School District of Waukesha

Assessment plays a critical role in helping our students grow academically. The Waukesha School District strategically chooses and uses high quality assessment practices and tools in order to impact student achievement and growth. In the Waukesha School District, our assessment system includes statewide, district and classroom assessments. Together, these assessments help inform instructional practices while helping to monitor student achievement and growth.

Provides information regarding how well students are doing in relation to the Wisconsin Academic Standards in a variety of subject areas.

Individual Student Reports, provided to families in the summer following testing, indicating the student's scores based on their performance (demonstrating their knowledge and skill based on grade-level standards) in each content area. Each score falls into one of four performance levels: Advanced, Proficient, Basic, and Below Basic. Data is used at the state level for accountability and is displayed on yearly state report cards. At the district/school/classroom level, data is used to monitor and improve instructional programs.

The DLM™ assessment measures the academic progress of students with the most significant cognitive disabilities and designed to map a student’s learning throughout the year. The system will also use items and tasks that are embedded in day-to-day instruction. Instruction for these students is based upon the Wisconsin Essential Elements and aligns with the Wisconsin Academic Standards. This gives teachers the opportunity to see what students know during the year and differentiate instruction to better support student learning. 

Federal and state laws require that students identified as English Learners (ELs) be assessed annually to determine their level of English language proficiency (ELP) and ensure that they are progressing to achieve full English proficiency (this includes students who receive special education services.)

Individual Student Reports, provided to families in the spring or summer following testing, include a Performance Profile (indicating the student’s performance level of Emerging, Approaching Target, At Target, or Advanced for each tested subject) and Learning Profile (displaying the Wisconsin Essential Elements on which the student was tested). Data is used at the state level for accountability and is displayed on yearly state report cards. At the classroom level, data is used for instructional planning, monitoring, and adjustment, as well as for developing IEPs, communicating with parents, and communicating with other educators.

The ACT with writing is administered to students in grade 11 and consists of four multiple-choice tests: English, Mathematics, Reading, and Science, and a 40-minute essay test that measures Writing skills. The ACT can be used for college enrollment, scholarships, and NCAA eligibility requirements.

Student Score Reports, provided to families in the summer following testing, indicate the student's scores on a scale of 1-36 in each subject area, along with a composite score. Data is used at the state level for accountability and is displayed on yearly state report cards based on state-established performance levels of Advanced, Proficient, Basic, and Below Basic. At the district, school, and classroom levels, data is used for evaluating the effectiveness of instruction and planning changes and improvements in the curriculum.

Districts and schools are sampled each year for NAEP assessments. The NAEP State Coordinator in Wisconsin notifies districts and schools of their selection to participate by the beginning of the school year. When students are selected to participate, the school must inform parents about the participation; this usually takes place in December or January.

NAEP results serve as a common measure for all states and selected urban districts. The assessment stays basically the same from year to year. This allows NAEP to provide a clear picture of student academic progress over time

Measures what students have learned in the areas of English, Reading, Mathematics, and Science and predict how students will perform on the ACT when they reach 11th grade and their readiness for college-level coursework.

Individual Student Reports, provided to families in the summer following testing, indicate the student's scores on a scale of 1-35 along with their performance on ACT Readiness Benchmarks and predicted ACT scores. At the district, school, and classroom level, the data is used to help teachers and counselors plan instruction and intervention.

Wisconsin statute requires that any students graduating from a Wisconsin high school (starting with the class of 2017) "takes a civics test comprised of 100 questions that are identical to the 100 questions that may be asked of an individual during the process of applying for U.S. citizenship by the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services and the pupil correctly answers at least 65 of those questions" (Wis. Stat. sec. 118.33(1m)(a)1, Section 3266R).

The School District of Waukesha uses a variety of assessments for screening purposes multiple times each year. These assessments are used to determine what students know and can do at specific points in time and help educators identify students who may need additional support or extension.

aimswebPlus is a screening assessment that is used to assess a student's early literacy and reading skills. This assessment identifies foundational gaps in literacy/reading and is administered three times a year in the Fall, Winter and Spring. These measures are nationally normed and are brief assessments of basic skills that are considered to be essential. Assessment measures include the following: Initial Sounds, Auditory Vocabulary, Letter Naming Fluency, Letter Word Sounds Fluency, Phoneme Segmentation, Oral Vocabulary and Oral Reading Fluency. aimswebPlus was the selected screener chosen by the state as the reading readiness screener. 

The purpose of the i-Ready Diagnostic is not to give your student a grade but instead to determine how best to support their learning. The i-Ready Diagnostic is an adaptive assessment that adjusts its questions for each student. As a student answers correctly, the questions get more difficult. As a student answers incorrectly, the questions get easier. This adaptability allows the i-Ready Diagnostic to identify the strengths and opportunities for growth of each student

Provides a general overview of student skills in English Language Arts and mathematics.

Student score reports are provided to families, where students receive a numeric score as well as a national norm percentile to indicate where their score falls in relation to grade-level peers. At the district/school/classroom level, results help teachers identify students’ instructional levels and areas for skill development. Teachers use this information to help guide instruction in the classroom and create flexible groupings to better differentiate lessons based on content. Data is used in conjunction with other academic data to develop a comprehensive picture of student achievement.

As a result of Federal Legislation, and other State and local mandates, English Language Learners must demonstrate growth in language and academic progress. All assessments are used to direct instruction at the district, school and classroom levels.

Students who take the PSAT/NMSQT and meet other program entry requirements specified in the PSAT/NMSQT Student Guide will enter the National Merit Scholarship Program, an academic competition for recognition and scholarships conducted by the National Merit Scholarship Corporation (NMSC).

The Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT) is structured similarly to the SAT. It has the same sections and timing as the SAT, and measures reading, writing, and math skills needed to succeed in college and career.

The SAT takes three hours and consists of three tests: (1) the Reading Test, (2) the Writing and Language Test, and (3) the Math Test.

SAT scores can be sent to colleges and other institutions you're applying to and are interested in.