Premier THB for 2014-15

At the end of most units, there is a Unit Practice Test. The Unit Practice Test is a self-
test that allows the student to determine if he is ready to take the Unit Test. Prior to
beginning the Unit Practice Test, the student is required to raise his flag and obtain a
staff member’s initials. This allows the staff member to review the student’s work
leading up to the Unit Practice Test to see if it is complete, accurate, and scored.
Important: This is an excellent time to check if the student has studied the
vocabulary for the unit.

If the staff member feels that the student is not ready to complete the Unit Practice Test,
he should make suggestions as to what he feels will help the student prepare.
(Examples: “Go over the vocabulary again;” “Memorize the formula on page 17;”
“Review this list of items,” etc.)

The student should then complete the Unit Practice Test without referring to the material
in the Unit. If he cannot do this, he is not ready to take the Unit Test but needs
instructional time with a staff member.

The student scores the Unit Practice Test, keeping in mind that 80% is the minimum
score and 90% is recommended. If he is not able to perform that well, he should note
the areas of weakness as determined by the Unit Practice Test material and refer to
those areas in the Unit. When a staff member has reviewed the Unit Practice Test
results with the student and both are convinced that he is ready to proceed, the student
is given the Unit Test on the following school day.

Note: If a score key contains an error, the staff member should correct it in green
ink and initial the change.

Remember: Red scoring marks – Student Green marks – Staff members

UNIT TEST

When a student has completed a Unit in a subject including the Unit Practice Test, he
should submit for review the Unit the day that he finishes and arrange to take the Unit
Test the following day. Unit Tests should be taken in the morning while the student is
still fresh. Encourage the student to study both the Unit and notes in preparation to
pass the test on the first attempt.

Unit Tests are to be taken at the Testing Table, not in the student carrels. The student
should carry only a pencil to the testing table with him. If he needs scratch paper, the
staff member should provide it. Once the student has completed his test at the testing
table, he raises his hand and a staff member takes the test from him. Talking at the
testing table is not permitted.

A score of 70% or more on a Unit Test indicates that the student has mastered the
material covered in a Unit and that he is ready to move on to the next Unit assigned on
his Student Progress Record.

50

A Unit Test score below 70% demonstrates weaknesses and inadequate learning or Formatted: Not Highlight
insufficient mastery of the skills. Obviously, a student who registers a low score has not Comment [TR31]: Corrected 7/24/2014
sufficiently mastered the materials and is not ready to proceed. A repeat is necessary
or the pupil will begin the next Unit with inadequate preparation and will have gaps in his
learning experience. Repeat Units are given with a word of counsel and
encouragement.

When giving a repeat Unit, discuss with the student his areas of weakness. Do not give
him the Unit Test to look over or keep. Tests are measurements of mastery and not
teaching tools.

SCORING UNIT TESTS

The staff has the responsibility of scoring the Unit Test for each unit. Unit Tests should
be scored after the students are dismissed for the day. Do not postpone scoring the
tests since the student should be ready to begin a new or repeat Unit the next day. If a
student scores 70% or better on the Unit Test, the staff should fill out a Congratulations
Slip to be given to the student the next morning during opening exercises. The next unit
to be assigned to the student should be pulled or printed and placed in the student’s
carrel so that he will have it for goal setting the next day. Should the student score less
than 70%, place a repeat Unit in his student carrel so that he can begin it the next
morning. Do not make a public spectacle of the student because he did not pass the
Unit Test with 70% or better. Counsel him privately about the areas of weaknesses with
the previous Unit and Unit Test. Do not give him the old Unit or the Unit Test. Instruct
him to set goals that will allow him to complete the repeat Unit in one week so that he
will not get further behind. (When a student scores below 70% on a Unit Test, it is wise
to pay particular attention to the Unit for scoring violations and incomplete work.
Students who follow procedures and score correctly do not often score below 70% on
Unit Tests.) See Addendum one for district policy on bonus points for first time
Unit Test scores and limitations on scores for retakes.

