TEA Recognizes Exploros for Social Studies TIA 3rd-Party Assessment
15 Apr, 2024
The Texas Education Agency (TEA) has officially recognized Exploros as a valid Teacher Incentive Allotment (TIA) 3rd-Party Assessment Option for Social Studies. This acknowledgment opens doors for educators looking to leverage Exploros for enhancing their teaching methodologies and potentially impacting their professional growth and incentives under the TIA program.
We have compiled a concise 2-minute video overview of the Social Studies Pre-Post Tests offered through Exploros. This video aims to provide a quick yet comprehensive look at what educators can expect and how to best integrate these assessments into their TIA strategies.
TIA Social Studies Option (Video)
Additionally, for those seeking more detailed information, the Exploros FAQs section on the TEA site offers provides a comprehensive overview of the Exploros Social Studies assessments. Here is an overview of the Exploros FAQ:
| Question | Answers |
|---|---|
| Is there a pre/post-test? | Yes, for each course there is a pre-test and post-test for TIA Pre-test/Post-test Option 2. |
| What are Exploros Social Studies assessments? | The Exploros Social Studies assessment suite comes in the form of pre-tests, post-tests, exit quizzes, and unit reviews which contain STAAR 2.0 style assessments. Item types include multipart (EBSR), multiselect, constructed response, drag-drop, hot spot, inline choice, text entry, and hot text. In all, the program contains 6020 STAAR-like assessments. In addition to summative assessment, the digital core or supplemental program features learning experiences with formative assessment including graphic organizers, tables, drawings, and essays all focused on TEKS content and skills. All items are TEKS-tagged and produce TEKS Analytics at the student, class, campus, and district levels for growth targeting, monitoring, and instructional improvement. |
| What are Exploros Social Studies assessments designed to do? | Exploros offers a pre-test that evaluates students' understanding of the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS), with a specific focus on course readiness standards and those most commonly tested on the STAAR. The assessment emphasizes focus TEKS to provide a solid foundation for tracking student progress throughout the course. At the end of the year, a post-test is administered to measure growth based on pre-test performance. In addition to the pre-post testing instrument, student progress can be monitored using Exploros learning experiences, exit quizzes, unit reviews, and other artifacts. Exploros automatically produces a digital learning portfolio of actual student work as further evidence of growth. |
| How can I use Exploros Social Studies assessments? | At the beginning of the school year, the course-specific pre-test can be administered using the Exploros platform. It is 20-25 items written in STAAR 2.0 form that informs teachers of student TEKS understanding and can be used as a basis for developing growth targets. At the end of the year, an Exploros 20-25 item post-test (or associated STAAR test) can be used to measure end-of-year achievement. Exploros reporting provides information on the aggregate and TEKS-level gains between Exploros delivered pre and post-tests. |
| Does Exploros Social Studies provide expected growth targets for students? Yes/No Answer | No. However, Exploros can assist districts in setting targets using TIA-approved models (e.g. Graduated Percent Increase Model, Common Percent Growth Model, Half the Gap). For districts using more than the Pre-Post Tests features of Exploros, TEKS-based analytics allow teachers to continuously monitor progress toward district-determined goals. In addition to Analytics, Exploros offers planning tools to assist curriculum coordinators and teachers in planning for growth TEKS. |
| How can districts use Exploros Social Studies to determine end-of-year student growth for purposes of TIA? | Exploros assists districts in determining end-of-year student growth by providing detailed reports by student, class, campus or district detailing pre and post-test results. This information can then be used with growth target models to assess gains. Reporting provides information in aggregate or broken down by TEKS. |
| What types of data reporting capabilities are included with Exploros Social Studies? | Pre and post-test heat maps provide item-by-item scoring on a student and class basis and can be viewed at the campus or district level. Pre and post-test TEKS Analytics provide TEKS-based data, including responses, time spent, and score. Exploros also provides real-time student progress monitoring, formative assessment dashboards, course progress analytics, and campus and district-level implementation analytics. |
For educators eager to learn more about implementing Exploros as part of their TIA-related activities, or for those who have any questions regarding the process, we encourage you to reach out. Our team is committed to supporting educators through this journey and is available to discuss how Exploros can best serve your needs. Whether you're considering setting up a call to explore further or have specific questions, we're here to help.