Testing

Students in 2nd grade and above participate in the Student Oral Proficiency Assessment (SOPA) or the STAMP4Se (STAndards-based Measurement of Proficiency) Chinese language assessments. Both of these assessments are designed to help language learners watch their progress in their individual foreign language learning process. The rating scale is based on the ACTFL Proficiency Guidelines developed by the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL) (1999).

According to our program benchmarks, students start building their foundation in Chinese from kindergarten and conclude this preliminary building stage in 2nd grade.

While learning progress can be made from kindergarten to 1st grade, it is more effective to be evaluated later when there has been more time in learning the target language.

We assess our 2nd-4th grade student’s Chinese speaking and listening skills with the SOPA is the Standardized Oral Proficiency test, developed by the Center for Applied Linguistics for young language learners.

The goal of the SOPA is to allow students to show what they can do in the target language. The interviews consist of a series of tasks with varying levels of difficulty that elicit both academic and social language. The assessment activities follow the natural development of language skills, focusing first on listening comprehension and then on speaking. This sequence allows the students to experience immediate success in their responses (receptive skills being less demanding than productive skills), thus building their confidence. The students are encouraged to say as much as they can so that adequate speech samples may be obtained for accurate ratings.

We assess our 5th & 8th-grade student’s Chinese language skills with the STAMP (STAndards-based Measurement of Proficiency) 4Se/4S Assessments, an online computer-adaptive assessment, aligned to the ACTFL Proficiency Guidelines, that allows language learners to demonstrate their Four-skill (Reading, Writing, Listening, and Speaking) with content and functionality designed for language learners. To measure the improvements from the beginning of middle school and as an exit assessment, the STAMP 4Se/4S is administered to all 5th & 8th graduates.

Star360 are common core-based reading and math assessments that are given in kindergarten through 8th that can show a student’s knowledge and skills in reading and math. These assessments can break down which standards students have achieved mastery in and which standards students are still progressing in to help teachers direct their instruction. 

Star360 assessments are given multiple times throughout the school year to monitor progress and check if students are achieving mastery of grade-level standards. 

This assessment system also offers CBM assessments (curriculum-based measures), to check students’ fluency and math facts fluency, as well as can also be used to check students’ early foundations of literacy skills and as a universal screener.

To learn more about Star360 Assessments click here. 

We believe that TAG should be a collaboration between parents, students, and teachers, to enrich the existing curriculum as well as cultivate a student’s gifts through projects that foster deeper understanding.

The CogAT (Cognitive Abilities Test) screening test appraises the students’ learned reasoning abilities that have been developed through in-school and out-of-school experiences.

The CogAT requires students to demonstrate their reasoning abilities in the three systems most closely related to success in school: verbal, quantitative, and nonverbal reasoning. A composite score of 97 or higher will qualify the student to take the full CogAt to see if they qualify for TAG.

The CogAT screener is given to all third-grade and fifth-grade students each fall. Students that are already qualified for TAG do not have to be screened. The CogAT screener is the first three sections of the full test. If students qualify to take the full assessment they will be given the remaining seven sections. The full CogAT has nine sections in total, three sections for each of the three main batteries: verbal, quantitative, and non-verbal.

If a student receives a composite score of 97 or higher on the full CogAT as well as two teacher recommendations, then that student can qualify for TAG.

Students younger than third grade can also be recommended by teachers to take the CogAT screener if the teacher thinks they are highly advanced in all subject areas. Parents cannot request their student take the CogAT, but can instead provide information to the teachers and TAG coordinator to determine eligibility to take the CogAT prior to third grade. 

• Parents can complete this form to provide information if they would like their student, younger than third grade, to be considered to take the CogAT. 
• The parent form must be submitted by November 1st of each school year, to be considered for testing that school year. 

If a student passes the screener, parents/guardians will be notified prior to the full CogAT being given. When the scores for the full CogAT are released the TAG coordinator will send scores to parents/guardians. 

The TAG coordinator will work with teachers to differentiate and enhance the curriculum – not to add more work, but to add higher DOK (Depth of Knowledge)-level questions that allow your students to access the same work.

In the spring of 8th grade, students will be offered the opportunity to take the PSAT 8/9 to assess what they know and get early feedback on their knowledge and college and career readiness. This test is optional, and there will be a testing fee ($14) to take the test. The test is given digitally and will be done at school. 

To learn more about the PSAT 8/9 click here.

Scores for PSAT 8/9 will be sent home via email and also posted in ParentVue. 

Please see this link to understand your student’s PSAT 8/9 score.