SCORING ODYSSEYWARE® UNITS

OdysseyWare saves the student a lot of time because it is mostly self-scoring, but some
subjective questions or activities require teacher grading. Lesson activities are
presented to the student one at a time. When the student goes to the next question, the
computer gives a correct or incorrect indication to the student. Missed questions are
later repeated until all are correctly answered or skipped by the teacher. Only then can
the student go to the next lesson. After several lessons are completed, a Quiz is given.
The Quizzes are answered in a manner similar to the lesson activities except there is no
feedback for correct or incorrect responses. As soon as the student exits the Quiz, the
Quiz is automatically graded, and the student can see all his responses if he scored
more than 80%. If he makes less than 80%, the teacher should require the student to
re-study the material. The next day the teacher can clear the Quiz (which will
automatically reassign it) and allow him to take it again. Be careful. If the student made

51

a low grade the first time, he may have simply studied the Quiz expecting to be able to Formatted: Not Highlight
retake it. Comment [TR32]: Corrected 7/24/2014
OdysseyWare does not have a Unit Practice Test. The student should review all Formatted: Not Highlight
Quizzes before taking the Unit Test. BE SURE TO BLOCK Unit Tests when assigning
the course to the student because we do not want the student to enter the test without
teacher intervention. Like the Quizzes, the Unit Test is computer scored. In all subjects
except math there is an alternate Unit Test available. One of these tests can be used
as a Unit Practice Test, if desired.

WHY STUDENTS DO NOT PASS UNIT TESTS

Many factors can contribute to low scores. Review the following list and strive to
eliminate hindrances to success.

1. Improper diagnosis and prescription. The material is too difficult.

2. Improper scoring:
 Omits problems or questions
 Does not correct errors, especially on Quizzes and Unit Practice Tests.

3. Confusing test questions or errors in Test Key. Staff should correct and notify
the Premier High School office of the error.

4. Inadequate concentration during unit work. Negative energy in his carrel will
minimize the student’s ability to focus on academics. Watch for distracting pictures,
toys, and noise. The Learning Center should be a quiet, attractive place where it is
conducive to learning. Watch for careless use of time. Students must not be
permitted to doodle or daydream.

5. Inadequate goal setting. If the student takes too much time completing the Unit,
he will not be able to recall the content during the test. If the student finishes a Unit
too quickly, he may not master the concepts.

6. Inadequate attitude or atmosphere during testing.
 Emotional upset on the day of the test. Something may have happened before
school that upset the student.
 Too many tests on one day.
 Test on Monday morning. Fatigue over the weekend may have caused the
student to forget some of the material.

7. Inadequate staff questioning. Student did not learn the vocabulary or did not
memorize math or science formulas.

52

Charting the Pursuit of Knowledge

(Handling Printed KnowledgeUnits)

Step 1: If the campus has a Scoring/Testing Center/Clerk, the Lead Teacher accesses
his/her own KnowledgeUnit/s from the KnowledgeUnit room, removes the Unit
Test, writes the student’s name and date on the Unit Test, and submits the
Unit Test to the Scoring/Testing Clerk to file.

Step 2: If the campus has a Scoring Table in the classroom, the Lead Teacher writes
the student’s name and date on the front cover of the KnowledgeUnit and
distributes it (from which he/she has detached the Unit Test) to the student
when he arrives to class.

Step 3: The student previews the KnowledgeUnit and reads the objectives, vocabulary,
Let’s Reviews/Quizzes/Chapter Review/Practice Test to become familiar with
the basic content of the KnowledgeUnit and the concepts he should master as
he progresses through the material. The student then enters exact page
numbers on his Goal Card. (Remember that each KnowledgeUnit should be
completed in no more than three weeks. The student sets his goals each day
with that in mind.)

