What is the Iowa Statewide Assessment of Student Progress (ISASP)?
The ISASP is aligned with the Iowa Core Standards, providing clear and accurate assessment of student learning outcomes. The ISASP is developed in collaboration with Iowa educators for the state of Iowa and aligns with grade-specific Iowa Core Standards.
Statewide assessments, are annual, summative measures of student achievement that are used to evaluate student learning and skills. The ISASP is one approach for measuring how Iowa students are performing on the Iowa Core. Although the ISASP is just one measure of a student’s achievement, participation from all students is important to understand and interpret the results.
Who takes the ISASP?
Students from all Iowa public schools in grade levels three through eleven must participate in the ISASP.
Who distributes the test?
Anyone administering the ISASP is considered a proctor. Proctors must be Iowa certified educators. Substitute teachers, paraeducators, and other support staff may not administer state or federally mandated assessments.
Have proctors been trained?
All proctors have to complete the required training in advance of administering the test. Proctors are not allowed to access to test materials or allowed to administer the ISASP without security training. All ISASP training has been facilitated by JCSD TLI team member and an Area Education Agency (AEA) staff members in collaboration with building principals.
Can students use calculators?
Yes, calculators are permitted on all ISASP Mathematics (Grades 3-11) and Science (Grades 5, 8, and 10) assessments.
See the ISASP Calculator Policy for more details.
Can students provide or accept assistance from other students?
No. Providing help or accepting assistance from other students, which includes copying answers, using prearranged signals to provide answers, sharing used scratch paper, etc. is prohibited and will impact a students’ results.
Is reading the ISASP test acceptable for students with IEPs in grades 3-5?
Reading aloud any portion of the reading or writing assessment is not acceptable, even if it is written in their IEPs as an accommodation. The assessment is measuring students’ reading skills – not listening. Proctors can only read aloud during the science and math portion of the test. Please note: reading directions verbatim is accepted on all tests.
Can a student use dictation software if this accommodation is written in their IEP?
Yes, speech-to-text is an option when written in the IEP in advance of the testing period.
Do Foreign Exchange and/or International students need to take the test?
No, foreign exchange students or students who are here on a VISA do not have to take the ISASP.
What if my student is absent from school on the day of testing?
Your student will still be required to makeup the testing sessions. All testing, including make-up testing, must be completed within the testing window.
Will accommodations be made for English Learners?
ISASP outlines expectations for supporting English Learners and training for such accommodations is provided to individuals responsible for each student’s testing plan.