What are they and why do my students need to take them?
Most administrators and teachers use a baseline test to determine what students know before instruction begins. Then, they use the same test to ascertain how much students have learned during and after instruction is completed. This baseline test is what Typing Agent refers to as its Diagnostic Tests. Before students begin their keyboarding lessons, all of them, even those in kindergarten, take a baseline or Diagnostic Test. As students complete their keyboarding lessons, the same test appears at various times during the program to track their growth or improvement over time.
When students in Grades 3 and above begin, their test will look something like this:
When students in Grades K-2 get their first diagnostic test, they are only given one letter at a time, so they are not overwhelmed. Their test will look like this:
How are the Diagnostic Tests administered?
For students using the Keyboarding Foundations K2 Curriculum, Diagnostic Test 1 is one minute long. One letter at a time appears on the screen and students must type that letter. If they get that letter incorrect five times in a row, testing stops immediately and the students move on to their keyboarding curriculum. Should students get the letter correct, the next letter appears. The test continues until either one minute is up or the students type incorrectly the on-screen letter five times consecutively – whichever happens first.
The Diagnostic Tests for the Keyboarding Foundations 3+ Curriculum follows a different format. With Diagnostic Test: World 0, students get two minutes to type. Should they type a letter incorrectly, they can’t move forward until they correct the error. Once they’ve completed the test or 2 minutes have passed, students get feedback on how well they did.
Where can I see how my students performed in the Diagnostic Tests?
Results and grades for these tests are found in the Reports section. We detail the Accuracy, Speed and Grade Earned for all Diagnostics Tests students. In total, K2 students get four (4) Diagnostic Tests but students in grades 3 and higher get 37 Diagnostic Tests.
Can I skip this first diagnostic test?
Since the Diagnostic Test is part of the pedagogy of Typing Agent, there is no option to skip the test.
How are Diagnostic Tests different from Scheduled Tests?
Diagnostic Tests are controlled completely by Typing Agent. They are given at set intervals as students go through their keyboarding curriculum. On the other hand, the teacher or administrator must set up and determine when and how Scheduled Tests are be administered. They may use their own customized texts or one of the many supplied by Typing Agent. For more information on Scheduled Tests, click here.