Forward Exam About the Data
Beginning in spring 2016, the Wisconsin Forward Exam was administered in English language arts and mathematics in grades 3 through 8, in science in grades 4 and 8, and in social studies in grades 4, 8, and 10 and is designed to evaluate how well students are mastering the Wisconsin Academic Standards. The Forward Exam is a computer administered assessment and includes multiple-choice questions, short answer questions, and 2 one-paragraph short write tasks in the ELA section. Accommodations and supports for students with disabilities and/or English learners are built into the system so that the progress of students can be accurately measured.
Purpose of the Forward Exam
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.
Forward Exam Data Availability
2023-24 Forward Exam:
Individual Student Reports (ISRs) and summary reports will be available electronically in the DRC INSIGHT Portal in late July.
Hard copy ISRs will be mailed to districts in late August. Be sure to send ISRs out to parents/guardians as soon as possible after receipt either in hard copy or via your secure parent portal.
State testing data will be released publicly in WISEdash in the Fall. For more information about WISEdash Public or WISEdash for Districts please refer to the Forward FAQ.
Data and Reporting Resources
Forward Exam Scores and Score Ranges
The Forward Exam is a summative assessment which provides information about what students know and can do in relation to the Wisconsin State Standards. Students receive a score based on their performance in each content area. Each score will fall in one of four levels:
- Advanced – Student demonstrates thorough understanding of and ability to apply the knowledge and skills for their grade level that are associated with college content-readiness.
- Proficient – Student demonstrates adequate understanding of and ability to apply the knowledge and skills for their grade level that are associated with college content-readiness.
- Basic – Student demonstrates partial understanding of and ability to apply the knowledge and skills for their grade level that are associated with college content-readiness.
- Below Basic – Student demonstrates minimal understanding of and ability to apply the knowledge and skills for their grade level that are associated with college content-readiness.
Subject Scores
- Forward Exam results are reported on a 3-digit score scale for English language arts, mathematics, science and social studies.
- The tables below provide performance categories and cut score ranges for each performance level for each content area.
Forward Exam Scale Score Percentile Table
The percentile tables shows the direct correlation between the percentile and the scale score from the Forward Exam for 2015-16, 2016-17, 2017-18, 2018-19, and 2020-21. There is no percentile table for 2019-20 as no testing occurred. The state percentile ranks a student's score on the Forward Exam compared with students across the state. Note: There is no percentile table for 2019-20 as the 2020 Forward Exam was not administered due to COVID-19.
Performance Level Descriptors (PLDs)
Cautions
Note that no single test can tell us whether students have learned everything that is important for students to learn. Additional local evidence should be reviewed for a more complete picture of student learning.