Assessment Information



About District-Wide Assessments and Progress Monitoring

I-Ready: District Recommended
  • An adaptive computerized diagnostic and supplemental learning tool for Math and/or Reading used for K-8th grade students in our district. Diagnostics occur Fall, Winter and Spring.  While personalized learning paths can be utilized year-round. Students login via Clever and can take at home, and includes personalized computer based instruction for each student based on their diagnostic performance.  
​Alaska Reads Act Literacy Screeners (DIBELS with mCLASS)
State requirement intended for students in grades K-3 to screen literacy skills at the beginning, middle and end of the school year. Additionally, Progress Monitoring can be setup to help families more closely track progress in particular skills. 
  • Kindergarten (K)- Focuses on early reading “building blocks.
    • Letter Naming Fluency (LNF): Measures how many letters your child can name in one minute. Knowing letter names quickly is linked to reading success.
    • Phoneme Segmentation Fluency (PSF): Tests if your child can break words into individual sounds (e.g., "dog" – /d/ /o/ /g/).
    • Nonsense Word Fluency (NWF): Checks if your child can sound out simple made-up words (e.g., "neb")—showing they’re learning how to blend sounds to read.
    • Word Reading Fluency (WRF): For some older Kindergarteners, it measures how many real words they can read quickl
    • Depending on the need, there is also the RAN (Rapid Automatized Naming) screener: a quick, timed activity where your child names familiar items like letters or objects to help identify early signs of reading difficulty, including dyslexia.
  • 1st Grade- In 1st grade, kids move from learning to read sounds to reading whole words and short passages.
    • Letter Naming Fluency (LNF): May still be used early in the year to check on letter recognition.
    • ​Phoneme Segmentation Fluency (PSF): Continues to measure how well students can break words into sounds.
    • Nonsense Word Fluency (NWF): Assesses how well your child can sound out simple, made-up words—important for decoding real words
    • ​Word Reading Fluency (WRF): Checks how many real words your child can read quickly.
    • Oral Reading Fluency (ORF): Starting mid-1st grade, kids read a short passage aloud for one minute. Teachers listen for accuracy and speed.
    • ​Depending on the need, there is also the RAN (Rapid Automatized Naming) screener: a quick, timed activity where your child names familiar items like letters or objects to help identify early signs of reading difficulty, including dyslexia.​
  • ​2nd Grade- Reading gets more complex—focus shifts to fluency and understanding.
    • Oral Reading Fluency (ORF): All students read a passage aloud to show how smoothly and accurately they read.
    • Vocabulary and Maze: All students are asked to take a 3 minute screener where they fill-in-the-blanks with the right word in a passage (maze) to check comprehension. Additionally they are asked meaning of works in context and by definition (untimed.) Computer-based.
    • Depending on how your child reads, we can also do some foundational measures featured in 1st grade or Kindergarten that can be insightful about where to go next in their reading instruction. These may include:
      • ​​Letter Naming Fluency (LNF): Measures how many letters your child can name in one minute.
      • Phoneme Segmentation Fluency (PSF): tests if your child can break words into individual sounds (e.g., "dog" – /d/ /o/ /g/).
      • Nonsense Word Fluency (NWF): Checks if your child can sound out simple made-up words (e.g., "neb")—showing they’re learning how to blend sounds to read.
      • Word Reading Fluency (WRF): Checks how many real words your child can read quickly.
      • ​Spelling: A screener that is computer-based checking spelling accuracy on grade level appropriate words. 
  • 3rd Grade- This is the year reading is used more for learning. DIBELS checks for fluency and deeper understanding.​
    • Oral Reading Fluency (ORF): All students read a passage aloud to show how smoothly and accurately they read.
    • Vocabulary and Maze: All students are asked to take a 3 minute screener where they fill-in-the-blanks with the right word in a passage (maze) to check comprehension. Additionally they are asked meaning of works in context and by definition (untimed.) Computer-based.
    • Depending on how your child reads, we can also do some foundational measures featured in 1st grade or Kindergarten that can be insightful about where to go next in their reading instruction. These may include:
      • ​​Letter Naming Fluency (LNF): Measures how many letters your child can name in one minute.
      • Phoneme Segmentation Fluency (PSF): tests if your child can break words into individual sounds (e.g., "dog" – /d/ /o/ /g/).
      • Nonsense Word Fluency (NWF): Checks if your child can sound out simple made-up words (e.g., "neb")—showing they’re learning how to blend sounds to read.
      • Word Reading Fluency (WRF): Checks how many real words your child can read quickly.
      • ​Spelling: A screener that is computer-based checking spelling accuracy on grade level appropriate words. 
MAP Growth
  • Scheduled directly with your Teacher advisor. An adaptive computerized assessment that can be used for K-12th grade students in our district. Available in Fall, and Winter. Grades K-2/10-12 can also take in the Spring. Grades 3-9 are only offered the combined AKSTAR/MAP Growth in the Spring. 

About State Testing

MSBSD  participates in the AKSTAR/MAP GROWTH dual assessment in Language Arts and Mathematics for grades 3-9 and the AK Science assessment for grade 5, 8, and 10.  You can visit the State of Alaska's webpage on assessments here.

AK STAR and AK Science Assessments and takes place the month of April.

In compliance with the AK READS ACT, we also offer literacy screeners for grades K-3 in Fall, Winter, and Spring. Talk with your advisor about how to schedule those. 

High School Testing