Student Assessment
- 2025-2026 Assessment Calendar
- ACCESS
- FastBridge
- IL Science Assessment
- KIDS
- MAP
- IL Assessment of Readiness
- IAR, ISA and DLM Information
2025-2026 Assessment Calendar
ACCESS
ACCESS for ELLs (Assessing Comprehension and Communication in English State-to-State for English Language Learners) is an English language proficiency assessment given to Kindergarten through 12th graders who have been identified as English language learners (ELLs). It is given annually to monitor students' progress in acquiring academic English. ACCESS for ELLs is only available to Consortium member states. For more information, visit the official ACCESS website from WIDA or the Illinois State Board of Education website on assessment.
FastBridge
FastBridge FAQ
Q: What is FastBridge?
A: FastBridge is a suite of benchmark and progress monitoring assessments that include both Curriculum-Based Measures (CBM) and Computer-Adaptive Tests (CAT). The tests measure reading and math skills. The test results, in combination with other data points, ensure educators have the right information to provide timely and targeted support when students are in need of additional academic support. The results also measure student growth throughout the school year and beyond.
Q: What is a benchmark assessment?
Benchmark assessments, available in both reading and mathematics, are administered in the fall, winter, and spring. The results help parents and staff understand how a student is performing in comparison to national norms.
Q: What is progress monitoring?
If a student’s benchmark assessments in reading or math indicate additional support is necessary, then staff can use progress monitoring assessments to gauge whether or not the extra assistance is working. Progress monitoring assessments are brief and used to support instruction.
Q: Who takes FastBridge tests?
A: FastBridge assessments are proctored to students in grades K-8.
Depending on grade level, assessments vary between a computer-based assessment and a one-on-one administration. More information about these assessments can be found via the Reading and Mathematics links below and at https://www.illuminateed.com/products/FastBridge/.
- Students in grades K-1 will take the earlyReading assessment.
- Students in grades 2-3 will take the aReading.
- Students in grades 4-8 will take the aReading and AUTOreading assessments.
- Students in grades K-1 will take earlyMath assessments
- 1st grade students will also take Automaticity in the spring.
- Students in grades 2-8 will take aMath and Automaticity.
|
Early Reading English |
Early Reading Spanish |
Early Math (*Directions provided in Spanish when applicable) |
|
|---|---|---|---|
|
Kindergarten |
Concepts of Print (F) Letter Names (F) Onset Sounds (FW) Letter Sounds (FWS) Decodable Words (WS) Word Segmenting (WS) Sight Words 50 (S) |
Concepts of Print (F) Onset Sounds (FW) Letter Sounds (FWS) Syllable Reading (FWS) Word Segmentation (WS) Sight Words (S) |
Match Quantity (F) Decomposing-K (WS) Numeral Identification-K (FWS) Number Sequence-K (FWS) |
|
First Grade |
Decodable Words (FWS) Word Segmenting (FWS) Sight Words 150 (FWS) Sentence Reading (F) rCBM (WS) |
Syllable Reading (FWS) Word Segmentation (FWS) Sight Words (FWS) CBM Reading (WS) |
Numeral Identification-1 (F) Number Sequence-1 (FW) Decomposing-1 (FWS) Place Value (WS) Story Problems (S) |
Q: What is aReading?
A: aReading (Adaptive Reading) is a computer-administered adaptive measure of broad reading that is individualized for each student, but may be individually or group administered in about 15-30 minutes. Items tap a variety of skills including concepts of print, phonemic awareness, phonics, comprehension, and vocabulary.
Q: What is aMath?
A: aMath (Adaptive Math) is a computer-administered adaptive measure of broad math skills that is individualized for each student, and may be individually or group administered in about 20-30 minutes. Items tap a variety of skills including counting and cardinality, operations and algebraic thinking, number and operations in base ten, numbers and operations, the number system, measurement and data, geometry, expressions and equations, and statistics and probability.
Q: How long do the tests take to complete?
A: The benchmark assessments take approximately 30 minutes or less to complete. The progress monitoring assessments are shorter and take approximately 20 minutes or less.
Q: How do I interpret the report?
A: The customized report provides the student’s score on the assessment and the national percentile. National percentile refers to how well your child performed in comparison to all other children in the nation at their grade level who took the test.
Q: My child is an English Learner and in the Dual Language program. Was testing available in Spanish?
A: The FastBridge assessments of Early Reading (grades K-1) are available in Spanish. The directions for earlyMath have been translated into Spanish and given when applicable to students’ language needs. The FastBridge assessments of aReading and aMath are not available in Spanish. However, students may take NWEA Map Growth for Reading and Math, which is available in Spanish. Students may engage in either test as determined by school teams.
Q: Is the Social, Academic, and Emotional Behavior Risk Screener known as SAEBRS part of the FastBridge suite?
