Assessments

The assessment measures the Alaska English Language Arts & Mathematics standards adopted in 2012. The AK STAR assessments will be administered for the first time in spring 2022 to students in grades 3-9.

AK STAR Fact Sheet

Why Should My Child Take the State Assessment?

What is my child tested on in the spring?
Each spring, schools give the statewide assessment to students in grades 3 – 9. This test provides
students the opportunity to show their understanding of important skills in English language arts,
mathematics, and science at their grade level.

Why is assessment important in my child’s education?
There are five essential questions that we ask (and answer) in regard to student learning every day in
our classrooms:

1. What do we want our students to know and do? (Effective statewide standards)
2. How will we teach them? (Effective local curriculum and instruction)
3. How will we know if they learned it? (Effective assessment)
4. What will we do if they do not learn it? (Effective intervention)
5. What will we do if they already know it? (Effective enrichment)

Effective assessment is the bridge between teaching the standards and ensuring that support is available
for all students. It is a key part of student learning, and everything we do should work toward this goal.

How is this assessment meaningful for my child?
The statewide assessment is a summative assessment, which is just one piece of a balanced assessment
system. Summative assessments are designed to give information on a student’s understanding of the
state’s English language arts, mathematics, and science standards. When administered over multiple
years, this assessment is even more meaningful because it informs you on how far your child has
progressed in their learning.

Why does DEED give a statewide assessment?
First, we want to be able to inform parents, educators, policy makers, the community, and businesses
how our schools and districts are performing. Second, after we have determined how our schools are
performing, we want to identify schools in the most need of school improvement efforts. Third, we want
to ensure there is equity in education. Our mission is to provide an excellent education to every student
every day.

Why is it important for my child to participate in the statewide assessment?
Educators make decisions locally about how to teach Alaska’s standards. With this in mind, the
summative assessment is a standardized way to determine in a uniform manner how well your child’s
school and district are performing. Also, at the state level, we invest over a billion dollars in public
education each year, and the citizens of Alaska have a right to know if that money is contributing to
increased learning for students.

Parents have the right to make educational decisions for their child; please check with your district for
more information.

More information can be found at education.alaska.gov/tls/assessments/.

The Alternate Assessment (AA) is used as a way to measure achievement on an alternate set of state standards and is given to students in grades 3-10 with severe cognitive disabilities. The AA is given in the spring. Additional information about the Alternate Assessment can be found at the State of Alaska Department of Education & Early Development website.

The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), also known as “the Nation’s Report Card,” is the only nationally representative and continuing assessment of what America’s students know and can do in various subject areas. The NAEP selects schools and students in grades 4, 8 and 10 using a sampling model to determine participation in reading, mathematics, science, writing, U.S. history, civics, geography and the arts assessments. Additional information can be found on the NAEP website.

The English Language Proficiency Assessment (ELPA) is used to monitor student progress in English language proficiency and to serve as a criterion to aid in determining when English Language Learners (ELLs) have attained full language proficiency in the areas of reading, writing, listening and speaking. Any student identified as a Limited English Proficiency (LEP) student in grades K-12 take the ELPA. The ELPA is assessed in the spring using the ACCESS testing tool.