Step 4: The student studies the introduction pages and raises his flag to read those
pages to a teacher. The student should be required to pronounce the
vocabulary words and learn their definitions before he begins the Unit’s
Lessons. The Lead Teacher can read the definition, and the student can give
the word. The Lead Teacher’s initials can then be placed on the vocabulary
page. A line should be placed on the Unit or Practice Test for the Lead
Teacher’s initials indicating that the student has been quizzed on all the
vocabulary. This initial should be required before a student can take the Unit
or Practice Test.

Step 5: The student begins working in the KnowledgeUnit in pencil. Ink is used only on
the Goal Card and on reports.

Step 6: When the student completes his goals in each subject, he should score and
correct his work, and set new goals for the following day.

Step 7: To score his work, the student asks permission to go to the Scoring Station or
Scoring Center, taking only his KnowledgeUnit. The student checks his
answers with the proper score key. If he has a wrong answer, he marks a red
“X” beside the number of the question. If the score key reads, “Answers will
vary.” he raises his hand, and a Lead Teacher or Scoring Clerk reads over the
answer. If the answer is acceptable, the Lead Teacher or Scoring Clerk initials
the answer in green ink. When the pages are scored completely, the student

53

returns the score key and the red pen to the proper places and returns to his
carrel or to his classroom to correct the answers he missed.

Step 8: Once the answers have been corrected and cross-referenced, if required, the
student seeks permission to return to the Scoring Station or Scoring Center to
re-score his answers. When the answers are correct, he circles the red “X”
with red ink. He then replaces the score Key and the red pen in their proper
places and returns to his carrel or classroom. If the student still has incorrect
answers, it will be necessary for him to repeat steps 7 and 8 until all red “Xs”
are corrected and circled. When a student completes scoring and re-scoring
each page and all answers are correct, he circles the page number in red.

Step 9: Before a student completes a Let’s Review/Quiz, the Lead Teacher’s initials
must be obtained and the preceding material should be completed, scored,
and corrected. He scores, corrects, and re-scores the quiz according to steps
7 and 8, and figures his grade or the Scoring Clerk figures his grade and writes
it in red in the proper area. Students should request a Lead Teacher’s initials
before continuing past the Let’s Review/Quiz. This gives the Lead Teacher a
chance to check the student’s progress in learning the material. The Lead
Teacher may want to have the student review certain parts of the
KnowledgeUnit before granting permission to continue. Cross-referencing
may also be required if student’s score is low.

Step 10: The student repeats steps 7-9 throughout the remainder of the KnowledgeUnit
until he reaches the Chapter/Practice Test. The student then reviews the
KnowledgeUnit, especially concentrating on the Let’s Reviews/Quizzes and
the vocabulary. There should be an initial on the vocabulary line indicating
mastery of the vocabulary. When he is ready to complete the
Chapter/Practice Test, the student has the Lead Teacher scan through the
KnowledgeUnit to be sure that everything up to that point is correct and that
the student is ready to complete the Chapter/Practice Test. The Lead Teacher
then initials the Chapter/Practice Test thereby granting permission for the
student to complete the Chapter/Practice Test.

Step 11: The student completes as much of the Chapter/Practice Test as possible
without looking back at the material in the KnowledgeUnit. After completing
the Chapter/Practice Test, he asks permission and goes to the Scoring
Station or Scoring Center to score the Chapter/Practice Test.

Step 12: The student scores the Chapter/Practice Test. He computes his grade and
writes it in red in the upper right-hand corner of the first page of the
Chapter/Practice Test. He then returns to his carrel or to the classroom and
follows steps 7 and 8 to correct and re-score the material. The Lead
Teacher may require the student to cross-reference missed questions if
score is low. A photo copy of Practice Test may be given to the student to
be taken/collected at the Testing Table or Testing Center.

54

Step 13: The student thoroughly studies the Chapter review/Quizzes/Practice Test

giving special attention to the questions that he missed. When he feels that
he has mastered the material on the Chapter/Quizzes/Practice Test, he
requests the Lead Teacher’s permission to turn in the KnowledgeUnit for the
Unit Test or to go to the Testing Center with completed/corrected
KnowledgeUnit in hand to turn in the KnowledgeUnit for the Unit Test.

