i-Ready Diagnostic Diagnostic Test Administration Questions and Answers 1 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A student taking the i-Ready Reading Diagnostic raises their hand and says, 'I don't know the meaning of this word in the question.' What is the most appropriate action for the administrator to take?
- Provide a dictionary for the student to look up the word.
- Define the word for the student so they can answer the question.
- Advise the student to skip the question and move to the next one.
- Encourage the student to try their best to figure it out from the context, explaining that you can't help with test questions. (Correct answer)
Correct answer: Encourage the student to try their best to figure it out from the context, explaining that you can't help with test questions.
To maintain the validity of the Diagnostic, administrators cannot provide help on test items, which includes defining words. The correct procedure is to encourage the student to use their own skills and make their best attempt, reinforcing the test's purpose of finding what the student knows and is ready to learn.
Question 2: Which of the following is a key practice for preparing students psychologically right before they begin the Diagnostic test?
- Explaining that the test is adaptive, so it's normal for some questions to feel very hard and others to feel easy. (Correct answer)
- Telling students that their final score is based on how many questions they get right.
- Showing them a sample of the most difficult questions they might encounter to prepare them.
- Advising students to work as quickly as possible to finish before their classmates.
Correct answer: Explaining that the test is adaptive, so it's normal for some questions to feel very hard and others to feel easy.
Setting the right expectations is crucial for student success and data validity. Educators should explain that the adaptive nature of the test means it is designed to find a student's 'just right' level, and they will see questions they don't know. A student's score is not based on the number of correct items but on the difficulty level of the questions they answer correctly.
Question 3: While actively proctoring a testing session, an educator notices on the dashboard that a student's status has a 'rushing alert.' What is the recommended first step?
- Let the student finish the test and then reassign it for the next day.
- Publicly remind the entire class not to rush through the questions.
- Privately and discreetly approach the student, remind them of the importance of trying their best, and reset the current question. (Correct answer)
- Ignore the alert, as the system will automatically adjust the test's difficulty.
Correct answer: Privately and discreetly approach the student, remind them of the importance of trying their best, and reset the current question.
Active monitoring includes watching for rushing alerts. Best practice is to intervene in a supportive and non-disruptive way by speaking to the student privately to encourage them to slow down and try their best. Resetting the test is an option if it's still in progress to ensure the resulting data is valid.
Question 4: To ensure an optimal testing environment for all students taking the i-Ready Diagnostic, which of the following is essential?
- Allowing students to listen to their own music through their headphones.
- Providing scratch paper and pencils for both the Reading and Math diagnostics.
- Allowing students to work together on difficult questions.
- Ensuring the room is quiet and that each student has working headphones. (Correct answer)
Correct answer: Ensuring the room is quiet and that each student has working headphones.
A quiet environment reduces distractions, and working headphones are necessary because many test items, especially at lower grade levels, have audio components. While scratch paper is required for Math, it's the quiet space and functional audio equipment that are universally essential for an optimal environment.
Question 5: Which action by a test administrator would most likely compromise the validity of the i-Ready Diagnostic results?
- Reading a math word problem aloud to a student who does not have a documented accommodation for it. (Correct answer)
- Reminding students to take their time and try their best on every question.
- Helping a student log back into the test after their computer crashed.
- Pausing a student's test so they can take a short restroom break.
Correct answer: Reading a math word problem aloud to a student who does not have a documented accommodation for it.
Reading test content aloud is a form of assistance that can invalidate the results, as it removes the reading demand from the question. This type of help is only permissible if it is a formally documented accommodation in a student's IEP or 504 plan. All other listed actions are appropriate and recommended parts of test administration.
Question 6: A student finishes their Math Diagnostic in 20 minutes, which is significantly faster than the average time. The teacher checks the Diagnostic Status report. What information on this report is most critical for determining if the test results are valid?
- The student's final scale score.
- The specific domains the student 'Tested Out' of.
- The presence of a 'Rushing Alert' icon next to the student's name. (Correct answer)
- The total number of questions the student answered correctly.
Correct answer: The presence of a 'Rushing Alert' icon next to the student's name.
The Diagnostic Status report includes specific alerts for rushing. This icon is the most direct indicator provided by the system that the student's rapid pace may have compromised the validity of the results. This alert prompts the educator to investigate further and consider reassigning the test.
A student taking the i-Ready Reading Diagnostic raises their hand and says, 'I don't know the meaning of this word in the question.' What is the most appropriate action for the administrator to take?