Below is information about state assessments that apply to all students in Wisconsin. Selecting the web address next to the headings will link you to additional information on the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction website.

Assessment Calendars: https://dpi.wi.gov/assessment

Wisconsin Forward Exam: https://dpi.wi.gov/assessment/forward

• The assessment is administered in English language arts and mathematics in grades 3 through 8, in science in grades 4 and 8, and in social studies in grades 4, 8, and 10.

• Designed to gauge how well students are doing in relation to the Wisconsin Academic Standards.  These standards outline what students should know and be able to do in order to be college and career ready.

• Students take the Forward Exam in the spring.

Dynamic Learning Maps (DLM): https://dpi.wi.gov/assessment/dlm

• This assessment measures the academic progress of students with the most significant cognitive disabilities.

• The assessment is administered in English language arts and mathematics in grades 3 through 11, in science in grades 4, 8, and 11, and in social studies in grades 4, 8, and 10.

• This assessment is administered in the spring.

ACT High School Assessments: https://dpi.wi.gov/assessment/act

PreACT

• 9th and 10th grade students will take the PreACT assessment in the spring

• A summative assessment that measures what students have learned in the areas of: English, Reading, Math, Science, and Writing.

• An online assessment. 

• Scores predict how a student will perform on the ACT when they reach 11th grade. Students who need academic interventions or challenges can be identified earlier in their high school careers.

ACT® Plus Writing

• 11th grade students will take the ACT in the spring

• Tests include: Reading, Math, English, Science, Writing.

• The ACT is a paper and pencil test.

• Helps students understand what they need to learn next so they can build rigorous high school course plans and identify career areas that align with their interests.

Assessment of Reading Readiness:https://dpi.wi.gov/wi-reads/early-literacy-assessment-and-act-20

Wis. Stats 118.016(1) requires an early literacy screener to be administered to all 4 year old kindergarten through 2nd grade students enrolled in public school districts and charter schools. This assessment provides administrators, teachers, and parents with valuable information necessary to improve the reading skills of students. Results are used to identify reading problems early on and to inform instruction. The data from the screener is not part of the statewide accountability system.

To meet this state requirement, the Durand-Arkansaw School District uses Phonological Awareness Literacy Screening (PALS) and FastBridge assessments as our universal screeners:  https://dpi.wi.gov/assessment/historical/pals

• Students in 4K take PALS two times during the school year.

• Students in Grades K-8 take FastBridge assessments.

• FastBridge assessments measure grade-expected skills in reading and math.

• Students in earlier grades are assessed one-on-one while students in older grades participate in computer-based assessments.

ACCESS for ELLs: https://dpi.wi.gov/assessment/ell

• Federal and state laws require that students identified as English Learners (ELs) be assessed annually to determine their level of English language proficiency (ELP) and ensure that they are progressing in achieving full English proficiency.

• This assessment is given to K – 12 English Language Learners.

• This assessment is administered in the winter.

Parent Opt Out
Wisconsin Statute 118.30(2)(b)3 states that a parent may excuse their child from participating in the Wisconsin Student Assessment System (WSAS) at grades 4, 8, and 10. This request may come at any time during the testing window and must be honored. All students excused from testing by parent opt-out are counted as a “not tested” student for determining school and district accountability.  A parent must submit a written request for student opt out to the principal.