AutoSkill Academy of READING & Academy of MATH



Academy of READING & Academy of MATH

END OF YEAR POST-TESTING

End of year Academy of READING and/or MATH post-testing provides important feedback to students and essential data to educators. This is an important process to identify those students who have closed their achievement gap in reading/math – and those who have not and will need to continue Academy intervention training next year. This guide details the step-by-step procedures to assign, prepare, administer, analyze, and print your end of year post-testing and gains reports and data.

ASSIGNING POST-TESTS

From the Snapshot report, identify those students who have completed 50% or more of their Program Complete, or 10 or more hours of time on task in the Academy of READING, or 6 or more hours of time on task in the Academy of MATH. Those students who meet the above criteria should be assigned a post-test.

To assign a post-test, follow these step-by-step directions:

1. In your Instructor’s Resource Guide, read the module titled “Measuring Student Gains” to familiarize yourself with performing post-tests.

2. Follow these instructions to assign the post-test;

• From the Academy Management System, select the Classes tab at the top

• On the left-hand side, select Test Schedules

• Click on the box next to the student’s name to indicate which student(s) will be post-tested, or select the box in the title bar to select an entire class

• Select a new post-test date, and click Apply New Date.

• Do not post-test those students who pre-tested at the Graduate level. Click on Reports, and Class Test Results to identify those students.

• Schedule post-tests before year-end finals, and plan on several days to complete post-testing to allow for absenteeism or students who need to re-do post-tests (see Important Notes below).

[pic]PREPARE STUDENT’S FOR POST-TESTING

Students should understand that the post-test is very important as it measures the results of their hard work and training. It is also data educators will use to determine courses/instruction next year. Students who understand the importance of the post-test are motivated and mentally prepared to do their best and will achieve greater, more accurate results. Following are recommended best practices for testing:

• To prepare students for their post-test, show students their Snapshot report % of Program Complete and Time on Task. Tell students those with 50% of Program Complete should see an average +1 grade level gain. Those who are at or near 100% of Program Complete should see a +2 average grade level gain.

• Academy of READING:

Tell students “You have worked very hard on your Academy of READING training this year. Today you will be taking an assessment to measure how much your reading skills have improved. Take your time to read each paragraph carefully and then choose the word you think best fits that sentence. Many words are similar, so TAKE YOUR TIME and DO YOUR BEST! This assessment is important to show yourself how much you have learned from your hard work. This data is also information teachers and administrators will use to make decisions about classes you may be assigned next year, including if you will need to continue Academy training next year.”

NOTE: The I’m Done button appears when the student has completed a story. If the button does not appear, the student has not answered all of the questions. Look at the bottom of the screen to see how many questions were answered, then look for empty blanks in the story.

Academy of MATH:

“You have worked very hard on your Academy of MATH training this year. Today you will be taking an assessment to measure how your math skills have improved as a result of your hard work. Take your time to read each question carefully, then select the correct answer. Don’t guess – use scratch paper to find the correct answer. Do not worry if the questions appear too difficult at first. This assessment is adaptive and will find your level by measuring the accuracy of the questions you answer. Every question at each level is checking knowledge of a different skill area (addition, multiplication, division, etc.) so if you don’t know the answer to one question, it does not mean you will not know the answers to all of the questions on a particular level. Do not rush – this assessment is not timed. TAKE YOUR TIME and DO YOUR BEST! This assessment is important to show yourself how much you have learned from your hard work. This data is also information teachers and administrators will use to make decisions about classes you may be assigned next year, including if you will need to continue Academy training next year.”

NOTE: The I’m Done button appears when the student has answered all ten of the questions in the current level. If I’m Done does not appear, the student has not answered all of the questions. Look for a blue button on the left, and have the student go to that question and answer it.

Teacher Tips:

• Teachers must be visible during the assessment. Encourage students to do their best and help students realize the importance and value to them of this assessment.

• Do not test at the end of a day or week when students are tired. Testing near holidays or other fun activities can result in lack of attention to the task and may result in poor outcomes.

