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Exploring Within-Year Assessments

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Within-year assessments aren’t one-size-fits-all. This slide deck explores the different purposes they serve and how each type supports educators and students.

Within-Year Assessments As part of a comprehensive assessment system, within-year assessments serve different purposes. Scroll through to learn about: Interim assessments Through-course assessments Focused assessments Diagnostic assessments
Interim assessments provide a way for educators to capture information about students’ achievement and progress. All interim assessments are: Administered 1–3 times a year (usually fall, winter, and spring) Aligned to grade-level standards
Interim assessments can be considered high stakes or low stakes.
Through-course assessments traditionally provide direct instructional support, specifically tied to coursework in which students are engaged.
Through-Course Assessments: Administered 2–3 or more times a year Low stakes Flexible testing windows Focused on a subset of grade-level standards Not used for accountability Used to directly inform instruction
Focused assessments are flexible, short assessments targeting a subsets of standards used to inform classroom instruction.
Diagnostic assessments identify student strengths and areas that need improvement or additional support prior to instruction.
Many diagnostic assessments are administered before the school year begins—or early in the school year—to provide guidance about what types of supports students need to successfully engage in grade-level coursework.
Diagnostic assessments: Much like focused assessments, these are administered multiple times a year, are low stakes, are not used for accountability, and are used to directly inform instruction. Key differences are these assessments may have a preset test window for administration, and they may focus on a subset of grade level standards.
Check out our blog series on comprehensive assessment systems to learn more! centralcompcenter.org

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