What is the aimswebPlus Assessment Cycle?
School: Oxfordtowne Elementary
Teacher: Mrs. Fletcher
Subjects: Second Grade Math and Reading
Students: Ethan and Olivia
Meet Ethan, Olivia, and Mrs. Fletcher. Each represents a different, important role in the assessment cycle. Ethan and Olivia enter the second grade in different learning tiers for math and reading. And each has unique needs as a child and student. As their teacher, Mrs. Fletcher is responsible for monitoring Ethan's and Olivia’s progress – and providing them with the customized resources they need to meet their learning goals by the end of the school year.
Benchmarking Period 1
Mrs. Fletcher, a second-grade teacher at Oxfordtowne Elementary, started the school year in early September equipped with the most recent information about her students via last school year’s end-of-year screening. This helped her guide her students until the first benchmark assessment in September.
Once she conducted the fall benchmark, she clearly saw who had progressed according to plan and who needed additional support. While Ethan and Olivia ended last year working at grade level with additional support, Olivia’s first benchmark assessment revealed that she was significantly struggling in Reading. Mrs. Fletcher decided to keep a close eye on Olivia’s progress by conducting weekly progress monitoring and using that data to drive her intervention efforts, helping Olivia reach her milestones.
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Click to see Olivia's benchmark reports
Benchmarking Period 2
Mrs. Fletcher used the insights provided by the fall benchmark to monitor Olivia’s progress frequently and provide her with the intervention she needed to progress throughout the fall. Frequent and short progress monitoring assessments informed Mrs. Fletcher's daily instructional decisions to personalize Olivia’s learning plan. Meanwhile, Ethan continued to receive short, bi-monthly progress monitoring assessments and short-term interventions designed to help him progress toward meeting end-of-year goals.
In the beginning of January, Olivia and Ethan, along with their entire class, took the winter benchmark. Mrs. Fletcher saw that both Olivia and Ethan benefitted from progress monitoring, with Ethan progressing at grade level with no additional supports in both Reading and Mathematics. Olivia could work independently at grade level in Mathematics, and at grade level with additional supports in Reading. Mrs. Fletcher planned to continue providing short-term reading interventions to Olivia. She felt confident that both are progressing toward the end-of year goals.
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Click to see Olivia's benchmark reports
Benchmarking Period 3
Oxfordtowne Elementary administers the end-of-year grade-level assessment in mid-April, so Mrs. Fletcher continued to monitor Olivia’s Reading skills. The state assessment revealed that both Ethan and Olivia made the progress they needed to meet their second-grade curriculum goals. Olivia still had room to improve her Reading skills, but Mrs. Fletcher is amazed at the progress made.
The school year ends at the beginning of June, and the district likes to ensure teachers start the next school year with the most recent student progress data possible. To do this, they administer the spring benchmark as a final end-of-year screening for all students in mid-May. Mrs. Fletcher was excited to see that since the winter benchmark and the state assessment, Olivia made significant gains.
When Mrs. Fletcher shares the end-of-year screening results with their parents, she can reveal that Ethan and Olivia are finishing second grade achieving all of their academic goals. Plus, their third-grade teacher will have detailed, recent data to start differentiating their instruction as soon as school starts again in September.
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Click to see Olivia's benchmark reports
Benchmarking Period 1
Mrs. Davis, a second-grade teacher at Hillside Elementary, started the schoolyear in early September equipped with the most recent information about her students via last schoolyear’s end-of-year screening. This will help her guide her students until the first benchmark assessment in September.
Once she gets results from the fall benchmark, she clearly sees who is progressing according to plan and who needs additional support. While Ethan and Sophie ended last year in Tier 2, Sophie’s first benchmark assessment reveals that she is struggling in Reading. Mrs. Davis can now keep a close eye on Sophie’s progress by conducting weekly Tier 3 progress monitoring and provide the personalized instruction needed to reach the milestones that lead to achieving end-of-year goals.
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Click on Olivia's benchmark report to see more detail.
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Benchmarking Period 2
Mrs. Davis used the insights provided by the fall benchmark to monitor Sophie’s progress frequently and provide her with the instruction she needed to progress throughout the fall. Frequent and short progress monitoring assessments informed Mrs. Davis’ daily instructional decisions to personalize Sophie’s learning plan. Meanwhile, Ethan continued to receive short, bi-monthly progress monitoring assessments and short-term interventions designed to help him progress toward meeting end-of-year goals.
In the beginning of January, Sophie and Ethan, along with their entire class, take the winter benchmark. Mrs. Davis sees that both Sophie and Ethan have benefitted from progress monitoring, with Ethan moving into Tier 1 in both Reading and Mathematics, and Sophie moving into Tier 1 in Mathematics and Tier 2 in Reading. Mrs. Davis will continue to provide short-term reading interventions to Sophie, and she’s confident that both are progressing toward the end-of year goals.
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Click on Olivia's benchmark report to see more detail.
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Benchmarking Period 3
Hillside Elementary administers the state high-stakes assessment in mid-April, so Mrs. Davis continued to monitor Sophie’s Reading skills bi-monthly and adjust instruction accordingly. The state assessment revealed that both Ethan and Sophie made the progress they needed to meet their second-grade curriculum goals. Sophie still has room to improve her Reading skills, but Mrs. Davis is amazed at the progress Sophie made.
Hillside Elementary ends the schoolyear in the beginning of June, and the district likes to ensure teachers start the next schoolyear with the most recent student progress data possible. To do this, they administer the spring benchmark as a final end-of-year screening for all students in mid-May. Mrs. Davis is excited to see that since the winter benchmark and the state assessment, Sophie has continued to benefit from the bi-monthly reading interventions and has progressed into Tier 1.
Ethan and Sophie finish second grade achieving all of their academic goals for the year. Plus, their third-grade teacher will have detailed, recent data to start personalizing their learning plans as soon as school starts again in September.
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Click on Olivia's benchmark report to see more detail.
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Start Monitoring Progress Quickly & Frequently
aimsweb™Plus is the assessment, data management, and reporting system that empowers Mrs. Fletcher to individualize instruction for Ethan and Olivia. If you’re a K-8 educator looking for faster and more effective progress monitoring and benchmarking, aimswebPlus is designed for you. Tell us a little bit about yourself, and we’ll connect you with the information you need.
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