Using Pro-Core in the Classroom

Pro-Core has evolved over the past 20 years to stay aligned to the changes in Ohio’s learning standards and testing program. It is more than an assessment practice product. Pro-Core has always been designed to be a tool to support teacher-directed instruction and student learning.

Pro-Core’s main purpose is to provide teachers high quality student data (HQSD) to inform teachers of students’ strengths and weaknesses in specific subjects which the teacher can use in planning instruction. The assessments themselves can be used to teach the concepts required in the state curriculum. That means that Pro-Core can be tailored by the teacher to fit their teaching style.

Below are some ways that successful teachers have told us how they use Pro-Core in their classrooms.

1. Students are administered Form assessment—starting with Form A.
2. Teachers view the class and individual student scores in various reports that help teachers analyze the data to determine which content students may need additional support.
3. Based on the results, teachers use SCWAs to plan group or individual instruction.

The basic cycle will be modified based on the teacher’s purpose in using Pro-Core.

• Most schools require Form A, B, and C and leave teachers to choose which other avenues they would like to explore and use.
• Some schools require schools to give the SCWA or TPA and show evidence of planning based upon the data they provided.

1. If teachers are looking for HQSD similar to what is offered by the state tests, they should use the Form tests.
   • Form tests give teachers scaled scores, performance levels, and growth ratings for their students.
   • Form tests will give aggregated results for teachers and school. Students can take one, two, or all three tests.
   • Growth measures require students to take at least two of the three tests.

   A “Level-1” example

   The teacher uses Form A as a pre-test at the beginning of the school year and uses the results to plan instruction. There are teacher reports that show individual student strength and weaknesses in subject concepts. Other reports show class results that can be used to plan small group or whole group instruction. The teacher can then track student progress and performance by using Form B in the middle of the year. Form C is used at the end of the year as a summative test.

2. If teachers are looking for diagnostic, formative data, organized by Ohio’s Learning Standards, they will want to use the Short-Cycle Web Assessments (SCWA).
   • There is a short, separate 6–10 question assessment that has been created for each standard.
   • Students take these tests as many times as they would like, but only once on a particular day.
   • Some teachers use these as a pre- and post-test. Some teachers use these prior to a review session for a test over the subject. Other teachers offer them as a review before Form or state testing.

   A “Level-2” example

   A teacher uses the Short Cycle Web Assessments (SCWAs) throughout the year to focus on individual learning standards. Normally, SCWAs are used as a follow-up to the student or class results on the Form tests. The questions themselves can be used by teachers for instruction in curriculum concepts tailored to the teachers’ classes.

3. If teachers are looking for diagnostic, formative data, aligned to Ohio’s Learning Standards but organized to fit their school’s instruction frame, they will want to use the Teacher Personalized Assessments (TPA).
   • A teacher or team of teachers can select from Pro-Core’s bank of Form A and SCWA questions to assemble unit tests that match their instructional needs.
   • Tests can be as long or as short as teachers decide.
   • Teachers decide how many times students may take the tests.

   A “Level-3” example

   A teacher can use Teacher Personalized Assessments (TPAs) to create single-question bell-ringers and exit tickets for her students. Then the questions are projected in the classroom, and the teacher and students discuss strategies for answering it. The teacher can observe how many students just gave up if they initially didn’t know how to answer a question. Providing these opportunities and discussing strategies to answer the question can give students more confidence to persevere and answer many of the questions they previously gave up on.