Scholar Assessments
Uplift Education is proud of our system for determining your scholar’s learning level and developing a custom learning plan. We do that through assessment tests that your scholar takes throughout the year. Uplift scholars will be required to take assessments, and the resources below will help you understand and prepare your scholar to take the assessments.
If you have any questions, concerns, or comments regarding assessments your scholar takes throughout the school year, please contact your campus.
Depending on your scholars grade level and subject they will take the following tests:
K-2nd | 3rd-5th | 6th-8th | 9th-12th |
CLI Circle | mClass | MAP | MAP |
MAP | MAP | MAP Fluency | TIA |
TELPAS ** | Common Assessments | TIA | EOC Interims |
IOWA** | TELPAS ** | STAAR/EOC Interim | EOC |
TIA | STAAR/EOC* | ACT | |
STAAR Interim | Unit Assessments | TELPAS** | |
STAAR ALT 2* | TELPAS** | TSIA | |
STAAR | DP exams | ||
Unit Assessments |
** For designated English Language scholars
*Middle school students enrolled in Algebra I will take the Algebra I EOC.
Types of Tests & Assessments
ACT
Who is taking this test?
ACT is a mission-driven, nonprofit organization dedicated to helping people achieve education and workplace success. Each year, ACT serves millions of students, job seekers, schools, government agencies, and employers in the US and worldwide with learning resources, assessments, research, and credentials designed to help them succeed from elementary school through careers. At Uplift, all 11th and 12th-grade scholars can take the ACT at their home campus in the Fall and Spring.
What is covered/tested through this assessment?
The ACT is divided into four multiple-choice subject tests. The four subjects for the multiple-choice sections are English, Math, Reading, and Science.
When do we take this test?
Uplift allows 11th and 12th-grade scholars to take the test during the school year.
Where will the test be taken? Where should parents go to learn more?
Scholars will take the ACT at their home campus on their designated testing date.
Why do we take this test? Describe the reason why we do this test.
Each October and March, Uplift Education allows 11th and 12th-grade scholars the opportunity to take the ACT at no cost. Each year, Uplift Education’s college readiness percentage increases due to the score.
How do we use this testing information to inform instructional practice?
ACT scores can be used individually by scholars to see what areas they excel in and areas they need improvement in. Scholars can take the ACT multiple times to improve their score or develop a “Superscore.” A “Superscore” is the average of the scholar’s best scores on each testing category to create one score. A scholar’s superscore is never lower than their composite score.
Why did we use this test?
ACT is a compilation of concepts scholars have learned throughout their secondary education. By taking the ACT at their Uplift campus, scholars are given a free opportunity to increase their college readiness capability. By administering the ACT, Uplift has the potential to increase new or better scholarship opportunities for scholars and offer career and educational planning to all scholars.
ACT Resources:
MAP
Who is taking this test?
K-10 scholars take the MAP test.
What is covered/tested through this assessment?
The MAP (Measures of Academic Progress) test adapts to your child’s responses to measure your child’s skill level. The tests each grade level takes are provided in the table below:
Division | Grades | Tests |
Primary School | K-3 | Math & Reading |
4-5 | Math, Reading & Science | |
Middle School | 6-8 | Math, Reading & Science |
High School | 9-10 | Math, Reading & Science |
When do we take this test?
MAP is taken at the beginning, middle, and end of the year.
Where will the test be taken? Where should parents go to learn more?
The test will be taken at their home campus during the school day. For Parent information on MAP, follow this link.
Why do we take this test? Describe the reason why we do this test.
MAP Growth scores help teachers check student performance by measuring achievement and growth.
How do we use this testing information to inform instructional practice?
Teachers use results to tailor classroom lessons and set goals for students. Achievement is how well your child has learned skills in a subject compared to similar students nationwide. Growth is a measure of your child’s progress over the year. An RIT score is the overall score for a subject based on a Rasch unit (RIT) scale that indicates how your child performed in a subject.
Why did we use this test?
Uplift uses MAP testing as a gauge to see where scholars are performing academically throughout the year. Campus administration and teachers examine data from MAP to develop ways of improving scholar scores for the next administration.
How does each test build into individual learning plans?
Teachers can take the MAP data from each student and see what each scholar is improving/needs improvement throughout the school year. Scholars are expected to improve their scores throughout each MAP administration.
En Espanol:
Common Assessments/Unit Assessments
Who is taking this test?
2nd– 12th grade.
What is covered/tested through this assessment? Description.
Common Assessments/Unit assessments are given to examine the results to gauge overall learning and identify knowledge gaps in English Language Arts (ELA), Mathematics, Science, and Social Studies.
