user’s guide - kennett middle school library media...

User’s Guide

AcuityUser’sGuide Page�of1�0

Developed and published by CTB/McGraw-Hill LLC, a subsidiary of The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.,

20 Ryan Ranch Road, Monterey, California 93940-5703. Copyright © 2011 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.


Copyright © 2011 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

CHAPTER 1: GETTING TO KNOW ACUITY ........................................................................................................6

About this Guide ........................................................................................................................................................6overview of the user Guide ......................................................................................................................................6whAt is Acuity? ..........................................................................................................................................................6whAt is Acuity AlGebrA? ...........................................................................................................................................6whAt is Acuity science? ............................................................................................................................................7AssistAnce And support ..............................................................................................................................................7overview of online Acuity ........................................................................................................................................7MAnAGinG Access within Acuity ...............................................................................................................................8

CHAPTER 2: GETTING STARTED........................................................................................................................11

loG in to Acuity .......................................................................................................................................................11first tiMe loGin .......................................................................................................................................................11 recoverinG pAsswords .............................................................................................................................................11Multiple roles .........................................................................................................................................................12explorinG the hoMe pAGe ........................................................................................................................................13explorinG the hoMe pAGe content AreA ................................................................................................................14coMMon interfAce eleMents ....................................................................................................................................15

Search Result Tables .............................................................................................................................................15Data Default Values ..............................................................................................................................................15Required Fields .....................................................................................................................................................16Tree Searches ........................................................................................................................................................16

CHAPTER 3: MANAGING CLASSES ....................................................................................................................17

clAsses ......................................................................................................................................................................17 Add a Class ...........................................................................................................................................................17Add Students to a New Class ................................................................................................................................18Find/View/Delete an Existing Class ......................................................................................................................19Edit Class Roster...................................................................................................................................................20Edit Class Information ..........................................................................................................................................21

CHAPTER 4: MANAGING STUDENTS ................................................................................................................22

Add a New Student ................................................................................................................................................22Assign a Class to a Student ...................................................................................................................................23Find a Student .......................................................................................................................................................24Edit Student Information .......................................................................................................................................25Delete a Student ....................................................................................................................................................25Manage Automatic Test Assignments ....................................................................................................................25

CHAPTER 5: ASSIGNING ASSESSMENTS ..........................................................................................................26

AssiGnMent ................................................................................................................................................................26Assign New Diagnostic, Predictive or Algebra Tests ............................................................................................26Edit/Delete Existing Diagnostic, Predictive or Algebra Assignments ..................................................................30

AssiGnMent stAtus ....................................................................................................................................................31View Assignment Status .........................................................................................................................................31View Assignment Status By Student ......................................................................................................................32

preview/print test MAteriAls .................................................................................................................................33Preview/Print Test .................................................................................................................................................33Preview/Print for Custom Tests ............................................................................................................................35

CHAPTER 6: MANUALLY SCORE ITEMS ..........................................................................................................36

Find an Assignment ...............................................................................................................................................36Score a Constructed Response ..............................................................................................................................37Enter Student Answers Taken Offline ....................................................................................................................39



CHAPTER 7: CUSTOM TEST .................................................................................................................................40

creAte/MAnAGe custoM test ...................................................................................................................................40Create a Custom Test ............................................................................................................................................40View Existing Custom Test ....................................................................................................................................45

AssiGn custoM test ..................................................................................................................................................47Create New Custom Test Assignment ....................................................................................................................47Update/Delete Existing Custom Test Assignment .................................................................................................48

shAre custoM test ...................................................................................................................................................49Share a Custom Test with Other Educators ..........................................................................................................49

new—creAte custoM test usinG the new test builder .......................................................................................50

CHAPTER 8: ITEM AUTHORING .........................................................................................................................54

Create a Passage ..................................................................................................................................................54Create an Item .......................................................................................................................................................55Edit Existing Items or Passages ............................................................................................................................59Approve Items or Passages ...................................................................................................................................61

CHAPTER 9: CREATE PERFORMANCE ASSESSMENT AND RUBRIC ......................................................63

creAte A perforMAnce AssessMent tAsk .................................................................................................................63creAte or AssociAte A rubric with the perforMAnce AssessMent ..........................................................................64AssiGn the perforMAnce-bAsed AssessMent to students ........................................................................................65hAnd-enterinG scores for perforMAnce-bAsed AssessMents ..................................................................................66MAnAGinG perforMAnce-bAsed AssessMents And rubrics .......................................................................................66

Finding a Performance-based Assessment or Rubric ...........................................................................................66Share a Performance-based Assessment or Rubric ..............................................................................................67Edit a Rubric .........................................................................................................................................................67Assign a Performance-based Assessment .............................................................................................................67

CHAPTER 10: INSTRUCTIONAL RESOURCES .................................................................................................69

AssiGn by skill/stAndArd ........................................................................................................................................69Assign an Instruction by Skill/Standard ................................................................................................................69

AssiGn by student ...................................................................................................................................................70Assign an Instruction by Student ...........................................................................................................................70

view/print instructionAl resources .......................................................................................................................72Preview/Print an Instructional Resource ..............................................................................................................72

view stAtus ...............................................................................................................................................................73Status by Student ...................................................................................................................................................73Status by Skill Group .............................................................................................................................................75

CHAPTER 11: MY SETTINGS ................................................................................................................................76

profile.......................................................................................................................................................................76View/Edit Profile Information ...............................................................................................................................76

CHAPTER 12: REPORTS .........................................................................................................................................77

Report Descriptions ..............................................................................................................................................77Report Availability by Level ..................................................................................................................................78Access Diagnostic Roster Report ..........................................................................................................................78

report bAtches .........................................................................................................................................................80

CHAPTER 13: STUDENT EXPERIENCE ..............................................................................................................81

Logging in to Acuity ..............................................................................................................................................81Recovering Passwords ..........................................................................................................................................81Exploring the Student Home Page ........................................................................................................................81

tAke A test ...............................................................................................................................................................82Test Screen.............................................................................................................................................................84



sAMple test iteM types ............................................................................................................................................86Selected Response Item .........................................................................................................................................86Split Screen Items ..................................................................................................................................................87Constructed Response Items (online) ....................................................................................................................87Constructed Response Items That Must Be Answered Offline ..............................................................................88Grid-In Items .........................................................................................................................................................88Items with Manipulatives ......................................................................................................................................89Innovative Items ....................................................................................................................................................90

CHAPTER 14: UNDERSTANDING ROLES, HIERARCHY & PERMISSIONS ..............................................91

roles And hierArchy within Acuity ........................................................................................................................91perMissions definitions ............................................................................................................................................91defAult perMissions..................................................................................................................................................97

Update Permissions for a Selected Role .............................................................................................................101

CHAPTER 15: MANAGING EDUCATORS .........................................................................................................102

Add New Educator ..............................................................................................................................................102Find an Existing Educator ..................................................................................................................................103Delete an Educator .............................................................................................................................................104Edit Educator Information ..................................................................................................................................104

CHAPTER 16: DELETE STUDENTS ...................................................................................................................106

Delete Students ....................................................................................................................................................106

CHAPTER 17: STUDENT PASSWORDS .............................................................................................................107

Update Student Password ...................................................................................................................................107

CHAPTER 18: DATA EXTRACT ...........................................................................................................................108

GenerAte/view dAtA extrAct file .........................................................................................................................108Generate Data Extract File ...............................................................................................................................108View Data Extract File ....................................................................................................................................... 110

CHAPTER 19: MANAGING ASSESSMENTS ..................................................................................................... 111

testinG proGrAM ..................................................................................................................................................... 111Set Testing Program ........................................................................................................................................... 111Create a Testing Program Session ...................................................................................................................... 112Update Testing Program Session Information .................................................................................................... 112Delete a Testing Program Session ...................................................................................................................... 113Add/Remove an Assessment to a Testing Program Session ................................................................................ 113

AssessMent profiles ...............................................................................................................................................114View/Edit an Assessment Profile ......................................................................................................................... 114

MAnAGe defAult tiers ............................................................................................................................................117Manage Default Tiers ......................................................................................................................................... 117

CHAPTER 20: MULTI-DISTRICT REPORT USERS.........................................................................................118



Chapter 1: Getting to Know Acuity

About this Guide

NEW!ThisAcuityUser’sGuidecombinesandupdatesalloftheinformationformerlyincludedintwoseparateguides,theAcuityUser’sGuideandtheAcuityAdministrator’sGuide.ThereisnolongeraseparateStudentExperienceGuide,asthesameinformationiscontainedin“Chapter1�:StudentExperience”inthisguide.

Overview of the User’s Guide

Thisguidegivesyoustep-by-stepinstructionsonhowtouseCTB/McGraw-Hill’sOnlineAcuityProgram.Theguideisdividedintochapters,eachofwhichcanbeusedindependentlytocoverjustthetopicsthatinterestyou.

Chapters1through1�providedirectionforclassroomeducatorsoranyoneinvolvedinthe Acuity assessment process. Information specifically for Acuity Administrators begins in Chapter1�onpage91,butAdministratorsshouldreadtheentireguide;theyneedtoknowaboutstudentmanagementtasks,buthaveadditionaladministrativetasksofmanagingeducatorsandtestingprograms.

What is Acuity?

Acuityisanonline/paper-pencil,comprehensiveprogramthatincludesanintegratedsuiteofdiagnosticandpredictivebenchmarktestsforMathandReading,coveringgradelevelsthreethrougheightandthehighschoolstatesummativetest.

Acuityincludesthefollowingcomponents,whicharediscussedinthisuserguide:

• PredictiveTests(�peryear)thatmodelthestatesummativetestblueprints,intermsofcontentcoverageofeachstandardandsub-contentarea

• DiagnosticTests(upto�peryear)

• ImmediateReportingCapabilities

• InstructionalResources

• CustomTests,whichutilizeanitembankof��,000items

What is Acuity Algebra?

AcuityAlgebraisacomprehensivesetofonlineAlgebraplacementandassessmenttoolsforGrades7-1�.

AcuityAlgebraincludesthefollowingcomponents:

• ReadinessExamisa�0-itemtestthatcanbeusedtoassistteachersandadministratorsinplacingstudentsintheappropriatemathprogram.ThetestisdesignedtobegiventostudentswhoareeligibletotakeanAlgebraIclassintheupcomingyear.

• FormativeAssessments(1�pre-madetests)testcomprehensiveseriesofconceptsthataretypicallytaughtinAlgebra1.

• CustomTestsutilizeaFormativeItemBankcontaining�00selectedresponseitems,includingthoseitemsfoundintheFormativeAssessmentsaswellassomegeometryitems.

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• Proficiency Exam assesses all four of the 2001 National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) Algebra standards for grades 9-12. The Proficiency Exam is intendedtobegivenattheendoftheschoolyeartoassessthestudent’sknowledgeandmasteryoftheconceptsthataremostwidelytaughtinAlgebra1.

What is Acuity Science?

AcuityScienceisacompleteassessmentsolutionforScience.

AcuityScienceincludesthefollowingcomponents:

• Earlyindicatorandpredictiveexamsareavailableforthegradesinwhichgivenstates complete summative exams (grade bands three through five and six through eight).Thesetestsaligntothestatesummativetestblueprints,intermsofcontentcoverageofeachstandardandsub-contentarea.

• Customteststhatutilizeaformativeitembank.

Assistance and Support

Acuitysupportisavailableviaphoneoronlineasfollows:

Phone: 1-800-�8�-�70�(8:00a.m.to�:00p.m.E.S.T.)

ForIndianacustomers:1-800-�8�-11��

ForWestVirginiacustomers:1-8��-�8�-��0,Option�

ForPhiladelphiacustomers:888-�8�-��8(888-CTB-FACT)

Email: [email protected]

ForIndianacustomers:[email protected]

ForPhiladelphiacustomers:[email protected]

Website:www.acuityforschool.com

Acuityonlinecommunityisavailable��/7viatheAcuityCommunitylinkontheAcuityhomepage.Acuityonlinecommunityisauserforumthroughwhichuserscannetwork,exchangeideas,sharebestpractices,andconnectwithpeereducatorsunboundedbygeographicallimitations.TheCommunityisavailablethroughyourAcuityapplicationsign-on,withnoadditionalloginneeded,providingeasyaccesstotheknowledgebase.

In addition, there is a series of brief instructional videos that provide specific examples ofcommontasksanddetailsongeneratingandusingreports.AcompletelistofthesevideosisavailableinAcuity’sOnlineHelpwhileyouareloggedintotheAcuityprogram.JustclicktheHelplinktoopenOnlineHelpinaseparatewindow,openthetopic“ViewingInstructionalVideoTutorials,”andclickthenameofavideotoopenandviewitinthesameHelpwindow.Linkstoappropriatevideosarealsoembeddedinindividualhelptopicsasapplicable.

Overview of Online Acuity

OnlineAcuityenablesaneducationalorganizationtotestitsstudentsonlineandtoobtainfeedbackonhowwelltheyperformed.AcuityisaccessedthroughasecuresiteontheInternet,usingauniqueusernameandpassword(see“Chapter�:GettingStarted”).

Todothis,someadministrativetasksmustbeperformed.Educators(users)intheorganizationmustbesetupinAcuity,sothattheworkofmaintainingstudentdata,makingtestsavailableforscheduling,settinguptestsessions,andreportingonresultscanbe

mailto:[email protected]



www.acuityforschool.com



sharedamongstaff.ToprotectthedatainAcuity,usersareassignedtoahierarchylevel(e.g.,District,School,orClass)intheorganizationandaregivenuserroles(e.g.,DistrictAdministrator,SchoolAdministrator,TestCoordinator,Teacher)thatcontrolwhattaskstheyhavepermissiontoperformwithinthesystem.(See“Chapter1�:UnderstandingRoles,HierarchyandPermissions”and“Chapter1�:ManagingEducators.”)

Similar to educator profiles, student profiles must be set up and maintained, so that the systemcanaccuratelymatchperformanceonatesttoaparticularindividual(see“Chapter�:ManagingClasses”and“Chapter�:ManagingStudents”).

After profiles are in place, students can be assigned to a test session or assigned an instructionalresourcebyanyuserwithpermissiontodoso.Assignmenttoasessionmeansthat the students are expected to log on during a specific window of time, when a particular testwillbeadministeredtothem(see“Chapter�:AssigningAssessments”).

StudentslogintotheAcuityonlinetest,usingauniqueusernameandpassword.Asstudentsrespondtothetestitems,theirresponsesarerecordedandstoredinAcuity(see“Chapter 11: Student Experience”). Once students finish the test, their responses are scored eitherelectronicallyormanuallyandtheinformationisstoredinAcuity(see“Chapter8:ScoreandScanProcessing”).

Managing Access Within Acuity

EveryeducatorintheAcuitysystemisassignedoneormoreroleswithinthehierarchylevelinthesystem.Thismeanstheeducatorhasaccesstoinformationatthelevelassignedinthehierarchyandbelow.ThefollowingisalistofhierarchylevelsinAcuity:

• Multi-district(Group)

• District

• School

• Class

There are eight roles defined within Acuity, as listed below:

• SuperUser

• TestCoordinator

• Observer

• Scorer

• DistrictAdministrator

• SchoolAdministrator

• Teacher

• Student

Each role is assigned permissions which define what functions the user can perform. The system is set up with default permissions for each role, but can be modified by the SuperUsertomeettheneedsoftheorganization.Permissionsassociatedwitharoleareapplicabletothehierarchylevelwithwhichtheuserisassociatedwith,andallthelevelsbelowit,meaningaschooladministratorcanseeeverythingthatisgoingonathisorherschool.Thetablebelowisasummaryofthedefaultfunctionalityandtheeligiblehierarchylevelsthatcanbeassignedtoeachrole.Additionalinformationaboutroles,hierarchyandpermissionscanbefoundinChapter1�.



Role DefaultPermission ApplicableHierarchyLevels

SuperUser • Manageallsystemusers• Managetestingprograms• Manage assessment profiles• Assignassessments• Assign/previewinstructional

resources• Print/viewassessment

materials• Scoreconstructedresponses• Uploadscannedresults• Generate files for scanning• Viewreports• Create/assign/sharecustom

tests• Viewassignmentstatus• Extractdata

Multi-district(Group),District,andSchool

TestCoordinator • Uploadscannedresults• Print/previewassessments

District,School,andClass

Observer • ViewReports District,School,andClass

Scorer • Scoreconstructedresponses District,School,andClass

DistrictAdministrator

• Manageallsystemusers,exceptdistrictadministrators

• Uploadscannedresults• Generate files for scanning• Viewreports• Managetestingprograms• Manage assessment profiles• Assignassessments• Assign/previewinstructional


materials• Scoreconstructedresponses• Create/assign/sharecustom

tests• Viewassignmentstatus

District



Role DefaultPermission ApplicableHierarchyLevels

SchoolAdministrator

• Manageallsystemusersexceptdistrictandschooladministrators

• Uploadscannedresults• Generate files for scanning• Viewreports• Assignassessments• Assign/previewinstructional




School

Teacher • Manageclasses• Viewreports• Assigndiagnosticassessments• Assign/previewinstructional




Class

Student • ViewStudentProgressReports(Diagnostic,Predictive,andCustom)

No level associated



Chapter 2: Getting Started

Log In to Acuity

Whenyoulogin,youmustenteryouruniqueusernameandpassword.YourorganizationwillreceivealistofinitialusernamesandpasswordsfromyourCTBOnlineAccountManager.Theseusernamesandpasswordswillbedistributedbyyouradministrator,eitheratatrainingsession,viaemail,orbysomeothermethoddeterminedbyyourorganization.

