What is a

Benchmark Exam?
Posted by Jan Moody on January 6, 2020

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Are students within a whole school or district

understanding the material? Where is there room
for growth and how can instruction be improved?
These are the types of questions that teachers
and school leaders ask and hope to answer when
giving benchmark exams. 

De#ning Benchmark
Assessments
A benchmark exam is given across many classes,
an entire grade level, a whole school, or across a
district. The purpose of a benchmark exam is to
understand if students have mastered speciMc
standards and are ready to move on. Typically,
benchmark exams are given to help students
prepare for end of year state testing, like PARCC,
AIR, SBAC, FSA, or PSSA. 

It’s important to note that the terms “benchmark

exam” and “interim assessment” are used
interchangeably. They both are used to measure
academic progress of large groups of students.
Ideally, the results of a benchmark exam help
teachers understand what lessons they need to
reteach and which students need extra support.
Beyond this, benchmark exams act as a “preview”
to how a class, school, or district will perform on
state tests or summative exams. 

Components of a
Benchmark Exam: 
Help drive future instruction
Term used interchangeably with “interim
assessment” 
Given to many classes, a whole school, or
across an entire district 
Act as a “predictor” to state test scores 

Is There a Difference
Between Interim
Assessment and
Benchmark Exam? What
About Formative
Assessment? 
There can be lots of confusion about the different
types of assessments. It’s important to recognize
these differences and understand how each type
of assessment Mts into the overall learning
process of each student. 

There is little to no difference between an interim

assessment and a benchmark exam. They are
both formal tests often given using technology,
like Edulastic, to thoroughly and eUciently
monitor student progress. 

Benchmark exams are also formative in that they

help teachers drive their future instruction. While
traditional formative assessments are given in
one class, benchmark exams are usually given
across many different classes or across an entire
school. The best benchmark exams give data
quickly, so teachers can act on it. This is why
digital assessment is great for benchmark
exams!

Online Benchmark Exams

With Edulastic

Burton School District in California uses

Edulastic for districtwide benchmark exams

Schools and districts across the country have

turned to Edulastic Enterprise to administer their
common benchmark exams. When benchmark
exams are given online, the results are instant
and the data can immediately be used to help
teachers modify their future lessons. School
leaders can set up the test quickly and easily; they
even can tie every question to a state standard. 

For example, at Burton School District in

California, district leaders and teachers are able
to push out districtwide benchmark exams
without a headache. David Shimer, Director of
Education Services at Burton Schools, explains, “I
think the ‘aha’ moment was when, within a period
of one week, we were able to get every student
across the district logged in, have teachers get an
assessment from their students, and as a district
we were able to get the charts and graphs back in
ways that allowed us to adjust instruction and
training.”

Examples of Benchmark
Exams
Here are some examples of benchmark exams
that teachers and school leaders have shared
publicly in the Edulastic library. If they apply to
what you’re teaching, feel free to use them! If not,
you can search the public library to Mnd other
premade assessments, or you can create your
own. 

Benchmark Exam

Preview this Assessment

Preview this Assessment

Preview this Assessment

Interested in Giving
Benchmark Exams on
Edulastic? 

Request a quote for Edulastic

Enterprise if you are ready to get
started.
Learn all about the different types of
assessments here!

Related

What is an Interim What is a Summative

Assessment? Assessment?
November 27, 2019 August 16, 2018

Different Types of
Assessment and What
You Need to Know
About Them
August 16, 2018

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