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Rogers schools outline which state assessments are required and which are optional
Summary
District Director of Assessment Dr. Meredith Young told the Rogers School Board that Arkansas'''s new ATLAS system groups multiple tests under one umbrella and that the district has adjusted which interim assessments it will give this year as the state changed requirements.
Dr. Meredith Young, director of assessment for Rogers Public Schools, told the school board on Jan. 20 that the Arkansas Department of Education now groups many statewide tests under the ATLAS (Arkansas Teaching and Learning Assessment System) umbrella and that the district has altered its testing calendar to match state changes.
The ATLAS umbrella, Young said, can refer to either the full set of state assessments or to specific summative or interim tests within that system, and that dual usage has caused confusion among teachers and families. "One thing I want to share with you is you'll see the top says, ATLAS, and then it says Arkansas teaching and learning assessment system," Young said during the presentation. "It could be the umbrella of all assessments or it could just be one specific one that we are giving." (Dr. Meredith Young, director of assessment)
The presentation explained which grade bands face the most required testing this year, and which windows the district opted to skip. Key points Young gave to the board: - K'0 through grade 2: the state originally planned a beginning-, middle- and end-of-year diagnostic structure; the district gave a beginning-of-year screener within the first 30 days but the midyear (January) assessment was not ready and was canceled. As a result, K'''2 will have only beginning- and end-of-year assessments this year. - Grades 3'''10: third grade and grades 3'''10 face more state-required testing, including summative tests and interim options; the district gave a fall interim but has declined to give the February interim window in many grade bands because the state information and tools have changed midyear. - High school (grades 9'''12): requirements include the Arkansas civics exam, ACT (state-paid and tied to accountability for 11th graders), selected end-of-course exams (algebra, geometry, biology) and the summative ATLAS tests. PSAT is not required by the state but the state pays if the district elects to administer it to 10th graders.
Young said the ATLAS interim assessments are adaptive: "It does. Absolutely. That is common with all of the ATLAS tests," and noted that interims may help students practice test tools that are built into the online platform. But she cautioned board members that, for this school year, the benefit of the interim data did not justify the amount of classroom time taken. "Right now the information that the state gives us . . . doesn't justify the amount of time that we take away from classroom instruction," she said.
Board members asked for clarification about growth measures and whether growth compares beginning-to-end-of-year or prior-year end to current end. Young said the state has not finalized the calculation but that the current approach appears likely to compare end-of-year to end-of-year; the state is still finalizing how achievement and growth will weigh into accountability.
Why this matters: the district is balancing the state'''s evolving test schedule, classroom instructional time, and the need for data to guide interventions. Young told the board the district had chosen some interim administrations in the fall to help students become familiar with the digital tools and adaptivity; the district then opted not to use the February window in several grade bands because the expected value did not outweigh lost instruction time this year.
Board members were invited to review more detailed interim-time comparisons and a state-provided chart Young said shows average test times by grade. Young committed to returning next month with assessment results and additional context once district staff had more time to analyze the spring summative windows.
The presentation and discussion were limited to procedures and timing; no change to district policy was approved at the meeting.
Ending: The board received the presentation as the first of a two-part briefing; a follow-up data report will be presented next month that shows how students performed under the new ATLAS system and the district'''s recommended use of optional interim assessments.