OpenyourwebbrowserandtypeintheURLforAcuity.Thisinformationshouldhavebeenprovidedtoyouinanemailorgiventoyoubyyouradministrator.

1. Enter User Name.

�. EnterPassword.

�. ClickEnter SitetovalidateyourentriesanddisplaytheHomepage.

Ifyourentriesarenotvalid,theUserLoginpagedisplaysagain.Ifthisoccurs,checkyourentriesfortyposandtryagain.

OnceyouhavereachedtheLoginpage,youcancreateashortcutonyourdesktoptotheAcuitywebsite,sothatinthefutureitwillbeeasertologin.Tocreateashortcut,completethefollowingsteps:

1. FromtheLoginpage,right-clickonthepage.

�. SelectCreateShortcutandclickOKtocreateanAcuityshortcutonyourdesktop.

First Time Login

On your first successful login, you will be asked to enter email information. This is used to provideyourlogininformationviaemailwhenyourpasswordislostorforgotten.Whenthe“EnterE-mailInformation”screendisplays,enteryouremailaddressandclickEnter.Youwill not be able access Acuity without first providing an email address.

Recovering Passwords

Aneducator’spasswordisnotviewabletoanyoneinthesystem.Ifyouforgetyourpassword,youmustusethelinkontheLoginpagetohavethepasswordsenttotheemailaddress on file, using the following steps:

1. Enter User Name.

�.ClickRetrieve Password.Anemailthatcontainsyourpasswordwillbesenttotheemailaddressonrecordforyou.

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Multiple Roles

AneducatorcanbeassignedmultipleroleswithinAcuity.Uponloggingintheusercanselectwhichroletouseusingthefollowingsteps:

1. Afterloggingintothesystemusingthestepsabove,selectaRole.

�. SelectaDistrict/School.

�. ClicktheSave as Defaultcheckboxtoautomaticallyloginasthisrole.

�. ClickEnter.

Tochangeroles,clickontheSwitch Roleslinkintheheaderandfollowthestepsabove.



Exploring the Home Page

The Home page is the first page you see when accessing the system. It is your starting pointfornavigatingthroughAcuity.

StructuralelementsontheHomepagethatarecommontoallthepagesinthesystemaredescribedbelow:

TheHeader containstheMcGraw-Hillbanner,Acuitylogo,globalnavigation,andlogininformation.IfaneducatorhasmultipleroleswithinAcuity,aSwitch Roles link will be available that allows the educator to change roles. Global Navigation containsthefollowinglinks:

• Home returnsyoutotheHomepage.Ifyoulosetrackofwhereyouareinthesystem,youcanalwaysclickHome.

• Help providesonlinehelpforusingthesystem.Remember,helpisalsoavailablebycallingcustomerserviceat1-800-�8�-�70�.

• Acuity Community providesaccesstoanonlineusercommunity��/7toshareinformation;providesadditionaldocumentationforusingthesystem.

• Contact Us providesanemailaddressandphonenumberfortechnicalsupportandaformtoprovidecustomerfeedback.

• Logout isforsecurity.Alwayslogoutofthesystemwhenyouarenotactivelyusingit.Thesystemwillautomaticallylogyououtafter10minutesifthereisnoactivity.



TheMain Navigation Menu fills the left side of the page. It displays clickable links tothefunctionalareaswithinthesystem.Eachmenuitemcontainssubmenuitems.Theitemthatisselectedishighlighted.Yourroleandpermissionsdetermineswhichfunctionality you will have access to. The Main Navigation contains the following links:

• Tests-allowseducatorstoscheduleandassignassessments,view/printassessmentmaterials,viewassignmentstatus,create,assignandsharecustom test, upload scan results and enter offline responses, create self-authoreditemsforuseoncustomtests,andcreateandmanageperformance-basedassessmentsandrubrics.

• Reports -allowseducatorstoviewsystemreports.

• Instructional Resources -allowseducatorstoassignandpreviewinstructionalresourcesandviewcompletionstatus.

• Management - allowseducatorstomanagestudents,manageeducators,manage classes, generate data files and update permissions.

• My Settings - allows educators to view and update their profile.

• Acuity Community -providesaccesstoanonlineusercommunitytoshareinformation;providesadditionaldocumentationforusingthesystem.

Content Area isthepartofthepagebelowtheheaderandtotherightofthemainnavigationmenu.Itcontainstheapplicationcontent,whichchangesdependingonthefunctionalareainwhichyouareworking.

TheFooter containsthecopyright.

Exploring the Home Page Content Area

ThecontentareaofyourHomepageisdividedintothefollowingtwoareas:

Welcome The first thing you see in the content area is a welcome message containing your name.

Messages ThissectionallowsyoutoviewgeneralbroadcastmessagesfromMcGraw-Hill,suchassystemavailabilityornewsaboutsystemupdates.Clickthemessagelinktodisplaythefullmessage.

Belowaretypesofmessagesthataresenttotheusers:

• Permissionchanges. • Barcodelabelsgeneration.

• Testwindowexpiration. • Dataextractgeneration.

• Scoringcompletion. • Uploadcompletion.

• Batchreportgeneration. • Itemsawaitingapproval(foritem authoring).

• CustomtestPDFgeneration. • Itemsreviewcompletion(foritem authoring).

• Test assignment file generation. • Itemsneedingrealignment(for importeditems).



Recent ActivityThesystemsendsthreetypesoftransactionnoticestoinformeducatorsofrecentactivity.

Administrative Actionsinformadministratorsthatstudentswereaddedorremovedfromaschool,andthatstudentswereassignedorunassignedfromaclass.

Test Activityprovidesthenumberofstudentswithassessmentsscoredorpartiallyscoredinthepast10days.

Instructional Resource Activityprovidesthenumberofstudentswhocompletedaninstructionalresource.

Common Interface Elements

Belowisalistofinterfaceelementsthatarecommonacrossmanyofthefunctionalareasinthesystem.

Search Result Tables

Searchresultsarenotvisibleuntiltheuserclicksthebuttonwhichretrievestheresults.Elementscommontothesetablesinclude:

• Sorting:Abovethetableisadrop-downboxthatallowstheusertosortbytheselectedcolumnname.

• Paging: If the search results are more than the minimum specified, paging buttons willbedisplayed.Userscanselecthowmanyresultstoshowperpage.

Data Default Values

Dependingonyourrolewithinthehierarchy,thesystemwilldisplaythedefaultvalueswhereappropriate.Forexample,ifyouareateacherinoneschool,thesystemwilldefaulttotheschoolwhereyouaregivenaccess.Youwillnothavetochooseyourschoolfromalistinadrop-downbox.



Required Fields

Whenenteringinformation(e.g.,toaddastudent,toaddaclass)theheadingsforrequiredfields are red-colored instead of black. In this manual, required fields are designated with asterisks.

Tree Searches

Treesearcheswillalwaysbedisplayedsidebyside.Initialdataisontheleftandassigneddataisontheright.Boxescanbefullyexpandedbyclickingthe“+”symbol.

Intheinitialview,thesearchresultsboxwillpopulatewithdatabasedonthesearchcriteria.Therightsideofthescreendisplaysadataboxwithnodata.

Whenaselectionismade,theuserclicksAssign Selected,andtheselecteddatawillpopulatetherightside.Datacanberemovedinthesamemanner,bydoingthereverseandclickingtheRemove Selectedbutton.



Chapter 3: Managing ClassesClassesareneededinordertoassignastudenttoatest.Astudentmustbeinatleastoneclass.Mostorganizationswilladdclassesandassignstudentstoclassesthroughadataloadprocess.Thischapterexplainshowto“manually”addanewclass,assignstudentstoaclass,andeditexistingclasses.Note:TeacherscanvieworprinttheirclassrosterwithouthavingtheManageClasspermission.

Classes

Classescanbeadded,updated,ordeleted.

Add a Class

1. ClickManagementontheMainMenu.

�. ClickClasses.

�. EnterSearchcriteria.

a. SelectaDistrict.

b. SelectaSchool.

�. ClickAdd New Class.

�. Entertheclassinformation.

a. Enter Class Name* (this is the name that is associated with the class). It shouldbemeaningfultotheorganizationandtotheeducator(thiswillmakeiteasierforeveryonetomanagetestsandviewreports).

b. Enter Class ID* (up to fifty alphanumeric characters). This field must be unique.

c. Select Subject Settings.*



d. Select a Primary Teacher.*

e. Ifdesired,selectOtherTeacher(s),TestCoordinator(s),Observer(s),andScorer(s).Theseeducatorswillbegivenaccesstoyourclass.Thefunctionstheyperformdependontheirpermissions.

�. ClickSave Class.

* designates a required field

Add Students to a New Class

1. Addaclassfollowingthestepsabove.

�. AfterclickingSave Class,clickAdd Students to Class.


a. SelectaSchool.

b. SelectaClass(defaulttotheclassthatwasjustadded).

c. SelecttheGradeofthestudentsyouwanttoassign.

�. ClickSearchtoviewstudentswhomeetthesearchcriteria.

�. Clickthecheckboxesandaddaneffectivedateforthecorrespondingstudentsyouwantaddedtotheclass.Thismeansallassessmentscompletedaftertheselecteddatewillbeassociatedwiththisclass.

�. ClickAssign Students.



7. Ifstudentsarechosenthatarealreadyassignedtoclassesassociatedwiththesamesubject,apop-upwindowappearswhereyoumustindicatewhethertoaddthenewclassassignmenttotheexistingassignmentortoreplacetheexistingassignmentwiththenewone.

8. ClickSave Assignment.

Find/View/Delete an Existing Class


�. ClickClasses.


a. SelectaDistrict.

b. SelectaSchool.

�. ClickShow Existing Classestoviewclassesthatmeetthesearchcriteria.

�. ThefollowingoptionsexistfromtheSearchResultsbox:

a. ClickthecorrespondingClass Namelinktoviewasummaryoftheclass.Seethe“EditClassInformation”sectionbelowforoptionsavailablefromthisscreen.

b. ClickthecorrespondingView Rosterlinktoviewalistofstudentsassignedtotheclass.Seethe“EditClassRoster”sectionbelowforoptionsavailablefromthisscreen.

c. ClickthecorrespondingDelete Class link to delete the class. Note: A class cannotbedeletedifstudentsareenrolled;thelinkwillnotappear.

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Edit Class Roster

1. ToviewaClassRoster,followthestepsaboveinthe“Find/View/DeleteanExistingClass”section.ClickthecorrespondingView Rosterlinktoviewtheclassroster.

�. Thefollowingoptionsexistfromthisscreen:

a. ClickthecorrespondingChangelinktochangethestudent’spassword.Astudentpasswordmustbeaminimumoffourcharactersandmaycontainlettersandnumbers.

i. Enter New Password.

ii. Enter New Password again.

iii. ClickSubmit.

b. ClickthecorrespondingLoginlinktologintotheAcuitysystemasthatstudent.Theusermayperformanyactionsintheapplicationasiftheywerethe selected student. Note: you will be required to re-log in after exiting the studentscreen.

c. ClickUnassignlinkforthecorrespondingstudenttounassignastudentfromtheclass.

d. ClickPrint Rosterbuttontoprintalistofstudents(i.e.,studentsintheclassinalphabeticalorderbylastname,alongwiththeirusernamesandpasswords).



Edit Class Information

1. Findaclass,followingthestepsaboveinthe“Find/View/DeleteanExistingClass”section.

�. Clickclassnametoviewadditionalinformation.

�. ClickEdit Class Details.

4. Modify class details such as Class Name, Subject Settings, Primary Teacher, and otherroles.

�. ClickSave Class.

�. Toaddstudentstotheclass,clickAdd Students to Class.Seestepsthreethroughnine in the “Add students to a New Class” section above.

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Chapter 4: Managing StudentsStudent profiles must be added so that the system can match performance on an assessmenttoaparticularstudent.Mostorganizationswilladdandmaintainstudentsthroughadataloadprocess.Thischapterexplainshowto“manually”addanewstudent,deleteastudent,orupdateexistingstudentinformation.Aneducatormusthavethe“ManageStudent”permissiontoperformthisfunctionality.

Add a New Student


�. ClickStudents.


a. SelectaDistrict.

b. SelectaSchool.

c. Enter student’s First Name.

d. Enter student’s Last Name.

�. ClickAdd New Student.

Note: If a potential duplicate is found within your hierarchy level, it is listed. You can clickontheAdd This Student Anywaylinkorclickonthestudentnametoseeadditionalinformation.

5. Enter the student’s personal information, including ID Number,* First Name,* Middle Name, Last Name,* Suffix, Email, Grade Level,* and Birth Date.

6. Enter NCLB criteria, if applicable.

7. SelectTestAccommodationsifapplicable.

8. ClickSavetoaddthestudent.

Note: A user name and password will be generated by the system.




Assign a Class to a Student

1. Add a student, following the steps above in the “Add a New Student” section or Edit astudent,followingthestepsbelowinthe“EditStudentInformation”section.

�. ClickSave and Assign Classes.

�. ClickCreate New Assignmentlink.

a. SelectaSubject.

b. SelectaTeacher.

c. SelectaClass.

d. EnterEffectiveDate.Theeffectivedatewilldefaulttothecurrentdate.Toviewpreviousassessmentstakenbythestudent,thisdatecanbebackdated.



�. ClickAddlink.

�. ClickSave and View Summary.

Find a Student


�. ClickStudents.

�. EnterSearchcriteria.Thefollowingarefourdifferentapproaches:

a. Enter all fields (District, School, and Name) to narrow the search.

b. SelectaDistrictandaSchoolforalistofallstudentsintheschool.

c. Enter a valid Name.

d. EntertheStudentID.

�. ClickSearchtodisplayalistofstudentswhomeetthesearchcriteria.

�. Thefollowingoptionsexistfromthesearchresults:

a. Clickthecorrespondingstudentnamelinktoviewstudentinformation.

i. ClickEdit this Studenttoupdatestudentinformation(See“EditStudentInformation”sectionbelow).

ii. ClickDelete this Studenttodeletethestudent(SeetheDeleteaStudentsectionbelow).

b. ClickthecorrespondingChangelinktoupdateastudent’spassword.

i. Enter a New Password (must be a minimum of four characters, and maycontainletters/numbers).

ii. Enter the New Password again.

iii. ClickSubmit.



Edit Student Information

1. Findastudentfollowingthestepsaboveinthe“FindaStudent”section.

�. Clickthecorrespondingstudentnamelinktoviewstudentinformation.

�. ClickEdit This Student.

4. Modify profile information.

�. ClickSave to save profile changes. Click Save and Assign Classes to save profile changesandassignclasses(see“AssignaClasstoaStudent”sectionabove).

Delete a Student

ForalleducatorsexcepttheSuperUserandDistrictAdministrator,thedeletebuttononlyappearsifthestudenthasnocompletedassignments.OnlyaDistrictAdministratororaSuperUsercandeleteastudentthathascompletedassignments(SeetheAcuityAdministrator’sGuideforinstructions).

1. Findastudentfollowingthestepsaboveinthe“FindaStudent”section.


�. ClickDelete This Student.ClickOK to confirm deletion.

Manage Automatic Test Assignments

A district may configure the system to automatically assign assessments to a student whenthatstudentistransferredintoanewclassormovesfromonedistricttoanother.Ifthisoptionissetforadistrict,thestudentwhomovesisautomaticallyassignedtheassessment(s)assignedtootherstudentsintheclass.


�. ClickStudents.

�. ClickManage Automatic Test Assignments.

�. Clickthecheckbox(es)foreachassessmenttypetoautomaticallyassign.

�. ClickSave.

Note:Forstudentsmovedthroughmanuallyremoving/addingastudentfrom/toaclass,assignmentsforaffectedstudentswillbedoneimmediately.ForstudentsmovedthroughSelf-ServiceRosteringorDataImport,assignmentswillbecreatedasanovernightprocess.



