Assessments in ACPSD

  • PRE-K

    GOLD

    GOLD is an observational assessment used for Pre-K students. The teacher observes the student in the context of every day experiences, helping them have a better understanding of what students know and can do. GOLD measures the knowledge, skills, and that are predictive of school success in the domains of Language, Literacy and Mathematics.
       

    KINDERGARTEN

    FastBridge

    FastBridge assesses early foundational reading, literacy  and numeracy skills. The reading assessments measure and provide timely and important information on the essential components of reading as identified by the National Reading Panel including phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary and reading comprehension. The information provided by this assessment helps identify student strengths and areas of weakness in reading including the identification of those at-risk for reading difficulty including the identification of those students who may need to be screened for dyslexia. The math assessment provides similar information on foundational numeracy skills including number identification, sequencing, counting, decomposing etc. 

    Fountas and Pinnell

    		 The Fountas & Pinnell (F&P) Benchmark Assessment is used in grades K-2 to observe and quantify student reading behaviors according to monitor a students’ independent and instructional reading levels. Students read aloud one-on-one with the teacher in order to observe each students reading behaviors and comprehension levels in order to identify student strengths and weaknesses.

    Kindergarten Readiness Assessment (KRA)

    The Kindergarten Readiness Assessment (KRA) is largely an observational assessment, which involves the teacher observing the student during the natural course of their school day activities. The information provided measures readiness for Kindergarten in four domains: Social Foundations, Language and Literacy, Mathematics, and Physical Well-Being and Motor Development. The KRA provides a snapshot of students’ abilities at the beginning of the school year to help teachers best meet the child’s needs, and to helps schools, families, communities and policy makers know how best to support young children as they enter the K-12 environment.

    Resources

    ELEMENTARY

    Benchmark

    Benchmark Interim assessments are used to monitor student achievement in meeting SC state standards in each content area. Results are used to inform instruction and revise curriculum to ensure students are on track to meeting end of the year state standards.

    CogAT/IOWA

    The Cognitive Abilities Test (CogAT) and Iowa Assessments provide a comprehensive picture of a child’s aptitude and mastery of certain academic skills and is administered to all 2nd grade students in SC to determine eligibility for Gifted and Talented program services. The CogAT assesses Verbal, Quantitative and Non-verbal problem solving. The Iowa Assessment is a norm-referenced achievement test to measure mastery of academic skills found in the elementary curriculum.

    Fountas and Pinnell

    The Fountas & Pinnell (F&P) Benchmark Assessment is used in grades K-2 to observe and quantify student reading behaviors according to monitor a students’ independent and instructional reading levels. Students read aloud one-on-one with the teacher in order to observe each students reading behaviors and comprehension levels in order to identify student strengths and weaknesses.

    MAP Growth

    The NWEA MAP Test (Measures of Academic Progress) is an adaptive achievement and growth test. It creates a personalized assessment experience by adapting to each student’s learning level—precisely measuring progress and growth for each individual student.  Effective with the 2021/22 school year, Aiken County administers MAP Growth to all students in Grades 3-12 and this year, as part of the SC State Legislative Proviso 1.96, MAP Growth will also be administerd in grade 1 and 2. In additionl to providing actionable data on student achievement and grwoth, the MAP Growth assessments also provide a Lexile and Quantile score, two important metrics used in Aiken County to ensure that all students are on a path to graduating from school with the reading and numeracy skills required to be College and Career Ready. See the Lexile and Quantile Section of this website for additional information and resources on these important metrics. 

    Performance Task Assessment

    The South Carolina Performance Tasks Assessment (PTA) is administered from mid-February to early March.  Some students in grades 2-5 (for placement in grades 3-6) participate in the PTA to qualify in Dimension C, which is one dimension, required for Gifted & Talented identification according to South Carolina state criteria. Students must qualify in two out of three dimensions,

     FastBridge

     

    		 FastBridge assesses early foundational reading and literacy skills through reading assessments that measure and provide timely and important information on the essential components of reading as identified by the National Reading Panel including phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary and reading comprehension. The information provided by this assessment helps identify student strengths and areas of weakness in reading including the identification of those at-risk for reading difficulty, including the identification of those students who may need to be screened for dyslexia. The math assessment provides similar information on foundational numeracy skills, including number identification, sequencing, counting, decomposing etc. 

