4th Grade Standards-Based Assessment - NJ-ASK 4

The NJ-ASK 4 is the standards-based assessment given to all New Jersey’s 4^th grade students in March; however, it assesses CPI expectations for the end of the 4^th grade. In addition, although it utilizes multiple-choice and open-ended questions, which are evaluated with scoring rubrics, the state's Individual Student Reports (ISR) do not provide this type of differentiated feedback, nor an item analysis on how each student performs on each assessed skill. Consequently, the ability to identify each student’s strengths and weaknesses using this assessment is very limited.  

The various subjects are reported as scale scores that range from 100 to 300, and help identify various proficiency levels of our students in each assessed subject. If the student is in the "Advanced Proficient" or "Proficient" level, he/she has met the state standards for that content area. A student needs to achieve a minimum score of 200 to achieve proficiency in that subject. On the other hand, scores below 200 are in the "Partially Proficient" level, which means that the student has not met the state's minimum level of proficiency in that subject. Clearly, on a global level, the proficiency level in LAL and Math can identify strengths and weaknesses. 

In addition, each student’s Individual Student’s Report (ISR) allows for a cluster analysis for each subject. Each subject (Language Arts Literacy & Math) has subtotals for all the clusters of skills that make up that subject.

This section of the ISR compares the student’s performance in each particular cluster skill to other students who just achieved proficiency (score of 200) on the overall assessment. Therefore, relative strengths and/or weaknesses may be cautiously identified for students performing above &/or below this “Just Proficient Mean” respectively. These relative strengths and weaknesses should be integrated into special education evaluations and reports, IEP PLEP statements and goals/objectives, and classroom instructional activities. (For a more comprehensive analysis of a student’s assessment results see the Example of an analysis of Individual Student Report (ISR).

However, to get a true picture of each student’s strengths and weaknesses in the general education curriculum his/her scores on NJ ASK-4 must be supplemented with class work, homework, teacher-made tests, district wide assessments discussed above, and the Cumulative Progress Indicators, which specify the expectations by the end of the 4^th grade on learning New Jersey’s Core Curriculum Content Standards (CCCS):

These weaknesses can be a focus of general education interventions, special education referrals, evaluations, and reports, IEP PLAAFP statements and goals and objectives, as well as instructional activities.