Chapter 5: Assigning AssessmentsInthischapter,wewillwalkthroughhowtoscheduletestsessions,assignteststostudents,andview/printassessmentmaterials.

Note:Adistrict-leveladministratorcansetAcuitytoautomaticallyassignteststostudentswhoareaddedtoanewclass,basedonassessmentsalreadyassignedtotheclass(see“Chapter�:ManagingStudents”).

Assignment

AssignmentallowsyoutocreateanewassignmentorviewexistingassignmentsbySubject,Assessment Type, and Grade Level, for Diagnostic, Predictive, Algebra Proficiency and AlgebraReadinesstests.Theprocesstocreate,viewandeditassignmentsisthesameforeachassignmentoption.Aneducatormusthavepermissiontoassigntheassessmenttype.

Assign New Diagnostic, Predictive or Algebra Tests

1. ClickTestsontheMainMenu.

�. ClickAssign Tests.

�. ClickdesiredAssignmentOption.

�. EnterSearchcriteriatodisplaytheCreate New Assignmentbutton.

a. SelectaSubject.

b. SelectaGradeLevelofAssessment.

c. SelectanAssessment(assessmentcannotbe“Any”).

�. ClickCreate New Assignment.

�. Entertestassignmentinformation.

a. Entertheassignmentname.Itshouldbemeaningfultotheorganization,tomakeiteasierforeducatorstomanagethetestandtocreatereports.

b. Ifapplicable,clickcheckboxtoDisable Time LimitandthenenteraDisableTimeLimitreason.Thedefaultisnotimelimit.

c. Ifapplicable,clickcheckboxtoOverride and Enable Calculator.Thedefaultisnocalculator.

d. EnterAssignmentStartTime,includingastartdate(ifatestsessionwindowexists,thetestdatesmustfallwithinthistestsessionwindow)andstarttime(thetimethetestcanstarttobetaken).



e. EnteranAssignmentEndtime,includinganenddate(mustbeafterthestartdateandwithinthetestsessionwindow,ifapplicable)andanendtime(thelasttimeastudentcanlogin).

f. Select an Overall Test Delivery Mode either “Online and Offline” or “Offline Only.” If an assignment is set to “Offline Only,” then the test assignment will notappearonthestudent’spagewhenheorshelogsintoAcuity.

g. Indicatewhetherornotstudentscanaccessthisassessmentfromoutsideyourschoolappliance.ThedefaultforthisselectionisYES(allowremoteaccess) for Diagnostic and Custom assessments and NO (restrict to school applianceonly)forPredictiveassessments.

h. Click the Offline CR Test Delivery checkbox to ensure all constructed response questions are answered offline. The question will appear in the online test but therewillbenowheretorecordtheansweronline.

i. ClickthecheckboxtoRandomlyOrderOnlineStudentTestQuestions.ThisisavailableforDiagnosticandCustomassessments.

j. Ifapplicable,enteraStudentReportAccessDatetoallowstudentstoviewtheirtestresults.Thisdatemustbeonoraftertheassignmentenddate.



7. ClickSave and Proceed to Next SteptoAssignStudents.

8. EnterSearchFilters.

a. SelectaGradeLevel(holdthecontrolkeydownandclickonselectiontoselectmultipleselections).

b. SelectaSchool.

c. If applicable, select test accommodations. Only those students whose profile requirestheseaccommodationswillbedisplayed.

d. Tonarrowyousearchfurther,clickDisplay Classestoviewalistofclassesfortheselectedgradelevels(s)andschool(s).Selectoneormoreclasses.



e. Tonarrowyoursearchfurtherwithintheselectedgradelevels(s),school(s),andclasses(s),clicktheClick Here to Narrow Search by Student Namelinkandentereitheranameoralastnamerange.

9. ClickSearch for Students.

10. Clickthe“+”symboltoexpandthehierarchytable,ifnecessary.Clickthecheckboxestoselectstudents.Byselectingthetoplevelinthehierarchy,alllevelsbelowareautomaticallyselected.Forexample,ifyouclicktheschoolcheckbox,thenallstudentsfromtheselectedgradelevelsandclasswillbeselected.

11. ClickAssign Selected.

1�. ClickView Summary.



Edit/Delete Existing Diagnostic, Predictive or Algebra Assignments


�. ClickAssignments.

�. ClickdesiredAssignmentOption.


a. SelectaSubject.

b. SelectaGradeLevelofAssessment.

c. SelectanAssessment.

�. ClickShow Existing Assignmentstoviewassignmentsthatmeetthesearchcriteria.

�. Thefollowingoptionsmaybeavailableforeachassignmentname,dependingonyourroleandlevelwithintheorganization,aswellasthestatusoftheassignment.

a. ClickthecorrespondingDeletelinktodeleteanassignment.ClickOKtoconfirm the deletion. Note: An assignment can only be deleted if no one has completedtheassessmentandiftheassignmenthasnotexpired.

b. ClickthecorrespondingEditlinktoedittheassignmentdetail.Followstepssix through twelve in the “Assign New Diagnostic, Predictive or Algebra Tests” section above to update desired fields.



Assignment Status

AssignmentStatusallowsyoutoviewtheassignmentstatusbystudent.

View Assignment Status

1. ClickTestontheMainMenu.

�. ClickAssignment Status.

�. ClickView Assignment Status.

�. EnterSearchforAssignmentsCriteria.

a. Select a Subject.*

b. Select an Assessment Type.*

c. Select an Assessment Grade Level.*

d. Select an Assessment.*

e. Select an Assignment Expiration Status.**

f. Select an Assignment Completion Status.**

�. ClickSearchtoviewassignmentsthatmeettheSearchCriteria.

�. Clickthecorrespondingassignmentnamelinktoviewinformationabouttheassignment.Informationincludes:

a. Assessment Name, Type, ID, and Grade Level.

b. Assignment/TestWindowStartDateandEndDate.

c. AssignmentCompletionStatus.

d. StudentAssignments.




** hold down the control key and click choices to make multiple selections

View Assignment Status By Student


�. ClickAssignment Status.

�. ClickAssignment Status By Student.


a. Either:

i. Select a School.*

ii. Enter student’s First Name (from zero to all letters).

iii. Enter student’s Last Name (from zero to all letters).

b. Or:

i. EnterStudentID.

�. ClickSearchtoviewthestudentswhomeettheSearchCriteria.

�. Clickthecorrespondingstudentnamelink.

7. EnterSearchcriteria.

a. Select a Subject.*

b. SelectanAssessmentType.

c. SelectaStudentCompletionStatus.

8. ClickSearchtoviewassignmentsthatmeettheSearchCriteria.



9. Clickthecorrespondingassignmentnamelinktoviewinformationabouttheassignment.Informationincludes:

a. Assessment Name, Type, ID, and Grade Level.

b. AssignmentTestWindowStartandEndDate.

c. AssignmentCompletionStatus.

d. StudentAssignments.


Preview/Print Test Materials

Preview/PrintTestallowsyoutoviewanassessmentonline,print/viewthetestbooklet,viewtestinstructions,printtheconstructedresponseanswersheet,orprint/viewtheanswerkeybySubject,Type,andGradeLevel.Additionally,userswiththeappropriatepermissions can copy DIAGNOSTIC tests to a custom test using Preview/Print. Note: The AcuityAlgebraReadinessTestscannotbepreviewedorprinted.

Preview/Print Test


�. ClickPreview/Print.


a. SelectaSubject.


c. SelectaGradeLevel.

�. ClickSearchtoviewassessmentsthatmeettheSearchcriteria.



�. ClickShow for the corresponding Assessment Name to view the following test materials:

a. Online Previewallowsyoutopreviewthetestonlineasifyouareastudent.

b. Print/View Test Bookletdisplaystheactualtestbookletinaprintableformat(PDF).

c. Print/View Reference SheetdisplaystheReferenceSheetforthetestinaprintableformat.

d. View Test Instructions displays online and offline test instructions.

e. Print Constructed Response Answer Sheetallowsyoutoprintananswerbooklet(PDFformat)containingallconstructedresponsesandgrid-initems,or constructed response items that must be taken on paper. Note: If this buttonisdisabled,thenallitemsontheassessmentcanbetakenonline.

f. Print/View Answer Keydisplaysthetestitem,followedbyanswerexplanations,rubric,andexemplars,whenappropriate.

i. ClicktheShow Display Filter to limit the fields being displayed.

ii. ClickPrint Answer Keytoprinttheanswerkey.

g. Copy to Make Custom Test allows the user to copy DIAGNOSTIC tests intoCustomTests.Oncesavedasacustomtest,theusercanaddadditionalitems,removeitems,reorderitems,etc.



Preview/Print for Custom Tests

FollowthestepsaboveforPreview/PrintTestwiththefollowingexceptions:

• SearchingforCustomTestsdoesnotincludeselectingaGradeLevel.

• A printable format of a custom test must first be generated by clicking the “Generate PDF”button.

• TherearenoConstructedResponseAnswerSheetsforCustomtests.Currentlyalltestquestionscanbeansweredonline.



Chapter 6: Manually Score ItemsConstructed responses and Grid-in items can be scored manually online. In addition, offline responses can be entered for scoring multiple choice and fill-in-the-blank questions.

Find an Assignment


�. ClickScoring and Scan Processing.

�. ClickManually Score Items.

�. EnterSearchforAssignmentscriteria.

a. SelectaDistrict.

b. SelectaSchool.

c. SelectaClass.

d. SelectaSubject.

e. SelectanAssessmentType.

f. SelectanAssessment.

�. ClickShow Assignmenttoviewsearchcriteriaresults.Fieldsdisplayedinclude:

a. Assignment Name.

b. CreatedBy.

c. StartDate.

d. Scoring Status - Not Started, Incomplete or Complete.

e. ScoreCRAnswers.

i. Scoreallowstheusertoscoreanitem(s).

ii. Viewallowstheusertoviewscores;eithertheuserdoesnothavepermissiontoscoreitemsorthetestsessionwindowhasexpired.

f. EnterStudentAnswers.

i. Enterallowstheusertoenterthestudent’sanswer(s).

ii. Viewallowstheusertoviewstudentanswers;eithertheuserdoesnothavepermissiontoentertestanswers,thetestsessionwindowhasexpired,ortheassignmentwascompletedonline.



Score a Constructed Response

1. Findanassignment,followingthestepsaboveinthe“FindanAssignment”section.ClicktheScorelinkforthecorrespondingAssignmentname.

2. Enter Search filters.

a. SelectaScoringList.

b. SelectaStudent.

�. ClickSearchtoviewassignmentresults.Thefollowingoptionsareavailable:



a. ClicktheClick Herelinktoviewthescoringrubricsandexemplarsforallitems.

b. Clickthecorrespondingstudent’sViewResponselinktodisplaythestudent’sresponseandexemplars.

i. Selectascorefortheitem.

ii. ClickExemplarstoopenapopupwindowtoviewanexemplarforeachscore.

iii. ClickPrinttoopenapopupwindowtoprintthestudent’sresponse.

iv. ClickClose WindowtosavethescoreandreturntotheScoreItempage.

c. EnteraScoreforeachitembyclickingonthecorrespondingradiobuttons.

d. ClickSubmittosubmitandsavethescores.

e. ClickSubmit and Proceed to Next Pagetosubmitandsavescoresandmovetothenextpage(ifapplicable).

f. ClickPrint All Responsestoopenapopupwindowtoprinttheresponsesforallstudentsintheclass.

g. ClickReset Scoretoreturntoyourlastsavedconstructedresponsescores.



Enter Student Answers Taken Offline

1. Findtheassignment(see“FindanAssignment”sectionabove).

�. ClickEnterlinkforthecorrespondingAssignmentname.

3. Enter Search filters.

a. SelectaScoringList.

b. Selectastudent.

c. Clicktheitemtypecheckboxes:MultipleChoice,Fill-in-the-Blank,orGrid-In.

�. ClickSearch.

�. Enterthestudent’sanswers.

�. ClickSubmit



Chapter 7: Custom TestWithinAcuity,youcancreateyourowncustomtest.Thesetestscanbeusedtogetamorein-depth understanding of the problems your students are having with specific objectives. Theycanalsobeusedasend-of-chapterteststoassessthestudents’understandingofmaterial covered in class or as pre- and post-tests to assess the efficacy of classroom instruction. Note: See Chapter 5: “Assigning Assessments” for instructions on viewing AssignmentStatusandPreview/PrintTestMaterialsforcustomtests.

Customtestscanbecarriedovertothefollowingschoolyear.Allcustomtestswillbeunassignedattheendoftheschoolyear.Atthebeginningofthenewschoolyear,youcandeletethetestorreassignthetest.

Thereisanewcustomtestbuilderthatallowsforselectingmultiplegrades/standardsforitems to include (see page 50, Create Custom Test Using the New Test Builder”).

Create/Manage Custom Test

Create/Manageallowseducatorstovieworupdateexistingcustomtests,ortocreateanewcustomtest.

Create a Custom Test


�. ClickCustom Tests.

�. ClickCreate/Manage.


a. SelectaSchool.

b. SelectaSubject.

�. ClickCreate New Test.

�. SelectItem Type(s), Nature of Items(Printable,Online-only,Interactive),andCustom Item Bank(s),andthenclickSave.

7. SelectSearch for SkillsbySkillGroup,StandardsorPassage.StandardsarebasedonStateStandards.

a. IfSkillGroupisselected:

i. SelectaGradeLevel.

ii. SelectaSkillGroup.

b. IfStandardsisselected:

i. SelectStandard.

ii. Select information for the desired standard. These fields will vary depending on your state-defined standards.



c. IfPassageisselected:

i. SelectaGradeLeveloftheitem.

ii. SelectGenre.

iii. SelectSub-Genre.

iv. Enter Additional Search filters, if desired, for items created through itemauthoring.

d. If Item Number is selected: Enter up to 20 item numbers separated by commasinthebox.Thissearchisonlyapplicableforitemscreatedusingtheitemauthoringtool,andonlywherethestatusofthoseitemsis“AvailableforUse.”

Note: To search for items using a wild card character, enter at least two numbersbeforeusingthewildcard(%),andbesure%isthelastcharacterinthenumbersequence.



8. ClickSearchtoviewalistofskills/passages,oritemsthatmeettheSearchcriteria.

9. IfsearchingbySkillGrouporStandard,performthefollowingtask.IfsearchingbyPassageorItemnumber,skiptostep10.

a. Clickcheckbox(es)ofdesiredskill(s).

b. ClickAssign Selected. Note: To remove a skill, click the “remove” checkbox ofthedesiredskillandclickRemoveSelected.

c. ChangetheSearchcriteriabyrepeatingstepssixthroughninetoaddnewskillsandadditionalitemstothetest.

d. Whendoneaddingskills,clickProceed to Next Step.

10. Choosehowtoselectitems.Eitherchoosetoallowthecomputertoselecttestitems,andprovidethenumbersofitemsperselectedskillorchoosetoselecttheitemsmanually.

11. IfAllow Computer to Select Itemswasselectedabove:

a. ClickView Sampletoviewasampleitemofthecorrespondingtestskill.

b. Enterthenumberofdesireditemsonthetestforeachskill.Thenumberofitemsselectedmustbelessthanorequaltothenumberofitemsavailable.Forpassages,itemsaregroupedunderthepassage.



1�. IfSelect Items Manuallywasselectedabove:

a. ClickSelect Itemsforeachcorrespondingskill.

b. ClickPreviewtopreviewanitem.

c. ClickView to view item statistic. Note, you must have permission to access thislink.

d. Clickcorrespondingitemcheckboxesfortheitemsyouwantincludedonthetest.

e. ClickSave.

f. RepeatstepsAthroughEforeachdesiredskill.

Note:Youmaychoosetoswitchtopassage/sharedstimulusview.

1�. ClickProceed to Next Step.

1�. Performsomeorallofthefollowingoptions:



a. To manually reorder the items on a test using the number fields on the lefthandside,clickUpdate Order.

b. Tohavethecomputerrandomlyreordertheitemsonthetest,clickontheClick Herelinkatthetopofthepage.

c. Topreviewanitem,clickonthecorrespondingPreviewlink.

d. Todeleteanitem,clickonthecorrespondingdeletecheckboxandclickDelete Selected.ClickOK to confirm the deletion.

1�. ClickPreview OnlinetoviewtheentiretestinTestTakerpreview,orclickPreviewPDF to view the test in a separate window, as it would look offline.Note that the PDF preview will show the layout of the items, but will not include cover page and directions that will be in the final printed version. Also, if the test containsinteractiveitems,thePDFwillnotshowanimation/interactivecomponents.

1�. ClickProceed to Next Step.

17. Enteranameforthetest(mustbeunique).

18. Choosewhetherornottosetatimelimitandenteratime,inminutes,ifapplicable.

19. Ifapplicable,clickSelect a New Reference Sheetlink.

a. SelectaGradeLevel.

b. SelectaReferenceSheet.

