What is the Common Core Assessment and Remediation Tool?
Common Core Assessment and Remediation Tool User Guide
What is the Common Core Assessment and Remediation Tool? Common Core Assessment and Remediation Tool is a flexible and media-rich new set of contentbased assessment tools and instructional materials designed specifically to support the Common Core State Standards (CCSS). It is directly aligned to the Common Core State Standards and was designed specifically to help you collect data and provide targeted remediation and teaching for skills and concepts identified as Common Core State Standards. Even if your state has not adopted these standards, it can be used as a valuable diagnostic and remediation tool for the skills required to succeed in any educational setting. There are two global sets of standards presently addressed in the Common Core Assessment and Remediation Tool: 1. ELA (English Language Arts) 2. Mathematics Grades K-5 also incorporates ELA reading foundation standards, including phonemic awareness. This tool can be used to help you pinpoint and address areas where students are struggling. It helps you accurately identify student competency in the Common Core State Standard skill sets identified for grades K-8 and provides the supplemental materials for remediation and practice to help students achieve mastery of those standards. While the instructional material targets the standards of grades K-8, this is because those are the grades where skill-building is most prevalent and often where the gaps are most likely to occur. Common Core Assessment and Remediation Tool materials can still be effectively used in a high school setting to address and teach skills not mastered previously.
How is the Common Core Assessment and Remediation Tool Structured? The structure of a course is usually between 17 and 25 units. Each unit has a pre-test, a minilesson, and a post-test. There is also a second mini-lesson following the post-test. This second mini-lesson is skipped by default, but can be manually assigned by you, as the teacher, if you feel the student needs some additional practice with the skill. We’ll talk a bit more about that later in this guide. The pre-test and post-test are the same providing you a good academic comparison of student performance. Each unit in a Common Core Assessment and Remediation Tool course targets a single common core state standard. The specific standard is identified by the Common Core identifier as part of the unit and assignment title. For example, in Common Core Assessment and Remediation Tool English Language Arts Grade 7, unit 1 is “Finding and Using Evidence (RL.7.1)” The Pre-Test title is “Pre-Test: Finding and Using Evidence (RL.7.1), The Lesson title is “Finding and Using Explicit Textual Evidence (RL.7.1)”. Each title appears exactly like this in reports, making tracking these standards easy for you. The lesson structure is similar to lessons in other ODYSSEYWARE courses with a few minor differences. Most lessons have four sections, a few may have more. If there are more than four sections, the additional sections are structured like section 4, Show What You Know.
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Common Core Assessment and Remediation Tool User Guide Section 1: Anticipatory Set, Objective, and Vocabulary Introduces the concept, lists lesson objectives and associated vocabulary words. This section also includes a ‘Teacher Only’ description of the Common Core Standard addressed in the lesson. It also alerts you to any pre-requisites for the lesson. This section focuses on thoroughly covering the vocabulary associated with this standard. Not understanding the vocabulary is the primary reason most students fail a standardized test. Section 1 of each lesson provides teaching and practice opportunities for students to become knowledgeable about the necessary vocabulary. There are NO problems associated to this section. Section 2: Direct Instruction (Occasionally this is in Section 3) Section 2 takes the learned vocabulary and puts it into action based on the standard. This section uses extensive audio and media, especially at the lower grades providing ample opportunity for students to hear and see the standard in action. Again, there are NO problems associated to this section. Section 3: It’s Your Turn! This is the section where the student works through learning activities, does some guided practice and may go through a synopsis or review. Section 3 also includes significant media and dynamic learning activities giving students time to practice what they have learned. Again, there are NO problems associated to this section. Section 4: Show What You Know – Now it’s time for students to demonstrate what they have learned and be assessed using the problem set associated with this lesson. If there are multiple passages associated to the problem set, students tackle only one passage per section; therefore if there is more than one passage for the lesson, there will be more than four sections, with each section addressing only one passage. In an ELA problem set, the student may be required to read a passage and identify details from the text. In a Math problem set the student may have a series of problems demonstrating they understand the specific concept covered in sections 1-3.
How Can I Use the Common Core Assessment and Remediation Tool? Since each unit focuses on one skill, it can be used strictly as a skills assessment tool, as a remediation tool, as a skills review tool. It can also be an additional resource when building a custom course. Use it to collect data about student’s mastery of skills and as supplemental material to help build student skill sets. Since the CCSS require students to do more, earlier in their schooling, the Common Core Assessment and Remediation Tool is a way to help you address the gaps that arise as a result of this jump in expectations. It is a bridge to help transition your students from one set of standards to another. You can use the diagnostic material (pre-tests) to collect data, determine how great the gap is, for a single student or an entire class. Your can use these same diagnostic pre-tests to identify changes to be made in materials used to present the skill originally, or in how a skill might be covered in your classroom. You can use them for an individual student, assign them to an entire class, or use them in a blended learning environment. 1/20/2014
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Common Core Assessment and Remediation Tool User Guide
How Do I Set It Up? To use a Common Core Assessment and Remediation Tool course for assessment and remediation, it MUST be assigned using CRx mode. Since students are enrolled in CRx mode, the CRx pass threshold determines if the student passes the pre-test or not. All Common Core Assessment and Remediation Tool pre-tests have a minimum of four questions; therefore we recommend you set the CRx Pass Threshold for these courses at 75%. If you set it higher, the student must answer all questions on the pre-test correctly to pass. You enroll a student in a Common Core Assessment and Remediation Tool course the same way you enroll a student in any course in CRx mode.
