Classroom Diagnostic Tools
Pre-Formative Assessment
of Current CDT Knowledge
We Need to Use the Data
PVAAS Pilot
PVAAS Pilot
PA Assessments
About the CDT
 Administered using a computer-adaptive
approach
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What does this mean? The assessment will
adjust items based on student responses.
Difficulty will either increase or decrease
depending on if the student answers items
correctly.
This is designed to minimize frustration and
help in determining a student’s strengths and
areas of need in the diagnostic categories.
The CDT Cycle
Assess
Reflect and Monitor
Analyze
Share
Instruct
Interpret
Impact on Instruction
 Teachers will receive
immediate and actionable
data to be used for
targeting instruction.
 The CDT reports provide
direct links to resources
on the SAS site.
 The reports also show the
progress of students
across test
administrations.
Common Questions
 How many times should the students sit
for the assessments during a school year?

3 times at a minimum of 5-6 weeks between
administration
 How many questions are there?

Students will be presented with 45-60 items
regardless of current level.
 How much time is required to finish the
assessments?

Between 45 and 90 minutes.
Common Questions
 Are the questions presented on grade
level?

No. The questions allow for more advanced
content or lower-level content depending on
need.
 Are there constructed response
questions?
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No. All questions are multiple choice.
 Is the CDT a timed assessment?
 No.
Scoring
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Students’ scores are converted into scale scores rather
than points correct or raw scores
Scale scores are transformed raw scores that allow for
valid comparisons across students, grades, and
administrations, but only within the same subject
Scales scores take into consideration the fact that some
questions on the test are more difficult than others
CDT Minimum scale score of 400
CDT Maximum scale score of 2000
Note: Item Response Theory (IRT), specifically the Rasch
model, is used to determine the student’s raw score.
Research
 Information about students is crucial to a
teacher’s ability to calibrate tasks and
lessons to students’ current
understandings and skills (Adding It UP,
National Research Council, Kilpatrick,
Swafford, 2001, 349).
Classroom Diagnostic Tools
https://pa.drcedirect.com/
Best Practices: English Department
 Teachers individually reviewed their own class data for the
assessment and shared the data with their students.
 Teachers then discussed ways to address the areas of weakness
with one another and then the data served as the springboard for
instructional modifications.
 For instance, some courses are using more USATest Prep
practice questions, more close reading lessons with think-alouds
are being utilized, and vocabulary instruction is being geared to
the Keystone glossary.
 Additionally, along with reviewing the data from the 1st 9 weeks
common assessments with the Social Studies grade-level cohorts,
the CDT data will be shared/reviewed with the Social Studies
cohorts this coming Thursday. Again, the goal is for Social Studies
to help us reinforce these skills.
The Framework for
Teaching
Domain 1: Planning and Preparation
•Demonstrating Knowledge of Content
and Pedagogy
•Demonstrating Knowledge of Students
•Setting Instructional Outcomes
•Demonstrating Knowledge of Resources
•Designing Coherent Instruction
•Designing Student Assessments
Domain 2: The Classroom
Environment
•Creating an Environment of Respect
and Rapport
•Establishing a Culture for Learning
•Managing Classroom Procedures
•Managing Student Behavior
•Organizing Physical Space
Domain 4: Professional
Responsibilities
•Reflecting on Teaching
•Maintaining Accurate Records
•Communicating with Families
•Participating in a Professional
Community
•Growing and Developing
Professionally
•Demonstrating Professionalism
Domain 3: Instruction
•Communicating with Students
•Using Questioning and Discussion
Techniques
•Engaging Students in Learning
•Using Assessment in Instruction
•Demonstrating Flexibility and
Responsiveness
CDT Student Data Analysis
 One‐to‐One Conferencing with Your
Students
 See BHS Weebly PD Site for resources
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Guide for 1-1 Conferencing with students
Metacognition guide for students
bhspd.weebly.com
Research
“As teachers derive feedback information from
assessments that they give their students, there can,
then, be important adjustments to how they teach, how
they consider what success looks like, how they
recognize students’ strengths and gaps and how they
regard their own effects on students. The essence of
such formative interpretations is providing teachers with
feedback from assessments about how they need to
modify their teaching, and providing students with
feedback so they can learn how to self‐regulate and be
motivated to engage in further learning” (Visible
Learning for Teachers, Routledge, Hattie, 2012,
125‐126).
2013-2014
Testing Windows
 CDT: September 9-20, 2013
 Keystone Exams:
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December 4 & 5, 2013 (Algebra I)
December 10 & 11, 2013 (Literature)
January 8 & 9, 2014 (Biology)
 CDT: February 10-21, 2014
 CDT: April 1-11, 2014
 Keystone Exams
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May 12-23, 2014 (Window)
CDT for Grades 3-5
 2013-2014 CDT -BWSD is not field testing
 2014-2015 CDT is operational
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Reading, math, science, and writing
Based on PA anchors and eligible content