From April 8th- April 12th, students in 2nd-8th grades will take the Iowa Test of Basic Skills. This is to inform you about the tests so that, with your support and encouragement, your student will do his or her best on the tests.
About the Iowa Assessments
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 exact tests that your student takes will depend on his or her grade level. For most tests, students read the questions and mark their answers by filling in a circle for each question. All test questions are multiple choice, and each individual test lasts between 10 and 35 minutes. Students are completing a sample practice test the first week of April in order to be familiar with the test format.
Scoring
Each student’s National Percentile Rank score is calculated in each category by comparing test performance against others within the same age range and grade level. A score in the 90th percentile means that your child scored better than 90% of students that took the Iowa Test.
Score reports should arrive in early June and we will let you know as soon as they are available.
Testing Schedule
Monday, 4/8, 9:20-12:00- Reading, English/Language Arts
Tuesday, 4/9: 9:20-12:00- Math
Wednesday, 4/10: 9:20-12:00- Science, Social Studies, Maps and Diagrams
Thursday, 4/11: 9:20-10:30- Listening and Word Analysis- 3rd Grade Only
Make-up testing will take place on April 11th and 12th.
How your student can prepare for test taking—and what you can do to help
A student who is well rested and has a positive attitude about testing is best prepared for testing. You can help your student do his or her best by considering these tips:
• Make sure your student gets a good night’s sleep and eats a healthy breakfast before each day of testing.
• Make sure that your student is in school and on time on test days.
• Remind your student that these tests are only one measure of what he or she has learned. Emphasize that you have confidence in his or her ability to do the best job possible.
• Remind your student to listen to the directions and read each question carefully during testing. Encourage your student to ask the teacher for help if he or she does not understand the directions.
• Be positive and don’t fret. You student will likely have some nervousness about the tests, but please be sure to encourage positivity and a “can do” attitude.