Skip Navigation
small header image
State Education Reforms (SER)

Table 1.5b. English/language arts statewide assessment name, grade administered, and assessment type, by state: 2008

State Assessment name Grade(s) administered Assessment type
Alabama Stanford Achievement Test, 10th edition 3-8 Norm-referenced
  Alabama Reading and Mathematics Test 3-8 Criterion-referenced
  Alabama High School Graduation Exam 11 Criterion-referenced
Alaska Standards-Based Assessments 3-10 Criterion-referenced
  High School Graduation Qualifying Exam (HSGQE) 10 Criterion-referenced
  TerraNova California Achievement Tests (CAT)/6 5,7 Norm-referenced
Arizona Arizona Instrument to Measure Standards (AIMS) 3-8, 10 Criterion-referenced
Arkansas Benchmark Exams 3-8 Criterion-referenced
  Literacy Exam 11 Criterion-referenced
California California Standard Tests (CSTs) 2-11 Criterion-referenced
  California Achievement Test (CAT)/6 3,7 Norm-referenced
  California High School Exit Exam (CAHSEE) 10 Criterion-referenced
Colorado Colorado Student Assessment Program 3-10 Criterion-referenced
  Connecticut Mastery Test (CMT) 3-8 Criterion-referenced
Connecticut Connecticut Academic Performance Test (CAPT) 10 Criterion-referenced
District of Columbia District of Columbia Comprehensive Assessment System 3-8, 10 Criterion-referenced
Delaware Delaware Student Testing Program (Reading) 2-10 Norm-referenced, criterion-referenced
  Delaware Student Testing Program (Writing) 3-10 Norm-referenced, criterion-referenced
Florida Florida Comprehensive Reading Assessment Test 3-10 Criterion-referenced, norm-referenced
Georgia Criterion-Referenced Competency Tests (CRCT) 1-8 Criterion-referenced
  Georgia High School Graduation Tests (GHSGT) 11 Criterion-referenced
  End-of-Course Test (EOCT) End-of-Course Criterion-referenced
Hawaii Hawaii Content and Performance Standards II State Assessment 3-8, 10 Augmented norm-referenced
Idaho Idaho Standards Achievement Test 2-10 Augmented norm-referenced
Illinois Illinois Standards Achievement Test (ISAT) 3-10 Criterion-referenced
  Prairie State Achievement Examination (PSAE) 11 Criterion-referenced
Indiana Indiana Statewide Testing for Educational Progress Plus (ISTEP+) 3-10 Criterion-referenced
  Graduation Qualifying Exam 10 Criterion-referenced
Iowa Iowa Tests of Basic Skills (ITBS) K-12 Norm-referenced
Kansas Kansas State Assessment 3-8, High school Criterion-referenced
Kentucky Kentucky Core Content Test 3-8, 10 Criterion-referenced
Louisiana Louisiana Educational Assessment Program (LEAP) 4-8 Criterion-referenced
  Integrated Louisiana Educational Assessment Program (iLEAP) 3, 5,6,7,9 Norm-referenced, criterion-referenced
  Graduation Exit Examination (GEE) 10,11 Criterion-referenced
Maine Maine Educational Assessment (MEA) 3-8 Criterion-referenced
  Scholastic Assessment Test High school Norm-referenced
Maryland Maryland School Assessments (MSA) 3-8 Norm-referenced/criterion-referenced (hybrid)
  Maryland High School Assessment End-of-Course Criterion-referenced
Massachusetts Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System (MCAS) 3-8, 10 Criterion-referenced
Michigan Michigan Educational Assessment Program (MEAP) 3-8 Criterion-referenced
  Michigan Merit Examination 11 Criterion-referenced
Minnesota Minnesota Comprehensive Assessments-Series II (MCA-II) 3-8, 10 Criterion-referenced
Mississippi Mississippi Curriculum Test 2-8 Criterion-referenced
  Subject Area Testing Program End-of-Course Criterion-referenced
Missouri Missouri Assessment Program (MAP) 3-8, End-of-Course (English II) Augmented norm-referenced
Montana Montana Comprehensive Assessment System (MontCAS) 3-8, 10 Criterion-referenced
Nebraska School-based Teacher-led Assessment and Reporting System (STARS) 3-8, 11 Criterion-referenced
Nevada Iowa Test of Basic Skills 4,7 Norm-referenced
  Iowa Test of Educational Development 10 Norm-referenced
  Criterion-Referenced Tests 3-8 Criterion-referenced, Writing
  High School Proficiency Examination 10-12 Criterion-referenced, Writing
New Hampshire New England Common Assessment Program (NECAP) 3-8 Criterion-referenced
  New Hampshire Educational Improvement Assessment Program (NHEIAP) 10 Criterion-referenced