20. If applicable, select test tools. Note: To unselect, hold down the control key and click onthetoolname.

�1. Chooseapublishingoption.

a. Save as Draftallowsthetesttobeupdated.

b. Save as Finalallowsthetesttobeassigned,butthetestcannolongerbeupdated.

i. Clickthe“AllowtesttobesharedwithotherAcuityusersinyourdistrict”boxtoallowothereducatorstoassignthetest.Atestissharedacrosseducatorswiththesamehierarchylevelorbelow.



This option can be changed once the test is published. Note: Once published,educatorshigherinthehierarchycanautomaticallyviewcustomtestsandcansharethemwithintheirhierarchy.

ii. Clickthe“Allowdatafromtestresultstobeextractedfordistrictwideadministrationandreporting”boxtohavetestresultsbepartofdistrictreports.Theseresultsareavailableforsummaryreportsanddataextracts.Thisoptionshouldmainlybeusedfordistrict-widecustomtest.Thisoptioncanbechangedoncethetestispublished.

��. ClickSave Test.Fromhere,youcancreateanassignment(seestepsbelow),sharethistestwitheducators(seestepsbelow)orcreate/editanothertest.

View Existing Custom Test



�. ClickCreate/Manage.


a. SelectaSchool.

b. SelectaSubject.

�. ClickShow Existing Tests.

�. Ifdesired,EnterAdditionalSearchFilters.Thesearchcanincludepartialspellings.Forexample,anentryof“tor”wouldincluderesultssuchas“ToriSmith”or“JohnStorey(tr).”

a. Enterlastname.

b. Entertestname.

7. ClickSearch.

8. ThefollowingoptionsexistfromtheSearchResultsbox:

a. Clickthecorrespondingtestnamelinktoviewasummaryofthetest.

b. ClickthecorrespondingPreviewlinktoviewthetest.



c. ClickcorrespondingEditlinktoeditthetest.Oneofthefollowingtwooptionsisavailable.

• IfthelinksaysEditDraft,thenchangescanbemadetothetest.(SeeCreateaCustomTestsectionabove,startingwithstepsix).Atestcanonlybeeditedifhasnotyetbeenpublished.

• IfthelinksaysEditFinal,thenonlytheoptiontoshareyourAcuitytestandAllowdatafromtestresultstobeextractedfordistrictreportingcanbeupdated.

d. ClickthecorrespondingDelete link, if available, to delete a test. Note: A test canonlybedeletedifithasnotyetbeenassigned.

e. ClickthecorrespondingCopylink,tomakeacopyofthecustomtestthatcanthenbeedited.



Assign Custom Test

Assignallowsaneducatortoassignacustomtesttostudents.

Create New Custom Test Assignment

1. SelectTests.

�. SelectCustom Tests.

�. SelectAssign.


a. SelectaSchool.

b. SelectaSubject.


�. Clickthecorrespondingtestnamelinktoviewatestsummary.

7. ClickthecorrespondingView/Assignlinktoviewassignments.

8. ClickCreate New Assignment.

9. Entertestassignmentinformation.

a. Enter an Assignment Name. It should be meaningful to the organization, to makeiteasierforeducatorstomanagethetestandtocreatereports.

b. Ifapplicable,clickcheckboxtoDisable Time Limit.EnteraDisableTimeLimitreason.

c. ClickcheckboxtoOverride and Enable Calculator.

d. EnterAssignmentStartTime,includingastartdate(thestartofthetestwindow)andthestarttime.

e. EnteranAssignmentEndTime,includinganenddate(theendofthetestwindowmustbeafterthestartdate)andendtime.

f. Select an Overall Test Delivery mode either “Online and Offline” or “Offline Only.” If an assignment is set to “Offline Only” then the test assignment will notappearonthestudent’spage.

g. CheckthecheckboxtoRandomlyOrderOnlineStudentTestQuestionsifdesired.Note:ThisisapplicabletoDiagnosticandCustomTestonly.

h. Ifapplicable,enteraStudentReportAccessDatetoallowstudentstoviewtheirtestresults.Thisdatemustbeonoraftertheassignmentenddate.

10. ClickSave and Proceed to Next Steptoassignstudents.

11. Enter Search for Student filters.

a. SelectaGradeLevel(holdthecontrolkeydownandclickonselectiontoselectmultipleselections).

b. SelectaSchool.

c. If applicable, select test accommodations. Only those students whose profile requirestheseaccommodationswillbedisplayed.



d. Tonarrowyousearchfurther,clickDisplay Classestoviewalistofclassesfortheselectedgradelevels(s)andschool(s).Selectoneormoreclasses.

e. Tonarrowyoursearchfurtherwithintheselectedgradelevels(s),school(s),andclasses(s),clicktheClick Here to Narrow Search by Student Namelinkandentereitheranameoralastnamerange.

1�. ClickSearch for Students.

1�. Clickthe“+”symboltoexpandthehierarchytable,ifnecessary.Clickthecheckboxestoselectstudents.Byselectingthetoplevelinthehierarchy,alllevelsbelowareautomaticallyselected.Forexample,ifyouclicktheSchoolcheckbox,thenallstudentsfromtheselectedgradelevelandclasswillbeselected.

1�. ClickAssign Selected.

1�. ClickView Summary.

Update/Delete Existing Custom Test Assignment

1. ClickTests.


�. ClickAssign.


a. SelectaSchool.

b. SelectaSubject.


�. ClickthecorrespondingView/Assignlinktoviewtheassignmentsassociatedwiththetest.

7. ThefollowingoptionsareavailablefromtheTestAssignmentbox:

a. Ifnotestassignmentshavebeenmadeforthetest,theTestAssignmentboxwillcontainamessagestatingthatnoresultswerefound.

b. ClickthecorrespondingDeletelinktodeletetheassignment.Anassignmentcanonlybedeletedifnostudenthasstartedtheassessment.

c. ClickthecorrespondingEditlinktoupdatetheassignment.

i. Follow the steps in the “Create New Custom Test Assignment” section above.Listedbelowaretherestrictionsforeditinganassignment:

1. A time limit may not be modified if the assignment has been startedbyoneormorestudents.



2. The Use Calculator setting may not be modified if the assignmenthasbeenstartedbyoneormorestudents.

Share Custom Test

Shareallowsaneducatortoshareacustomtestwithothereducatorsonthesamehierarchylevelorbelow.

Share a Custom Test with Other Educators

1. ClickTestontheMainMenu.


�. ClickShare.


a. SelectaSchool.

b. SelectaSubject.

�. ClickSearch.

�. ThefollowingoptionsexistfromtheSearchResultsbox:

a. Clickthecorrespondingtestnamelinktoviewasummaryofthetest.

b. ClickthecorrespondingView Shared Educatorslinktoseewithwhomthetestisbeingshared.

c. ClickthecorrespondingShare Testboxtoshareor“unshare”thetest.

7. ClickShare Selected Tests With Educators.

8. Clickthe“+”symboltoexpandthetable.Clickthecheckboxestoselecteducatorstosharethetest.Byselectingthetoplevelinthehierarchy,alllevelsbelowareautomatically selected. Note: Unclick corresponding checkboxes and click Remove Selectedtostopsharingatest.



9. ClickShare with Selected Educators.

10. ClickView Summary.

New—Create Custom Test Using the New Test Builder

ThenewCustomTestBuilderprovidesexpandedcapabilityforcreatingtestsusingmultipleitembanks,grades,andstandardsforselectingitemstoinclude.



3. Click New! Custom Test Builder.

�. SelectaSubjectandthenclickNext – Select Search Criteria.



�. Selectsearchcriteriaforeachofthefollowing:

a. SelecttoSearchForItemByeitherStandardsorPassage/SharedStimulus.

b. SelectLanguage(ifmorethanoneisoffered).

c. SelectFormatofItems(Printable,Online-only,Interactive).

d. SelectItemType(s).

e. SelectCustomItemBank(s).

f. SelectGrade(s)orCourseofItem.ThisopensalistofStandards,SkillGroups,andPassagesfortheselectedgrade(s).

�. ChooseasmanyStandards,SkillGroups,andPassagesasyouwishtoincludeinthesearchandthenclickNext.

7. YoucanchooseitemsforyourtestbytheirassociationwithStandardsandSkills.IfyouselectedtosearchbyPassage/SharedStimulus,theitemsaregroupedunderthePassage/SharedStimulusname.ThelisthascolumnsforStandardsandSkills,ItemType,ItemBank,whetherapassageisincludedornot,thenumberofItemsAvailable,thenumberofItemsSelected(TestBuilderkeepstrackasyouadditemstothetest),andaSelectItemslinkforeachStandardorPassage/SharedStimulusgrouping.



8. ClickSelect ItemsforaStandardorPassage/SharedStimulusgroupingandthetableexpandstodisplay,foreachavailableitem,theItemText,ItemBank,aPreviewlink,OverallP-Value,DOK(DepthofKnowledge)andaSelectcheckbox.TheSelectItemslinkbecomesaHideItemslink.

Toviewthecompleteitemandthelistofdistractors,clickthePreviewlink.

IfselectingitemsinPassage/sharedstimulusview,hoveroverthenameofapassagetoseethetextinasmallpopupwindow.

9. Atanytimeafteryouhaveselectedatleastoneitemtoincludeinthetest,clickSave and Continue Selecting Items.EnterauniquenameforthetestandclickOK.

10. Whenyouhaveselectedalloftheitemsforyourtest,clickNext – Preview Test.



11. TheTestItemsandPreviewTestpageshowstheitemsyouselected.

a. ClicktheExpand Alllinktodisplaythefulltextforallquestionsandpassages,ifapplicable,alongwithanyassociatedartandthecorrectresponseforeachitem.EachShowItemandPassagePreviewlinkchangestoHideItemandHidePassage,respectively.

b. Alternatively,clickanindividualpassageand/oritemtoviewitalongwithanyassociatedart.

c. Toreordertheitems,changetheitemnumberingandthenclickReorder.Note that if an item is associated with a passage, the item can only be reorderedwithinitspassagegroup.

d. Todeleteanitem,clickthecheckboxintheDeletecolumn,andthenclickDelete Selected.Ifallitemsassociatedwithapassagearedeleted,thepassageisalsodeleted.

e. ClickPreview Onlinetoviewthetestasitwouldappeartostudentswhotestonline.

f. ClickPreview PDFtoviewthetestasitwillappearinaprintedbookletforpaper/penciltesting,butwithoutacoverpageanddirections.

1�. Whenthetestissetupasyouwantit,clickNext – Complete.

1�. Chooseyourtestingoptionsforadministeringthetest,entertestdirections,andspecifyperformancetiers.

a. PublishingOptions–ChooseSave as Draftifyouwanttobeabletocontinueupdatingthetesting,butnotassignittostudents.

b. ChooseSave asandthenchoosewhethertoallowthetesttobesharedwithotherAcuityusersinyourdistrict,and/ortoallowdatafromtestresultstobeextractedforschoolanddistrict-wideadministrationandreporting.

c. EnteraTest Name–thistestnamewillappearonthecoverpageoftheprinted test booklets. It may be the same name you have already specified, orsomethingdifferent.

d. Specifywhethertosetatimelimitornot.Ifyouwantatimelimit,enterthetimeallowed,inminutes.

e. Usingthetexteditor,enteranyTestDirectionsforthestudents.Thesewillbeprinted on the first page following the cover page for printed test booklets.

f. Ifanytesttoolsarelisted,choosewhethertoallowthestudentstousethem.Forexample,checktheboxtoallowtheuseofacalculatoronanAlgebratest.

g. StandardPerformancetiersandtheirrangesforthetestaredisplayed.IfyouwanttochangethesePerformanceTiers,clicktheEditPerformanceTierslink,modifythetiers,andthenclickSave.

1�. Whenthetestisexactlyasyouwantit,clickComplete Test. A message confirms thatyourtesthasbeensaved.

1�. ClickGo Back to Custom Tests HometoreturntotheTestsmenu.



Chapter 8: Item AuthoringItemAuthoringisafeaturethatmustberequestedfromCustomerSupportbyDistrictsthatchoosetoalloweducatorswithappropriateauthorpermissiontocreatetheirownmultiplechoiceandconstructedresponseitemstobeusedincustomtests.Itemswillexistatthedistrictlevelandmustgothroughanapprovalprocessbeforebeingavailableforuse.Approved items are processed hourly and will be placed in a district-specific item bank. Item authorscanalsocreatepassagesthatcanbeusedwithmultipleitems.

Access to specific Item Banks can be assigned on an individual basis, in addition to the default access by role. A specific item bank will show up for selection during custom test buildingonlyifauserisgrantedaccesstothatitembank.Inthesameway,theuserwillbeabletodrillintothoseitemsinreportsonlyforitemstowhichtheuserhasbeengivenaccessbyitembank.

CompleteitemauthoringinformationcanbefoundintheItemAuthoringGuide,whichislocatedintheAcuityCommunity.

Create a Passage


�. ClickAuthored Items.

�. ClickCreate Passages.

�. CompleteAddPassageinformation.

a. SelectItemBank.

b. SelectSubject.ThelistsofsubjectsmatchyourpurchasedAcuitysubjects.

c. SelectEstimatedReadingLevel.

d. SelectGenretoputthepassageintheappropriatecategory.

e. SelectSub-Genre.

f. Enter Passage Name. This name must be unique within the selected item bank.

�. EnterPassageorStimulus.



�. Chooseanoption.

a. ClickSave as Drafttosavetheitemforlaterediting.

b. ClickReset to reset all fields on the page.

c. ClickPreview Onlinetoviewtheitemfromastudent’sperspective.

d. ClickPreview PDFtovieworprintthepassage.

e. ClickSend for Approval/Publish.Iftheuser’spermissionrequiresapprovalthentheitemwillbesenttoeligibleapprovers.Iftheuser’spermissiondoesnotrequireapproval,theitemisautomaticallymarkedasapprovedandwillbepublishedtoproductiononanhourlybasis.

7. Besuretowritedownandkeeptrackoftheuniqueitemnumbergivenintheconfirmation message. This will help you locate the Item to include in tests.

Create an Item



�. ClickCreate Items.

�. EnterCreateItemcriteria.SearchforSkillsby:Standardsisdisplayedasstatictext.

a. SelectaSubject.

b. SelectaStandard.

c. SelectaGrade.

d. Select information for the desired standard. These fields will vary depending on your state-defined standards.



�. ClickCreate Item.

�. EnterAdditeminformation.

a. SelectanItemType–typesareMultipleChoiceorConstructedResponse.

i. IfMultipleChoiceisselected:

1. SelectanItemBank.

�. SelectDepthofKnowledge.

3. Select Number of Answer Choices.

�. ClickSelect button on Use Passage field if you wish to associatethisquestionwithanexisting(approved)passage.

a. EnterSearchPassagecriteria.

i. SelectSubject.

ii. SelectEstimatedReadingLevel.

iii. SelectGenre.

iv. SelectSub-Genre.

v. Enter Passage Name.

b. ClickShow Existing Passages.

c. SelectdesiredPassage.

d. ClickSubmit.TheAddItempageshowsthenameoftheselectedpassageanddisplaysthetextofthepassageinthePassage Textareaforyou.

�. EnterItemBelow.Thisiswhereapassageorpicturecanbeinsertedtosupportthetestquestion.Insertedimagesmustbe9�dpi(dotsperinch)orless.Ifapassagewasselectedinstep�above,itwillbepastedintothisboxandtheboxwillbelabeled“PassageText.”

�. EnterItemStemBelow.Enterthequestionusingthetexteditortools.Thisistheactualtestquestion.

7. EntertheproblemAnswersandanyDistractorExplanations.Imagesmustbe9�dpiorless.

8. Clickthecorrespondingradiobuttontoindicatethecorrectanswer.



ii. IfConstructedResponseisselected:

1. SelectanItemBank.

�. SelectDepthofKnowledge.

�. DesignatewhetherthisConstructedResponseitemcanbeansweredbystudentsonline.ThedefaultisYES–uncheckthisboxifyouwantstudentstoansweronaseparatepieceofpaper.

�. SelectScorePointsPossible.

�. ClickSelect button on Use Passage field to associate this questionwithanexisting(approved)passage.

a.EnterSearchPassagecriteria.

i. SelectSubject.

ii. SelectEstimatedReadingLevel.

iii. SelectGenre.

iv. SelectSub-Genre.

v. Enter Passage Name.

b. ClickShowExistingPassages.

c. SelectdesiredPassage.

d. ClickSubmit.

