Dear HEAP members and friends,

We are pleased to provide you with another edition of the HEAP Web-based Assessment System (WBAS) newsletter. The purpose of this newsletter is to increase your awareness of the features and functions of the HEAP WBAS as well as update you on how member states are using the WBAS to improve teaching and learning using standards-based health education and assessment.

The WBAS is an important tool to help us document students' progress in achieving health literacy. As you will see from the state stories below, HEAP teachers are using the data generated from the WBAS to make data-driven decisions in planning their instructional activities. The SCASS HEAP members are also using the WBAS to document implementation of state standards in health education.

Should you want to advance your state's implementation of the WBAS, please feel free to contact Sara Moshman or me. We are here to provide you with technical assistance to write the next chapter of your state story!

Nancy Hudson, HEAP Coordinator

A school district in South Dakota is implementing the first year of a new health education curriculum. In February 2006, teacher Rhonda Kemmis, using the WBAS, created a 35 question multiple choice test that aligned with the new injury prevention curriculum. Rhonda, as test maker, received about an hour of instruction. The six health teachers in the district also required about one hour of training to prepare them to deliver the test to their students. They were each sent a short document that described the testing steps and how to view reports. They each took the test online to become familiar with the process before taking their students to the computer lab.

It was after this preparation that the six teachers in the district delivered online pre- and post-tests to 276 6th grade students. The teachers are preparing for another round of pre- and post-testing with an upcoming unit.

Take a look at some of the data obtained: (reports can be dynamically disaggregated by up to 4 levels)
  1. Pre-Post Skill Comparison by gender and school (school names removed for privacy)
  2. Pre-Test Item Analysis by gender and school (school names and questions removed for privacy)

The data are currently being analyzed to:

• compare scores by school - determine if some teaching techniques more effective than others with regard to this new curriculum
• see how well teachers addressed some standards compared to others
• check the scores by gender and race to see if lessons and delivery have addressed all populations as well as possible

Please contact Rhonda for more information: kemmisr@sf.k12.sd.us

High school health teacher Pam Jones has been a regular using of the web-based assessment system. She worked with the system last year when the HEAP engaged in a three-state online assessment pilot. She used the system last fall for a pre- and post-test to increase her competence and comfort level in using this technology. This semester she is regularly using the system with her students. She implemented a pre- and post-test on family life in January and is now working on the pre- and post-tests for injury prevention. Her comments below indicate that she is now comfortable with the whole process (making and delivering tests, viewing reports, and getting her students comfortable) and can really focus on data-driven decision making to inform her instruction.

"I gave my last pretest before beginning our study of high risk behaviors associated with STDs. I was pleased that the kids scored as high as they did on the pretest.

I had learned from early testing, because of the ability to disaggregate results by race, that my Hispanic students as a whole, had trouble with certain types of question phrasing (least effective options, etc). I eliminated those questions that I thought would be biased.

In analyzing the pre-test data, I noticed that the kids seemed to score lower in decision making and goal setting and decided that I would do a more concentrated effort on those topics while covering the unit. We did many activities during the unit to help reinforce what a good decision concerning STDs means. They were asked to write open responses to address the topic as well and I used the HEAP rubrics when scoring. When we post-tested, I was DELIGHTED that my students scored above 90% average.

Overall, I think this was my most effective use of the system."

-- Pam Jones, Clarksville High School, Clarksville, Arkansas

Please contact Pam for more information: Pjones@mail.cps.k12.ar.us

Vermont is the first state to align the web-based item bank to their state health standards. Vermont teachers can now search for items, as well as view test results, based on these standards. Should member states decide to include their state standards with their account on the WBAS, updated CD-ROMS can be pressed with this additional information, if desired.

Vermont also has an upcoming online pre- and post-test with a small group of teachers. Lynda Van Kleeck, Vermont HEAP representative, created the online assessment based on the "Safer Choices" curriculum. The test includes both multiple choice and constructed response items which will be scored using the HEAP rubrics and scoring criteria. No testing data are yet available, but test results will be able to include a breakdown by VT health standards because of having added that alignment. Look for the report from the Vermont pilot in the next edition of the newsletter.

Please contact Lynda for more information: lyndavankleeck@education.state.vt.us