School board adopts uniform statewide assessment calendar after debate over which district tests to list

The Volusia County School Board approved its uniform statewide assessment calendar for 2025-26, a document the state supplies as a template and the district populates with its testing windows. The presentation to the board explained the calendar must be board-approved and posted to the district website.

Dr. Valle (Assessment Office) described the calendar as a state template populated with district dates and said the internal teacher-facing calendar looks different because teachers need a simpler, more actionable layout. He told the board the dates shown matched the workshop presented roughly two months earlier and that the document format had changed slightly.

Several board members raised questions about whether district-used program assessments such as Smart Start (VPK) and Waterford (K-1) should be listed on the state-submitted form. A trustee said she believed district-wide use of those programs implied the district should include them. Dr. Valle and Christy Castellanos (instructional staff) explained the distinction: the uniform calendar captures assessments the district creates and requires for all students on the same day and in a uniform way, while program placement or intervention assessments (Smart Start, Waterford, other vendor tools) are implemented at the school or teacher level and are not always district-created or required for every student.

As Dr. Castellanos put it, such vendor program data are "program data" used to target interventions; the district uses state and district assessments (STAR, PM1) for district-level reporting and decision-making. Trustees requested a copy of the state guidance that defines what should appear in the uniform statewide assessment calendar; staff agreed to provide the companion guidance and to confirm with early learning staff whether particular programs should be included on the state template.

Why it matters: The calendar informs teachers, families and the state about when statewide and district-created assessments will be administered. The distinction between district-required assessments and locally selected program assessments affects transparency for parents and how the district reports data.

Outcome: The board approved the uniform statewide assessment calendar as presented. Staff will share the state's companion guidance and follow up on whether specific early-learning or vendor assessments should be listed on the state template.

Ending: Trustees and staff agreed to keep teacher-facing versions available locally and to provide the board the state guidance used to complete the template so trustees can confirm what should be listed on the public calendar.