Wisconsin Forward Exam
Beginning in spring 2016, Wisconsin students in grades 3 through 8 will take the Forward Exam. The new custom assessment will be administered in English language arts and mathematics in grades 3 through 8, and in science in grades 4, 8, and 10. High school students in grades 9 through 11 will continue to take the ACT suite of exams.
Purpose of the Forward Exam
The Forward Exam results provide information about student performance which allows:
- students to reflect on their achievement
- teachers to target instruction to student needs and reflect upon their own instructional practices,
- administrators to more fully understand what students know and can do in order to guide curriculum and professional development decisions,
- parents to understand what their child knows and is able to do in ELA, mathematics, science, and social studies. and
- all stakeholders to check how ready ALL students are for college and career, especially those groups that have historically been left behind
Data Recognition Corporation (DRC), a Midwestern company with offices in Wisconsin, won a competitive Request for Proposal (RFP) process to develop, administer, and report results on the new Forward Assessment.
DRC offered a high quality, research-based, and affordable assessment that meets Wisconsin’s expectations in terms of quality, validity, and cost. The Forward Exam will be a custom assessment that includes test items developed and reviewed by Wisconsin educators.
DRC currently serves public, private, and charter schools in 13 states and has successfully transitioned numerous states to online testing via its DRC INSIGHT™ Online Learning System. They currently provide Wisconsin’s assessment for English language learners (ACCESS for ELLs) and are moving the exam online for the coming school year (ACCESS for ELLs 2.0). DRC also recently acquired key assets of the CTB assessment business from McGraw-Hill Education, including TerraNova®, LAS Links®, TABE® and the TASC Test Assessing Secondary Completion™ high school equivalency assessment.
