In case it's been a few years since you've attended high school, one of the biggest challenges faced by every school happens in the spring during required testing. These tests allow us to gather data used to track student progress as well as to make necessary curriculum adjustments. For our parents and other patrons (including State offices), it also serves as one method used in calculating accountability of schools.Chadron High School is a high performing school in the state as noted by a visit from the Governor and Commissioner of Education last fall. Our NeSA results (state accountability tests taken by juniors) posted by the Governor's office last year, showed Chadron High School ranking 3rd in Reading, 2nd in Math, 3rd in Science, but just missing the top 5 in Writing. These were ranked against all other class C-1 schools in the state.
There are two different tests taken by our students which are all completed online. Every freshman and sophomore will take the NWEA/MAPS exam in the subjects of: reading, language arts, math, and science. These scores are used to track individual student progress from year to year beginning in elementary and results will be mailed to each parent (these tests are not used for state comparisons/accountability). Every junior will take the NeSA (Nebraska State Accountability) exam in the subjects of: reading, writing, math, and science (these scores are reported for state accountability).
Every freshman and sophomore will spend an entire day (half one day, half another) taking their required four tests. Every junior will spend up to a half a day on seven different dates taking their four required tests. The NeSA exams taken by the juniors, are longer exams broken into two sessions (except Writing) for each subject.
For our school, it will take nine entire days of testing using multiple computer labs. As you can imagine, scheduling the necessary time to accomplish this task without the interruption of the many typical high school activities ... and snow storms ... can be difficult to find in our calendar. I believe Chadron was one of the first districts that 'protected' testing time by moving activities and athletic events to minimize conflicts. Examples include moving and attending Saturday track meets, and not scheduling assemblies or other presentations during this time.
Here's briefly what this year's testing schedule looks like:
- Wednesday, February 6th - NeSA Writing (taken earlier in the semester)
- Morning - Juniors Group A
- Afternoon - Juniors Group B&C
- Monday, April 8th - MAPS Testing
- Morning - Freshman Group A
- Afternoon - Freshman Group B
- (Three snow days caused a reschedule April 9-11th)
- Monday, April 15th - NeSA Reading Session 1
- Morning - Juniors Group A
- Afternoon - Juniors Groups B&C
- Tuesday, April 16th - NeSA Reading Session 2
- Morning - Juniors Group A
- Afternoon - Juniors Groups B&C
- Wednesday, April 17th - MAPS Testing
- Morning - Sophomores Group A
- Afternoon - Sophomores Group B
- Thursday, April 18th - MAPS Testing
- Morning - Freshman Group B
- Afternoon - Freshman Group A
- Tuesday, April 23rd - NeSA Science Session 1
- Morning - Juniors Group A
- Afternoon - Juniors Groups B&C
- Wednesday, April 24th - NeSA Science Session 2
- Morning - Juniors Group A
- Afternoon - Juniors Groups B&C
- Monday, April 29th - MAPS Testing
- Morning - Sophomores Group B
- Afternoon - Sophomores Group A
- Tuesday, April 30th - NeSA Math Session 1
- Morning - Juniors Group A
- Afternoon - Juniors Groups B&C
- Wednesday, May 1st - NeSA Math Session 2
- Morning - Juniors Group A
- Afternoon - Juniors Groups B&C
- May 2nd and 3rd - Make-ups
Good luck to all our test-takers!!!