• Students need to be in a good frame of mind and properly motivated to do their best. If students are having a bad day, their scores will reflect how they feel.

• Allow at least a full class period, and tell students to not rush. This is not a timed assessment.

• During the test, monitor students to ensure they are actively engaged. Watch for students who are going through the assessment too quickly.

• Academy of MATH students will need scratch paper and pencil to work out correct answers.

• If students appear fatigued or run out of time, the test can be completed at a later time. Simply have the student click on Lobby then Exit to quit the program. Next time they log in and select the classroom, they will return to the post-test.

• Students must click on Lobby and Exit to save test data.

• Students should not begin a post-test on the same day they do other training in the Academy. It is important that students understand that the post-test is not just another training activity.

• Do NOT test on the last day of school. If a student has rushed through the test and not made his/her best effort, you do not have the opportunity to talk to them and have them repeat the test.

[pic]REVIEW TEST RESULTS WITH STUDENTS

1. Click on the Reports tab, and on the left-hand side select Test Results. From the View drop-down box, select Level Change.

2. To view a student’s individual results, click on their name. From the Student Gains Report, click on the Pre-test link, then the Post-test link to show the student how they performed level by level. Praise the student who made gains! Note the gains or where the student spent less time or scored lower on a level in the post-test than the pre-test. Note the change in the Independent, Instructional, or Frustration levels from the pre-test to the post-test.

3. If a student has no or negative gains, go to the Student Gains or Level Change Report to compare the pre-test and post-test Time on Test. In most cases, the post-test time is lower than the pre-test time which indicates a student who rushed through the test or was not motivated to do their best. After speaking with the student and showing the level-by-level report comparison to the student to ensure he/she understands how the Academy measures accuracy and results, reassign the post-test and ask the student to take the post-test again, ideally the next day or class period.

[pic]

4. The highest scores are 10.0 (Academy of READING) or 9.0 (Academy of MATH)

5. Class gains averages are based on the students who took the pre-test and post-test only

6. Students may continue to train after post-testing, and will resume training in their Individualized Training Program after completion of the post-test.

STUDENT MOTIVATION AND REWARDS

▪ Acknowledge, celebrate and reward students who have completed their ITP’s and/or have successfully achieved gains from the Academy of READING or Academy of MATH training!!

▪ If you are using a Grading Rubric, reward students who make gains with extra points or a good grade. Students usually perform better when they know a grade is associated with gains. Students worked hard on their Academy training, so reward them for their success!

▪ Hold an “Academy Awards” ceremony to acknowledge the achievement of the graduates and students who made gains, which will also motivate those students who may need to continue training. Award students with the highest gains, the highest % of Program Complete, most # skills mastered, etc. Invite parents and school administrators to your ceremony!

▪ Completing an Academy training program enables students to realize permanent gains and proficiency in essential reading and math skills, so CELEBRATE!

PREPARE & VIEW GAINS REPORTS

Gains reports provide information on the gains achieved by student, class, school and/or district. Post-test scores reflect absolute gains in grade-equivalent scores from the pre-test to the most recent post-test. Post-test data should also be used to determine if intervention is necessary for students next year, so analysis of the data is important to make informed educational decisions about students.

Refer to Module 10 (Academy of READING) or Module 6 (Academy of MATH) in your Instructor’s Resource Guide. Before viewing the Gains Reports for the year, it is important to “clean up” class lists to improve the accuracy and integrity of the data by performing the following steps:

1. Select the Classes tab at the top and the Class Registry report on the left-hand side. Delete classes that were inactive, had no students, or contained students who were inactive.

2. Look at the Class Snapshot Report and Training Monitor to identify and remove all students who were not actively training or did not meet the time on task criteria of 10 hours in the Academy of READING, or 6 hours in the Academy of MATH. Remove students by clicking on the class name from the Class Registry list and selecting the check box next to the student(s) name you want to remove and choosing Remove from Class at the bottom of the page. Do NOT Delete students.

