Assessments at Cascadia

Teaching Information

How are teachers changing their teaching? Are they teaching to the test?

It is definitely true that our curriculum is changing and we’ve seen lots of modifications to what is being taught in the past few years and here at Cascadia we’ve also made changes to how we’re teaching. But much of the change has been not because of the test, but the new standards and for us; teacher choice!

The old state standards were hard to decipher and when teachers planned they were often added on to the end, where does this standard fit? But now with the move to the Common Core State Standards, teachers are starting with the standards and asking, How can I teach this to my students? This is an improvement!

So some of the direct ways that teachers have changed instruction:

Math in Focus

All students across the district now use Math in Focus, a comprehensive math program aligned with the Common Core State Standards (CCSS).

Math in Focus emphasizes a focused and coherent approach to mathematics instruction. Key shifts in the curriculum include:

• Focus: Instruction concentrates on fewer key concepts at each grade level, allowing students to explore topics in greater depth and develop a stronger understanding of essential math ideas.
• Coherence: Concepts are carefully sequenced across grade levels to ensure that each year builds on the last. This intentional progression helps students develop a solid mathematical foundation and a clear sense of how skills connect and evolve over time.
• Rigor: Students are challenged to develop a deep and authentic understanding of mathematics. The program balances conceptual understanding, procedural fluency, and real-world application, ensuring that learners not only know how to solve problems, but also understand why the solutions work.

With Math in Focus, students engage in a rich, problem-solving-based learning experience that supports long-term mastery and confidence in math.

Project Based Learning

As a staff, we have made a collective commitment to incorporate more Project-Based Learning (PBL) throughout the year in order to better meet the diverse needs of our student population.

To support this shift, we have revised and adapted instructional units to provide students with meaningful opportunities to engage in hands-on projects that apply their learning to real-world situations. Many of these projects are anchored in science or social studies content, while also integrating essential literacy and math skills to promote interdisciplinary learning.

This year, we are excited to have our iLab fully up and running. The iLab provides a dedicated space and resources for students to build, design, and create products as part of their project work. It supports teachers in facilitating deeper, more authentic learning experiences where students work toward solving problems, meeting goals, and showcasing their creativity and critical thinking.

Through Project-Based Learning, our students are developing not only academic skills, but also collaboration, communication, and problem-solving abilities that will serve them well beyond the classroom.

Shifts in ELA

Just like in math there were some shifts in the ELA standards as well. One is that students need exposure to complex texts, not just ones at their reading level. For our students this means that teachers are trying to find texts that challenge our kids and they teach them through close reading the skills necessary to access those text.

Another shift has been that students need more practice with nonfiction text. Most of the college and career reading that we do is with nonfiction texts, but traditionally schools weighted more heavily towards literary text. CCSS is shifting to bring a greater balance to the types of text kids are exposed to. So teachers have shifted some of the units they teach to find a better balance.

Most grades are scaling back to three or four reading/writing units with one being literary, one opinion, and one informational. Each grade looks a little different though.

The third shift is an emphasis on asking students to use evidence to analyze and defend claims. Teachers are aiming to ask students to backup their thoughts and ideas with evidence from the text, not just with their personal experiences, prior knowledge or vague generalities. So in class you see kids citing from text and using what they read to back up their ideas.

Using Performance Tasks

You might be hearing your child’s teacher talk about performance tasks that they’ve created and given to students. A performance task is meant to be a different kind of assessment than just a multiple choice test or a unit long published piece. It’s an assessment given at the end of a unit that is usually 2-3 days long and includes application of what was learned and skills gained in the unit.

For example, in a research unit the teacher will teach the skills needed to do the research, take notes, and write the various parts of the research essay. Throughout the unit students would be working with teacher help and direction to write an essay. A performance task at the end of the unit might give the student several new texts and ask them to write another short essay.

Students would be expected to independently apply all the skills they learned during the unit to this new task. This allows for the teacher to see if the skills have transferred and students are able to perform the task independently.

Using Data to Inform Instruction

At Cascadia, our educators use data intentionally to inform and refine instruction—not just through anecdotal observations or by rigidly following a curriculum map. For years, teachers have utilized assessments to identify what students already know and what they still need to learn.

Our current focus is on increasing collaboration across grade levels by developing and using common assessments. These shared assessments allow teachers to identify broader trends in student learning, work more efficiently as a team, and adjust their instruction accordingly.

Creating high-quality assessments that align with standards and support meaningful instruction takes thoughtful planning and collaboration. To support teachers in this work, we’ve incorporated district-provided Benchmark Assessments in recent years. These ready-made tools offer a consistent measure of student progress across classrooms and allow teachers to focus more time on analyzing data and responding to student needs.

An added benefit of using the Benchmark platform is access to a wide range of supplemental resources. Teachers can choose from additional texts and question sets—often referred to as “quick checks”—which function like in-class assignments and help teachers gauge student understanding in real time.

We understand that some families worry about the idea of “teaching to the test.” At Cascadia, we draw a clear distinction between preparing students to succeed on assessments and narrowing instruction to focus only on test content. Our goal is to ensure students meet grade-level standards by integrating targeted practice into a broader, engaging, and standards-aligned curriculum.

Assessment Information

What assessments is my child taking this year?

Students participate in a variety of assessments throughout the school year, each serving a unique purpose in supporting academic growth. These assessments fall into three main categories: formative, interim, and summative. A balanced use of all three provides educators with the information they need to support every student’s learning.

Formative

Formative assessments happen regularly in the classroom and are designed to guide day-to-day instruction. These include quick checks for understanding, classroom assignments, spelling tests, reading fluency checks, math problem-solving tasks, and more. Teachers use the results to adjust instruction, provide targeted support, and ensure that students are mastering the skills and content being taught.

Interim (or Benchmark)

Interim assessments are optional district-supported tools used to monitor progress toward end-of-year grade-level standards. At Cascadia, many teachers choose to use these assessments to track student growth over time and identify trends across the class or grade level. These assessments often include a variety of question types—such as multiple choice, multi-select, and short constructed responses—and offer valuable insights that help inform instructional decisions. While not mandated, interim assessments are a useful tool in our broader approach to supporting student learning.

Summative

Summative assessments are mandated by the state and are given annually to measure whether students have met grade-level standards.

• Students in Grades 3–5 take the Smarter Balanced Assessment (SBA) for English Language Arts (ELA) and Mathematics in the spring.
• Students in Grade 5 also take the Washington Comprehensive Assessment of Science (WCAS).

These state assessments provide a snapshot of student achievement and help identify areas where additional support or enrichment may be needed. The SBA is an adaptive online test, meaning the difficulty of questions adjusts based on the student’s previous responses. This provides a more accurate and personalized measure of student learning.

Smarter Balanced assessments are designed to go beyond basic recall, measuring critical thinking, problem-solving, and analytical writing—skills essential for success in school and beyond.