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Ann Arbor Public Schools

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Literacy Assessments

Ann Arbor Public Schools strives to meet the needs of our elementary  literacy learners through a balanced student assessment system.  Our goal is to use various tools and strategies to inform where students are in their learning journey, so that we can adjust how to most effectively meet their educational needs. 

 

Students participate in assessments that are both formal and informal.  The assessment practices may look different depending on their desired purpose.  To meet various needs, assessment might take the form of observation, discussion, check-ins, classwork, projects, benchmark assessments (NWEA MAP Growth, Phonics Reading and Spelling Survey, Oral Reading Fluency), and state summative assessments (M-STEP). 

List of Benchmark Assessments

  • NWEA MAP Growth: NWEA MAP Growth is a computer-adaptive assessment designed to measure what students know and monitor student progress throughout the school year and across multiple years.  Students in grades K-5 are assessed in reading multiple times each year to help teachers gain a deeper understanding of student achievement and growth.
  • Phonics Reading and Spelling Survey: The Phonics Reading and Spelling Survey assesses the phonics and phonics-related skills that have a high rate of application in beginning reading and writing.  This assessment is administered to all students K-2 and students in grades 3-5, as needed.
  • Oral Reading Fluency:  The Oral Reading Fluency (ORF)  Assessment is administered to students in Grades 1-5.   This assessment is used to assess a student's ability to read connected text accurately and at an appropriate pace.

State Summative Assessment

  • M-STEP: Michigan's state summative assessments measure student progress of the state content standards or other career or college-readiness goals.  The Michigan Student Test of Educational Progress (M-STEP) is given to students in grades 3-5 to measure their knowledge of state standards in English language arts (ELA).