Contact:

Deval Clearwater – deval_Clearwater@hmco.com

What purpose does your assessment tool serve?

Assess2Learn is both a software engine for the delivery of a comprehensive series of content-specific assessments that are aligned to specific state standards and locally developed assessments. It is a web-based assessment tool that provides critical, ongoing information about student proficiency and progress relative to content standards to administrators, teachers, students, and parents. Assess2Learn helps educators monitor student progress toward achieving important learning objectives throughout the year. Assess2Learn delivers tests and testlets to students via the Internet; local network environment is also supported. The tests can be used for both placement and diagnostic information. The assessments are automatically scored, providing immediate feedback and guidance for instruction.

The Assess2Learn content has been developed to meet many states’ learning objectives. Specifically, Riverside Publishing offers assessments correlated to state-defined learning objectives for grades 1–8 in reading, language arts, and mathematics. Proficiency tests for high school are available in Algebra 1. Reading, language arts, and mathematics content is offered in three separate forms with two test formats. Diagnostic tests are 8–36 item testlets that measure several objectives with a strand or sub-strand. Results help teachers monitor ongoing student progress toward each objective within the content standards. Survey tests are longer tests of overall content in a subject area. They are designed to provide broad coverage of curriculum objectives, with fewer items measuring each—similar to a state accountability test. Results help teachers and administrators determine how well students are progressing relative to state-adopted standards.

Assess2Learn offers comprehensive reports that give educators at every level the information needed to achieve success in their schools. School–level reports are used by teachers and school administrators to monitor students’ skills and progress based on established learning objectives. Higher-level reports provide instant reporting across district, school, grade, class, and student averages.

Please indicate which category best describes your tool:

a. _____ Tools that allow users to ask questions of data (tools for collecting and disaggregating data, including surveys, self-reported data and standardized data)

b. _ X__ Tools for observation (including teacher observation and observation of student behavior or performance)

c. ____ Tools for reviewing student products (including electronic or digital portfolios)

Who is the audience for this assessment tool?

Teachers, administrators, and students

What technology is used?

Assess2Learn 4.5.1b System Requirements

Minimum System Requirements

133 Mhz Pentium® compatible CPU
64 MB RAM
Microsoft Windows 95®, 98®, NT 4.x®, or 2000® operating system
VGA monitor with a screen resolution of 800 x 600
Mouse or compatible pointing device
Internet connection with a minimum access speed of 56K
Browser supporting Java Script
Internet Explorer 5.0® or Netscape 4.7®
Microsoft Word® 2000® required for printing
Adobe Acrobat Reader® 5.0® is required to view PDF versions of reports.

Optimal System Requirements

233mhz Pentium compatible CPU
128 MB RAM
Microsoft Windows 95, 98, NT 4.x, 2000, or XP operating system
VGA monitor with a screen resolution of 1024 x 768
Mouse or compatible pointing device
Internet connection with a minimum access speed of 56K
Browser supporting Java Script
Internet Explorer 5.0 or Netscape 4.7
Microsoft Word 2000 required for printing tests.
Adobe Acrobat Reader 5.0 is required to view PDF versions of reports.

Browser Requirements

Internet Explorer 5.0 through 6.0 is recommended.
Netscape 4.5 through 4.78 is recommended.
Netscape 6.0+ is currently not recommended.

Macintosh Browser and Operating System Requirements

iMac®, iBook®, G3, G4
Netscape 4.77-4.78 is recommended.
OS 8.6, 9.04, 9.1,10.0, 10.2.3 are recommended.
Internet Explorer 5.0 and 5.15: Riverside has identified specific anomalies in Microsoft IE version 5.1.3 for the Macintosh, which may cause tests to not render properly.
Adobe Acrobat Reader 5.0 is required to view PDF versions of reports.
Printing requirements: Office 2001 required for printing tests.

Approximately how many people are currently using this system?

750,000-900,000	K-12 Students
35,000	K-12 Teachers
	Teacher education students
	Teacher education faculty
	Other

What professional development (for students or assessors) is required to use the tool?

The Assess2Learn tool requires no professional development for the students. In addition, it requires very little professional development for the assessors. Assess2Learn’s easy to use interface provides the user with a simple to learn solution The students are provided with a list of do’s and don’ts when they start using Assess2Learn. The teachers and administrators have access to a comprehensive online user’s manual. Riverside Publishing also provides a comprehensive 2-day training on the use and implementation of the solution. Training components include: administering a test, reviewing results, and test authoring. The system coordinator is also trained on entering in new students, teachers, and classes into the management system

To use the tool effectively, what else should the school have in place?

To use this tool effectively, schools should have an Internet connection and workstations that meet the minimum system requirements. Again, the easy to use interface requires little knowledge from a technology perspective.

If you haven't already addressed it, how does your tool help students or teachers demonstrate that they are meeting standards?

The solution provides students with a graphically pleasing report immediately upon completion of a test that provides information regarding their performance on that test and information on which questions addressed which standard.

For the teacher or school administrator, Assess2Learn offers comprehensive reports that give educators at every level the information needed to achieve success in their schools.

¨ School-Level Reports are used by teachers and school administrators to monitor students’ skills and progress based on established learning objectives.

¨ Higher-Level Reports provide instant aggregation of data across district, school, grade, class, and student results.

Assess2Learn offers more than 12 customizable reports and logs for teachers and school administrators.

What questions would you like participants to address?

1. Based on the demonstration and materials provided, would you recommend this solution be purchased for your district? If so, what did you like about the solution? If not, how would you improve upon the solution?

2. The premise of Assess2Learn is to be an independent measure of student performance and progress using summative and formative assessments. Each district can use their current instructional materials and practices for remediation. Would the likelihood to purchase this solution increase if the instructional component is included as a feature of the solution?

3. Assess2Learn provides a test bank rather than an item-bank. Based on feedback received from teacher users, it was found that the use of a test bank greatly assisted the teachers in their workload in terms of constructing their own tests. Would the addition of an item bank feature increase, decrease, or make no difference on the likelihood of a buy recommendation from you?