6. Enter passage/graphic/stimulus in the first textbox. If a passagewasselectedinstep�above,itwillbepastedintothisbox.

7. Enterquestionsteminthesecondtextbox.

8. Foreachscorepointpossible,enterscoringcriteriaandexemplarinformation.



7. Chooseanoption.

a. ClickSavetosavetheitemforlaterediting.

b. ClickReset to reset all fields on the page.

c. ClickPreview Onlinetoviewtheitemfromastudent’sperspective.



d. ClickPreview PDFtovieworprinttheitem.

e. ClickSend for Approval/Publishbutton.Ifthisuser’spermissionrequiresapprovalthentheitemwillbesenttoeligibleapprovers.Ifthisuser’spermissiondoesnotrequireapproval,theitemisautomaticallymarkedasapprovedandwillbepublishedtoproductiononanhourlybasis.

8. Besuretowritedownandkeeptrackoftheuniqueitemnumbergivenintheconfirmation message. This will help you locate the Item to include in tests.

Edit Existing Items or Passages

Thisfeatureallowsyoutoeditexistingtestitemsorpassagesandre-sendforapproval.



�. ClickManage Items/Passages.

Note: If there are items that have become “orphaned,” or have lost their alignment toyourframework,youwillseeanOrphaned Itemslink.Clickthislinktorealigntheseitemstoyourframework.

�. EnterSearchforApproveItems/Passagescriteria.

a. SelectItemBank.

b. Selectfor(eitherItemsorPassages)

i. IfItemisselected:

1. SelectSubject.

�. SelectaStatus(eitherapproved,draft,rejectedorpendingapproval).

�. SelectCreatedby.

�. Optionally enter Item Number(s) separated by commas to searchbyuniqueitemnumber.

Note: You can search for items using a wild card character. Enteratleasttwonumbersbeforeusingthewildcard(%),andbesure%isthelastcharacterinthenumbersequence.

ii. IfPassageisselected:

1. SelectSubject.

�. SelectEstimatedReadingLevel.

�. SelectaStatus(eitherapproved,draft,rejectedorpendingapproval).

�. SelectCreatedBy.

5. Enter Passage Name.

�. ClickShow Existing ItemsorShow Existing PassagestoviewalistofitemsorpassagesthatmeettheSearchCriteria.Fieldsdisplayedinclude:

a. Unique Item number for items or a Passage Name and optionally, Passage Number, for passages.

b. Name of the person who created the item or passage.



c. CreationDate.

d. PreviewOnlinelinkallowstheitemorpassagetobeviewedfromastudentperspective.

e. PreviewPDFlinkallowsyoutoprevieworprinttheitemorpassage.

f. Edit/Viewlinkallowstheitemorpassagetobeedited—includingrealigningtheitem—orviewed.Onceanitemisapproveditcanonlybeviewed.

g. Copylinkallowstheusertomakeacopyoftheitemorpassageandsavesitasadraft.Theusermaythenedittheitemorpassageandsubmitforapproval.

h. ViewItemsTiedtothisPassageisonlyavailableforpassages.Thislinkisavailableifthereareexistingitemsassociatedwiththepassage.

i. Statusprovidesthestatusoftheitemorpassage.Validvaluesinclude:AvailableforUse,Approved,Draft,PendingApprovalorRejected.Therejectstatusmayincludearejectreason.

j. DeleteCheckbox.Anitemcanonlybedeletedifithasnotbeenincludedinacustomtest.Apassagecanbedeletedonlyiftherearenoitemstiedtothepassage.Itemsandpassagesmaybedeletedbythecreator,districtadministrator,orsuperuser.ClickthecorrespondingdeletecheckboxandclickDelete Selected Items/Passages.

k. Disableisavailableifanitemtiedtothepassagehasbeenusedinacustomtest.Markingapassage as disabled prevents users from finding the passage andaddingadditionalitemstothepassage.Existingitemstiedtothepassageareavailableincustomtest.Disablinganitem prevents users from finding and using the item. It does not prevent users from finding the passage and addingadditionalitemsorusingotherexistingitemsthataretiedtothepassage.



Approve Items or Passages

Approveitemsorpassagescreatedbyothereducatorsifyouhavepermissiontodoso.



�. ClickApprove Items/Passages.

�. EnterSearchforApproveItems/Passagescriteria.

a. SelectItemBank.

b. SelectSearchfor(eitherItemsorPassages)

i. IfItemisselected:

1. SelectSubject.

2. Select Creator Name.

3. Enter Item Number.

ii. IfPassageisselected:

1. SelectSubject.

�. SelectEstimatedReadingLevel.

3. Enter Creator Name.

4. Enter Passage name. Optionally, enter Passage Number.

Note: You can search for items or passages by unique Item or Passage Number using a wild card character. Enter at least two numbersbeforeusingthewildcard(%),andbesure%isthelastcharacterinthenumbersequence.

�. ClickShow ItemsorShow Passagestoviewitems/passagesthatmeettheSearchCriteria.Theuserwillonlyseeitemscreatedbyuserslowerinthehierarchy.Forexample,aSchoolAdministratoronlyseesitemscreatedbyteachersinhisdistrict.

�. Thefollowingoptionsareavailableforeachitem/passage:

a. ForItems,clickItem Numbertoviewtheitemfromitembuilderview.

b. ClickthePreviewItem/Passagelinktoviewtheitem/passagefromastudentperspective.

c. ClickPreview PDFtovieworprinttheitem/passage.

d. ClickApprovecheckboxtoapprovetheitem.ClicktheApprovecheckboxintheheadertoselectallitemsforapproval.

e. ClickReasons for Rejectioncheckboxtorejecttheitem.Theapprovermayenterarejectionreason.ClicktheRejectcheckboxintheheadertoselectallitemstoreject.



7. ClickSubmit.

Note: Once passages or items are approved they will be pushed into production on an hourlybasis.Oncetheseitemsaredeployed,theirstatuswillchangetoAvailableforUseandtheycanthenbeusedinCustomTests.



Chapter 9: Create Performance Assessment and RubricPerformance-basedassessmentisanextended,multi-stepformoftestingthatrequiresstudentstocompleteagroupoftaskstocreateaproductthatdemonstratesstudentperformanceacrosscontentareasandskillsets.Thisisadifferentapproachfromtraditionalassessment methods that require a student to select a single correct answer or to fill in theblank.InAcuity,performanceassessmentsfrequentlyaligntomultiplesubjectsandstandards,requiringtheapplicationofarangeofstudentskillsandknowledgetoaddressreal-worldproblems.Thesetasksshouldengagestudents’imaginationandprovideastructureforstudentstodemonstratemasteryoftheskillsandconceptsinarelevantandauthenticway.

Whencreatingperformance-basedassessments,youmaychoosetocreateanewrubricfortheassessment,oryoumayassociateanexistingrubriccreatedbyanothereducator.Youmayassigntheperformanceassessmenttostudentsandhand-enterPerformanceAssessmentscoresintoAcuityforreporting.Finally,youcanshare,edit,andassignperformanceassessmentsandrubricsusingManagePerformanceAssessments.

Create a Performance Assessment Task

1. ClickPerformance Assessmentonthemainmenu.

�. ClickCreate Performance Based Assessments and Rubrics.

�. SelectoneormoreSubjects.

�. Enteranamefortheassessment.

�. Entertheperformancetaskinthetextbox.Formatthetextasyouwishusingthetoolbaricons,insertpicturesandtables,orcopy/pastetextfromothertexteditors.



�. ClickSave at any time to save your work. A confirmation message displays the uniqueTestID;besuretowriteitdownforfutureuse.

7. ClickPreview AssessmentatanytimetopreviewaPDFoftheassessmentasitwill appear in the finished test booklet.

8. Selectoneormorestandardswithwhichtoaligntheperformanceassessmenttask.

9. ClickBrowsetolocateyourpre-writtenexemplarstouploadfortheperformanceassessmentitem,ifyouhavethem.

Create or Associate a Rubric with the Performance Assessment

Thisistheprocessforcreating/associatingarubricwiththeperformanceassessmentitem.RubricscanbecreatedasaseparateprocessbyclickingPerformance Assessmentonthemainmenu,clickingCreate a Rubric,andthenstartingwithstep�ofthisprocess.

1. Choosewhethertouseanexistingrubricorbuildanewone.

a. ClickUse an Existing Rubric Submitted to Acuity by Educatorstoassociateanexistingrubrictousefortheassessment.

1. Optionally,clickthePreview link to view a specific rubric.

�. Whenyouhaveselectedarubrictouse,clickSelect and ContinuetoassociatetherubricandreturntocreatingthePerformanceAssessment.

�. Gotostep 10oftheseinstructions.

b. ClickBuild a New Rubrictostartfromscratch.Optionally,clickaShow ExamplelinktoviewaPDFofanexampleperformancelevelrubricyouwanttoview.

�. SelectthenumberofEvaluationCriteria(columns)andthenumberofPerformanceLevels(rows)forthenewrubric,andclickCreate New Rubric.

�. Enteranamefortherubric,andthenclickSave Rubric. A message confirms that therubricissaved.BesuretowritedowntheRubricIDforfutureuse.



�. ForeachEvaluationCriteria,enteraname.

�. ForeachEvaluationCriteria,chooseoneormorestandard(s)toassociatewiththecriterion.ClickSave and Returntokeeptheselection.

Eachcriterioncanhaveitsownalignment.Ifyoudonotchooseany,thedefaultalignmentisthesameasthealignmentfortheperformanceassessmentitem.

�. Foreachcriterion,entertexttodescribeperformanceatthatlevel.Youcancopy/pastetextinthesetextentryboxes,andusebulletedlists.

7. ForeachPerformanceLevel,selectthenumberofpointsand/oralabel(name)forthatlevel.Youmayuseonlylabelsoronlypoints,orboth.

8. Atanytime,clickSave Rubricand/orPreview Rubric.

9. Topermitothereducatorstousetheperformanceassessmentandrubric,clickthecheckboxtoallowsharing.

10. ClickNext – Final Review.TheFinalReviewpageshowsthenameandtextoftheperformanceassessmentitemandrubric.

• ClickPDF Preview of Assessment and Rubrictoviewthemastheywillappearinbookletformat.

• ClickSave and Assign to Studentstoproceedwithassigningtheperformanceassessmenttostudents.

• ClickSave and Return to Acuity’s Main Menutoproceedwithothertasks.

Assign the Performance-based Assessment to Students

IfyouchoseSave and Assign to Studentsinstep10above,youcanproceedwithassigningtheperformanceassessmenttasktostudents.

1. EnteranAssignment Name.

�. SelectanAssignment Start TimeandEnd Time.

�. ClickSave and Proceed to Next Steptoassignstudentstotheassignment.

�. EnterSearchFilters.

a. SelectoneormoreGradeLevel(s).

b. SelectaSchool.

c. Ifapplicable,selecttestaccommodations.

d. Optionally,clickSearch by Class (Show Option)tosearchforclassnamesbykeywords,orleavesearchtextblanktosearchforallclassesavailabletoyou.

e. ClickSearch.SelectmultipleclassesfromthelistorclickDisplay Classestoviewalistofclassesfortheselectedgradelevel(s)andschool(s).Selectoneormoreclasses.

f. Tonarrowyoursearchfurther,clicktheClick Here to Narrow Search by Student Namelinkandenteranameorlastnamerange.

�. ClickSearch for Students.

�. Clickcheckboxestoselectstudents.




8. ClickView Summaryifyouwanttoviewtheassignment.

9. ClickAssign Another AssessmentorclosetheViewSummarywindowandchooseanothertaskfromthemainmenu.

Hand-entering Scores for Performance-based Assessments

1. FindaPerformanceAssessmentassignment,followingthestepsonpage��,“FindanAssignment.”

�. ClicktheScore link for the corresponding Assignment Name.

�. IntheScoringpanel,choosefromtheShowdropdownmenutoshowstudentswhohaveperformanceassessmenttasksintheScoredorUnscoredstate,orBoth.StudentswhoseresponseshavebeenpartiallyscoredareincludedintheUnscoredlist.

Thefollowingotheroptionsareavailable:

• Ifexemplarsareassociatedwiththeperformanceassessment,clickExemplarstoviewthem.

• ClicktheShow Full RubriclinktoviewaPDFofthescoringrubricfortheperformanceassessmenttask.

• Optionally,printtherubricusingthecontrolsinthePDFwindow.

�. Clickastudent’snametoscorehis/herresponses.Iftherearescoredorpartiallyscoredstudentsinyourlist,clickthestudent’snametoviewthesavedscores,ortofinish entering scores for the student.

�. EnteraPerformanceLevelScoreforeachEvaluationCriteriafortheperformanceassessmenttask:ClickthecirclethatcorrespondstothePointsand/orLabelyouchoosetoassignforeach.

�. ClickSavetosavetheassignedscores.

7. Click another Student Name link to continue scoring other students.

8. When finished scoring, click Save and Return to Main Menu.

Managing Performance-based Assessments and Rubrics

Youcanassignandshareperformance-basedassessmentsandeditandsharerubricswhichyouorsomeonebeneathyourroleintheorganizationcreated,orwhichhasbeensharedwithyou,subjecttotheserules:

• Aperformanceassessmenttaskcanbeassignedonlyifithasarubricassociatedwithit.

• Arubriccanbeeditedonlyifitisnotassociatedwithataskthathasbeenassignedtostudents.

First, you must find the performance assessment or rubric to manage.

Finding a Performance-based Assessment or Rubric

1. ClickPerformance Assessmentsonthemainmenu.

�. ClickManage Performance Based Assessments and Rubrics.

�. ClickacircletoselectAssessmentsorRubricsforwhichtosearch.



4. Enter a name for the performance assessment or rubric you want to find. Alternatively,clickShow AssessmentsorShow Rubricswithoutenteringanametoshowalistofallassessmentsorrubricstowhichyouhaveaccess.

Search results display in a table with columns for Assessment/Rubric Name, Creator, DateCreated,LastUsed,Subject(s),Grade(s),RubricTypeandOtherActions.TheOtherActionscolumncontainsadrop-downmenuforeachrowfromwhichyoumaychoosetoEdit,Assign,Share,Copy,orDeletethetaskorrubric.Thelistisdynamicby row; that is, only those actions which are permitted for the specific assessment taskorrubricareavailableforselection.

�. Onceyoulocatetheperformanceassessmentorrubricyouwishtomanage,selectanOther Actiontoperform.

Share a Performance-based Assessment or Rubric

1. FindaPerformance-basedAssessmentorRubricyouwanttoshare.

�. FromtheOtherActionscolumn,selectShare.

�. Clickcheckboxestoselecteducatorswithwhomtosharethetestorrubric.Byselectingthetoplevelinthehierarchy,alllevelsbelowareautomaticallyselected.

�. ClickShare with Selected Educators.(Scrolldownifneededtoseethisbutton.)

�. Whenyouhaveselectedthecorrecteducators,clickView Summary.ASharingSummary confirms the name of the assessment or rubric you have successfully shared,andthenumberofadditionaleducatorswithwhomitisshared.

�. ClickReturn to Performance Assessment Search Pagetocontinuemanagingperformanceassessmentsandrubrics,orselectanotheractivityfromthemainmenu.

Edit a Rubric

1. Findarubricyouwanttoedit.

�. FromtheOtherActionscolumn,selectEdit.

�. Optionally,viewexamplerubrics.

�. Changecriterianames,descriptions,standardsalignment,points,orlabels,asrequired. Each element can be modified as it is when creating a rubric, except the Rubric Name.

�. ClickPDF PreviewRubrictoviewthechangesyou’vemade,orSave Rubric.

6. When you are finished editing the rubric, click Save and Return to Performance Assessment Menu.

Assign a Performance-based Assessment

1. Findaperformance-basedassessmentyouwanttoassign.

�. FromtheOtherActionscolumn,selectAssign.

3. Enter a new, unique Assignment Name for the new assignment.

�. SelectanAssignmentStartTimeandEndTime.

�. ClickSave and Proceed to Next Step.



�. EnterSearch for Students filters.

a. SelectoneormoreGradeLevels(holddownthecontrolkeyandclickonselectiontoselectmultiplegrades).

b. SelectoneormoreSchools(ifavailabletoyou).

c. If applicable, select test accommodations. Only those students whose profiles requiretheseaccommodationswillbedisplayed.

d. Tolimityoursearchfurther,clickSearch by Class (show options)toviewalistofclassesfortheselectedgradelevel(s)andschool(s).SelectoneormoreClasses.

e. Tolimityoursearchfurtherwithintheselectedgradelevel(s),school(s),andclass(es),clicktheClick Here to Narrow Search by Student Namelinkandentereitheranameoralastnamerange.