    SCREADY

    The South Carolina College- and Career- READY Assessments (SC READY) are statewide assessments in English Language Arts (ELA), and Mathematics administered to all students in grades 3-8 and science for students in grades 4 and 6  to measure mastery of SC state standards.. Results are used for state accountability and are used formatively to monitor student progress in meeting college and career ready standards and to identify curricular modifications.
       

    National Assessment of Educational Process (NAEP)

    		  

    The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), also known as the Nation’s Report Card, was first administered in 1969 and is the largest continuing and nationally representative assessment of what our nation’s students know and can do in subjects such as mathematics, reading, science, and writing. Standard administration practices are implemented to provide a common measure of student achievement. Teachers, principals, parents, policymakers, and researchers all use NAEP results to assess progress and develop ways to improve education in the United States. State-level results provide information about student achievement in South Carolina, while also allowing for comparisons between our state and other states, regions, and the nation.

    MIDDLE SCHOOL

    Benchmark

    Benchmark Interim assessments are used to monitor student achievement in meeting SC state standards in each content area. Results are used to inform instruction and revise curriculum to ensure students are on track to meeting end of the year state standards.

    MAP Growth 

    The NWEA MAP Test (Measures of Academic Progress) is an adaptive achievement and growth test. It creates a personalized assessment experience by adapting to each student’s learning level—precisely measuring progress and growth for each individual student.  Effective with the 2021/22 school year, Aiken County administers MAP Growth to all students in Grades 3-12 and this year, as part of the SC State Legislative Proviso 1.96, MAP Growth will also be administerd in grade 1 and 2. In additionl to providing actionable data on student achievement and grwoth, the MAP Growth assessments also provide a Lexile and Quantile score, two important metrics used i Aiken County to ensure that all students are on a path to graduating from school with the reading and numeracy skills required to be College and Career Ready See the Lexile and Quantile Section of this website for additional information and resources on these important metrics. 

    PSAT 8

    The PSAT 8 is the first assessment in the SAT™ suite of assessments and is administered to all 8th graders in ACPSD.  Part of the SAT continuum of assessments. Measures the same skills and knowledge on a common scale as the PSAT/NMSQT and SAT at an 8th grade level. The assessment measures Math, Evidence-Based Reading and Writing.  Provides opportunity to develop personalized practice programs through Khan Academy. Results used at District level to inform instruction and to identify curriculum revisisions.

     

     

    SCREADY

    The South Carolina College- and Career- READY Assessments (SC READY) are statewide assessments administered to students in grade 3-8 in English Language Arts (ELA) and mathematics to measure mastery of SC state standards.. Results are used for state accountability and are used formatively to monitor student progress in meeting college and career ready standards and to identify curricular modifications.

    SCPASS

    The South Carolina Palmetto Assessment of State Standards (SCPASS) is a statewide assessment administered to students in grades four, six, and eight only for science and only grades five and seven for social studies.  All students in these grade levels are required to take the SCPASS except those who qualify for the South Carolina Alternate Assessment .

    National Assessment of Educational Process (NAEP)

    		  

    The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), also known as the Nation’s Report Card, was first administered in 1969 and is the largest continuing and nationally representative assessment of what our nation’s students know and can do in subjects such as mathematics, reading, science, and writing. Standard administration practices are implemented to provide a common measure of student achievement. Teachers, principals, parents, policymakers, and researchers all use NAEP results to assess progress and develop ways to improve education in the United States. State-level results provide information about student achievement in South Carolina, while also allowing for comparisons between our state and other states, regions, and the nation.

    HIGH SCHOOL

    The test is a curriculum-based education and career-planning tool for high school students that assesses the mastery of college readiness standards.  Districts are required to offer all students in their 3rd year of high school the option of taking the  or the at no cost. The choice of which assessment to take is determined at the student level. The ACT consists of subject area tests in English, mathematics, reading, and science. The test includes 215 multiple-choice questions and with a "36" as the highest possible score. In addition to the school-day offering, the test is offered six times per year in the U.S., and is usually taken during a student's junior or senior year of high school.

    WIN Career Readiness Assessment

    The WIN Career Readiness assessment  is administered to all 3rd year high school students (typically Juniors) in the spring.  More than 20 years of prevailing career readiness skills research consistently identifies mastery of core communication, reasoning, and problem-solving skills as required or highly recommended for most jobs across occupations and industries. The research further defines the standards for those core skills as mathematical reasoning skills; reading, understanding, and interpreting workplace text; and interpreting data presented in charts, graphs, and similar workplace information. These are the standards that are the basis for the proctored assessments that earn the Work Ready Credential.

