Archdiocesan elementary schools administer standardized tests to students in grades four, six, and eight. These tests are given in September each year in the belief that results should be used to address the educational needs of individual students and to make adjustments in curriculum and instruction during the current school year. Students with special learning needs are not excluded from standardized testing, but are afforded appropriate accommodations during test administration. The effective use of assessment can assist a school in achieving its learning goals and enable students to evaluate their own progress. Elementary schools also develop local assessment plans that supplement the Archdiocesan testing program.
Schools incorporate a wide range of instruments and activities in their local assessment plans.
This may include use of the ITBS and CogAT with other grades or at other times of the year. An Archdiocesan-wide standardized testing program has been in place for more than fifteen years. The performance of students in the elementary schools of the Archdiocese has been consistently above the national average during that period of time. It is important to recognize, however, that standardized test scores are just one indicator and should only be used with other measures for determining success.