Q & A
Question: How do I determine when to create a Smart Test from the Class Page versus the Flashcards tab?
Answer: When testing the entire class, then create a Smart Test from the Class Page. When testing an individual student, then create the Smart Test from the Flashcards tab.
The are multiple reasons why you should generate a Smart Test from the Class Page when assessing the entire class:
1. You only need to set the criteria for testing once, as the generated test applies to every student in that class.
2. Every student in the class will be tested on an identical set of flashcards, following the same sequence.
3. Navigation between students is more straightforward when accessing tests from the class page.
4. You can easily compare the performance of all students at a glance on the same page.
Question: What does a flag on a Smart Test tell me?
Answer: A flag on a Smart Test indicates that your student’s score is below 85%.
Question: Is there a way to print the smart test results? I would love to give it to the parents at conferences.
Answer: Unfortunately, that feature is not available yet. We plan to incorporate the ability to export test results in the future. However, you can still share information with parents by accessing the student’s profile, which displays their comprehensive learning profile, encompassing both paper assessments and Smart Tests. Additionally, if you’ve added parents, they have access to their child’s information and the option to review and retest the child at home.
Question: How long should we wait if a child does not know a letter before marking it wrong? What is a proper wait time?
Answer: In most cases, motivated students will not hesitate for a long time before providing an answer. Therefore, there is no set wait time. Even if they don’t know the correct answer, they will likely guess if they are stuck.
However, if you notice a student stalling, encourage them to offer their best guess before moving on.
Question: Should you tell the student the answer if they get a letter wrong?
Answer: The timing of feedback depends on the purpose of using Smart Tests.
If you are using Smart Tests for assessment, avoid providing any error corrections until the student completes the entire set of cards. This allows for a more accurate assessment of their overall letter recognition skills.
However, if you are using Smart Tests for teaching or review, provide immediate feedback when the student incorrectly identifies a letter. This helps reinforce the correct letter recognition and provides an opportunity for correction and practice.
Question: How does a smart test differ from an assessment?
Answer: An assessment is conducted after completing a unit, is more time-intensive, requires manual entry, and produces a comprehensive report indicating the student’s standing relative to class and national benchmarks.
On the other hand, a smart test is administered more frequently, is quicker, entered programmatically, and does not generate detailed reports.
Question: Does a student version of the Smart Tests exist? We are concerned that students seeing X and check marks will get discouraged.
Answer: If the teacher is comfortable with students making mistakes, then the students are likely to be comfortable as well. Based on our extensive experience with hundreds of Smart Tests, we haven’t observed that receiving an X discourages students.
The perception of mistakes largely depends on how a teacher handles them. For instance, if a student scores 77%, a teacher can effectively build confidence by emphasizing the correct answers. Instead of focusing on the mistakes, the teacher can say, “Wow, you got 22 correct! That’s impressive! Let’s quickly review the few mistakes so that we can master them all!”
This approach is highly encouraging for students. When a teacher acknowledges what the student knows and provides an opportunity to learn what they don’t know, students are more likely to accept a 77% positively.
Conversely, if a teacher either ignores the score screen, allowing the student to only see the 77%, or simply comments, “Pretty good, next time you’ll do better,” the student won’t receive the same encouraging message. In such cases, students may feel discouraged instead of motivated.
Question: I’m looking for a way to view the results of just one specific smart test for a particular student. Is this possible?
Answer: Absolutely! Navigate to the student’s page. Select Smart Tests. This will display only their information, including the results of all smart tests they’ve taken. You can then locate the desired test and view its details.
