Before students take the Galileo ELA Benchmark Test, Administrators and Teachers should understand what the Benchmark test measures, how the test is structured and when the test will be administered. Watch this short video for a quick overview of what the Imagine Galileo ELA Benchmark Test is, how it works, and how to interpret and act on student scores. Students in Kindergarten and 1st grade receive one form of the Galileo ELA Benchmark test, while students in grades 2+ receive a different form of the test.
Note
K-12 students enrolled in Imagine Language & Literacy can take the Galileo ELA Benchmark Test, but PreK students will take the Imagine Language & Literacy Placement Test instead of the Galileo ELA Benchmark Test.
When the Galileo ELA Benchmark Test is administered
The Galileo ELA Benchmark Test is administered during 3 different testing windows throughout the school year. The Beginning-of-Year Benchmark Test places students into their personalized learning path in Imagine Language & Literacy. Administrators or Educators must schedule the Galileo ELA Benchmark Test. Galileo ELA Benchmark testing windows are determined by each individual organization.
New students who enroll in your class after a test window has started can take the Galileo ELA Benchmark Test if it has been scheduled. If a student enrolls in your class after the testing window closes, you need to reassign the most recent Galileo ELA Benchmark Test to the class. The rescheduled Galileo ELA Benchmark Test filters out new students who have not taken the test yet and makes it available to them, without changing other students' status or results.
Recommendation
To ensure that your Galileo ELA Benchmark Test results are valid, familiarize yourself with all testing materials and create a standardized testing environment for student testing.
What the Galileo ELA Benchmark Test measures
The Galileo ELA Benchmark Test is a comprehensive assessment that measures student capabilities relative to grade-level standards in English language arts. Galileo ELA Benchmark Test results are used to measure student growth and achievement and refine where a student is placed in the Imagine Language & Literacy curriculum.
The Galileo ELA Benchmark Test measures student performance in two key domains: Literacy and Language.
| Literacy Domain | Language Domain | |
|---|---|---|
| Reading (Foundational) | Reading (Literature & Informational) | |
| Print Concepts | Comprehension | Conventions |
| Phonemic Awareness | Ideas & Details | Vocabulary Acquisition & Use |
| Phonics | Craft & Structure | Grammar |
| Word Recognition | Knowledge & Facts | Listening Comprehension (Grades K-1) |
How the Galileo ELA Benchmark Test is structured
The Galileo ELA Benchmark Test is a fixed-form test where all students in the same grade level respond to the same set of 33-36 test items, depending on whether they are taking the Grade K-1 or Grade 2+ Benchmark Test. The Benchmark Test includes both multiple-choice and technology-enhanced item types, similar to the test items that students will encounter on standardized state tests.