Plano Middle School Students will complete the Illinois Assessment of Readiness (IAR) Testing Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday of this week. Students will complete 2 Reading and 1 Math Assessment. These State Mandated standardized assessments are typically completed in the Spring. Our school district opted not to complete these assessments last Spring and will be taking them now. Students new to Plano Middle School who took the IAR last spring at their previous school will not be required to take the assessments again.
The following letter is from the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE)
Dear Parent/Guardian:
We appreciate your investment in your child’s education and want to share with you some information about state and federally required assessments. Federal law requires the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) to administer certain assessments to all students who attend public schools in the state, including students who attend charter schools.
According to federal law:
· Students must take an achievement exam in reading/language arts and mathematics each year from third through eighth grade.
· In Illinois, students take the Illinois Assessment of Readiness (IAR)
· Students must take an achievement exam in reading/language arts and mathematics in high school. In Illinois, high school students in grades nine through eleven take either the PSAT 8/9, PSAT 10, or the SAT.
· Students must take an achievement exam in science three times from third through 12th grade. In Illinois, students take the Illinois Science Assessment in fifth grade, eighth grade, and eleventh in high school.
· Students identified as English Learners must take an English language proficiency exam once per year until English proficiency is reached. In Illinois, English Learners take ACCESS.
· Students with the most significant cognitive disabilities must take alternate assessments in reading/language arts, mathematics, and science. In Illinois, students with significant cognitive disabilities take the Dynamic Learning Maps Alternate Assessment (DLM-AA).
Assessments help improve standards, curriculum, and instruction at the classroom, school, district, and state levels. Assessments play a role in helping ISBE and school districts identify areas where schools need targeted support. The average amount of time spent on accountability assessments represents less than 1 percent of the school year. We want educators and students to devote as much time as possible to learning, not testing. We are working with districts and schools to evaluate local testing programs and reduce the amount of testing for students, where we can.
We encourage students to do their best on all assessments. Individual districts and schools may have local policies for students who refuse to take assessments on testing days, but federal and state law does not authorize districts or schools to excuse students from testing. ISBE does not provide guidance on “opting out” because such an option would violate the law.
School districts must administer assessments to at least 95 percent of students and at least 95 percent of each student demographic group or face lower public school recognition status, which leads to increased state oversight and may put districts’ state and federal funds at risk. Individual high school students who had the opportunity to but chose not to take the required state accountability assessments lose their eligibility to receive a regular high school diploma. (Students who may not have had the opportunity to take one of the required assessments will not be prevented from receiving a regular diploma.)
We encourage students to complete as much of each assessment as they can. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact the ISBE Assessment Department at (866) 317-6034 or visit www.isbe.net/Pages/Assessment.aspx.
We thank you for your dedication to supporting and serving all Illinois students.
