As we start our rapid decent toward much cooler temperatures and Fall, I wanted to speak briefly about testing. More to the point, I wanted to speak briefly about the upcoming ITBS tests that the students will attempt November 6th – 9 th, grades 2 – 8. Since we have quite a few new families to Bethany, I felt it vitally important to pass on some data regarding the assessments.
The ITBS or Iowa Tests are standardized tests provided as a service to schools by the College of Education of the University of Iowa. The tests are administered to students in kindergarten through eighth grade as part of the Iowa Statewide Testing Programs, a division of the Iowa Testing Programs (ITP). Over decades, participation expanded and currently nearly all school districts in Iowa participate annually in the program, as do many other school districts across the United States. In a cooperative relationship, participating schools receive ITBS test materials, scoring and reporting services and consultation in the use of ITBS for instructional purposes, and ITBS utilizes participation by schools in research and test development. Both the ITBS and Iowa Tests of Educational Development (ITED) were revised in the 2011–2012 school year. They were rebranded the Iowa Assessments 2016-2017 (Iowa, 2017).
ITBS are written in levels 5-14. Each test level consists of a series of tests administered in content sections with each section designed to measure specific skills. Test levels 5-8 are administered to students from kindergarten through second grade (K-2). School districts employ the series of tests in primary grades to gain information about classes and students for instructional planning, to supplement teacher observations regarding student abilities, and to establish a basis for subsequent annual evaluation of student progress. Sections for levels 5-8 include: Vocabulary, Word Analysis, Reading Comprehension, Listening, Language, Mathematics, Social Studies (Levels 7 and 8 only), Science (Levels 7 and 8 only), and Sources of Information.
Bethany utilizes the results of these assessments in a variety of ways. The scores provide our instructional staff an idea of where are students are academically, as compared to those students across the United States who take the exam. These assessments also provide direction for the school in terms of curriculum. It helps us identify areas which we thrive in and areas which may need improvement.
In preparation of the assessments, it is imperative that students eat well, get plenty of rest and study. There are free assessments tools online that can help. Here are just a few places to take the practice test and prep:
http://www.tests.com/practice/ITBS-Practice-Test
https://www.criticalthinking.com/articles/test-preparation-practice-foritbs-assessment
https://www.testprep-online.com/itbs-practice
Blessings,
Dr. Chris Smith
References
Iowa, U. o. (2017, September 21). Retrieved from Iowa Test Research : https://
itp.education.uiowa.edu/ia/documents/ITBS-Research-Guide.pdf
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