Elementary Schools

Test	Administration Dates	Grades
iReady Formative Assessments	Fall Testing Window August 7 - 23 Winter Testing Window December 2 - 20 Spring Testing Window 1 (Grades 3-8)  March 31 - April 25 Spring Testing window 2 (Grades K - 2) April 28 - May 16	i-Ready will be used as a formative assessment tool in mathematics and reading for grades K - 8.
Kindergarten Readiness Assessment: KRA	During the first 45 days of school  (October 15th is the 45th day)	Readiness Assessment for Kindergarten Students
myIGDIs	During the first 45 days of school (October 15th is the 45th day) During the last 45 days of school	Pre-Kindergarten
CogAT	Tuesday, October 8: CogAT Verbal Battery Wednesday, October 9: CogAT Quantitative Thursday, October 10: CogAT Nonverbal Battery Makeups: Tuesday, October 15-Friday, October 25	Students in grade 2 will participate. Students in grade 4 will participate in CogAT testing. Starting this fall, we will administer CogAT and Iowa assessments online at all grade levels.
Iowa Assessments	Wednesday, October 16: Reading  Thursday, October 17: Math Makeups: Friday, Oct. 18 - Friday, Oct. 25	Students in grade 2 will participate.
ACCESS for MLs	Testing Window: January 21 - March 7	Selected Multilingual Learners in grades K-12 will participate.
SC READY	Grades 3 - 8 ELA Writing: Monday, April 28 ELA Reading Section A: Wednesday, April 30 ELA Reading Section B: Thursday, May 1 Math: Tuesday, May 6 Science: Thursday, May 8 Makeups: through May 22	Grades 3 - 8 will participate in SC READY ELA and Math. ELA has two components - Writing and Reading. Grades 4 and 6 will participate in SC READY Science
STAMP	Fall:  Semester WL Classes and Seal of Biliteracy candidates: November 1-December 20 Spring:  Immersion Grades 3-5, Immersion 8th Grade and Seal of Biliteracy candidates: February 10-March 31 All other MS and HS groups: February 10-May 16

Grade-level summaries are provided to offer an overview of the standards for each grade.

Kindergarten instruction focuses on explicit, systematic teaching of phonemic awareness, phonics, vocabulary, fluency, and comprehension. By the end of the year, students are expected to demonstrate proficiency in grade-level skills with some independence, though teachers provide support through one-on-one and small group instruction as needed. Reading at this stage involves decoding and encoding words, even if students are not yet reading independently. Kindergarten students read various literary and informational texts in print and multimedia formats and explore text features. In writing, they begin developing opinion, informative, and narrative skills. Additionally, students practice oral communication by listening and participating in conversations.

In first grade, students continue developing their understanding of grapheme-phoneme correspondences, learning to decode (translate words from print to speech) and encode (translate words from speech to print). Building reading comprehension and fluency is crucial at this stage. Teachers provide necessary support through one-on-one instruction, small groups, reteaching, and differentiated instruction, but by the end of the year, students are expected to demonstrate grade-level proficiency independently. First graders focus more on finding meaning in text, retelling stories, identifying lessons, and using illustrations to glean information. They read fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and drama, as well as various informational texts, and begin using text features like captions, graphs, and glossaries. In writing, students work on opinion, informative, and narrative modes, and continue to develop oral communication skills, learning to enter conversations and adjust their voice for different contexts.

By second grade, students should have mastered print concepts and phonological awareness, with a focus now on developing phonics and fluency. They are expected to decode (translate words from print to speech) and encode (translate words from speech to print) while continuing to enhance comprehension and fluency in reading. While educators provide guidance through individual and small group instruction as needed, second graders are expected to demonstrate grade-level proficiency independently by the end of the year. Instruction emphasizes finding meaning in text, explaining how text features contribute to meaning, and asking "who, what, when, where, why, and how" questions to understand an author's purpose. Second graders read a variety of fiction, nonfiction, poetry, drama, and informational texts in both print and multimedia formats. In writing, they focus on opinion, informative, and narrative modes, creating narratives with temporal words and opinions with supporting details. Additionally, they develop topics with facts and details and continue practicing appropriate communication, including adjusting their voice volume for different conversational contexts.

In third grade, the focus shifts from foundational reading skills to reading comprehension. Students begin explaining how elements of literary and informational texts function within a text. While teachers continue to offer support as needed, third graders are expected to demonstrate independence by the end of the year. Instruction emphasizes author’s craft, including analyzing an author’s purpose and comparing different perspectives between characters and readers. Third graders read various types of literary and informational texts in both print and multimedia formats and explain how visuals contribute to meaning. In writing, students compose opinion, informational, and narrative pieces, using transitions and organizing ideas. They practice writing summaries, essays, and creative pieces, and begin learning cursive.

In fourth grade, the focus is on reading comprehension, with students learning to make connections within texts, such as understanding how an author’s perspective influences their purpose. While teachers provide guidance as needed, students are expected to work independently by the end of the year. Fourth graders analyze literary elements like conflict and setting and how they impact characters and plot. They also begin identifying implied themes and central ideas through inference and recognize organizational structures in informational texts. Students read a range of literary and informational texts in print and multimedia formats and explore how text features contribute to meaning. In writing, they focus on sequencing, logical reasoning, and structuring arguments, while continuing to develop narrative and informational pieces. They also refine research skills, write essays and creative pieces, and practice cursive writing.

