Albuquerque Public Schools
Assessment
Providing teachers, students, parents, and policymakers with a clear and well-organized system to measure student learning.
APS Assessment
The Assessment Department, within the Office of Accountability and Reporting, provides teachers, students, parents, and policymakers with a clear and effective system for measuring student learning. This system uses a variety of assessment methods based on sound research and includes input from educators. The results offer meaningful feedback to support improvement at all levels.
School Staff
- All assessment information can be found on the Assessment Website (login required).
Testing Dates 2024-2025
Elementary Schools
| Assessments | Grades | Testing Window |
|---|---|---|
| Updated May 2, 2025 | ||
| i-Ready Math (3-5) & Reading (4-5) | 3-5 & 4-5 |
|
| Istation - Reading (K-3) & Math (K-2) | K-3 & K-2 |
|
| ECOT | Prek |
|
| ACCESS | K-5 |
|
| NM-ASR | 5 |
|
| DLM |
3-5 ELA/Math Grade 5 science |
|
| NM-MSSA |
3-5 |
|
| NM-MSSA SLA |
3-5 |
|
Middle Schools
| State Assessments | Grades | Testing Window |
|---|---|---|
| Updated January 8, 2025 | ||
| ACCESS (for ELL's 2.0) | 6-8 | January 14 – March 7, 2025 |
| NM-ASR Science | 8 | April 7– May 2, 2025 |
| DLM (Alternate Performance Assessment) |
6-8 (ELA/Math) 8 (Science) |
March 10 – May 2, 2025 |
| NM-MSSA (New Mexico's Measures of Student Success & Achievement) |
6-8 | April 7 – May 2, 2025 |
| State Assessments | Grades | Testing Window |
|---|---|---|
| Updated July 24, 2024 | ||
| i-Ready (Beginning of year) | 6-8 | Aug. 7 - Sept. 27, 2024 |
| i-Ready (Middle of year) | 6-8 | Dec. 2 - Dec. 20, 2024 |
| i-Ready (End of year) | 6-8 | April 14 - May 23, 2025 |
High Schools
| State Assessments | Grades | Testing Window |
|---|---|---|
| Updated January 8, 2025 | ||
| PSAT/NMSQT® | 10-11 |
October 1 - October 31, 2024 School Day: October 2, 2024 |
| ACCESS (for ELL's 2.0) | 9-12 | January 14 to March 7, 2025 |
| NM-ASR (Science) | 11 | April 7 to May 2, 2025 |
| DLM (Alternate Performance Assessment) |
11 (ELA/Math, Science) | March 10 to May 2, 2025 |
| Spanish Reading SBA | 11 | March 17 to May 2, 2025 |
| SAT® School Day No Essay | 11 |
March 17 to April 25, 2025 School Day: April 2, 2025 |
| AP® Exams | 9-12 | May 5-9 and May 12-16, 2025 |
| Assessments | Grades | Testing Window |
|---|---|---|
| Updated January 8, 2025 | ||
|
Horizon ELA and Math Interim Assessment |
9 |
|
| NWEA | 9-12 |
|
Assessment Overviews 2024-2025
Elementary Schools
Elementary School Assessments Overview
- ACCESS
- ACCESS for ELs 2.0 (Assessing Comprehension and Communication in English State-to-State) is a large-scale English Language Proficiency assessment administered to K -12th grade students who have been identified as English language learners. This assessment is given annually to monitor students’ progress towards acquiring academic English proficiency in the four domains: Listening, Reading, Writing, and Speaking. The performance levels are used to place students in the appropriate courses.
- DLM
- DLM (Dynamic Learning Maps) is only required for students with significant cognitive disabilities. A student IEP team will determine if the student is eligible to take this alternative assessment. DLM replaces Language Arts & Math (NM-MSSA), Science (NM-ASR) and EOCs for social studies. Eligible students may take assessments in English Language Arts, Math, Science and Social Studies.
- ECOT
- The ECOT is an authentic observational tool that looks at the “whole child,” and is designed to gather information on how children perform in pre-school.
- Istation
- Istation is the state-required reading assessment for students in grades K - 2 for all schools. The assessment is available in English and Spanish. Istation is also offered as an option for a district supported interim assessment for Grade K-5 in Reading and Math.
- i-Ready
- i-Ready assessments are available as a district supported interim assessment. i-Ready offers an adaptive diagnostic assessment that can be used as a placement tool for Math and Reading.
- NAEP
- NAEP (National Assessment of Education Progress) is a national assessment. NAEP covers many subjects including: math, reading, writing, science, the arts, civics, economics, geography, and U.S. history for grades 4, 8, and 12. NAEP results serve as a common metric for all states and selected urban districts. This permits NAEP to provide a clear picture of student academic progress over time. The results are released as The Nation's Report Card, which provides information about student achievement to educators, parents, policymakers, and the public.
