Livonia Public Schools
ASSESSMENT SYSTEM
The District maintains an annual assessment calendar which includes national, state, and districtdeveloped assessments that are administered during different times of the school year. The results of
the national assessments are used for comparison purposes to benchmark our achievement as
compared to national norms. The results of these assessments are also used for placement in the
District’s accelerated, or gifted, programs at the elementary, middle school, and high school levels.
Data reports provided by the Michigan Department of Education from the state assessments are used
by the state for meeting NCLB requirements and for state accountability purposes. They are also used
by the District to determine our curriculum alignment with the state’s standards/content expectations.
The District also compares its results on state assessments to the eighty-one other districts in the tricounty area. The results of the District’s common assessments at the elementary level fulfill the
requirement to annually test every student in first through fifth grades in reading and mathematics. The
results of the District-developed assessments provide feedback on the implementation of our District’s
curriculum in first through twelfth grades and provide immediate feedback to teachers on their students’
performance of curriculum standards. The results of the District’s common assessments at the
secondary level fulfill the state’s requirement to award credit for a Michigan Merit Curriculum, at least in
part, on the results of a common assessment. These assessments are reviewed annually and
revisions made based on curriculum changes at the state/district level and also based on student
responses to test items.
The District’s curriculum facilitators tabulate and analyze the results of these assessments to determine
strengths and areas of concern along with recommendation for focusing improvement efforts. The
assessment results along with their analysis are communicated to schools through written documents
and presentations. The District-developed assessments are reviewed regularly to ensure the
information gleaned from them is an accurate reflection of student learning and is useful and
meaningful to the District and schools. The District’s analysis of results is also used to revise the
District’s Improvement Plan and create/maintain student academic learning goals. Assessment data is
stored in a comprehensive data warehouse system called DataWise/Measured Progress through the
county’s Regional Educational Service Agency. Teachers and administrators have access to the many
and varied assessment reports in DataWise/Measured Progress.
The data available for each type of assessment is listed below:
National Assessments
 The Iowa Test of Basic Skills (Achievement) and the Cognitive Abilities Test (Ability) are
administered to two grades (third and sixth) at the elementary level and one grade (eighth) at
the middle school level. These assessments provide reports at the District and individual school
level for Verbal Skills, Quantitative Skills, Nonverbal Skills, and a Composite Score for Ability.
For Achievement, the District and schools receive a composite score and subtopic scores for
Reading, Language and Mathematics results. Data from these assessments are not able to be
uploaded in the District’s Data Warehouse System. Individual student results are available for
teachers and are sent home to parents.
 ACT’s Explore Test is administered at the eighth grade and the Plan Test at the tenth grade
annually. These assessments provide reports at the District and school levels that indicate the
percent of students meeting college readiness standards for English, Mathematics, Reading,
and Science as well as the percent of students by National Quartile for each of the four content
areas and percent of students who met the readiness standards for all four content areas.
Results of these assessments are available in the District’s Data Warehouse System. Individual
student results are provided to schools and are sent home to parents.
State Mandated Assessments (MEAP and MME)
 Reports of student achievement on state assessments include a comprehensive report,
demographic/subgroup report, all students except for students with disabilities report, item
analysis report for each of the five content area tested (math, reading, science, social studies,
and writing) for each grade in which these assessments are administered. These reports are
provided at the District, school and classroom levels and are available in the District’s Data
Warehouse System. In addition, the state provides parents with a parent report of student
achievement which is sent home to them.
District-developed Common Assessments (elementary and secondary)
 Reports of student achievement on the district’s common assessments include
District/school/classroom summary reports, item analysis, distribution summary report, target
area report and results by individual students within a classroom. These reports are available in
the District’s Data Warehouse System.
The District is committed to using data to inform and guide instruction and monitor student learning. To
this end, the District provides schools with assessment data and a written analysis report for each
assessment administered. Presentations of the analysis and recommendation for instructional
improvement efforts are also provided for state and District-developed assessments. The District
provides parents with information about their child/ren’s progress through report cards, progress
reports, parent-teacher conferences, and MISTAR Parent Portal which provides information on posted
assignment scores, report card grades, attendance, graduation credit requirements, etc. Students have
access to MISTAR Student Portal to monitor their own progress. Also, parent reports of individual
student achievement are provided for the norm referenced and state required assessments. District
and school annual reports contain two-years of assessment information. Board presentations on the
results of state and District assessments are provided annually which summarize student achievement
levels, strengths, and instructional needs.
The District uses data to assist in the decision-making process to evaluate its effectiveness. The
District School Improvement Team (DSIT) collects data from stakeholders to determine how best to
move the Shared Vision forward. During Division of Instruction meetings and department meetings,
comparative state assessment data is analyzed to determine the District’s effectiveness as compared
to other districts with like demographics. Discussion at these meetings also includes an analysis of
student performance by subgroup populations to identify where the District needs to focus in order to
reduce the achievement gaps that exist.
The District provides assessment analysis workshops to assist staff in their understanding of the
assessment results and the implication for teaching and learning. The District’s curriculum facilitators
provide this training to staff, such as elementary math and literacy leaders, School Improvement chairs,
and secondary department chairs. The District monitors and reviews each school’s school
improvement action plan and uses the results to determine the appropriate professional development to
support school teams’ in their understanding of how best to use assessment data. The District’s
professional development program is developed annually to support instruction and student learning
based on the analysis of student assessment data.