The School District of Waukesha is continually working to improve our assessment system and in turn enhance our ability
to use data to guide instructional and curricular decisions. Strong assessment systems consist of a continuum of assessment each designed to meet the informational needs of the user. Within a well designed assessment system there are large scale, interim, and classroom assessments. Information from this continuum of assessments is used to identify areas of strength and areas of needed improvement.
Large Scale Assessments
(Click here for a testing schedule for 2008 - 2009 school year)
The large scale assessments listed below are administered in the School District of Waukesha. These assessments are generally administered once during the academic year and provide a "big picture" view of student achievement. These assessments are largely used to look at trends in achievement over time. Details including a brief description of the assessment and a summary of the results in the School District of Waukesha are available by clicking on the name of each assessment. The primary users of large scale assessments are community members, school board members, administrators, and teachers. Secondary users include parents and students.
Interim Assessments
The School District of Waukesha is developing interim assessments. These assessments will be used to benchmark and to monitor students' achievement throughout the school year and evaluate curricular consistency. These interim assessments will be common throughout the district meaning they will be developed locally and administered and scored uniformly within the district. These assessments consist of a variety of assessment forms including paper and pencil exams, projects, portfolios, and/or presentations. The School District of Waukesha currently conducts a common writing assessment in grades 1-11. Common assessments are also developed in a number of high school courses. The primary users of interim assessments are administrators and teachers. Parents and students are often secondary users.
Teacher Resources for Common Assessments
Classroom Assessments
The form of assessment that has the largest direct impact on student achievement is classroom assessments. These are daily assessments that teachers use to guide their instruction and engage students in the self monitoring of their learning. Classroom assessments include interviewing, questioning, work samples, and observations. The use of classroom assessments is continuously improving in the School District of Waukesha. The primary users of classroom assessments are teachers and students.
Teacher Resources for Classroom Assessments