7. ClickSearch for Students.

8. Clickthecheckboxestoselectstudents.Byselectingthetoplevelinthehierarchy,alllevelsbelowareautomaticallyselected.





Chapter 10: Instructional ResourcesInstructionalResourcescanbeassignedtostudentstoprovideguidedpracticeandinstructionsonallskills.Theseresourcescanbeusedtosupplementclassroominstructionsortoprovidetargetedremediationorreview.InstructionalResourcescanbeassignedbystandardorbystudent.Resourcescanbeassignedmanually,orAcuitycanautomaticallyassignappropriateInstructionalResourcesbasedontestresults,ifthatoptionissetatthetime the test is assigned. Note: There are no Instructional Resources for Acuity Algebra or Science.

Assign by Standard

This allows an educator to assign instructions by state-defined standards.

Note: You can assign Instructional Resources by standard based on performance Tier (for ELAorMathonly),bydrillingdownintheClassAssessmentReport.

Assign an Instructional Resource by Standard

1. ClickInstructional ResourcesontheMainMenu.

�. ClickAssign By Skill/Standard.


a. SelectaSchool.

b. SelectaClass.

c. SelectaSubject.

d. SelectaStandard.

e. SelectaGrade.

f. Select information for the desired standard. These fields will vary depending on your state-defined standards. Note: The screen shown below is an examplefromColorado.



�. ClickSearchtoviewalistofstudents.

�. ClickthecorrespondingcheckboxesofstudentstowhomyouwishtoassigntheInstructionalResource.

�. ClickAssign These Studentstoassigntheexerciseandtoviewanonlineconfirmation.

Assign By Student

Thisallowstheeducatortoassignaninstructionbystudent.

Assign an Instructional Resource by Student


�. ClickAssign By Student.


a. SelectaSchool.

b. SelectaClass.



c. SelectaStudent.

d. SelectaSubject.

e. SelectaStandard.

f. SelectaGrade.

g. Select information for the desired standard. These fields will vary depending on your state-defined standards.

�. ClickSearchtoviewalistofInstructionalResourcesthatmeettheSearchcriteria.

�. ClickthecorrespondingcheckboxesofInstructionalResourcesyouwishtoassigntothestudent.

�. ClickAssign These Resourcestoassigntheinstructionalexerciseandtoviewanonline confirmation.



View/Print Instructional Resources

Thisallowsaneducatortopreviewtheinstructionalresourcesonlineorprinttheinstructionalresource.

Preview/Print an Instructional Resource


�. ClickPreview/Print.

�. SelectSearchforSkillsBy

a. IfSkillGroupisselected:

i. SelectaSubject.

ii. SelectaGradeLevel.

iii. SelectaSkillGroup.

b. IfStandardisselected:

i. SelectaSubject.

ii. SelectStandard.

iii. Select information for the desired standard. These fields will vary depending on your state-defined standards.

�. ClickSearchtoviewalistofitemsthatmeetstheSearchcriteria.

�. ThefollowingoptionsareavailablefromtheSearchResultsbox:

a. ClickPreviewtoviewthedesiredexerciseonline.Closethepop-upboxwhenyou are finished viewing.



b. ClickPDF Preview to display the instructional resource. This PDF file may be printedorsavedonyourcomputer.ThePDFPreviewlinkwillbedisabledforinstructionalresourcessetsthatcontainaudioscreensandarenotconduciveforprinting.

c. ClickView Print Answer KeytoviewananswerkeyfortheGuidedandPracticeexercises.

View Status

Thisallowsaneducatortoviewcompletionstatus,scoresandresultsbystudentorskillgroupofinstructionalresourcesthatweretakenonline.Ifaninstructionalresourcewascompleted offline via paper and pencil the results will not be part of Acuity.

Status by Student


�. ClickReports by Student.

�. EnterSearchforInstructionalResourcesreportscriteria.

a. SelectaSchool.

b. SelectaClass.

c. SelectaSubject.

d. SelectaStudent.

e. SelectanAssignDaterange.

f. SelectaStatus.

�. ClickSearchtoviewalistofInstructionalResourcesthatmeetstheSearchcriteria.Fieldsdisplayedinclude:

a. InstructionalResourcename.

b. AlignmenttoStandards.

c. Status.

d. DateAssigned.

e. Datecompleted.

f. Score.

g. Attempt#.



�. ClickthecorrespondingScorelinktoviewdetailsofallitemsansweredbythestudentfortheInstructionalResourceintheorderthestudentsawthem.



7. ClickClose Windowtoclosethewindowandreturntothesummaryoftestresultspage.

Status by Standard


�. ClickReports by Standard.

�. EnterSearchforInstructionalResourcesreportscriteria.

a. SelectaSchool.

b. SelectaClass.

c. SelectaSubject.

d. Select a value for the top level filter (default is “any”).

e. Select a value for each level filter presented (default is “any”).

f. SelectanInstructionalResource.

g. SelectStatus.

h. SelectanAssignDaterange.DefaultrangeisfromAugust1ofcurrentschoolyeartocurrentdate.

�. ClickSearchtoviewalistofstudentswhohavebeenassignedtheInstructionalResources.Fieldsdisplayedinclude:

a. Alignment(TextofGLE(s)towhichthisskillisalignedintheframework).

b. Student.

c. Status (Complete or Not Started).

d. DateAssigned.

e. DateCompleted.

f. Score.

g. Attempt#.

�. Optionally,clickPrintPagetoopenaprintversionofthispage.

�. ClickthecorrespondingScorelinktoviewdetailsofallitemsansweredbythestudentfortheInstructionalResourceintheorderthestudentsawthem.



Chapter 11: My SettingsInthischapter,wewillwalkthroughhowtoupdateyouruserinformation.

Profile

Profile allows an educator to view and update his or her profile information.

View/Edit Profile Information

1. ClickMy SettingsontheMainMenu.

�. ClickProfile to view your profile information.

�. ClickEdit.

4. Update fields as desired. All fields can be updated (except User Name), including ID Number, Name, Password, Email, and Phone Number. An educator’s password must beaminimumofeightcharactersandamaximumoftwentycharacters.Onlyletters,numbersandthefollowingspecialcharactersareallowed:$,-,and_(underscore).

�. ClickSave Profiletosavechanges,orclickResettoreturntotheoriginalsettings.



Chapter 12: ReportsAcuityprovidesrobustreportingcapabilities.Reportsarestructuredbyassessmenttypeandareavailableatmultiplelevelsofaggregation.Reportsmaybeavailableatstudent-,class-,school-,anddistrict-leveldependingontheuserrole.

Manyofthereportscontainhyperlinksthatallowtheusertonavigatefromonereporttoanotherreportforadditionalassessmentdata(e.g.,userscannavigatefromaStudent-levelAssessmentreporttoaStudent-levelItemAnalysisreportforthesameassessment).

Itemstatisticsareavailableatadistrict,schoolorclasslevel.Itemstatisticsinclude;P-value(percentofrespondentswhoansweredthetimecorrectly),numberofrespondents,numberandpercentageofrespondentschoosingeachoptionanddepthofknowledge.

The tables below define the reports and identify the reports by level that are available in Acuity.

Report Descriptions

Report Name Description

AssessmentReports Identifies areas of strengths and weaknesses for individuals orgroupsrelativetothestatestandards.

AYPReports Provides state test predictions and performance by NCLB subgroups.

ClassroomMatrixReport Showshowallstudentsinaclassperformedoneachitemandskillonatest,withsummaryfortheclass.Includesscalescoresandpredictionswhereavailable.

GrowthReports Showsastudent’sgrowthcomparedtoacademicpeerswithinandacrossacademicyears.

ItemAnalysisReports Showshowanindividualorgroupperformedoneachitemofanassessment.

LongitudinalReports Measuresastudent’sprogressovertime.

PortfolioReports ShowsasummaryofalltheassessmentstakenbyastudentintheAcuitysystem.

PriorYearReports Providesaccesstoreportsthatexistoutsidethecurrentscholasticyear.

ProgressReports Showsastudent’sperformanceovertime–foruptothepast�assessmentsforasubjectandassessmenttype.

RosterReports Showsthepercentcorrectbyeitherstudents,class,schoolordistrict.

SummaryReports Compareshowanindividualorgroupperformedacrosstheschoolyear.



Theprocessofaccessingareportissimilarforallreports.BelowisanexampleofhowtoaccesstheDiagnosticRosterreport.DetailedinformationaboutreportscanbefoundintheAcuityReportGuide,whichislocatedintheAcuityCommunity.

Access Diagnostic Roster Report

1. ClickReportsontheMainMenu.

�. ClickRoster Report.

Report Availability by Level

Report Type

Student-level Class-level School-level District-level

Assessment Reports ü ü ü ü

Item Analysis Reports ü ü ü ü

Roster Reports N/A ü ü ü

Summary Reports ü ü ü ü

AYP Reports N/A N/A ü ü

Dia

gnos

tic

Progress Reports ü N/A N/A N/A

Assessment Reports ü ü ü ü

Item Analysis Reports ü ü ü ü

Roster Reports N/A ü ü ü

Summary Reports ü ü ü ü

AYP Reports N/A N/A ü ü

Longitudinal Report ü N/A N/A N/A

Pred

ictiv

e


Assessment reports ü ü ü ü

Roster Report N/A ü ü ü

Summary Report ü ü ü ü

Item Analysis Report ü ü ü üCus

tom


Portfolio Report ü N/A N/A N/A

Typ

e of

Ass

essm

ent

Classroom Matrix Report (.xls)

N/A ü N/A N/A

Growth Reports ü N/A N/A N/A

All

Level of Reporting



�. ForaClassRosterReport:

a. SelectaSubject.


c. SelectaSchool.

d. SelectaClass.

e. SelectanAssessment.

�. ForaSchoolRosterReport:

a. SelectaSubject.


c. SelectaSchool.

d. SelectaGradeofAssessment.

e. SelectanAssessment.

�. ForaDistrictRosterReport:

a. SelectaSubject.


c. SelectaGradeofAssessment.

d. SelectanAssessment.

�. ClickGet Report.

ThefollowingisasampleClassRosterReportforaMathematicsDiagnosticBenchmarktest.



Note: Fields will vary based on the level at which you ran the report.

Thisreportisdividedintothefollowingtwosections:

TheHeadersectionprovidesthemodeofdeliveryofthetest,thedateofthereport,thenameoftheteacherassignedtotheclassaswellastheschoolanddistrict,thenameofthetest,thenumberofstudentsassignedandwhocompletedthetest.

TheTest Performancesectionlistthestudentsintheclassalongwiththeiroverallpercentageofpointsobtainedontheassessment(performancetier)andthedatetheassessmentwascompleted.

Report Batches

Inadditiontogeneratingreportsonline,userscangeneratebatchreportsbychoosingthebatchreportoptionsoffthereportsub-menus.Batchjobsexpireafter7days.Youmustview the output report file for the completed job within this time frame. Each report in a batch may be viewed in one file or separate PDF files.

View Report Batch Jobs


�. ClickReport Batchestoviewalistofunexpiredbatchjobs.

�. Clickdesiredreportname.



Chapter 13: Student ExperienceSimilartoaneducator,astudentlogsintoAcuityusingauniqueusernameandpassword.Uponasuccessfullogin,studentscantaketeststhathavebeenassigned,completeassignedexercises,andviewreportsabouttestresults.

Logging in to Acuity

1. OpenyourwebbrowserandtypeintheURLforAcuity.Thisinformationshouldhavebeenprovidedtoyouinanemailorgiventoyoubyyouradministrator.

2. Enter User Name.

�. EnterPassword.

�. ClickEnter SitetovalidateyourentriesanddisplaytheHomepage. Ifyourentriesarenotvalid,theUserLoginpagedisplaysagain.Ifthisoccurs,check

yourentriesfortyposandtryagain.Also,adistrictcanchoosewhetherornottorequire students to change their password on the first login.

Recovering Passwords

Ifastudentforgetshisorherpassword,dependingonpermissionseitherateacher,schooladministrator,and/ordistrictadministratormayresetthepassword.

Exploring the Student Home Page

The Home page is the first page you see when accessing the system. It is your starting pointfornavigatingthroughAcuity.



ThefollowingelementsaredisplayedontheHomepage.

The Header contains the McGraw-Hill banner, Acuity logo, Global Navigation, and Login information. Global Navigation contains the following links:

Change Passwordallowsastudenttochangehisorherpassword.Thisoptionisavailableonlyifthedistrictchoosestoallowstudentstoupdatetheirpasswords.Studentpasswordsmusthaveaminimumoffourcharactersandamaximumoftwentycharacters.Onlyletters,numbers,andthefollowingspecialcharactersareallowed:$,-,and_(underscore)areallowed.

Reload Pagerefreshesthecurrentpage.

Helpprovidesonlinehelpwithusingthesystem.

Logoutisforsecurity.Itisalwaysagoodideatologoutofthesystemwhenyouarenotactivelyusingit.

The Main Content Areaisthepartofthepagebelowtheheaderthatcontainsthefollowingthreeoptions:

Take a Testallowsstudentstostartanassignedtest(predictive,diagnostic,algebra,orcustom).

Studyallowsstudentstoselectatopictostudy(instructionalresourcesthathavebeenassignedbytheteacher).

View Reportsallowsstudentstoviewtestresultswhengivenpermissionfromateacher.

The Footercontainsthecopyright.

Onceastudentselectsanactivity,heorshewillbeaskedtoselectasubjectarea,eitherMath,LanguageArts,Science,orAlgebra.

Take a Test

ByclickingTake a Test,studentscanaccessassessmentsthatareassignedtothem.Assignmentsaredisplayedindescendingorderbyassignmentstartdate,meaningthemost recent assignments are listed first. A student can only start a test if the current date fallsbetweenthebegintestdateandendtestdate.Astudentcannotresumeacompletedassignment.

NOTE: To increase readability in Acuity, a student can select Control and “+” multiple times toincreasefontsize.SelectControland“-“todecreasethefontsize.



UponclickingStartforatest,asetoftestinstructionsisdisplayedincludingadescriptiononhowtonavigatethroughanassessment.



TestInstructionsaredynamicallygeneratedbasedontheassessment,butmayinclude:

Materials:alistofmaterialsneededfortheonlinetestdelivery.

CR Item List: a list of constructed responses that must be answered offline.

Additional Test Taking Instructions:forexamplealistofitemsthatmustbeansweredbasedonapassagereadbytheteacher.

Navigation:explainshowtonavigatethroughthesystemincludingshortcutkeys.

Time Limit:indicatesifthereisatimelimitonthetest.

Calculatorindicateswhetherornotacalculatorcanbeusedduringthetest.

Reference Cardindicateswhetherornotareferencecardisavailableforthetest.

General Online Student Instructionsdisplaystheonlinestudenttestinstructions.

Test Screen

AfterclickingContinueontheinstructionpage,thetestbegins.Thescreenbelowshowsthestandardinterfaceforalltests.Thetestitemsappearinthewhitespaceinthecenter.

Item Review Screen

WhenthestudentclickstheyellowExitbutton,thescreenbelowopens.

Thestudenthasthreechoices:

1. Clickanitemnumberinthetabletoreturntothetestandcontinueworking.

�. ClicktheyellowSave/Exitbuttonagaintosavehisorheranswersandtemporarilyexitthetest.Thestudentcanreturntothetestagainlatertochangeanswersorfinish the test before turning it in.

�. ClicktheredFinishbuttontoexitthetestandsubmititforscoring.Thestudentcannotaccessthetestagain.



Thefollowingelementsappearonthetestscreen:

Icon Screen Element Description

N/A Student Name Displays the student’s name.

N/A Subject Name Name of the subject associated with the assessment.

N/A Question ## of ## Displays the current item number and the total number of items.

N/A Mark for Review?Yes/No

For each questions, a student can click “yes” to highlightthe question for later review.

Test Instructions Opens a window with the test instructions.

Calculator Opens either a simple four-function calculator or a scientific calculator (depending on which was specifiedfor the assessment) for the student.

Reference Card Opens a reference card for the student.

Show/Hide Time Shows/hides time below the button.

Back Button Navigate to the previous test question.

Next Button Advances to the next test question. If student is on the last question, this button takes you to the ‘Item Review’ screen.



Finish Only appears after student clicks EXIT button above. This option turns in the test for scoring. Student can NOT access test at a later date.

N/A Item Navigation Menu

The test numbers across the bottom of the page allows students to navigate to other items on the test. The student clicks End when he or she is finished taking the test.

Audio Button Turn on/off the audio for items. Only available for Instructional Resources.

Erase Button Clears student answer for the current test item.

Exit Button Allows student to exit the test. Student is taken to the item review page (to check for answered / unanswered items) and is presented with options to either Save & Exit or Finish – see buttons below.

Save & Exit Only appears after student clicks EXIT buttonimmediately above. This option saves the test progress. Student can resume test at a later date. Test is NOT submitted for scoring.

Sample Test Item Types

Selected Response Item

Theitemcanbeamixoftext,images,andtheavailableanswersfortheitem.



