The Office for Performance, Assessment and Research supports the assessment programs of the EVSC, which provide pertinent information related to the academic achievement of students in the corporation. As one of its main functions, the office partners with universities and other agencies to identify situations and events that both impede and promote student learning and achievement. All major assessments given to students are managed through the Office for Performance, Assessment and Research, including ISTEP, IREAD, ISTEP End-of-Course Assessments, Acuity, DIBELS, college readiness and high ability.

ISTEP
ISTEP is administered to students in grades three through eight. ISTEP includes an applied skills assessment, administered in February/early March as well as multiple choice assessment, given in late April/early May. The applied skills assessment includes constructed responses, extended responses and essays. Both the writing and multiple choice assessments are combined to create a student’s score. In addition, a science assessment is given to grades four and six and a social studies assessment is administered in grades five and seven.  ISTEP results are returned in late May.

Click here for more information from the Indiana Department of Education regarding ISTEP. 

ISTEP End-of-Course Assessments (ECA)
Indiana End-of-Course Assessments are state mandated and are administered as end-of-course exams. ECA’s included in the assessments are: Algebra I and English10, both of which students have to pass to graduate and Biology I which is required as part of No Child Left Behind.

Click here for more information from the Indiana Department of Education regarding ECAs.

IREAD-3
IREAD-3 is a test designed to measure how well children can read and understand what they are reading. The State of Indiana requires, by law, that schools administer IREAD-3 and each third grader is required to take the test.

Click here for more information from the Indiana Department of Education regarding IREAD-3.

Acuity
Acuity assessments are part of the Indiana assessment system. An on-line test, acuity assessments are given to students in grades three through eight several times a year in the areas of English/language arts, math, science and social studies. Acuity is also administered to students enrolled in Algebra I and English 10 classes. These brief assessments provide specific information related to student performance on state standards and help teachers and administrators identify the need to adjust teaching instruction or review certain material.

Click here for more information from the Indiana Department of Education regarding Acuity.

Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills (DIBELs), TRC and mCLASS Math
DIBELS is a set of procedures and measures that assess the understanding and development of early literacy skills. DIBELs assessments are short fluency measures given to students in kindergarten through second grade. DIBELS along with TRC (Text Reading Comprehension) and mCLASS Math, which measures the acquisition of early math skills, are included in the Indiana Assessment System.  These measures provide information to teachers which assists in making immediate adjustments to instruction. DIBELS, TRC,  and mCLASS Math are administered on a handheld device that provides analysis, reporting, and instructional planning to teachers whose students are taking these assessments. The technology allows teachers to connect to the internet for web-based analysis of student data.

Click here for more information from the Indiana Department of Education regarding mClass.

College Readiness Assessments
College Readiness assessments include exams such as SAT, pre SAT (PSAT), ACT, pre ACT (PLAN).

For more information on the ACT click here.
For more information on the SAT test, click here.

High Ability Assessments
Selected students in kindergarten, fourth and seventh grades are given high ability assessments for possible inclusion in the EVSC’s High Ability Program. Students are selected to take the assessment based on certain criteria, including teacher recommendations, parent information and test scores.

Analyzing Assessments
In addition to overseeing assessments, the office is in charge of analyzing data. In order to facilitate this analysis, the EVSC has developed a data warehouse and a teacher data dashboard, that allow staff to gather data from a variety of sources, including programs such as RDS/AS400, state and local assessments and demographics into one location. This allows for easier viewing by teachers, principals and administrators who can adapt teaching instruction or make other changes to ensure student achievement.

Questions?

Call 812-435-0912 or Email [email protected].

Staff