Office of Educational Accountability Home Page

The Wisconsin Office of Educational Accountability (OEA) is responsible for meeting the assessment and accountability requirements of state and federal law by setting high standards for student achievement, measuring academic progress, publicly reporting each school’s performance annually, and taking action when schools are not making adequate progress.

Assessment News!

Following the recommendations of the Next Generation Assessment Task Force the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction has begun work toward a new balanced assessment system. Wisconsin is a governing state within the 31-state SMARTER Balanced Assessment Consortium (SBAC), formed in response to the Race to the Top assessment grant competition to develop an innovative assessment system aligned to the Common Core State Standards. The new assessment system mirrors the recommendations of Wisconsin’s Next Generation Assessment Task Force. As the consortium’s fiscal agent, the State of Washington hosts a SBAC webpage where you can access information on the consortium’s assessment plans.

Wisconsin is also participating in a consortium comprised of 13 states, called the Dynamic Learning Maps (DLM) Consortium. Funded by a four-year IDEA grant, the DLM consortium is tasked with creating an online adaptive system similar to SBAC. This system will help guide the instruction and assessment for students with significant cognitive disabilities and is inteded to replace the Wisconsin Alternate Assessment for Students with Disabilities (WAA-SwD). More information about this grant can be found at: http://dynamiclearningmaps.org/.

For more information on implementing the Common Core in Wisconsin―and how this system will impact district curriculum, instruction, and assessment―please visit: http://dpi.wi.gov/standards/ccss.html. You can also access further information on SMARTER by visiting our SMARTER Assessment System webpage.

Accountability	Assessment	Resources
About Wisconsin Accountability	Wisconsin Knowledge and Concepts Examination (WKCE)	Calendar of Important Dates (Includes Test Window Dates)
Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP)	Wisconsin Alternate Assessment for Students with Disabilities (WAA-SwD)	Contact Us
Accountability Reports	Assessments for ELLs	Information for Parents
Accountability for English Language Learners (ELL)	National Assessment of Educational Process (NAEP)	Publications and Resources
Historical Accountability Information	WKCE / WAA-SwD Data and Results	Wisconsin Career Assessment
Blue Ribbon Schools	SMARTER Balanced Assessment Consortium (SBAC)	Academic Growth

Wisconsin Student Assessment System

One way that students demonstrate their progress toward achieving the academic standards in English language arts, mathematics, science, and social studies is through participation in the Wisconsin Student Assessment System (WSAS). At present the WSAS consists of both the Wisconsin Knowledge and Concepts Examination (WKCE) and the Wisconsin Alternate Assessment for Students with Disabilities (WAA-SwD).

Beginning in the 2005-06 school year, the federal No Child Left Behind Act required all states to test all students in reading and mathematics in grades 3 through 8 and once in high school (grade 10 under s.118.30, Wis. Stats.). These tests are referred to as the Wisconsin Knowledge and Concepts Examinations (WKCE) and the WKCE reading and mathematics tests were revised in Fall 2005. Student performance on these assessments is reported in proficiency categories and used to determine the adequate yearly progress of students at the school, district and state levels. The WAA-SwD is intended for for students with significant cognitive disabilities if the IEP team determines that the students are unable to participate in the WKCE even with accommodations.

Federal approval of Wisconsin's standards and assessment system

For questions about this information, contact oeamail@dpi.wi.gov

Last updated on 1/18/2012 10:05:39 AM