Students in grades three through eleven in the Iowa City Community School District take the Iowa Assessments (IA) in the fall of the year. The assessment was formerly known as ITBS and ITED.
Why are the tests given?
The results of IA are one way to measure student academic achievement. Other ways to measure academic achievement include classroom performance in activities, projects, and quizzes. The tests are given to identify the strongest areas of learning and the areas where improvement may be needed. The results also allow you to see how much your child has grown from year to year.
What is measured on the tests?
The test is made up of a series of tests that cover important information taught at school. Specifically students take the following tests: Reading, Language and Writing, Math, Science, Social Studies.
A set of scores are generated for each student.
What should parents do to prepare their children for the tests?
- Encourage your child to answer the questions as best they can.
- Make sure your child gets a good night’s sleep before test day.
When do parents receive results from the tests?
Test administration occurs in October over a one-week period. During the following week make-up tests are given and then the tests are scored. Typically the district receives the results early in December. Upon receipt of the results 1) teachers analyze results of the classroom for instructional purposes and 2) individual student scores are uploaded into the district student management system. Parents may access their child’s scores through PowerSchool as soon as they are uploaded and elementary parents can expect to receive hard copy of reports during the second conference of the school year, either in February or March. It is the district’s position that parents should receive an explanation of the scores from the classroom teacher and have them connected to classroom performance. This is best done during a regularly scheduled conference. Secondary parents can expect the results distributed in December.
