List of Standardized Tests That Elementary Students Take
Every single school has plenty of testing. From simple quizzes to the end of the year testing even kids in elementary school are going to face lots of tests so it is best to know what the test is so that you can prepare. So I went and found every standardized test that students across the United State will likely take, along with a few other popular tests as well.
Each state has different requirements that the students must meet, so nearly every state has its version of a standardized test, although a few states share the same test. There are also 5 other major tests that school like to give to test yearly progress and performance.
Below I will talk briefly about what each of the tests is like and give a list of the standardized test each state takes so that you can research and prepare for your next test.
Common Core Standard Testing
This is the most basic version of any yearly test. Each state has its version of the Common Core Standard Test, and typically this is the test that schools give at the end of the year. While the test has remained similar for many years, recently, there has begun to be a big push for this test to also focus on foreign language, economics, arts, and physical education rather than just mathematics and reading.
These tests are some of the most important tests because the results are usually used to act as a teacher evaluation, educational policy, and will even influence the amount of funding that the school will receive. So because of this, schools take the Common Core Testing very seriously. (source)
Terra Nova
Terra Nova is a series of tests made by McGraw-Hill, a large publishing company known for making most school textbooks. These tests are used to test reading, language arts, math, science, social studies, vocabulary, spelling, and several other topics. This test is very common in California, and also acts as the common Core test in Alaska.
Stanford Achievements Test
The Stanford Achievement Test, also called the SAT 10, is another standardized test that was created by a major education book publishing company. This test was created by Pearson, a British publishing company, and it tests students in reading comprehension, mathematics, problem-solving, language, spelling, listening comprehension, science, and social science.
However, due to the No Child Left Behind act, most states began to create their version of the Common Core Test so the Stanford Achievement Test is becoming less and less common. This test is also known to be one of the more difficult tests that elementary students will have to take. (source)
California Achievement Test
This test is most common in Christian schools and also for homeschoolers as it contains more traditional values and also takes a short to administer to students. This is because there are not as many tests included in the CAT, and it is also considered to be one of the easier tests to take. Another reason that this test is popular with homeschoolers is that the administrator doesn’t need a degree to administrate it.
The test is also very easy to get ahold of in order to practice or to even give it to a student. Typically it can be found for around $25 on a variety of websites.
Iowa Standardized Testing
The Iowa Standardized Test has become one of the best and highest-ranked tests throughout the United States over the past few years. It is considered to be one of the best tests because it finds a good medium between the difficulty of the Stanford Achievement Test and the ease of the California Achievement Test.
The Iowa Standardized Testing will often begin being given in schools around the 2nd grade and will continue to be given through high school. Typically the Test will be administered in about 2 hours and 30 minutes, however, for higher grades, it can take up to an hour. As with most other standardized tests, the IST focuses on reading, language arts, mathematics, science, and social studies.
Individual State Tests
The individual tests that each state gives typically are the ones given at the end of the year, however, each school can have different tests. Also, schools can give more than one of the tests throughout the year so it is smart to be doing light studies on these tests throughout the school year and summer.
| State | Typical Standardized Test |
|---|---|
| Alabama | Alabama Reading and Mathematics Test |
| Alaska | Terra Nova |
| Arizona | Arizona’s Instrument to Measure Standards |
| Arkansas | Arkansas’ Augmented Benchmark Exam |
| California | Standardized Testing and Reporting |
| Colorado | Colorado Student Assessment Program |
| Connecticut | Connecticut Mastery Test, Connecticut Academic Performance Test |
| Deleware | Delaware Student Testing Program |
| Florida | Florida Comprehensive Program |
| Georgia | Criterion-Referenced Competency Tests |
| Hawaii | Hawaii State Assessment |
| Idaho | Idaho State Achievement Tests |
| Illinois | Illinois Standards Achievement Test |
| Indiana | Indiana Statewide Testing for Educational Progress |
| Iowa | Iowa Test of Basic Skills, Iowa Tests of Educational Development |
| Kansas | Kansas State Assessment |
| Kentucky | Kentucky Core Content Tests |
| Louisiana | LEAP Alternative Assessment |
| Maine | New England Common Assessment Program, Maine Educational Assessment Maine High School Assessment |
| Maryland | Maryland School Assessment |
| Massachusetts | Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System |
| Michigan | Michigan Educational Assessment Program |
| Minnesota | Minnesota Comprehensive Assessments Series II |
| Mississippi | Mississippi Curriculum Test Subject Area Testing Program |
| Missouri | Missouri Assessment Program |
| Montana | Montana Comprehensive Assessment System |
| Nebraksa | Nebraska State Accountability Assessments |
| Nevada | Nevada Proficiency Examination Program |
| New Hampshire | New England Common Assessment Program |
| New Jersey | Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers |
| New Mexico | New Mexico Statewide Articulated Assessment Program |
| New York | New York State Testing Program |
| North Caronlina | North Carolina Standardized Test |
| North Dakota | North Dakota’s State Assessment |
| Ohio | Ohio Achievement Test |
| Oklahoma | Oklahoma Core Curriculum Tests |
| Oregon | Oregon Statewide Assessment System |
| Pennsylvania | Pennsylvania System of School Assessment |
| Rhode Island | New England Common Assessment Program |
| South Carolina | South Carolina Statewide Assessment Program |
| South Dakota | Dakota State Test of Educational Progress |
| Tennessee | Tennessee Comprehensive Assessment Program |
| Texas | State of Texas Assessment of Academic Readiness |
| Utah | Utah Performance Assessment System for Students |
| Vermont | New England Common Assessment Program |
| Virginia | Virginia Standards of Learning |
| Washington | Washington Comprehensive Assessment Program |
| West Virginia | West Virginia Educational Standards Test |
| Wisconsin | Wisconsin Knowledge and Concept Evaluation |
| Wyoming | Proficiency Assessments for Wyoming Students |