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KAP Parent Guide


 

Dear Parents:

Thank you for supporting your child’s participation in the Kansas Assessment Program. 

Your engagement in your child’s education is critical to their success. With your support, we can ensure each Kansas student receives a quality education.  

This year, students were assessed in the following content areas: 

  • English language arts: Grades 3-8 and 10. 
  • Mathematics: Grades 3-8 and 10. 
  • Science: Grades 5, 8 and 11. 

In addition to assessment results, parents of eighth and 10th-grade students will see an ACT predictive measure on their child’s assessment report. This measure correlates with or predicts a likely range of ACT scores based on how the student performed on the state assessment. 

Your student’s assessment report also will include a Lexile® measure and a Quantile® measure. 

  • Lexile measures indicate the level of difficulty at which your child reads most comfortably. 
  • Quantile measures indicate your child’s readiness for instruction addressing a particular mathematical skill or concept. 

These ranges are a child’s sweet spot for learning and comprehension. Please ask your school for additional information on how to use these scores to support your child’s learning. 

As you review your student’s results, please remember that assessments are just one of several measures teachers consider when gauging student progress. This is why your student’s teachers use classroom interaction, homework and other strategies throughout the year to identify learning and achievement levels.  

Please contact your child’s school, teacher, or principal if you would like more details about these assessment results.  

Thank you for being a positive part of your child’s education. Together, we will reach the Kansas State Board of Education’s vision for education — Kansas leads the world in the success of each student. 

Sincerely, 

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Dr. Randy Watson
Kansas Commissioner of Education

Understanding the 2023 Kansas Assessment Program

The Kansas Assessment Program (KAP) is a set of untimed, computerized tests in English language arts (ELA), mathematics, and science. The test content fully aligns to the Kansas Content Standards. The Achievement and Assessment Institute (AAI) at the University of Kansas develops and delivers each assessment.

Test Purpose

KAP provides parents, educators, and policymakers with information about student learning. Additionally, KAP meets federal and state accountability requirements.

Test Content

In 2023, all students in grades 3– 8 and 10 took assessments in ELA and mathematics. Students in grades 5, 8, and 11 took an assessment in science.

Test Format

Computerized tests allow students to demonstrate knowledge in various ways. In addition to multiple-choice items, students see technology-enhanced (TE) items. Depending on the subject area, TE items might include ordering, matching, or completing a matrix.

How are KAP assessments scored?

First, AAI adds the points your student earned on the test questions are added together without deducting points for incorrect answers. Some questions are worth more than one point. Next, this raw score is converted to a scaled score that has the same meaning for all versions of the test. KAP scaled scores range from 220–380 and are divided into four performance levels.

The same process is used to calculate your student’s performance in different categories of each subject-area test, such as Key Ideas & Details in ELA or Algebra in mathematics.

How should you use KAP results?

Use these scores to help

  • Identify your student’s relative strengths and limitations.
  • Determine your student’s progress toward meeting state curriculum standards.
  • Compare your student’s performance to that of other students in the school, district, and state.

How can you help your student improve his or her KAP score?

  • Access Kite® Practice Tests for your student to take at home.
  • Encourage your student to do her or his best on the assessments.
  • Talk with the classroom teacher(s) about ways to develop your student’s critical-thinking skills.
  • Ask your student questions that require explanations and cannot be answered with a single word; have them write lists, letters, stories, or podcast scripts; and solve math problems using everyday materials, such as road maps, sporting event results, or recipes.
  • Establish time for your student to read and provide engaging and appropriately challenging reading materials.
  • Use the information on the back of the report to identify areas where your student needs additional support and ask the classroom teacher(s) how to practice these skills at home.