ASSESSMENTS · VISIBILITY
Assessment that helps you know each student
True Progress assessments help educators understand students' ELA and math learning: their strengths, where they encounter difficulty, and how their learning develops over time. This evidence is integral to Visibility, the first driver of the Student Success System. Educators bring it together with classroom work, observations, and knowledge of each student's experience to understand what will help that student succeed.
For most students, a brief periodic Screener is the only True Progress assessment they need. The Diagnostic and Inventory provide greater detail when educators have a question that calls for a closer look.
Three assessments. Different depths of understanding.
The Screener, Diagnostic, and Inventory answer different questions about learning. Schools choose the depth of assessment that will help them understand a student, drawing on both assessment results and what educators already know.
Screener
PERIODIC CHECK
A brief, adaptive assessment for following ELA and math learning and progress. Questions adjust to the student's responses, reaching below or above the enrolled grade. Educators can review overall and domain results and examine the questions and responses. For most students, periodic screening alongside classroom evidence provides sufficient assessment information.
Explore the ScreenerDiagnostic
FOCUSED LOOK
A focused assessment of skills at a level selected by the educator, below, at, or above the student's enrolled grade. Results show percent correct by assessed skill and provide access to individual responses. Educators use this evidence to plan teaching, support, or greater challenge. Classroom work or Screener results can prompt its use.
Explore the DiagnosticInventory
DETAILED LEARNING PROFILE
An extensive assessment of twelve dimensions within ELA or math, adapting across learning levels within each dimension. The resulting academic profile helps educators examine uneven patterns of strengths and needs when a broad result or assessment at one level leaves important questions unanswered. Specialists and teachers use the findings to inform planning.
Explore the InventoryA closer look when it will help
A student does not need to take all three assessments. Teachers may already have enough evidence to act, or they may need to investigate a question more closely. The choice depends on what remains to be understood.
| What educators are finding | How assessment can help |
|---|---|
| Classroom work and Screener results indicate that a student is thriving and progressing. | Continue periodic screening alongside classroom observation. Additional assessment may not be necessary. |
| A student is having difficulty with particular skills or work at a particular level. | Use a Diagnostic to examine understanding at that level and inform teaching or support. |
| A student's strengths and difficulties span several levels or vary substantially across dimensions. | Use an Inventory to develop a more detailed learning profile and inform planning. |
| A student is ready for greater challenge. | Consider what classroom work and Screener results already show. Use a Diagnostic or Inventory if more detail would help determine the appropriate challenge. |
Schools establish shared criteria for taking a closer look, informed by their own students and context. Educators use those criteria alongside their knowledge of the individual student. A teacher's concern can warrant further assessment without waiting for the next screening window.
Understanding develops over time
Periodic screening helps educators follow both current learning and progress. A student learning at a high level may be making little progress. Another working below expectations may be advancing substantially. Considering both alongside classroom work helps educators judge whether support and challenge are appropriate.
A Diagnostic can be revisited after a period of instruction to examine what has changed at the assessed level. Assessment needs can also change: a student who previously needed a closer look may later need only the Screener.
Within the Student Success System, Visibility gives educators a fuller understanding to draw on when shaping curriculum, instruction, and support. Returning to the student's experience, work, and progress helps the school judge whether its response is helping and what may need to change.
Shared understanding across the school
Reports bring overall results, areas of strength and need, and learning over time into conversations among educators, students, and families. More detailed profiles can inform support planning and help carry understanding into the next classroom or school year.
Each person brings questions that matter to the student's learning and experience of school.
Parent
Where is my child growing, where is learning difficult, and how can we help?
Teacher
What does this student understand, and what teaching, support, or challenge would help?
Student Support Director
What do we still need to understand about this student's strengths and needs, and is our response helping?
Curriculum Director
Where does our curriculum serve students well, and where do their needs call for attention?
Head of School
How well are we helping every student succeed, and where should we focus our attention?
Admissions Director
What can we learn about an applicant's strengths and needs in the context of the students we serve?
Student
What am I getting better at, and what will help me with the things I find difficult?
Assessment in your school's context
We can discuss how your school currently understands students' learning, the questions your educators want to explore, and how the Screener, Diagnostic, and Inventory could contribute to that work. Together, we can consider an approach that provides useful evidence while keeping assessment time proportionate to what your students need.
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