When do we take this test?
Throughout the school year.
Why do we take this test? Describe the reason why we do this test.
Some goals of examining these assessments are to have educators discuss and analyze their plans for scholar success and an opportunity to look at what modifications need to be made during curriculum planning and classroom instruction before state and/or national assessments are given. They are also used to correct courses to ensure scholars are mastering the necessary standards before state and/or national assessments are given.
How do we use this testing information to inform instructional practice?
Instructors can use the knowledge gap information to identify subject areas where they might need to devote additional instruction time. The data can also help instructors anticipate student skill gaps, helping them to sort their classes in ways that enhance individualized student learning.
STAAR Alternate 2
Who is taking this test?
A scholar’s admission, review, and dismissal (ARD) committee must determine if the scholar meets the participation requirements for STAAR Alternate 2. All scholars enrolled in Texas public schools and open-enrollment charter schools in grades 3–12 who meet the participation requirements must in STAAR Alternate 2 at their enrolled grade level or course. It is available for the same grades/subjects and courses assessed by STAAR.
- Grade 3-Math and Reading
- Grade 4-Math and Reading
- Grade 5- Math, Reading, and Science
- Grade 6- Math and Reading
- Grade 7-Math and Reading
- Grade 8-Math, Reading, Science, and Social Studies
- EOC-Algebra I, English I, English II, Biology, and U.S. History
What is covered/tested through this assessment?
STAAR Alternate 2 is a paper assessment in mathematics, reading language arts (RLA), science, and social studies for scholars in grades 3–8 and high school.
When do we take this test?
The assessment is administered in the Spring.
Where will the test be taken? Where should parents go to learn more?
The teacher of record gives the test in the scholar’s classroom within the testing window.
Why do we take this test? Describe the reason why we do this test.
The State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness (STAAR®) Alternate 2 is an alternate assessment based on alternate academic achievement standards. It is a standardized item-based assessment administered individually to eligible scholars with the most significant cognitive disabilities receiving special education services. STAAR Alternate 2 fulfills the requirements of the federal Elementary and Secondary Education Act, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, and Every Student Succeeds Act.
How do we use this testing information to inform instructional practice?
To bridge the gap between the grade-level content and the learning styles of scholars with significant cognitive disabilities, attention was also given from the beginning to the principles of alignment and universal design, with special consideration given to scholars’ response modes and accommodations that allow them to access the content and show what they know and can do in everyday instruction.
Why did we use this test?
STAAR Alternate 2, redesigned due to state legislation passed in 2013, is a standardized assessment administered individually to each eligible scholar.
STAAR Interim
State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness (STAAR®) Interim Assessments are online assessments that align with the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) and help educators monitor student progress and predict student performance on STAAR. Interim assessment items include multiple-choice and non-multiple-choice questions. All questions on the interim assessments are field-tested on a STAAR test and are fully aligned to the TEKS.
Who is taking this test?
– Grades 3-8 Mathematics
– Grades 3-8 RLA
– Grades 5 & 8 Science
– Grade 8 Social Studies
– Algebra I, Biology, English I, English II, and US History EOC
When do we take this test?
Scholars take the STAAR Interim Assessments throughout the school year.
How do we use this testing information to inform instructional practice?
STAAR Interim assessments may be used to monitor academic improvement, especially for scholars performing below grade level.
Why did we use this test?
It is used to inform interventions by helping predict how scholars or groups of scholars will perform on STAAR summative assessments and to serve as a benchmarking instrument at the campus or district level.
STAAR Resources
The below resources will help you and your scholar prepare for tests as well as understand the test results.
STARR/EOC Testing
Who is taking this test?
The State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness (STAAR®) program, which was implemented in spring 2012, includes annual assessments for
- reading and mathematics, grades 3–8
- science at grades 5 and 8
- social studies at grade 8
- end-of-course (EOC) assessments for English I, English II, Algebra I, Biology and U.S history.
What is covered/tested through this assessment? Description.
The EOC/STAAR assessment is a series of standardized used to tests scholars’ mastery of the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills for a given course and determine college and career readiness. These are required tests and all EOC/STAAR assessments must be taken in person, scholars are not allowed to take their EOC/STAAR virtually according to TEA guidelines.
When do we take this test?
STAAR assessments are initially administered in the spring (April). EOC assessments retests are administered in spring, June, and December
Where will the test be taken? Where should parents go to learn more?
EOC/STAAR tests are given to scholars at their school, in regular classrooms. You can access your scholar’s EOC scores in the Texas Assessment Student Data Portal: Use this direction to access:
- Go to the TEXAS ASSESSMENT MANAGEMENT SYSTEM website.
