ELEM (PK-6) Assessments
PreK and Kindergarten Readiness Assessments
Teaching Strategies GOLD® is an authentic, ongoing observational system for assessing children from birth through kindergarten. It helps teachers to observe children in the context of every day experiences, which is an effective way to learn what they know and can do. GOLD is based on 38 objectives for development and learning that include predictors of school success; teachers use them to focus their observations as they gather information to make classroom decisions. GOLD is administered to 4K students during the first 45 days of the school year and during the last 45 days of the school year.
Kindergarten Readiness Assessment (KRA) is a developmentally appropriate instrument that measures a child’s school readiness across multiple domains. Understanding a child’s school readiness helps kindergarten teachers best meet the child’s needs, and it helps schools, families, communities and policy makers know how best to support young children as they enter the K-12 environment. KRA determines each child’s readiness level from an evaluation of four domains: Social Foundations, Language/Literacy, Mathematics, and Physical Well-Being. KRA provides a snapshot of students’ abilities at the beginning of the school year. KRA is administered to all 5K students during the first 45 days of the school year.
Gifted and Talented Assessments
Cognitive Abilities Test (CogAT) and Iowa Assessments (IOWA) for Grade 2 are used to identify students for Gifted and Talented programs. The identification of gifted and talented students is a multi-step process which consists of screening and referral, assessment of eligibility, and placement. The objective of the Grade 2 testing program is to evaluate each student for the purpose of placement into a district gifted and talented program.
Performance Task Assessment (PTA) is administered in late February each year.
The South Carolina College-and Career-Ready Assessments (SC READY) program is a statewide assessment in English Language Arts (ELA) and Mathematics administered to students in Grades 3–8. The South Carolina Palmetto Assessment of State Standards (SCPASS) is a statewide assessment program in Science and Social Studies for students in elementary and middle school. For the 2020-2021 SY, the SCPASS program will assess Science in Grade 4 and Grade 6.