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District Assessments

Benchmark Assessments

Benchmark assessments are standards-based and are administered and used throughout the year to gauge student progress through the curriculum and Massachusetts Curriculum Frameworks. Students are assessed 3 times a year in each grade level/content area.  Teachers use remedial skills lessons and other resources for continued reteaching for struggling students.  Students may receive additional support outside of the classroom (see MTSS page)

Grades kindergarten through 6 use the iReady Assessment Suite, which pinpoints what students know and where they need support relative state and local expectations with adaptive Reading and Mathematics assessments. For more information about iReady, please click here. Families will receive a Report after each administration - click here for information about the report.

Instruction and Formative Assessment

Progress Monitoring is used to track student growth and provide recommendations for reteaching. For students who need additional instruction, each skill lesson has a related remedial skill lesson that can be assigned at any point in the year. Progress toward standards mastery is ongoing throughout the school year.  Formative assessment is embedded in instructional activities, including:

  • Running Records

  • Discussion/Student Participation

  • Annotations

  • Q & A

  • Vocabulary Activities

  • Writing Samples

  • Entry/Exit Tickets

  • Rubrics

  • Progress Monitoring Assessments

  • Daily work

  • Quizzes

  • Dipsticks

  • Student Response to Feedback

State Mandated Assessments

MCAS: Students educated with Massachusetts public funds are required by federal laws and the 1993 Massachusetts Education Reform Law, state M.G.L. Chapter 69, section 1l, to participate in statewide testing. The statewide testing requirement includes students enrolled in public schools. The Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) regularly assesses student proficiency in Reading, English Language Arts, Math and Science/Technology using the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System (MCAS). The elementary MCAS tests are intended to help schools and teachers know if students have mastered the content required to succeed in high school. The statewide test schedule is available through the DESE.

Opting Out of MCAS

As the Commissioner of Education has communicated, there is no formal process for students to opt-out of MCAS participation. Parents should send an opt-out request, in writing, to their school principal in advance of the testing date. The request is to be submitted annually.

ACCESS testing for ELs

The Abington Public Schools also tests English Learners (EL) on their oral and written English proficiency using the Commonwealth's ACCESS for ELs (ACCESS). ACCESS test results are used by the District to determine if a student continues to need EL services or other academic support services to help them master English.

Helping Your Child With Test-Taking

Visit the U.S. Department of Education website for tips on ways you can help your child with test-taking.