D103 News
Preparing for State Assessments
Dear Parents and Guardians,
Each Spring, our students at Half Day School and Daniel Wright Junior High School are required by the State of Illinois to take the Illinois Assessment of Readiness (IAR) and the Illinois Science Assessment (ISA).
I. What are the IAR and ISA?
Here are some details for each assessment, including who is required to take the test(s), and the purpose of the assessment(s):
1) IAR (Illinois Assessment of Readiness) - This assessment, consisting of both English Language Arts (ELA) and Math sections, is required by the State of Illinois to be taken by all third- through eighth-grade students.
- The data from this assessment provides information to the State regarding how our schools are performing in the areas of ELA and Math.
- If you are interested in learning more about the IAR please view the Impact of Participation document.
- The data from this assessment provides information to the State regarding how our schools are performing in science.
- The ISA aligns with our Illinois Learning Standards for Science, which are based on the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS).
While both the IAR and ISA assessments provide data that is helpful for identifying potential changes needed in curriculum or instructional approaches on a year to year basis, the results will not be directly used for adjusting instruction within this school year, as results generally do not get posted until after the end of the current year. In addition, results of the IAR and ISA will not be utilized for placement purposes.
II. What will my student need in order to be prepared?
Students will use the iPad they bring to school on a daily basis, as their testing device. All students should make sure they bring a fully charged iPad to school on all testing days. Please assist your student with the following instructions to help ensure successful assessment administration.
Technical Requirements
TestNav & ISA 2022 Apps -
All students who will be taking the IAR (third- through eighth-graders) must have the TestNav by Pearson Education, Inc. installed on their iPad. All fifth- and eighth-grade students, who will be taking the ISA, must have the ISBE ISA Secure Exam Browser installed. District-issued iPads will have the appropriate app(s) installed automatically. It is the responsibility of our Bring Your Device (BYO) families (eighth-grade only) to ensure one or both apps are installed on personal devices.
Keyboards -
Keyboards will be provided by the school via the district-issued keyboard case, or external plug-in keyboard.
Headphones -
Headphones are required for ELA units on the IAR, and can also be used on the ISA for text-to-speech purposes, if the student so chooses. Students are required to bring their own iPad compatible headphones. Only wired headphones are approved for the ISA, but both wireless and wired headphones may be used on the IAR.
Free Space -
Please back up or delete photos/videos that are not needed on the iPad. The recommended amount of free space on the iPad is 2 GB RAM.
Fully Charged -
Bring the iPad to school fully charged, every day.
Tips for a successful testing experience:
Prepare Physically - Students are urged to get a good night’s sleep and eat a healthy breakfast prior to testing.
Arrive on time - If students arrive late to school, they will not be allowed in their classrooms until the testing session is completed, and a makeup session would be required.
How to support your child with assessments - Visit our D103 Instructional Technology Support site to view some tips on how to support your child with assessments.
III. When will the assessments be administered?
Administration timeframes:
While it is best for all of our students to participate during the scheduled testing window, we also understand that some students may be ill, or experiencing symptoms of illness. In such a case, please do NOT send your child to school. Make up sessions will occur until all of our students have completed all required testing.
Once testing results are made available by the State of Illinois, your child’s school will send them home.
Thank you in advance for partnering with us to successfully administer the spring assessments!
Sincerely,
Craig Chatham, Director of Technology and Assessment
Katie Reynolds, Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum & Instruction
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