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1. Click the Course Enrollment tab. 2. Select the Student.
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3. Click the Search button. 4. Click the Add Enrollment button below the student’s name. 5. Select Common Core Assessment and Remediation Tool as the Subject.
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6. Select the specific Common Core Assessment and Remediation Tool Course. 7. Select the Teacher. 8. Select the Term 9. Make sure the checkbox for CRx Mode is checked. Remember, we recommend the CRx Pass Threshold be set to 75% for a Common Core Assessment and Remediation Tool course. 10. Make any additional adjustments for this enrollment you want changed. 11. Click the Add Enrollment button. 12. Click OK on the Enrollment confirmation. The Common Core Assessment and Remediation Tool course you added appears below the selected student on the Course Enrollments page.
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Common Core Assessment and Remediation Tool User Guide
What Does My Student See? If you enrolled the student in the course in CRx mode, the student sees the pre-test first.
When the student selects the pre-test, it looks much like any other quiz a student sees in ODYSSEYWARE. The student completes the pre-test, submits it and receives their score. If it is at or above the CRx Pass Threshold, the student continues onto the pre-test for the next unit, just like any other CRx enrolled course. If the student does not achieve the CRx Pass Threshold score, the student is automatically assigned the mini-lesson associated with this skill.
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Common Core Assessment and Remediation Tool User Guide
Notice there are four sections but no problems associated with Section 1. Once the student completes the lesson, he or she is assigned the post-test. You can then determine if you want to assign the second mini-lesson to the student for additional practice in this skill. The student continues in the Common Core Assessment and Remediation Tool course in the same way, taking the pre-test, lessons and post-tests as necessary for each unit in the course.
1/20/2014
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Common Core Assessment and Remediation Tool User Guide
What Do I See? Once the student begins the course, you need to go to your Gradebook and select the student to track their progress. Click the + beside the course and again by the individual units to see how the student is progressing. In the image below, I can see that my student passed the first pre-test with a score of 75%, but failed the second pre-test with a score of 25%, so the mini-lesson for the second unit was automatically assigned.
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What is the Common Core Assessment and Remediation Tool? Common Core Assessment and Remediation Tool is a flexible and media-rich new set of contentbased assessment tools and instructional materials designed specifically to support the Common Core State Standards (CCSS). It is directly aligned to the Common Core State Standards and was designed specifically to help you collect data and provide targeted remediation and teaching for skills and concepts identified as Common Core State Standards. Even if your state has not adopted these standards, it can be used as a valuable diagnostic and remediation tool for the skills required to succeed in any educational setting. There are two global sets of standards presently addressed in the Common Core Assessment and Remediation Tool: 1. ELA (English Language Arts) 2. Mathematics Grades K-5 also incorporates ELA reading foundation standards, including phonemic awareness. This tool can be used to help you pinpoint and address areas where students are struggling. It helps you accurately identify student competency in the Common Core State Standard skill sets identified for grades K-8 and provides the supplemental materials for remediation and practice to help students achieve mastery of those standards. While the instructional material targets the standards of grades K-8, this is because those are the grades where skill-building is most prevalent and often where the gaps are most likely to occur. Common Core Assessment and Remediation Tool materials can still be effectively used in a high school setting to address and teach skills not mastered previously.
How is the Common Core Assessment and Remediation Tool Structured? The structure of a course is usually between 17 and 25 units. Each unit has a pre-test, a minilesson, and a post-test. There is also a second mini-lesson following the post-test. This second mini-lesson is skipped by default, but can be manually assigned by you, as the teacher, if you feel the student needs some additional practice with the skill. We’ll talk a bit more about that later in this guide. The pre-test and post-test are the same providing you a good academic comparison of student performance. Each unit in a Common Core Assessment and Remediation Tool course targets a single common core state standard. The specific standard is identified by the Common Core identifier as part of the unit and assignment title. For example, in Common Core Assessment and Remediation Tool English Language Arts Grade 7, unit 1 is “Finding and Using Evidence (RL.7.1)” The Pre-Test title is “Pre-Test: Finding and Using Evidence (RL.7.1), The Lesson title is “Finding and Using Explicit Textual Evidence (RL.7.1)”. Each title appears exactly like this in reports, making tracking these standards easy for you. The lesson structure is similar to lessons in other ODYSSEYWARE courses with a few minor differences. Most lessons have four sections, a few may have more. If there are more than four sections, the additional sections are structured like section 4, Show What You Know.
