Iowa Test and ITBS Test

If your child is someone who has to take an Iowa Assessment or Iowa Test of Basic Skills, also known as the ITBS test, you may be looking for ways to help them prepare for the test to alleviate the anxiety that comes with having to take any standardized test.

All children from kindergarten to eighth grade in Iowa will need to take one of these tests to measure yearly achievement and ensure they are progressing properly through school. The best way to help your child prepare is to find an Iowa practice test for their grade to help them study.

Summary: Learn about the Iowa test and what to expect. Utilize the Iowa test practice resources below to prepare for this exam.

What are Iowa Tests?

Though they are called Iowa tests, other public and private schools utilize this test even if they aren’t in the state of Iowa. The name comes from the fact that the College of Education at the University of Iowa created this test in 1935 and called it the “Iowa Every Pupil Test of Basic Skills”.

The Iowa tests quiz your child’s knowledge that they have learned in school in reading, mathematics, language arts, science, and social studies. It’s a basic standardized test for all kids in elementary or middle school.

What is the Iowa Test Used For?

As mentioned above, Iowa testing is used to measure your child’s progress as they continue to each grade and make sure they are on track to move on to the next grade. This is not an IQ test, so you will not be able to use the score to qualify your student for some sort of high-IQ group.

However, the Iowa Assessment does allow teachers to see the capabilities of each child (which may qualify them for a gifted program when given with other tests) and shows the teacher where the child’s strengths and weaknesses are.

It also makes teachers aware of children who may need a little more assistance to complete their schoolwork and achieve the best they can. Since it is given to kindergarteners, there is plenty of time for teachers to provide early intervention assistance for students who need it.

Because the test follows students from year to year, the teachers can compare the results each year to the baseline from years prior. If a student starts to achieve more or less one year, the teachers can immediately provide the child with the learning plan that he or she needs.

Difference Between Iowa Assessments and ITBS Test

Years later, it became known as just the Iowa basic skills test. Just like the original 1935 version of the test, the ITBS test was replaced by the Iowa Assessment in the 2011-2012 school year. The main difference is that the Iowa Assessment was designed to test Common Core Requirements.

The test also originally was distributed each year to all students in grades kindergarten to twelfth grade. With the Iowa Assessment, the test was redesigned to only be distributed to students in grades kindergarten to eighth grade.

Iowa Practice Test

The most important thing when finding an ITBS practice test for your child to take is that it should include relevant information and should be the grade level that you need for your child.

For example, taking a first-grade test when your kid is in third grade will not help your child. Use the following Iowa test samples to prepare:

Resource	Provider
Reading Practice Tests	PearsonAccess
Language / Writing Practice Tests	PearsonAccess
Mathematics Practice Tests	PearsonAccess
Science Practice Tests	PearsonAccess

Iowa Assessment Levels

As you can see in the names of the Iowa practice tests above, there are levels that correspond with the grade level of Iowa testing. The table below can help you understand which level of test your child will be taking based on the grade they are in.

Level	Lowest Grade	Highest Grade
Level 5	Kindergarten first month	1st Grade fifth month
Level 6	Kindergarten seventh month	1st Grade ninth month
Level 7	1st Grade seventh month	2nd Grade fourth month
Level 8	2nd Grade fifth month	3rd Grade fifth month
Level 9	3rd Grade first month	3rd Grade ninth month
Level 10	4th Grade first month	4th Grade ninth month
Level 11	5th Grade first month	5th Grade ninth month
Level 12	6th Grade first month	6th Grade ninth month
Level 13	7th Grade first month	7th Grade ninth month
Level 14	8th Grade first month	8th Grade ninth month

Starting at level 9, the tests begin to cover just one grade at a time, so you can be certain your third grader will get the level 9 Iowa test, your fourth grader will receive the level 10, etc.

Iowa Assessment Subsections

There are five main areas of study that are covered on the Iowa Assessment. However, there are subsections covered in each of the core test areas.

Area of Study	Subtests	Levels
Language Arts	Listening Word Analysis	Level 9
Language Arts	Conventions of writing (capitalization, punctuation, spelling) Vocabulary Written Expression	Levels 9 to 14
Mathematics	Algebraic Patterns and Connections Geometry Measurement Number Sense and Operations	All levels
Mathematics	Data Analysis Probability Statistics Computation	Levels 7+
Mathematics	Computation of algebraic manipulations, decimals, and fractions	Levels 9 to 14
Reading	Comprehension Word Recognition	Levels 5 and 6
Reading	Author's Craft Explicit Meaning Implicit Meaning Informational Text Key Ideas Literary Text	Levels 7+
Science	No testing	Levels 5 and 6
Science	Earth and Space Science Life Science Physical Science	Levels 7+
Social Studies	No testing	Levels 5 and 6
Social Studies	Civics and Government Economics Geography History	Levels 7+

When is the Iowa Test Given Out?

The Iowa testing is typically given three times a year (for baseline and progress tracking) with the only exception being twice a year in kindergarten.

Grade	Time of Year	Levels Given
Kindergarten	Fall	N/A
	Winter	5
	Spring	5-5/6
First Grade	Fall	5/6
	Winter	5/6-7
	Spring	7
Second Grade	Fall	7
	Winter	8
	Spring	9
Third Grade	Fall	8-9
	Winter	9
	Spring	9
Fourth Grade	Fall	10
	Winter	10
	Spring	10
Fifth Grade	Fall	11
	Winter	11
	Spring	11
Sixth Grade	Fall	12
	Winter	12
	Spring	12
Seventh Grade	Fall	13
	Winter	13
	Spring	13
Eighth Grade	Fall	14
	Winter	14
	Spring	14

How Many Items are on the Iowa Assessment?

Level 5 Assessment

Subject	Number of Items	Time Given (minutes)
Language	27	25
Listening	13	30
Math	27	25
Reading	17	30
Vocabulary	23	20
Word Analysis	29	20
Total	146	150

Level 6 Assessment

Subject	Number of Items	Time Given (minutes)
Language	31	25
Listening	27	30
Math	35	25
Reading (part 1)	17	20
Reading (part 2)	17	20
Vocabulary	27	20
Word Analysis	33	20
Total	187	160

Level 7 Assessment

Subject	Number of Items	Time Given (minutes)
Computation	25	25
Language	34	25
Listening	27	25
Math (part 1)	26	25
Math (part 2)	15	25
Science	29	25
Social Studies	29	25
Reading (part 1)	17	20
Reading (part 2)	18	25
Vocabulary	26	15
Word Analysis	32	15
Total	278	250

Level 8+ Assessments

Subject	Number of Items	Time Given (minutes)
Computation	27	25
Language	42	25
Listening	27	25
Math (part 1)	26	25
Math (part 2)	20	25
Science	29	25
Social Studies	29	25
Reading (part 1)	18	20
Reading (part 2)	20	25
Vocabulary	26	15
Word Analysis	33	15
Total	297	250

What is a Good Iowa Test Score?

The Iowa Assessment is scored on a scale of 1 to 99 in percentiles. So, if your child scores at the 60th percentile, that means they are ahead of 60% of their peers. The United States average for the Iowa Assessment is the 50th percentile. However, a score in the 90th percentile or higher is likely gifted.

Iowa Testing FAQs

How much does the Iowa test cost?

The Iowa test is distributed to all schools in Iowa for the cost of $3.50 per student.

Is the Iowa test an IQ test?

No, the Iowa test is not an IQ test, but it can check to see if your child deserves gifted student accommodations.

How do I prepare for an Iowa assessment?

You can prepare your child or yourself by using an Iowa practice test (like the ones listed above).