Split Screen Items

Theitemallowsthestudenttoviewandscrollthroughtheitemcontentwithoutaffectingtheviewoftheanswers.Itistypicallyusedforitemswithcontentthattakesupalargeamountofspace.

Constructed Response Items (online)

Theitemcontentcanbeamixoftextandimages,andallowsastudenttoenteraresponse.



Constructed Response Items That Must Be Answered Offline

Thelead-intextinstructsthestudenttoanswertheitemusinghisorheranswersheet.Theitemcontentcanbeamixoftextandimages.

Grid-In Items

Theitemcontentcanbeamixoftextandimages.Theanswerdisplayareaisinagridformatwherethestudententershisorheranswer.



Items with Manipulatives

Theitemcontentandavailableanswersaredisplayed.Themanipulativeisdisplayedonthelefthandsideofthescreen.Thestudentmaydragandrotatethemanipulativeintopositiontoanswerthequestion.



Innovative Items

Innovativeitemsallowthestudenttointeractwiththegraphic.Intheexamplebelow,thestudentcanforcecertainconditions(i.e.wet/dry,light/dark)thenclick“RunExperiment”toseethereactionofthepillbugs.Thestudentssubmittheiranswersontherightpane.InnovativeItemsareonlyincludedinAcuityScience.



Chapter 14: Understanding Roles, Hierarchy & Permissions

Roles and Hierarchy within Acuity

EveryeducatorisassignedoneormorerolesthatareassociatedwithoneoffourhierarchylevelswithinAcuity.ThetablebelowshowseachoftheeightroleswithinAcuityandtheeligiblehierarchylevelstowhichitcanbeassigned.

Role ApplicableHierarchyLevels

SuperUser MultiDistrict(Group),District,andSchool

Multi-DistrictReportUser MultiDistrict(Group),District,andSchool

TestCoordinator District,School,andClass

Observer District,School,andClass

Scorer District,School,andClass

DistrictAdministrator District

SchoolAdministrator School

Teacher Class

Student No Level is associated

Permissions Definitions

Eachroletypeisassignedadministrative,report,instructionalresources,andassessmentpermissions which define what functionality the user can perform. The system is set up with default permissions for each role but can be modified by the Super User of the organization.

Thepermissionsassociatedwiththeroleareapplicabletothelevelwithwhichtheuserisassociatedandallthehierarchylevelsbelowit.Forexample,aschooladministratorcanviewalllevelsbelowhimathisschool.

The table below defines the available permissions that can be assigned to each role. Remember,theeducationalorganizationcanchangethedefaultfunctionalityofmostroles to meet the needs of the organization. Note: The role of Super User is not updated throughtheAcuitysystem.TheuserassociatedwiththisrolewillbesetupthroughCTB/McGraw-Hill’sCustomerOperations.



# Permission Name Description

Management

1 ManageStudents Providestheuserabilitytoperformthefollowingactionsassociatedwithastudent.

• add,edit,anddeleteastudent• modifyastudent’spassword

� ManageTeachers Providestheuserabilitytoperformthefollowingactionsassociatedwithateacher.

• add,edit,anddeleteateacher• modifyateacher’spassword• assignanexistingusertotheteacherrole

� ManageSchoolAdministrators

Providestheuserabilitytoperformthefollowingactionsassociatedwithaschooladministrator.

• add,edit,anddeleteaschooladministrator• modifyaschooladministrator’spassword• assignanexistingusertotheschooladminrole

� ManageDistrictAdministrators

Providestheuserabilitytoperformthefollowingactionsassociatedwithadistrictadministrator.

• add,edit,anddeleteadistrictadministrator• modifyadistrictadministrator’spassword• assignanexistingusertothedistrictadminrole

� ManageTestCoordinators Providestheuserabilitytoperformthefollowingactionsassociatedwithatestcoordinator.

• add,edit,anddeleteatestcoordinator• modifyatestcoordinator’spassword• assignanexistingusertothetestcoordinator’s

role

� ManageObservers Providestheuserabilitytoperformthefollowingactionsassociatedwithanobserver.

• add,edit,anddeleteanobserver• modifyanobserver’spassword• assignexistingusertotheobserversrole

7 ManageScorers Providestheuserabilitytoperformthefollowingactionsassociatedwithascorer.

• add,edit,anddeleteascorer• modifyascorer’spassword• assignexistingusertothescorerrole

8 ManageClasses Providestheuserabilitytoperformthefollowingactionsassociatedwithaclass.

• add,edit,anddeleteaclass• addordeleteastudentfromaclass




9 ManageStudentPasswordSettings

Allowsusertomanageschool-anddistrict-levelpasswordsettingsdependingontheuser’shierarchallevel.

10 ManageDataExtract Allowsusertoidentifycriteriatobeusedtogenerateandviewdataextracts.Note: In addition, the user must also have one of the followingthreepermissionstoextracttestdata:ViewAllDiagnosticReports,ViewAllPredictiveReportsorViewCustomTestReports.

11 Rostering AllowsanAcuityusertoperformuploadsofeducator/class and student information files and view reports associatedwiththeseuploads.

Reports

1� ViewAllDiagnosticReports

ProvidestheuserabilitytoviewAYP,assessment,itemanalysis,roster,portfolioandsummaryreportsfordiagnosticassessments.

1� ViewAllPredictiveReports

ProvidestheuserabilitytoviewAYP,assessment,itemanalysis,roster,portfolioandsummaryreportsforpredictiveassessments.

1� ViewExpectedTestPerformance

Providestheuserabilitytoviewagraphofstudentperformance.Thisisonlysupportedonpredictiveassessmentreports.Thispermissionisonlydisplayedifthedistrictisusingpredictiveassessments.

1� ViewAllAlgebraProficiency Reports*

Providestheuserabilitytoviewassessment,itemanalysis,rosterandportfolioreportsforalgebraproficiency assessments.

1� ViewAllAlgebraReadiness Reports*

Providestheuserabilitytoviewassessment,itemanalysis,rosterandportfolioreportsforalgebrareadinessassessments.

17 ProvideReportstoStudents

Whenmakinganassignment,providestheuserabilitytogivestudentsaccesstotheirreports.

18 ViewCustomTestReports

Providestheuserabilitytoviewcustomtestreports.

19 ViewPriorYearReports Providestheuserwiththeabilitytoviewdatafrompreviousacademicyears.

Thispermissionisonlydisplayedifthedistricthasreportsfromaprioryeartobeviewed.

�0 ViewAllMulti-DistrictDiagnosticReports

Providestheuserabilitytoviewmultidistrictrosterreportsfordiagnosticassessments.

Note: This permission is not included on the permission screen.ItisintendedforMultiDistrictReportUseronly.




�1 ViewAllMultiDistrictPredictiveReports

Providestheuserabilitytoviewmultidistrictrosterreportsforpredictiveassessments.

Note: This permission is not included on the permission screen.ItisintendedforMultiDistrictReportUseronly.

�� ViewCustomStudentProgressReport

ProvidesstudentstheabilitytoviewonlyStudentCustomProgressReports.

�� ViewDiagnosticStudentProgressReport

ProvidesstudentstheabilitytoviewonlyStudentDiagnosticProgressReports.

�� ViewPredictiveStudentProgressReport

ProvidesstudentstheabilitytoviewonlyStudentPredictiveProgressReports.

�� ViewGrowthReport ProvidestheusertheabilitytoviewStudentGrowthReports.

�� ViewPerformanceAssessmentReports

ProvidestheusertheabilitytoviewPerformanceAssessmentReports.

Instructional Resources

�7 Assign/PreviewInstructionalResources

Providestheuserabilitytoassignorunassignastudenttoaninstruction;providesauserwiththeabilitytopreviewand/orprintinstruction.

�8 ViewInstructionalResourceReports

Providestheuserabilitytoviewinstructionalresourcereports.

�9 AutomaticallyAssignExercises

Whenmakinganassignment,providestheuserabilitytoautomaticallyassigninstructionalresourcestostudentsfalling within user-specified percentage or tier range.

Tests

�0 AssignDiagnosticTests Providestheuserabilitytoview,add,edit,assign,anddeleteadiagnostictestassignment.

�1 AssignPredictiveTests Providestheuserabilitytoview,add,edit,assign,anddeleteapredictivetestassignment.

�� AssignAlgebraProficiency Tests*

Providestheuserabilitytoview,add,edit,assign,anddelete an algebra proficiency test assignment.

�� AssignAlgebraReadinessTests*

Providestheuserabilitytoview,add,edit,assign,anddeleteanalgebrareadinesstestassignment.

�� CustomTests Providestheuserabilitytoview,add,edit,delete,andscoreacustomtestassignment;createacustomtest;view,edit,anddeleteacustomtest;shareacustomtest.

�� DiagnosticItemBankforCustomTests

ProvidestheuserabilitytoaccesstheDiagnosticItemBankwhencreatingcustomtest.

Thispermissionisonlydisplayedifdistrictisusingdiagnosticassessmentandhaschosentousethisoption.




�� ViewItemStatistics AllowsuserstoseeitemstatisticsfromcustomtestbuildingaswellasfromassessmentanditemanalysisreportsviatheItemDetailpage.Itemstatisticscanincludestatisticsattheclass,school,districtorstatelevels.

�7 PrintTestInstructions Providestheuserabilitytoviewandprinttestinstructions (html preview and PDF file).

�8 Print/PreviewTest Providestheuserabilitytopreviewand/orprintatest(online preview and PDF file) for predictive, diagnostic, custom, and algebra proficiency assessments.

�9 Print/PreviewTest–Algebra Readiness*

Providestheuserabilitytopreviewand/orprintalgebrareadiness tests (online preview and PDF file).

�0 PrintCRAnswerSheets Providestheuserabilitytoprintconstructedresponseanswer sheets (PDF file).

�1 ViewAssignmentStatus Providestheusertheabilitytoviewassignmentstatus.

�� ViewAnswerKey Providestheuserabilitytoviewandprintanswerkeys for diagnostic, predictive, and algebra proficiency assessments.

�� ViewAnswerKey–AlgebraReadiness*

Providestheuserabilitytoviewandprintalgebrareadinesstestanswerkeys.

�� ManageTestingPrograms Providestheuserabilitytoenable/disabletestingprograms,edittestingsessionsandassociateassessmentswithtestingsessions.

Note: This permission is not included on the permissionscreen.ItisautomaticallygiventoDistrictAdministratorsandSuperUsersatdistrictlevel.

�� ManageAssessmentProfiles*

Providestheuserabilitytoeditpropertiesinanassessment profile.

�� AuthorItemsandPassages**

Providestheuserabilitytocreateitemsandpassages.

�7 ApproveItemsandPassages**

Providestheuserabilitytoapproveitemsandpassagestogointoproduction.

�8 BulkItemUploads Providestheuserwithabilitytobulkuploaditemsusinga .zip file exported by Exam View program. Enables two newlinksonAuthoredItemslandingpageunderTestsmenuforbulkuploadandbulkuploadstatus.UsermustalsohavetheItem/PassageAuthorpermission.

�9 Create,Manage,andAssignPerformanceAssessmentsandRubrics

Providestheuserabilitytocreate,manage,andassignperformance-basedassessmentsandrubrics.




Scanning

�0 ScoreCR/Grid-InTestItems

ProvidestheuserabilitytoscoreConstructedResponseandGrid-Initemsonatestassignment.

�1 ScoreMC/FIBTestItems Provides the user ability to score multiple choice and fill-in-the-blankitemsonatestassignment.

�� GenerateAssignmentRosterFile

Providestheuserabilitytogenerateatestassignmentroster file. A test assignment roster file is either sent toanexternalvendororusedinternallytocreatepre-codedanswersheetsforscanning.

�� PrintBarcodeLabels ProvidestheuserabilitytoprintbarcodelabelstobeusedonlyforOMRscanning.

�� UploadScannedDiagnostic/PredictiveResults

Provides the user ability to upload a file containing scannedassessmentresultsfordiagnosticandpredictivetests.Note: In addition, the user must also have either theViewAllDiagnosticReportsorViewAllPredictiveReportspermission.

�� UploadScannedCustomTest Results***

Provides the user ability to upload a file containing scannedassessmentresultsforcustomtests.

�� UploadScannedProficiency/Readiness Results****

Provides the user ability to upload a file containing scannedassessmentresultsforAcuityAlgebraproficiency and readiness tests.

�7 DeleteStudentTestResults

Providestheuserabilitytoremoveastudent’stestresultifthatresultisdeterminedtobeinvalidforthatstudent.Forexample,ifonestudentweretoaccidentallyloginasanotherstudent,theresultswouldthereforebeinvalid.

�8 ScorePerformanceAssessments

Providestheuserabilitytoenterstudents’scoresintoAcuityforperformance-basedassessments.

* This permission is not included on the permission screen. It is automatically given to District Administrators andSuperUsersatdistrictlevel.

** This permission is not included on the permission screen. There is a new link on Authored Items landing page underTestsmenuforsettingpermissionbyroleorbyuser.

*** In addition, the user must also have the View Custom Test Reports permission.

**** This permission is displayed only if the district is using Acuity Algebra. In addition, the user must also have either the View All Algebra Proficiency Reports or View All Algebra Readiness Reports permission.



Default Permissions

EveryroleintheAcuitysystemisassociatedwithdefaultpermissions.Thepermissionsassociated with the role can be modified by the user that has the privilege to manage the rolestomeettheorganization’sneeds.

Thefollowingtableshowsthedefaultpermissionsforeachrole.

# Roles SuperUser

Multi-Dist.

ReportUser

Dist.Admin

SchoolAdmin

TestCoordinator

Teacher Obser-ver

Scorer Student

Permissions

Management

1 ManageStudents X X N/A N/A N/A

� ManageTeachers X X X N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A

� ManageSchoolAdministrators

X X N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A

� ManageDistrictAdministrators

X N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A

� ManageTestCoordinators

X X X N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A

� ManageObservers X X X N/A N/A N/A

7 ManageScorers X X X N/A N/A N/A

8 ManageClasses X X X X N/A N/A N/A

9 ManageStudentPasswordSettings

X X X N/A N/A N/A

10 ManageDataExtract X N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A

11 Rostering X N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A

Reports

1� ViewAllDiagnosticReports

X X X X X X N/A

1� ViewAllPredictiveReports

X X X X X X N/A

1� ViewExpectedTestPerformance

X X X X X X N/A

1� ViewAllAlgebraProficiency Reports*

X X N/A

1� ViewAllAlgebraReadiness Reports*

X X N/A

17 ProvideReportstotheStudent

X X X X N/A



# Roles SuperUser

Multi-Dist.

ReportUser

Dist.Admin

SchoolAdmin

TestCoordinator

Teacher Obser-ver

Scorer Student

Permissions

18 ViewCustomTestReports

X X X X X N/A

19 ViewPriorYearReports

X X X X X X N/A

�0 ViewAllMultiDistrictDiagnosticReports

N/A X N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A

�1 ViewAllMultiDistrictPredictiveReports

N/A X N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A

�� ViewCustomStudentProgressReports

N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A X

�� ViewDiagnosticStudentProgressReports


�� ViewPredictiveStudentProgressReports


�� ViewGrowthReport X X X X X X X N/A N/A

�� ViewPerformanceAssessmentReports

X X N/A N/A

Instructional Resources

�7 Assign/PreviewInstructionalResources

X X X X N/A

�8 ViewInstructionReports

X X X X X N/A

�9 AutomaticallyAssignExercises

X N/A

Tests

�0 AssignDiagnosticTests

X X X X X N/A

�1 AssignPredictiveTests

X X X X N/A

�� AssignAlgebraProficiency Tests*

X X X N/A



# Roles SuperUser

Multi-Dist.

ReportUser

Dist.Admin

SchoolAdmin

TestCoordinator

Teacher Obser-ver

Scorer Student

Permissions

�� AssignAlgebraReadiness Tests*

X X X N/A

�� CustomTests X X X X N/A

�� DiagnosticItemBankforCustomTests

X X N/A

�� ItemStatistics X X X X X N/A

�7 PrintTestInstructions

X X X X X N/A

�8 PrintPreviewTest X X X X X N/A

�9 PrintPreviewTest–Algebra Readiness*

X N/A

�0 PrintCRAnswerSheets

X X X X X N/A

�1 ViewAssignmentStatus

X X X X X N/A

�� ViewAnswerKey X X X X N/A

�� ViewAnswerKey–Algebra Readiness*

X N/A

�� ManageTestingPrograms

X** X N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A

�� ManageAssessmentProfiles

X** X N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A

�� AuthorItems X N/A X X X X N/A N/A N/A

�7 ApproveItems X N/A X X N/A N/A N/A

�8 BulkItemUploads X N/A N/A N/A N/A

�9 Create,Manage,andAssignPerformanceAssessmentsandRubrics

X X X N/A N/A

Scanning

�0 ScoreCR/GridTestItem

X X X X X X N/A

�1 ScoreMC/FIBTestItems

X X N/A



# Roles SuperUser

Multi-Dist.

