This page includes information on Utah State Assessments.
Description of State Assessments
Description of State Assessments from the Utah State Board of Education
AAPPL Assessment of Performance toward Proficiency in Languages (grades 3-9)
Test given to students in the Dual Language Immersion program to check their proficiency of the target language.
ACT (grade 11)
An assessment that measures postsecondary readiness. The state-administered ACT includes English, reading, mathematics, science subtests.
Acadience Reading (grades K-3; optional for grades 4-6)
A brief literacy test, given 3 times during the school year (Beginning, Middle, End).
Kindergarten Entry and Exit Profile (KEEP)
Utah’s Kindergarten Entry and Exit Profile (KEEP) is intended to inform various stakeholders, such as parents, teachers, and leadership, on the academic and social-emotional development of entering and exiting kindergarten students. The information gained from the profile will be used to:
- provide insights into current levels of academic and social-emotional performance upon entry and exit of kindergarten,
- identify students in need of early intervention instruction and promote differentiated instruction for all students,
- analyze the effectiveness of programs, such as extended-day kindergarten and preschool,
- provide opportunities for data-informed decision-making and cost-benefit analysis of early learning initiatives,
- identify effective instructional practices or strategies for improving student achievement outcomes in a targeted manner, and
- understand the influence and impact of full-day kindergarten on at-risk students in both the short- and long-term.
Early Literacy Alternate Assessment (grades 1-3)
A rubric based literacy skills test for students with significant cognitive disabilities, given 3 times during the school year (Beginning, Middle, End).
Early Mathematics Assessment (grades K-3)
A brief numeracy test, given 3 times during the school year (Beginning, Middle, End).
Early Mathematics Alternate Assessment (grades 1-3)
A rubric based mathematics skills test for students with significant cognitive disabilities, given 3 times during the school year (Beginning, Middle, End).
CTE Skill Certificate Assessments
Competency-based tests given to students when they complete a course in Career and Technical Education. Required for certification.
DLM Dynamic Learning Maps (grades 3-11)
Tests given at the end of the school year to students with significant cognitive disabilities to measure proficiency on the Alternate Achievement Standards (Essential Elements/Extended Core Science Standards) and school accountability
- DLM -English Language Arts (ELA) (grades 3-11)
- DLM -Mathematics (grades 3-11)
- DLM -Science (grades 4-11)
General Financial Literacy Assessment
Tests given to students when they complete the General Financial Literacy course.
High School Civics Exam
A locally administered civics exam with questions from the U.S. immigration and naturalization test. Students need to correctly answer 35 out of 50 questions (alternate option available for students with disabilities). Required for graduation.
RISE Summative assessments (grades 3-8)
Tests given at the end of a course to measure students’ proficiency on Utah Core Standards and school accountability
- English Language Arts (ELA) (grades 3-8)
- Writing (grades 5 and 8)
- Mathematics (grades 3-8)
- Science (grades 4-8)
RISE Interim assessments (grades 3-8)
Optional tests that schools may choose to give to check students’ proficiency before a course is completed. Similar to the RISE Summative assessments in length.
- English Language Arts (ELA) (grades 3-8)
- Mathematics (grades 3-8)
- Science (grades 4-8)
RISE Benchmark Modules (grades 3-8)
Optional productivity tools for teachers to use to help them get feedback on students’ learning of the Utah Core Standards at the Reporting Category level. These tools have approximately 8-13 questions.
- English Language Arts (ELA) (grades 3-8)
- Writing (grades 3-8)
- Mathematics (grades 3-8)
- Science (grades 4-8)
Utah Aspire Plus (grades 9-10)
Tests given at the end of the school year for all 9th and 10th graders, that include a combination of test questions from ACT Aspire and Utah’s item bank.
- English (grades 9-10)
- Reading (grades 9-10)
- Mathematics (grades 9-10)
- Science (grades 9-10)
High School Core Benchmarks (grades 9-12)
Optional productivity tools for teachers to use to help them get feedback on students’ learning of the Utah Core Standards at the Reporting Category level. These tools have approximately 8-13 questions.
- English Language Arts (ELA)
- Mathematics: Secondary Math I, II, and III
- Science: Earth Science, Biology, Chemistry, Physics
WIDA
Utah is a member state of the WIDA Consortium. WIDA advances academic language development and academic achievement for children and youth who are culturally and linguistically diverse through high-quality WIDA English Language Development (ELD) Standards, assessments, research, and professional learning for educators. Utah uses WIDA Screener for Kindergarten and WIDA Screener Online (Grades 1-12) to identify English Learners (ELs). ACCESS for English Language Learners (ELLs) is given to all EL students during the annual testing window to measure proficiency and growth toward academic language proficiency in English.
Opt-Out Information
American Preparatory recognizes that Standardized Testing is an essential tool for measuring student learning and teacher success. The data obtained from these assessments may be utilized by teachers and administrators to review student academic progress, plan instruction, and share with students and parents. Summative assessments allow for data to be used in public reporting about school quality. Parents may opt-out of most state standardized tests by submitting a Parental Exclusion form to the Academic Director.
