REQUIRED TESTING (STATE & SCHOOL)

 

State Testing

 

Student participation in all State testing is mandatory as a requirement for continued enrollment at NVVA.

During the actual administration of testing, parent/guardians cannot be in the testing room. At the conclusion of the testing period, parent/guardians will need pick-up students at the scheduled time.Teachers cannot stay with students after the testing is concluded. If parent/guardians are not accompanying their child to the testing location, parent/guardians must send a signed note giving permission for the test coordinator to release the student from testing location upon completion of the test (unless the student is 18 years of age). The appropriate Legal Authorities must be called to pick up any child who is left unattended for more than 30 minutes after the testing period is concluded.

 

Nevada Virtual Academy will follow the 2014-2015 Nevada Testing Calendar of the NDE. NPEP and SBAC assessments for NVVA students will take place in proctored settings at facilities located regionally across the state. As part of the school charter NVVA has agreed that no student will have to travel more than 50 miles from their home residence to test.

 

Criterion Referenced Tests (CRT)

All 3rd through 8th grade students enrolled at Nevada Virtual Academy are required to participate in the Criterion-Referenced Tests (CRT) during the Spring semester of their school year. The CRTs measure the achievement and proficiency of students relative to the Nevada State content standards as well as the Common Core State Standards. Students in grades 3 through 8 will be administered tests in Reading and Mathematics, and students in grades 5 and 8 will also be administered tests in Science

and Writing. Student performance in reading and mathematics is taken into account for determining Nevada School Performance Framework (NSPF) as required by federal and state law.

 

Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium (SBAC)

Smarter Balanced is a state-led consortium working collaboratively to develop next-generation assessments aligned to the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) that accurately measure student progress toward college and career readiness. The Consortium involves educators, researchers, policymakers, and community groups in a transparent and consensus-driven process to help all students thrive in a knowledge-driven global economy. The Consortium’s projects are funded through a four-year, $175 million grant from the U.S. Department of Education, comprising 99 percent of activity resources, with the remaining support provided through generous contributions of charitable foundations.

 

Smarter Balanced is guided by the belief that a balanced, high-quality assessment system—including formative, interim, and summative components—can improve teaching and learning by providing information and tools for teachers and schools to help students succeed. Timely and meaningful assessment information can offer specific information about areas of performance so that teachers can follow up with targeted instruction, students can better target their own efforts, and administrators and policymakers can more fully understand what students know and can do, in order to guide curriculum and professional development decisions.

 

Smarter Balanced assessments make use of computer adaptive technology, which is more precise and efficient than fixed-form testing. Teachers, principals, and parents can receive results from computerized assessments in weeks, not months. Faster results mean that teachers can use the information from optional interim assessments throughout the school year to differentiate instruction and better meet the unique needs of their students.

 

Smarter Balanced assessments will go beyond multiple-choice questions and include short constructed response, extended constructed response, and performance tasks that allow students to complete an in-depth project that demonstrate analytical skills and real-world problem solving.

 

*Failure to register for and participate in state-mandated testing may result in immediate withdrawal from NVVA.*

 

School Testing

 

ACCESS Testing for English Language Learners

As students are enrolled into Nevada Virtual Academy, a questionnaire is provided that determines the level of the student’s English fluency. Based on the answers to this questionnaire, students who are identified as possible candidates for English as a Second Language (ESL) services will take the WIDA ACCESS Placement (W-APT) test during the Fall semester. The W-APT is designed to measure the academic English language proficiency level of students new to Nevada Virtual Academy in order to determine appropriate levels and amounts of instructional services.The results of the W-APT will accurately assign students identified as English Language Learners (ELLs) to one of the 3 tiers of the ACCESS for ELLs test-Tier A (beginning), Tie rB(intermediate), and Tier C(advanced)-which will be taken at the start of the Spring semester. The ACCESS for ELLs tests is a

secure large-scale English language proficiency assessment given to Kindergarten through 12th graders who have been identified as English language learners (ELLs). It is given annually in WIDA to monitor students' progress in acquiring academic English.

 

i-Ready (K-2)

i-Ready is an online, adaptive, individualized, diagnostic assessment which determines competency on Common Core math and reading skills.  The adaptive diagnostic test is used to determine areas of student strength and need in key strands or domains.  Results drive instruction as teachers work towards satisfying each student’s individual needs.

 

Students will be assessed in reading and math.  Reading assessements include: Phonological Awareness, Phonics, High Frequency words, Vocabulary, Reading Comprehension of both Literature and Informational Texts. In Math, the areas addressed are Numbers & Operations, Algebra & Algebraic Thinking, Measurement & Data, and Geometry.

 

Students K-2 will take a beginning and end of the year diagnostic assessments, as well as, in the year progress monitoring tests.

 

DIBELS (K-2)

The Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills (DIBELS) are a set of procedures and measures for assessing the acquisition of early literacy skills from kindergarten through sixth grade.  We are only using this tool in the K-2 grades at NVVA. 

 

The assessments are designed to be short (one minute) fluency measures used to regularly monitor the development of early literacy and early reading skills. DIBELS are comprised of seven measures to function as indicators of phonemic awareness, alphabetic principle, accuracy and fluency with connected text, reading comprehension, and vocabulary. DIBELS were designed for use in identifying children experiencing difficulty in acquisition of basic early literacy skills in order to provide support early and prevent the occurrence of later reading difficulties.

 

ACT Aspire (3-5)

Assessment of students’ knowledge and skills are critical to ensure that all learners receive the support and services necessary to help them succeed in school and life. The essential, actionable information and insights gained from ACT Aspire help educators and parents understand a student’s past, capture the present, and impact the future.  ACT Aspire assesses student readiness in English, math, reading, science, and writing.  These assessments are computer based.  Students will be required to take a beginning and end of year assessment as well as in the year progress monitoring assessments.

 

ACT Aspire will incorporate multiple question types including constructed response, selected response, and technology-enhanced items to better assess student knowledge and provide more meaningful insights.