MY ASSESSMENT AND REPORTING KIT Interactive Test User Guide Introduction... 2 Buying test credits... 2 Assigning a test... 3 Managing tests... 5 Starting a test... 6 Taking a test... 7 Marksheet and test analysis... 9 Questions... 10 1 January 2018
Introduction RS Assessment from Hodder Education now offers interactive versions of the PiRA and PUMA standardised tests. The interactive versions of the tests are accessed via MARK (My Assessment and Reporting Kit) - https://www.risingstars-uk.com/mark and are marked automatically so that teachers do not need to fill in the marksheets and can access MARK s reports and analysis immediately, saving valuable time. The print and online versions of the tests are identical, so schools are able to use them alongside each other, with more choice and control over how they administer the tests. To use the interactive tests, schools will need to have access to MARK and purchase test credits from the Rising Stars website. When a school places its first order of test credits, MARK is automatically added to the order if the school has not already purchased it for free. To find out more about getting started with MARK, please see our MARK support page, where you can download our guide to setting your school up in MARK. Buying test credits Interactive tests are taken using interactive test credits. Each credit is the equivalent of one test, so 50 pupils would need 50 credits to sit one test. Interactive test credits are specific to the test you buy them for, so PUMA credits can only be used for PUMA tests, and PiRA credits for PiRA tests. You can buy test credits from the Rising Stars website. Simply search for the series that you want a buy credits for, and you ll see the test credits listed alongside all the other purchasing options. Just add the credits to your basket and as soon as you have completed the purchase you will be able to redeem the test credits and set interactive tests using MARK. 2 January 2018
Assigning a test Before you can start assigning tests, you will need to make sure that your pupil records are set up in MARK. You can find our step-by-step guide to MARK here. Once your school is set up, you will be ready to start using the interactive tests. To assign a test to a pupil, group of pupils or class, log into MARK and click on Test Assignments in the left-hand navigation bar. If any interactive tests have already been set up in the past, they will be shown here. First, click on the Assign button on the right. You will now be taken to a step-by-step wizard for setting up a test. First, you will be asked to select which paper you want to set: 3 January 2018
Then, it will prompt you to select which pupils will be taking the test. Choose a class or group using the dropdowns, and then select the pupils using the checkboxes. To select everyone on the list, use the Add all the above pupils button. The right-hand window will show you which pupils you have already selected. Also in this window, you can remove pupils from the list and, where tests allow, you can also assign extra time. Remember: if you make a mistake you will be able to edit or delete this test, as long as no pupils have started it. Any credits used up will be returned to your balance if you delete a test or remove pupils from a test. After selecting the pupils who will take the test, MARK will ask you to select a date for the test to be taken on. This is the first date that the test will be available from. It will continue to be available 4 January 2018
after this date until all pupils have taken the test. After this final stage, your test will be assigned and added to the test list. Managing tests On the list of tests, you can click on an assignment to see the options you have for that test. If no pupils have taken the test, you will have three options: Delete assignment, - selecting this will remove the test from the list (MARK will ask you if you re sure first, in case you accidentally click on the wrong test). Your MARK credits will return to your account. Preview test previewing a test will launch the test so you can take a look at it for yourself. Edit assignment - editing an assignment will allow you to change the pupil list and test date. Note: you can continue to edit an assignment until all of the assigned pupils have taken the test. When at least one of your pupils has completed the test, a View marksheet option will become available. Clicking on this link will take you directly to that test s marksheet where you will be able to review the results. Once everyone has completed the test, the bar will turn yellow, and the options will change: You cannot now delete the assignment, but you can still preview the test and click through to the marksheet. 5 January 2018
Starting a test Pupils will need to do the following to take a test If any pupils need help to login and start the test, teachers should help them get started. 1. Before they start, they will need a code that is specific to that test. You can find this on the Test assignments page: You may wish to write this on the whiteboard so everyone can see it. 2. Then they will need to go to your establishment s online test MARK page. The link for this can be found on the Test assignments page: It may be worth bookmarking this URL on the machines that your school will be using for tests. 3. Once onthe login screen, they will be asked to enter 3 pieces of information to confirm which test they are taking and their identity: a. First, they will be prompted to enter the code from the test assignment list (see step 1 above) 6 January 2018
b. Then they will be asked to confirm their date of birth, and then name: Once complete, the pupil will be taken to the start screen for the test: When they are ready, just click the Start Test button, and the test will start. There is also an option to watch a short video that will explain how to use the interactive test and how the different question types should be answered. Taking a test A typical question screen looks like this: 7 January 2018
At the top of the screen, you can see the pupil s progress through the test: - The yellow ball shows the current question number - A blue ball means that that question has been fully answered A red ball indicates that a question has yet to be fully completed.by clicking on the Review button, the pupil will see an overview of all the questions in the test, and see which questions they have answered as well as which they haven t fully completed: Clicking on any of the questions in the Review panel will take the pupil straight to that question. When a pupil reaches the end of the test, they will see a summary screen that is similar to the review panel: 8 January 2018
Here, the pupil can easily see if they need to go back and finish any questions. As with the Review panel, clicking on any of the questions will take them directly to that question. When they are finished, they can click on End Test. This will complete the test, and the system will then mark it and add the marks to the marksheet. The student will not be able to make any further changes to their answers after clicking this button. Marksheet and test analysis When an interactive test is completed, the results are automatically entered into that test s marksheet. When you are looking at a marksheet, you can easily differentiate between those who took the test on paper and those who did it online, by looking for an icon next to the pupils who completed the test online: If you click on that icon, the test will launch in a read-only mode, showing you the answers that the child gave. You can use this to review the whole test and see exactly what your pupil answered. Should you decide, using your professional judgment, that a question has been incorrectly marked, you can edit the score in the marksheet : simply find the incorrect mark in the marksheet, click on it, and update the mark. 9 January 2018
The same reports and analysis are available for interactive tests as for the paper versions. To access the reports, click on Reports in the left-hand navigation menu. To view the marksheet and access the gap analysis, select Marksheets and Gap Analysis. Questions Q. What happens if we lose our internet connection during a test? If the internet connection is lost, your students will still be able to continue the test, as the whole test is downloaded when the test is started. You should ensure that the connection is re-established before clicking End Test, however, to ensure we receive the pupil s answers. Q. What happens if the browser window is closed mid-test? We save the pupil s progress each time they move between questions. If the window is accidentally closed, they should re-enter the test as described in the Starting a test section, above. After entering the test code and verifying their date of birth, we will take them to the last point in the test at which we saved their progress. Q What does RS Assessment from Hodder Education do to protect the data held in MARK? RS Assessment from Hodder Education takes data privacy seriously. You can find our privacy policy at https://www.risingstars-uk.com/privacy-policy. 10 January 2018