Assessment Season
March 31, 2025
Dear West Seneca Central School District Parents and Guardians,
As a district, we take great pride in educating every child and, as such, there are various programs and tools we utilize that help us achieve this goal.
We are preparing for the upcoming assessment season. Our goal is to use multiple measures to gather data on teaching and learning and how our students are progressing. The iReady Diagnostic Assessment and NYS Assessments are good tools for measuring progress on learning.
We would like you to please note the following...
The iReady Diagnostic:
Students take the iReady assessment (3) times per year.
The iReady Diagnostic will help your student’s teacher(s) determine your student’s needs, personalize their learning, and monitor progress throughout the school year. i-Ready allows teacher(s) to meet your student exactly where they are and provides data to increase your student’s learning gains.
The i-Ready Diagnostic is an adaptive assessment that adjusts its questions to suit your student’s needs. Each item a student sees is individualized based on their answer to the previous question. For example, a series of correct answers will result in slightly harder questions, while a series of incorrect answers will yield slightly easier questions. The purpose of this is not to give your student a score or grade, but instead to determine how best to support your student’s learning.
NY State Computer-Based Assessments:
The tests provide parents, students, and teachers with meaningful feedback regarding student progress over time.
The tests help demonstrate what all of our students know in relation to the standards.
These results are used solely within the district to inform instruction and are not connected to educator evaluation.
Please ensure your child’s/childrens’ chromebooks are fully charged for testing purposes.
What Parents Should Know About NYS Assessments:
These assessments have evolved in recent years to include more feedback from stakeholders (e.g. families, educators).
New York State uses the results from these assessments in identifying which schools and districts across the State need additional support and targeted improvement.
Recently, our district was identified as one needing Targeted Support and Improvement based on small subgroups of the student population.
Testing the entire student population will show more clearly what all of our students know in relation to the standards.
Your child’s school will inform you of specific test dates. Please reach out to your child’s teacher, counselor, or building principal with any questions or concerns you may have.
Sincerely,
Dr. Lisa Krueger
Superintendent of Schools