3536 - (ILBA) Assessment of Educational Programs

 

 

 

The Superintendent or designee will develop and manage an assessment program that 
provides ongoing evaluation of the effectiveness of the curriculum on improving student 
performance. The program must adhere to the processes for selection, use, and 
interpretation of assessment instruments specified below. This program will include both 
local and statewide assessment tools. The program must be aligned with the goals of the 
School District and be designed to assess each student's progress toward meeting the 
defined curriculum objectives

 

For the purposes of assessment of course work through the demonstration of student 
mastery of course competencies, the following definitions are established:

 

Course Level Competency: a competency that is common across a course and 
defines learning expectations for the successful completion of a course. 

 

Competency Assessment: the process by which a student demonstrates sufficient 
evidence of learning. 

 

Mastery: the consistent demonstration of competence over time in a content area.

 

Body of Evidence: the review of a student’s entire body of work across a competency 
area. This may include all work performed in or out of the classroom, conversations 
with students, observations during group work, and conferences with students about 
their work and their thinking as related to content. 

 

A balanced assessment program includes a variety of assessment tools. Assessment tools 
selected will provide an authentic evaluation of student learning outcomes through multiple 
formative and summative assessment instruments including, but not limited to, teacher 
observation of project-based learning, including off-site learning projects; competency-based 
assessments; and teacher-designed quizzes and tests. Additional instruments may include 
written examinations, oral examinations, alternative questions, demonstrations, writing 
exercises, individual projects, group projects, performances, student portfolios, and samples 
of the student's body of evidence.

 

Administration and Use of Assessments 

A balanced assessment program should include a variety of assessments (see Body of 
Evidence) that will be used to evaluate student knowledge, skills, and understanding. 
Additionally, in a competency based system, assessments should be administered regularly 
so that students, teachers, and parents are aware of a student’s progress throughout a 
course of study. Assessments should focus on competency areas in order to promote 
competency recovery when needed, and to celebrate success when appropriate. Data from 
assessments should be used to support teacher planning and to make programmatic 
decisions.

 

More specifically, assessment results will be analyzed and used with other data for the 
following purposes:

 To identify individual student strengths and weaknesses in skill development;
 To diagnose strengths and weaknesses of groups;
 To individualize instruction;
 To report progress to parents;
 To select curriculum materials;
 To set the pace of instruction;
 To select methods of instruction;
 To counsel students;
 To help determine revisions needed in the curriculum.

 

The State of New Hampshire, in accordance with federal regulation, requires school districts 
to administer a statewide accountability assessment to specific grades in the subject areas of 
reading, mathematics, and science. The Superintendent or designee will ensure that data 
from the statewide accountability assessment is compiled, analyzed, summarized, and 
reported to the Board annually. The Superintendent or designee is responsible for the scores 
of individual students and they shall be made available only to appropriate personnel within 
the school in which the student is enrolled and to parent(s) or legal guardian(s) of each 
student as provided by law. Interpretation of test results shall be made available to parents 
and students. 

 

The Board will provide funding for the student assessment program, including professional 
development for teachers in the use of tools to understand assessment results, to adjust 
instruction to meet personalized needs of students, and to monitor progress.

 

The Superintendent or designee will provide an ongoing evaluation of the assessment 
program, and will provide regular reports to the Board showing the effectiveness of the 
curriculum on improving student performance.

 

The Superintendent or designee will evaluate the instructional programs annually in 
accordance with Board policies and state guidelines. The Superintendent shall have the 
responsibility to report annually to the Board on the progress the District is making towards 
the attainment of its educational goals.

Adopted: 2/5/24
Legal Reference:
RSA 193-c Ed. 306.24