In a Personalized Mastery Learning Model of learning and instruction, it is imperative that student data drive whole-group, small-group and individual instruction. ASL uses a combination of diagnostic, formative and summative assessments to learn about our students' data story:
iReady assessments for reading and math
iReady dyslexia screener for some students
Acadience reading fluency assessments for some students
Words Their Way spelling inventories
Heggerty phonemic awareness baseline assessment for Kinder students
Units of Study writing prompts and rubrics
Eureka Math exit tickets and mid-module and end-of-module assessments
Projects rubrics to assess 21st Century Skill development
Students are assessed three times per year in the fall, late winter and spring and as needed throughout the school year. In addition, third, fourth and fifth grade students participate in the California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress (CAASPP), state standardized tests in reading, writing, math and science in April/May of each school year. Lastly, a few students will participate in the initial and summative English Language Proficiency Assessments for California (ELPAC) test each year.
Advisors should become familiar with the ASL Testing/Assessment Calendar linked above and plan their instruction accordingly. Advisors should reach out to Casey Rasmussen, Stina Ross or Lisa Detwiler for assessment support.
Other Resources:
Clever: This is ASL's single sign-on platform for digital learning. Each student will have one login for Clever that they will use to access our other digital resources, such as the iReady Diagnostic and the iReady Instructional Path. Student logins will be shared with advisors at the beginning of the school year.
iReady: This is ASL's digital diagnostic platform that we use to assess our students in reading and math three times per year. We also use this platform to screen for dyslexia for some students. Additionally, iReady has an Instructional Path component that is uniquely designed for each student based on their diagnostic results. Students are expected to engage with the Instructional Path lessons at least 45 minutes per week in both reading and math. Students can login to iReady via the Clever platform. Advisors can login to iReady via their own login information.
Outcomes: At ASL, we use SEL and academic learning outcomes derived from the California Common Core State Standards as well as other resources to help inform what students should be learning. Students will be assessed using these outcomes which will be reported three times per school year via student progress reports. Advisors collaborate each year to determine student benchmark outcomes.
Progress Reports: Advisors use our Student Information System (SIS), called School Pathways, to report on student progress toward mastery of learning outcomes. Parents/Guardians access their students' progress report via their parent/guardian portal in School Pathways. ASL adheres to non-traditional academic progress reporting consistent with our mastery learning philosophy. Instead of earning a traditional letter grade, students work toward proficiency in outcomes. Students receive a performance rating of emerging, developing, proficient or advanced skills in each learning outcome, and advisor assessments and observations are part of the progress report. The goal is to promote students' self-awareness about their learning and foster problem-solving and growth in learning. Students receive a progress report three times per year (December, March, June) and an official transcript at the end of the year (June).
PML Proficiency Level Descriptions
Assigned -
We are about to start learning this. We don’t have any data on it yet.
Emerging (1) -
Student is acquiring basic knowledge on a brand new skill.
Student has limited background knowledge or experience from which to build understanding.
Student still needs a lot of help to learn this skill.
Developing (2) -
Student has learned a new skill and is now practicing.
Student understands the skill, but still needs support to do it.
They may still be just starting to grasp the skill -or- near mastering the skill.
Proficient (3)-
Student has mastered the skill.
They can perform it independently and consistently.
Advanced (4) -
This rare designation indicates that a student has shown exceptional skill, either by sustained effort, ability to apply the skill in a novel situation, or by sharing their strong interest in the skill with others.