Benchmark tests are a new addition to ESGI. They cover ELA and Math for grades Pre-K, Kindergarten, Grade One and Grade Two.
Benchmark tests will only display if your school’s District Admin (DA) account holder has set up benchmark subject tabs. The District Admin account holder is the only user in your district who can configure and publish benchmark subject tabs.
If you would like to use this feature but your District does not currently have an active District Admin account, click this link to learn if you are eligible to request a free District Admin account.
This article contains information about the following:
- How to View
-
Administering Benchmarks
- Resuming an Incomplete Test Session
- Viewing Benchmark Results
- Best Practices
How to View:
When published, benchmark tabs and tests will only be visible for Teacher accounts in the Beta version of ESGI. Specialist accounts and Canada-based ESGI users do not have this feature.
Because Benchmark Tests are managed by District Admins, your teacher account must be linked to your district. To verify if you are linked, please select this Support Link. If your account is not linked to your district, use this Forms Link provided to request to be linked.
When the testing window opens, the Benchmark Subject Tabs will appear on the beta ESGI homepage alongside your other District Managed Subject Tabs (Purple and Blue tabs). The Benchmark tabs will be marked with the letter ‘B ’ and will be orange in color and appear first in the subject tab list (Benchmarks, Purple tabs, Blue Tabs, Gray tabs). Please note: The Benchmark tabs will not be visible until the first day of the testing window of that assessment period, set by your district admin.
Administering Benchmarks:
Benchmark tests are designed to be administered to students three times a year, in a designated testing window for each assessment period: Beginning of Year (B.O.Y.), Middle of Year (M.O.Y.), and End of Year (E.O.Y.). The testing window will be chosen by your school’s district admin account holder(s).
When the testing window opens and you select a Benchmark tab, a banner notification above the test cards will display "This is a benchmark tab. Please complete all tests in this tab by XX/XX/XXXX’. The number of days left to complete testing will also show on the same line. In most cases, all visible benchmark tests should be administered to all students matching the grade level of the benchmark subject tab.
When the testing window is closed, either the benchmark tab will be hidden completely, or depending on your District Admin’s settings, the banner message will change to inform you the testing window is closed "This is a benchmark tab. The testing window closed on XX/XX/XXXX’. All ‘Test’ buttons on test cards will be disabled in this case. On the final day the test window is open, you will have until approximately 11:00 PM EST to complete testing for your students who remain untested.
Only benchmark tabs matching the grade level of your students will be visible, and if your District Admin has assigned benchmark tabs to that grade. For example, if all your students are in kindergarten, and your District Admin has published benchmarks to that grade, you will only see the kindergarten benchmark tabs.
Benchmark Tests Key Differences:
- Responses are required for every question in a benchmark test – each one must be marked either correct or incorrect. You cannot skip questions in a benchmark test.
- You will not be able to modify or delete test sessions for benchmark tests.
- Each question appears in the original question order and cannot be changed using the ‘shuffle questions’ setting.
- Each benchmark test can only be administered to a student one time within the testing window for that assessment period.
- The following options have been removed from benchmark tests:
- Skipping questions
- Shuffling questions
- Marking questions as Not Tested (NT)
- Any form of re-testing:
- Testing Incorrect and Not Tested only
- Subset tests
You can administer a Benchmark test two ways, using the regular test screen view, or by adding a manual test session.
Test Screen Testing:
Select the "TEST” button on your first test:
On the testing options panel, you will notice that ‘shuffle question order’ is not an available option on benchmark tests. After the test has been administered, you will not be able to edit it, so proceed carefully through each test question.
Select the "START” button and review any introduction page instructions, then proceed through each of the test questions to the end.
You will not be able to skip questions in benchmark tests, however, you are still able to write question notes.
When the test is completed, you can view your student's test results and add any summary notes.
Adding a Manual Test Session:
To add a manual test session, select the name on the test card.
select "Add Session manually”
When entering your students' test information, you must mark each question in the test as either correct or incorrect, you will not be able to choose "not tested”. Please ensure that if adding a manual session, the student has been administered all questions prior to adding the manual test session. Note: the test session results cannot be edited after they have been added.
You can add question notes and summary notes, as needed, to manual test sessions.
To view the test dashboard, select the test name on the homepage test card.
Once a test has been completed, you will notice that the "TEST" button is disabled on your teacher dashboard. As mentioned, Benchmark Tests can only be administered to students once.
Resuming an incomplete Test Session:
If you are unable to complete the test in one sitting, you will have the option to resume the test later. To do this, simply click the "X” in the upper corner of the test to exit and select ‘Yes’ to leave.
When you are ready to resume testing you will see that the ‘TEST’ button is still clickable. Select the "TEST” button.
Select the "Resume” button on the testing options panel, then complete the test.
Viewing Benchmark Results:
Test results can be viewed as long as the testing window remains open, or if your District Admin has chosen to keep the benchmark tabs published afterwards. If the testing window is closed and your DA has not kept benchmark tabs published, they will no longer be visible.
When benchmark tabs are still visible, to view a class’s test results, you can refer to the test cards whilst a student, class or group is selected.
To see more test data, simply click on the test card to access the test dashboard.
Best Practices:
- Pay attention to the benchmark tabs and ensure all students from the specified grade are tested.
- On your homepage, you can use the ‘Tested’ dropdown to quickly identify incomplete tests.
- You should complete all testing for all required students in the given time frame. This will always display at the top of the Benchmark page.
- You should test all students on all tests visible within each tab.
- You should follow any assessor instructions if present in the test introduction page.