District Assessments

TUVA students will take all Tucson Unified district assessments. District assessments measure student progress throughout the year. 

District assessments are given during the school day. On assessment days, middle and high school students will have an alternative bell schedule to allow enough time for students to complete the assessment. For the adjusted schedule and dates of quarterly assessments for secondary students, please view the 6-12 Bell Schedule.

Instruction throughout the quarter should be designed to guide students toward mastery of the district-identified standards taught each quarter. Please utilize the resources on the Assessment & Evaluation Sharepoint page along with the information in the Curriculum Guides to help you as you plan daily lessons and units. 

Assessment Descriptions

Quarterly Benchmark Assessments (grades 2-11)

Assessments of standards mastery for Gr. 2-8 ELA and Math;

Timed ACT mimic assessments for Gr. 9-11 in English, Reading, Math, and Science. Teachers use the data for instructional adjustments, student feedback, & demonstration of student learning. District & School level stakeholders use the data for monitoring, supports, and reporting for school improvement. 

DIBELS (grades K-3)

Early literacy assessment to determine which students appear to be performing at grade-level according to benchmark goals. Teachers use the data to provide targeted and timely instruction to identified students. These data are also used to monitor and support students according to state legislation known as "Move On When Reading (MOWR)." 

At TUVA, DIBELS assessments are given one-on-one in breakout rooms. 

RAZ-Plus (grades K-5)

The RAZ plus assessment is given to monitor student progress in reading and support Guided Reading instruction. Data from this assessment provides an independent and instructional reading level for each student.

At TUVA, students will either complete the assessment one-on-one in breakout rooms or through a recording feature on the application.

NGL/Cengage Reach (grades K-5) -  English Language Learners only

Diagnostic assessments of English proficiency skills, formative short cycle assessments of English proficiency skills, and summative assessments of English proficiency skills. Teaching intervention, differentiation in teaching, adjusting level in skills being taught and tested and to inform instructional decisions for the following school year. 

Commitments

• Use the District Assessment Planning tool as a guide to schedule your formative assessments and monitor student learning throughout the quarter.

• Plan daily lessons and units using TUSD Curriculum Guides and suggested pacing to ensure all highly-leveraged and supporting standards are taught each quarter.

• Familiarize yourself with the content and item types used on the Benchmark Assessments so you can best prepare your students.

• During testing, implement a camera-on testing protocol.