    Resources:

    Advanced Placement

    Advanced Placement (AP) offers rigorous, college-level curricula and assessments to high school students. At the conclusion of the course, students participate in the AP assessment. Depending on the grade – scored 1 to 5 – colleges and universities may grant course credit to students. A score of 3 is typically considered for college credit although it depends on the college/university.

    ASVAB

    The ASVAB is a multiple-aptitude battery to measure developed abilities to predict future academic and occupational success in the military. Scores in four critical areas -- Arithmetic Reasoning, Word Knowledge, Paragraph Comprehension and Mathematics Knowledge comprise a students’ Armed Forces Qualifying Test (AFQT) score, which determines eligibility to enlist in the U.S. military. Different branches have different requirements. A minimum score of 31 is necessary in South Carolina is one way to demonstrate career readiness upon graduation from high school.

    Benchmark

    Benchmark Interim assessments are used to monitor student achievement in meeting SC state standards in each content area. Results are used to inform instruction and revise curriculum to ensure students are on track to meet end of the year state standards.

    EOC (End of Course)

    The End of Course Examination Program (EOCEP) is a statewide assessment program of end of course tests for gateway courses awarded units of credit in English/language arts, mathematics, science, and social studies. The EOCEP encourages instruction in the specific academic standards for the courses, encourages student achievement, and documents the level of students’ mastery of the academic standards.

    To earn a South Carolina high school diploma, students are required to pass a high school credit course in science, and a high school credit course in United States history in which the state’s end of course examinations are administered. Currently, these courses are Biology 1 (science), United States History, and Constitution (social studies).

    Gateway courses in English/language arts, mathematics, science, and social studies will be defined by the State Board of Education. EOCEP examination scores count 20 percent in the calculation of the student’s final grade in gateway courses. Defined gateway courses currently include the following courses or courses with other names and activity codes in which the same academic standards are taught: Algebra 1, Biology 1, English 2, and United States History and the Constitution.  EOCEP results are used in the calculation of middle school and high school Absolute Ratings and Growth Ratings.

    Students and parents are encouraged to review the standards and resources below for each of the required End-of-Course examination programs.

    Algebra 1:

    English 2:

    Biology 1:

    U.S. History and the Constitution:

    PSAT/NMSQT

    The PSAT/NMSQT is the Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test and is second in the suite of assessments. All 10th graders are eligible to take the PSAT/NMSQT free of charge.  Other students may take the PSAT/NMSQT for a nominal fee.  For 11th graders, PSAT scores are used to identify National Merit Scholars and award merit scholarships.  As in the , there are two sections:  Math and Evidence-Based Reading and Writing.  Each section is scored on a 160 to 760 point scale. The highest possible /NMSQT score is 1520.

     

     

    MAP Growth

    The NWEA MAP Test (Measures of Academic Progress) is an adaptive achievement and growth test. It creates a personalized assessment experience by adapting to each student’s learning level—precisely measuring progress and growth for each individual student.  Effective with the 2021/22 school year, Aiken County administers MAP Growth to all students in Grades 3-12 and this year, as part of the SC State Legislative Proviso 1.96, MAP Growth will also be administerd in grade 1 and 2. In additionl to providing actionable data on student achievement and growth, the MAP Growth assessments also provide a Lexile and Quantile score, two important metrics used i Aiken County to ensure that all students are on a path to graduating from school with the reading and numeracy skills required to be College and Career Ready See the Lexile and Quantile Section of this website for additional information and resources on these important metrics. 
       

    The is an entrance exam used by most colleges and universities to make admissions decisions. It is a multiple-choice, pencil-and-paper test administered by the College Board.  The purpose of the is to measure a high school student's readiness for college, and provide colleges with one common data point that can be used to compare all applicants.  Districts are required to offer all students in their 3rd year of high school the option of taking the  or the at no cost. The choice of which assessment to take is determined at the student level.  There are two Math and Evidence-Based Reading and Writing.  The also includes an optional Essay section.  Each section of the is scored on a 200 to 800 point scale.  The highest possible score is 1600. If you take the Essay, you will receive a separate score.  Most high school students take the during the spring of their junior year or fall of their senior year.
       

     

     

     

ACCESS for ELL's

  • This is an English language assessment tied to the state’s language proficiency standards with varying stages of second language acquisition. It contains social and academic language contexts. For Title III accountability, ACCESS for ELLs measures annual gains in English language proficiency-Annual Measurable Achievement Objectives (AMAOs).