Teachers need ongoing information regarding student progress to enable them to adjust their instructional plans to meet the needs of every child. Parents need to know if their child is moving toward mastery of the academic standards on pace and at grade level. Principals and other administrators need to know how the schools and the district are progressing toward academic excellence.
To provide such information, the Portage Township Schools' assessment program identifies student needs and any appropriate curricular or instructional modifications necessary, based upon the skills, content, and concepts tested. The program consists of state-required, district-mandated, and on-going classroom assessments. The totality of this information helps to assess the overall achievement of our students and our schools.
The most important component of our program is the daily assessment of students by our teachers, which provides the most authentic information about the students current learning performance. Standardized, state-wide testing provides a yearly opportunity to compare the achievement level of our students with others across the state and nation. District-wide assessments provide valuable information about the student's yearly growth and progress.
Student assessment information is gathered from various sources and deposited in the district's data warehouse. This central collection provides opportunities for longitudinal studies and comparative analysis, as well as providing a cumulative record file charting each students progress throughout his/her school career. Data disaggregated by student demographics and other educational indicators is used to study trends and ensure the rigor of our curriculum.
The school district strives to establish and maintain an assessment program that accurately reflects the growth of all students while minimizing the workload in the areas of test administration, scoring, interpretation and use.
