Overview of Adoption List
South Carolina Education Accountability Act (EAA), Section 59-18-310 provided for the creation of a statewide adoption list of formative assessments in English language arts (ELA) and mathematics. As amended in 2024, the assessments on the Adoption List are administered to students in kindergarten through the eighth grade.
The EAA legislation requires that each formative assessment meet professional measurement standards and that test items align with the South Carolina College- and Career- Ready Standards. Subject to appropriations by the General Assembly for the assessments, districts will be allocated funds to select and administer formative (interim) assessments from the adoption list for use in improving student performance in accordance with district improvement plans.
List of “Formative” (Interim) Assessments for 2025-26
The following products have been approved for the Adoption List of "Formative" (Interim) Assessments. Information regarding each product can be accessed through the links below.
DRC BEACON, Published by Data Recognition Corporation
i-Ready® Diagnostic, Published by Curriculum Associates
Istation’s Indicators of Progress, (ISIP) K-2 Published by Amira Learning
MAP Growth, Published by NWEA
Mastery View Predictive Assessments, Published by Instructure
STAR Reading and STAR Mathematics Published by Renaissance
Adoption List of State-Approved Formative (Interim) Assessments FAQ 2025-2026
Formative Assessment FAQ 2025-2026
Alignment Tables for Current Adoption List Assessments
The alignment study results indicate the extent to which publisher’s items correlate with the content knowledge, skills, and cognitive processes in the South Carolina College- and Career Ready- Standards. Alignment information includes the number and percentage of items that are aligned to the state’s standards, the number and percentage of items that are not aligned with the standards and may include the number and percentage of standards for which there are no items.
The alignment tables for the tests approved for the Adoption List are located in the following links.
Adoption List of Formative (Interim) Assessment List of Archives of Alignment Tables
Upcoming Changes to the Adoption List of Formative Assessments
As amended in 2024, the EAA mandates the following changes to the Adoption List:
(D)(1) Beginning with the 2025‑26 School Year, the State Board of Education shall create a statewide adoption list of no more than five nationally normed formative assessments for use in kindergarten through eighth grade aligned with the state content standards in English/language arts and mathematics that satisfies professional measurement standards in accordance with criteria jointly determined by the Education Oversight Committee and the State Department of Education. The formative assessments must provide diagnostic information in a timely manner to all school districts for each student during the course of the school year. Subject to appropriations by the General Assembly for the assessments, local districts must be allocated resources to select and administer formative assessments from the statewide adoption list to use to improve student performance in accordance with district improvement plans.
(2) Districts shall ensure all students in kindergarten through eighth grade are assessed using a state‑approved, nationally normed formative assessment tool during the fall, winter, and spring each year. School districts shall provide all formative assessment data and scores by grade level and school to the department from the prior school year.
Pursuant to this mandate, the SCDE will be releasing a Request for Proposals to elicit nationally normed formative assessments for the future Adoption List of Formative Assessments.
Evaluation, Approval and Alignment Process
In 2008, a two-stage process was approved by the State Board of Education to evaluate and select products for the Adoption List.
Evaluation of Research Studies
In the first stage, a panel of measurement experts convenes to review the research studies submitted by publishers. The evaluation criteria developed jointly by the Education Oversight Committee and the SCDE are used to determine if the products positively impact student achievement. The evaluation criteria conform to professional measurement standards as specified in the Standards for Educational and Psychological Tests published by a joint committee of the following associations: American Psychological Association, American Educational Research Association, and the National Council on Measurement in Education. Only products meeting all evaluation criteria will receive approval for addition to the Adoption List of Formative Assessments.
Alignment Study
During the second stage of the adoption list process, publishers submit the items on their assessment and indicate the standard or standards to which their items align. ELA and mathematics curriculum and standards specialists are convened to evaluate each item for alignment to the South Carolina College- and Career- Ready Standards. Upon completion, alignment tables, by subject and grade-level, are produced showing the extent to which all items on the selected assessments are aligned with the academic standards.
