Assessments

In the Chester School District, we believe that high-quality assessment is a vital bridge connecting rigorous standards with personalized instruction. True to our mission of nurturing reflective, confident, and independent learners, our district views assessments not as an end-point, but as a continuous cycle of discovery that helps us understand and respond to each child's unique developmental need.

Student Assessments

District Benchmarks

Chester School District's benchmark assessments are an integral part of our instructional framework. In Grades K–8, we use Amplify mCLASS for both English Language Arts (ELA) and Mathematics.

Why do we use benchmark assessments?

Continuous Growth Monitoring: Benchmarks allow us to look at longitudinal data, ensuring that students are meeting grade-level milestones and maintaining steady progress year over year.
Data-Driven Instruction: The immediate reporting provided by mCLASS helps teachers pinpoint exactly which concepts students have mastered and which skills require more focus. This allows for effective small-group instruction and differentiated learning paths in the general classroom.
Targeted Interventions: Early identification is key to academic success. Benchmark data helps our instructional teams recommend and design specific interventions for students who require additional tiers of support, catching skill gaps before they widen.

How often are these assessments given?

Benchmark assessments are given in the Fall, Winter, and Spring to all K-8 students. Our District Assessment Schedule can be found here (COMING SOON): District Assessment Schedule

How long do these assessments take?

For ELA, the bulk of the assessment is done one-on-one with a teacher. The teacher listens to the student read or identify sounds for a series of rapid, 1-minute tasks (like decoding, word reading, or oral reading fluency). Starting in 2nd grade, there is also a short reading comprehension component called the Maze measure. This is group-administered to the whole class at once and takes about 3-4 minutes.

For Math, it takes about 30 to 40 minutes to complete the assessment. mCLASS Math is group-administered digitally to the whole class, an entire classroom can usually finish the assessment within a single standard class period.

Universal Screener K-3 Literacy

What is a 'Universal Screening'?

Universal screening is a proactive approach to assessing students' reading abilities. It is crucial for early prevention and intervention, ensuring every child receives the support they need to thrive academically.

What grades are students 'Universally Screened'?

Chester students are screened in Kindergarten, First, Second, and Third Grade.

What assessment is used?

Chester School District uses the DIBELS ® (Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills) 8th Edition, which is a set of procedures and measures for assessing the acquisition of literacy skills. They are designed to be short (one-minute) fluency measures that can be used to regularly detect risk and monitor the development of early literacy and early reading skills.

The assessment tests core foundational skills through the following short, timed subtests:

Letter Naming Fluency (LNF): Assesses how quickly and accurately students can identify uppercase and lowercase letters.
Phonemic Segmentation Fluency (PSF): Measures the ability to isolate and produce individual sounds (phonemes) within spoken words.
Nonsense Word Fluency (NWF): Evaluates knowledge of basic sound-spelling patterns and the alphabetic principle.
Word Reading Fluency (WRF): Tests a student's ability to quickly and accurately read sight words.
Oral Reading Fluency (ORF): Measures accuracy and speed in reading connected, grade-level text out loud.
Maze: A silent, reading comprehension assessment where students choose the missing word in context to fill in the blank

As a parent/guardian, will I be notified of the results?

Yes! Family partnership is essential in building a strong foundation in literacy. You will receive written notification of the results within 30 days of the close of the assessment period. Our District Assessment Schedule can be found here (COMING SOON): District Assessment Schedule

New Jersey State Assessments

Every year, public school districts across New Jersey participate in state-mandated testing. These assessments are vital tools that ensure our schools remain aligned with the state's rigorous educational standards and help us identify areas where our curriculum can be strengthened.

Depending on their grade level, students will participate in the following state exams:

Language Arts & Math Proficiency: Students in Grades 3 through 9 take the computer-adaptive NJSLA, which naturally adjusts question difficulty to accurately pinpoint student skill levels.
Science Literacy: Students in Grades 5 and 8 are evaluated on state science standards.
Graduation Readiness: All 11th-grade students complete the computer-adaptive NJGPA to meet state graduation requirements.

For students requiring specialized programming, our district also administers the Dynamic Learning Maps (DLM) alternate assessment and the WIDA ACCESS test for Multi-Lingual Learners. The insights gathered from these assessments empower our teachers to deliver highly targeted instruction throughout the year.

Our primary goal is to provide a calm, supportive environment where students can simply demonstrate what they know. We appreciate our community's shared commitment to celebrating our students' academic growth.

For more information of State Assessments please click here

District Testing Schedule

District Assessment Presentations

Spring 2025 State Assessment Results BOE Presentation - COMING SOON!

Spring 2024 State Assessment Results BOE Presentation

Spring 2023 State Assessment Results BOE Presentation

Spring 2022 State Assessment Results BOE Presentation

Fall 2022 Start Strong State Assessment Results BOE Presentation

Fall 2021 Start Strong State Assessment Results BOE Presentation