The Iowa Department of Education is seeking public feedback on the proposed new achievement levels that will identify where a student’s ability falls on a continuum of performance on the state’s new summative assessment.
Formerly called the Iowa Statewide Assessment of Student Progress or ISASP, the new state summative assessment is built specifically to measure student progress in learning aligned to Iowa Academic Standards and assesses students in grades 3 to 11 in English language arts (ELA) and mathematics and grades 5, 8 and 10 in science. This new assessment includes new content and test questions aligned to Iowa’s rigorous academic standards with new performance levels.
Any Iowan who is interested in providing input on the proposed new achievement levels and Performance Level Descriptors (PLD) is encouraged to review information about the new state summative assessment and attend one of the upcoming public community engagement sessions, which will be held from 5:30-7:00 p.m. on the following dates and locations across the state:
- Monday, Sept. 14: Central Iowa-Grimes Building, B100, 400 E. 14th Street, Des Moines
- Monday, Sept. 21: NE Iowa-Central Rivers AEA, 1521 Technology Pkwy, Cedar Falls
- Wednesday, Sept. 23: SW Iowa-Green Hills AEA, 24997 IA-92, Council Bluffs
- Thursday, Sept. 24: NW Iowa-Northwest AEA, 5800 Discovery Blvd, Sioux City
- Tuesday, Oct. 6: Central Iowa-Grimes Building, B100, 400 E. 14th Street, Des Moines
- Thursday, Oct. 8: SE Iowa-Ottumwa Community School District, Career Campus, Atrium. 331 E Main Street, Ottumwa
Individuals who are unable to attend a public session can also submit comments through the Department’s public survey link through Oct. 9.
Embracing high expectations for all students, this past spring Iowa administered a new state summative assessment that aligns to and assesses student performance related to the new Iowa Academic Standards, adopted by the State Board of Education in 2024 and first implemented in the 2024-25 school year in both English language arts and mathematics. Aligning the state summative assessment to the new Iowa Academic Standards better reflects what is being taught in Iowa classrooms and how students are progressing toward grade-level expectations.
The next step is to finalize both the PLDs, which describe the knowledge and skills students must demonstrate in each of Iowa’s four proposed new achievement levels, and the achievement levels aligned to Iowa’s new Academic Standards.
The proposed achievement levels and PLDs were informed by public feedback received through a statewide survey in spring 2026. Following the public survey, approximately 155 Iowa educators from across the state met for five days in June 2026 to advise on the cut points for the four proposed achievement levels: Below, Approaching, Meeting and Exceeding Grade-Level Expectations. Previously, student performance on Iowa’s state summative assessment included three achievement levels: Advanced, Proficient and Not Yet Proficient.
Similar to the five-phase process followed for the revision and adoption of new Iowa Academic Standards, a second committee of education experts will review and consider the community feedback and recommend changes based on that feedback. A final proposed recommendation on the new achievement levels will be presented to the Iowa State Board of Education for consideration later this fall. Following State Board approval, these results will reset the baseline for future progress on the 2026 state summative assessment.
For more information on Iowa’s academic standards, including those on ELA and mathematics, visit the Department’s Iowa Academic Standards webpage.
For more information on the new state summative assessment and the assessment standard setting process, visit the Department’s Student Assessment webpage.