A: Yes, SAEBRS is an important component that takes into account the whole child by proactively gauging student risk for emotional and behavioral supports needed. Through observation, teachers of grades K- 5 complete the SAEBRS screener for all students in their classroom; the screening process does not impact or interrupt instruction nor are students directly involved. The SAEBRS screener is comprised of 19 items, each of which relates to a child’s general behavior as well as his/her social, academic and emotional behaviors. Ratings like never, sometimes, often and almost always correspond to the frequency with which the teacher observed various student behaviors in the previous month.
Our goals in participating in this program are straightforward:
- To help identify the social emotional needs of students as early as possible.
- To provide targeted support to students who require social-emotional support.
- To identify students who are at risk for having mental health issues.
SAEBRS does not provide a diagnosis of any kind, but rather informs school staff about students who may require support.
Q: Can students receive special accommodations?
A: FastBridge provides the following accommodations for benchmarking and progress monitoring:
- Text Magnification
- Sound Amplification
- Extra Breaks
- Preferential Seating and Use of Quiet Space
- Proxy Responses
- Extended Time (for aReading, aMath, and the untimed portions of CBMmath, earlyReading and earlyMath only)
- Students with different needs or abilities may take the computer-based assessments on a tablet-type device to facilitate screen optimization.
- Pencil & Paper can be used to help work out the problems (This does not apply to CBMmath Automaticity).
- The tests were normed without accommodations. Bear in mind that the student's score will be compared to norms and benchmarks that do not take the accommodation into account.
In order for a student to receive any of the aforementioned accommodations, they must be included in the child’s IEP or Section 504 plan.
IL Science Assessment
In compliance with Illinois testing requirements, District 47 will administer the Illinois Science Assessment (ISA) to fifth and eighth grade students during trimester 3. The assessment will be administered in an online format and is aligned to the Illinois Learning Standards for science incorporating the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) adopted in 2014.
The test time allotted is approximately one hour and will consist of 18 questions on the fifth grade test and 23 questions on the eighth grade test. To learn more about the assessment, see the links below from the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) or visit the ISBE website at https://www.isbe.net/Pages/
All fifth- and eighth-graders and some high school students will begin taking the Illinois Science Assessment (ISA) March 1. The ISA aligns with our new Illinois Learning Standards in science. This assessment helps families understand how well students are performing academically and see whether they are on track to succeed in college. The ISA represents Illinois’ commitment to preparing all students for college and careers, including in the high-demand science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields. The assessment also satisfies federal accountability requirements.
The ISA is designed to reflect classroom experiences. Many students who took the assessment last year said the ISA seemed more like instruction than a test. Students do not simply select an answer and fill in the bubble of a multiple-choice test. Rather, the ISA pushes students to apply their knowledge when they give answers, thus better preparing them for higher education and a career. All students deserve the opportunity to demonstrate what they know; they get to see how knowledge is applied to real-life situations.
The ISA is an hour-long summative assessment. The results provide administrators with important data to help them make broad curriculum decisions at the school and district levels. But classroom educators will not use the results to make teaching adjustments year-to-year for individual students. We encourage you to talk with your children about the importance of doing their best on the ISA, while communicating that the assessment yields only one piece of information about them and their school’s progress. Students’ attendance, classroom work, homework, projects, performance on local tests, participation in sports and extracurricular activities, and contributions to the school’s climate and culture all help them grow and learn. We all work together to ensure Illinois students build a cohesive understanding of science over time. Thank you for your role in developing lifelong learners and successful citizens.
KIDS
The Kindergarten Individual Development Survey (KIDS) is a tool that Illinois teachers began using in the fall of 2017 to determine school readiness. This new resource allows teachers to observe kindergarten students’ development in critical learning areas, such as language, literacy and mathematics, within the first 40 days of school. In addition, teachers observe a child’s social and emotional learning and the development of skills, such as curiosity, creativity and perseverance. Observations take place as kindergarten students go about their daily routines of learning and playing in the classroom and teachers use these observations to plan for instruction.
For more information about the KIDS assessment, please review the following communication from the Illinois State Board of Education:
MAP
NWEA MAP (Measures of Academic Progress)
District 47 administers NWEA (Northwest Evaluation Association) MAP assessments three times a year (fall, winter and spring) to students in grades 1-8. Kindergartners take the MAP test in the spring only. MAP assessments help determine instructional levels and measure students' academic growth in the areas of reading and math. Below you'll find some frequently asked questions about MAP and links to additional resources.
MAP assessments celebrate students’ individual growth and achievement. By partnering in learning, we can have a profound positive effect on the lives of our students. If you have any questions about MAP, please contact your school principal.
FAQs about MAP
What is a MAP test like?
- MAP assessments are computerized tests that uniquely adapt to a student’s level of learning. Questions increase with difficulty when they are answered correctly and decrease with difficulty when they are answered incorrectly. As a result, each student has the same opportunity to succeed and maintain a positive attitude toward testing. MAP assessments are fairly short, using minimal class time while still providing detailed, accurate information about a student’s growth. During this testing window, your child will spend a total of about two hours completing the assessments.
When will I see my child's MAP scores?
- MAP student progress reports are sent home with students shortly after each test administration in the fall, winter and spring.
