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Assessments

Overview Assessment Schedule Statewide Assessments LEA Assessments Resources

Overview

Our overarching goal is to support and monitor student learning through partnerships with our schools.  We strive to provide educators and district leaders with the best analysis and information regarding student achievement.  

Our office provides leadership and technical expertise for the district in the areas of State assessments, district assessments, student achievement, and accountability.

We disseminate this actionable information to school educators, district administrators, the Board of Education, school community councils, and the public. Our information supports student-centered data-driven decisions by building leadership teams and district leadership.

Our office is responsible for ensuring compliance with state, and federal testing requirements (e.g., RISE, K-3 Reading Acadience, Acadience Reading and Math K-8), accountability requirements and Summit Academy assessment program (e.g., Acadience, EasyCBM, AP, PSAT/NMSQT, MAP).

Why do we test?

Testing has always been integral to education. Assessments inform instruction by helping teachers know if educational goals are being met. They’re an indicator of what’s working in the classroom and what can be done differently. Testing also gives parents an independent measure of their child’s learning, answering the question: Is my child on target and doing well compared to his or her peers? Six Reasons Why Assessment Matters.

Which tests do Utah’s students take?

Beginning with the 2018-2019 school year, RISE replaced SAGE as Utah’s computer adaptive standards assessment for students in grades 3-8. Students in grades 9-10 participate in high school assessments that provide a predictive score for their anticipated performance on the ACT college-entrance exam. These tests provide a baseline for student learning, while ensuring that student proficiency and growth reflect what they know and can do. 

A brochure describing Utah’s RISE exams can be found on the Utah State Board of Education’s website.

How should students prepare for the test?

Practice for the test is the instruction students receive throughout the school year—the skills and knowledge they acquire each day. There are a few things, however, families can do to prepare for test day at home:

  • Make sure your child gets a good night’s sleep and eats a healthy breakfast.
  • Make the morning of testing as relaxing as possible by arriving to school on time.
  • Encourage children to focus and pace themselves without rushing. It’s important to take your time, and read each question carefully.
  • Remind children that if the test questions seem hard, that means they’re doing well. The RISE test is computer adaptive, which means it adapts to the examinee’s abilities by proposing harder questions when a student gets something correct, and easier questions when the student gives a wrong answer.
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