There are 3 gains reports, each showing the gains data in a different view. Select the Reports tab (top) and on the left-hand side select:

1. Test Results. From the View drop-down menu, review reports; 1) Pre-test, 2) Post-test, and 3) Level Change. The Level Change report is the best report to identify student gains as it compares the pre-test to the post-test score. It is very important to pay particular attention to the amount of time the student spent on the Pre-test vs. the Post-test. Students who show no or negative gains may have spent less time on the Post-test than the Pre-test. If a student shows negative gains, it is important to show the student this report and his/her results, and ask the student to re-do the post-test encouraging them to DO THEIR BEST this time! You will need to assign the post-test to the student again. Please do not re-test on the same day. Comparing the pre-test to the post-test levels is excellent way to compare gains, and an important diagnostic tool to determine if the student will be continuing Academy training in the next school year!

2. Student Gains Report – From the Class Test Results Report, select the students name to locate the Student Gains Report. In the Test Summary column, you will see a blue hyper-link for each test the student has taken. Click on the test links to see the Student Level by Level Report.

3. Gains Details – shows the gains from the Pre-test to the Post-test.

4. You may prefer to sort the class by clicking on the column heading, i.e. to view gains reports by grade or performance levels; for instance, 5th Grade-All Students, or 5th Grade – Below Basic, Basic, Proficient, Graduate, etc.

5. Gains Summary – a valuable report showing the Performance Level Distribution Change.

Share the results! Show students their reports! Be sure to congratulate students in the Proficient, Advanced or Graduate categories as they are now performing at or above grade level! Students who are still in the Below Basic or Basic category are not yet performing at grade level and should continue Academy training next year until they post-test as Proficient or higher..

PRINT GAINS REPORTS

Print or Save any/all reports you need. You will not have access to these reports after the transition from one school year to the next has occurred. Print or Save the following reports for your records:

1. Class Snapshot Report; provides class usage data including % of Program Complete and Time on Task

2. Class Gains Report; provides class data average and individual student performance compared to class average.

3. STUDENTS WHO DID NOT COMPLETE THEIR ACADEMY TRAINING THIS YEAR AND/OR DID NOT POST-TEST AS PROFICIENT NEED TO CONTINUE ACADEMY TRAINING NEXT YEAR. Print Class Gains Reports and identify students who need to continue Academy training next year.

4. Student Training Progress Report; select Progress Over Time, which shows what skills were completed, how long it took to master, and their performance of each skill. This report illustrates student strengths (green symbols) and skill deficiencies (orange or Teacher Time symbols), and should be part of an RTI or student improvement plan.

5. Student Gains Report; shows the student results, gains, and a summary of the student’s progress.

6. Student Level by Level Report; from the Student Gains Report, select the Pre-Test and Post-Test links. This report shows the algorithmic data of each level. Print the reports to compare and analyze level increases, decreases and time differences. This report should also be part of an RTI or student improvement plan.

NOTE: Reports can also be saved in PDF format to save paper. Many schools like to reorganize the data and create classes based upon the way they want to view the data, for example, by Tier, grade, subgroup, or performance level. Please contact your Education Technology Partners Certified Trainer if you need assistance.

CONTINUING TRAINING AFTER POST-TESTING

After post-testing, if a student remains in the Below Basic or Basic category or if a teacher wants a student to continue with his/her Academy training, the student should login and click on the classroom door to continue training and the software will do one of the following:

The Academy of READING:

• If the student has NOT completed his/her ITP, the student will resume training at the point where the post-test was administered. The system will not assign a new ITP because a student post-tested.

• If the student has completed his ITP and continues training, a new ITP will automatically be assigned. The Academy software will compare the newly assigned ITP against the completed ITP and only those skills not mastered at Academy Mastery Criteria will appear in the new ITP.

• ITP’s that are continued will be noted by the following indicators:

o An asterisk (*) in front of the training program name indicates that the student has completed the initial ITP and is working on a new ITP.

o A plus sign (+) after the training program name indicates that some skills from the previous training program were not mastered at the Academy Mastery Criteria and have been added to the new training program.

o A period followed by a number (for example, .2 or .3) after the training program name indicates that the same training program had been assigned previously in the current training period or in a previous training period.

