The WY-TOPP Winter Interim Window will be open Tuesday, January 9 through Thursday, February 1. These optional Interims include ELA and math assessments for students in grades 1–10 and science for students in grades 4, 8 and 10. To ensure that all educators are prepared to administer these assessments, review the following testing documents:
Interim assessments are now fully secure. This makes it vital that districts who choose to participate in the Fall and Winter Interim administration windows conduct assessment security training and gather signed Wyoming Assessment Security Agreements for K-12 Statewide Assessments. For more information about important assessment security measures, refer to Wyoming’s Assessment Security Guide.
The WY-TOPP Modular assessment window remains open through Friday, June 15. The optional on-demand WY-TOPP Modulars include ELA and math in grades 1–11 and science in grades 3–high school. These assessments are semi-secure and can be used as classroom assessments, but should not be shared with a whole class for instruction.
Interim vs Modular Assessments
Following these Winter Interim tests, and as we approach our summative window and test preparation, it is important to remember how WY-TOPP assessments can support teachers and students.
Interim assessments represent an optional, mini-summative opportunity for districts to gather a baseline set of data to inform curricular decisions for the coming school year. These assessments are designed to support teachers with their vision of teaching and learning. Collaborative groups can utilize data from the Interim Assessments to make choices about what teaching and learning should look like in the broad picture, while keeping day-to-day classroom activities and instructional practices. Trends and patterns in state test results can be used to monitor and evaluate educational outcomes, contribute to program evaluation, and inform resource allocation.
Modular assessments are formative and can help instructors inform classroom instruction. Results are available immediately after students complete the assessment. Questions to help guide teachers utilizing the modular results may include, “What’s formative about that?”, “How does this learning activity help students become better mathematicians, scientists, writers, or historians?”, or “How do I use students’ responses to give them useful, formative feedback that helps them deepen their learning?”.
Authoring Tool (optional)
The Authoring Tool is available for Wyoming educators to build their own assessment items on the same platform as the statewide assessments. Refer to the Authoring User Guide for more information about how to create district, building, or classroom assessments in the Wyoming Authoring Tool. Also, visit the Authoring Systems Training page.
For more information, contact Becca Velikaneye, Assessment Supervisor, at 307-777-6804 or rebecca.velikaneye@wyo.gov.