District Testing

Below you will find information on state and district required assessments. Detailed testing times and dates will be posted prior to opening of test window.

For more information, please visit the Department of Education website and search assessments.  www.doe.sd.gov

Acadience Learning Fall, Winter, Spring Benchmarking

Acadience Learning will include preliminary benchmarks for all three measures: Maze, Silent Reading (SR), and Oral Reading (OR). Each  measure includes a triad of three reading passages (one science passage, one social studies passage, and one prose passage). Progress monitoring materials are available for all measures.

ACCESS- January 24-February 25, 2022

ACCESS for ELLs 2.0 - stands for Assessing Comprehension and Communication in English State-to-State for English Language Learners. This large-scale test addresses the academic English language proficiency (ELP) standards at the core of the WIDA Consortium's approach to instructing and evaluating the progress of English learners. ACCESS for ELLs is taken annually by identified English learners to measure their English proficiency. The South Dakota Department of Education requires ELs in Grades 1-12 be administered the online version except in cases where online testing is not allowed. There are many benefits to the online testing, increased student engagement through the more dynamic testing experience, built-in accommodations, and accessibility features appropriate, to name a few. With the online version, multiple grades can be administered and finally, increased ease for TAs, who will no longer need to administer and score the Speaking test one-on-one. Kindergarten ACCESS for ELLs continues to be paper-based and Alternate ACCESS for ELLs will remain the same. ACCESS for ELLs 2.0 paper-based assessment will be available for districts that are not allowed online testing. The paper-based version will also be available as an accommodation.

NAEP- January 24- February 25, 2022

The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) is the only assessment that measures what U.S. students know and can do in various subjects across the nation, states, and in some urban districts. Also known as The Nation’s Report Card, NAEP has provided important information about how students are performing academically since 1969.

The NAEP for Math and Reading will be administered to many South Dakota students in 2022. It is given to a sampling of students in grades 4, 8, and sometimes 12, across the nation. Results are provided at both the state and national levels and are also reported to the public. As the assessment is designed to give a state and national snapshot, results are not available for schools or individual students. The test blueprints and NAEP frameworks are determined by the National Assessment Governing Board (NAGB).

SDSA- March 2- May 6, 2022

The South Dakota Science Assessment measures students’ mastery of the South Dakota State Academic Standards in Science. This test will cover the grade spans of 3-5, 6-8, and 11. Questions will come equally as possible from life, physical, and earth sciences at all 3 tested levels. This assessment will be completely online and taken by grades 5,8 and 11.

South Dakota Math and English-Language Arts Assessments- March 2-May 6, 2022

South Dakota is part of the SMARTER Balanced Assessment Consortium, or SBAC. The SBAC is a consortium of states that have been working collaboratively to develop a student assessment system aligned to the Common Core State Standards in English language arts and math.

The SBAC focus is on assessing students annually in grades 3-8 and 11. The system includes both summative and interim assessments and will use computer adaptive testing technologies to the greatest extent possible to provide meaningful feedback and actionable data that teachers and other educators can use to help students succeed.

Elementary Testing Dates:

September 1-15 – Fall Benchmark Acadience (DiBELS) assessments in Grades K-5

December 7-21 – Winter Benchmark Acadience Assessment in Grades K-5

March 2-May 6 – State ELA and Math Assessment window is open

                                  Students in grades 3, 4 and 5 will take the assessment in April

May 10-23 – Spring Benchmark Acadience Assessment in Grades K-5

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