State Testing: An Interactive Breakdown of 2015-16 Plans
Which states are giving PARCC, Smarter Balanced, SAT, or ACT? Which require exit exams? This interactive chart shows the results of a national survey of states' assessment programs in math and English/language arts for 2015-16.
For the latest information on state testing plans, click here.
State Testing: An Interactive Breakdown of 2015-16 Plans
The 2015-16 school year brings yet another wave of change to states' testing plans, as they try to respond to pressure to cut back on testing time, and still help students access college opportunity. To do that, many states have chosen to require the SAT or ACT of all students, or use it as their high school accountability test. Some have also dropped the federally funded consortium tests, PARCC and Smarter Balanced, in favor of the SAT or ACT to save testing time.
The chart below shows the results of Education Week's national survey of states' assessment programs in math and English/language arts for 2015-16.
An Overview of States' 2015-16 Testing Plans
1. What tests are states requiring in 2015-16?
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What tests are states using for federal accountability?
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2. Which states are using PARCC or Smarter Balanced?
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21
Which states are using PARCC or Smarter Balanced only in grades 3-9?
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6
3. Which states are using non-consortium tests?
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27
Are any states mixing PARCC and Smarter Balanced with their own items, or letting districts choose what test to give?
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3
4. Which states require students to take the SAT or ACT?
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21
Which states use SAT or ACT for federal accountability?
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12
Which states require students to choose between the SAT, ACT, or a work skills or college placement test?
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3
All States Tests Required in 2015-16 Tests Used for Federal Accountability States Using PARCC or Smarter Balanced States Using PARCC or Smarter Balanced Only in Grades 3-9 States Using Non-Consortium Tests States Using Hybrid Approach or Letting Districts Choose States Requiring the SAT or ACT States Requiring the SAT or ACT for Federal Accountability States Requiring Students to Choose Between the SAT, ACT, or Another Test
| State | 3-8 Test | High School Test | Exit Exam? | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | ACT Aspire | ACT Aspire, ACT, WorkKeys | none | |
| Alaska | Alaska Measures of Progress (AMP) | AMP; ACT, SAT, or WorkKeys | none | AMP in grades 3-10. Choice of ACT, SAT or WorkKeys in 11. |
| Arizona | AZMerit | AZMerit | none | |
| Arkansas | ACT Aspire | ACT Aspire | none | |
| California | Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium (SBAC) | SBAC | none | |
| Colorado | Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC) | PARCC, PSAT, ACT | none | PARCC in grades 3-9. |
| Connecticut | Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium (SBAC) | SAT | none | |
| Delaware | Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium (SBAC) | PSAT, SAT | none | |
| District of Columbia | Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC) | PARCC | none | |
| Florida | Florida Standards Assessment (FSA) | FSA, Next Generation Sunshine State Standards (NGSSS) | FSA or NGSSS | Students must pass FSA or NGSSS to graduate, depending on cohort year. |
| Georgia | Georgia Milestones | Georgia Milestones | none | |
| Hawaii | Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium (SBAC) | SBAC, ACT | none | For high school accountability, SBAC shows achievement, ACT shows college readiness. |
| Idaho | Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium (SBAC) | SBAC; ACT, SAT, ACT Compass | none | SBAC in grades 3-8 and 10. Choice of ACT, SAT or ACT Compass in 11. |
| Illinois | Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC) | PARCC, SAT | none | |
| Indiana | Indiana Statewide Testing for Educational Progress Plus (ISTEP+) | ISTEP+, end-of-course tests | End-of-course tests | Students must pass end-of-course tests to graduate. |
| Iowa | Iowa Assessments | Iowa Assessments | none | |
| Kansas | Kansas State Assessment (KSA) | KSA | none | |
| Kentucky | Kentucky Performance Rating for Educational Progress (K-PREP) | QualityCore, ACT | none | |
| Louisiana | MIX: Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC) and Louisiana Educational Assessment Program (LEAP) | End-of-course tests, ACT, ACT Plan | End-of-course tests | MIX: LEAP is a mix of PARCC and state-designed items. Students must pass end-of-course tests to graduate. |
