Demystifying Statewide Standardized Assessments: What Statewide Assessments Are Designed to Measure
State standardized assessments measure students’ skills and knowledge relative to what students should have been taught during the school year. The scores are used to identify schools in need of assistance and can help provide information for school and district leaders to set goals or allocate resources to support instruction.
Key Takeaways
- Through uniform assessment given to all students, statewide assessments measure what students know and can do relative to a state’s standards.
- States must administer assessments annually in grades 3 to 8 and high school in math and English language arts and science in certain grade spans. States may also administer assessments in additional grade levels or content areas (e.g., social studies).
- The scores are disaggregated by different student groups (e.g., race/ethnicity, gender, disability status) and publicly reported to provide key stakeholders a picture of how the education system is serving all students. Data are used to identify school needs and provide instructional information.