ReportUser

Dist.Admin

SchoolAdmin

TestCoordinator

Teacher Obser-ver

Scorer Student

Permissions

�� GenerateAssignmentRosterFile

X X X X N/A N/A N/A

�� PrintBarcodeLabels X X X X N/A N/A N/A

�� UploadScannedDiagnostic/PredictiveResults

X X X X N/A X N/A

�� UploadScannedCustomTestResults

X X X X X N/A X N/A

�� UploadScannedProficiency/Readiness Results

X X X X N/A X N/A

�7 DeleteStudentTestResults

X N/A X N/A N/A

�8 ScorePerformanceAssessments

X X N/A N/A

* Only available to Acuity Algebra customers

** Only applies to super user at a district level.

X=Rolehasthispermissionbydefault

Blank=Rolecanbegrantedthispermission

N/A = Role cannot be granted this permission



Update Permissions for a Selected Role

Only the Super User will have access to change the permissions of a role. This change will apply to all users assigned to that role.


�. ClickPermissions.

�. Selectarole.

�. ClickManage Permissions.

�. Clickthecheckboxestoselectpermissions.

�. ClickSave Permissions.



Chapter 15: Managing EducatorsEducatorsneedtobeaddedtothesystemtomanagestudents,scheduletests,andviewreportresults.Althoughmostorganizationswilladdeducatorsthroughadataloadprocess,thischapterexplainshowto“manually”addaneweducator,deleteaneducatororupdateexistingeducatorinformation.

Add New Educator


�. ClickEducators.


a. Select a Role.*

b. SelectaDistrict.

c. SelectaSchool.

d. Enter a First Name.*

e. Enter a Last Name.*

�. ClickAdd New Educator.

5. Enter additional profile information including Middle Name, ID Number, Email, User Name and Phone. Note: these fields are not required.

�. ClickConfirm and Assign Roles.

7. Select Role(s) to assign - A user may have multiple roles. Note: The Select Role andAssignment/Editroleboxesdefaulttowhatyouselectedinthesearchcriteria(step�).

8. ClickShow RolestodisplaytheAssignment/EditRolesboxforeachselectedrole.

9. Assigneachselectedroletoalevelintheorganization.

a. SelectLevelofRole.

b. Clickthe“+”symboltoexpandthehierarchytable,ifnecessary.Clickthecheckboxestoselectalevelintheorganization.

c. ClickAssignSelected.



10. ClickViewSummary.

* indicates required fields

Find an Existing Educator


�. ClickEducators.


a. SelectaRole.

b. SelecteitheraDistrictorenterFirstorLastname.

c. SelectaSchool(optional).

�. ClickSearchtodisplayalistofeducatorswhometthesearchcriteria.

a. Ifaneducatorhasnotchangedtheirdefaultpassword,theadministratorisabletoviewtheeducator’spassword.



b. Onceaneducatorhaschangedhisorherpassword,theadministratorwillnolongerbeabletoviewtheeducator’spassword.

�. ThefollowingoptionsexistfromtheSearchResultsbox(SeeEditEducatorinformationsection):

a. Clickdesirededucator’snametoviewadditionalinformation.

b. Clickontheeducator’scorresponding“Change”linktoupdatetheeducator’spassword.

Delete an Educator

1. Findaneducator,followingthestepsaboveinthe“FindanExistingEducator”section.

�. Clickdesirededucator’snametoviewadditionalinformation.

�. ClickDelete Educator. Note: All class associations must be removed before a primary teacher can be

deleted.

�. ClickOK to confirm deletion.

Edit Educator Information

1. Findaneducatorfollowingthestepsaboveinthe“FindanExistingEducator”section.

�. Clickdesirededucator’snametoviewadditionalinformation.

�. ClickEdit User Details.

�. Modifydesiredpersonalinformationsuchasname,ID,email,phone,andpassword.

�. Click“ChangePassword”linktoupdateauser’spassword.

a. Enter New Password.

b. Enter New Password Again.

c. ClickSubmit.



�. ClickSave and Assign Roles.

7. Modify roles following steps seven through nine above in the “Add New Educator” section.




Chapter 16: Delete StudentsOnlyaDistrictAdministratororaSuperUsercandeleteastudentthathasacompletedassignment.Iftherearecompletedassignmentsassociatedwiththestudent,thesystemwilldisplayawarningstatingthat“ThereareassignmentsassociatedwiththestudentDoyouwanttocontinue?”

Ifastudentisdeleted,thestudent’sinformationwillstillbeavailableinallClass,School,andDistrictaggregatereportsexceptRosterreports.Allstudent-levelreportswillbeavailableexcepttheStudentLongitudinalreport.

Delete Students


�. ClickStudents.

�. ClickSearch/Add New Student.

�. EnterSearchcriteria.Youmaywanttokeepyoursearchcriteriabroadtoensureyouselectthecorrectstudentsespeciallyifthethereisaduplicatename.Thefollowingarefourdifferentapproaches:

a. Enter all fields (District, School, and name) to narrow the search.

b. SelectaDistrictandaSchoolforalistofallstudentsintheschool.

c. Enteravalidname.

d. EntertheStudentID.

�. ClickSearchtodisplayalistofstudentswhomeettheSearchcriteria.


7. ClickDelete this Student.ClickOK to confirm deletion.



Chapter 17: Student PasswordsDistrictsaregiventwooptionsregardingstudentpasswords.Theycanrequirestudentsto change their default password the first time the student logs in, or prevent students fromchangingtheirpassword.Theseoptionsarenotmutuallyexclusive.Studentscanberequired to change their password the first time they log in to the system but not be allowed tochangeforsubsequentlogins.Thedefaultisneithertorequirenorpreventpasswordchanges,meaningstudentsdon’thavetochangetheirpasswordonlogin,butcanchangeitanytimeiftheywant.Thisoptioncanalsobesetataschoolorclasslevel.

Update Student Password


�. ClickStudent Passwords.

�. Thefollowingoptionsexist:

a. Clickthecorrespondingcheckboxestoforcestudentstochangetheirinitialdefaultpassword.

b. Clickthecorrespondingcheckboxestonotallowstudentstochangetheirpasswords.

�. ClickSave.



Chapter 18: Data ExtractDataExtractallowsyoutodownloadschool,class,orstudentdatainacommadelimitedformat.InadditiontotheManageDataExtractpermission,theuserneedsatleastoneofthefollowingthreepermissionstoextractcorrespondingassessmentdata:

• ViewallDiagnosticReports

• ViewallPredictiveReports

• ViewallCustomTestReports

Generate/View Data Extract File

Generate Data Extract File


�. ClickData Extract.

�. ClickGenerate Data Extract File.

�. EnterSelectDataExtractcriteria.

a. Select an Extract Type. Click on the “click here” link to view a file layout and field description for the selected extract type.

b. SelectaSubject.

c. SelectanAssessmentType.

i. ForPredictiveorDiagnosticAssessment.

1. SelectAssessmentFormType.

�. SelectGradeofAssessment.

ii. ForCustomAssessment.

1. SelectCustomTestCreator.



�. ClickSearchtodisplayalistofassessmentsthatmeettheSearchcriteria.

�. Enteranamefortheextract.

7. Clickthecorrespondingcheckboxesoftheassessmentstoincludeintheextract.

8. ClickSubmit.Amessagewillappearstatingasuccessfulextract.



View Data Extract File


�. ClickData Extract.

�. ClickView Data Extract File.

4. Click the corresponding file name to download the file.

�. ClickSave to save the file to your computer.



Chapter 19: Managing AssessmentsAssessments are preloaded into the system with default profiles based on what your organizationpurchased.ASuperUserorDistrictAdministratorcanupdateassessmentprofiles, set global performance tiers and create test sessions that requires an assessment to be completed within a pre-defined window of time.

Testing Program

The testing program option allows a district to set up pre-defined testing sessions (window). Ifadistrictchoosestousetestingprograms,thenteachers/educatorsinyourdistrictwillnotbeabletoassignstudentstotakeanassessment(createassignments)unlessthedistrictcreatesatestsessionandexplicitlyassociatesassessmentswiththesessions.Anassessment may only be associated with one testing session at a time. Note: Custom tests arenotpartofatestingprogram.Theycanbeassignedatanytime.

Set Testing Program


�. ClickTesting Program.

�. SettheTestProgramoption.This option should either be turned on or left off; it is not something that is changed back and forth.Chooseoneoftheseoptions:

a. ClickthecheckboxtoenableUse Testing Program.ThismeansALLpredictiveanddiagnosticassessmentsarepartofthetestprogram.

b.UnclickthecheckboxtodisableUse Testing Program.Youmaynotdisablea test program that contains open assignments. These assignments must first bedeletedorcompletedandscored,oryouwillreceivetheerrormessagebelow.



Create a Testing Program Session



�. ClicktheAdd New Sessiontoaddanewrowtothetable. Note: this button is only available if the Use Testing Program checkbox is checked.

�. Enterasessionname.

�. EnteraBeginDate. Note: This is the begin date of the Test Session Window. The first day a student can

beassignedtotakethisassessment.

6. Enter an End Date. Note: This is the end date of the Test Session Window meaning bythisdateallassignmentsforanassessmentassociatedwiththissessionmustbecompletedandscored.

7. ClickSave Program.

Update Testing Program Session Information



�. UpdateSessioninformationasdesired.

a. Update Session Name.

b. UpdateBeginDateforthecorrespondingTest.

c. UpdateEndDateforthecorrespondingTestSession.

�. ClickSave Program.



Delete a Testing Program Session



�. ClickRemovelinkforthecorrespondingtestsession. Note: a testing session may not be removed if it contains one or more assessments

thathaveopenassignments.

�. ClickOK to confirm the delete.

Add/Remove an Assessment to a Testing Program Session


�. ClickTesting Program to display a list of existing Test Program sessions. Note: If noneexist,followthestepsaboveinthe“CreateaTestingProgramSession.”

�. ClickthecorrespondingShow Assessments/EditlinktoaddanassessmenttotheTestSession.

�. Clickthe“+”symboltoexpandtheassessmentdescriptionhierarchy(hierarchyconsistsofsubject,assessmenttype,gradelevelandtestname)tableifnecessary.Clickthecheckboxestoselectassessments.Byselectingthetoplevelinthehierarchy,alllevelsbelowareautomaticallyselected.Forexample,ifyouclickedLanguageArts,alldiagnosticandpredictiveassessmentsforallgradesareselected.Note: An assessment may only be assigned to one test session. If an assessment is associatedwithanothertestingsession,thenameanddatesofthetestingsessionareshowninparenthesis.

�. ClickAdd Selected.

Note: To remove an assessment from a testing session, click the corresponding checkboxandclickRemove Selected.However,anassessmentmaynotberemovedfromatestingsessionifthereareopenassignmentsassociatedwiththeassessment.



�. ClickSave Program.

Assessment Profiles

Everyassessmentissetupwithdefaultparameterstohelpensureconsistentadministrationofanassessment.Dependingontheassignmentstatus,theSuperUserorDistrictAdministratorcanchangetheseassessmentparameters.Theseparametersincludesettingatimelimit,allowingcalculators,givingreportaccess,andsettingreportperformancetiers.Globalperformancetierscanalsobeset.

View/Edit an Assessment Profile


�. ClickProfiles and Tiers.



�. ClickManage Assessment Profile.

�. EnterSearchCriteria.

a. Selectasubject.

b. Selectanassessmenttype.

c. Selectagradeofassessment(notneededifcustomisselectedforassessmenttype).

�. ClickSearchtoviewalistofassessmentnamesthatmeetthesearchcriteria.Eachassessmenthasoneofthefollowingstatuses:

a. Assigned:Openassignmentsexistfortheassessmentregardlessifanyassignmentshavebeencompleted.

b. Completed:Atleastoneassignmentfortheassessmenthasbeencompleted.Therearenoopenassignments.

c. Available for Assignment:Theassessmentisassociatedwithatestingsession(ifapplicable)buthasnotbeenassigned.

d. Unavailable for Assignment:Theassessmentisnotassociatedwithatestingsession(notapplicableforcustomtestoriftestingprogrammingisdisabled).

�. Dependingontheassessmentstatus,thefollowingoptionsareavailableforeachassessment.

a. IftheassessmentstatusisAssigned or Complete:

ClickthecorrespondingEditlinktoupdateinformationabouttheassessment.Most fields cannot be changed if an assignment exists.

Checkthecheckboxtorestrictaccesstoitemsonreports.TheeducatorcheckboxrelatestoDistrict,ClassandSchool-levelreports.Thestudentcheckboxrelatestostudent-levelreports.Ifthischeckboxisnotcheckedthenausercanviewatestitemonlinewhilereviewingreports.



b. IftheassessmentstatusisAvailable for Assignment or Unavailable for Assignment.

CheckthecorrespondingEditlinktoupdateinformationabouttheassessment.

i. Checkthecheckboxtomaketheassessmentatimedtestandenteratime limit in minutes.*

ii. Check the checkbox to allow test assigner to disable the time limit.*

iii. Check the checkbox to allow a calculator.*

iv. Checkthecheckboxtoallowtestassignertoenableacalculator(onlyavailable if allow calculator box is unchecked).*

v. Checkthecheckboxtorestrictaccesstoitemsonreports.TheeducatorcheckboxrelatestoDistrict,ClassandSchool-levelreports.Thestudentcheckboxrelatestostudent-levelreports.Ifthischeckboxisnotcheckedthenausercanviewatestitemonlinewhilereviewingreports.

vi. ClickEditPerformanceTierslinktochangetheperformancetiers.

1. Enternumberofperformancetiers.

�. EnterMaximumpercentagepointsforeachTier.

�. ClickSave Tiers.

7. ClickSave Profile.

* not available if the assessment type is custom



Manage Default Tiers

Everyassessmentissetupwithdefaultperformancetiers.Defaultperformancetiersareusuallysetupinfourlevelsfrom0–��%,��–�0%,�1–7�%,and7�–100%.TheSuperUserorDistrictAdministratorcangloballychangethedefaultperformancetiersbyassessmenttypefortheirorganization.Thesenewperformancetierswillbeusedasthedefaultonallreportsfortheselectedassessment.Theglobalparametercanbeoverriddenbyselectingan individual assessment (see the “View/Edit an Assessment Profile” section above).

Manage Default Tiers


�. ClickProfiles and Tiers.

�. SelectaSubject.

�. SelectanAssessmentType.

�. SelectGradeofAssessment(notneededforCustomTests).

�. Toviewacurrentlistofperformancetierinformationbygrade.

a. ClickView Tier Information.

b. ClickEditlinktochangethePerformanceTiers.

7. Select Number of Performance Tiers.

8. SelectChoosePerformanceTierRanges.

9. ClickSave Tiers.



Chapter 20: Multi-District Report UsersThemulti-districtreportuserroleisusedsolelyforreporting.Userswiththisrolecanaccessreportingatstudent,class,schoolanddistrictlevelsaswellasamulti-district(group)level,where applicable in your specific setup. If your school system consists of more than one district,youmightwanttocreateorupdateausertohavethisrole.This role can only be assigned by a CTB associate.

Multi-districtreportuserscannotcreateassignments,scorestudents,createoreditstudentsoreducators.Youcanrequestauserwithonlythisroleorupdateanexistingusertohavethisroleinadditiontoanycurrentroles.Userscantogglebetweenroleswithintheapplicationasneeded.

Acuitycurrentlyoffersthefollowingreportsinamulti-districtformat:

• Assessment

• AYP

• Roster

WhenaMulti-DistrictReportUserlogsintotheapplication,hewillgenerallynotbepromptedtoselecta“universe”.Thedefaultuniverseisthegroupthatcontainsalltheapplicabledistricts.However,youruniversecanbeslicedinseveraldifferentwaysasneeded.Creation of groups can only be done by a CTB associate.Eachgroupcanbenamed to your specification. Let’s say your universe consists of 5 districts: A, B, C, D and E. Youmightwanttocreategroupslikethis:

• COGroup1=DistrictsA,B,C,DandE

• COGroup�=DistrictsAandB

• COGroup�=DistrictsC,D,andE

IfthisistrueandifthisMultiDistrictReportUseristiedtoall�groupsabove,hewillberequiredtoselectoneofthosegroupsuponloggingintoAcuity.



Anymulti-districtreportsviewedwillbearoll-upofthedistrictsinthegroupselectedatlogin.TheusercanclickSwitchRolestoswitchtoadifferentgroup.Whenviewingreportsatthedistrict-or-lowerlevel,theMultiDistrictReportUsercannavigatetothedesireddistrict/school/class.

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