For additional information regarding the spring 2024 statewide assessments, please contact your student's school.

This informational guide provides information regarding the West Virginia Alternate Summative Assessment (WVASA)which is specifically designed for students with the most significant cognitive disabilities whose performance cannot be adequately assessed through the West Virginia General Summative Assessment even with accommodations.

Students who are administered the alternate assessment will be instructed using the appropriate grade level West Virginia Alternate Academic Achievement Standards, West Virginia Board of Education Policy 2520.16(W VAAAS). It is important to note that students will still have access to grade level content standards. The alternate assessment documents a student's efforts, achievement, and progress on instructional activities aligned to specific WVAAAS and includes descriptions of what students should know and be able to do at each grade level in a specific content area.

The alternate assessment is administered individually to students and measures performance in three content areas:

• English Language Arts (ELA)

  • Grades 3-8 and 11

• Mathematics

  • Grades 3-8 and 11

• Science

  • Grades 5, 8 and 11

West Virginia is a member of the Dynamic Learning Maps (DLM) Consortium. The assessments are online and are linked to the WVAAAS.

All students participate in state accountability assessments. The Dynamic Learning Maps™ Alternate Assessment System (DLM™) is an instructionally relevant system that supports student learning and measures what students with the most significant cognitive disabilities know and can do.

Your student does not need to prepare in any way for the assessment. Assessments are delivered in testlets with each testlet containing 3 to 8 questions. Students receive between 5 and 7 testlets, depending on the grade and subject. The assessment is administered in a one-on-one setting. The assessment is designed to meet the individualized needs of each student.

All times noted are estimates or ranges. Total testing time varies depending on a student's unique learning needs. Testlets may be taken separately across multiple testing sessions as long as they are all completed within the testing window.

Total Testing Time

• 70-90 minutes in ELA

• 35-60 minutes in mathematics

• 30-60 minutes in science

All results are completely confidential, and you will be provided a performance report. If you would like more information about DLM, please visit:

http://dynamiclearningmaps.org/westvirginia

For additional information regarding the spring 2024 statewide assessments, please contact your student's school.

The SAT Suite of Assessments is an important way for your teen to move along the path toward a successful future, whether they plan to go to college or enter the world of work. When they take the SAT, your teen can use their scores to be seen by colleges and scholarship programs, and they get customized career information to help them understand all their options after high school.

Most students now take the SAT through SAT School Day, which research shows leads to higher college-going rates for low-income and underrepresented students.

As your teen navigates their academic journey, the SAT is an important too I you both can leverage to help p Ian for their future. Your teen will;

• Have New Ways to Access Their Scores:

  • If your teen

    is taking the SAT at school, during the school day, they

    can receive ecores quickly and directly through the

    BigFuture® School mobile app. They may also receive

    a PDF score report directly from their school.

• Find Out About Their Likelihood to Succeed in AP:

  • Using their persona Ii zed score report, your teen will get

    recommendations about what AP" courses might be a

    good fit for them.

• Gain career Insights:

  • Beginning in 2024, the score

    report will map the math and reading and writing skills

    measured by the SAT Suite to knowledge, skills, and

    abilities for occupations in the U.S. Department of

    Labor's O*NET database. Developed with experts, the

    personalized career information on the report and in the

    mobile app aims to spark an interest in careers. As

    always, students can chose to log on the their personal

    College Board account for more in-depth exploration.

In spring 2024, the SAT will transition to a digital format. Going digital means a shorter test- closer to two hours than three- and an easier testing experience for students on Bluebook, College Board's new digital testing app. Students will have more time per question, shorter reading passages, and access to a built-in graphing calculator that can be used on the entire math section.

To become familiar with the digital format, your teen will have access to full-length practice tests in Bluebook as well as access to free Official Digital SAT Prep on Khan Academy

• West Virginia Testing Window:

  • April 8 - 26, 2024

  • School/District selects specific date(s)

• Test Sections:

  • Reading & Writing

  • Mathematics

  • (Analysis in Science score reported)

Learn About Colleges and Scholarships: Through the College Board’s free online resource, BigFuture.org, your teen can investigate colleges, take a career quiz, and search for scholarships as they take steps toward their postsecondary option.

Get Help to Pay for College: In some cases, a minimum SAT score and GPA are required to be eligible for certain scholarships. Without scores to submit for consideration, your teen could lose access to thousands of dollars in college funding.

Leverage College Course Placement: SAT test scores are used by many colleges to determine first- year college course placement. Higher SAT scores could result in higher course placement, saving your teen time and money.

Whether your teen is thinking about attending a two- or four-year college, a job training program, or isn't sure what they want to do after high school, the SAT Suite of Assessments can help make their career goals and postsecondary path clearer.

Every test provides you, your teen, and their teachers with information about your teen’s strengths and areas that need improvement. This way your teen will know where to focus, and customized practice and planning resources will help them set and achieve their goals.