Assessments

Acadience Universal Screening is a series of short, standardized tests that provide a quick snapshot of your child's foundational reading skills. We use these screenings to identify which students may need extra support in specific areas, so we can be proactive in providing it. Think of it like a quick check-up with a doctor; it doesn't provide a full diagnosis, but it helps us find out if there's a specific area that needs a closer look.

Students will participate in this universal screener three times a year. Results will be provided to families shortly after the end of the screening window for each grade level, along with information on any necessary next steps for students determined to be at risk.

Please reach out to your student's school should you have any additional questions.

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Early Literacy Intervention and Indiana Dyslexia Legislation

Beginning with the 2019-2020 school year, Indiana’s public and charter schools must meet added requirements to identify, as early as possible, struggling readers who show risk factors for dyslexia. Schools must provide systematic, sequential, and multisensory instruction to meet these students’ needs. All students in kindergarten through second grade will undergo universal screeners to assess their skills in six areas. These areas are: phonological and phonemic awareness (the ability to separate and change sounds in words), alphabet knowledge (naming letters), sound-symbol relationships (phonics), decoding (reading), rapid naming (quickly naming common objects), and encoding (spelling). Students who fall below a set score or benchmark on the universal screener will be considered by their school to be “at risk” or “at some risk” for the characteristics of dyslexia. Students who are considered “at risk” or “at some risk” will receive targeted, intensive instruction to grow their foundational literacy skills.

Dyslexia as defined by IC 20-18-2-3.5 is a specific learning disability that:

• is neurological in origin and characterized by:
  • difficulties with accurate or fluent word recognition; and
  • poor spelling and encoding abilities;
• typically results from a deficit in the phonological component of language that is often unexpected in relation to other cognitive abilities and the provision of effective classroom instruction; 
• may include problems in reading comprehension and reduced reading experience that can impede the growth of vocabulary and background knowledge; and 
• may require the provision of special education services after an eligibility determination is made in accordance with 511 IAC 7-40. 

In accordance with this law, each school corporation and charter school shall report on the school corporation or charter school's website the following information:

WHAT INTERVENTION PROGRAMS ARE USED TO ASSIST STUDENTS WHO SHOW RISK FACTORS FOR DYSLEXIA?

Students in Carmel Clay Schools who need intervention in foundational literacy skills receive additional direct, explicit, and multisensory instruction utilizing the following programs: 

• Orton-Gillingham 
• Wilson Just Words Intervention
• Wilson Reading System
• Rewards
• UFLI
• Phonics and Spelling through Phoneme-Grapheme Mapping 

HOW MANY STUDENTS RECEIVED A DYSLEXIA INTERVENTION DURING THE 2025-2026 SCHOOL YEAR?

In grades K-2, 431 students, or 15% of all K-2 students, scored “well below” on the Acadience Beginning of Year composite score.  These students received targeted intervention in literacy skills related to dyslexia (phonological and phonemic awareness, phonics, decoding, alphabet knowledge, and/or encoding).  

• Focus: Foundational math skills snapshot.
• Frequency: Administered 3 times a year.

Forefront FAQ

Carmel Clay Schools Naturalization Exam Results 

Background

In Indiana, each student enrolled in a U.S. Government course where credit is awarded for General, Core 40, Core 40 with Academic Honors, or Core 40 with Technical Honors designation is required to take the naturalization examination provided by the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) as administered by the student’s high school. U.S. Government courses include Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate, dual credit, and Cambridge International courses. Students do not need to pass the naturalization examination in order to pass the U.S.Government course. Retests are not required or published in the results.

Indiana Code 20-30-5-7(d) requires, not later than November 1, 2022, and not later than November 1 each year thereafter, the Indiana Department of Education (IDOE) to report student data from the naturalization examination to the Indiana General Assembly. 

Test Materials and Process

General information regarding the naturalization examination can be found here. The 2020 naturalization examination contains 128 items. Students participating in the naturalization examination complete 20 of the 128 items. These items are presented orally by the U.S. Government instructor. The U.S. Government instructor is responsible for selecting the 20 items to present to students. The total number of students, student scores, and student passing rates are collected at the school level for each semester or trimester the course is offered (Indiana Department of Education, 2021). 

