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    Testing and Assessments

    Assessments and Testing

    Assessments are used in Seattle Public Schools to help educators and families measure how students are meeting our academic goals.

    Assessment calendars

    Download our 2019-2020 assessment calendars (grades K-8 or 9-12)
    COMING SOON

    • Assessment Calendar K-8
    • Assessment Calendar 9-12 

    District Assessments

    District assessments are typically given during the school year to help teachers see progress toward College and Career Readiness Standards in subjects such as math and language arts. Teachers can use the information from these assessments to work collaboratively with their colleagues to plan lessons and provide support for individual students. In Seattle Public Schools, we use different types of formative assessment. For the 2018-19 school year, students will be assessed using Measure of Academic Progress (MAP) and SPS interim assessments. Data collected from these assessments will help inform classroom instruction and remediation and/or extension activities to meet the needs of all students. 

    For more detailed information on the SPS interim assessment, please click this link.
    This information has been translated and linked below:
    Amharic, Arabic, Chinese, Oromo, Somali, Spanish, Tagalog, Tigrigna, Vietnamese

    For detailed information on MAP, please see our Measures of Academic Progress (MAP) page:

    State Assessments

    State assessments are required for federal accountability and also provide a common measure of student progress at the school, district and state levels. Our educators examine the results and use them to help determine which resources and supports are needed to close achievement gaps. For detailed information, please see the pages below:

    Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction Resources

    College-readiness assessments

    Seattle Public Schools administers the SAT and PSAT assessments free of charge during a regular school day.

    Summary of Assessments 2019-2020

    Washington Kindergarten Inventory of Developing Skills (WaKids)
    State required
    Grade level: Kindergarten

    WaKIDS provides a snapshot of the school readiness of students as they enter kindergarten.

    Fountas and Pinnell (F&P)
    District and state required
    Grade level: Kindergarten, 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th

    F&P assessment identifies student’s independent and instructional reading levels.

    SPS Interim Assessments
    District required
    Grade Level: 3-10

    Interim assessments support educators to monitor progress towards state standards and adjust instruction.

    Measures of Academic Progress
    District required
    Grade level: Kindergarten, 1st, 2nd

    MAP is a computer-based adaptive assessment. MAP results provide data to show student growth. This data can also be used by teachers to adapt instruction to student needs.

    Smarter Balanced Assessment (SBA)
    State required
    Grade level: 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th, 8th, 10th, 11th (if needed), 12th (if needed)

    Determines students’ progress toward graduation and college, career readiness in English language arts/literacy and math.

    Washington Comprehensive Assessment of Science (WCAS)
    State required
    Grade level: 5th, 8th, 11th

    The WCAS measures the proficiency that Washington students have achieved based on the Washington State 2013 K-12 Science Learning Standards.

    Preliminary Scholastic Aptitude Test (PSAT)
    Not mandatory:     PSAT and SAT are not mandatory tests; not taken by all students.
    Grade level: 10th, 11th

    The PSAT helps juniors prepare for the SAT and is used to qualify students for scholarships and advanced learning opportunities.

    Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT)
    Not mandatory:     PSAT and SAT are not mandatory tests; not taken by all students.
    Grade level: 11th

    The SAT is the most widely used college admission test in the country. The test can be used as a substitute graduation requirement if the student didn’t meet passing scores on other assessments in ELA or math.

    English Language Proficiency Assessment for the 21st Century (ELPA-21)
    State required     ELL eligible students only
    Grade level: K-12

    The ELPA21 assessment system measures a student’s language proficiency relative to the English Language Proficiency standards. Any student whose primary and/or home language is other than English is required by the state to test. Student progress is assessed every year to until they reach a level of ‘proficient’.