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Assessment of Learning

Students at Elmwood Park High School take final exams during the last week of attendance each semester.

Any student who is absent for the final exam is required to make arrangements with the teacher to make up the exam outside of normal class time.

Taking an Exam Early

A student may be allowed to take a final exam early, during the week of the scheduled exams, if his or her absence is preplanned.

To be considered for this option, the student must complete a "Special Absence Request Form," which is available in the Attendance Office.

However, early final exams will not be administered prior to the week of scheduled exams. If a student will be unavailable during that window, he or she will be issued an incomplete for the course grade, and a plan to remedy the incomplete will be determined.

District 401 provides one retake opportunity per summative assessment. Below are the following protocols per grade band for standards-based grading (SBG).

Grades K-2

Teachers of students in grades K-2 reteach and reassess as needed, and may offer the opportunity to retake a summative assessment or portion of a summative assessment if their score is discrepant from observed classroom performance. If applicable, students will be offered one retake per summative assessment.

K-2 teachers will fill out this retake documentation form to document that a retake opportunity has been provided to a student. If the student scores higher on the retake, the new score should replace the original summative grade in PowerSchool. Parental requests for retakes will be reviewed by the teacher and building principal on a case-by-case basis.

Grades 3-8

In grades 3-6, retakes are designed to allow students a second opportunity to demonstrate their mastery of a standard when they believe the initial summative assessment's score does not accurately reflect their performance. Students should fill out the following forms (grades 3-5 or grades 6-8) to request a retake. Conditions for retake opportunities are outlined below:

  • Students will be provided with one (1) retake opportunity, per summative assessment.
  • The retake will take place within two weeks of the initial summative assessment or by the end of the trimester — whichever is sooner.
  • Students will only retake the parts of a summative assessment that are aligned to the specific unmastered priority standard(s).
  • Students will receive a new score based on their retake performance. Students can only increase their scores; retakes will not result in a lower score than the initial summative assessment.

Throughout the school year, District 401 uses a suite of rigorous methods and tools to evaluate, measure and document the academic needs and educational growth of our students.

These assessments provide the District with reliable data so that our teachers and administrators may do the following:

  • Identify student strengths and diagnose weaknesses.
  • Evaluate the effectiveness of curricular offerings and instructional practices.
  • Establish goals for individual student and school improvement.
  • Communicate student achievement to District 401 stakeholders.

Some of these assessment tools are exams required by the state, such as the Illinois Assessment of Readiness (grades 3-8) and the SAT (grade 11). Others are more localized, such as student growth assessments given by District teachers at various times during the year.

Regardless of their differences, the fundamental purpose is the same: to generate data that District 401 can use for the benefit of all students.

Assessment Tools at a Glance

For brief descriptions of the District's main assessment tools, see below.

District 401's Policy on Testing and Assessment

Our procedures and practices in this area are governed by District 401’s policy on testing and assessment, which can be found in Section 6:340 of the Board of Education’s District Policy Manual. The policy includes the following directives:

The Superintendent or designee shall manage the student assessment program that, at a minimum:

  1. Administers the State assessment system, known as the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC), to all students and/or any other appropriate assessment methods and instruments, including norm and criterion-referenced achievement tests, aptitude tests, proficiency tests, and teacher-developed tests.   
  2. Informs students of the timelines and procedures applicable to their participation in every State assessment.   
  3. Provides each student’s parents/guardians with the results or scores of each State assessment and an evaluation of the student’s progress. See Policy 6:280, Grading and Promotion.   
  4. Utilizes professional testing practices.

Overall student assessment data on tests required by State law will be aggregated by the District and reported on the District's annual report card. Board Policy 7:340, "Student Records," and its implementing procedures govern record-keeping and access issues.