 Download in-class practice questions for Students' |
|
Use the quick links below to navigate the page.
- Testing Students with the Iowa Assessments
- Free Resources for Common Core Aligned Tests
- Iowa Assessments for Gifted Placement
- Iowa Assessments Levels
- Iowa Assessments Subtests
- Iowa Assessments Test Scores
- Free Teaching Materials: Math and Language Worksheets
- Free Teachers' Resources: Lesson Plans
Testing Students with the Iowa Assessments
As part of your class preparation for the 2024 Iowa Assessments, your school administrator will determine the exact purpose for conducting this testing. It is helpful to understand why the school has chosen to implement the Iowa Assessments; the objectives below are often key factors in any school administrator’s testing decision. Read through the list and think about which objectives may apply to you.
- Track levels – The Iowa Assessments can offer a great tool for teachers with large classes to help determine which students are struggling in certain subject areas. Equally, teachers can identify those students who may have surpassed a specific level. As the Iowa Assessments is aligned with the Common Core, the tests are a great indicator of class and student levels and can be a useful tool for tracking both strengths and weaknesses.
- Direct class instruction – The Iowa Assessments is very useful when gauging class level as a whole. The results can help teachers to determine which subjects need more attention and which areas may be less emphasized.
- Track growth – When used yearly, the Iowa Assessments tests are effective growth monitors that can help confirm individual students are advancing adequately as they progress in grade level.
- Gauge college and career readiness – Using national ranks and standards from year to year can help determine if students are progressing toward college and career readiness.
- Response to intervention (RTI) – The Iowa tests are widely used for special behavioral tracking. RTI is a universal screening of all children in the general education classroom. Struggling learners are provided with interventions at increasing levels of intensity to accelerate their rate of learning.
- Placement tool – The Iowa Assessments can be used to determine individual student placement needs from grade to grade.
- School ranking – Testing excellence can help place your school as an accountable educational institution, as well as provide your school with a high national or statewide ranking.
In addition to these objectives, the Iowa Assessments has been very influential in measuring alignment with Common Core standards, as well as in identifying gifted students.
Has your school chosen to use the Iowa Assessments in 2024? Download our free, printable teachers' resources booklet, with sample questions and answers for your students, and a discount code for parents.
Download in-class practice questions for Students' |
 Download in-class practice questions' answers for Teachers' |
Check back for more free resource booklets, packed full of sample questions, information, and worksheets for students.
Free Resources for Common Core Aligned Tests
The newest version of the Iowa Assessments (Forms E/F) has aligned all of the subtests at all levels with the Common Core, with the intention of tracking college and career readiness. For this same reason, University of Iowa's College of Education now distributes more extensive post-exam reports in an attempt to provide better feedback on student progress. This is an invaluable tool for educators looking to help their students succeed.
As our free resources are written for the Iowa Assessments, much of the material in our resources pack is now aligned with the Common Core. Our free teaching materials are available to all teachers and tutors. Visit our Teachers' page for more information on teaching resources and free materials, coming soon.
Iowa Assessments for Gifted Placement
An additional benefit of the Iowa Assessments is its partnership with the CogAT, or Cognitive Abilities Test, which is used to identify gifted students. Students who excel in both the Iowa Assessments and CogAT are often chosen by educators or community members to apply for gifted programs. To view our Iowa Assessments and CogAT Pack for 3rd Grade, head to our ITBS and CogAT Bundle page. If you would like additional information on the gifted testing process, or if you would like to see if any of your students qualify, visit our Gifted Children Tests page.
Back to top
Iowa Assessments Levels
The Iowa Assessments forms E and F can be administered as early as first grade all the way through to twelfth grade. Below you will find test levels corresponding to grades:
| Grade | Level |
|---|---|
| 1 | 5/6 |
| 1-2 | 7 |
| 2 | 8 |
| 3-8 | 9-14 |
| 9-12 | 15-17/18 |
Depending on the grade level, all of the subtests comprising the Iowa Assessments can be administered from anywhere between 2.5 to 4 hours. Preparing your students for both the content and duration of the test is vital for helping them perform at their best on test day. As your students are increasingly exposed to the various subtests and question types, they will become more confident and capable at taking the Iowa Assessments.
Iowa Assessments Subtests
The Iowa Assessments consists of five subtests that can be administered in their entirety or in part. The five subtests are all aligned with Common Core standards and include Language Arts, Math, Reading, Science, and Social Studies. As students advance to higher levels of the Iowa Assessments, each subtest becomes progressively more challenging. Usually, your school administrator will determine which subtests and grades are to be tested depending on the purpose of testing. For more information, head to our ITBS & Iowa Assessments Subtests page.
Please note, our current 3rd Grade (Level 9) Iowa Assessments & ITBS practice pack does not include preparation for the social studies or the science subtests.
Back to top
Iowa Assessments Test Scores
Like most standardized tests, the Iowa Assessments tracks foundational skills and higher order thinking (HOT) skills. Depending on the purpose of administering the tests, students are ranked across local and national scales. Once you or your school administrator have determined the purpose of testing, you will be able to determine which type of score report will most benefit your students. Score reports are provided in three different forms: standard scores, grade equivalents, and percentile rank. Find out more about scoring on our ITBS & Iowa Assessments Scores page.
Free Teaching Materials: Maths and Language Worksheets
We have developed sample questions, which are available as part of our free practice pack series for teachers. Our practice packs offer both in-class prep and worksheets for students to complete independently or with the support of family and friends outside the classroom. Our free math problems and language arts questions closely simulate those of the Iowa Assessments, offering your students an opportunity to practice test questions.
Free Teachers' Resources: Lesson Plans
We are currently developing both free and paid teachers' resources for ITBS curriculum. If you would like more free downloadable practice materials for different tests or would like to let us know what products you would be interested in purchasing, you can do so by completing the form below.
The Iowa Assessments™, ITBS®, and other trademarks are the property of their respective trademark holders. None of the trademark holders are affiliated with TestPrep-Online or this website.
