Student experience in the Placement and Benchmark assessments in Imagine Language & Literacy

 Caution

This article only applies to organizations who have chosen the default embedded Benchmarks as their placement/assessment method in Imagine Language & Literacy. This article does not apply to students taking the Imagine Galileo ELA Benchmark or the NWEA™ MAP® Growth Assessment. 

As students take the Placement test or Benchmark test, they see screens and hear instructions that explain the testing process. Recognizing these notifications helps Teachers and Administrators monitor when students start an assessment, identify which subtest a question comes from, and know when students earn Booster Bits for completing test items.

 Notes

  • Students who take the Placement test or Benchmark test at home should not receive any assistance while taking the test. Helping students during an assessment can cause students to be placed in an incorrect starting point in Imagine Language & Literacy. For more information about using Imagine Language & Literacy at home, see Using Imagine Language & Literacy at home.
  • Because the Placement test and Benchmark tests are adaptive, students may take anywhere from 10-60 minutes to complete the test, depending on their skill level.
  • If students have language support enabled, they will receive instructions for the assessment in the language indicated in their student profile.

Starting the Placement Test or Benchmark Test

When new students log in to Imagine Language & Literacy for the very first time, they'll see a video that introduces them to the characters they'll see while using the program. At the end of the video, students hear “This is a test. It decides what you do next. So do your best.” Then students see a short practice test question. Once they answer the practice test question, they see the green Booster loading screen and the Placement test begins.

When returning students log in to Imagine Language & Literacy at the beginning of the school year, they see the green Booster loading screen and the Benchmark test begins.  

Student screen

Once students start an assessment, a Booster icon displays in the bottom left corner of the screen with a label Testing in Progress.

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 Note

During the middle of the Placement and Benchmark tests, students receive a 90-second break to work on their avatar and then are returned to the test.

Understanding the Placement Test and Benchmark Test subtests

Your students' assigned grade level determines which sub-test they'll complete first when they begin an assessment.

PreK–Kindergarten student experience

PreK and Kindergarten students start the Placement test or Benchmark test with the Print Concepts: Letters sub-test. For each test question, students hear “Click on the letter ___." After students click the letter they hear, it turns blue. They then click the checkmark at the bottom of the screen to submit their answer.

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Grade 1–2 student experience

Grade 1-2 students start the Placement test or Benchmark test with the Word Recognition sub-test. For each test question, four words display on the screen and students hear “Click the right word,” and then which word to select. For example, “Click the right word. Her.” After students click the word they hear, it turns blue. They then click the checkmark at the bottom of the screen to submit their answer.

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Grade 3–6 student experience

Grade 3-6 students start the Placement test or Benchmark test with the Sentence Completion sub-test. For each test question, a sentence with a missing word appears on the screen. Four word choices are listed below the sentence. Students hear “Click the best word to complete the sentence.” After students click the word that fits in the sentence, the word appears in the sentence. They then click the checkmark at the bottom of the screen to submit their answer.

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Earning Booster Bits by completing test items

As students take the Placement test or Benchmark test, they earn different Booster Bits depending on how well they do on each test question. Booster Bits are tokens students earn for correct answers, which they can redeem to customize their avatar or play games. 

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Finishing the test

After the final instance of collecting the Booster Bits, the green Booster loading screen appears, indicating the conclusion of testing. Booster notifies the student that the test is over by saying, "Good job! You finished your test!"

Student screen

(For educators) Viewing testing status and results

While students are taking the Placement or Benchmark, Administrators and Teachers can check student status. You can also view student results shortly after students have completed the test.

Scores will not display in the student portal. However, you can print the student dashboard if you wish to send the scores home to families and caretakers.