Assessment is the act of evaluating, appraising, and/or estimating the features, qualities, performances, and needs of individuals, programs, and institutions. The ultimate purpose of assessment is to support and enhance student learning. At West Allegheny, we believe that every student is a complex individual with a broad spectrum of abilities, skills, and knowledge. Assessment should focus on all key areas of student learning and development should consider a wide range of relevant performance information, formal and informal, standardized and non-standardized. It should be systematically linked to analyses of teacher and school system performance and instructional improvement. Additionally, assessment data should be communicated to students, parents, and community on a timely basis.
The CDT (Classroom Diagnostic Tool) is an interim, diagnostic assessment tool that measures mastery of the Pennsylvania standards-aligned skills and concepts in the areas of Algebra I, Biology, And English Language Arts that are evaluated individually on the Keystone Exams. There is a correlation between performance on the CDT and proficiency on the Keystone. It is given twice a year.
The Keystone Exam is an end-of-course standardized, summative assessment designed to assess proficiency in Algebra I, Biology, and English Language Arts. Keystone administration waves are provided in the winter and spring.