Dear Radnor Township School District Parents and Guardians,
As an important component of the instructional process, Radnor Township SD (RTSD) utilizes a variety of assessments to understand students’ academic strengths and needs. As part of our implementation of Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS), RTSD will be utilizing the Star and Acadience Math and Reading Assessments. These assessments are universal screening, progress monitoring, and benchmark tools that provide high-quality data for our teachers, MTSS Facilitators, and administrators. We are pleased to share the integration of these tools within our instructional process beginning this school year. Please read below for more information.
Star Math and Reading Assessments:
After piloting Star tools in thirty-seven classrooms representing grades 1-8 in 2021-22, RTSD determined that the assessments provided timely, clear, and actionable data. Aligned with Pennsylvania Common Core Standards, Star provides data that supports our teachers in identification of instructional needs, MTSS interventions and progress monitoring, as well as indicators of student achievement and growth. Considering several other significant advantages, such as reduced testing time, the Star tool was chosen as a replacement to the Measures of Academic Progress (MAP) assessment that has been used in RTSD for several years.
Students will take the Star Math and Reading assessments three times over the course of the year in September, November/December, and February/March. Each assessment is administered on the computer and takes approximately 15-25 minutes to complete. As a computer-adaptive assessment, the difficulty and level of the questions changes based on individual student responses. A student’s performance on the Star assessment will have no effect on their progress report grades, and results of the Star assessments will be shared with parents during the Fall and Spring parent-teacher conferences.
RTSD will also be utilizing a supplementary online resource known as Freckle that provides individualized practice of math and reading content that is based on students’ results on the Star assessments.
Acadience Math and Reading Assessments:
Radnor Township SD has utilized the Acadience Reading Assessment in grades K-1 for many years. Until recently, the assessment was known as DIBELS Next. To enhance our access to data for instructional decision-making, RTSD is expanding the use of both the Acadience Reading and Math assessment tools to include all K-5 grades. Acadience Math and Reading offers our teachers, MTSS Facilitators, and administrators another data source to help determine MTSS interventions, identify instructional needs, and monitor student achievement, growth, and progress over time.
Students will take the Acadience Math and Reading assessments three times over the course of the year in September-November, February, and May. Acadience Reading assessments are completed individually with a teacher or paraprofessional and take approximately 1-5 minutes based on the grade level. Acadience Math assessments take approximately 3-28 minutes, and the administration of the assessments differs based on the grade level. Like Star, results of the Acadience assessments will have no effect on student progress report grades and will be shared with parents during the Fall and Spring parent-teacher conferences.
Additional information:
RTSD Board Curriculum Committee Meeting: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=slsfGY_475M
In August 2022, RTSD Administration presented an MTSS update to the Board Curriculum Committee that included the background of the selection of Star and Acadience and the implementation timeline for each.
Star Information: https://www.renaissance.com/2016/09/09/parents-guide-star-assessments/
Acadience Information: https://acadiencelearning.org/
Please contact me with any questions and thank you for your continued support.
Sincerely,
Dr. Shawn Dutkiewicz
Director of Elementary Teaching and Learning Shawn.Dutkiewicz@rtsd.org
Radnor Township School District