Spelling it Out: Standardized Tests
Standardized tests in Idaho make quite the alphabet soup: There’s ISAT, IRI, AP, SAT, PSAT and NAEP exams.
This guide will help you wade through:
- What they mean for students and stakeholders
- Who takes them
- What they measure
- And how much they cost taxpayers
Once you’ve got a grip on the basics, check out EdNews’ Report Card and the State Department’s student achievement website for the latest on scores and results.
ISAT
| Full name | Idaho Standards Achievement Test |
| Who designs/writes it: | SmarterBalanced Assessments |
| Who pays for it and what does it cost? | Idaho taxpayers; about $6.8 million |
| Who takes it and when? | ELA and math portions: Students in grades 3-8, once in high school
Science portion: Students in grades 5 and 8, once in high school Optional interim assessments can be given throughout the year; the required test is taken each spring. |
| What does it measure? | Proficiency in ELA, math, and science |
| What do the scores/results look like? | Students fall into one of four categories for each content area: below basic, basic, proficient, and advanced. Ideally, students will be proficient or advanced.
The results by state, district, and school are usually reported in percentages — what percent of students scored proficient or advanced. |
| Does the state set benchmarks/goals? | Yes. Benchmarks are set in the State Board’s strategic plan every five years. |
| How do the scores affect students? | These scores do not affect a student’s report card or ability to move on to the next level. According to the State Department of Education, “we primarily use these scores to help families, schools, districts, and the state understand and improve academic achievement in Idaho.” |
IRI
| Full name | Idaho Reading Indicator |
| Who designs/writes it? | Istation |
| Who pays for it and what does it cost? | Idaho taxpayers; in fiscal year 2023, it cost $793,000. |
| Who takes it and when? | Students in grades K-3, every fall and spring |
| What does it measure? | Reading, literacy |
| What do the scores/results look like? | The test determines whether students are at, near, or below grade level.
At the district and school level, scores are often reported in percentages — what percent of students are reading at grade level. |
| Does the state set benchmarks/goals? | Yes. Benchmarks are set in the State Board’s strategic plan every five years. |
| How do the scores affect students? | Teachers use the scores to provide “necessary interventions to sustain or improve a student’s reading skills,” according to the SDE. |
SAT
| Full name | The acronym originally stood for “Scholastic Aptitude Test” before becoming the “Scholastic Assessment Test.” Today, the acronym does not stand for anything. SAT is the full name of the exam. |
| Who designs/writes it? | College Board |
| Who pays for it and what does it cost? | Idaho taxpayers; in 2023 the cost was $1.2 million |
| Who takes it and when? | Most students take the SAT during the spring of their junior year. The test can be retaken as many times as a student would like, but students must pay out-of-pocket for retakes. |
| What does it measure? | A student’s college readiness. It consists of four sections: reading, writing and language, math without a calculator, and math with a calculator. |
| What do the scores/results look like? | The maximum possible score on the SAT is 1600.
In 2019, the national average SAT score was 1050, according to the College Board. “Any score above that would be … perfectly acceptable for many colleges. A score of 1350 would put you in the top 10% of test takers and help make your application competitive at more selective schools.” |
| Does the state set benchmarks/goals? | Yes. Benchmarks are set in the State Board’s strategic plan every five years. |
| How do the scores affect students? | According to the SDE, “Students are not required to participate in a college entrance exam (CEE), and a CEE is no longer required for graduation. Districts and charter schools may locally establish a CEE requirement to enforce participation at their discretion.”
However, all districts and charters are required to offer students the opportunity to take the SAT, and are expected to encourage students to participate. While many universities have stopped requiring SAT or ACT scores for admission, high scores on college entrance exams can help make a student’s application for scholarships or college admission more competitive. |
PSAT/NMSQT
| Full name | Preliminary SAT/ National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test |
| Who designs/writes it? | College Board |
| Who pays for it and what does it cost? | Idaho taxpayers; in 2023 the cost was $260K. |
| Who takes it and when? | 10th graders. Districts may choose to offer this exam, but are not required to do so. |
| What does it measure? | This test is considered practice for the SAT, and has the same sections. |
| What do the scores/results look like? | The highest total score you can achieve on the PSAT 10 or PSAT/NMSQT is 1520. |
| Does the state set benchmarks/goals? | No |
| How do the scores affect students? | This is the qualifying test for the National Merit Scholarship program. Top performing students can qualify for scholarship and recognition from this prestigious award program.
Otherwise, the test can help a student gauge their achievement levels and practice for the SAT. |
AP
| Full name | Advanced Placement |
| Who designs/writes it? | College Board |
| Who pays for it and what does it cost? | Idaho taxpayers; in 2023, the cost was $1.2 million |
| Who takes it and when? | Generally, students in grades 10-12 take these exams, and usually during the year that they took the course aligned with the exam.
However, students can take the exams without enrolling in or finishing the correlating class. |
| What does it measure? | AP exams measure college readiness in the given content area (statistics, chemistry, English literature, etc.) |
| What do the scores/results look like? | Exams are scored on a scale of 1 to 5. Many U.S. colleges grant credit (or let you skip the equivalent courses once you get to college) for scores of 3 and above. |
| Does the state set benchmarks/goals? | The only benchmark is that high school graduates are supposed to complete one or more advanced opportunities. That means they should each have earned dual credits, passed an AP exam, or earned an International Baccalaureate. |
| How do the scores affect students? | If students pass an AP exam, they’ll likely earn college credits. |
NAEP
| Full name | The National Assessment of Educational Progress, and also called The Nation’s Report Card |
| Who designs/writes it? | The National Center for Education Statistics, the primary statistical agency of the U.S. Department of Education. |
| Who pays for it and what does it cost? | NCES pays for it; cost is unclear. |
| Who takes it and when? | A nationally representative sample of students in grades 4, 8, and 12.
In 2022, approximately 450,000 students from more than 10,000 schools across the country participated in the assessment. In Idaho, about 7,000 students took the exam. |
| What does it measure? | It assesses knowledge in an array of content areas, including civics, economics, geography, math, music and visual arts, reading science, technology and engineering literacy, U.S. history, and writing. |
| What do the scores/results look like? | Results are reported as scores and as percentages of students reaching NAEP achievement levels: basic, proficient, and advanced. |
| Does the state set benchmarks/goals? | No |
| How do the scores affect students? | NAEP is considered the gold standard of large-scale assessments and has been a common measure of student achievement since 1969.
According to NCES: Policymakers, researchers, and educators use NAEP results to inform educational improvements across the nation. Parents, media, and the general public use NAEP results to monitor educational progress in their communities and compare performance with other regions of the country. NAEP also provides states with a benchmark to target important efforts that raise the bar for student achievement and ensure that students have equal opportunities to succeed. |