2015 NCTA Conference

Workshop September 9, 2015

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A partnership between The University of Wisconsin and Castle Worldwide

Offering the comprehensive and successful University of Wisconsin System placement testing program to the national higher education market

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Full Service for All

Testing- related Needs

Psychometric Consultation

Job Analysis and Exam

Development

Exam Assembly &

Standard Setting

Candidate Registration

and Fulfillment Test Admin & Delivery

Test Scoring and Analysis

Program Evaluation for Accreditation

Project Management

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Overview of the University of Wisconsin System Center for Placement Testing

Developing and validating placement exams for the state of Wisconsin for over 40 years Exams are used by both two- and four-year campuses within UW System

Exams are developed by faculty, for faculty.

Center’s psychometric staff oversee item development and review, test scaling, and test validation.

Offer exams in math, English, French, German, and Spanish Exams place into all courses in introductory sequence

UW has successfully delivered exams through Castle for last year.

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University of Wisconsin System’s

Comprehensive and successful placement testing program

40 years of proven placement test design and delivery experience

Validated exams

Castle’s Delivery System

Flexible delivery options

Highly reliable exam delivery engine

Responsive customer service

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Mathematics Placement Exam

85 multiple choice items

90 minutes to complete entire exam

Students receive scores for each of three content areas Math Fundamentals Advanced Algebra Trigonometry

Can be used to place into multiple levels of mathematics courses

Reliabilities range from .85 to .90

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Mathematics Placement Exam: Math Fundamentals Blueprint

Objective % of Scale

ARITHMETIC Integer Arithmetic 5%

Rational and Decimal Arithmetic 10%

Introducing Algebraic Skills 10.0%

ALGEBRA Simplifying Algebraic Expressions 10.0%

Factoring Algebraic Expressions 7.5%

Linear and Quadratic Equations 10.0%

Linear Inequalities 5.0%

Introduction to Solving Rational and Radical Equations 5.0%

Functions 7.5%

Solving Literal Equations 5.0%

GEOMETRY Plane Geometry 10.0%

Three-Dimensional Geometry 5.0%

Geometric Relationships 10.0% 8

English Placement Exam

Approximately 100 multiple choice items Writing Mechanics

Usage

Sentence Correction

Reading Comprehension

90 minutes to complete exam

Scores for writing mechanics and reading comprehension separately, as well as composite score can be provided

Reliabilities of .85 for subscales; above .90 for composite score

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English Placement Exam

Writing Mechanics Blueprint

Objective % of Scale

Run-on, comma-splice, fragment 17.5%

Parallelism and Subordination 12.5%

Adverb/Adjective/Comparison 10.0%

Punctuation for Clarity 10.0%

Subject-Verb Agreement 10.0%

Tense and Form 10.0%

Pronoun Agreement, Case, Reference 10.0%

Dangling and Misplaced Modifier 7.5%

Idiom and Diction 7.5%

Economy and Word Order 5.0%

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Foreign Language Exams

Exams in French, German, and Spanish

Approximately 50-60 multiple choice items Language Mechanics

Grammar Cloze Passages Conversational items/Logical Rejoinders

Reading Comprehension

60 minutes to complete exam

Scores for language mechanics and reading comprehension separately, as well as a composite score can be provided

Can be used to place from 1st to 5th semester in the language

Reliabilities above .90 for the composite scores

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Foreign Language Exams

French Language Mechanics Blueprint

Objective % of Scale

Lexical 32.5%

Verbs 20.0%

Pronouns 20.0%

Syntax 12.5%

Articles and Adjectives 10.0%

Relatives and Questions 5.0%

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Objective % of Scale

Verbs: Present Tense 10.0%

Verbs: Other Tenses 25.0%

Nominal Phrases 30.0%

Sentences 15.0%

Special Cases 10.0%

Pragmatics 10.0%

Foreign Language Exams

German Language Mechanics Blueprint

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Foreign Language Exams

Spanish Language Mechanics Blueprint

Objective % of Scale

Verb Tense, Aspect, and Agreement 20.0%

Communicative/Logical Completions 15.0%

Mood 15.0%

Ser/Estar/Haber/Tener/Hacer 15.0%

Lexicon 10.0%

Direct and Indirect Object Pronouns 5.0%

Other Pronouns, Conjunctions, and Negatives 5.0%

Uses of “se” 5.0%

Gustar and Similar Verbs 5.0%

Modifiers and Comparisons 5.0%

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Current Annual Testing Volume

Within the state of Wisconsin

Test Year the First Form was Published

Current Approximate # of Students

Math 1982 25,000

English 1975 20,000

French 1988 1,000

German 1988 1,000

Spanish 1988 8,000

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Accommodations Principles English Placement Test Mathematics Placement Test Foreign Language Placement Test Time Limits Visual Impairments Accessibility

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Prefer mid-semester/first major assessment scores Characteristics of correctly enrolled students

Average half a grade point higher Drop less frequently

Continue in discipline longer Higher satisfaction ratings

Correlates with other expected outcomes Scores increase as HS units increase Scores decrease with time away from discipline EPT scores correlate strongly with student writing samples

UW Validation Data

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Benefits

Content and item types are developed and reviewed annually by faculty who teach the relevant courses

Math/English tests produce scores for all content areas necessary for placement into introductory sequence

A broader range of content is tested in math allowing for placement not only into/out of developmental level math, but into upper level math courses as well

Robust exams in French, German, and Spanish

Effective tool for quick and accurate placement across a diverse set of institutions

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Practice Examinations

Full-length practice exams will be posted to the Tailwind website within the next couple weeks

Each exam contains its own link that provides an overview of the test and a full length sample exam

Note that these are paper based sample exams, but they do provide students and educators with an idea of the types of items one will be exposed to on the actual exam

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Internet-based Testing Options http://vimeo.com/100429164

In client sites (within your campuses) In Castle’s network

550+ sites US/Canada 230 + sites internationally

Online with Live Online Proctoring

Testing options can be combined

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Payment Options Post-pay:

Client/University invoiced on a monthly basis for tests delivered during previous month

Purchase Order: Client/University designates number of test units Castle is approved to deliver. Castle invoices on a monthly basis for the tests delivered against the Purchase Order.

Check: Client/University submits pre-payment by check for a designated number of test units.

E-commerce: Students who test off campus through Castle’s sites or Live Online Proctoring can pay via e-commerce at the time of test scheduling.

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Student Registration Options Test Delivery Solutions Student Registration (receipt of

student eligibility data)

Option 1: Client/College test sites and proctors

Walk-in registration (pre-registration is not required for walk-in)

Option 2: Castle test sites and proctors: a. Domestic only OR b. Domestic and international

Web services or eligibility autoloader (no walk-ins permitted)

Option 3: Castle live online proctoring (domestic and international)

Web services or eligibility autoloader (no walk-ins permitted)

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Data Reporting Options Test Delivery Solutions Data Reporting Solutions

(Student registration status and score results data)

Option 1: Client/University test sites and proctors

Web services OR Client report portal

Option 2: Castle test sites and proctors: • Domestic only OR • Domestic and international

Web services OR Client report portal

Option 3: Castle live online proctoring (LOP) • Domestic and international

Web services OR Client report portal

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Student Score Reporting Options

Option 1: Immediate score reporting to the student upon submission of the test for scoring (or time expiration)

Option 2: No immediate scores (Client reports score results to students)

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Next Steps

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For more information and to register, Contact:

Patrick Flynn, Sr. Consultant

Direct: 919-657-6936

placementexams@castleworldwide.com

www.tailwindtesting.com

General: 919-572-6880

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Questions

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