PowerUp Skill Checks FAQs
What are PowerUp Skill Checks?
Skill Checks are curriculum-embedded assessments that check student understanding at strategic points in Lexia® PowerUp Literacy®. Skill Checks are designed to be brief, and are closely tied to the curriculum.
Because Skill Checks have a similar look and feel to the rest of PowerUp, they are able to check student learning of concepts and skills in an environment that is familiar to students. In a Skill Check, the program doesn't provide scaffolding or branching, and students don't receive corrective feedback. This allows educators to evaluate skills independent of program scaffolding.
What needs do PowerUp Skill Checks address?
Skill Checks provide additional opportunities for students enrolled in PowerUp to demonstrate skill proficiency independent of instruction or scaffolding.
Because Skill Checks are seamless, embedded assessments, educators do not need to spend extra time gathering more information from outside sources to guide instruction.
How do Skill Checks fit in with other forms of PowerUp assessment?
Embedded assessment in PowerUp consists of three key components:
Auto-placement personalizes learning by ensuring that students start PowerUp at their optimal entry points based on their strengths and needs.
Assessment Without Testing® gathers real-time progress-monitoring data directly from students’ continuous interaction with instructional activities.
Skill Checks provide performance data through short, strategic checks for understanding that students complete at the end of each level after the completion of the instructional activities.
How do Skill Checks fit into the PowerUp student learning experience?
Skill Checks are a quick check for learning. They are intended to provide a confirmation of a student’s understanding of key skills.
While in a Skill Check, students do not receive corrective feedback or experience instructional branching.
For many activities, responses are saved after each question. In those activities, if students don't complete a unit before they log off, the next time they log in, they can return to the section where they left off.
Student streaks (counts of continuous correct answers) are suspended during a Skill Check.