Curriculum, Instruction, & Assessment
Our Core Values and Beliefs about Learning
Learning for All Students
We believe that all students can learn when they are challenged at the right level and engaged in meaningful work.
Effective Assessment
We believe that assessments should be practical, authentic, varied, and connected to standards. They should let students show what they know and can do, and skills should be tested multiple times to ensure mastery.
Differentiated Instruction
We believe that teaching methods should change based on students' assessment results and needs.
Collaborative Learning
We believe that learning is a collaborative and hands-on process that allows students to explore topics through deep inquiry.
Embracing Failure
We believe that failure is a chance to learn and should be seen as part of the learning process, not the end of it.
Practical Learning Standards
We believe that learning standards should be practical, transferable, and allow students to use knowledge and skills from other subjects. They should prepare students for college, careers, and participation in a democratic society.
Assessment Updates
NHSAS Family Portal, PSAT & SAT Results
Just a reminder that students and families can access NHSAS results from the state of New Hampshire's Family Portal. The state has provided a presentation on how to use the Family Portal, for those interested. If you need an access code, please reach out directly to your child's school. For those students that took the SATs during the school day, they can log into the College Board's website to see their scores. If students are struggling with access to that, please reach out to their school counselor for guidance (usually it's an issue of username or password - which would need to be reset by the College Board). The data dashboard has been updated to reflect our school results, so feel free to peruse the information.
i-Ready: SAU 53's Diagnostic Program (K-8)
For the past few years, SAU 53 has been looking for a new diagnostic system that would engage our students, be easy to report out on, and provide the data needed to help our students succeed. In Fall 2023, we started our work with i-Ready to assess and track our students' reading and math skills. For information about the program as a whole, please check out their website "See i-Ready in Action" for more details. Data points from these assessments are on the SAU 53 Data Dashboard website. To see the first year of SAU 53-wide diagnostic scores, please check out this link.
iPlatform Webinar
NHED hosted an informational webinar for the public to learn how to navigate iPlatform – their online tool that provides transparent school data such as enrollment, assessments and more; it took place at 6 p.m. on Feb. 7 and is available online through this link.
Curriculum Corner - Newsletter
i-Ready 101: Understanding Diagnostic Results
2 months ago
Understanding Your Student’s
i-Ready Diagnostic Results
This section is designed to help guide you through understanding the your student's results from their i-Ready Diagnostic Assessment.
What is the i-Ready Diagnostic?
The i-Ready Diagnostic is an adaptive assessment that adjusts its questions for each student. As a student answers correctly, the questions get more difficult. As a student answers incorrectly, the questions get easier. This adaptability allows the i-Ready Diagnostic to identify the strengths and opportunities for growth of each student.
Why is my student taking it?
The purpose of the i-Ready Diagnostic is not to give your student a grade but instead to determine how best to support their learning. It will help your student’s teacher(s) determine their needs, personalize their learning, and monitor progress throughout the year.
How is my student doing overall?
The goal is for your student to be performing at or above grade level, which means they have mastered the skills students at that grade level are expected to master and are prepared to learn more advanced skills.
Reading the Report:
On the i-Ready “For Families" report, the blue bar(s) on the graph (#1) and the corresponding placement level(s) (#2) indicate how your student performed on each test in relation to their grade level, which is indicated by the green shading (#3). The National Norm percentile (#4) below the graph indicates how your student performed in relation to students in the same grade level nationwide.
How is my student doing in specific learning areas?
Students have different areas of strengths and opportunities for growth. It is important to understand how your student did in more specific learning areas, which are called domains. The domain table (#5) shows how your student did in specific domains and helps teachers know where to build on strengths and focus their support.
How is my student progressing over time?
The goal is also for your student to be making progress in their learning. After your student has taken more than one Diagnostic in the school year, you will see results for each Diagnostic, allowing you to see the progress your student is making both overall and in each domain.
What if my student is performing below grade level?
This situation can happen, and teachers and schools have many strategies and programs to help accelerate your student’s learning. Having this information can help you, your student, and their teachers have the right conversations to make the needed progress.
What does it mean if my student scored lower on the second Diagnostic than the first?
A lower score does not mean your student did not learn or lost skills. Scores can be affected by things like stress, distraction, taking the Diagnostic in a different place, and receiving help. This can be particularly common when students are learning in different environments and under unique circumstances. Teachers take this into account and use the data from i-Ready as one of many tools to understand your student’s unique needs and progress.
What can I do to help my student?
• Discuss these results with your student. Celebrate their strengths and progress, and collaborate with them on planning how they will reach their goals.
• Reach out to your student’s teacher to get more ideas and resources to support your student in specific domains and/or skills.
What is the difference between the 3-Point Beginning of Year score and the 5-Point score?
The 3-Point Beginning of Year (BOY) score reflects where your student is taking into consideration where they should be at the beginning of the school year. The 5-Point score shows where your student is in comparison to the skills expected for their grade level this year. At the beginning of the year, the 3-Point BOY “On Grade Level” identification includes scores on the 5-Point scale from “Mid/Above Grade Level” all the way down to the top of “Two Grade Levels Below” (because they feel that the student should be able to end up at/above grade level by the end of the year).
Where can I get more information?
Visit the Family Center for additional information and helpful guidance and tools for supporting your student at home.
Check out this video about Understanding Your Student’s Diagnostic Results
2024-2025 Assessment Windows (K-12)