Each student at Horace Mann is given a battery of academic assessments at the time of his/her entrance into the school and again at his/her triennial re-evaluation. These assessments include developmental checklists for very young children, readiness tests for preschoolers and kindergartners, and reading and math tests for older students.

The Academic Diagnostic Teacher is in charge of coordinating and administering assessments in math and English/Language Arts. With each child’s 3-year re-evaluation, students are tested in math, reading and language. The diagnostic teacher administers the Early Numeracy Interview, the Key Math Assessment or the math subtests from the Woodcock Johnson Tests of Achievement. Having identified strengths and areas of need, strategies are developed to foster developmentally appropriate instruction, allowing students to acquire skills necessary to achieve their fullest potential.

The tests currently in use include:

1. Rockford Infant Developmental Evaluation Scale (R.I.D.E.S.)
2. Visual Motor Integration Test (V.M.I.)
3. Test of Early Reading Ability-Deaf or Hard of Hearing (TERA D/HH)
4. Diagnostic Reading Scales
5. KeyMath Revised-Normative Update
6. Slingerland Screening Tests
7. Woodcock Johnson Tests of Achievement

Where data is available from other testing sources, it is also used in combination with the testing that is done by the Academic Diagnostic Teacher in the Evaluation Team. This testing may include, but is not limited to, results from the Developmental Reading Assessment which is administered two to three times each year, BPS Mid-year and End of the year Math Tests, and MCAS results.

Lisa Nierenberg, Diagnostic Teacher
lnierenberg@boston.k12.ma.us
617-635-8544 V/TTY
617-635-6379 Fax