CCSD21 believes that the primary purpose of assessment is for educators, parents, and students to better understand the student’s academic strengths and areas of focus. Teachers use assessment results to guide instruction, designing lessons and selecting strategies that build on students’ strengths and challenge students to higher levels of academic achievement. Parents and students use the information to reflect on progress and to set learning goals.

At the same time, School District 21 recognizes that large-scale assessments can provide useful information about strengths and areas of improvement at the school and district level. This data is used to analyze the attainment of our district’s PLC Goals for Student Achievement in Reading and Mathematics. This information is then used to create school and district improvement plans.

State of Illinois Mandatory Assessments

ACCESS for ELLs – Administered in January through February to English language learners in grades K-8 in the areas of speaking, listening, reading and writing. For more information on the ACCESS Assessment please see  ISBE Access for ELLS.

Dynamic Learning Maps (DLM) – The Dynamic Learning Maps assessment is an alternative assessment administered to students in grades 3 through 8 each spring for whom general assessments are not appropriate. For more information please see ISBE DLM-AA.

Illinois Science Assessment (ISA) – The Illinois Science Assessment is administered to students in grades 5 and 8 during the spring of each year. It is aligned to the Next Generation Science Standards. There are three tests, each approximately one hour in length. For more information please see ISBE Illinois-Science-Assessment.

Illinois Assessment of Readiness (IAR) – The Illinois Assessment of Readiness (IAR) is the state assessment and accountability measure for Illinois students enrolled in a public school district. IAR assesses the Illinois Learning Standards is administered in English Language Arts and Mathematics. Students in grades 3-8 complete the IAR during the Spring of each school year.  For more information on this assessment please see  ISBE IAR.

Kindergarten Individual Development Survey (KIDS) – The Kindergarten Individual Development Survey (KIDS) is an observational tool designed to help teachers, administrators, families, and policymakers better understand the developmental readiness of children entering kindergarten. For more information please see: ISBE Kids.

Community Consolidated School District 21 Assessments

MAP Reading Fluency – MAP Reading Fluency is an adaptive universal screening and progress monitoring assessment given to students in K-2 to assess early reading skills. It can gather data on oral reading, fluency, literal comprehension, and foundational reading skills in about 20 minutes. For more information on the NWEA MAP Growth Assessment please see NWEA Parent Toolkit.

MAP Growth (Measures of Academic Progress) – MAP Growth is administered to students in grades 2-8 in the fall, winter and in the spring to determine academic growth in the areas of reading and mathematics. The MAP assessments are not timed and generally take about 60 minutes for reading and 60 minutes for mathematics. For more information on the NWEA MAP Growth Assessment please see NWEA Parent Toolkit.

Cor Advantage – The COR Advantage assessment provides a complete picture of child development for our preschool students. COR Advantage allows teachers to view children’s development through play and naturally occurring activities throughout the year. For more information, see the COR Advantage overview. 

Panorama Surveys  – Social Emotional Learning surveys are given in the fall, winter and spring and include Student Self Report Surveys for Grades 3 through 8 and Teacher Perception Surveys for Grades PreK through Grade 2. These 10 minute surveys help schools support the whole student to better understand  what students are thinking and how they feel about their skills, habits and mindsets.