Assessment Suggestions

As students establish a record within the program and are working from personalized lessons, you may begin scheduling brief in-class conferences to review each student’s performance. Post a schedule of times on the board when you will meet with each of them.

At conference time, have them go to the Student’s Area main menu and click Reports. Together you can review their various progress reports on the screen. If your student has earned a certificate, this is also a good time to ask him or her to show you which one they’d like you to print out. You can print certificates from the Curriculum Map screen in the Teacher’s Area Reports. For more information see, see the Teacher’s Area Reports section in the User Manual.

Instead of going over their progress report on the computer, you can print their progress reports from the Reports screen in the Teacher’s Area. You and the student can review the hard copy during your conference. For more information, see the Printing Student Progress Reports section in the User Manual.

Students can access data for their current typing session as well as a complete overview of their progress from their very first lesson by visiting the Student’s Area Reports screen at any time during the program. For more information about this feature, see the Student’s Area Reports section in the User Manual.

Interpreting Progress Reports with Your Students

Hold your student-teacher conferences at the computer. Review the reports onscreen or as hardcopies, and discuss the results. Take time to help the student interpret the progress information outlined on the various reports. For example, explain what each graph represents and how to read them. Define acronyms, like WPM (Words per Minute) and AWPM (Adjusted words per minute), and other terms if needed. Explain how they’re scored on their lessons, quizzes, and tests. You can also help students interpret their reports by asking questions like: “Did you type better in this session than the last session? How can you tell?”

If the student becomes proficient in certain areas, make sure to offer praise and note it in their permanent folder. The next time you view this screen together, your notes will help you determine whether the student has added more areas to the proficiency category.

Teaching Tips

Ask the student what they are most proud of with their progress. Have them identify and verbalize their frustrations and how they might overcome them.

Be generous and positive with your praise and encouragement.

Offer to readjust certain settings (see the Editing Classes and Editing Students sections of the User Manual). Identify their lesson format preferences and use them when you’re designing custom lessons. For example, if accuracy is a continual problem for your students, create some lessons that require students to type the right key before continuing. The Chameleon, Creature Lab, and Space Junk games are perfect for this, as they require perfect typing.

Sharing Reports with Parents

Print students’ progress reports from the Reports screen in the Teacher’s Area on a regular basis and store them chronologically in the students’ files. When you hold parent-teacher conferences, you can refer to these records and compare student progress on WPM/KPM and accuracy from the beginning of the term. Also make sure to print a current report prior to the conference. It will show the student’s overall achievement in WPM/KPM and accuracy.

For more information, see the Printing Student Progress Reports section in the User Manual.

Grading Student Work

The program scores student work based on typing accuracy and speed. However, it gives accuracy far more weight than speed, especially with beginning typists.

For reporting or grading purposes, avoid requiring students to meet fixed speed or accuracy criteria. It is best to grade each student on the basis of progress achieved during each grading period, or in relation to the goals you set for them at the beginning of a grading period.

Other grading criteria might include:

  • Students’ willingness to practice on a regular basis.
  • Students’ persistence in overcoming individual typing challenges.
  • Students’ use of a variety of lesson formats (not just the games).
  • Students’ improved posture at the keyboard.
  • Students’ improved effort to avoid looking at the keyboard while typing.
  • Students’ cooperative attitude about scheduling and sharing the computer with others.
  • Students’ willingness to assist other students who are just beginning to use Mavis Beacon Teaches Typing for Schools.