Assessment
- Move On When Reading
- Early Kindergarten Screening
- District Benchmark Assessments
- AASA, AzSCI, ACT Aspire, and ACT
Move On When Reading
Early Kindergarten Screening
The J.O. Combs Unified School District is dedicated to education placement decisions that will best serve the children in our community. Decisions to accept a child for early kindergarten admission will be based on a clear indication that the child exhibits skills in areas of development that will most likely assure a successful kindergarten experience. The screening will be conducted by a team of kindergarten experts and parents will be notified regarding admission within one week. All decisions by the team are final and there will not be additional opportunities for re-screening.
By law, students must turn 5 by December 31st of the school year to qualify for early kindergarten testing. Please note that the list below describes general concepts that the early kindergarten test will be assessing:
- Social Development: How well student separates from parents, follows directions, and interacts with adults and peers
- Motor Skills: Physical activity, holding a pencil, and using scissors
- Basic Academic Skills: Knowing shapes, colors, letters, and numbers
If your child has not yet demonstrated these skills, we would like to recommend that you consider our Kinder Prep preschool. Please refer to the Community Education section of our website for additional information regarding Kinder Prep.
Early Kindergarten Screening Registration Information:
Screenings will be held at the J.O. Combs District Office Board Room on the following dates:
- May 7th 2025, 2PM-5PM
- June 19th 2025, 8AM-12PM & 1PM-3PM
**You must complete the form in order to screen your child for early kindergarten admission**
District Benchmark Assessments
As part of a comprehensive and balanced assessment system, J.O. Combs Unified School District administers benchmark assessments in ELA and Mathematics using Illuminate DnA online assessments. These are district created and aligned to district curriculum and the Arizona Academic Standards. These assessments are used as evidence of student learning for longer-term instructional planning. The district uses benchmark assessments to identify curricular gaps between learning expectations and assessment, ensure that the standards are being taught and learned, and identify structural or instructional changes that might be helpful.
AASA, AzSCI, ACT Aspire, and ACT
Students in grades 3-8 are assessed annually each spring through state mandated achievement tests in English Language Arts and Mathematics and in grades 5, 8, and 11 in Science. Students in 9th and 11th grade will participate in taking the ACT Aspire and ACT respectively, which will assess students in reading, writing, math, and science. These statewide assessments are used to ensure alignment between district curriculum and instruction and the Arizona Academic Standards, while also providing the district with valuable information on student learning needs. All assessment is conducted online through computer based testing.