Science and math items for the 2007 Dakota STEP will be field tested this fall. The field test will take place the week of Oct. 30. Approximately 275 schools have been notified by the South Dakota Department of Education that their students will need to participate.

“We appreciate these schools’ willingness to participate in this process and lay the groundwork for the 2007 Dakota STEP,” said Gay Pickner, the department’s assessment director. “As a state, we need to complete this important work in order to meet federal requirements.”

Spring 2007 marks the first time that science items on the Dakota STEP will be aligned to the state’s content standards. Under No Child Left Behind, states are required to test students on the state’s science standards by 2008. Testing is required in one elementary grade, one middle school grade and one high school grade. The field test also is required by federal regulation.

New math items will be field tested the week of Oct. 30, too. During a recent review of South Dakota’s standards and assessment system, federal reviewers recommended that the Dakota STEP be altered to offer a more equal distribution of test items across all proficiency levels (basic, proficient and advanced). These new math items are a direct response to that recommendation.

New reading items will be field tested next spring within the actual Dakota STEP, but those items will not be scored in 2007.

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