Preparing South Cache Middle School Students for Utah RISE with Atomic Assessments

School: South Cache Middle School
Location: Cache County, Utah
Students: ~1,000
Subject Area: Science

Overview: Reducing Stress and Increasing Readiness

Middle school students often face challenges both in mastering science content and navigating the format of high-stakes tests. At South Cache Middle School, science teacher Shaylyn Ruiz turned to Atomic Assessments to give students a RISE-style testing experience that mirrors state expectations. This helps reduce platform-related stress while supporting content mastery.

By implementing Atomic Assessments, the school has been able to:

• Mirror the RISE testing experience
• Reduce stress around unfamiliar testing platforms
• Deliver rich, data-driven science questions
• Support accessibility through embedded audio

Featured Voice

Shaylyn Ruiz, Science Teacher
South Cache Middle School, Cache County School District

“I would recommend this, especially for Utah-based schools. It matches RISE so closely in functionality that students feel comfortable and can focus on learning, not navigating technology.”

Shaylyn teaches integrated middle school science and collaborates with her science team to develop assessments that align with state testing in both format and skill expectations. Using Atomic Assessments has allowed the South Cache Science Department to access features that more closely mirror the structure and expectations of Utah RISE Assessment.

Additionally, the department uses Atomic Assessments to support team collaboration and instructional decision-making. By regularly assessing student proficiency on individual standards, the team can analyze results together and make informed adjustments to instruction to ensure all students are progressing in their learning.

The Challenge: Why Canvas Quizzes Weren’t Enough

Before adopting Atomic Assessments, Shaylyn primarily used Canvas Quizzes. While functional, Canvas lacked the advanced question types and stimulus-based configurations needed to accurately replicate the RISE testing environment.

When Shaylyn first arrived at South Cache, she assumed Atomic Assessments was built into Canvas because of how seamlessly it had worked in her previous district. She quickly realized it was a separate tool, and her new school had not yet adopted it.

Science instruction required:

• Graphing and data analysis questions
• Stimulus-based question groupings
• Complex scientific formatting (tables, equations, charts)
• Question types mirroring state assessments

Without these features, students were practicing content—but not the test format itself, leaving them underprepared for the actual RISE experience.

The Solution: Replicating RISE Testing with Atomic Assessments

South Cache adopted Atomic Assessments to provide a more robust, standards-aligned testing experience.

Why it works:

• Students practice in an environment identical to RISE, reducing test anxiety
• Teachers can focus on content mastery instead of platform navigation
• Assessments include advanced, science-specific functionality

“It matches the functionality of the RISE test so closely. Students feel like they’re using a similar platform.” — Shaylyn Ruiz

Hands-On Science Learning Through Advanced Question Types

Atomic Assessments supports interactive, stimulus-based formats critical for science learning:

• Graphing Questions: Students create or analyze graphs based on data
• Data Tables & Charts: Fill-in-the-blank and analysis questions
• Stimulus + Question Sets: Passages, data sets, or scenarios paired with multiple questions
• Chemistry Equations & Molecular Analysis: Structured responses with tables and dropdowns
• Multiple Choice & Dropdown Questions

These tools encourage deeper scientific thinking and replicate the skills needed for state assessments.

Audio and Accessibility Tools that Empower Students

Shaylyn highlights the ability to embed audio directly into questions:

“I really like that you can write the question and also add the audio version. This helps students with reading accommodations and diverse learning needs.”

With upcoming integrations like ReadSpeaker, accessibility will continue to expand, ensuring all students can engage fully with content.

Key Benefits for Students & Teachers

Students:

• Comfortable with RISE-style testing
• Focus on content mastery instead of navigating the platform
• Engage with interactive, data-rich questions

Teachers:

• Create complex, standards-aligned questions easily
• Reduce grading workload
• Support accessibility and accommodations effortlessly

Atomic Assessments in Action at South Cache

To illustrate how this looks in practice, South Cache shared a real assessment used in their department.

South Cache Middle School RISE Test Example

Results & Impact

Since implementing Atomic Assessments:

• Students are more confident and familiar with RISE testing formats
• Science assessments now better reflect state testing expectations
• Teachers can create interactive, data-driven questions
• Accessibility is improved for students with diverse needs

“I’d never go back to paper or basic quizzes. Atomic Assessments has changed the way I teach — and it’s helping our students focus on what really matters: understanding the material.” — Shaylyn Ruiz

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