This article is meant to outline key steps to make sure your Skills Benchmark administration runs smoothly, from initial teacher communication to analyzing student results! Following these best practices will help maximize student participation and generate meaningful data to inform instruction throughout your school or district.
Teacher Communication
Before your teachers administer the Skills Benchmark, it's vital to clarify directions and expectations from the start! Send an email to all participating teachers ahead of time that includes:
- Your educational objectives for the benchmark process
- Specific administration timeframe
- Any expectations teachers should set with students
Customize the term "Benchmark" to match the preferred language used on campus. These settings can be applied to specific schools, and the chosen terminology will appear consistently throughout the teacher interface. You can customize the term through your Admin Tools!
Student Preparation Recommendations
To help reduce performance anxiety for students, encourage teachers to:
- Have students log in to NoRedInk before benchmark day
- Familiarize students with NoRedInk
- Explain the purpose of the benchmark assessment
Monitor Administration Progress
Once the administration window has begun, you can select the Administration Status button next to the Benchmark to determine which teachers have administered the Benchmark and which haven't after the first week in your two-week window.
Follow up with any teachers who have not yet administered the assignment to see if they need additional support!
Accessing Benchmark Results
After the administration window closes, you can access the results by selecting View results next to the Benchmark. This information will help inform instructional decisions and identify areas for targeted support.