Additional Performance Levels for Local Assessments

Overview

Aware has the ability to accommodate up to five performance levels on local assessments. An Aware Data Administrator will need to set the names of the performance levels for the district. Performance level defaults can then be managed for each Test Type. When creating a new assessment, the test will inherit the default percent score cut points for its test type; however, individual test creators can change the percentages for a specific test. 

Naming District Performance Levels

An Aware Data Administrator will set up the five performance level names for the district to use across all local assessment test types. 

To set these names,

1. Click on the Assessments tab.
2. Select the Performance Levels icon.
3. Type the names of the performance levels you want to use across the district.
4. Click Save.

Because assessment authors will be able to see and use any and all of these possible performance levels, it is advisable that a district name all of them and develop logistics for how they might be used on different test types. 

Texas Districts 

Districts in Texas have the option to customize all five performance level names.  Although not a recommendation, if districts want to compare/summarize local tests with STAAR, Approaches Grade Level, Meets Grade Level and Masters Grade Level must go in performance levels 3, 4, & 5 respectively.  If you have questions, please contact [e-mail] or [e-mail] 

 

Florida Districts

Districts in Florida have the option to customize all five performance level names.

Applying District Performance Levels to Test Types

By default, all existing test types will inherit the pre-existing 70% and 100% cut points.

                                           

An Aware Administrator can customize the default performance levels by entering percent score cut point values for each Test Type.

• Each test type can contain 0-5 performance levels.
• If a performance level percentage field is grayed out, then that level will be inactive by default for new tests of the corresponding test type.
• It is possible to have a test type or an assessment without any performance levels. In this case, all percentage fields are grayed out and the data display will include default fields for the district, campus, teacher, section and student levels.
• For more details, see the Performance Level Data Display section.

Note: Be sure to check the appropriate boxes under the View Options heading so the test type can only be used for District level testing or both District and Campus level testing.

Performance Levels for Existing Local Assessments

Historical tests inherit the previous two cut points of 70% and 100%. These results exist as the third performance level and the fifth performance level, respectively. A district is able to change these performance level values on a test-by-test case. 

Texas Districts

Tests that were administered prior to the beginning of September 2016 when the new performance levels were released will maintain the scored Satisfactory and Advanced results unless a test author goes back and rescores the tests with new performance levels.

Mass Editing Test Performance Levels 

At this time, the ability to mass edit performance levels using the Mass Test Editor has been disabled and will return at a future date. 

Changing Performance Levels for Individual Tests 

When a test creator builds an assessment, the test will default to the pre-set, district performance levels with associated percent cut points based on the Test Type. A test creator can change the percent values for an individual test but cannot change the performance level names set by the district. If the district does not want test creators to change the percentages for a test created within a specific test type, then the district needs to clearly communicate its expectations to test creators. 

Clearing a percent value will deactivate a performance level and set it to 0 so it no longer appears in the data display. 

If scores have already been collected for a test and a teacher or administrator wants to change the performance level percentages, then the teacher or administrator needs to change the percentages on the General tab and click Save. Then the Rescore button MUST be pressed on the Administration tab for the new performance level percentages to take effect.

Performance Level Data Display

Performance Level data fields will be located in the Scores Folder.

No Set Performance Levels

An assessment without any performance levels will display default fields for the district, campus, teacher, section and student level views.

District Level View

Campus Level View

Teacher Level View

Section Level View

Student Level View

Five Performance Levels

If all five performance levels are set for an assessment, then the data display will include the percentage of students achieving each level of performance. If a student has reached the fifth performance level, then s/he will also be included in the data for performance levels 1-4. The percentage of students in each performance level should decrease or remain constant from performance levels 1 through 5.

In the image below, 25.15% of students scored at or above the Performance Level 1 threshold. That means 74.85% scored below Performance Level 1, and a portion of the 25.15% also reached Performance Level 2, Performance Level 3, Performance Level 4 and Performance Level 5.

Note: Deactivating performance levels and changing percent values for a test will still allow users with view editing abilities to summarize results. Assessments' performance level fields will summarize as they always have with the same fields in other tests, while missing fields in one test will simply be missing from the summarized view.