Assessment Glossary 

Paced Interim Assessments (PIA)

The Paced Interim Assessment (PIA) is administered five times a year to students in participating schools in grades 2 to 10.

The assessment covers targeted standards from each unit and shows what knowledge and skills students have mastered, and where instructional time and resources need to be focused.  The fifth PIA, administered in June, will assess student mastery of the most essential skills as listed on the DCPS scope and sequence documents.

Learn more about DCPS scope and sequence »

Achievement Network Assessment (ANet)

The Achievement Network (ANet) Assessment is another type of paced interim assessment, used at approximately one-third of schools in DCPS. It is aligned to the ANet Schedule of Assessed Standards and administered four times a year to students in 41 participating schools in grades 3 to 8. All four assessment cycles are administered prior to the state summative assessment, DC CAS.

District of Columbia Comprehensive Assessment System (DC CAS)

The District of Columbia Comprehensive Assessment System (DC CAS) assesses students in the following subjects and grade levels.

• Reading in grades 2 to 10
• Math in grades 2 to 8 and 10
• Composition in grades 4, 7, and 10
• Science in grades 5 and 8, and Biology in high school
• Health in grades 5, 8, and high school

What Families Need to Know to Support Student Success »

Scores in DC CAS are used for proficiency calculation for Adequate Yearly Progress.

While DCPS oversees the administration of the test, the Office of the State Superintendent of Education (OSSE) is responsible for the overall management of the assessment for all schools in DC.  For more information, please visit the OSSE website

District of Columbia Comprehensive Assessment System Alternative (DC CAS Alt)

The DC CAS-ALT is a portfolio assessment given to those students who have significant cognitive disabilities that prevent them from participating in the general assessment (DC CAS) even with accommodations and/or modifications.  It is administered to a smaller number of students in grades 3 to 8 and 10 in Reading and Math.  The portfolio is created throughout the school year with submission during the Spring.

Scores in DC CAS-ALT are also used for proficiency calculation for Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP).

For more information, please visit the OSSE website »

End of Course (EOC) Exam

The EOC Assessment is administered in Algebra I only at this point.  The EOC focuses on the DC Algebra I standards as identified in the DCPS Scope and Sequence.  

All students enrolled in Algebra I will take the End of Course Exam at the end of their course.  Students who are enrolled in Algebra I courses that end in January will take the EOC A.  Students enrolled in full-year Algebra I or second semester courses that end in June will take the EOC B, which will be administered during the final June PIA window. 

Learn more about DCPS focused Algebra standards »

National Assessment Educational Progress (NAEP)

The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) or The Nation’s Report Card is the largest continuing and nationally representative assessment of what our nation’s students know and can do on core subjects like mathematics, reading, science and writing.

The results of the NAEP, assessed biannually, are used to assess progress and develop ways to improve education in the United States.

More information on NAEP can be found in OSSE’s website »

Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP)

The No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) requires schools and districts to meet Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) each year based on targets determined by the Office of the State Superintendent of Education (OSSE).

 Schools must meet AYP in three ways:

• Proficiency in reading and math
• Participation in reading and math assessments
• Average daily attendance (elementary and middle schools) or graduation rates (high schools)

A school that fails to meet AYP for two consecutive years becomes a School in Need of Improvement.  A school that fails to meet AYP for five consecutive years may be Restructured.

Learn more about AYP in the OSSE AYP Manual »

School, district, and state performance on the DC CAS and AYP indicators from 2003 to present are found in OSSE’s Data Reports.