Assessments

Dear K-8 Students and Families,

I want to share a few themes about assessments and how the state and national tests that we administer align with our vision and mission at GVA-N. I understand that this is a "hot topic" for some, and I want to respect every family's right to decide what’s best for their family. 

However, I want to stress the importance of our assessments each year to better advocate for our school and the future of our students who will try to get into the high schools of their choice. The assessment results provide valuable information to high schools and colleges looking to recruit our Pumas for their courses of study. 

From iReady and CMAS testing in English language arts and math to our College Board Advanced Placement testing in Chinese and Spanish (offered each May), assessments are meaningful tools for showing what GVA-N students know and are capable of.

The Tests

• Colorado requires the Colorado Measures of Academic Success (CMAS) testing in Math and English language arts in grades 3 through 8 and CMAS testing in science and social studies in targeted grades K-8 (5, 7, 8) in selected years. These are accreditation requirements for all public schools to gauge and measure achievement over time. Districts and individual schools are expected to have at least a 95% participation rate in these assessments.
• The College Board provides exit assessments in each Advanced Placement (AP) College Board-approved course of study that we offer at GVA-N. Families pay for these tests ($99 each), which help students earn college credit and/or admissions preference on college admissions applications by showing student mastery of the highest level of college preparation curriculum offered at GVA-N. 

 Points to Consider About Assessments:

• At GVA-N, we plan months across school levels to parcel out available technology to implement the tests, organize proctors, align class schedules, and train the staff to implement the tests to state standards. We do this to show our best work. However, we expect families to adhere to the communication timeline when deciding to opt out of state tests. Last-minute opt-outs throw all planning out of balance; it causes staff additional stress, late nights to rework plans, and additional workload to redo what they’d already put in place.

• We need and want meaningful data. As a staff, leadership team, and Board of Directors at GVA-N, we review the data reports to ensure we are on track to meet or exceed expectations. We want high testing participation to ensure our data is meaningful (targeting 95% participation or higher per the state accreditation requirement for schools and districts). When special circumstances arise, we are always committed to working with families by providing make-up test sessions. 

• Rankings and national attention matter to our mission.  High schools and colleges pay attention to our test results, not by seeing who took which tests, but rather, in the national rankings’ metrics that include state testing as part of their measures of importance (US News and World Report, Washington Post, Newsweek, etc.). With state testing as one critical data point impacting the national rankings each spring, the tests have value in that they help students gain stature with their targeted schools of best fit. 

Consequences of Not Testing:

• Our staff and administrators rely on the data provided by these tests to gauge performance and adjust our efforts to improve the quality of instruction. The assessment results show whether we are truly meeting and exceeding expectations per our charter and also indicate trends to which we want and need to respond to help all students grow. Low participation rates affect the reliability and validity of this data.

I hope you'll consider these points, and if you have questions, please feel free to reach out to your level principal(s), and our K-8 assessment coordinator, Ms. Anya Schreiner ([email protected])

Thanks for all you do and for your valuable support

GVA North Admin Team