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Assessments

myIGDIs (my Individual Growth and Development Indicators): Grade Pre-K 4

KRA (Kindergarten Readiness Assessment): Grade Kindergarten

  • The 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 policymakers know how to best support young children as they enter the K-12 environment. The KRA determines each child's readiness level from an evaluation of four domains: Social Foundations, Language/Literacy, Mathematics, and Physical Well-Being. The KRA provides a snapshot of students' abilities at the beginning of the school year.
  • More information: Kindergarten Readiness Assessment

FastBridge: Grades K-1

  • The FastBridge earlyReading meets the state-mandated requirements for primary grades universal dyslexia screening for both grades K and 1
  • The FastBridge earlyReading  and earlyMath assessments are the district’s readiness assessments for Kindergarten. FastBridge provides information on foundational skills, student growth, progress monitoring and proficiency.
  • More information: FastBridge Universal Screening  

CogAT (Cognitive Abilities Test) & IA (Iowa Assessments): Grade 2

  • CogAT and IA 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. More information: Cognitive Abilities Test (CogAT) and Iowa Assessments (IA) for Grade 2

i-Ready Diagnostics: Grades 1-5

  • i-Ready Diagnostics are 1st - 5th grade computer-adaptive interim assessments that measure growth, inform instruction for classroom differentiation, provide projected proficiency on high-stakes tests , and establish instructional pathways for the adaptive digital content.
  • More information: i-Ready Diagnostics

MAP Growth: Grades 6-8

  • MAP Growth are 6th - 8th grade computer-adaptive interim assessments that measure growth, inform instruction for classroom differentiation, provide projected proficiency on high-stakes tests , and can be used to evaluate programs, and develop and implement the curriculum.
  • More information: MAP Growth

SC READY (South Carolina College and Career Ready Assessments): Grades 3-8

  • The SC READY are statewide assessments in English Language Arts (ELA) and mathematics that will meet all of the requirements of Acts 155 and 200, the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act (IDEA), and the Assessments Peer Review guidance. All students in grades 3-8 are required to take the SC READY, except those who qualify for the South Carolina Alternate Assessment (SC-Alt).  All students in grades 4 and 6 are required to take the assessment for Science, except those who qualify for the South Carolina Alternate Assessment (SC-Alt).  SC READY assessments are not timed, and both computer-based and paper-based testing will be available.  
  • More information: 

End-of-Course Examination Program (EOCEP): High School Grades*

All students who are enrolled in courses in which the academic standards corresponding to the EOCEP tests are taught, regardless of course name or number, must take the appropriate tests. The examinations, which count 20% of the students' final grade in each gateway or benchmark course, currently include Algebra 1, English 2, U.S. History and the Constitution, and Biology 1. All students must pass a high school credit course in science for which there is a state end-of-course assessment during their high school career. Currently, that test is the Biology 1 EOCEP test. 

*Note: Some advanced middle school students will qualify to take high school EOC courses and corresponding assessments during 7th or 8th grade.

College Entrance and Career Readiness Assessments: High School Grades

For purposes of this section, ‘eleventh grade students' means students in the third year of high school after their initial enrollment in ninth grade.

    • Students in their 3rd year or 4th year of high school have the opportunity to participate in one administration of either the SAT or ACT paid for by the South Carolina Department of Education. This free administration will take place during the school day.  Charleston County School District encourages all students to take at least one of these tests, as they are used for college admissions and merit-based scholarships.
    • WIN Ready to Work (R2W) is a career readiness assessment administered to all students in their 3rd year of high school to determine student achievement in four key areas: Work Ready Reading, Work Ready Math, Work Ready Data, and Essential Soft Skills. Students in their 4th year of high school who wish to retake any subtest, may do so during the established testing windows. 

PreACT: Grade 10

This assessment is offered to 10th grade students at no cost to the student.  It is a multiple-choice assessment that helps students prepare for the experience of taking the ACT® test and provides information regarding their future performance on the exam. The paper-based PreACT is patterned after the ACT, using the same types of test questions, same score scale, and same format. It is designed to model the ACT test experience, providing students with the ultimate preparation and practice.  PreACT includes exams in English, mathematics, reading and science, just like the ACT test, but does not have a writing test. Scores will be reported on the same 1-36 scale as the ACT, but PreACT includes fewer questions and will take less time to administer than the ACT.

PSAT/NMSQT: Grades 8-11

The PSAT/NMSQT assessment is offered to students in grades 8-11.   As part of the SAT Suite of Assessments, it’s designed to help prepare students for the SAT, college, and careers. Students who take the PSAT/NMSQT in 11th grade may meet the requirements to enter the National Merit® Scholarship Program, an academic competition for recognition and scholarships. 

Students in grade 8 who participate in the PSAT/NMSQT administration may qualify to be recognized as a South Carolina Junior Scholar. The South Carolina Junior Scholars program identifies current eighth-grade students with exceptional academic talent. These students are selected based on their performance on the PSAT/NMSQT. The purpose of the program is to identify these students and to provide opportunities that will facilitate their intellectual growth, broaden their individual interests and promote their scholastic achievement.

Advanced Placement

Advanced Placement (AP) Courses are sanctioned by the College Board with prescribed curricula and tests for which students receive high school credit and for which students scoring at an acceptable level on the AP examination will be eligible to receive college credit from participating institutions.  State regulations require teachers of Advanced Placement courses to be endorsed to teach the courses by participating in summer institutes hosted by the state's colleges and universities. All students enrolled in an AP course are required to take the national AP exam in that subject area. Currently, the South Carolina Legislature is providing funding for AP Exams for South Carolina public school students who take the appropriate AP class.

ACCESS for ELLs: Grades K-12

  • ACCESS for ELLs is an assessment of English language proficiency for students who are classified as English language learners (ELLs). An Alternate ACCESS assessment is administered to ELL students who meet the criteria for alternate assessment that prevents their meaningful participation in the ACCESS for ELLs® assessment. More information: ACCESS for ELLs®

SC-ALT: Grades 3-11

  • South Carolina Alternate Assessment is for students with significant cognitive disabilities who are assessed against alternate achievement standards as they are unable to participate in the general assessment program even with accommodations. More information: South Carolina Alternate Assessment

Classroom Assessment

The Office of Assessment & Evaluation also supports schools in developing high-quality classroom assessments. CCSD's Assessment Development Guide outlines best practices in classroom assessment development.   

Contact Us

District Test Coordinators:

 

Colleen Cumback

colleen_cumback@charleston.k12.sc.us

843.937.6499

  

Dawn Simonsen

dawn_simonsen@charleston.k12.sc.us

843.937.6434

 

FastBridge, i-Ready, MAP:

Christina Mattioli

christina_mattioli@charleston.k12.sc.us

843.937.6381