News

In January 2018, Springmont will administer the Iowa Test of Basic Skills (ITBS) to Lower and Upper Elementary children who are at least age 8 by September 1, 2017.  While Springmont has been using the ITBS standardized test for a number of years, this will be the first time we will be administering the updated Form E.   Form E subtests have been aligned with current curricular expectations and the norms have been updated.  According to test publisher, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, schools adopting Form E should expect student scores lower than seen on previous forms; this is typical when norms are updated. The new test does assess knowledge differently; questions have been formulated with increased emphasis on higher level thinking skills. 

To prepare students, the Elementary faculty began orienting to the new form last spring and have worked in conjunction with the Associate Head and outgoing Elementary Division Head to craft the appropriate practice materials.  Upper Elementary students will experience new and different practice materials from November through January.  The test will be administered in January. 

The ITBS will continue to be the only standardized test administered at Springmont.  Typically, students welcome the new experience and are also happy to get back to “real school work” when the test concludes in January.  Scores are provided at the spring conference to parents who are encouraged to maintain confidentiality.  The cumulative school scores are shared with the school community each spring.  Click here for ITBS FAQ’s.