Monday, April 25, 2016

Seeing the Big Picture with Galileo’s Comprehensive Assessment System

The webinar “Seeing the Big Picture with Galileo’s Comprehensive Assessment System” was quite a success. Thank you to all who logged on and participated in the event. The webinar gave insight into the different components of the Galileo comprehensive assessment system and answered the following questions:

  • What is the Galileo comprehensive assessment system?
  • What makes a benchmark series comprehensive?
  • How do teachers use the data on student standards mastery, performance and risk, and growth that is generated and available in Galileo?
  • What tools does Galileo offer to incorporate student performance data into educator evaluation or measures of instructional effectiveness? 

If you missed the webinar or would like to forward it on to a co-worker, the link is provided below. 


ATI webinars offer exciting insight into Galileo including the technology that has enabled us to build over 9,000 unique assessments containing nineteen different types of technology enhanced items. The webinars are complimentary and are recorded for later viewing. The recordings can be accessed from the ATI website along with many other helpful videos, Dialogs, and webisodes. View the full schedule of the complimentary webinars demonstrating how thoroughly and flexibly Galileo technology supports educators. Register today. 



Monday, April 18, 2016

Depth of Knowledge Filtering

New - Depth of Knowledge Level Filters in Test Builder and Displays in Reports

ATI has made it easier for districts and charters to develop assessments addressing desired levels of cognitive complexity. Galileo Test Builder has been enhanced to support filtering item searches by Depth of Knowledge (DOK) level while developing assessments. Additionally, when items are administered, DOK information may be easily viewed in several reports (i.e. Item Analysis, Intervention Alert, and Test Monitoring Reports). Soon, DOK levels will also be viewable in the Test Review interface for users with appropriate permissions.

With this functionality available, a quick review of Depth of Knowledge is in order.
 
As we discuss the expectations associated with state standards, a concept that features prominently in the conversation is the idea of Depth of Knowledge (DOK). In the video below, Dr. Norman Webb, the developer of the concept of Depth of Knowledge, explains the four  levels and the importance of all four.

 

 


Level 1:  Recall
Level 1 includes the recall of information such as a fact, definition, term, or a simple procedure, as well as performing a simple algorithm or applying a formula.
Item types: multiple-choice, open response, and technology-enhanced items.

Level 2:  Skill/Concept
Level 2 includes the engagement of some mental processing beyond a habitual response. A Level 2 assessment item requires students to make some decisions as to how to approach the problem or activity, whereas Level 1 requires students to demonstrate a rote response, perform a well-known algorithm, follow a set procedure (like a recipe), or perform a clearly defined series of steps.
Item types: multiple-choice, open response, and technology-enhanced items.

Level 3:  Strategic Thinking
Level 3 requires reasoning, planning, using evidence, and a higher level of thinking than the previous two levels. In most instances, requiring students to explain their thinking is a Level 3 attribute. Activities that require students to make  and support conjectures are also at this level. The cognitive demands at Level 3 are complex and abstract.
Item types: open response and technology-enhanced items.

Level 4:  Extended Thinking
Level 4 requires complex reasoning, planning, developing, and thinking most likely over an extended period of time.
Item types: performance-based assessment and open response.
 
Assessment planning requires the selection of standards. Those standards may require some or all levels of Depth of Knowledge depending on the expectations of the standard. It is essential that district planning includes standards that support the DOK levels a district wishes to measure.

Please contact ATI Education Management Services or your Field Service Coordinator to learn how to incorporate items at the expected Depth of Knowledge into your assessments.
 

Monday, April 11, 2016

New Webinar Series - Discover How Galileo Technology Supports Educators Building a Better World

We invite you to join us for brief and informative demonstrations of Galileo technology known to be helpful to educators working to meet the goal of improving education. Our friendly and knowledgeable Field Services Coordinators are offering a series of webinars which will guide you through the dynamic Digital Curriculum Platform, the robust comprehensive assessment system, and the flexible instructional effectiveness system. 

Through these webinars, you will experience exciting highlights of Galileo including the technology that has enabled us to build over 9,000 unique assessments containing seventeen different types of technology enhanced items. You will also have the opportunity to see our online testing platform that has made it possible to administer over 6,000,000 assessments during the nine months between July 2015 and March 2016. You will also get a peek at our student Dashboard that supports independent learning and helps prepare students to thrive in and shape the future.

View the full schedule of the complimentary webinar series demonstrating how thoroughly and flexibly Galileo technology supports educators. Register today!

By the way, we recently held the first webinar of the series, A Brief, Interactive Overview of Galileo K-12 Online, and we are proud to report it was well-received. If you missed it, check out the recorded webinar