Guidance to Support Districts with 2020-21 Assessment Administration

Oct 10, 2026

Uploaded by Bulrr

Guidance supports Illinois school districts in administering spring 2021 state-mandated assessments during the COVID-19 pandemic. It explains that the U.S. Department of Education will not grant waivers for spring 2021 testing and emphasizes assessments as a valid snapshot and critical diagnostic tool for student recovery. It outlines how to plan across in-person, remote, or hybrid models, noting remote delivery is not viable due to item security, operational delivery, and reliability concerns.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryExam

FormatPDF

Pages21

Reading Time53 min

AccessFree to download

Overview

General Guidelines for Administering Assessments

Access

Alternate Access

Dynamic Learning Maps—Alternate Assessment (DLM-AA)

Illinois Assessment of Readiness (IAR)

Illinois Science Assessment (ISA)

Kindergarten Individual Development Survey (KIDS)

SAT with Essay, PSAT 10, and PSAT 8/9

Guidance to Support Districts with 2020-21 Assessment Administration Updated January 11, 2021 (IAR Resources, page 14) Updated December 17, 2020 (Assessment Test Dates) TABLE OF CONTENTS Overview..........................................................................................................................................3 General Guidelines for Administering Assessments……………………………………...………3 ACCESS…………………………………………..……………………………………..………..6 ALTERNATE ACCESS……………………………………………………………....……………..……………8 Dynamic Learning Maps—Alternate Assessment (DLM-AA).....................................................10 Illinois Assessment of Readiness (IAR)….....……………………………..…………………….12 Illinois Science Assessment (ISA)…..………………………………………………………...…14 Kindergarten Individual Development Survey (KIDS).................................................................16 SAT with Essay, PSAT 10, and PSAT 8/9 ................................................................................... 18 Acknowledgements........................................................................................................................20 OVERVIEW The Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) has developed this guidance to support school districts with spring 2021 assessment administration during the COVID-19 pandemic. The U.S. Secretary of Education has decided not to grant waivers for the administration of spring 2021 assessments. Further, ISBE believes that assessment is more important than ever as our students continue to learn in unprecedented conditions. Assessments shine a light on how this pandemic has impacted our students and what we need to do to help them recover. We may not be able to compare this year’s data to other years’ due to these unique circumstances, but assessments do give us a valid and reliable snapshot of this moment in time. They are a critical diagnostic tooland an essential component of our efforts to support students’ recovery from the pandemic. Please be advised that this guidance is not final. ISBE will continue to update the guidance based on the direction from the U.S. Department of Education. Illinois schools are currently operating under Restore Illinois Phase 4, which allows in-person instruction while following public health requirements. Remote delivery of state-mandated testing is not a viable option. Risk to item security, operational delivery, costly change management procedures, and challenges to ensuring that tests are submitted properly so that all student testing would be accurately reported would greatly impact testing validity and reliability. This Assessment Guidance Document was designed to assist all schools in safely assessing all students on the spring 2021 state mandated tests. Coordination of assessment plans will be crucial, whether a district is currently serving students in-person, remotely, or in a hybrid environment. In the following section, you will find a summary of assessment guidelines that apply to all learning models. In subsequent sections, you will find specific guidance for each assessment. GENERAL GUIDELINES FOR ADMINISTERING ASSESSMENTS Schools must follow Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) requirements when administering spring 2021 required assessments. In Phase 4, those requirements are to: • Require use of appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE), including face coverings; • Prohibit more than 50 individuals from gathering in one space; • Require social distancing be observed, as much as possible; • Require that schools conduct symptom screenings and temperature checks or require that individuals self-certify that they are free of symptoms before entering school buildings; and • Require an increase in schoolwide cleaning and disinfection. The requirements are the same in Phase 3, except that in Phase 3, the capacity limit for individuals in a single space is reduced to 10 or fewer. In both Phase 3 and Pha

FAQs

Why does the document emphasize spring 2021 assessments despite COVID-19?

It explains that assessments show how the pandemic affected students and provide a valid, reliable snapshot for recovery. It also notes assessments serve as critical diagnostic tools.

Why is remote delivery of state-mandated testing considered not viable?

It cites risks to item security, operational delivery challenges, costly change-management procedures, and difficulties ensuring tests are submitted and reported accurately, which would affect validity and reliability.

What safety requirements must schools follow under Restore Illinois Phase 4?

The document states Phase 4 requires appropriate PPE such as face coverings, limits gatherings to no more than 50 individuals, practices social distancing, includes symptom screenings and temperature checks or self-certification, and increases schoolwide cleaning and disinfection.

Oct 10, 2026

Uploaded by Bulrr