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 |
|
Level 9 |
Language Arts |
|
Levels 9 to 14 |
Mathematics |
|
All levels |
Mathematics |
|
Levels 7+ |
Mathematics |
|
Levels 9 to 14 |
Reading |
|
Levels 5 and 6 |
Reading |
|
Levels 7+ |
Science |
|
Levels 5 and 6 |
Science |
|
Levels 7+ |
Social Studies |
|
Levels 5 and 6 |
Social Studies |
|
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