Multi-Classroom Testing

Many people use Yrdstick for K-12 and higher-ed assessment. You may have a scenario in which you want to distribute an assessment to many students across different classrooms, teachers, schools, or even districts and states. We'll cover how to set up your assessment to make it easy to capture results from many students across many different classrooms while still allowing individual teachers easy access to their own students' results.

In this guide we'll cover:

  • Distributing an assessment and collecting results from multiple classrooms.
  • Collecting anonymous results from students, while still allowing teachers access to their own students' scores.
  • Testing teachers themselves in addition to their students and keeping the teacher results separate.
  • Distributing instructions to your teacher to make preparation easy for them.

Overview

Here are the steps you'll complete when administering assessments in this manner.

  1. Create an Assessment
  2. Create One or More Test Groups
  3. Choose an Access Method for Students
  4. Communicate with Your Teachers
  5. Share the Assessment Link
  6. Grant Teachers Access to Student Scores

1. Create an Assessment

When it comes to creating an assessment, you don't need to do anything special to collect results from large groups of students. Create an assessment as you normally would.

2. Create One or More Test Groups

For each group of results you'd like to collect, you'll create a separate Test Group. For example, if you'll be testing both a group of teachers and their students, you may want to keep teacher results separate. To do this, create a test group for the teachers and a separate test group for the students.

You can create as many or as few test groups as you need for an assessment. Each test group has its own unique link to access the assessment. All results obtained using that link will be collected together in that test group.

3. Choose an Access Method for Students

In order to associate pre- and post-test results, assessments must be accessed using an identifier of some sort. Yrdstick assessments can be accessed three different ways - using an email address, Google Login, or passcode. When people follow the assessment link you share with them, they'll be prompted to access the assessmenet using one of these three methods.

Each method has its advantages. You'll want to consider which method is best for you and your respondents before you distribute links to your assessment.

By default each of these three methods will be available to students, however, you'll likely want to standardize on one and communicate your preference to teachers ahead of time. You can also restrict which methods are available in your test group settings so that the method you choose is the only method available.

Email Login

  • Simple access using an email address.
  • No preparation or classroom setup on the teacher's part.
  • Requires all test takers to have a unique email address.
  • No access to student results for teachers.

Google Login

  • Simple access via Google Login.
  • Requires that test takers have a Google account.
  • Offers teacher access to student scores if the teacher and students belong to the same Google Classroom.

Passcode Login

  • Only method in which you can keep results anonymous for you as the assessment creator.*
  • Allows teachers access to their students' scores.
  • Requires brief setup by teachers to generate passcodes for their students.

Access Methods, Anonymity, and Teacher Access

This table shows how the different access methods compare.

Access Method Anonymous Results Teachers can view student scores
Email Login No No
Google Login No Yes (if they are using Google Classroom)
Passcode Login Yes* Yes

*In order to maintain anonymity of results, teachers will need to use the passcode method for their student logins AND enter an anonymous identifier instead of student names when generating passcodes. See below for instructions.

4. Communicate with Your Teachers

Once you've chosen an access method, you'll want to communicate with your teachers to let them know how to prepare and what to expect. Be sure to address the following items:

  1. Assessment Link(s): Let them know you'll be sending them a link to access the assessment. If you're testing the teachers themselves separately from their students, be sure to explain that you'll be sending two links: one for the teachers to use and another for the students.
  2. Access Method: Communicate how you'd like them and their students to access the assessment (email, Google Login, or passcode). For example, you may want teachers to use their email address, but to have their students to use passcodes. You can enforce this by enabling only the login method you want for each test group.
  3. Passcode Instructions: If you've chosen passcodes as the access method for students, share instructions for how teachers can generate the passcodes for their students (see below).

Passcodes Instructions

If you decide to use passcodes, share these instructions with your teachers. If you need to maintain anonymity of your results, be sure to instruct teachers to enter anonymous identifers instead of student names when generating passcodes.

Passcode Instructions for Teachers

  1. Log in to your Yrdstick account or create a free account if you don't already have one.
  2. Follow these instructions to create passcodes for your students.

The "create passcodes" link has instructions for optionally entering anonymous IDs instead of student names. Emphasize that your teachers should follow this option if you require anonymity. Common choices for identifiers are school IDs, seating chart numbers, or simply numbering students sequentially from the class roster. Any method that is meaningful to the teacher but anonymous to you will work.

When it's time for students to take the assessment, you'll share the test group link with teachers. As mentioned above, each test group has its own link. By using these unique links, results from different groups are collected independently.

Continuing with the example mentioned above, if you created a test group for teachers and a separate test group for students, you'll share the link from the teacher test group with your teachers so that they themselves can take the assessment. You'll then separately share the link for the student test group so that teachers can have their students complete the assessment using that link. In this way teacher and student results are kept separate.

6. Grant Teachers Access to Student Scores

If you'd like teachers to be able to see their students' scores, your test group has a special link for that.

  1. Log in to Yrdstick.
  2. Navigate to the assessment and test group containing the student results.
  3. Locate the "Results Link for Teachers."
  4. Share this link with your teachers.

When teachers follow the link, they will be prompted to log in to Yrdstick and will be able to see only their own student scores.

Conclusion

Testing large numbers of students doesn't have to be difficult. Spending a little time up front planning and communicating with teachers can make all the difference.

If you have questions about this guide or any aspect of Yrdstick, we're here for you. Contact us at support@yrdstick.com. We're happy to help.