Skills Connection is a diagnostic software package that measures and
communicates student progress. This product brings teachers, parents and
students together to improve student success by creating valid and reliable
Criterion Referenced Tests that are linked to our TerraNova tests. Skills
Connection also meets the Title 1 requirements for parental communication and
involvement. Skills Connection contains specific, comprehensive skill
descriptions and tutorials. Teachers can produce a parent report that
communicates the classroom subject matter and add their own comments or
assignments using the test editor. With Skills Connection, schools can
communicate regularly with parents; provide tutorials, explanations, and
homework assignments; and strengthen the school-parent relationship.
For High School students the program provides TN Competency Test, ACT,
SAT, Algebra Template (National Standards), and Pre-Calculus (National
Standards). Of course, they also have available the entire database of valid and
reliable test questions from 9-12 grades.
 Bringing teachers and parents together to advance student progress.
 Parental Communication
 Title 1 Requirements
The program offers:
 Automated Test Design
Skills Connection saves teachers time by simplifying the tedious task of
test design. This software pinpoints assessment on a per skill basis and
generates an easily graded paper-and-pencil test and corresponding
answer key.
Teachers use a simple point-and-click method to target skills and choose
corresponding questions. With access to Skills Connection's 12,400
validated
questions, they can generate multiple versions of a test.
In addition to the multiple-choice questions provided by Skills Connection,
users can customize the test and design their own questions in any
format. Questions can also be modified and rearranged using the text
editor.
 Parental Communication
Home Study Guide Communication with parents improves student
success, as well as the parent-school relationship. With Skills Connection,
schools have an efficient way of giving parents the vital information
needed to assist their children in the learning process by generating a
Home Study Guide that the parents can read. Each guide will have a
complete description of the chosen skills plus helpful tutorials and
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activities. The Home Study Guide can easily be published on the web so
parents can view it from their personal computers.
Skills Connection contains specific, comprehensive skill description and
tutorials. The teacher can produce a parent report that communicates the
classroom subject matter and add their own comments or assignments
using the text editor, thus modifying it to their style and liking.
Since the Home Study Guide includes tutorials and activities, often times a
student can use the information to tutor himself or herself. Teachers can
also use the word processor to add your own ideas and materials.
With Skills Connection, schools can:

Communicate regularly with parents

Provide tutorials, explanations, and homework assignments

Strengthen the school-parent relationship
Title 1 Requirements
The software offers an effective, easy-to-implement method of fulfilling Title 1
requirements for assessment, tracking, and parental communication.
Using Skills Connection's base of objectives and questions, teachers can
generate multiple versions of tests for pre and post-testing throughout the
year. Subsequently, tracking student progress becomes easier. Skills
Connection also provides a powerful parental report that not only informs
parents but also gives them guidelines for assisting their children at home.
The program can be utilized to:

Ensure continuation of Title 1 funding

Track student progress

Keep parents informed
Skills Connection provides:

Easy test design and output

Paper-and-pencil tests, requiring no computer lab
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
844 skills and over 12,000 questions
Evaluation of Newly Enrolled Students
When new students come in from unknown schools, it can be difficult to know
where they are up to speed and where they need some help. Skills Connection
can help by printing a quiz of all the skills the student should know coming into
your class. Simply create a new Test Set and select the skills they need to know.
Next, click the Options button on the selection screen and choose 1 question per
skill. Next, generate the test and administrate it to the student. The results will
give you a good approximation of the strengths and weaknesses.
An Overview of the Skills Connection Screens:
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Incorporating Skills Connection with the Computer Performance System
The addition of the Classroom Performance System (CPS) and CyberClass
software will be another instructional
technology strategy that can integrate with
this program. CPS is a wireless response
system that allows teachers to obtain
immediate response from every student in
their class. Through CPS, teachers can use
the questions generated through Skills
Connection to their class. Then, every
student responds to the question with their
individual wireless response pad. The
CyberClass software will then grade the
students responses thus providing the teacher instant feedback to determine
where the class is as a whole. The system will heighten interactivity and
retention and increase time on task for student and teacher. A CPS system is
portable and can be shared by teachers. Teachers can create pre- and posttesting of objectives to immediately determine student mastery.
The CyberClass program will generate four different report styles for teachers:
 Instructor's Summary
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 Instructor Question Report
 Student Study Guide
 Student Response Details.
These reports will enable teachers to evaluate the effectiveness of instruction
toward meeting language arts objective mastery and focus on specific student
weaknesses. This system will be particularly effective in the one-computer
classrooms.
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