CUSTER COUNTY SCHOOLS
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Assessment Information
[ As required by CRS 22-7-1013 (7)(2) ]
Custer County C-1 uses a number of assessment programs.
Local Assessments
NWEA MAPS: Students are assessed 3 times a year (September, January and late April/early May) to measure reading, language and math. Assessment time is approximately 60 minutes per student.
Preschool and Kindergarten Screening Information: Each preschooler and kindergartner is assessed at the beginning of the year in a one on one setting. The purpose of the screening tool is to give teachers immediate information on the developmental levels of each child in the areas of early literacy, math, and social learning skills.
Number Sense Screeners: Students in grades K-5 take a number sense screener at the beginning of each school year. The assessment is given one on one and the results inform teachers of a student’s progress in the areas of computation, place value, fractions, and problem solving with numbers. If desired, this assessment may be used again at the end of the year to measure student progress.
DIBELS: This is a reading inventory given to all students in grades K-5 three times each year. The results inform teachers of each students' skill in phonics, reading fluency, and comprehension. Results are available immediately after the assessment is given and teachers can use the information immediately in planning instructional groups. The assessment takes about 10 minutes and is given to each child in a one on one setting.
ASVAB: The ASVAB is a multiple-aptitude battery that measures developed abilities and helps predict future academic and occupational success. It is administered annually to more than one million military applicants, high school, and post-secondary students. This will be administered to 10th graders in late February and is estimated to last 2 hours.
NNAT3: All districts in the South Central BOCES screen 1st/2nd and 5th/6th graders for exceptional cognitive ability. All schools, including Custer County, are using the Naglieri Nonverbal Ability Test®-3rd Edition (NNAT3) test for universal screening.
State Assessments
CMAS Science and Social Studies: Science: Grades 5, 8 and 11. Social Studies: Grades 4 and 7 to be done on a sampling basis with schools participating once every three years. State science and social studies tests measuring the Colorado Academic Standards were administered online in Colorado for the first time in the 2013-14 school year. The Colorado Department of Education, testing contractor Pearson, and Colorado educators collaborated to develop these assessments, ensuring alignment to the new standards, as well as innovative ways of measuring knowledge and understanding.
CMAS PARCC Language Arts (ELA) and Math: Grades 3 through 9. As required by law, Colorado’s tests in English language arts and math were developed in collaboration with a consortia of states, known as PARCC, that came together to develop a shared way to measure how students are performing academically based on more rigorous college and career ready standards. Colorado is a member of PARCC’s governing board and Colorado educators were highly involved in the development of the tests.
CoAlternate: Alternate assessments are given to students on modified curriculum.
College Preparatory Exam: Grade 10. Students in grade 10 will take the PSAT instead of the PARCC exams in English language arts and math, which are part of the Colorado Measures of Academic Success assessment system. According to the legislation, the grade 10 exam must be aligned to the Colorado Academic Standards and to the state’s college entrance exam given to all students in 11th grade.
College Entrance Exam: Grade 11. Students in grade 11 will no longer take the PARCC or ACT exams. Students in grade 11 will take the SAT starting school year 16-17 for 4 years.
Parent Opt-Out Form Information
By state requirements, Custer County School District has adopted policies to address parent opt-out, paper/pencil options, and posting requirements. Parent Opt-Out forms for state assessments only may be obtained in the main school office and needs to be returned no later than the Thursday prior to your child’s testing date.