Assessment Resources

The ACT is a national college admissions examination. The test includes subtests for Reading, English, Math, and Science. The test results provide students with a predictive score for the ACT, which is taken by 11th grade students enrolled in Utah public high schools. The results are commonly submitted as a college readiness assessment for local universities. ACT results are accepted by many 4-year colleges and universities in the U.S. Colleges use ACT results in a variety of ways: Admissions decisions, course placement, academic advising, scholarships and loans.

Additional Resources

• ACT

• ACT Utah Page

Assessment of Performance toward Proficiency in Languages (AAPPL)

Utah State Board of Education (USBE) has contracted with Language Testing International (LTI) to provide the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL) AAPPL assessment to schools participating in Utah’s USBE Dual Language Immersion program.

The ACTFL Assessment of Performance toward Proficiency in Languages (AAPPL) is a performance assessment of standards-based language learning across the three modes of communication (Interpersonal, Presentational, and Interpretive) as defined by the National Standards for Foreign Language Learning. The AAPPL assesses Interpersonal Listening/Speaking, Presentational Writing, Interpretive Reading, and Interpretive Listening, and ratings are assigned according to the ACTFL Performance Descriptors for Language Learners.

American Civics Education Initiative, S.B. 60, was passed in the Utah legislative session of 2015. This law requires the successful passage of a basic civics test or an alternate assessment as a condition of graduation. This requirement applies to any public school student who graduates on or after January 1, 2016, as well as any student enrolled in an adult education program.

The Acadience Assessments are a set of measures for assessing the acquisition of early literacy and early math skills from kindergarten through sixth grade. They are designed to be short  fluency measures used to regularly monitor the development of early literacy, early reading, and early math skills.

Acadience Reading was developed to measure recognized and empirically validated skills related to reading outcomes. Each measure has been thoroughly researched and demonstrated to be reliable and valid indicators of early literacy development and predictive of later reading proficiency to aid in the early identification of students who are not progressing as expected. When used as recommended, the results can be used to evaluate individual student development as well as provide grade-level feedback toward validated instructional objectives.

Acadience is used to assess the following skills:

• Phonemic Awareness

• Alphabetic Principle and Basic Phonics

• Fluency

• Advanced Phonics and Word Attack

• Accurate and Fluent Reading of Connected Text

Reading Comprehension using the standardized Acadience version of MAZE procedures to assess the student’s ability to construct meaning from text using word recognition skills, background information, prior knowledge, familiarity with linguistic properties such as syntax and morphology, and cause and effect reasoning skills.

Acadience Math screening is a valid and reliable method used to identify students who may be at risk for math difficulties.  Acadience Math uses the following measures as indicators of the essential skills every child needs to become proficient in Mathematics.

• Beginning Quantity Discrimination
• Number Identification Fluency
• Next Number Fluency
• Advanced Quantity Discrimination
• Missing Number Fluency
• Computation
• Concepts and Applications

Utah’s Kindergarten Entry and Exit Profile (KEEP) is intended to inform various stakeholders, such as parents, teachers, and leadership, on the academic and social-emotional development of entering and exiting kindergarten students. The information gained from the profile will be used to:

• Provide insights into current levels of academic and social-emotional performance upon entry and exit of kindergarten. 
• Identify students in need of early intervention instruction and promote differentiated instruction for all students. 
• Analyze the effectiveness of programs, such as extended-day kindergarten and preschool. 
• Provide opportunities for data-informed decision-making and cost-benefit analysis of early learning initiatives.
• Identify effective instructional practices or strategies for improving student achievement outcomes in a targeted manner. 
• Understand the influence and impact of full-day kindergarten on at-risk students in both the short- and long-term.

GRADES 4, 8 & 12 AT SELECTED SCHOOLS ONLY

The National Assessment of Educational Progress ( NAEP ), also known as "the Nation's Report Card," is the only nationally representative and continuing assessment of what America's students know and can do in various subject areas.

For additional information about NAEP, please see the following websites:

• https://www.schools.utah.gov/assessment/NAEP.aspx
• https://nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/about/

All results are reported as Statewide Data.

The Readiness Improvement Success Empowerment (RISE) assessment is a multistage computer adaptive criterion referenced assessment system that includes summative tests for English Language Art (ELA), Mathematics, Science, and Writing. The summative tests are scheduled to be delivered in grades 3-8.

RISE offers students, teachers and parents an improved overall experience and an opportunity to work collaboratively towards following the Utah State Core Standards. It also provides a baseline for student learning, while ensuring that student proficiency and growth reflect what they know and can do.

• READINESS Assessments play an important role in preparing today’s students for tomorrow’s challenges. Information obtained from assessments makes teachers and parents aware of what their students know and can do today and what they are prepared to learn tomorrow.
• IMPROVEMENT Assessments enable teachers to identify what areas students are struggling in and work with them on an individual basis to ensure they are prepared to reach the next milestone.
• SUCCESS With a clear understanding of where students excel and where they need to improve, teachers can work collaboratively with families to ensure students continue to be success bound!
• EMPOWERMENT Knowledge and skills provide students valuable resources that empower them by expanding their future opportunities and freedoms.

The Utah Aspire Plus is a hybrid of America College Test (ACT) Aspire and Utah Core test items. This is a computer delivered, fixed form high school assessment for students in grades 9 and 10. The test will include subtests for Reading, English, Math, and Science. The tests will provide students a predictive score for the ACT, which is taken by all Utah 11th grade students and is the most commonly submitted college readiness assessment for local universities.

World-Class Instructional Design and Assessment (WIDA)
Assessing Comprehension and Communication in English State-to-State (ACCESS)

WIDA ACCESS 2.0 is Utah’s summative assessment of English language learners. It is developed and maintained by the WIDA consortium, of which Utah is a member state. This assessment is administered for a number of purposes:

• to measure individual students’ progress in achieving proficiency in speaking, listening to, comprehending, reading, and writing academic English
• to determine the success of language development programs in individual schools and school districts
• to fulfill a requirement of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act

The WIDA ACCESS is comprised of tests in four modalities - Speaking, Listening Reading, and Writing. Raw scores are reported for each of these modalities as well as for Comprehension. The Comprehension score is calculated on a subset of Listening and Reading items.

Students to be tested include:

• All newly enrolled Limited English Proficient (LEP)  students.
• All LEP students whose proficiency level on the WIDA ACCESS was:
  • Entering (1)
  • Beginning (2)
  • Developing (3)
  • Expanding (4)

The WIDA ACCESS is intended for limited English proficient (LEP) students only.

District Interim Assessments are short formative assessments that are administered by the teacher to gauge how the students are progressing through the curriculum.   The teacher then adjusts their teaching based on the results. Interims can be administered in Math, Language Arts and Science, for more detailed information about grade levels, subject and time line see the district testing calendar. 

1st and 2nd grade End-of-Level tests are designed to test students in the Math and Language Arts curriculum learned this year.  These tests consist of an online portion and an off line performance task.  The district uses this test to calculate student growth. The teacher uses this test to evaluate her teaching of the curriculum.