Reporting

The Indiana Department of Education requires that all Indiana school districts publish naturalization examination results to the district’s website. Retests are not required or published in the results.

Carmel High School Naturalization Exam Results for 2025-2026

Number of students taking the exam: 1184
Number of students who passed the exam on their first attempt: 1080
Pass rate of the naturalization exam with regard to the number of students who participated: 91%

Carmel Clay Schools administers the Northwest Evaluation Association (NWEA) Measures of Academic Progress (MAP) assessment to a select group of students in grades 1 and 5. This research-based, adaptive test helps identify students’ instructional levels and academic growth in English Language Arts and Mathematics. Results are used, along with multiple other measures, to help determine eligibility for high ability services and to inform instruction.

I AM measures student achievement and growth according to Indiana’s Content Connectors aligned to the Indiana Academic Standards. I AM is the summative accountability assessment for students with significant cognitive disabilities in grades 3-8 and 10. It assesses:

• English/Language Arts (Grades 3-8 and 10)
• Mathematics (Grades 3-8 and 10)
• Science (Grades 4, 6, and Biology)
• Social Studies (Grade 5)

I AM Released Items Repository Site 

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ILEARN measures student achievement and growth according to Indiana Academic Standards. ILEARN is the summative accountability assessment for Indiana students and assesses:

• English/Language Arts (Grades 3-8)
• Mathematics (Grades 3-8)
• Science (Grades 4 and 6)
• Social Studies (Grade 5)
• Biology (High School)
• U.S. Government (High School)

Parents and guardians have an opportunity to review and/or request a rescore for any eligible open-ended items. Parents who are interested in this process should contact their student’s school to make an appointment. Parents or guardians must sign and date a Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA) at the school before the meeting. A rescore request may only be submitted during the rescore window, which ends on May 30, 2025. ILEARN rescore requests may result in an increase or decrease in the scale score. There are no open-ended items for High School ILEARN Biology. Final results for all ILEARN assessments become available after July 1st annually.

ILearn Information

INterpretive Guide

ILEARN Released Items Repository Site 

ILEARN CHECKPOINTS

Checkpoint assessments are quick checks for understanding in English/Language Arts (ELA) and Math for students in grades 3-8. ILEARN Checkpoints measure a student's performance on a small group of skills and concepts that are derived from the Indiana Academic Standards at their grade level.

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Grade 2

All Carmel Clay Elementary schools will administer the Indiana Reading Evaluation and Determination (IREAD) assessment to all second-grade students. Notification of Individual Student Reports for IREAD is sent to parents via School Messenger.  

What do the test results mean for my second-grade child?

PSAT Practice and Preparation

• Date: October 22, 2026

• Grade 9: Takes PSAT 8/9 to measure progress and college readiness.

• Grade 10: Takes PSAT 10 (does not qualify for National Merit).

• Grade 11: Takes PSAT (National Merit qualifying exam).

Grade 11 (junior cohort) students will participate in the SAT School Day per the federal accountability requirement.

All Grade 11 (junior cohort) students participate in the SAT School Day on March 4, 2027.  Scores will include standard SAT scores as well as Indiana-specific proficiency levels. 

• English/Language Arts (54 questions)
• Mathematics (44 questions)

SAT Practice and Preparation 

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The Elementary and Secondary Education Act, as amended by the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), requires state education agencies to establish and implement standardized, statewide entrance and exit procedures for English learners (Section 3113). In accordance with federal regulations, all states are required to:

• identify the languages other than English present in their student population;
• assess the language proficiency of students in order to place them in the appropriate language development program; and
• administer an annual assessment of English proficiency, which includes measuring a student’s oral language, reading, and writing skills in English.

The purpose of the English Language Proficiency Assessments is to determine a student's level of English proficiency. WIDA ACCESS is the English Language Proficiency Assessment administered in Indiana. The W-APT placement test (kindergarten) and the WIDA Screener (grades 1-12) serve as a screener for both initial placement and English Language (EL) program placement of students identified as Limited English Proficient (LEP). The annual assessment, ACCESS and Alternate Access, is administered to determine a student's current level of English proficiency. The annual assessment is also used for accountability purposes.

WIDA ACCESS and WIDA Screener Practice Tests 

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