Module+5+Reflection

__**Technology Impact**__

__**Description**__: Last year my school building decided to buy a software system called Principia. This system is similar to the old Scantron system, however it is much more modern. With this system, students put answers to tests on standard answer document, those documents are then ran through a scanner and sent to a computer. Once loaded in the computer, a software program grades and analyzes the tests. When the analyzing is done, there are a series of reports that can be printed and distributed to either teachers or students.

__**Impact**__: At my school we are required to give, what we call short cycle assessments, twice a quarter. These assessments are to be not only unit tests, but they are also to be cumulative. Therefore, they can be somewhat lengthy tests. At the conclusion of the assessment, we are required to collect and analyze the data from each student. We are to look at the questions that were most missed and the ones that the most students got correct. Before this system, grading and analyzing was an extremely long and tedious process. However, last year we bought this program called Principia. Now, all we have to do is make sure our answer keys fit a specific format, and that enables us to simply run all the tests through any scanner in the building. Those files are sent to one of two computers in the building that have the Principia software installed. The software then runs three different reports for each set of tests that are scanned. These reports are extremely helpful in analyzing results and giving students great feedback. After each short cycle assessment we use these reports to re-write or tweak the test for the next time students take it. We also use these results to know which cumulative questions should be re-used and which ones have been mastered.

__**Intent**__: This year I have used this data in many ways. One way that I use it is to pick out the questions from each assessment that I need to recover or need to re-write for the next time students take the test. I also have each question on my tests aligned to a specific standard and benchmark. This helps me know which ones of those I need to spend more time on. I can then take all the questions that students seemed to struggle the most with and reuse those in other quizzes and activities we do in the classroom.