myIGDIs

Aug 15 – Oct 16

January 7-31

March 19 – May 29

4K

myIGDIs™ is a formative assessment individually administered by the teacher to support the identification of preschool children requiring additional diagnostic assessment or levels of intervention in literacy and mathematics. This assessment can be used to measure developmental gains and inform instructional needs of individual children. More information about the assessment is located on the myIGDIs web site.

KRA

Aug 15 – Oct 16

Kindergarten

The KRA is a developmentally appropriate instrument that measures a child’s school readiness across multiple domains. Understanding a child’s school readiness helps kindergarten teachers best meet the child’s needs, and it helps schools, families, communities and policy makers know how best to support young children as they enter the K-12 environment. The KRA determines each child’s readiness level from an evaluation of four domains: Social Foundations, Language/Literacy, Mathematics, and Physical Well-Being. The KRA provides a snapshot of students’ abilities at the beginning of the school year.

i-Ready

August 15-30

December 2-13

March 31 – April 11

K-8th

These diagnostic assessment tools help educators see where students are, set high—but achievable—expectations for growth, and connect the right instructional tools to help them get there.

CogAT & Iowa

2nd Grade

The identification of gifted and talented students is a multi-step process which consists of screening and referral, assessment of eligibility, and placement. The objective of the grade 2 testing program is to evaluate each student for the purpose of placement into a district Gifted and Talented program. In accordance with State Board Regulation 43-220, students must meet the criteria for two out of the three dimensions outlined in this law. See SCDE’s Gifted and Talented web site for additional information.

CogAT

3rd-8th

Deadline for nominations: September 15

The identification of gifted and talented students is a multi-step process which consists of screening and referral, assessment of eligibility, and placement. The objective of the grade 2 testing program is to evaluate each student for the purpose of placement into a district Gifted and Talented program.  In accordance with State Board Regulation 43-220, students must meet the criteria for two out of the three dimensions outlined in this law. See SCDE’s Gifted and Talented web site for additional information.

PreACT

10th Grade

* PSAT/NMSQT or PreACT

Sign-up Deadline:

PreACT® assessments offer students an early experience with ACT test items, provides a predicted ACT test score, and offers a wealth of information to help students get the start they need to be college ready. Anchored on the ACT College and Career Readiness Standards, PreACT assessments help educators, students, and parents identify areas of academic strength and opportunity.

PSAT/NMSQT

8th, 10th*, 11th

*PSAT/NMSQT or PreACT

Sign-up Deadline:

Taking the PSAT/NMSQT® is a great way to find out how prepared you are for college and career. The PSAT/NMSQT is the qualifying test for entry to the National Merit® Scholarship Program (described in the second part of this guide). The test also connects you to College Board programs and services that can propel you to opportunities you’ve earned.

ACT & SAT

Fall: High School Seniors

Sign-up Deadline:

Spring: High School Juniors and Seniors

Sign-up Deadline:

Note: Seniors may only take one (ACT or SAT) during the school year

The SAT and the ACT are timed, multiple-choice examinations which measure a high school student’s readiness for college and provide colleges with one common data point that can be used to compare all applicants. For additional information about the SAT, please visit the College Board website. For additional information about The ACT, please visit the ACT website.

WIN

Fall: High School Seniors

Spring: High school Juniors and Seniors

Note: Seniors not CCR must take WIN

The South Carolina Career Ready Test is a career readiness test administered to all eleventh-grade students to measure the most common skills that employers define as foundational for career readiness. Students are assessed in four key areas: Soft Skills, Math, Reading, and Data.

Seal of Biliteracy

11th & 12th grade candidates

Fall

Sign-up Deadline:

Spring

Sign-up Deadline:

The SC Seal of Biliteracy is a nationally recognized credential granted by the South Carolina Department of Education certifying a students’ high proficiency in English and at least one other world language. The Seal is earned when the student has attained a minimum of a 3.0 ELA GPA and at least an intermediate mid-level of proficiency in a language other than English. The latter is assessed in their Junior and Senior year of high school through a state approved nationally recognized proficiency-based assessment.

