In April, Interstate 35 students took the annual Iowa Statewide Assessment of Student Progress (ISASP). The ISASP’s goal is to offer educators, administrators, policymakers, and parents valuable insights into how well our students are learning core subjects and achieving educational goals. By providing clear indicators of student growth, proficiency, and readiness, ISASP assists in making data-informed decisions to improve educational outcomes while ensuring a standard statewide baseline.
We are pleased to announce that I-35 has seen district-wide growth in proficiency! ISASP testing covers three content areas - English Language Arts (ELA), Math and Science. The percentages reference in the article and infographic show the percentage of students who achieved proficiency (or higher) in that subject area. The state would like districts to reach 80% of students at, or above, proficiency. Check out the full infographic to see more stats on I-35's 2024 ISASP performance.
I-35’s District-Wide Proficiency Percentages
ELA - 82%
Math - 74%
Science - 79%
For comparison, the statewide averages for these areas were 71.4% (ELA), 69.5% (Math) and 63.9% (Science) in 2023. The 2024 statewide numbers will be shared sometime in the next few months.
If you are interested in learning more about ISASP, continue reading below the chart. There are additional details about the history of ISASP, performance levels, individual student reports and what’s helped I-35 achieve upward trends over the last few years.
Go Roadrunners!
Brief History of ISASP
This test was developed by The University of Iowa's Iowa Testing Programs per the Iowa Legislature (HF 2235) to assess student learning and proficiency levels. ISASP was meticulously aligned with the Iowa Core Standards to serve as a vital tool to evaluate academic growth and readiness statewide. It was first administered in the spring of 2019.
Testing Process & Performance Levels
The test is administered to nearly all students in 3rd-11th grade for both ELA and Math. Science tests are also given to students in 5th, 8th and 10th grade. It’s given over the course of a week each spring. The state provides schools a testing window and the administration for each school decides within that window when their students will test.
The tests are given in a mix of online and paper format. While there is a suggested time amount for each test, students are now allowed to take extra time to complete the test if needed. That’s because the goal is to determine proficiency, not the speed of work. Additional accommodations may be provided to special education students based on their Individualized Education Plan (IEP).
Students are classified into the following performance levels:
Advanced: Students demonstrate thorough competency in the knowledge, skills, and abilities required for their grade level, indicating readiness for college and career in the subject area.
Proficient: Students demonstrate adequate competency in the knowledge, skills, and abilities required for their grade level, indicating readiness for college and career in the subject area.
Not-yet-Proficient: Students have not yet demonstrated the knowledge and skills to be classified as Proficient.
These descriptors are designed to provide a comprehensive framework for understanding student performance and proficiency level. In turn, this helps educators and parents to identify strengths and areas needing improvement.
Individual Student Reports
Before the end of the school year, your student(s) will come home with their Individual Student Report (ISR). View a sample version here. The ISR is generated by the state so you can view a student’s performance levels for each subject, read a summary about that performance and see how they compare to peers across the state. The report will include the URL to learn more about the ISASP Performance Levels. The link provides detailed information about what skills a proficient and advanced student can execute for a specific grade and subject within "Performance Guides" documents.
ISASP Performance Guides:
Achieving Our Results
This continued growth in proficiency over the last few years is the result of hard work by our staff and students. The Interstate 35 School District has made changes to help our students better understand the Iowa Core Standards. There are several critical elements to our district’s success and we aim to keep building on these changes to further fine-tune the district’s efforts so students see continued growth.
Coaching Efforts with Teachers: District instructional coaches collaborate with teachers to develop proficiency scales, rubrics, assessments, unit plans, and instructional practices aligned with standards which ensures consistency across the district.
Curriculum Work and Refinement: Teachers made changes to their daily plans, instructional efforts, assessments and proficiency scales to align with the state standards using the information and feedback from Professional Learning Communities (PLCs) in these areas. There was work to actively create instructional elements that aligned with different content areas' standards.
Professional Development (PD): School administration has prioritized targeted PD sessions tailored to teachers' needs with an emphasis on core instructional practices like feedback, differentiation, pre-assessment, and formative assessment.
Professional Learning Communities (PLCs): PLCs meet weekly to analyze student work and data. In these meetings, they determine the needs so that students can meet standards, foster collaborative efforts to improve instructional practices and help actively make changes to proficiency scales, rubrics, unit plans and assessments so they are aligned with the standards of different content areas.
SRG Grading & Committee: I-35 transitioned to Standard Reference Grading to become more effective at pairing teaching and grading with the state standards. As a result, it’s easier for educators to tailor their lessons and make instructional adjustments in relation to the state’s standards. They are also able to promptly address any identified gaps. Students also receive clear feedback regarding progress towards mastering each standard. Meanwhile the SRG committee provides guidance on grading practices, determining professional development needs, ensuring consistency, and alignment with state standards.
These efforts have led to significant improvements in student proficiency levels, as evidenced by I-35's ISASP results. By prioritizing alignment with state standards, ongoing professional development, collaborative PLC work, and targeted coaching support, the district remains committed to fostering academic excellence and ensuring the success of all students.
As ISASP assessments continue to shape Iowa's educational landscape, the district has a dedicated commitment to providing every student with a high-quality education that prepares them for success.
Congratulations to everyone involved in helping our students realize this growth!