How do I create an item-based assessment?

In Mastery Connect, you can create assessments using items from available item banks. Teachers can create item-based formative assessments and admins can create item-based formative and benchmark assessments.

Assessments can align to single or multiple standards and can be kept private, shared with your school, or across your district.

In the Analysis tab of the Assessment Editor,  you can view an analysis of the assessment's balance, rigor, and question distribution based on metadata, and view a detailed answer key for the items in the assessment.

If your district has purchased the Mastery Item Bank (MIB) or Mastery Item Bank Supplemental (MIBS) item banks, you can flag items that require review for issues like typos, factual errors, standard misalignment, bias, or scoring issues in the Assessment Editor.

Note: Admins can designate item-based assessments as District Approved assessments

View Assessment Editor

Enter and save assessment details for an item-based assessment for one of the following assessment types:

When you click the save button for the assessment details, the Assessment Editor displays.

In the Assessment Editor, you can view assessment details [1], control the assessment scoring [2], and manage settings [3].

By default, the Assessment editor displays the Builder tab [4]. From the Builder tab you can add, delete, and reorder items in the assessment in the organizer window [5].

To view an analysis of the assessment's balance, rigor, and question distribution based on metadata, click the Analysis tab [6].

To view the answer key for the assessment, click the Answer Key tab [7].

Notes:

  • Item analysis is available only for item-based assessments.
  • The item-analysis tab displays only for the assessment author and editors when the assessment is in the draft or edit state.
  • All changes made in the Assessment Editor are saved automatically.

Add Items

To add items to the assessment, click the Add Item button [1]. To add an item from an item bank, click the Add from Item Bank link [2]. To create a new item, click the Author New Item link [3].

Alternatively, you can click the Add icon in the Item Organizer [4].

Search and Filter Items

To search for a specific item, enter the item name or number in the Search field [1].

To select items randomly, click the Select Randomly link [2].

The Item Organizer displays all items that align with the assessment. To filter the list, click the Filter button [3].

The Filter tray displays.

To filter by Item Bank, Standard, or Question Type, click the appropriate drop-down menu [4].

To filter for items with or without passages, click the appropriate Passages radio button [5].

To filter by Difficulty, Depth of Knowledge and Blooms Taxonomy attributes, click the appropriate check-boxes [6].

To filter by Language, click a Language radio button [7]

To filter by Other Features, click the appropriate check-box [8].

To reset the filters, click the Reset button [9].

Learn more about filtering items.

View Search Tiles

View Search Tiles

In the item organizer, item bank question details display in search tiles.

Each tile displays the question ID [1], the question type and assigned point value [2], and the standard(s) to which the question is aligned [3].

If the question can be graded with Speed Grader, the Speed Grader icon displays [4].

If the question can be printed, the Printer icon displays [5].

If available, Difficulty and DOK information displays [6]. To view any additional information that is available about the question, click the More drop-down [7].

If a question includes a passage, the passage icon and passage name display [8].

Select Items

To sort items in the Item Organizer, click the Sort icon [1]. Then, select a sorting method from the list [2].

To select an item, click the item's checkbox [3].

To view an item in the preview window, click the item card [4].

To show only the selected items in the Item Organizer, click the Show Selected Only toggle on [5].

To add selected items to the assessment, click the Add Items button [6].

Flag MIB or MIBS Items

Flag MIB or MIBS items

To flag items for review from the Mastery Item Bank or Mastery Item Bank Supplemental, click the Flag icon.

Edit Mastery Levels

Edit Mastery Levels

To edit mastery levels for the assessment click the Scoring button [1].

Enter lower boundary percentages for the Mastery and Near Mastery levels in the fields [2].

To edit mastery levels for each standard in a multi-standard assessment enter the lower point boundary for mastery and near mastery in the field for each standard [3].

To save the new mastery levels, click the Save button [4]. To return to the default mastery levels for your district, click the Defaults button [5].

Note: When lower boundary totals are changed for the Mastery and Near Mastery levels, all other totals adjust automatically.

Edit Settings

Edit Settings

To edit assessment settings, click the Settings button [1].

To edit the assessment title or description, enter new text in the appropriate fields [2].

To change privacy settings for the assessment, click the Privacy drop-down menu [3].

District Administrators and users with Benchmark Author and Benchmark Facilitator roles can create benchmark assessments and designate both benchmark and formative assessments as District Approved assessments. To change the assessment type, click the appropriate radio button [4]. To designate an assessment as a District Approved assessment, click the District Approved toggle on [5].

To save changes, click the Save button [6].

Learn more about Mastery Connect roles and permissions.

Create Assessment

Create Assessment

To create the assessment, click the Create Assessment button [1].

To save the assessment as a draft, click the Exit button [2].

To delete the assessment, click the More icon [3]. Then, click the Delete link [4].

Note: Assessments in the draft state only visible and editable by you.