Indiana Adopts K-2 Formative Assessment System in Reading and Math

Indiana has selected Wireless Generation to serve the state's kindergarten through 2nd grade classrooms with formative assessments in reading and math. Wireless Generation's handheld computer-based mCLASS:Reading 3D and mCLASS:Math assessments will enable Indiana teachers to target instruction to each student's needs, and monitor each student's progress toward mastery. Under the two-year agreement with renewal options, Wireless Generation will provide the assessments; as well as Web-based reporting, data analysis, and instructional planning tools, and professional development to help Indiana educators become skilled in using data to guide their instruction.While all states have a testing program that begins in third grade, Indiana is the first state to select a comprehensive formative assessment system for every K-2 classroom as well. Other states are considering similar programs, in light of a growing body of research showing that frequently assessing and understanding students' progress during the school year has a significant positive impact on teaching and learning.

"Indiana is at the forefront of the many states and districts that know that high quality, developmentally appropriate assessment should begin early," said Larry Berger, Wireless Generation's CEO and co-founder. "The research has shown that early screening and intervention can prevent learning problems from snowballing, and can keep many children from requiring special education services. In Indiana, a modest reduction in special education referrals and placements could save tens of millions of dollars. Wireless Generation is honored to work with Indiana to help its children to be successful learners from their earliest days in school."

"We've entered a new era where flexible, data-driven teaching tools support student learning throughout the entire school year," said Dr. Suellen Reed, Indiana's superintendent of public instruction. "By identifying learning needs early, before they become more serious and costly to overcome, local schools and the state can better focus resources and save taxpayers money in the process."

mCLASS:Reading 3D is unique in combining what teachers need: predictive validity, in which the assessment predicts whether a child will be able to read by the end of grade 3; and diagnostic insight into how a child reads text, with the opportunity to note a child's problems, successes, and strategies. The research-based, nationally-normed Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills (DIBELS) alerts teachers when students are at risk of failing to reach key milestones in reading development, and monitors their progress. Teachers also use Reading Records to probe students' error patterns, reading strategies, and comprehension as they read authentic texts. Results from these two assessment approaches are seamlessly integrated, giving a detailed view of each child's literacy development.


The research-based mCLASS:Math assessment includes efficient measures to screen for students at-risk of failing to master early math skills, as well as deeper diagnostic interviews through which teachers further investigate students' mathematical thinking. mCLASS:Math helps teachers apply the assessment findings to their instruction by recommending next instructional steps.