BENCHMARK ASSESSMENTS
ABOUT THE WINSIGHT®
BENCHMARK ASSESSMENTS
The Winsight® benchmark assessments are intended to help track student learning throughout the school year, providing valuable touch points to enable teachers to adjust curriculum and instructional planning as needed. Each assessment can be completed in 40 to 50 minutes, either in one sitting or two.
Most of the questions on the benchmark assessments are identical in format and approach to the questions on the summative assessment, so they can help predict summative performance and familiarize students with the types of questions they will see.
All items are machine scored – including short responses – which allows for quick turnaround of accurate results.
BENCHMARK ASSESSMENTS SERVE DIFFERENT PURPOSES DEPENDING ON WHEN THEY ARE GIVEN:
- At the beginning of the year, they can help teachers get an early view of the skill range of their new group of students.
- At the mid-year point, they can provide a sense of student progression from a benchmark assessment given at the beginning of the year and how well students are prepared for the summative assessment.
- At the end of the year, they can guide summer learning plans or provide a pre-post assessment for the school year to inform curriculum decisions.
OVERVIEW OF THE WINSIGHT BENCHMARK ASSESSMENTS
Explore high-level information about the benchmark assessments including how they are designed, what item types are used, how long they take to administer and what grade levels can be tested.
MATHEMATICS
TEST DESIGN
The mathematics benchmark assessment consists of two stages that can be administered in a single class period or over the course of two separate class periods. The two stages of the mathematics benchmark assessment are the router stage and the adaptive stage. Most of the questions on the benchmark assessments are identical in format and approach to the questions on the summative assessment, and they are aligned with most of the same content specifications. Taking the benchmark assessments can also help students become familiar with the types of questions they will see on summative tests.
ITEM TYPES
- Selected response
- Technology enhanced
-
Constructed response
- Numeric Entry
- Graphing
- Extended-text items with equation editors
Grades
3-high school
Time:
20-25 minutes for each
of 2 stages
ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS
TEST DESIGN
The English language arts (ELA) benchmark assessment consists of two stages. The stages can be administered in a single class period or over the course of two separate class periods. There are two different structures for ELA benchmark test forms: literary or informational passages. Schools or districts may choose the form structure that best fits their instructional needs at the time and taking the benchmark assessments can also help students become familiar with the types of questions they will see on summative tests.
ITEM TYPES
- Selected response
- Technology enhanced
- Short Constructed response
Grades
3-high school
Time:
15-20 minutes
Stage 1
25-30 minutes
Stage 2
MORE INFORMATION
Test at a Glance
Benchmark Test at a Glance
Learn about the Winsight benchmark math and ELA assessments, and their design and item types.
DISCOVER THE OTHER COMPONENTS OF THE WINSIGHT PROGRAM
Each component of the Winsight program has a specific function with unique benefits. Explore the other two.
DISCOVER MORE ABOUT THE WINSIGHT ASSESSMENT PROGRAM
GET THE WINSIGHT PROGRAM IN YOUR STATE
Explore the ways in which you can adopt the Winsight assessment program in your state.