Assessment Design

Overall Assessment System Purpose 

The purpose of the K–12 Campbell County School District assessment system is to ensure equitable access to high-quality instruction by aligning all district assessments to the prioritized Wyoming Content and Performance Standards across all ten content areas. In Campbell County, we believe assessment is an essential part of the teaching and learning cycle. It helps us know our students, guide instruction, and inform decisions at all levels—from classrooms to programs.

We are committed to using various assessment tools that provide consistent, actionable feedback and empower students to reflect, grow, and lead their own learning. Through meaningful assessment, our students develop as critical thinkers, global citizens, and independent learners. 

Components to the District Assessment System Overall 

• State-Required Assessments: 

Specific assessments that the state requires districts to administer. These assessments are typically used for school and program accountability and/or evaluation.

• • • • • WYTOPP Science at Grades 8 and 10

        • ACT Science at Grade 11

• District Assessments: 

Specific assessments that districts require classroom teachers to administer. These assessments are typically interim by nature and designed at the district level. District assessment data guides instruction and curricular decisions within the respective content areas.

• • • • • 12-Week Assessments: 3 total in a school year; in courses 7th Integrated, 8th Integrated, Physical Science, Biology 1, and Chemistry 1. 

        • Quarterly Assessments: 4 total in a school year; in courses Biology 2, Chemistry 2, Earth Science, and Physics. 

        • Semester Assessments: 1 (semester courses) or 2 total (year long courses); Astronomy 1, Astronomy 2, Forensics, Chemistry 2, Human Anatomy and Physiology, and Environmental Science. 

• School and Classroom Assessments: 

Assessments that a school, Professional Learning Community (PLC), and/or classroom teachers select and choose to administer. These assessments can be diagnostic, formative, interim, or summative in nature.

Assessment Types

• • • Formative: 

Quick checks for understanding that inform immediate instructional decisions. Teacher-created and flexible, these assessments provide real-time, specific feedback aligned to learning targets. Think of them as the “check-up,” not the “autopsy.”

• • • Interim: 

Administered periodically to monitor progress toward proficiency on prioritized standards. These assessments provide data over time to track growth and identify instructional needs at the school and district levels.  

• • • Summative: 

Typically administered at the end of a course or year to evaluate cumulative learning. State assessments like WYTOPP and ACT are considered summative in nature.

Standards Prioritization and Assessment Blueprint Development for Secondary Science 

Since 2016, the Campbell County Science Department has worked to align instruction and assessment to the Wyoming Science Content and Performance Standards, initially using the REAL criteria (Rigorous, Essential, Assessable, Learnable) to identify which standards would be considered Performance (Priority), Supporting, Foundational, or Enrichment. This foundational work provided the basis for curriculum mapping, unit development, and blueprint creation across the 6–12 continuum.

In recent years, the district has strengthened this system through the integration of Jan Hoegh’s Proficiency Scale Framework, which clearly defines the learning expectations for each prioritized standard at various levels of performance. These scales now guide instructional design, formative assessment practices, and collaborative conversations within PLCs, ensuring that student learning targets are consistent, transparent, and actionable.

This proficiency-based approach creates a seamless assessment system, where:

• Formative assessments are aligned to proficiency scales to provide immediate, specific feedback on targeted skills, enabling timely instructional adjustments and reteaching.

• District interim assessments are built from the same prioritized standards and proficiency scales, serving as benchmarks to monitor student progress across time.

• State assessments (WYTOPP in grades 8 and 10, and ACT Science in grade 11) are cross-referenced with district priorities to ensure alignment between classroom instruction and external accountability measures.

Each secondary science course includes 1–4 district assessments, ranging from unit-based checkpoints to true interims that reflect a broader span of standards. These assessments are housed and administered through the Performance Matters platform, enabling streamlined data collection, analysis, and reporting at both the classroom and district levels.

This ongoing work reflects a shift from assessment as an endpoint to assessment as a system of support. The alignment of proficiency scales → formative checks → interim benchmarks → WYTOPP/ACT ensures that student learning is continuously monitored, instruction remains standards-driven, and programming decisions are grounded in evidence.

Together, this creates a coherent and responsive science assessment journey for all CCSD students—one that empowers teachers, supports students, and prepares learners for long-term scientific literacy and success.