- NM-MSSA
- NM-MSSA (New Mexico's Measures of Student Success & Achievement) is the state-required assessment for grades 3 - 8 in Math and English Language Arts/Literacy.
- NM-ASR
- The NM-ASR (New Mexico Assessment of Science Readiness) is the science assessment that is required by the state for grades 5, 8, and 11. It measures student proficiency in content standards and benchmarks in science.
Middle Schools
Middle School Assessments Overview
- ACCESS
- ACCESS for ELs 2.0 (Assessing Comprehension and Communication in English State-to-State) is a large-scale English Language Proficiency assessment administered to K - 12th-grade students who have been identified as English language learners. This assessment is given annually to monitor students’ progress towards acquiring academic English proficiency in the four domains: Listening, Reading, Writing, and Speaking. The performance levels are used to place students in the appropriate courses.
- DLM:
- DLM (Dynamic Learning Maps) is only required for students with significant cognitive disabilities. A student IEP team will determine if the student is eligible to take this alternative assessment. DLM replaces Language Arts & Math (NM-MSSA), Science (NM-ASR) and EOCs for social studies. Eligible students may take assessments in English Language Arts, Math, Science, and Social Studies.
- i-Ready:
- i-Ready assessments are available as a district-supported interim assessment. i-Ready offers an adaptive diagnostic assessment that can be used as a placement tool for Math and Reading.
- NAEP:
- NAEP (National Assessment of Education Progress) is a national assessment. NAEP covers many subjects including math, reading, writing, science, the arts, civics, economics, geography, and U.S. history for grades 4, 8, and 12. NAEP results serve as a common metric for all states and selected urban districts. This permits NAEP to provide a clear picture of student academic progress over time. The results are released as The Nation's Report Card, which provides information about student achievement to educators, parents, policymakers, and the public. This assessment is given only to certain selected schools each year.
- NM-MSSA:
- NM-MSSA (New Mexico's Measures of Student Success & Achievement) is the state-required assessment for grades 3-8 in Math and English Language Arts/Literacy.
- NM-ASR:
- The NM-ASR (New Mexico Assessment of Science Readiness) is the science assessment that is required by the state for grades 5, 8, and 11. It measures student proficiency in content standards and benchmarks in science.
High Schools
High School Assessments Overview
- ACCESS
- ACCESS for ELs 2.0 (Assessing Comprehension and Communication in English State-to-State) is a large-scale English Language Proficiency assessment administered to K -12th grade students who have been identified as English language learners. This assessment is given annually to monitor students’ progress towards acquiring academic English proficiency in the four domains: Listening, Reading, Writing, and Speaking. The performance levels are used to place students in the appropriate courses.
- Horizon
- Horizon Education interim assessments are offered for Math and ELA for 9th grade. Horizon Education is the choice of school leaders and teachers, as it incorporates authentic practice for the state selected PSAT/NMSQT and SAT, while providing formative data to the schools to inform teaching and learning.
- DLM
- DLM (Dynamic Learning Maps) is only required for students with significant cognitive disabilities. A student IEP team will determine if the student is eligible to take this alternative assessment. DLM replaces Language Arts & Math (NM-MSSA), Science (NM-ASR) and EOCs for social studies. Eligible students may take assessments in English Language Arts, Math, Science and Social Studies.
- i-Ready
- i-Ready assessments are available as a district supported interim assessment. i-Ready offers an adaptive diagnostic assessment that can be used as a placement tool for Math and Reading.
- NAEP
- NAEP (National Assessment of Education Progress) is a national assessment. NAEP covers many subjects including: math, reading, writing, science, the arts, civics, economics, geography, and U.S. history for grades 4, 8, and 12. NAEP results serve as a common metric for all states and selected urban districts. This permits NAEP to provide a clear picture of student academic progress over time. The results are released as The Nation's Report Card, which provides information about student achievement to educators, parents, policymakers, and the public.
- NM-ASR
- The NM-ASR (New Mexico Assessment of Science Readiness) is the science assessment that is required by the state for grades 5, 8, and 11. It measures student proficiency in content standards and benchmarks in science.
- SAT®/PSAT™
- The SAT and PSAT assessments are designed to measure knowledge and skills that can consistently predict a student’s success in college and workforce training programs. All 11th grade students in New Mexico public schools will participate in the SAT.
- Spanish Reading
- Spanish Reading is the alternative language arts assessment that is used for students in grades 3 - 11 whose primary language is Spanish
APS Assessment Let's Talk
To contact APS Assessment with general questions or questions about the Childhood Experiences Questionnaire (CHEQ), Early Childhood Observation Tool (ECOT), i-Ready, or Istation, go to Assessment on Let's Talk.
Contact Information
Mailing Address:
P.O. Box 25704
Albuquerque, NM 87125-0704
Physical Address: