NeSA Changes Aimed at Helping Students Become More College & Career Ready
March 27, 2017
The Nebraska State Accountability (NeSA) assessments will have a different look this year. Beginning with the spring 2017 administration, NeSA-English Language Arts (ELA) will be replacing the NeSA-Writing and NeSA-Reading exams and will be taken in all grade levels three through eight.
Nebraska’s education assessment goal is to ensure that schools prepare students with the knowledge and skills they need to succeed at the next level of learning. The NeSA-ELA assessment is more rigorous than the previous reading and writing assessments and aligns to Nebraska’s College and Career Ready Standards for English Language Arts.
The examination window is from March 20-May 5, 2017. Students will see a combination of multiple-choice and technology-enhanced items. The NeSA-ELA results will include subscores for vocabulary, comprehension, and writing skills.
As rigor and expectations for students increase, scores may initially decrease. This is an outcome of the bar being raised for college readiness in the state. It is expected that student scores will improve as higher standards and more rigorous curricula are incorporated into the daily classroom.