Using the Assessment Tool

Getting Started

Understanding Assessments

The Spellcaster Assessment Tool is a spelling evaluation system designed to assess learners at different phases of Spellcaster's scope and sequence.

Key Features:

• Assess individual students or multiple learners with phase-specific spelling lists
• Flexible response methods including typing and card-based word building
• Detailed performance analysis at both grapheme and word levels

Navigation

Viewing and Managing Assessments

Access all assessment information through the Assessments page in the dashboard sidebar.

Assessment Dashboard Features:

• View complete list of all assessments with creation dates and assigned learners
• Access individual assessment pages for detailed management
• Modify assessment settings including phase level and control type
• Track completion status and access results for completed assessments

Individual Assessment Management:

• Modify assessment phase for specific scope and sequence levels
• Choose between typing (recommended) or click-to-place control methods
• Toggle automatic placement settings for each learner
• Add or remove learners from existing assessments

Setup

Creating New Assessments

Multiple pathways are available for creating assessments to suit different needs.

Creation Methods:

• From Assessments page: Click "New Assessment" in the top right corner
• From Learners page: Use checkboxes or dropdown menus to select students
• From Groups page: Create assessments for entire groups at once

Configuration Options:

• Customize assessment name and learner selection
• Select specific phase of the Scope & Sequence
• Choose appropriate control type for selected learners
• Enable or disable automatic placement settings

Controls

In Assessment Controls

There are two control types available in Spellcaster: typing and click-to-place.

Typing is the default and recommended control type as it more closely simulates the writing process and forces learners to draw on their spelling knowledge.

Click-to-place allows learners to click on the graphemes to place them in the word. This is a simpler method of assessment and is useful for learners who are not yet familiar with keyboarding or require more scaffolding.

Results

Understanding Assessment Results

Assessment results provide comprehensive insights into learner performance through multiple metrics and visualizations.

Key Performance Metrics:

• Placement level recommendation or automatic assignment
• Word Score: Ratio of correctly spelled words to total words
• Grapheme Score: Success rate for individual grapheme usage
• Time Taken: Complete assessment duration

Performance Chart Analysis:

• Color-coded segmented bar charts for grapheme performance:
  • Green: Correct grapheme selection and positioning
  • Yellow: Partially correct usage
  • Red: Incorrect selection or positioning
  • Grey: Grapheme not attempted
• Detailed grapheme-level analytics including attempt counts and timing
• Word-by-word breakdown with color-coded grapheme analysis
• Chronological response tracking in "All Responses" section

Evaluation

Understanding Student Placement

Spellcaster uses a systematic approach to determine appropriate student placement based on assessment performance.

Placement Rules:

• Students are placed at the earliest level where they made three or more word mistakes
• Perfect performance results in placement at the highest level of the assessed phase
• Automatic placement can be enabled or disabled per student
• Placement recommendations are available even when automatic placement is disabled

Important Notes:

• Students can only have one active assessment at a time
• Assessments must be completed or removed before starting new ones
• Individual settings can be modified until assessment completion
• Results and placement recommendations are available immediately after completion