Common Remote Assessment Methods: Best Practices and Recommendations

Overview: the table below outlines different methods for assessing students on Literably during remote learning. Detailed steps for each of the methods can be found below the table. If you're assessing students in the classroom, please check out our Help Center article on this topic.

Towards the end of this article, there is information about some of the device settings that were used to test out some of these below assessment methods. We highly encourage you to review those device settings and related best practices before you employ the one-on-one assessment methods (Method 1a and Method 1b) widely across your school or district.

Method	Description	Audience Considerations	Technology Considerations
1	Teacher-and-student one-on-one assessments	Might be helpful for some younger students, first-time Literably users, and/or students with learning disabilities	Video-conference (Zoom, Google Meet, or other)
2	Teacher-guided small-group assessments	Might be helpful if students need some teacher guidance but have prior experience with Literably	Video-conference (Zoom, Google Meet, or other) Note: If a student is assessing on an iPad while simultaneously taking part in a video conference, please ask the student to remain unmuted or leave the Zoom session in order to avoid a "Zero Volume" recording.
3	Parent-supported assessments	Useful if there is not enough instructional time for Methods 1 or 2.  Parents' main role is to help students log into Literably.
4	Independent assessments	Recommended for older/experienced students

Method 1: Teacher-and-student one-on-one assessments

This method may be useful for younger students or those assessing on Literably for the first time, before they are able to complete a Literably assessment independently from home. Here are two ways this method can work (1a and 1b), depending on how much control the teacher would like to have over the assessment:

Method 1a: The student logs into Literably as him/herself and shares the screen. 

 Steps:

1. The teacher starts a video-conference meeting, and the student joins.
2. The teacher enables screensharing for the student. 
3. The student shares the screen on his/her device. (On an iPad, the student might need help sharing the screen and toggling back and forth between the video-conference app and the Literably app.)
4. The student logs into Literably to begin an assessment.
5. Before the student presses the “Start” button, the teacher should give final directions to the student. (Please avoid giving teacher directions while the student is reading, as this may interfere with grading.)
6. The student presses the “Start” button and begins reading. (If a parent or other adult is sitting next to the student during the assessment, the adult should refrain from helping the student with words in the text, as this may interfere with grading.)
7. The student presses “Stop” at the end of the text.
8. The student completes the comprehension questions and retell.
9. The student logs out of Literably and stops sharing screen.
10. The teacher can check his/her dashboard right away to see if the assessment went through. (If so, the words "Not Yet Graded" should be displayed, or the teacher can click on the student's name for more details.)

Method 1b: The teacher logs into Literably as the student and shares the screen. (Note: This method has been tested on Mac computers, PCs, and Chromebooks with Zoom)

 Steps:

1. The teacher starts a video-conference meeting, and the student joins.
2. Both teacher and student are NOT using headphones or earbuds, and the teacher has volume settings turned to high.
3. The teacher starts a screenshare. (Note: If teacher is using a PC, please look closely at the Zoom screenshare settings at the bottom of this article, under "device settings," and make sure to check the "optimize for full-screen video clip" box.)
4. The teacher logs in as a student (from literably.com/login, click on “I’m a student”; then, enter the teacher’s email and select student’s name from the drop-down list. Details/visuals here.).
5. The teacher clicks through the student’s assessment page by page.
6. Before pressing the “Start” button to record, the teacher gives final directions to the student. (Please avoid giving teacher directions while the student is reading, as this may interfere with grading.)
7. The teacher presses “Start,” and the student reads the text as the teacher clicks “Next Page” to move through the text. (If a parent or other adult is sitting next to the student during the assessment, the adult should refrain from helping the student with words in the text, as this may interfere with grading.)
8. The teacher presses “Stop” when the student finishes reading. (If there was an interruption, the student can record again.)
9. After the fluency section, the teacher moves on to the comprehension questions. The student provides the answers, and the teacher marks them.
10. Next, the teacher can have the student record or dictate the retell section.
11. The teacher logs the student out of Literably and stops sharing screen.
12. The teacher can check his/her dashboard right away to see if the assessment came through. (If so, the words "Not Yet Graded" should be displayed, or the teacher can click on the student's name for more details.)

Method 2: Teacher-guided whole-group and small-group assessments assessments

Steps:

1. During a video-conference meeting with his/her whole class, the teacher uses the "demo student" feature to walk students through how to login and take a Literably assessment.
2. Afterwards, students proceed to take a Literably assessment on their own while still signed into the video conference. If they wish, students can assess on a separate device. (Note about iPads: If a student is assessing on an iPad while simultaneously taking part in a video conference, muting Zoom may disable their microphone and result in a "Zero Volume" recording that cannot be graded. For students using iPads, please ask the student to remain unmuted or to leave the Zoom session while completing their Literably assessment.)
3. If they have questions for the teacher, students can message the teacher through the "chat" feature in their video conference meeting, so as not to disturb other students who are assessing.
4. Students can send a message via "chat" to the teacher when they are done assessing, and teachers can check their dashboards to see if the assessment was processed. (If so, the words "Not Yet Graded" should be displayed, or the teacher can click on the student's name for more details.)
5. If students need more guidance, the teacher might consider doing this in smaller "break-out rooms" within the video conference.

Method 3: Parent-supported assessments

Steps:

1. Share Literaby how-to resources with students and families. 
2. During video-conference instruction with students, the teacher shares his/her screen and uses the "demo student" feature to show students how to take a Literably assessment.
3. Students take their assessments after the video conference, with support from parents.
4. Parents should, if needed, primarily support their students by helping them log into Literably and ensuring they complete their assessment.  However, parents should refrain from correcting students' reading or supplying words for them, as this can reduce grading accuracy.

Method 4: Independent assessments 

Steps:

1. During a video-conference, the teacher reminds students how to log in to Literably and other key things to remember during an assessment. (If needed, the teacher can share the screen and use the "demo student" feature to review the steps.)
2. The teacher and students leave the video conference, and students complete the Literably assessment independently.

Device Settings for Remote Assessments

Method 1b described above was tested using several different devices with the following sound or Zoom settings (screenshots below). 

PC: When you start your screen share in Zoom, make sure that the "Optimize for full-screen video clip" box is checked (more information here). This will ensure that your student's voice is recorded through the video conference.

Mac: 

       

Chromebook:

There may be other device settings on the devices that you and/or your student are using that can create different outcomes when assessing one-on-one through video conference. With that in mind, we strongly recommend testing one-on-one video conference assessments with other teachers or a few students first before employing this practice more widely.