The Rhode Island State Assessment Program (continued)

NECAP results are used primarily for school improvement and accountability:

• Achievement level data are used in the state accountability system required under NCLB.

• Detailed school and district data help schools improve curriculum and instruction.

• Assessment data inform classroom teachers as they plan instruction.

• Individual student data are used to support student information gathered through classroom instruction and assessment.

NECAP was not designed to provide, in isolation, detailed student-level diagnostic information for formulating individual instructional plans. However, NECAP results can be used, along with other measures, to identify students' strengths and weaknesses. NECAP is only one indicator of student performance and should not be used for referring students to special education or for making promotion and/or graduation decisions.

In order to provide a valid assessment of students' attainment of the Grade Level/Span Expectations, a variety of test item types need to be used within the NECAP tests. Therefore, multiple-choice items, short-answer items, constructed response items, and extended-response writing prompts were used as follows:

• Multiple choice
  Multiple-choice items are efficient for testing a broad array of content in a relatively short time span.

• Short answer
  Open-ended items ask students to generate a short response to a question.

• Constructed response (four points) Complex items that require students to give a longer response

• Extended-response
  Topics or questions designed to prompt students to respond in depth.

For further NECAP information, please refer to The New England Compact.

Adapted from: The New England Common Assessment Program: Guide to Using the 2005 NECAP Reports, 2005.

 Rhode Island State Assessment Schedule for 2006 - 2007