Assessment and Accountability
Testing and other means of assessment allow us to serve your child better and to build a stronger, higher-achieving learning community.
Through testing and observation, our teachers assess student progress frequently so that they can see right away if children are learning, and alter teaching methods or provide interventions accordingly. This benefits students who need extra help, as well as those who are ready for greater challenges.
Standardized testing has evolved in recent years. It of course still aligns directly with standards and instructional curriculum, but more advanced testing procedures now allow us to access results in a timelier manner, and the new Smarter Balanced state assessment also measures students’ critical analysis and reasoning skills.
Taken together, test results can tell us how much our school performance is improving from year to year in specific curricular areas. School Accountability Report Cards (SARCs) report detailed information about each school’s improvement from year-to-year.
Assessments in the Sunnyvale School District
The Sunnyvale School District utilizes a range of assessment strategies to gain a full, detailed view of student progress toward Board of Education established standards of expected achievement. Testing is a valuable educational tool for student assessment and program evaluation. It is important, however, to remember that test data is only one snapshot in the total performance picture for a student, grade level, school, or district.
Local Benchmark Assessments used in Sunnyvale School District are as follows:
Elementary
Grades TK-2: Fountas and Pinnell Benchmark Assessment System
Grades 3-5: NWEA Reading
Grades 1-5: NWEA Math
Grades K-5: District Writing Assessments
Grades K-5: Math Performance Tasks
Middle Schools
Grades 6-8: NWEA Reading
Grades 6-8: NWEA Math
Grades 6-8: Common ELA and Math assessment