In fifth grade, students continue developing critical thinking and problem-solving skills, with a focus on reading comprehension and emerging analysis. They learn to identify how conflict moves a story's plot forward and analyze how story elements and point of view affect the narrative. In informational texts, students compare primary and secondary accounts of events. Educators provide guidance as needed, but students are expected to demonstrate independent proficiency by the end of the year. Fifth graders read various literary and informational texts and strengthen their writing by organizing ideas logically in arguments, informational pieces, and narratives. They also improve oral communication by evaluating others’ claims and reflecting on ideas. Writing tasks include summary paragraphs, essays, text-dependent writing, and creative pieces.

Grade-level summaries are provided to offer an overview of the standards for each grade.

In kindergarten, students will:

• Collect, sort, analyze, and communicate data through charts and graphs.

• Identify coins and use measurement vocabulary to compare objects.

• Identify, describe, compare, and analyze 2D and 3D shapes based on their attributes.

• Build number sense for numbers 0 to 20, focusing on counting, comparing quantities, and understanding whole numbers. A major focus will be subitizing quantities to 10. 

• Use multiple representations to solve addition and subtraction problems within 10, exploring the relationship between these operations.

• Extend and continue patterns using reasoning.

In first grade, students will:

• Create investigative questions, collect data, and sort, analyze, and communicate it using charts and graphs.

• Identify coins and bills by name and value, count collections of like coins not to exceed one dollar, and tell time to the hour on analog and digital clocks.

• Identify, describe, classify, construct, compare, and analyze two-dimensional and three-dimensional shapes based on their attributes.

• Build number sense and place value understanding for numbers 0 to 100, count by grouping items into tens, compare numbers using various representations, and partition shapes into equal parts as a building block for fractional understanding.

• Use multiple representations to solve addition and subtraction problems within 100, understand the equal sign, and explore the relationship between addition and subtraction.

• Apply concepts to mathematical and real-world situations and use reasoning to create, describe, and extend patterns.

In second grade, students will:

• Create investigative questions, collect data, and represent it through charts and graphs.

• Identify and write the values of coins and bills, count collections of mixed coins not to exceed one dollar, and count collections of mixed bills with the total value not to exceed 100 dollars. They will tell and record time in five-minute intervals and measure object lengths using appropriate tools. Students will also explore two-dimensional and three-dimensional shapes based on their attributes.

• Build number sense and place value understanding for numbers 0 to 999, count by grouping items into tens or hundreds to demonstrate place value structure, and compare numbers using various representations. They will partition shapes into halves and fourths as a building block for fractional understanding. They will identify the nearest multiple of 10 for a given two-digit number.

• Use a variety of strategies to solve addition and subtraction problems within 100, understand the equal sign, and explore the relationship between these operations. They will begin using arrays to connect addition and multiplication and recognize, describe, extend, and create patterns.

In third grade, students will:

• Collect, analyze, and communicate data through tables, charts, and scaled graphs, and be introduced to probability by representing the likelihood of simple events.

• Solve area and perimeter problems in real-world and mathematical situations, connecting area with multiplication. They will measure lengths in customary and metric units, determine elapsed time to the half-hour, and record time in one-minute intervals. Students will also determine the value of collections of money greater than one dollar and record using decimal notation.

• Represent and compare whole numbers within the base ten system and build a strong foundation in fractions using concrete, area, and linear models.

• Use multiple representations to solve problems involving operational properties of whole numbers. They will explore addition, subtraction, and build a strong foundation in multiplication and division, leading to solving multi-digit problems in later grades. They will also represent and solve algebraic and numerical situations involving unknowns and patterns.

In fourth grade, students will:

• Be introduced to collecting and organizing numerical and categorical data based on observations, surveys, and experiments. 

• Interpret whole number and fractional data from observations, surveys, and experiments using tables, scaled bar graphs, or dot plots, and solve one-step problems. They will continue learning about probability by determining the likelihood of events, identifying events as impossible, equally likely, or certain.

• Solve real-world problems involving the perimeter and area of rectangles, identify missing side lengths, and label units with square units. They will estimate and measure lengths to the nearest quarter inch and half centimeter, classify polygons based on attributes, and investigate attributes to classify shapes.

• Use relationships within the base ten system to represent, compare, and order whole numbers, fractions, and decimals. They will focus on building a strong understanding of fractions, use models and reasoning strategies to generate fraction equivalencies, and represent fractions and decimals in multiple ways.

• Use multiple representations to reason and solve problems involving whole numbers and decimals. They will use standard algorithms and various previously taught strategies for addition and subtraction, and build on multiplication and division concepts to operate with multi-digit problems. Students will develop an understanding of operations involving fractions. Students will begin to operate with fractions with the same denominator and decimals (limited to tenths and hundredths).  Additionally, they will describe and extend numerical patterns using their knowledge of operations and number relationships.

In fifth grade, students will:

• Explore data by finding the range and mode and solve one-step problems using tables, line graphs, scaled bar graphs, or dot plots. They will analyze categorical and numerical data to make predictions and draw conclusions and continue learning about probability by representing simple events as fractions.

• Solve problems involving the area and perimeter of composite rectangles, including both whole and fractional numbers, and be introduced to the volume of right rectangular prisms. They will convert between measurements, estimate and measure lengths, and use the coordinate system to plot and label ordered pairs in the first quadrant.

• Represent and compare multi-digit numbers with decimals, build a strong understanding of decimal values, and convert between fractions and decimals using number lines and reasoning strategies. A major focus for students in fifth grade will include building a strong conceptual foundation of understanding decimal values. 

• Use multiple representations to reason and solve problems involving operational properties of decimals, fractions, and whole numbers, focusing on solidifying their understanding of multi-digit operations and standard algorithms for addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division. 

• Learn to simplify fractions using factors and multiples, graph ordered pairs, understand functions, and use grouping symbols to evaluate numerical expressions.