EOCEP

(District EOC Benchmarks)

English 2, Biology 1,

Algebra 1, and U.S. History

The End-of-Course Examination Program (EOCEP) is a statewide assessment program of end-of-course tests for gateway courses awarded units of credit in English/language arts, mathematics, science, and social studies. The EOCEP encourages instruction in the specific standards for the courses, encourages student achievement, and documents the level of students’ mastery of the academic standards. Gateway courses in English/language arts, mathematics, science, and social studies will be defined by the State Board of Education. EOCEP examination scores count 20 percent in the calculation of the student’s final grade in gateway courses. Defined gateway courses currently include Algebra 1, Intermediate Algebra, Biology 1, English 2, and United States History and the Constitution, or courses with other names and activity codes in which the academic standards corresponding to these subjects are taught.

ACCESS for ELLs

K-12th ESOL

All students in grades K-12 who are determined to have limited English proficiency - based upon the completion of a Home Language Survey and the initial assessment of their English proficiency - must take ACCESS for ELLs® or Alternate ACCESS each spring. This includes those students whose parents have waived direct MLP services.

Performance Tasks Assessment

2nd-5th

(meet eligibility criteria)

These assessments are used to identify intellectually advanced students for inclusion in gifted education programs. The purpose of the Performance Task Assessment is to identify students on Dimension C of the SBE Regulation 43-220. Students who meet the criteria for Dimension A (aptitude) or Dimension B (achievement), but not both, must take the primary level in grade 2 and/or 3 and the intermediate level in grade 4 and/or 5.

Climate Surveys

March 3-21

Parents, Teachers,

3rd-12th Students

The Education Accountability Act of 1998 specifies that, “school report cards should include information in such areas as…evaluations of the school by parents, teachers, and students.” Student, teacher, and parent/guardian opinion surveys have been designed to measure perceptions of three factors – Home and School Relations, School Learning Environments, and School Social and Physical Environments. Feedback received in these surveys provide valuable information to principals, teachers, parents, school improvement councils, and community groups in their efforts to identify areas for improvement.

SC Alternate Assessments

March 3 – April 11

3rd-12th

(meet eligibility criteria)

The SC Alternate Assessments are assessments for students with significant cognitive disabilities who are assessed against alternate achievement standards as they are unable to participate in the general assessment program even with appropriate accommodations.

SC READY

May 5-6: Reading

May 7: Writing

May 12-13: Math

May 14: Science (4th Grade Only)

3rd-8th

The South Carolina College- and Career-Ready Assessments (SC READY) program is a statewide assessment in English Language Arts (ELA), mathematics, science and social studies administered to students in grades 3–8 as required by the Education Accountability Act (EAA). The EAA was amended in 2018 to shorten testing by reducing the number of grade levels tested in social studies to grades 5 and 7 and for science to grades 4, 6, and 8. For the 2024-25 school year, Proviso 1.72 of the General Appropriations Bill suspended testing of grade 8 in science and grades 5 and 7 in social studies. As a result, students will be assessed in grades 4 and 6 in science. SC READY social studies will not be assessed in grades 3-8 during the 2024-25 school year.

Advanced Placement (AP)

AP Students

Advanced Placement (AP) gives students the chance to tackle college-level work while they are still in high school and earn college credit and placement.

James B. Edwards Civics Assessment

Last 2 weeks of each quarter

9th-12th

(enrolled in U.S. Government)

As part of the high school curriculum regarding the United States government required credit, students are required to take the civics test. See S.C. Code § 59-29-240.

NAEP

The National Assessment of Educational Progress, known as the Nation’s Report Card is the largest continuing and nationally representative assessment of what our nation’s students know and can do in subjects such as mathematics, reading, science, and writing. Stakeholders use NAEP results to assess progress and develop ways to improve education in the US. State-level results provide information about student achievement in South Carolina, while also allowing for comparisons between our state and other states, regions, and the nation.

ASVAB and ASVAB Career Exploration Program

The ASVAB is offered to high school students as part of the ASVAB Career Exploration Program. The program provides tools to help students learn more about career exploration and planning, in both the civilian and military worlds of work.