Assessment System
NEPN/NSBA: ILA
An “assessment system” is defined as a coordinated collection of assessments administered to students that, as a whole, provides information on individual students, the school, and the school administrative unit.
Through this policy, the School Committee adopts and directs the Superintendent to implement, the Yarmouth School Department assessment system. The Superintendent shall be responsible for reviewing the assessment system for compliance with applicable statutes and rules and for certifying to the Commissioner that it is in compliance with Maine Department of Education standards.
The purpose of the assessment system is to provide information that will be used to guide and enhance classroom instruction, monitor student progress, and certify student achievement with respect to the school system curriculum. In addition, the assessment system is designed to provide valid and reliable information on student achievement in order to evaluate educational programs and practices and to make informed decisions related to curriculum and instruction, professional development, and the allocation of resources to better meet students’ needs.
The following general principles apply to the Local Assessment System.
A. The Local Assessment System will use multiple measures of student learning for each grade span (K-4, 5-8, and 9-12). The assessment measures shall be developmentally appropriate for the age span and part of a continuum for that standard across the grade span.
B. The System is intended to provide for a fair and equitable opportunity for students to demonstrate knowledge and understanding.
C. The System will include classroom, school, district, and state levels of assessment.
D. Each assessment meets the requirements of validity:
The assessment is fair to all students;
Accommodations are specified that maintain validity of the assessment, with clear guidelines for use of those accommodations; and
E. Teachers will provide students with a variety of opportunities to demonstrate their understanding of essential learnings.
F. Accommodations may be made in an assessment based on the needs of a student as established in the student’s Individualized Education Plan or Section 504 plan.
G. Students and parents/guardians will be informed of progress toward meeting the standards in each content area.
The Superintendent, through his/her designee, will also be responsible for the design of the assessment system. The Superintendent will be responsible for ensuring that provisions are made for review and analysis of information obtained through the assessment system and for appropriate instructional intervention when individual students or groups of students fail to achieve performance standards.
The Superintendent will be responsible for implementing a record-keeping and reporting system that will be used to provide understandable information to the School Committee and to students, parents, teachers/professional staff, administrators, and the community. Data will be presented in a way that conveys school and school unit performance and allows for comparison to statewide performance.
Legal Reference: 20-A M.R.S.A. § 6201-6205
Ch. 127 §§ 2, 4 (Me. Dept. of Ed. Rules)
Adopted: January 13, 2005
Revised: July 12, 2018