Step 14: The Lead Teachers has the responsibility to determine if the student is ready
to take the Unit Test by asking questions concerning items missed,
especially those in the Chapter Review/Quiz/Practice Test. At this point, the
Lead Teacher takes the time needed to make sure the student understands
the concepts covered in the KnowledgeUnit. The Lead Teacher should quiz
the student on all Chapter Review/Quiz/Practice Test questions. Once the
student is deemed ready, the Lead Teacher places the KnowledgeUnit in the
“TO TEST” stack tray.

Step 15: After the students have left for the day, the Lead Teacher checks the “TO
TEST” stack tray and pulls the tests from the files and places them back in
the “TO TEST” tray with the finished KnowledgeUnit for the next day.

Step 16: The next morning the Lead Teacher calls the student(s) to the testing table
that have KnowledgeUnits in the “TO TEST” tray. The student is allowed to

bring only two pencils to the testing table. If scratch paper is needed, the

Lead Teacher should provide it. The student does not leave the testing table

until the test is completed. When the student has finished the test, he raises

his hand and waits for a Lead Teacher to collect the test. There is absolutely

no talking at the testing table. The student waits until the next school day for

the results. When the student has completed the test, the Lead Teacher
returns the KnowledgeUnit and Unit Test to the “TESTED” tray.

Step 17: After the students leave for the day, the Lead Teacher pulls the tests from the
“TESTED” stack tray and grades the tests.

Step 18: Skip from Step 14 to Step 18 if the campus has its own Scoring/Testing

Center and Scoring/Testing Clerk:
Teacher sends the student to the Testing Center with completed/corrected
KnowledgeUnit in hand to submit to the Testing Clerk. The Testing Clerk
places the KnowledgeUnit in her “TO TEST” stack tray and issues to student
the Unit Test to take in the Testing Center. The student may have only two
pencils at the table in the Testing Center. If scratch paper is needed, the
Testing Clerk should provide it. The student does not leave the Testing
Table in the Testing Center until the test is completed. When the student
has finished the test, he raises his flag/hand and waits for the Testing Clerk
to collect the test. There is absolutely no talking at the testing table or in the

55

Testing Center. When the student has completed the test, the Testing Clerk
returns the Unit Test to the “TESTED” tray.
Step 19: After the students leave for the day, the Testing Clerk pulls the tests from the
“TESTED” stack tray and grades the tests.
Step 20: The following day the Testing Clerk returns the scored/graded tests to the
appropriate Lead Teacher so that he can record the student’s test score into
Applidesk.
Step 21: The teacher records the student’s test score in Applidesk by clicking on the
grades tab. Depending on the student’s score on the test, the teacher pulls
the next new KnowledgeUnit in sequence (or the same KnowledgeUnit
number to repeat if the student failed to score a 70%). If the student scored
below 70%, the KnowledgeUnit and test are placed in the “CONFERENCE”
tray to be discussed with the student the next day, and the new repeat
KnowledgeUnit is issued to the student. If the student passed the test, a
Congratulations slip is completed; a star is placed on the student’s Progress
Chart; the new KnowledgeUnit is issued to the student, and the old
KnowledgeUnit and test are placed in the “FILE” tray.
Step 22: The next day, the Lead Teacher passes out the Congratulations slips in
opening exercises. After opening exercises, the teacher pulls the
KnowledgeUnits and tests from the “CONFERENCE” tray and reviews the
test with appropriate student/s. After the student/teacher conference (which
may only take a few minutes), the teacher places the old KnowledgeUnit and
test in the “FILE” tray for filing after the students have gone for the day.
Step 23: The teacher checks the “FILE” stack tray each day after school and files the
KnowledgeUnit and Tests for that day.

56