| Maine | Maine Educational Assessments (MEA) | SAT | none | |
| Maryland | Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC) | PARCC | none | |
| Massachusetts | CHOICE: Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC) or Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System (MCAS) | MCAS | MCAS | CHOICE: Districts that gave MCAS in 2015 can choose MCAS or PARCC in 2016. Districts that gave PARCC in 2015 must do so in 2016. |
| Michigan | MIX: Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium (SBAC) and Michigan Student Test of Educational Progress (M-STEP) | Michigan Merit Exam (includes SAT, WorkKeys); PSAT | none | MIX: M-STEP in grades 3-8 is a mix of SBAC and Michigan-designed items. |
| Minnesota | Minnesota Comprehensive Assessments (MCA) | MCA | none | |
| Mississippi | Mississippi Assessment Program (MAP) | MAP, ACT | MAP or previous state tests | For federal accountability, MAP shows achievement, ACT shows college readiness. Students must pass the MAP or state's previous subject-area tests, depending on class cohort. |
| Missouri | Missouri Assessment Program (MAP) | MAP end-of-course tests, ACT | none | |
| Montana | Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium (SBAC) | ACT | none | |
| Nebraska | Nebraska State Accountablity Tests (NeSA) | NeSA | none | |
| Nevada | Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium (SBAC) | End-of-course tests, ACT | End-of-course tests | |
| New Hampshire | Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium (SBAC), Performance Assessment of Competency Education (PACE) | PACE, SAT | none | In eight districts, students take SBAC once each in elementary, middle, and high school, and PACE assessments in all other grades. |
| New Jersey | Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC) | PARCC | PARCC or other exams | To graduate, students must produce threshold scores on a test of their choice: PARCC, ACT, ACT Aspire, PSAT, SAT, Accuplacer, or ASVAB-AFQT, or demonstrate mastery by portfolio. |
| New Mexico | Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC) | PARCC | PARCC | Students must score level 3 on PARCC to graduate. |
| New York | New York State English Language Arts and Mathematics Tests | Regents Exams | Regents Exams | |
| North Carolina | North Carolina end-of-grade tests | North Carolina end-of-course tests, ACT PLAN, ACT, WorkKeys | none | |
| North Dakota | Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium (SBAC) | SBAC; ACT or WorkKeys | none | Choice of ACT or WorkKeys in grade 11. |
| Ohio | Ohio State Tests (OST) | OST, Ohio Graduation Test (OGT) | OGT | Students must pass OGT to graduate. |
| Oklahoma | Oklahoma Core Curriculum Test (OCCT) | End-of-course tests | End-of-course tests | |
| Oregon | Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium (SBAC) | SBAC | none | |
| Pennsylvania | Pennsylvania System of School Assessment (PSSA) | Keystone Exams | none | |
| Rhode Island | Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC) | PARCC | none | |
| South Carolina | SCReady | End-of-course tests, ACT | none | |
| South Dakota | Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium (SBAC) | SBAC | none | |
| Tennessee | TNReady | TNReady, ACT Explore, ACT Plan, ACT | none | For federal accountability, TNReady shows achievement, ACT shows college readiness. |
| Texas | State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness (STAAR) | STAAR | STAAR end-of-course exams | |
| Utah | Student Assessment of Growth and Excellence (SAGE) | SAGE, ACT | none | |
| Vermont | Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium (SBAC) | SBAC | none | |
| Virginia | Standards of Learning (SOL) | SOL | SOL | |
| Washington | Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium (SBAC) | SBAC, end-of-course tests, High School Proficiency Exam (HSPE) | SBAC, end-of-course tests, High School Proficiency Exam (HSPE) | Students must pass SBAC or end-of-course tests in math, and SBAC or HSPE in English/language arts, depending on class cohort. |
| West Virginia | Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium (SBAC) | SBAC | none | |
| Wisconsin | Wisconsin Forward | ACT Aspire, ACT | none | |
| Wyoming | Proficiency Assessments for Wyoming Students (PAWS) | ACT Aspire, ACT | none |
Source: Catherine Gewertz | Design & Visualization: Sumi Bannerjee
Correction: An earlier version of this chart contained incomplete testing information for New Jersey. This updated chart shows complete information.
Correction: An earlier version of this chart contained incomplete testing information for New Jersey. This updated chart shows complete information.
A version of this article appeared in the March 23, 2016 edition of Education Week as National Testing Landscape, 2015-16