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A benchmark (or "formative") assessment generally administered three times a year to identify students who may be academically (or behaviorally) at risk. These students may require additional academic, social, emotional, or behavioral supports.

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Are students within a whole school or district understanding the material? Where is there room for growth and how can instruction be improved? These are the types of questions that teachers and school leaders ask and hope to answer when giving benchmark exams.

Defining Benchmark Assessments

A benchmark exam is given across many classes, an entire grade level, a whole school, or across a district. The purpose of a benchmark exam is to understand if students have mastered specific standards and are ready to move on. Typically, benchmark exams are given to help students prepare for end of year state testing, like PARCC, AIR, SBAC, FSA, or PSSA.

It's important to note that the terms "benchmark exam" and " interim assessment " are used interchangeably. They both are used to measure academic progress of large groups of students. Ideally, the results of a benchmark exam help teachers understand what lessons they need to reteach and which students need extra support. Beyond this, benchmark exams act as a "preview" to how a class, school, or district will perform on state tests or summative exams.

Components of a Benchmark Exam:

Help drive future instruction

Term used interchangeably with "interim assessment"

Given to many classes, a whole school, or across an entire district

Act as a "predictor" to state test scores

Is There a Difference Between Interim Assessment and Benchmark Exam? What About Formative Assessment?

There can be lots of confusion about the different types of assessments. It's important to recognize these differences and understand how each type of assessment fits into the overall learning process of each student.

There is little to no difference between an interim assessment and a benchmark exam. They are both formal tests often given using technology, like Edulastic, to thoroughly and efficiently monitor student progress.

Benchmark exams are also formative in that they help teachers drive their future instruction. While traditional formative assessments are given in one class, benchmark exams are usually given across many different classes or across an entire school. The best benchmark exams give data quickly, so teachers can act on it. This is why digital assessment is great for benchmark exams!

Online Benchmark Exams With Edulastic

Burton School District in California uses Edulastic for districtwide benchmark exams

Schools and districts across the country have turned to Edulastic Enterprise to administer their common benchmark exams. When benchmark exams are given online, the results are instant and the data can immediately be used to help teachers modify their future lessons. School leaders can set up the test quickly and easily; they even can tie every question to a state standard.

For example, at Burton School District in California, district leaders and teachers are able to push out districtwide benchmark exams without a headache. David Shimer, Director of Education Services at Burton Schools, explains, "I think the 'aha' moment was when, within a period of one week, we were able to get every student across the district logged in, have teachers get an assessment from their students, and as a district we were able to get the charts and graphs back in ways that allowed us to adjust instruction and training."

Examples of Benchmark Exams

Here are some examples of benchmark exams that teachers and school leaders have shared publicly in the Edulastic library. If they apply to what you're teaching, feel free to use them! If not, you can search the public library to find other premade assessments, or you can create your own.

Interested in Giving Benchmark Exams on Edulastic?

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Are students within a whole school or district understanding the material? Where is there room for growth and how can instruction be improved? These are the types of questions that teachers and school leaders ask and hope to answer when giving benchmark exams. A benchmark exam is given across many classes, an entire grade level, a whole school, or across a district.

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Our district uses NWEA's MAP (Measure of Academic Progress).

3 x a year (Fall, Winter, Spring)

Gr. K2 - 8

Reading (K2-8)

Math (K2 - 8)

Spanish (K2-8)

Science (4-8)

Adaptive

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The "Multi-Level Prevention System" includes 3 Tiers of Identification, integrating social, emotional, and academic instructional and evidence-based intervention supports

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Teachers, team leaders, RTI coordinators, Special Education, ESL, etc meet to discuss identified students. Educators discuss best practices to support the needs of individual students

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Using our color-coordinated walls, we track students anonymously for Reading, Math, and Science. This visual is a great representation of growth monitoring through the benchmarks.

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Students on the agenda are brought up and discussed at length; highlighting target areas, the appropriate educator then creates a focused intervention to deliver to the student. Notes, interventions, and results of said intervention are tracked from each monthly meeting

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Peer-tutoring

Differentiated software programs

Instructional games

Working in group projects

Targeted assignments

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Curriculum modifications

Small group work (one-to-one)

Differentiated software programs

Instructional games

Modified assignments

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The exact skills you need

Planning a lesson or prepping for an exam?
We've custom-built IXL skills to reinforce each topic within your:

State standards

Virginia Standards of Learning (2016)

Textbooks

See skills that match every chapter of 80+ popular textbooks

Assessments

Use IXL for the NWEA MAP, ACT, SAT, and more

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IXL | Math, Language Arts, Science, Social Studies, and Spanish

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IXL is the world's most popular subscription-based learning site for K-12. Used by over 15 million students, IXL provides personalized learning in more than 10,000 topics, covering math, language arts, science, social studies, and Spanish. Interactive questions, awards, and certificates keep kids motivated as they master skills.

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Leveled Reading

Targeted drills (sight words)

Specific re-teaching concepts

Weekly skill targets

Title I Reading/Math (Pull-Out Support)

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Educators and classroom leaders look to academic interventions to help promote response to intervention and rti programs for classroom management

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Progress monitoring utilizes reliable tools and timely observations to assess the effectiveness of the interventions. Educators observe the students' response to the intervention with data-driven outcomes.

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Teachers track the effectiveness of interventions through various forms:

Calendars

Tracking Sheets

Check lists

Teachers can track the progression of targeted-skills through these methods

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A Tier IV is a Special Education referral that stems from the RTI process; after multiple rounds of targeted intervention, the Special Education team may be consulted to determine if alternate assessment needs to be utilized to identify a learning disability