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Common Core Assessment and Remediation Tool User Guide Section 1: Anticipatory Set, Objective, and Vocabulary Introduces the concept, lists lesson objectives and associated vocabulary words. This section also includes a ‘Teacher Only’ description of the Common Core Standard addressed in the lesson. It also alerts you to any pre-requisites for the lesson. This section focuses on thoroughly covering the vocabulary associated with this standard. Not understanding the vocabulary is the primary reason most students fail a standardized test. Section 1 of each lesson provides teaching and practice opportunities for students to become knowledgeable about the necessary vocabulary. There are NO problems associated to this section. Section 2: Direct Instruction (Occasionally this is in Section 3) Section 2 takes the learned vocabulary and puts it into action based on the standard. This section uses extensive audio and media, especially at the lower grades providing ample opportunity for students to hear and see the standard in action. Again, there are NO problems associated to this section. Section 3: It’s Your Turn! This is the section where the student works through learning activities, does some guided practice and may go through a synopsis or review. Section 3 also includes significant media and dynamic learning activities giving students time to practice what they have learned. Again, there are NO problems associated to this section. Section 4: Show What You Know – Now it’s time for students to demonstrate what they have learned and be assessed using the problem set associated with this lesson. If there are multiple passages associated to the problem set, students tackle only one passage per section; therefore if there is more than one passage for the lesson, there will be more than four sections, with each section addressing only one passage. In an ELA problem set, the student may be required to read a passage and identify details from the text. In a Math problem set the student may have a series of problems demonstrating they understand the specific concept covered in sections 1-3.
How Can I Use the Common Core Assessment and Remediation Tool? Since each unit focuses on one skill, it can be used strictly as a skills assessment tool, as a remediation tool, as a skills review tool. It can also be an additional resource when building a custom course. Use it to collect data about student’s mastery of skills and as supplemental material to help build student skill sets. Since the CCSS require students to do more, earlier in their schooling, the Common Core Assessment and Remediation Tool is a way to help you address the gaps that arise as a result of this jump in expectations. It is a bridge to help transition your students from one set of standards to another. You can use the diagnostic material (pre-tests) to collect data, determine how great the gap is, for a single student or an entire class. Your can use these same diagnostic pre-tests to identify changes to be made in materials used to present the skill originally, or in how a skill might be covered in your classroom. You can use them for an individual student, assign them to an entire class, or use them in a blended learning environment. 1/20/2014
2
Common Core Assessment and Remediation Tool User Guide
How Do I Set It Up? To use a Common Core Assessment and Remediation Tool course for assessment and remediation, it MUST be assigned using CRx mode. Since students are enrolled in CRx mode, the CRx pass threshold determines if the student passes the pre-test or not. All Common Core Assessment and Remediation Tool pre-tests have a minimum of four questions; therefore we recommend you set the CRx Pass Threshold for these courses at 75%. If you set it higher, the student must answer all questions on the pre-test correctly to pass. You enroll a student in a Common Core Assessment and Remediation Tool course the same way you enroll a student in any course in CRx mode.
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1. Click the Course Enrollment tab. 2. Select the Student.
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3. Click the Search button. 4. Click the Add Enrollment button below the student’s name. 5. Select Common Core Assessment and Remediation Tool as the Subject.
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6. Select the specific Common Core Assessment and Remediation Tool Course. 7. Select the Teacher. 8. Select the Term 9. Make sure the checkbox for CRx Mode is checked. Remember, we recommend the CRx Pass Threshold be set to 75% for a Common Core Assessment and Remediation Tool course. 10. Make any additional adjustments for this enrollment you want changed. 11. Click the Add Enrollment button. 12. Click OK on the Enrollment confirmation. The Common Core Assessment and Remediation Tool course you added appears below the selected student on the Course Enrollments page.
1/20/2014
3
Common Core Assessment and Remediation Tool User Guide
What Does My Student See? If you enrolled the student in the course in CRx mode, the student sees the pre-test first.
When the student selects the pre-test, it looks much like any other quiz a student sees in ODYSSEYWARE. The student completes the pre-test, submits it and receives their score. If it is at or above the CRx Pass Threshold, the student continues onto the pre-test for the next unit, just like any other CRx enrolled course. If the student does not achieve the CRx Pass Threshold score, the student is automatically assigned the mini-lesson associated with this skill.
1/20/2014
4
Common Core Assessment and Remediation Tool User Guide
Notice there are four sections but no problems associated with Section 1. Once the student completes the lesson, he or she is assigned the post-test. You can then determine if you want to assign the second mini-lesson to the student for additional practice in this skill. The student continues in the Common Core Assessment and Remediation Tool course in the same way, taking the pre-test, lessons and post-tests as necessary for each unit in the course.
1/20/2014
5
Common Core Assessment and Remediation Tool User Guide
What Do I See? Once the student begins the course, you need to go to your Gradebook and select the student to track their progress. Click the + beside the course and again by the individual units to see how the student is progressing. In the image below, I can see that my student passed the first pre-test with a score of 75%, but failed the second pre-test with a score of 25%, so the mini-lesson for the second unit was automatically assigned.
1/20/2014
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