Frequently Asked Questions

Assessment Questions

1. What is the purpose of each test?
2. What is the difference between the Universal Screener and the Benchmark Assessment?
3. Is the Universal Screener effective for use three times a year?
4. What tests have automatically generated individualized learning paths (ILPs)?
5. What is the “Classworks Recommends” ILP?
6. Which assessments are aligned to state standards?
7. Do the tests measure higher order thinking and different levels of cognitive complexity?
8. Are the items valid and reliable?
9. Can we review the individual items?
10. Can we add our own district items?
11. What is the value of the vertical scale?
12. Can some students in our district take the test online while others take the print version?
13. What type of scanner do I need for the print/scan option?

1. What is the purpose of each test?
   1. Universal Screener - The Universal Screener is designed to measure student readiness to begin learning at a specific grade. This is not a test to measure content mastery or to diagnose specific strengths and weaknesses - instead it is designed to see how ready a student is to begin learning new concepts by domain and grade. Student growth is expected throughout the year, starting with a cut score of approximately 50% and expecting 80% mastery by the end of the year.
   2. Benchmark/Summative Assessment - The Benchmark/Summative Assessment is used to measure on-grade level progress throughout the year and also summative assessment at the end of the year. They can be used to measure student progress and also mastery at the end of the year by subject are and domain.
   3. Custom Assessment
      1. The Custom Assessment is designed to offer maximum flexibility in creating tests based on your specific testing goals. Multiple search options provide a variety of ways to design your tests in any configuration that serves your purpose for testing, such as:
         1. Measuring progress on state standards throughout the school year
         2. Measuring skills for formative use
         3. Measuring concept knowledge to show growth over time
         4. Measure a small number of very specific skills
         5. Measure a full nine week’s or semester’s skills
         6. Measure higher order thinking skills
      2. The Classworks Custom Assessment can be created and assigned based on state standards at the most granular level. Tests can also be created to conform to district curriculum maps and pacing guides so that tests across the district can be delivered according to pre-determined priorities of time and emphasis.
      3. As an effective way to link assessment and instruction, Custom Assessments are automatically linked to Classworks award-winning instruction to quickly and seamlessly assign individualized learning paths to students based on assessment data.
      4. The Custom Assessment lets you determine your purpose for testing and design the assessment that delivers the right information about student learning.
   4. Skills Snapshot
      1. The Skills Snapshot is designed to be a probe for progress monitoring; an assessment that can be used formatively to guide instruction skill by skill. After presenting a skill-based pre-test, it assigns appropriate, engaging instruction for ‘just-in-time’ learning based on results. This approach to formative assessment ensures that students will always be placed in instruction that is challenging, not losing motivation with content that is too easy or becoming frustrated with concepts that are too difficult and that they are not yet ready to learn.
      2. It is effective when used formatively at Tier II or III in an RtI program because it integrates testing and interventions in a way that provides ongoing, continuous monitoring of individual student progress.
   5. Placement Test
      1. The Placement Test is designed to identify a student’s appropriate starting point in the curriculum. Ideally, the starting point should be where the student is challenged instructionally, yet still successful. The use of Placement tests makes it possible for each student in a class to work at their skill level, across grades and subject areas.
   6. Learning Styles Assessment
      1. The Classworks FIND Learning Styles solution is a process to assess the dominant cognitive styles of individual students so they can receive instruction that is the most effective.
      2. This solution can maximize instructional time and efficiency for all students, but is especially critical for with those students whose learning style preference is so strong that it inhibits the ability to learn through other modalities. These students often benefit from using their preferred learning style in these settings:
         1. Tier II and III Interventions for RtI
         2. Non-readers or struggling readers
         3. Children who require additional stimulation to focus
         4. Special needs and learning disability classrooms
2. What is the difference between the Universal Screener and the Benchmark Assessment?
   1. A Universal Screener is used to measure readiness for introduction to specific concepts or the need for additional (more specific) assessments while the benchmarks are used to measure on-grade level concepts by domain. Both tests offer a vertical scale to monitor multi-year progress and growth for all students.
3. Is the Universal Screener effective for use three times a year?
   1. Yes! Many schools administer Universal Screeners two to three times a year. Simply select Form A of the test, then Form B of the test, and then for the final administration, Form A again.
4. What tests have automatically generated individualized learning paths (ILPs)?
   1. The custom assessments and benchmark assessments allow the option for an ILP. The skills snapshot and placement always generate an ILP. The Universal Screener and Learning Styles assessment do not include automatically generated Learning Plans. The Universal Screener is identifying the need for added assessments and global strengths and weaknesses -- it is too broad of an assessment to expect a detailed learning path. The Learning Styles Assessment indicates a dominant learning style -- it does not evaluate skill strengths or weaknesses of a student.
5. What is the “Classworks Recommends” ILP?
