District Assessments

Related Links:

• 2011-2012 Assessment Calendar  

CogAT (Cognitive Abilities Test)

The Cognitive Abilities Test (CogAT) measures students’ learned reasoning abilities in the three areas most linked to academic success in school:  Verbal, Quantitative, and Nonverbal.  Its primary goal is to assess students’ reasoning abilities. Reasoning abilities have substantial correlations with learning and problem solving.  CogAT is well-suited to help educators make important student placement decisions, such as identifying student for gifted and talented and advanced programs.

Each level of the CogAT offers three test batteries—Verbal, Quantitative, and Nonverbal.

• Verbal battery - consists of three sub tests:  verbal classification, sentence completion, and verbal analogies.
• Quantitative battery - consists of three sub tests:  Quantitative relations, number series, and equation building
• Nonverbal battery - consists of figure classification, figure analogies, and figure analysis.

Results from this assessment are used by the district for student placement into various programs, to include the Gifted and Talented program. 
In addition, campus administrators use the results to help guide campus professional development and identify student needs.

ITBS (Iowa Test of Basic Skills)

The Iowa Test of Basic Skills (ITBS) assesses how students in grades K-8 are progressing the key academic areas of Reading, Mathematics, Science, and Social Studies.  This assessment provides national percentile scores in each academic area tested.  These scores are used by teachers and administrators to improve classroom instruction, revise curriculum, and identify students for specialized programs such as gifted and talented and advanced courses.

Results from this assessment are used by the district and campus administrator to improve classroom instruction, revise curriculum, and identify students for specialized programs such as gifted and talented and advanced courses. 

Iowa Algebra Aptitude Test (IAAT)

An assessment developed to help make the most informed decisions regarding the initial placement of students in the secondary mathematics curriculum.
The assessment consists of 60 items to be completed in 40 minutes. Each form consists of the following four parts.

• Pre-Algebraic Number Skills and Concepts
• Interpreting Mathematical Information
• Representing Relationships
• Using Symbols