order to open, stay open and be renewed every five year term. For example:
Meet all statewide standards and conduct the pupil assessments required pursuant to Education Code sections 60605 and 60851 and any other statewide standards authorized in statute or pupil assessments applicable to pupils in non-charter public schools. (Ed. Code § 47605(c)(1).)
As noted specifically in one of our Charter Petitions:
According to current California law and District policy, a charter school “shall” meet the following criteria set forth in Education Code section 47607(b)(4) prior to receiving a charter renewal: TAT’s academic performance is at least equal to the academic performance of the public schools that the charter school pupils would otherwise have been required to attend, as well as the academic performance of the schools in the school district in which the charter school is located, taking into account the composition of the pupil population that is served at the charter school. (This has changed and charter school are now required to perform equal to or better than the STATE, not local schools).
As noted in the Ed Code, “The determination made pursuant to this paragraph shall be based upon all of the following: (i) Documented and clear and convincing data; (ii) Pupil achievement data from assessments, including, but not limited to, the Standardized Testing and Reporting Program established by Article 4 (commencing with Section 60640) of Chapter 5 of Part 33 for demographically similar pupil populations in the comparison schools; (iii) Information submitted by the charter school.” (Cal. Ed. Code § 47607(b)(4)(B).
...differentiated instruction based on teachers’ continuous review of student assessment data...
...Results of assessments are reviewed during data conversations during Professional Learning Community (PLC) meetings...
...Technology is integrated through the program at all grade levels, with online curriculum and assessments...
There are many other examples of how, why and when assessments are used within each of the Charter Petitions for our schools.
The Role of Assessment with our Children
OUR children start Kindergarten already behind in learning. How do we know this? The Common Core State Standards outline what a student should already know and be ready to learn by Kindergarten. Each year, the skills build upon each other to move students along the expected academic growth trajectory so that by the end of high school, students are prepared for their first year or college without the need for remedial classes in math and English. That was the purpose of Common Core State Standards - a backwards mapping of this pathway. We know that they are already behind because our children do not come in with the already necessary skills for Kindergarten or First Grade, and they do not progress as they should. We know this because of the diagnostics that we administer to measure what they already know and what they are ready to learn. But that's okay. Because that is why we are HERE!
As children grow, if literacy gaps are not eliminated by the third grade the gaps only get larger and the risks for "academic achievement, college retention, college and career readiness, incarceration, and high school dropout...college enrollment, SEL competency development, and economic growth." are impacted (Regional Educational Laboratory Program. https://ies.ed.gov/ncee/rel/Products/Region/pacific/Ask-A-REL/70038. Accessed 3/18/2024).
There are a plethora of online resources outlining this reality.
But as I mentioned above...That's OKAY, because that is why we are HERE!
TEACH Public Schools is dedicated to preparing our students for their future by teaching them to think Critically, Work Collaboratively, Communicate Effectively and be Civic Minded, as is outlined in our Charter Petitions.
Reading is FUNDAMENTAL. No one can argue against that.
But we need Assessments/Diagnostics to help us prepare and plan with them.
I encourage you to hop over to Regional Educational Laboratory Program and read additional research studies regarding the fate of our children if literacy prevails.
From an excerpt of a larger study. Lesnick, J., Goerge, R., Smithgall, C., & Gwynne J. (2010). Reading on grade level in third grade: How is it related to high school performance and college enrollment? Chicago, IL: Chapin Hall at the University of Chicago. Retrieved from https://eric.ed.gov/?id=ED517805. From the abstract: Learning to read is one of the most important skills in modern society. Not only does reading serve as the major foundational skill for school-based learning, but reading ability is strongly related to opportunities for academic and vocational success. For children, a critical transition takes place during elementary school: until the end of third grade, most students are ‘learning to read.’ Beginning in fourth grade, however, students begin ‘reading to learn.’ Students who are not reading at grade level by third grade begin having difficulty comprehending the written material that is a central part of the educational process in the grades that follow. Meeting increased educational demands becomes more difficult for students who struggle to read. The study described here uses longitudinal administrative data to examine the relationship between third-grade reading level and four educational outcomes: eighth-grade reading performance, ninth-grade course performance, high school graduation, and college attendance. Using third-grade national percentile rankings on the Iowa Tests of Basic Skills (ITBS) to place a focus cohort of 26,000 Chicago Public Schools (CPS) students into "below" (0–24th national percentile), “at” (25th–74th national percentile) and “above” grade level (75th–100th national percentile) groupings, the authors find correlational evidence that students who were at and above grade level in third grade graduate and attend college at higher rates than their peers who were below grade level in third grade. The results of this study do not examine whether low reading performance causes low future educational performance, or whether improving a child's reading trajectory has an effect on future educational outcomes. Future research to investigate this question is necessary. Take a look at the image and graphs below, feel free to click on the links and visit the sites directly.
Beyond Basics: A 501(c)(3) non-profit organization founded in 1999, dedicated to enhancing literacy among students. Our student-centered approach is intensive, holistic, and multi-sensory, firmly rooted in phonics.
NAEP: From their website: The National Assessment of Educational Progress provides important information about student academic achievement and learning experiences in various subjects. Also known as The Nation’s Report Card, NAEP has provided meaningful results to improve education policy and practice since 1969. Results are available for the nation, states, and 27 urban districts.