What’s New?

HomeOverviewWhat’s New?

Did You Know…

Pro-Core has been busy developing and improving its products over the 2021–22 school year and have piloted new features. Pro-Core continues to improve and expand our features every year. We work hard to meet your requests. Most of these are met within a few days. Other requests require major research and data analysis and are placed on our development list for the following year. Below are some features we added this past year along with new features.

Scaled Scores and Performance Level Report

Pro-Core is happy to announce the launch of scaled scores and performance levels that are parallel to the scaled scores and performance levels used on Ohio’s State Exams.

You will first see a difference in the student’s scoring screen and in information found under the Pro-Core Assessment Results tab. Additional reports are being revised and will be added in the next few weeks.

If you prefer to see the results using percentage scores Pro-Core has used previously, that is available as well.

Watch the video to see the changes.

Pro-Core and Clever API Integration

The Clever.com Application Programming Interface (API) is used in over 95,000 schools in the US, representing ~75% of US K12 schools and 97 out of the top 100 school districts.

The Clever API interacts with a school’s Student Information Systems (SIS) to create common log-ins for class Rostering and Syncing with external programs such as Pro-Core.

The Clever application is free to schools. The Clever Support page explains what it is, what it does, and how it works.

Pro-Core now includes Clever API integration for class Rostering, Single Sign-On (SSO), and Syncing with direct Pro-Core system support from our Pro-Core technical consultant contact person.

Professional Development Webinars

For new clients, Pro-Core now offers an optional series of three Webinars designed to provide new users with the information they need, at the specific time they need it. Sessions are designed to give teachers opportunities to ask questions as well as time to use their own computers and logins to explore Pro-Core during the training.

Remote Security Features

Additional security features were added this year to the Pro-Core system for schools using remote learning. See Appendix 4 in the online Pro-Core User Manual for a summary of security features available to district and school administrators, teachers, and students.

Teacher Personalized Assessments

Teachers may now create their own Teacher Personalized Assessments (TPAs) for their classes using a bank of questions from Pro-Core’ Form A and Short Cycle Web Assessments (SCWAs), which are directly aligned to the state’s most resent Learning Standards in Reading/ELA, Mathematics, Science, and Social Studies.

Teachers may also submit their own test items for entry into the Pro-Core database. TPAs may be built in collaboration with other teachers and shared with other teachers in their school or district. See Section M in the online Pro-Core User Manual.

Spanish Language Assessments

Spanish language versions of Form A and Form C tests are now available in mathematics, science, and social studies.

Five-Tiered Writing Assessments

Pro-Core has added a new assessment that provides educators with information that can be used to help them enhance writing instruction. The assessment is named Five-Tiered Writing Assessments (5TW). In it, students are guided through five steps to produce writing at DOK levels of 3 and 4. One of the tiers models writing given on ODE assessments. Each activity focuses on an overall theme of the assessment. The act of taking this assessment is not just a test; it is a learning experience for the students.

The Five-Tiered Writing assessments address several Ohio State Standards. As the students respond, they will demonstrate their ability to address them. The experience is much like the high-stakes, statewide assessments they will experience during the year.

This assessment is done in the Pro-Core online program. It can be completed in one or two class periods. The writing portions are scored by the class teacher, and Pro-Core will provide reports, which will give teachers information about how well the students did on the assessment.

Click here for an Overview of 5TW.

Click here to view a sample presentation using an English-language arts five-tiered assessment for grade 10 to show how it works.

Correlations between Pro-Core and Ohio’s State Tests

Correlation reports are available to schools that provide their state test scores. Using historical data, you can see the likelihood of students’ ODE performance levels based upon Pro-Core Form A, B, and C results. Click here.

Current and Planned Updates for 2021–22

  • Currently updating all questions in ELA, Math, Science, and Social Studies SCWAs to align to the new standards, insure all items are assigned a cognitive demand, and include more higher-level and technology-enhanced questions
  • Pro-Core app created so that schools using Clever can log-into Pro-Core from Clever
  • Further integration with schools using Clever to manage student enrollment
  • Spanish translation of Form C tests available for Grade 7 Math, Science and Social Studies with plans to expand to other grades.
  • Retooling reports for One Plan support to be more graphical to assess student needs, plan for improvement, monitor progress over time, including new demographic subgroup data and reports
  • Developing ELA Five-Tier Writing assessments for more grades and subjects
  • Adding graphical reports to show student growth and proficiency with targeted information related to ODE One Plan
  • Adding a message board feature so we can communicate important information (like new developments) directly to teachers,
  • Develop a short student practice assessment/tutorial to introduce them to different types of questions and accessibility features,
  • Predictions of student state performance levels based upon results of Pro-Core’s Form Assessments.
  • Norm-referenced growth measures will be piloted.
  • Features will be added to help districts use the data to improve student understanding and achievement. These features include:

User Manual Updates

The new features above are explained in the Pro-Core User Manual. The District-level Administrator or Tech Person is now responsible for student, teacher, and class enrollments.

