Fellowship Christian School Elementary students take standardized tests every spring to measure academic progress. Beginning with the 24-25 school year, students in grades K-5 were assessed with the Iowa Assessment, and students in grades 2-5 were also assessed with the Cognitive Abilities Test (CogAT). Parents receive testing results with the final report card. The results are analyzed by administrators and teachers to understand students’ strengths and weaknesses, inform instructional planning, and track progress over time. Additionally, these tests help the FCS staff identify students who may need additional support or those who are ready for more challenging material. They also help in evaluating the effectiveness of curriculum and teaching methods.
The Iowa Tests of Basic Skills (ITBS), now known as the Iowa Assessments, are standardized tests used to assess elementary students’ skills in various subjects, including reading, language, mathematics, social studies, and science. The tests are norm-referenced, meaning a student’s performance is compared to a national sample of students at the same grade level. The ITBS compares a student’s performance to that of other students in a national sample, allowing for comparisons of achievement across different schools and districts.
The CogAT Test measures the level and pattern of cognitive development of a student compared to age mates and grade mates. These general reasoning abilities, which start developing at birth and continue through early adulthood, are influenced by experiences gained both in and out of school. The CogAT measures three different cognitive abilities: The verbal section measures a child’s ability to remember and transform sequences of English words, to understand them and to make inferences and judgments about them. The quantitative section measures a child’s understanding of basic quantitative concepts and relationships. The non-verbal section measures reasoning using pictures and geometric shapes. This section reduces the impact of language on the student’s score. The composite score is a total score for all three batteries.