Why is initial placement so important in reporting educational gain under the NRS?
A. The initial assessment is the basis for placing students in an entering educational functioning level. This is the baseline upon which programs measure student learning gains. Programs should administer the initial assessments at a prescheduled time shortly after enrollment. This time may be set by State policy or by the local program, but it is usually within a few weeks of enrollment. Regardless of the date for initial assessment, it should be uniformly administered to all students to ensure results can be compared across the student population. Using the results from the initial assessment, programs should place students in the appropriate NRS educational functioning level. Programs do not need to use all of the areas described in level descriptors to place students, but should use the area(s) most relevant to the student’s needs and the program’s curriculum. For example, if the student’s goal is to improve reading skills, the scores from a reading test can serve as the basis for