If a student has completed an ITP, a new ITP will be assigned according to the following table:

|Original Individualized Training Program |Next Individualized Training Program |

|K-l Developmental Stream |2-3 Developmental Stream |

|2-3 Developmental Stream |4-5 Moderate Stream |

|2- 3 Accelerated Stream |4-5 Moderate Stream |

|4-5 Comprehensive Stream |6-7 Accelerated Stream |

|4-5 Moderate Stream |6-7 Accelerated Stream |

|4-5 Accelerated Stream |6-7 Accelerated Stream |

|6-7 Comprehensive Stream |8-Adult Accelerated Stream |

|6-7 Moderate Stream |8-Adult Accelerated Stream |

|6-7 Accelerated Stream |8-Adult Accelerated Stream |

|8-Adult Comprehensive Stream |8-AduIt Moderate Stream |

|8-Adult Moderate Stream |8-AduIt Accelerated Stream |

|8-Adult Accelerated Stream | |

The Academy of MATH:

• If the student has NOT completed his/her ITP, the student will continue training at the point where the post-test was administered.

• If the student has completed his ITP and continues training, the next most difficult ITP will automatically be assigned until the student reaches his/her grade level or a score of 9.0.

• An asterisk (*) will appear if a teacher has manually changed the student’s assigned Individualized Training Program.

• A plus sign (+) after the training program name indicates that some skills from the previous training program were not mastered at the Academy Mastery Criteria and have been added to the current training program.

USE THIS YEARS DATA TO PLAN FOR NEXT YEARS IMPLEMENTATION!

Based on data from this year, make plans for changes and improvements to your Academy implementation next year. The fidelity of an Academy implementation does impact student gains. The objective is to have students complete their assigned training programs as quickly as possible – ideally, in one school year! There is a direct correlation between % of Program Complete and student gains achieved. Refer to the School/Class Snapshot Report. If your students are not at or near 100% of Program Complete at the end of this school year, devise a plan that will ensure students are provided the time necessary to complete their training programs in one year, next year.

Use the following Fidelity Checklist to plan next year’s implementation:

1. Each lab/classroom has a teacher station with the Academy Management System installed

2. The Class Training Monitor report is always displayed to allow real-time progress monitoring

3. Students train a minimum of 3-5 times a week, 30-40 minutes per session

4. Teachers conduct mini-lessons and model WHAT a skill teaches, WHY it will improve the student’s reading/math skills, and HOW to master the skill

5. Teachers have explained the Mastery Criteria and it is understood by all students

6. Proactive teacher intervention and support begins when an orange triangle (or any symbol other than green) appears by the student(s) name on the Class Training Monitor

7. Interventions occur at the teacher station using the Training Monitor data to review errors, identify skill deficiency and provide coaching and remediation as necessary

8. A grading rubric is used for students Grade 4 and above to increase student ownership

9. Students are aware of their assigned ITP’s after their pre-test, and are assigned a Weekly Skills Mastered Goal calculated by dividing the total number of skills in the assigned ITP divided by the # of weeks in the school year.

10. Academy of MATH students are provided with an Academy of MATH Student Workbook and Guided Notes and/or Academy of READING Progress Journal including printed copies of the Mastery Criteria and students Weekly Skills Mastered Goal.

11. Students are always monitored and actively engaged in training; not clicking out of the Academy, headphones always on and actively taking notes during tutorials (Academy of MATH)

12. An Academy Awards program exists to motivate and reward students

The ETP Academy Resource Center provides many resources and tools to support Academy of READING/MATH interventionists and administrators at

SCHOOLS WITH LOCAL SOFTWARE INSTALLATIONS ONLY – When all reports are organized, analyzed, printed (or saved) and celebrated, please notify your technology or Academy Coordinator to complete a transition to the next school year. Please contact Academy Support at 1-800-225-5750 ext. 4 if assistance is required.

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