Measuring Student Progress with Confidence in Nampa School District

The Challenge

Nampa School District in Idaho had made meaningful progress in helping teachers measure student learning against grade-level standards, but their efforts were held back by a lack of consistency and visibility. Teachers were using spreadsheets and a patchwork of other tools to track student progress, making it difficult to collaborate, adjust instruction, or communicate growth clearly with students and families.

The district needed a unified platform that would give every educator the tools to measure student proficiency and inform instruction in real time, all while continuing to report traditional grades.

The Solution

In 2020, just as the pandemic began, Nampa adopted Otus. What started as a way to better track student progress quickly became a districtwide platform for assessment, instructional delivery, and data analysis, both in-person and remote. Teachers rapidly embraced Otus, delivering more than 1.6 million assessments and 142,000 lessons during their first year with the platform.

With integrations like ClassLink for rostering and PowerSchool for gradebook passback, Otus fit seamlessly into the district’s tech ecosystem, eliminating dual entry and streamlining the connection between assessment data and the SIS.

Today, teachers continue using Otus to deliver advanced and rubric assessments that make proficiency tracking simple, especially when paired with traditional grading practices. Otus also supports pre-built resources like Amplify Science, CKLA, and ISAT practice tests, helping teachers stay focused on instruction while tracking growth. 

"Our state passed a law requiring students to learn Financial Literacy, which my teaching partner and I initially found intimidating. We were able to align our ideas through Otus, and things went well. We used data to make minor adjustments, and the Spring semester of Economics was the best I’ve ever had.”

Tyler Avey
Teacher

Nampa’s virtual school, NOVA (Nampa Online Virtual Academy), also relies on Otus to ensure students, regardless of location, receive high-quality instruction and are held to the same high expectations. While in-person instruction is now the norm again, Otus remains a central tool for assessing student learning, guiding instruction, and supporting continued innovation. 

“For us, that’s where the money was—being able to see and report out what was happening in classrooms. So that’s where Otus has really stepped in and filled that need.”

Emmett Wemp
Principal

The Results

Five years into the partnership, Nampa continues to see strong and growing use of Otus across all schools:

• 535K+ assessments graded in SY 2024-25
• 86k+ lessons assigned in SY 2024-25
• Smooth, efficient gradebook passback to PowerSchool
• Rich third-party data insights from WIDA ACCESS, PSAT, SAT, ISAT, i-Station, and NWEA MAP

Teachers use assessment data to guide instruction and ensure they’re meeting students where they are while continuing to report out traditional grades. Otus makes it easy to align classroom practice with district goals around growth and equity.