Dear School Leaders,
We have been diligently working with our external vendor, Cognia, to develop interim assessments aligned to our new assessment strategy. Cognia has been providing extensive feedback to ensure that the content, rigor, item types and testing experience are strongly aligned with the Colorado Academic Standards and CMAS. We have been working closely with them so that the caliber of the interims aligns with those standards and we are excited for the interim administration window to open next week.
Unfortunately, it’s taken us longer than anticipated to develop and enter science items into Illuminate given the complex nature of the science standards and the models and images that accompany the items. Because of that, the rollout of the fifth- and eighth-grade science interims will be delayed by a week. Science interims will become available in the second week of the window on Tuesday, Oct. 15, and we will extend the administration window for science to Friday, Nov. 1; the science scoring window will extend to Nov. 8.
We apologize as we recognize that this may impact plans your schools have already put into place for the administration window. We advise schools to focus on administering the language arts, math and social studies interims in the first week of the administration window, which begins Monday, Oct. 7. Note that the 11th-grade CMAS science diagnostic is unaffected and that administration window will open as scheduled on Nov. 4.
Please reach out to Assessment at localassessment.groups@dpsk12.net with any questions or concerns.
Administration Resources, Tips & Tricks
As we get ready for the first interim window to open, below are some resources to support testing. Please note that all interims must be shared by SALs in Illuminate prior to student login. If you need support with administering interims in Illuminate, reach out to your dedicated Assessment Specialist.
Please review the Teacher Guides for each content area as they include "SAY" directions, scoring information, accommodations set-up and other frequently asked questions.
Testing and Scoring Windows:
Language arts, math, and social studies:
Testing window: Oct. 7-25
Scoring window: Oct. 28-Nov. 1
Science:
Testing window: Oct. 15-Nov. 1
Scoring window: Nov. 4-8
Scoring of constructed response items should be completed no later than the week following the administration window, but can begin anytime after a student has completed the assessment. Use this rubric guidance when scoring constructed response items.
Timing:
Depending on the assessment content, the time will vary for each interim. Division of assessment sessions will differ from school to school. If your administration requires more than one session to accommodate the time of the total assessment, please use the “SAY” directions when pausing or continuing a session. Teachers may choose to combine the sessions for continuous testing.
Please reference the table below for exact time for every grade level/content area:
