1. GRADE Pennsylvania Keystones to Opportunity
Group Reading and Diagnostic Evaluation
Pennsylvania Keystones to Opportunity
Test Administration and Scoring
Misty Sprague
Professional Development and Consultation

2. You May Have Questions On…..
Sales
Technology
Implementation
Materials
Content

3. Agenda VERY brief introduction to the GRADE How to administer the test
How to handle scoring
Future PD opportunities
Questions for the GRADE team

4. What is it: group administered - individual results
What are GRADE
GRADE (The Group Reading Assessment and Diagnostic Evaluation) is a norm-referenced diagnostic assessments, given BEFORE instruction to DRIVE instruction. They show students’ performance by foundational skill, determine weak skills areas or “gaps” that require remediation and intervention, and strengths that can be used to build interventions or require enrichment.

5. What is it: a total solution

6. Scientifically research and norm referenced
Carefully developed to provide a broad sampling of appropriate reading competencies. The GRADE assessment was standardized in 2000 across the nation using:
33,000+ students
Varying ethnicities
Range of socioeconomic groups
Both genders
Special Needs students
Regional/National groups

7. Common Core

8. GRADE Snapshot Can be administered
Individually, in small groups, or to an entire class
Eleven test levels
Each level has two forms, parallel in content and difficulty
Normative scores available for each form
Grade-based, fall and spring
Standard scores, stanines, percentiles, NCEs, and grade equivalents
Growth scale values (GSVs) for tracking growth over time

9. GRADE Philosophy: The Individual Learner
Students are individuals
“One size” does not fit all
Students vary widely in their readiness to learn
The rate of acquisition of skills varies from one student to the next
Information on an individual’s strengths and needs is the link to the most effective instructional strategies
Page 10 Technical Manual
Teachers want to be able to individualize instruction. They are often limited by time and "group" situations. Can't always test one-on-one or work one-on-one.
CEC Today, November 2000, page 5, special educators report that
15% have no time for individualized instruction
31% spend less than 1 hour
22% spend 1-2 hours
10% spend 2-3 hours
3% spend 3-4
6% spend 4-5
only 13% reported spending more than 5 hours
When students fail or fall below a “cut-score,” reasons for failure vary from student to student
Providing the same intervention for all, will not necessarily provide the same results. 9

10. Untimed administration
GRADE User-Friendly Procedures for Teachers and Students
Untimed administration
GRADE is a test of power, not speed
Untimed so students can attempt all items and thus supply teachers with the greatest amount of diagnostic information
Untimed to encourage students to make their best effort
Timed tests often increase students’ anxiety and decrease performance level
The goal is to understand what reading skills a student has acquired, not to see if he or she can demonstrate that knowledge in an anxiety-inducing, timed testing situation

11. GRADE User-Friendly Procedures for Teachers and Students
Increases the likelihood that students will finish each subtest and give best effort
When order is mixed, student is encouraged to attempt all questions because relatively easy ones are encountered on an irregular basis
Decreases the frustration level often experienced by students when questions are in order of difficulty
As questions get harder, some students start answering in a careless manner or quit responding
Having questions in mixed order encourages a consistent effort through out the test and provides the teacher with the most accurate diagnostic information about each student
Questions not in difficulty order
Since GRADE is not timed, questions are not arranged from easiest to hardest in each subtest

12. Components
Everything you need for accurate assessment. Scientifically researched based and highly reliable, GRADE gives you the components you need to conduct accurate, efficient reading and mathematics assessments.
Booklets are designed to be student friendly, and are re-useable Levels 4-A to be more cost effective
Parallel forms facilitate multiple testing options throughout the school year
Scannable Answer Sheets available for Levels 1-A save time with efficient scoring of tests
Teacher’s Administration Manuals provide detailed scripts for giving tests and helpful hints to keep students on task

13. Components
Teacher’s Scoring & Interpretive Manuals include detailed diagnostic information to help plan focused lessons based on test results
Technical Manual details the scientific basis of GRADE and GMADE and the standardization/norming process, providing extra background information for reports to districts and state education agencies
Scoring & Reporting software provides added flexibility and efficiency for scoring large numbers of tests and writing clear, in-depth reports

14. Instructional Design
STEP 1: ASSESS
Assess your students to gauge baseline skills and observe their progress each year. Score the tests by hand or by using convenient GRADE & GMADE Scoring & Reporting Software 14

15. What does it assess: subtests
GRADE
Pre-reading
Visual Skills, Concepts
Reading Readiness
Phonological Awareness, Early Literacy Skills, Phoneme-Grapheme
Vocabulary
Word Reading, Word Meaning, Vocabulary
Comprehension
Sentence Comprehension, Passage Comprehension
Oral Language
Listening Comprehension 15

16. What does it assess: subtests
Phonemic Awareness
Students demonstrate their ability to identify sound-letter correspondence.

17. What does it assess: subtests
Phonics
Students demonstrate their ability to identify words that begin and end with
the same sound and rhyme.

18. What does it assess: subtests
Vocabulary
Students demonstrate their knowledge and understanding of words and their meanings.

19. What does it assess: subtests
Comprehension
Students demonstrate their ability to comprehend a sentence as a whole or complete thought; their ability to comprehend a passage; and their understanding of vocabulary, grammar, idioms, inferences, and non-literal items in passages or sentences read silently and aloud.

20. Estimated Administration Times:
Subtest:
Average Time:
Training Items
5 minutes
Listening Comprehension
15 minutes
Word Reading
10 minutes
Sentence Comprehension
Vocabulary or Word Meaning
10 Minutes
Passage Comprehension
20 minutes

22. Item Range
Each level of GRADE contains items that cover a range of reading difficulty
GRADE will reliably measure students who are one or two grade levels below
Within each subtest item difficulty is dispersed throughout the test

23. Test Administration

24. Before Administration
Read the manual
Fill out the identifying information on the from of the student booklets (grades Pre-K -3rd ) OR on the Score Sheet for 4th and up
Have pencils and erasers ready and available
Have administration manual and student booklets ready
Grade Level:
Test Booklet
Scannable Answer Sheet
Scoring
Pre- K and K
Yes No
Hand
1st to 3rd
Scanning
4th-12th

25. During Testing Adhere to the Administration procedures
Monitor the room to make sure students are marking their answers in the correct manner
Do not coach
Avoid interruptions
Only give feedback on practice items
Encourage students to complete all answers but don’t encourage them to just mark anything
Do not limit time

26. Check your internal Keystones To Opportunity Website for testing dates
Testing Windows
Check your internal Keystones To Opportunity Website for testing dates

27. Scoring

28. How does it analyze: software options
Hand score (Pre-K and K)
All scoring and analysis can be done by hand with the scoring and interpretation manuals
Scanning Software ( 1st- 12th)
Software is available for scanning (PC only), installed on one computer per CD, enter student responses and the program scores and interprets it
Network (Client Server) ( For Larger Districts)
Available in hand entry (Mac/PC) or scanning (PC only), installed on the district server, comes with 3 licenses, additional licenses can be purchased, one time purchase

29. Preparing for Hand Scoring ( Pre-K and K only)
The following information must be entered correctly to obtain correct scores
Testing date ( will assure correct norms)
Forms used (A or B)
Grade level of child

30. Hand Scoring ( Pre-K and K ONLY)
An item should be scored as incorrect if:
The student marked the wrong answer
The student did not mark any answer
The student marked more than one answer
Raw Score= the total number of correct answers

31. How to Hand Score

32. How to Hand Score

33. How to Hand Score

34. How to Hand Score

35. Scan Scoring (1st grade and up)
Ensure that there are not any large stray marks
Look to see if multiple bubbles are filled in (4th-12th)
Make sure that all identifying information is filled in correctly

