Figure 6.25: Common Core Standards Report

Some ALEKS course products are aligned with the Common Core Standards. For these classes, reporting will be available based on the applicable standard (Fig. 6.25).

The principal display of the Common Core Standards report is a set of vertical bar graphs, showing the class average mastery of each of the main strands of the standard. The bars are labeled with the names of the strands, and below each there is a ratio showing the specific level of mastery for that strand. For example, "9.4 of 11" under Real Numbers and Linear Functions means that the class has mastered 9.4 out of the 11 substrands belonging to this strand.

Options. The following options are available for the Common Core Standards report:

Mastery

By default, a student shows "mastery" of a substrand of the standard by showing knowledge of 50% of the supporting topics in ALEKS. This has proven to be the most meaningful percentage to use in this report, due to extensive overlap in ALEKS's coverage of the substrands (i.e., the same ALEKS topics tend to support multiple substrands). The instructor has the option, however, of raising the percentage required for "mastery" to 60% or 70%. The level of mastery for each strand is the average of the levels of mastery of individuals in the class.

Display Mode

By default, the report is based on knowledge shown by the students of the class in their most recent ALEKS assessment. This can be changed to reflect only the students' Initial Assessment; this would show the level of mastery at which they began their work in the class. It can also be changed to show the results of their most recent work in the Learning Mode; this would tend to represent a higher level of mastery for all students.

Select Students

By default, the work of all students who have been active in ALEKS is represented. This option can be changed to require certain minimum amounts of time spent in the system (e.g., 10 hours, 20 hours, etc.). For example, if 20 hours is selected from this menu, the report will only reflect the work of students who have spent 20 hours or more working in this ALEKS class. Trying different values from this menu may be a good illustration of the effect of students' work in ALEKS on their math knowledge, as the students spending more time will tend to have significantly higher levels of mastery.

Changing the values for these options will affect various parts of the Common Core Standards report.

Breakdown by standard. Underneath the bar graphs is a breakdown of the percentage of students who have mastered particular substrands. For example, "87% mastery" following the name of a substrand indicates that 87% of the students in the class have shown mastery of this substrand (see above for the meaning of "mastery"). Clicking on this link opens a list of the students with mastery, along with other detailed information about the substrand, including the specific topics in ALEKS that support it.

Breakdown by student. If you click this link, the bottom of the display will change to show the individual levels of mastery of the entire standard for all of the students in the class. For example, "15%" after a student's name indicates that the student has mastered 15% of the strands of the standard. Clicking on this link will open a list of specific substrands mastered and not mastered by the student.