Idaho began developing state achievement/content standards in 1994. The state Legislature approved achievement standards for students in kindergarten through grade 12 in 2000. With the approval granted, the State Board of Education formed a committee to design an appropriate assessment that would measure the competency and skill levels of students to ascertain whether the standards of education established were being taught in schools. The ISAT was introduced in fall 2002 and became a mandatory state assessment test soon after.
The Idaho ISAT is offered in the spring and fall of each academic year. Students typically take the test over a computer at their schools and receive immediate feedback on their scores. Students are rated as advanced, proficient, basic and below basic in each of the areas, depending on their score.
The Idaho ISAT is made up of mathematics, language and reading tests for students between grades three and 10. Students in grades five, seven and 10 are also assessed in science. The test follows a multiple-choice pattern, with questions designed to assess a multitude of skills, ranging from problem solving to fact recollection.
The language test is composed of two parts: language usage and reading. The language usage test measures a student's knowledge of writing components and the writing process. The reading test consists of the process of reading, interpretation and comprehension.
The mathematics test gauges students in five core areas: concepts and language of algebra and functions; principles and concepts of measurement; statistics, data analysis and probability; principles of geometry; and numbers and operations.
The science test administered for students in grades five, seven and 10 measures five key categories: technology; personal and social perspectives; earth and space systems; physical science and biology; and nature of science.
ISAT tests are not timed. However, students typically average between 45 minutes and an hour on each test.
The ISAT is a requirement for students graduating from high school. It is meant to ensure that every student has a competent level of language, reading and math by the time she graduates. Proficiency on the ISAT reveals that a student has met the state standards in mathematics, language, reading and science.
ISAT is also important for educational administrators and members of the Board of Education, as it allows them to gauge the performance of individual schools. Schools whose students consistently perform poorly on the ISAT are a cause of concern for the board, which may take such steps as replacing a school's management or training faculty.