36. Scan Scoring (1st grade and up)
Scanning Demo

37. Instructional Design
STEP 2: ANALYZE
Analyze your students’ results using a variety of diagnostic reports to pinpoint their strengths and weaknesses and to plan targeted instruction. 37

38. Onsite Professional Development
24 different options available
Held regionally
Train the Trainer Method
Districts will bring their own data and spend the day turning the data into information
Each workshop is limited to 30 participants

39. Onsite Professional Development Dates

40. How does it analyze: reports both individual and group
Individual Reports (Individual Score Summary, Individual Diagnostic Analysis, Individual Progress, Parent)
Understand a student’s strengths and weaknesses in the various subtests
Breakdown of skills: number correct, percent correct
Progress from administration to administration, year to year
Easy to understand parent overview, available in Spanish and Portuguese

41. Individual Progress Report

42. Individual Diagnostic Analysis Report

43. How does it analyze: reports both individual and group
Group Reports (Group Score Summary, Group Diagnostic Analysis by Item, Error, and Type, Group Progress Report)
Overall picture of how the class or school performs on each subtest
Class/ school averages for types of questions answered correctly and incorrectly
Review of individual/class responses to each item per subtest
Class/ school average of common errors per subtest
Capture class progress from administration to administration, year to year

44. How does it analyze: group reports

45. Test Scores & Interpretations
Raw score ~ total number of correct answers
Standard score ~ a grade-based standard with an average score of 100 (based on fall/spring norms)
Percentile Rank~ to compare/rank with a standardized group of same-aged peers
NCE ~ Normal Curved Equivalence - based on percentiles 1-99, with a mean score of 50
Stanines ~ a scoring range of 1-9 with a mean of 5
Total test score ~ scores for the combined 3 subtests
Age / Grade equivalents ~ comparison to equivalent age or grade based norms

46. Instructional Design
STEP 3:INTERVENE
GRADE: Teachers can Intervene with correlated activities and exercises from GRADE Resource Library, Head for Success, and other Pearson programs 46

47. Intervention: GRL, Building Success, Head for Success
Plan focused instruction directly linked to assessment results
GRADE Resource Libraries
Head for Success
Building Success

48. Intervention: GRL, Building Success, Head for Success
Plan focused instruction directly linked to assessment results
GRADE Resource Libraries
Teaching activities & worksheets dealing with the same skill areas covered by GRADE/GMADE on a searchable CD, eleven CDs, one for each level, offer activities, worksheets, and booklists for remediation, on level, and enrichment practice.

49. Intervention: GRL, Building Success, Head for Success
Available for Levels Pre-K-High School, this workbook series, correlated to GRADE, reinforces and reviews specific reading areas. Built to be used in small groups or individually, this workbook series addresses Word Attack Skills, Sounds, Vocabulary ,Reading Comprehension.

50. Intervention: GRL, Building Success, Head for Success,
Workbooks (Levels 1-5 only) build reading skills with correlated activities. Lessons include guided practice for students’ areas of need. This series offers lessons with instruction, practice, and test practice specifically correlated to the subtests of GRADE and can also be used as a stand alone supplemental curriculum.

51. Instructional Design STEP 4: REASSESS
Educators can then reassess with GRADE & GMADE parallel forms to measure your student's progress.
This complete solution will allow you to understand your students' abilities, teach according to their needs, and evaluate their progress 51

52. A complete solution: Assess, Analyze, Intervene, Reassess
To determine baseline skills
Analyze
To pinpoint strengths and weaknesses and plan targeted instruction
Intervene
With GRADE Resource Libraries, Head for Success and other supplemental materials
Reassess
With GRADE parallel forms to measure progress and determine if the intervention was successful

53. Questions

54. Who to Contact?
Professional Development Misty Sprague Sales Dave McSorley Ken Rockhill