  • Initial enrollment spreadsheet preparation instructions are in Section C.
  • Enrollment spreadsheet upload instructions are in Section D.
  • Student, teacher, and class maintenance and editing are in Sections E.
  • New Tools and Reports have been added for administrators and teachers. These are marked as NEW! in the Pro-Core User Manual Table of Contents.

In case you were wondering…

Pro-core engages in a rigorous review and revision process of its Form Assessments every year.

  • Data for each question from the previous year’s Form C test is carefully reviewed.
    • How difficult was each question?
    • Does the question distinguish between students with a strong understanding of the content and students with a weak understanding of the content? How did the students who answered the question correctly do on the test overall? How did the students who answered the question incorrectly do on the test overall?
    • Which incorrect responses were typically chosen?
    • Does the range of difficulty of the questions allow growth to be measured for all students?
  • Problematic questions are flagged for further reviewed.
    • Is the question fair, clear, accessible, and free of bias for all students?
    • Is the reading level and vocabulary appropriate for the grade level?
    • Does the question include unstated assumptions, content knowledge beyond the standards, or life experiences that all students may not have had?
    • Are distractors confusing or misleading?
    • Would different wording, context, or question type make the question fairer and more accessible?
    • Would different wording, context, or question type make the question easier or harder so it fits within the prescribed range to measure student growth?
  • Problematic questions are revised or discarded.
  • Some questions from Form C are “released” by moving them to Form A, Form B, or the SCWAs.
  • Released questions from the state tests are studied to make sure Pro-Core is correctly interpreting the standards and our questions match the content depth and rigor that is expected by the state.
  • New questions are written to replace discarded and released questions.
    • New questions are field-tested on the SCWA.
    • Statistics are carefully reviewed after field testing before the question is placed on Form C.
    • The statistics include measures of difficulty, discrimination, and analysis for possible bias. (Include the demographic information for your students during enrollment allows us to complete this step with greater accuracy).
    • New questions that do not meet the strict statistical measures are revised or discarded.
  • Forms A, B, and C are carefully constructed to meet blueprints that mirror the state tests.
    • The number of points is set for each domain and standard.
    • A range of Depth of Knowledge or Cognitive Demand that mirrors the state test.
    • A range of difficulty levels that allow all students to show growth over the school year.
    • A range of question types that mirrors the state tests.
    • The blueprints make sure the Forms A, B, and C are parallel.
  • Assessments and questions are carefully reviewed once they are placed online.
    • The writer and test developer make sure the questions appear as intended and are scoring correctly.
    • An independent content expert checks to make sure the questions are accurate, aligned, clear, free of bias, appropriate for the grade-level, and score correctly.
  • Assessments and questions are carefully reviewed once they are completed by students.
    • Questions with suspicious statistics are reviewed carefully to make sure they are clear, accurate, aligned, free of bias, appropriate for the grade-level and score correctly.
    • Any question that is deemed to have errors is removed from the test and all tests are rescored. This action is rare due to all the previous quality control measures have been completed.
  • The Short Cycle Web Assessments (SCWA) are reviewed to ensure that the questions adequately test all parts the standard and that the rigor, content and question type match both state tests and our Form A, B, and C tests.

In addition, every five years, Pro-Core conducts an Alignment Study of its Form C tests. An independent panel of educators is convened. They carefully review and discuss every question as to whether it is aligned to Ohio’s Learning Standards. The cognitive demand or depth of knowledge of each question is also carefully reviewed and assigned. Pro-Core prides itself on maintaining a 98–100% alignment score from these studies. ODE only requires 50% alignment to become an Ohio Approved Assessment Vendor. We question the validity of an assessment in which only 50% of the questions match the content that is being addressed in the classroom.