Assessment and Accountability

The Office of Assessment and Accountability partners with schools to provide support, guidance, materials, and reports regarding state and district required assessments.

Puyallup School District develops and/or selects all district required assessments. These include, but are not limited to Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills (DIBELS), STAR  Reading, STAR Math, and Math Computational Fluency. The Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) develops and/or selects all state and federal assessments. These include, but are not limited to, Smarter Balanced (SBA) Washington Comprehensive Assessment of Science (WCAS) and Transition Courses. OSPI also reports achievement data for students, schools, districts, and the state.

Assessments are given during predetermined windows throughout the school year to monitor student and teacher progress. District and statewide assessments help ensure all public school students, no matter where they go to school, receive a quality education. By evaluating data, districts and schools decide which teaching practices and curricula best support student understanding of the Washington State Learning Standards. Assessment results also provide families valuable information about how well their child is doing and where more help might be needed. District and state assessments are administered throughout the year based on each school’s calendar.

The state legislature passes laws that determine graduation requirements. One requirements is to pass certain exit exams, or state-approved alternatives. If a student scores 3 or 4 on a high school Smarter Balanced test, he or she may use this score to avoid placement testing and costly remedial courses upon acceptance into over 200 universities, community, or technical colleges. Read more about this option.

The Elementary and Secondary Education Act requires states to have their assessment programs approved for technical quality by the U.S. Department of Education and is part of an accountability system.