Assessing Student Performance

Farmington Public Schools uses multiple data points from local, state, and national assessments to make instructional plans as we support students in deepening their understanding. No single data point or assessment type provides a complete picture of a student’s achievement.  Assessment Calendar for Families

Classroom Assessments

Teachers use information from classroom observations, performance tasks, and summary assessments to gauge student learning, make instructional decisions, and report student progress.  Formative assessments measure how a student is learning while giving feedback to the student and the teacher. They can happen at the beginning, middle, or end of a lesson or unit.  Summative assessments measure how much has been learned at the end of a lesson or unit.  

Benchmark and State Assessments

NWEA MAP Growth Assessment: 
Students in Grades K-8 participate in Benchmark Assessments (NWEA Map Growth) in Reading and Math three times per year.  Families receive student reports via MiStar Parent Portal within 30 days of each testing window closure.

Community Resources:

• NWEA MAP Growth family toolkit to understand the assessment and what it tells you
• Individual Student Reports are available in MiStar through the parent portal under documents for each student. To help understand the report, check out Progress Report Quick Reference Guide

State Assessments
Students in Grades 3-11 participate in the State of Michigan system of assessments including M-STEP, MI-ACCESS, PSAT 8/9, PSAT 10, SAT with Essay, and WIDA. MDE Summative Assessment Schedule

Community Resources:

• What It Is, What It Means, and What It Offers flyer for families to explain the different assessments and the purpose of each.
• Individual Student Reports are available in the fall following spring testing.  Reports are given to students to bring home or mailed home.  
• Publicly released data is available on mischooldata.org for each building and our district.