  New England Commond Assessment Program (pilot) 11 Criterion-referenced
New Jersey New Jersey Skills & Knowledge Assessment 3-7 Criterion-referenced
  Grade Eight Proficiency Assessment (GEPA) 8 Criterion-referenced
  High School Proficiency Assessment (HSPA) 11 Criterion-referenced
New Mexico New Mexico Student Assessment Program 3-9 Criterion-referenced
  New Mexico High School Competency Examination 10 Criterion-referenced
New York English Language Arts Test 3-8 Criterion-referenced
  High School Regents Examination End-of-Course Criterion-referenced
North Carolina End-of-Grade Reading Comprehension 3-8 Criterion-referenced
  End-of-Course Test End-of-Course Criterion-referenced
  North Carolina Competency Test 9 Criterion-referenced
  High School Comprehensive Tests 10 Criterion-referenced
North Dakota North Dakota State Assessment 3-8, 11 Criterion-referenced
Ohio Ohio Achievement Test 3-8 Criterion-referenced
  Ohio Proficiency Test 9 Criterion-referenced
  Ohio Graduation Test 10 Criterion-referenced
Oklahoma Oklahoma Core Curriculum Tests 3-8, End-of-Instruction Criterion-referenced
Oregon Technology Enhanced Student Assessment (TESA)
Knowledge and Skills Tests
3-8, Certificate of Mastery Criterion-referenced
Pennsylvania Pennsylvania System of School Assessment (PSSA) 3-8, 11 Criterion-referenced
Rhode Island New England Common Assessment Program (NECAP) 3-8 Criterion-referenced
  New Standards Reference Exams 11 Criterion-referenced
South Carolina Palmetto Achievement Challenge Test (PACT) 3-8 Criterion-referenced
  High School Assessment Program 10 Criterion-referenced
  End-of-Course Examination Program (EOCEP) End-of-Course Criterion-referenced
South Dakota Dakota State Test of Educational Progress (STEP) 3-8, 11 Criterion-referenced
  Dakota Assessment of Content Standards (DACS) 2-12 Criterion-referenced
  Achievement Series Assessments 1-12 Criterion-referenced
Tennessee Tennessee Comprehensive Assessment Program Achievement Tests 3-8 Criterion-referenced
  Tennessee Comprehensive Assessment Program Gateway Tests End-of-Course Criterion-referenced
Texas Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills (TAKS) 3-11 Criterion-referenced
Utah Criterion-Referenced Tests 3-11 Criterion-referenced
  Utah Basic Skills Competency Tests 10 Criterion-referenced
Vermont New England Common Assessment Program (NECAP) 3-8 Criterion-referenced
  New Standards Reference Exams (NSRE) 10 Criterion-referenced
  Vermont Developmental Reading Assessment (VT-DRA) 2 Performance
Virginia Standards of Learning Assessments (SOL) 3-8, End-of-Course Criterion-referenced
Washington Washington Assessment of Student Learning (WASL) 3-8, 10 Criterion-referenced
West Virginia West Virginia Educational Standards Tests (WESTEST) 3-8, 10 Criterion-referenced
  Writing Assessment 4,7,10 Criterion-referenced
Wisconsin Wisconsin Knowledge & Concepts Examinations (WKCE) 3-8, 10 Criterion-referenced
Wyoming Proficiency Assessments for Wyoming Students (PAWS) 3-8, 11 Criterion-referenced
NOTE: Criterion-referenced: An assessment that is aligned with a state's academic standards and thus intended primarily to measure students' performance with respect to those standards, rather than to the performance of their peers nationally. Norm-referenced: An assessment designed primarily to compare the performance of students with that of their peers nationally. Such tests do not generally measure how students perform in relation to a state's own academic standards. Augmented norm-referenced or hybrid: An assessment that incorporates elements of both criterion-referenced assessments and norm-referenced assessments. Typically, selected items from a norm-referenced assessment are combined with additional items written specifically to assess state content standards not covered by a traditional norm-referenced assessment. Performance: An assessment that requires students to perform a task to demonstrate their knowledge.
SOURCE: State Accountability Profiles, Council of Chief State School Officers, retrieved August 13, 2008 from http://www.ccsso.org/projects/Accountability_Systems/. Data Source.