How do my child's MAP scores compare to others?
- In 2015, NWEA released norms. Norms provide the context that gives MAP scores meaning by comparing a student's performance to that of a larger group of students. NWEA typically releases new norms every three to four years. Given the new norms, a student's actual RIT and growth scores will not change but his or her typical growth score and percentile rank may differ slightly. This is a result of how large samples of students performed on the test in 2015 as opposed to students who took the test in 2011, which was the last time the NWEA updated norms.
For general information about MAP, please check out these resources:
IL Assessment of Readiness
Illinois Assessment of Readiness (IAR) - formerly PARCC
The Illinois State Board of Education requires all Illinois public school students in grades 3-8 to participate in state-administered testing in reading and math. The Illinois state achievement test is called the Illinois Assessment of Readiness (IAR) and it replaces PARCC. See below for more information about the IAR.
What happened to the PARCC exam?
The Illinois Assessment of Readiness replaced the PARCC exam in 2019. As the IAR uses the same test content and format as the PARCC exam, there will be no noticeable changes for students this year. This is somewhat advantageous as it will allow districts to continue tracking year-to-year student performance.
What is the Illinois Assessment of Readiness?
The Illinois Assessment of Readiness (IAR) is the Illinois state achievement test given in the spring to all public school students in grades 3 through 8. The test measures a student’s general math and English language arts skills. District 47 typically schedules the IAR in mid-March through late April. (To view the specific administration dates for the IAR, please review the District’s assessment calendar at the top of this page) The IAR is fully aligned with the Illinois Learning Standards and uses the same test questions from its predecessor, the PARCC exam. The IAR is taken on a computer and is designed to provide information about student progress toward the long-term goal of college and career readiness.
The Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) has a section of its website devoted to the IAR. You can access the ISBE website clicking ISBE IAR Resources. The National PTA has also posted information for parents about state assessments on its website.
What does the IAR test look like?
The IAR uses the same test items and questions as the PARCC exam, including practice tests that mirror the actual student tests. Please note that students test in both math and English language arts.
Is IAR testing mandated?
Federal law—specifically, the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), requires each state to give a state achievement test to its students. Participation rates will affect a school’s overall accountability score on the Illinois School Report Card.
How can parents help to prepare their children for the IAR test?
The IAR/PARCC website offers some suggestions to parents:
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Read a combination of fiction and non-fiction aloud or with your child. Look for subjects of interest—from sports heroes to dinosaurs.
- Discuss and “do” real-life math with your child. Help him/her know basic math facts.
- Discuss the new tests with your child. Try to ensure he/she is not scared or anxious about the new tests.
- Explain to your child that the tests will initially be more challenging. Tell your child to do his/her best on the test and that you are there to help every step of the way.
- After the test, review the results with your child. Bring the teacher into the discussion as needed.
- Provide a quiet, comfortable place for studying at home and make sure your child gets a good night’s sleep and a nutritious breakfast before a test.
- Above all, be positive and encouraging about the tests.
IAR, ISA and DLM Information
Each spring, students in grades 3-8 participate in the Illinois Assessment of Readiness
(IAR) as required by the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE). Students in grades 5 and 8 also participate in the Illinois Science Assessment (ISA). The Dynamic Learning Maps (DLM) alternate assessment will also be administered during this period. District 47 students will engage in these assessments during the months of March and April. Each building will communicate your child’s specific testing dates. ISBE typically provides individual student reports during the following school year for families to review.
What is IAR? Illinois Assessment of Readiness provides an opportunity for students in grades 3-8 to demonstrate their knowledge in math and English language arts.
What is ISA? Illinois Science Assessment provides an opportunity for students in 5th and 8th grades to demonstrate their knowledge in science.
If you have questions about the IAR or ISA assessments, please reach out to your child’s building administrator. Thank you for your partnership in your student’s academic success.
What is DLM? Dynamic Learning Maps is an alternate assessment designed to gauge academic progress aligned with state standards. The DLM assessment is designed to be inclusive, ensuring every student can showcase their abilities in English language arts, mathematics, and science. Results will be kept confidential and shared with families during fall conferences by the student's special education teacher. If you would like additional information about the DLM alternate assessment, please visit http://dynamiclearningmaps.org/
The Four IAR Proficiency Levels
- Proficient: Your child is on track in their learning for their grade level.
- Above Proficient: Your child has mastered the material and may be ready for advanced learning opportunities.
- Approaching Proficient: Your child is close to being on track and may benefit from extra support.
- Below Proficient: Your child is not yet on track and needs extra help.
IAR Proficiency Benchmarks Additional Information
The Four DLM Proficiency Levels
- Emerging: The student shows a basic or emerging understanding of the content and skills but needs substantial support to apply them.
- Approaching the Target: The student's understanding and ability to apply content knowledge are getting closer to the expected target but have not yet reached it.
- At Target: The student demonstrates the expected level of understanding and can apply the targeted content knowledge and skills successfully.
- Advanced: The student shows an advanced, superior understanding of the content and skills, exceeding the target expectations.