- If you know your child’s Unique Student Access Code, follow the directions to enter that code and their birthdate, and then click LOG IN TO STUDENT PORTAL.
- Click OKAY if prompted. Results should display from all state testing.
- The Unique Student Access Code is on the bottom of your student result forms from previous tests. You can also contact your campus front office and receive the code after providing the necessary identity verification.
- If you do NOT know your child’s Unique Student Access code, click the small Arrow that states FIND MY ACCESS CODE.
- Enter your child’s first name, their SSN or “S” (State Provided identification number), and birthdate. Then click GO.
- The Unique Student Access code will populate automatically. Click GO again.
Why do we take this test? Describe the reason why we do this test.
EOC/STAAR measures how well scholars meet the grade level expectations in each subject determined by the Texas State Board of Education in partnership with educators. It is a cumulative test that happens at the end of the year to allow teachers to see how much your child has learned, how ready your child is for the next grade level, and where he or she may need additional support to accelerate learning.
Why did we use this test?
We are required by state and federal mandates to test scholars each year.
TELPAS
Who is taking this test?
Scholars in grades K-12 who have been identified as EB must take TELPAS. This includes EBs whose parents have declined bilingual or English as a Second Language (ESL) program services. They will stop participating in TELPAS when their language proficiency assessment committee (LPAC) determines that they are proficient in the English language and have met exit criteria. This applies to all EBs, even those not in a bilingual or ESL program. Once a scholar has met the state’s exit criteria, they will no longer be identified as EB and will not have to participate in TELPAS. Information about the state’s reclassification (exit) criteria can be found at https://tea.texas.gov/academics/special-scholar-populations/english-learner-support/bilingual-and-english-as-a-second-language-education-programs
Grades K–1 include:
- holistically rated observational assessments of listening, speaking, reading, and writing
Grades 2–12 include online tests for:
- listening and speaking
- reading and writing
What is covered/tested through this assessment?
TELPAS is an assessment program for scholars in Texas public schools who are learning the English language. The letters in TELPAS stand for the Texas English Language Proficiency Assessment System.
Listening-the ability to understand spoken language, comprehend and extract information, and follow social and instructional discourse through which information is provided.
Speaking-the ability to use spoken language appropriately and effectively in learning activities and social interactions.
Reading-the ability to comprehend and interpret written text at the appropriate grade level.
Writing-the ability to produce written text with content and format to fulfill grade-appropriate classroom assignments.
The ELPS PLDs present the major characteristics of each language proficiency level in each language domain. The PLDs define how well EB scholars at the four proficiency levels can understand and use English in grade-level academic settings. The descriptors show the progression of second language acquisition from one proficiency level to the next and serve as a road map to help teachers tailor instruction to the linguistic needs of EB scholars.
When do we take this test?
TELPAS is administered in the Spring.
Where will the test be taken? Where should parents go to learn more?
TELPAS tests are given to scholars at their school, in regular classrooms that have been cleared and set up to make it easy to focus on the test. If scholars have certain special needs and require special accommodation, they may be tested in a different area of the school. Every scholar participating in TELPAS receives a report card with their test results. TELPAS uses four proficiency ratings—Beginning, Intermediate, Advanced, and Advanced High—to show scholars’ progress in learning English from year to year. For scholars to reach their full academic potential, they must make steady progress in learning English. Your child’s proficiency ratings in listening, speaking, reading, and writing will give you a good idea of their progress. Scholars who do not make steady progress may require additional assistance at school. For more information about the TELPAS report card, visit the Texas Assessment website: https://www.texasassessment.gov/telpas-score
Why do we take this test? Describe the reason why we do this test.
TELPAS tests are designed to measure the progress that each EL makes in becoming proficient in the use of academic English. TELPAS fulfills ESSA requirements for assessing EB scholars in kindergarten through grade 12 in four language domains: listening, speaking, reading, and writing.
How do we use this testing information to inform instructional practice?
Data from testing information can guide teacher instruction for emergent bilinguals. Based on the growth and regression of data, teachers can use TELPAS proficiency levels in listening, speaking, reading, and writing to differentiate instruction.
Why did we use this test?
EB scholars must be assessed annually with an English language proficiency assessment until they meet EB reclassification criteria.
How does each test build into individual learning plans?
Data from TELPAS can build individual learning plans by incorporating instructional strategies that will support the linguistic academic development of each scholar. Having ongoing, appropriately scaffolded speaking and writing opportunities during subject-area instruction is beneficial for all scholars but is particularly important for EB scholars. It allows EB scholars to verbalize, think through, and reinforce what they are learning regarding new subject matter and new English.