Capitol Hill Weekly Update

Dear families,

Welcome back from the Winter Break! It’s been wonderful seeing our students filling the hallways and classrooms. We missed them!

I wanted to share with you some information about assessments since this is the time of year where we check in on our progress. Over the coming weeks, students will take part in our winter benchmark assessments—something we do regularly each year—to give us another piece of information about how students are learning and growing. There’s no special preparation needed; a good night’s sleep and encouragement to try their best is more than enough.

Benchmark assessments are one important data point we use to understand how students are progressing toward grade-level skills — but they are never used on their own.

Teachers always consider benchmark data alongside ongoing formative assessments and progress monitoring, such as curriculum-embedded tasks, classroom observations, and student work. This allows teachers to adjust instruction in real time and target specific skills for support or enrichment.

No single assessment defines a student or determines instruction.

Benchmark Assessments
Benchmark assessments are given during set windows in the fall, winter, and spring. They provide a snapshot of student learning and help teachers and school teams look for patterns across classrooms, grade levels, and the school.

Many benchmarks are adaptive, meaning questions adjust based on a student’s responses to more accurately identify what they know and are ready to learn next. Families may hear about the following benchmark assessments:

• i-Ready (Math, Grades K–5):
  i-Ready is the primary math benchmark assessment. When i-Ready identifies an area of need, students receive targeted lessons through MyPath, which teachers monitor and use alongside classroom data.
  
  

• MAP Growth Reading (Grades 3–5):
  An adaptive reading assessment that reports a RIT score, which is not a letter grade. The RIT score helps educators understand what skills a student is ready to learn next.
  
  

• MAP Fluency (Grades K–2):
  An adaptive assessment focused on foundational reading skills. It also includes a dyslexia screener to support early identification and instruction.
  
  

How We Review and Use Assessment Information

Assessment data is most powerful when educators look at it together. At our school, data is reviewed regularly and collaboratively.

• Teachers review assessment data in PLC meetings with grade-level teams and the instructional coach.
  

• Teachers also meet regularly with the principal to ensure instructional supports are aligned.
  

• Interventionists meet weekly with the principal to review progress for students receiving Tier III academic support.
  

• On early release days, interventionists and the principal engage in extended data review and planning.
  

• After each benchmark window, the Instructional Leadership Team (ILT) and Student Intervention Team (SIT) review data to identify trends and plan next steps.
  

• At the end of each quarter, progress monitoring data is reviewed to determine Tier 2 and Tier 3 supports.
  
  

This ongoing cycle ensures instructional decisions are thoughtful, responsive, and based on multiple sources of information.

Partnering with Families

Assessments help us answer an important question: How can we best support each student’s learning right now? If you have questions about assessments, timelines, or results, we encourage you to reach out to your child’s teacher. We value partnership with families and believe shared understanding leads to stronger outcomes for students.

In service to students,