2024-2025 Scheduled Academic Assessments

 

Grade/s	Assessment		Date	Location/Time
11th grade	PSAT (PreSAT)	optional assessment	Oct 9	1st-3rd hrs in Conference Room
12th grade	ACT District Testing	optional district assessment	Oct 22	1st-4th hrs in Library
11th grade	National Career Readiness Certificate (NCRC)	district assessment	Dec 11	1st-3rd  hrs in Library
12th grade	ASVAB	optional assessment	Nov 27	1st-3rd hrs in Conference Room
11th/12th grade	ACT District Testing	optional district assessment	Mar 4	1st-4th hrs in Library
11th grade	SD ELA/SD Math/SD Science	state assessment	Mar 24	5th-7th hrs  in Mrs. Brucklacher's
11th grade	SD ELA/SD Math/SD Science	state assessment	Mar 25	1st-4th hrs  in Library
6th/7th/8th grade	SD ELA and SD Math	state assessment	March 31 - April 3	In Math, Science, English Class
3rd/4th/5th  and Milesville	SD ELA & SD Math	state assessment	Apr 7-10 Apr 22-24	TBD in the classrooms

PSAT - Optional Assessment Over three million high school students take the Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test each year.  Like the SAT, the PSAT is designed to measure the ability to understand and process elements of reading, writing and mathematics.  Students take the PSAT in their junior year to determine National Merit scholarship eligibility and to prepare for the SAT. Results are mailed to the students/parents in November. (3 hours)

ASVAB - Optional Assessment Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery - ASVAB scores are used to determine if you are qualified to enlist in the military and to assign you to an appropriate job in the military.  The ASVAB measures developed abilities and helps predict future academic and occupational success in the military.  It also includes a career-exploration program with tools to learn more about civilian and military worlds of work. The ASVAB tests are designed to measure aptitudes in four domains: Verbal, Math, Science and Technical, and Spatial.  Results are mailed to the students/parents in January. (2.5 hours)

ACT - Optional Assessment America's most widely accepted college-entrance exam.  This assessment is offered to PHS Juniors each spring, during the school day.  It is also offered at various national testing sites six times per year.  The closest sites to us are Pierre, Kadoka and Rapid City.  The national assessments are given on Saturdays. The ACT is used to assess students' general education development and ability to complete college level work in math, reading, science and English.  The ACT is the most common admissions test in South Dakota. More information can be found at ACT.org.  Results are delivered to the student electronically from ACT. (4 hours)

NCRC - School Assessment The SD Department of Education and the SD Department of Labor offer juniors the opportunity to participate in the National Career Readiness Certificate program.  The NCRC is an industry recognized credential certifying essential skills needed for workplace success.  To earn certification, students must attain at least the lowest certification level on three ACT WorkKeys assessments: Applied Mathematics, Reading for Information, and Locating Information.  Students are allowed 55 minutes each for the three assessments. This assessment can help students demonstrate that they are ready for the workplace as they enter the workforce immediately after graduation or pursue post-secondary education. Results are mailed to the students/parents in January. (3 hours)

SD Math/SD ELA - State Assessment  An assessment system aligned to the Common Core State Standard in English Language Arts and Math.  This assessment's focus is on assessing students annually in grades 3-8 and 11.  The system included both summative and interim assessments and uses computer adaptive testing to provide meaningful feedback and data that educators can use to help students succeed. Results are mailed to the students/parents in May. (3 hours MATH, 3 hours ELA)

SD Science - State Assessment The South Dakota Science test measures students' mastery of the South Dakota State Academic Standards in Science at grades 5, 8, and 11. This test will cover the grade spans of 3-4, 6-8 and high school.  Questions will come equally as possible from life, physical, and earth sciences at all three tested grade levels.  This assessment is completely online. Results are provided to the parents in September at conferences. (2.5 hours)

NAEP - Also known as The Nation's Report Card, NAEP has provided important information about how students are performing academically since 1969. NAEP is a congressionally mandated project administered by the National Center for Education Statistics within the US Department of Education and the Institute of Education Sciences. NAEP is given to a representative sample of students across the country.  Results are reported for groups of students with similar characteristics, not individual students.  National results are available for all subjects assessed by NAEP.  State and selected urban district results are available for mathematics, reading, and in some assessment years, science and writing.

Measures of Academic Progress (MAP) - This is a district test administered in grades K-8 three times per school year (fall, winter, spring). MAP tests are based on a continuum of skills in Mathematics and Reading from low skill levels to high skill levels. MAP assessments help teachers identify the instructional level of the student and also provide context for determining where each student is performing in relation to local or state standards and national norms. MAP reports allow teachers to better target instruction based on students’ strengths and needs.