NDSA
The NDDPI supervised (2017-2024) the development, implementation, and evaluation of the NDSA, the statewide assessment that measured student performance against the state's challenging content and achievement standards in select academic subjects and grades. The NDSA consisted of general, criterion-referenced assessments for all students in grades 3-8 and 10 in English language arts/literacy and mathematics, and in grades 4, 8, and 10 in science. The NDDPI administered all aspects of the NDSA, ensuring that each assessment met rigorous program requirements for validity and reliability, inclusion, technical quality, and reporting.
The annual NDSA technical reports provide detailed evidence of adequate technical quality. There are supplemental documents referenced in the volumes and if you are interested in reviewing these, please email your request to the Office of Assessment.
Achievement Level Descriptors - English Language Arts
Achievement Level Descriptors - Mathematics
Mathematics NDSA Cut Scores
| Achievement Level | Grade 3 | Grade 4 | Grade 5 | Grade 6 | Grade 7 | Grade 8 | Grade 10 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Advanced | 463 | 501 | 523 | 558 | 598 | 640 | 693 |
| Proficient | 428 | 465 | 484 | 513 | 550 | 580 | 650 |
| Partially Proficient | 410 | 437 | 446 | 470 | 503 | 519 | 594 |
English Language Arts NDSA Cut Scores
| Achievement Level | Grade 3 | Grade 4 | Grade 5 | Grade 6 | Grade 7 | Grade 8 | Grade 10 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Advanced | 621 | 639 | 661 | 671 | 680 | 702 | 713 |
| Proficient | 585 | 600 | 622 | 638 | 641 | 650 | 667 |
| Partially Proficient | 560 | 572 | 595 | 610 | 611 | 616 | 627 |
Science NDSA Cut Scores
| Achievement Level | Grade 4 | Grade 8 | Grade 10 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Advanced | 431 | 835 | 1035 |
| Proficient | 407 | 802 | 1000 |
| Partially Proficient | 380 | 775 | 973 |
ACT
ACT is a curriculum and standards-based tool measuring what students have learned in high school to assist in determining academic readiness for college, military, and career. ACT scores are used for scholarship purposes, dual credit, college entrance and placement, and academic and career advising.
Due to recent legislative changes, beginning with the 2021-2022 school year, the state will no longer provide a state-paid ACT or WorkKeys test for all its juniors, including public, private, and home school students. The state will also discontinue, after the 2023-2024 school year, to coordinate and pay for ACT testing for juniors in public school districts that elected to use ACT as their high school accountability tool.
School districts planning to offer the ACT to their students will need to work directly with ACT in order to test through the ACT District Testing program. School districts may also request their own local ACT WorkKeys site license to provide testing opportunities for their students.
The ACT Technical Manual contains detailed technical information about the ACT Test and explains, in detail, its intended uses and interpretations.
In Spring 2018, the US Department of Education conditionally allowed districts in North Dakota to administer the grade 11 ACT in lieu of the grade 10 NDSA, with the understanding that NDDPI would go through the federal peer review process to ensure continued use of this option. December 2018, NDDPI submitted their federal peer review to the Department of Education. In April 2019, NDDPI received notification that the ACT Substantially Meets Requirements as a locally selected, nationally recognized high school academic assessments in reading/language arts and mathematics. NDDPI was required to provide additional evidence in support of ACTs continued use as an accountability tool. This included an alignment study which was completed in fall 2019. This option for districts was discontinued after the 2023-2024 school year.
NDDPI recently conducted an ACT standard setting workshop, facilitated by EdMetric. A group of secondary and postsecondary educators worked to determine proficiency levels for English Language Arts (ELA) and Mathematics. To assist in this process, the Achievement Level Descriptors and predetermined cut scores from the NDSA were considered, as were the current ACT Benchmarks and North Dakota University Systems (NDUS) ACT Placement Level Scores. Additionally, ACT impact data, NDUS remedial information, and other ACT research and data were used by educators in making an informed decision. Superintendent Baesler has approved the proposed cut scores for ACT.
The approved ACT cut scores will be used for determining proficiency for those districts using the assessment for accountability purposes. Below are the approved ACT Proficiency Levels.
| Subject | Partially Proficient | Proficient | Advanced |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mathematics | 17 | 22 | 26 |
| ELA | 14 | 19 | 24 |
ACT's ELA score is a combination of the ACT English, Reading, and Writing scores.
ND State Dashboard - ACT Junior Class Data
These visualizations represent the participation rate and student performance for North Dakota public high school students in the mandatory 11th grade ACT administration with graphs representing the ACT Composite, along with sub-scores in English, Math, Reading, Science, and Writing subjects tests. Information presented includes trend data for the past three years.
ND State Dashboard - ACT High School Accountability
This site provides performance (proficiency) and participation data for public junior class students using the ACT as their high school accountability tool. Filter for grade 11 and Standard Assessment to see data inclusive of the ACT for Math and ELA.