Iowa Standardized Testing week is here. Assessments will be given to grades 3-10 throughout October 2-6. Families may notice that their student is nervous the morning of testing, so starting the morning off as calm as possible can really benefit each child. This may include waking up a little earlier, having lunch prepared the night before, getting plenty of sleep, and offering encouraging and positive comments.  Good luck to all students testing next week!

The Iowa Assessments help determine how students are performing on nationwide standards. These assessments measure achievement in several important content areas including Reading, English Language Arts, Mathematics, Science, and Social Studies.

The Iowa Assessments help teachers identify a student’s strengths and areas that may need additional emphasis. The Iowa Assessments also measure student growth and progress in the content areas assessed from year to year and provide information about college readiness for older students. The assessments produce information that enables sound decision-making and provides a focus for teachers to evaluate instruction.

We, as a school and as a diocese, use the data provided to review our strengths and weaknesses in order to re-evaluate what we are currently doing. It is important to keep in mind that the Iowa Assessments is a standardized test and although the information provided is helpful, it is just a brief snapshot of our students’ abilities.