Standards-Based Assessment Suite
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Getting Started

Overview

Welcome to the Exemplars Standards-Based Assessment Suite! We've designed the Assessment Suite to be very easy to use and have included some basic info to get you started below. If you ever find anything confusing, need help, or have general comments you would like to share, don't hesitate to contact us at info@exemplars.com.

The Basics

In addition to the guidelines below, you will find brief instructions and tips throughout the Assessment Suite. These useful pointers are generally located at the top of each screen, or within the section they apply to. You'll see special tips labeled with "Tip:". They don't appear on every screen, but when they do, take a moment to read them—they will save you time!

In the upper-right corner of the Assessment Suite, you will find "breadcrumbs" that show where you are in the tool. These links will help you get back to a previous screen. For example, if you are viewing student progress and want to get back to your class overview, there will always be a link in the upper-right corner for "View Class".

Setting Up the Assessment Suite

Step 1: Creating an Account

Your first order of business is to create an account. Creating an account is free and easy! Simply [click here to get started].

Because we value the privacy of your data, we require you to have a password that is at least 6 characters long and contains at least one lowercase character, one uppercase character, and one number.

If someone from your school hasn't logged in before, you will be asked to tell us the name of your school and school district. This allows us to better categorize your data, and will allow us to provide school and district level reporting in the future.

After you have told us about your school and confirmed your information, you are done, and ready to log in to [create a class]!

Step 2: Creating a Class

After you have created an account, you need to create your first class. Each of the classes you teach for each semester or year should have a corresponding class in the Assessment Suite. This will ensure the reporting we provide to you is accurate, and will keep all your data properly segregated.

To create a class, you only need to tell us the name, start and end dates, and subject. The subject options we provide correspond to the subjects of our Exemplars products. The subject you choose for the class will determine which Exemplars tasks you can add to the class.

Anytime you need to enter a date in the system (e.g. for start and end dates), you can click the calendar icon next to the date field to help you choose the date.

Step 3: Adding Tasks to your Class

After you've created your class, it's time to add a task. After opening your class, click the "Add Task" button.

Adding a task takes three simple steps: choose the Exemplars product that contains your task, choose the task, and then choose a rubric.

Step 4: Adding Students to your Class

Now that you have added one or more tasks to your class, you need to add students to the class so that you can assess their progress. From the main "View Class" screen, click the "Add Student" button in the "Students" section at the bottom of the page to add a student.

When adding students, there is a step that searches the students you have already entered to help eliminate duplicate students.

Ongoing Use of the Assessment Suite

Overview

After your classes, tasks, and students have been set up, you are ready to begin realizing the power of the Assessment Suite! Each task has four stages that we suggest you follow:

Although you don't have to do each of these stages, and you don't have to do them in order, we have designed these steps to guide you through the effective use of the Exemplars Tasks. We feel that these steps will help you realize the full value of your investment in Exemplars.

Note that although you do need at least one class, task, and student to get to this point, you can add more classes, tasks, and students at any time.

Step 1: Preliminary Planning

Click the "plan" link next to a task on the View Class screen to begin the Preliminary Planning stage. We have provided a number of questions for you to answer to help you plan your delivery of an Exemplars Task to your students. You can fill in your answers to those questions and save them for later review. You can also print them, for reference while you're not at your computer.

Step 2: Input Assessments

After you have delivered a task to your students, click the "assess" link next to the task on the View Class screen to input your assessments. Inputting your assessments allows you to view comprehensive reporting of each student's results, as well as overall class results.

On the Input Assessments screen, you will see each student in your class, and each of the criteria for the rubric you are using for that task. Select a score for each of the criteria for each student, and enter any comments for that student in the box provided. Be sure to also set the date that the task was completed. Accurate dates ensure that the charts are drawn correctly.

Step 3: Report Progress

After assessment data has been entered, all of the associated charts and statistics will be automatically created for you. To view detailed reporting on the progress of a given task, click the "report" link next to the task on the View Class screen.

In addition to the statistics available through the task-specific "report" link, you can also view progress across multiple tasks by clicking on the "View Overall Progress" button. This will show progress for all students across all tasks. To view progress for a specific student across all tasks, scroll down to the "Students" section of the View Class screen, and click "view" next to the student whose progress you wish to review.

Step 4: Reflection Diary

After you have planned the task, delivered it to your students, entered your assessments, and reviewed the reports of your students' progress, it is important to take time to reflect on the task. Reflection is necessary for continuous improvement in delivery methods and student performance.

Clicking the "reflect" link next to the task on the View Class screen will present you with a number of questions that will guide you through the process of reflection. Just like Preliminary Planning, this information can be saved for later and also printed.

At the top of the View Class screen, there is a button that allows you to "View Full Diary". This will give you a consolidated view of all the Reflection Diary entries associated with your class. This tool is helpful for additional reflection at year-end, or to print a copy of all your diary entries at once.

Exporting Data

Many schools now use electronic grading systems. If your Exemplars Task assessments need to be entered into your grading system, we have provided an easy way to export your data to a spreadsheet, which can then be imported into many of these systems.

To export data for a single class, go to the View Class screen for that class, and then choose "Export Class Data (Excel)" at the top of the screen. To export data for all your classes at once, go to the My Account page, and click "Export All Data (Excel)" at the bottom of your "Classes" listing.