Tesfa International School Testing Schedule
2020-2021
The MCA tests are annual, summative measurements of student achievement that are used, along with many other school and classroom assessments, to evaluate student learning and skills. The Reading and Math MCAs are given in 3rd through 8th grade, and the Science MCA is given in 5th and 8th grade.
The ACCESS for ELLs and Alternate ACCESS for ELLs are English language proficiency assessments used to meet federal and state legislative requirements. These assessments are used to monitor English learners’ progress as they develop academic language skills in reading, writing, listening, and speaking.
The NWEA is an interim assessment given to all Tesfa students three times per year to measure student growth and learning needs. Tesfa uses both reading and math sections of the NWEA.
Please note that due to COVID-19 restrictions, these dates may be fluid in order to provide every student an equitable chance to demonstrate their best effort on these assessments.
Source:
The MCAs and ACCESS tests are required by the state of Minnesota. More information about these assessments from the Minnesota Department of Education can be found at http://education.state.mn.us/MDE/fam/tests/.
The NWEA is required by Tesfa’s authorizer, Volunteers of America. More information about the Volunteers of America charter school authorizing program can be found at https://www.voa.org.
Average Time Spent on Assessments:
Students are allowed to take as much time as needed on assessments. The average time that students take on each assessment is:
● MCA Reading: 2.5-3.5 hours
● MCA Math: 1.5-3 hours
● MCA Science: 1.5-2 hours
● ACCESS: up to 2 hours and 50 minutes
● NWEA Reading: 1 hour
● NWEA Math: 1 hour
Disseminating Results:
Results of the MCA tests will be mailed to parents before the first parent-teacher conferences in the following school year.
Results of the ACCESS test will be mailed to parents within the first 30 days of the following school year.
Results of the NWEA tests will be mailed to parents with student report cards at the following grading period.
Dates:
| Assessment | Grades | Dates |
| MCA Reading | 3-6 | March 15-26, 2021 |
| MCA Math | 3-6 | April 19-30, 2021 |
| MCA Science | 5 | May 3-12, 2021 |
| ACCESS Listening | 1-6 | February 1-10, 2021 |
| ACCESS Reading | 1-6 | February 16-26, 2021 |
| ACCESS Writing | all | March 1-12, 2021 |
| ACCESS Speaking and Kindergarten | all | Throughout the testing window: January 25, 2021 -March 19, 2021 |
| NWEA Reading and Math | all | Fall: September 14-October 2, 2020 |
| Winter: January 11-29, 2021 | ||
| Spring: May 3-12, 2021 (K-2 Only) |