Assessment Result Calcuations

Assessment Results Calculations

An assessment result has limited value if the administrator can not see a trend over time in how the student is performing.  Therefore, the difference in academic performance between a previous assessment result must be calculated, but the difference in time must also be calculated in order to obtain a trend. The following terminology is used when making these calculations.

When there are multiple assessment result records associated with the one assessment code, the student is being tested multiple times on the subject area.  The set of assessment results records creates a picture of how the student performs over time.

Each of theses assessment result records can look back in time and calculate improvement since the last assessment result record associate to that same assessment code.

For example, a student's  assessment result record is linked to the assessment code record names "IXL basic arithmetic".  At the beginning of the term, September 4, 2023, the student scores 720.  An assessment result record is made with date and score, linked to the assessment code, "IXL basic arithmetic" Four months later on January 5, 2024, the student scores a 840.  Another assessment result record is made, both linked to the same assessment code record.

• 4-SEP-2023    720    IXL Arithmetic
• 5-JAN-2024    840    IXL Arithmetic
• The difference in scores is: 840-720 = 120 in improvement
• The difference in time is 5-Jan 2024 - 4-SEP 2023 = about 19 weeks
• The student improves by 120 over 19 weeks.

Generally this data may be plotted on a chart to show the student's progress over time. However, PEMS looks back and calculated improvement at each point in time that an assessment was taken.  The assessment result record contains a complete snapshot of academic performance at that time.   To do this, the academic performance fields are in every single assessment result record.  When a new assessment result record is entered, PEMS finds any other records related to the same assessment code. If a record is found, PEMS calculates a series of differences so that every single assessment record shows the rate of advancement, at that point in time.

 

Naming Convention

• AP stands for Academic Performance, in the example above, AP is 720 and 840.
• The letter "D" stands for difference, just like delta or the 'd' in calculus.
  
• DT stands for the Difference in Time frame.  Time is measured in terms, grade spans, and grade levels. In the example above, the difference in time is 19 weeks, but the difference in time frame is 1 term

 

Examples

AP = Academic PerformancePerformance, D stand for Difference, therefore:

• DAP = different in Academic Performance values between two assessment result records that are associated to the same assessment code record.  In the example above, DAP = 840 - 720 = 120.

DT = Difference in time frame

• DTterm = difference in time frame, measured in units of school terms
• DTGrade = difference in time frame, measured in units of grade levels
• DTSpan = difference in time frame, measured in number of terms in the grade span

DAPDT = the difference in Academictime, Performancetherefore: / difference in a time frame

• DAPDTermDTterm = difference of Academic Performance /the difference in time frame,frame measuredis inone units of school termsterm.
• DAPDTGradeDTGrade = difference of Academic Performance /the difference in time frame,frame measuredis inthe unitsgrade level, from the beginning of grade7th levelgrade, to the end of 7th grade.
• DAPDTSpanDTSpan = difference of Academic Performance /the difference in time frame,frame measuredis inthe unitsgrade span, from the beginning of 6th grade spanto the end of 8th grade.

 

Rate Calculations

DAPDTerm  is the difference in academic performance divided by the corresponding difference in terms. This is the near term outlook, looking at how the student is progressing term by term.

DAPDTGrade is the difference in academic performance divided by the corresponding difference in grade level. This value looks at how the student performed in a giver academic year.

DAPDTSpan is the difference in academic performance divided by the corresponding difference in grade span.  This value takes the widest look at progress over a longer horizon.

 

Fractional Time frames

At any one point in time the student may not have completed a whole term, a whole grade level, or a whole grade span.  Therefore the time frame must be calculated as a fraction of the actual progress in time.   If the student has a start date after the term, the date of the assessment minus the start date yields the number of days, which will yield the portion of term so far completed.

The difference in term, DTterm,  if a full term is not complete,  is the portion  the term that has been completed, like 0.5 if two of four months were completed at the time of the assessment result.

The difference in grade level, DTGrade, if a full grade year was not completed, is that portion of a standard grade year that transpired between the assessment result records. We know the number of days in an academic year, we know the days between the assessment result dates.

The difference in grade span, DTSpan, depends on the assigned span. If a student is in at three-year span, then we calculate the portion of the three-year span transpired between the assessment results.

 

Selecting the correct DAP - which assessments results o use

A student may take an assessment at anytime in the academic school year.  When calculating  time frame differences, PEMS selects the most relevant historical assessment record.  

• For the term time frame, PEMS selectsfinds the earliestoldest assessment result within the current term.
• For the Grade time frame, PEMS selectsfind the earliestoldest assessment result inat the students current grade level.
• For the Grade Span time frame, PEMS selectsfind hethe earliestoldest assessment result inwithin the grade span.

Assessment Antecedent

However, a school may use end of term, end year, or end of grade span assessments to set the baseline for the next phase of learning rather than assessments taken at the start of the term.  In this case, the school prefers to use the assessment results taken just prior to the start of the term to determine academic performance. 

Academic Results are based on calendar dates, so PEMS lets the user can set an "earliness" time frame that finds results prior to the start of the time frame (term, grade level, span), called the assessment antecedent.

The assessment antecedent is configured per term label. For example, the fall term may calculate a time frame difference from the end of the last school term, or may choose to spend the first week setting the academic baseline. Assessment antecedent is entered in number of weeks.

Note: Create the field called "assessment antecedent" in the term label table, decimal field.

Calculations Workflow

When ever a new assessment result record is entered, each result is associated to an assessment code,code.

the assessment allocations are made. 

 PEMS searches for prior assessment result records, and calculates the timedifference differencein academic performance difference between assessment result records.records and the difference in time frames.  Then PEMS calculates all the ratios.various parameter explained herein.

There is no need for this algorithm to be triggered on the event, the algorithm can run nightly to update all assessment result records.

 Once entered, these values are notnever recalculated.