Assessment opportunities — including formative, summative, and diagnostic assessments — are integrated throughout the Apex Learning digital curriculum. The introduction to each lesson clearly establishes learning objectives for students. Embedded assessments address those learning objectives and are specifically designed to test students at various levels of Bloom’s Taxonomy.

Formative Assessment

Scored and un-scored formative assessments give students continuous feedback. Students have frequent opportunities to test their own understanding and monitor their progress through private, no-stakes self-checks. Low stakes assessments in the form of un-scored check-ups, as well as scored discussions, journals, and explorations, give students a chance to engage with content at a personal level while still demonstrating knowledge and skills to their teachers. Higher stakes practices and labs create both formal, structured opportunities for students to show what they know and can do, as well as important opportunities for teachers to provide immediate feedback that reinforces key learning objectives.

Diagnostic Assessment

Unit-level diagnostics that may be used as a pre- or post-test provide additional formative assessment opportunities. These diagnostics are computer-scored, and results are immediately available to students and teachers. Additionally, an individualized study plan is generated that directs each student to the appropriate instructional content based on that student’s strengths and weaknesses.

Summative Assessment

Students are required to demonstrate what they have learned through unit tests and semester exams. These high-stakes assessments include both computer- and teacher-scored tests. Computer-scored tests offer convenience but when thorough assessment requires that responses be written or the thought process behind an answer illustrated, teacher-scored test are necessary.

Building on Bloom’s Taxonomy

The Apex Learning approach to assessment is based on Bloom’s classical six-level taxonomy. An additional level has been added to emphasize the importance of demonstrating creative skills. The following seven-level hierarchy guides the development of assessment items:

1. Knowledge: Can the student recall the information?

2. Comprehension: Can the student explain ideas or concepts?

3. Application: Can the student use the knowledge in another familiar situation?

4. Analysis: Can the student differentiate among constituent parts?

5. Synthesis: Can the student generalize from known facts?

6. Evaluation: Can the student justify a decision or a course of action?

7. Creativity: Can the student generate new products, ideas, or points of view?

Levels 1 through 4 are generally tested using objective, computer-scored instruments such as multiple-choice, fill-in-the-blank, and true-or-false questions, with results immediately available to both students and teachers. In addition, Apex Learning digital curriculum incorporates more subjective, open-ended, teacher-scored testing tools to evaluate the higher order and critical thinking skills associated with levels 5 through 7. Teacher-scored assessments include essay questions, research assignments, problem statements, mathematical proofs, scientific inquiry, and demonstrated application of skills and concepts. Answer keys and grading rubrics with extensive modeling of answers are provided for all teacher-scored assessments.