
Balanced Assessment
Continuous review and assessment of student progress within an RtI system involves a balanced, systematic process of constant inquiry that uses multiple measures and means to determine:
- The current skill level of a student or group of students
- How students are responding to core curriculum and instruction
- How students are responding to interventions or additional challenges
Featured Resource
Balanced Assessment Online Module: The center developed this interactive online module to provide parents and educators with information about benchmark, formative, and summative assessments.
The Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction (DPI) has developed a series of questions that teachers and administrators can use to build an RtI system around high-quality instruction:
- What learning comes next for individual students?
- How are students progressing?
- How well is this program working?
- How do students compare on a state, district or school level?
No single test score can determine a student’s experience at any phase of an RtI system. Rather, multiple types of data should be gathered and the evidence should be considered as whole. Staff and family input should also be sought in making decisions about the kinds and rigor of the data collected (e.g. teacher observation, family interview, benchmark assessment scores progress monitoring data) and should be considered as part of understanding the whole picture of a student’s performance.
Within the RtI Balanced Assessment system, there are three types of assessment that may be implemented, depending on individual district, school, classroom or student need:
See this full chart on the Department of Public Instruction's website.
In seeking broad experience and expertise in choosing and implementing assessment procedures, schools will be better equipped to enact universally designed and culturally responsive practices that reflect the identity, community, sense of belonging and relevance of the group of students and families served. Within an RtI system, universal screening and progress monitoring play a critical role in determining how best to respond to student need.
For more information on balanced assessment, visit the
Department of Public Instruction's website.