Are your students ready to take the Kansas Assessment Program (KAP) tests? Preparation for these online assessments requires more than typical classroom instruction — your students need opportunities to learn the virtual testing technology so they won’t be taken by surprise when Kansas Assessment Program test time rolls around. With KAP practice tests, you can make sure your students are ready and confident.
Here’s what you need to know about the Kansas Assessment Program and how to prepare your students with virtual practice tests.
The Kansas Assessment Program (KAP) is an annual summative assessment program aligned to Kansas’ statewide curriculum standards. The tests are designed by the University of Kansas’ Achievement and Assessment Institute (AAI) to evaluate student learning according to industry-leading research. Kansas Assessment Program tests assess a variety of grade levels to ensure that students (and schools) are making progress toward academic goals.
The subjects and grades covered by the Kansas Assessment Program are as follows:
For students with significant cognitive disabilities, Kansas offers the Dynamic Learning Maps (DLM) alternate assessment. DLM tests students against Essential Elements, which are derived from the Kansas Curricular Standards. These tests are delivered in a series of brief testlets, so students don’t have to sit for as long as the standard tests.
High school students have the opportunity to take the option Career Pathways Assessments (cPass), a computer-based test that measures readiness for college or career.
English language learners in Kansas take the Kansas English Language Proficiency Assessment (KELPA). KELPA is delivered online, except for Kindergarten and Grade 1 writing assessments which are administered on paper. English learners are tested in these grade bands:
All tests in the Kansas Assessment Program, as well as DLM, cPass, and KELPA, are administered via the Kansas Interactive Testing Engine (KITE). Paper tests are available as special accommodations. KITE offers a variety of virtual testing tools, as well as features of particular use to students with disabilities, including text-to-speech, whole screen magnification, ASL, and Braille.
As virtual exams, Kansas Assessment Program tests take advantage of the unique offerings of digital technology in the form of technology-enhanced questions. These questions go beyond old-school multiple choice, requiring students to engage with the digital environment — whether via drag-and-drop, graph building, table filling, or some other feature — in order to answer questions.
In addition to knowing the content that will be tested, your students need opportunities to sharpen their virtual test-taking skills. That’s where KAP practice tests come in.
With practice tests, your students can get an idea of the sorts of questions they’ll encounter on the real Kansas Assessment Program tests. They’ll learn how to navigate from question to question and use the tools available — from a digital notepad and text highlighter to a calculator (at certain grade levels) and equation builder. A few practice sessions in, and they’ll be as confident navigating the online testing environment as they are their favorite video game or social media app.
For the greatest benefit, have them practice on the same device they’ll use for the real test. KITE, the program used to administer Kansas Assessment Program tests, works differently depending on device and operating system (e.g., Mac versus Windows), so your students will need to be familiar with exactly how the program appears on their device.
To make virtual practice for the Kansas Assessment Program tests, lean on Pear Assessment (formerly Edulastic) digital assessments. All you have to do is sign up for a free account, and you’ll be well on your way to smooth-rolling practice sessions with your class.
The Pear Assessment environment includes many of the digital testing features your students will encounter on KAP tests, so they’ll be able to hone those test skills while you gain insight on where they might need more practice. You can also administer your own assessments through Pear Assessment, pick from the test library, or assemble an assessment from pre-made items. Questions may be aligned with Kansas standards to track student mastery. Plus, on Pear Assessment everything is automatically graded, saving you time as the teacher that you can otherwise spend instructing and teaching your students.
Don’t miss out on this great opportunity to give your students confidence and the best chance on testing day.
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