   1. “Classworks Recommends” is a custom-designed alignment of the best instructional units to each learning objective measured in the item bank. Since assigning every possible unit related to a learning objective could result in learning paths that are too long for a student to complete in an instructionally sound timeframe, Classworks has limited the alignments to a few units per objective so that resulting learning paths are an appropriate length to be completed between testing periods.
   2. The “Classworks Recommends” alignments are the most automatic tool for providing and ILP for each student based on their Custom Assessment results, requiring little teacher intervention while knowing that the most critical instruction is being presented for each skill. Teachers still have the flexibility to select any instruction – preset, custom-created or district-shared – as the basis for ILPs.
6. Which assessments are aligned to state standards?
   1. The full item bank is aligned to state standards at the most granular level in each state’s standards hierarchy – indicators, descriptors, expectations, objectives, etc. This means that Custom Tests can be created and assigned based on state standards. It can be used to measure a small number of very specific skills, or a broader test can be created to measure a full nine week’s skills, measuring learning gains for the quarter. Tests can also be created to conform to district curriculum maps and pacing guides so that tests across the district can be delivered – by state standards - according to pre-determined priorities of time and emphasis.
   2. Classworks Skills Snapshot provides a continuous assessment – based on any assignment including those specifically aligned to the state standards – that pretests students on each skill and modifies the assignment based on performance. If the student has not mastered a skill it will automatically be assigned, while if the student shows mastery they will not be given additional instruction on that concept. The test can be created based on a preset Classworks state alignment, or a custom created assignment based on a portion of the state standards or district pacing guide. It can be given to students measuring one or two skills at a time so that they aren’t involved in a lengthy testing process before being placed in relevant instruction. Once they have mastered needed instruction, then new and additional skills can be tested, providing an effective way to monitor progress skill by skill.
   3. The Placement Test can similarly be created based on any assignment, including preset or custom created standards-based instruction. This test identifies the appropriate starting place in the state curriculum.
7. Do the tests measure higher order thinking and different levels of cognitive complexity?
   1. Each objective measured in the Universal Screener, Benchmark/Summative and Custom Assessments have multiple items with a mixture of cognitive complexity levels based on Bloom’s Revised Taxonomy. Each item is individually tagged for its cognitive level, to measure and analyze each student’s concept mastery at varying levels of higher order thinking. This means that for each objective tested students will be required to think in complex ways, moving beyond “information gathering” to demonstrate a deeper level of understanding of the skill.
8. Are the items valid and reliable?
   1. Test items for FIND’s Universal Screener, Benchmark/Summative and Custom assessments were developed using a multi-step process involving a team of content experts and test editors. The draft items were then subjected to a series of reviews by psychometricians to make sure they are accurate, clear, and technically sound measures of the instructional objectives and standards for which they were written. Ongoing field testing and item calibration further ensures that they are psychometrically sound and are effective for use with the Classworks program.
   2. Guiding principles used in the item construction process include:
      Validity:
      1. Items are written in clear, concise language at the appropriate grade level
      2. Items are written without age, gender, ethnic, religious or disability bias
      3. Each item set measures both basic knowledge and higher order thinking skills
      4. Items adhere to the objectives and/or state standards being assessed
      5. Items are constructed in a consistent manner
      6. Item content is current and relevant to audience
      7. Items are written in the form of questions, avoiding open ended or negative stems
      Reliability:
      8. Items show consistency of student response
      9. Results can be generalized to the population
      10. Items are calibrated to ensure that scores have similar meaning over time
      11. After calibration, items are placed on a developmental/vertical scale to allow for the accurate comparison of students over time and across use of the items
      12. Student performance can be predicted from item response
      13. Target goals and norms can be developed from item response measures
9. Can we review the individual items?
   1. Yes, individual items can be reviewed either by looking at printouts of assessments or by assigning yourself assessments and taking the tests. Item review in the creation of assessments is not recommended in order to preserve the integrity of the tests.
10. Can we add our own district items?
    1. The Classworks item bank was created by psychometricians and each item is calibrated and reviewed. In order to preserve the integrity of this item bank, it is a closed item bank.
11. What is the value of the vertical scale?
    1. The comparability of scores is an important benefit of the new Classworks Universal Screener and Benchmark Assessments because it allows you to compare scores from tests at different grade levels and make sure the scores mean the same thing regardless of which form you administer or when you administer it. A vertical scale offers an efficient way to measure student growth over time and ensure educators that the tests they administer are valid and reliable. Most importantly, vertical scaling is a progress monitoring tool that can be used to match students to targeted instruction and have a greater impact on student achievement.
12. Can some students in our district take the test online while others take the print version?
    1. Yes, the same test can be administered either on-line or as a print out, or in a hybrid.
13. What type of scanner do I need for the print/scan option?
    1. The print/scan option can be used with the following Scantron iNSIGHT line of scanners:
       1. iNSIGHT 4
       2. iNSIGHT 20
       3. iNSIGHT 30
       4. iNSIGHT 70
       5. iNSIGHT 150