Wisconsin Forward Exam Family Information

The Department of Public Instruction requires the Forward Exam for grades 3-8 and 10 (Social Studies only). This page provides families with information about the exam.

This test can only be given in a face-to-face environment.

Overview

Purpose

The Forward Exam results provide information about student performance which allows:

students to reflect on their achievement.
teachers to target instruction to student needs and reflect upon their own instructional practices.
administrators to more fully understand what students know and can do in order to guide curriculum and professional development decisions.
parents/guardians to understand what their child knows and is able to do in ELA, mathematics, science, and social studies.
all stakeholders to check how ready ALL students are for college and career, especially those groups that have historically been left behind.

Subject matter

The Forward Exam is administered online in the spring of each school year at:

grades 3-8 in English Language Arts (ELA) and mathematics,
grades 4 and 8 in Science and,
grades 4, 8, and 10 in Social Studies.

Accommodations and supports for students with disabilities and/or English language learners are built into the system so that the progress of students can be accurately measured.

The Forward Exam is an untimed exam. As each grade level takes different content area tests, the approximate time for the test also varies. The following table indicates the approximate times for each grade:

Grade 3: English Language Arts = 125 minutes, Mathematics = 90 minutes

Grade 4: English Language Arts = 125 minutes, Mathematics = 90 minutes, Science = 105 minutes, Social Studies = 70 minutes

Grade 5: English Language Arts = 125 minutes, Mathematics = 90 minutes

Grade 6: English Language Arts = 125 minutes, Mathematics = 105 minutes

Grade 7: English Language Arts = 125 minutes, Mathematics = 105 minutes

Grade 8: English Language Arts = 125 minutes, Mathematics = 115 minutes, Science = 105 minutes, Social Studies = 70 minutes

Grade 10: Social Students = 70 minutes.

Schedule/Results

Participation Requirements

Required by...

Forward Exam Information

Basic Information

Family Communication

Sample letters to families explaining to them the Forward test timeline and expectations. These letters will typically have school specific information about testing start dates and times. Portions shaded in yellow are school specific.

Forward Exam family letter prior to testing, in English (pdf)
Forward Exam family letter prior to testing, en español (pdf)
Forward Exam family letter prior to testing, lus hmoob (pdf)

Preview Test and FAQs

Practice/Preview Information:

Screenshot image of the Forward Test demo site

Data Recognition Corporation (DRC) -- the test vendor -- has made available a basic, an online demo of their assessment platform. Click this "All Online Item Sample" link to use the site; select "Practice Test" . This works best when using Chrome or Firefox browsers. It will not work in Explorer. This is designed to demonstrate features of the test, not specific question types for Wisconsin.

Results Information

What the Student Report says:

How to read the student reports that families receive.

DPI's "What is an Individual Student Report (ISR)?" document (pdf)
DPI's "¿Qué es un Informe Individual del Alumno (Individual Student Report, ISR)?" documento (pdf)
DPI's "Daim Ntawv Qhia Txog Tus Tub Ntxhais Kawm Ntawv Txoj Kev Kawm (Individual Student Report) (ISR) yog dab tsi?" (pdf)

Individual Student Report text en Español (pdf)

More about scores:

Test scores are placed into specific proficiency bands (or groups). These four bands are given names: Advanced, Proficient, Basic, and Below Basic. The scores within each band are different for each grade level.

DPIs state proficiency bands descriptions

See this document for both proficiency band table and definitions of each proficiency band. (pdf)

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