Statewide Assessment of Student Progress Update

In the spring of 2019, a newly designed statewide assessment of student progress will be used in the state of Iowa. Through House File 2235, the Legislature determined that the new state assessment developed by Iowa Testing Programs (ITP) at the University of Iowa will be administered during the 2018-19 school year. The Iowa Department of Education and ITP are committed to ensuring good communications to the field and will coordinate on important issues such as professional development and federal peer review.

A few key items of note:

• Testing window: Per the statute, all districts will be testing during the last quarter of the year. To accommodate district calendars, the testing window for 2018-19 will be open from March 1 to May 30.
• Professional learning: Starting in the late fall, professional learning will be delivered in multiple formats, including in-person seminars offered around the state as well as online. Topics will include test format and content, administration and accessibility.
• Technology readiness: Because we expect the majority of school districts will administer the online version of new assessments in 2018-19, a technology readiness plan and district certification process is being developed. The certification process will begin in November to check bandwidth, network connectivity, device compatibility and load capacity.
• Cost: Legislators appropriated $2.7 million on behalf of public school districts to help offset the delivery costs associated with the new statewide assessment. More specific information concerning the costs to districts will be available in August.

We encourage you to send any questions you have to assessments@iowa.gov so that we can begin a Frequently Asked Questions page to be published on the new website.

More information will follow this summer. Thank you in advance for your support of our statewide assessment efforts.

Ryan Wise, Ed.L.D., Director, Iowa Department of Education
Stephen B. Dunbar, Ph.D.Director, Iowa Testing Programs