What to Expect with Pathways Assessments

Throughout the year, Pathways provides three types of assessments that are tailored to fit the needs of every district: 

Snapshot Assessments: Available for Mathematics, Science, and Social Studies (see note), Pathways Snapshots serve as formative assessments tailored to align with district pacing guides and content priorities. While districts ultimately decide the schedule, snapshots are typically administered at the conclusion of the first and/or second term. 

*In the case of ELA, three comprehensive benchmark assessments are created, with each test progressively increasing in complexity from term 1 through term 3. Snapshot assessments are not suitable for ELA because the subject's reliance on text-dependent items makes the assessment of only a few standards at a time challenging. 

Comprehensive Benchmark Assessments: These assessments are designed to mirror the blueprint, format, item types, item stems, and rigor of state assessments. They are administered once the majority or entirety of a course’s content has been covered with the primary purpose of preparing students for state assessments. With the results of the comprehensive benchmark assessment, a teacher is enabled to identify areas requiring further instruction before the state assessment. 

When it is time to take either a Snapshot or a Comprehensive Benchmark, a district administrator will make the test available to teachers through the Pathways website. Once teachers have public access to the test, they are able to assign, proctor, publish, view student score reports, and create reviews.