Linking Assessments

This lesson guides users through Linking Item Bank and Performance Based assessments from the Assessment Manager. Linking assessments allows users to create composite scores within reporting.

This feature only works with Item Bank and Performance Based assessments.

Where to Start

From the Launchpad down arrow, select Assessments to access the Manage Assessments page.

The Manage Assessments page with the assessment list checkboxes highlighted and labeled as step 2, the Link Assessments icon labeled as step 3, and the Linked assessment tab labeled as step 4.

Select the checkboxes next to two or more Item Bank or Performance Based assessments to link together.
Select the Link Assessments icon under Bulk Functions.
Open the Linked assessment tab to access any set of linked assessments.

Selected assessments must be Item Bank or Performance Based assessments. They must be published, and cannot be embargoed. For Performance Based assessments, the Score Label must be set to Raw Score, and the Score Type must be set to Numeric in order to allow linking.

The Name Linked Assessments window will pop up. Enter a Linked Assessment Name to give the grouping of linked assessments a title.
Verify the selected assessments are correct. Uncheck any assessments that should not be linked.
Select Next to continue.

An example New Linked Assessment page, with the Weighted Percentage column and Skip Weighted Percentage button labeled as step 8, and the Next and Save buttons labeled as step 9.

Add weighting by entering Weighted Percentages into the text box for each assessment, or select Skip Weighted Percentages.
- The Weighted Percentages must have a sum total of 100, for a total possible score of 100 percent.
Select Next to continue, or Save to save progress and come back later.

The student scores for each assessment part are calculated as a percentage by dividing the points earned for the assessment part by the points possible for the assessment part. These scores are then weighted according to the Weighted Percentage designated for the assessment part, which indicates the proportion each assessment part contributes to the overall composite score.

(Points Earned / Points Possible) x Weighted Percentage = Assessment Part Weighted Score

Weighted scores for each assessment part are considered as whole numbers, and summed to generate an overall weighted score for the Linked Assessment out of a possible 100 points.

As of June 21, 2024, Linked Assessment weighting is calculated differently. Linked Assessments created after this date use the weighting method above; Linked Assessments created before this date maintain the old weighting method. View the Old Weighting Method section below to view how the old and new weighting methods differ.

Users may contact the SchoolCity Support team to request old Linked Assessments be updated to the new weighting method.

Old Weighting Method

The old weighting method for Linked Assessments consists of applying the Weighted Percentage directly to the earned assessment point score, generating weighted points for each assessment part.

Assessment Points x Weighted Percentage = Weighted Points
The summation of the weighted points per assessment part will be the new value of the overall total point value of the Linked Assessment.

This method results in Linked Assessments having varied weighted total points possible, and students receiving decimal point scores on the Linked Assessment, rather than a whole number point score out of 100 points possible.

All Linked Assessments created before the change on June 21, 2024 will maintain this old weighting method. Users may reach out to support to request that these Linked Assessments be migrated to new weighting method above.

The New Linked Assessment Performance Levels screen, with the Load from Available Templates button labeled as step 10, the Add Performance Level button labeled as step 11, the Skip Performance Level button labeled as step 12, and the Save and Close buttons labeled as step 13.

Select Load from Available Template to choose a set of Performance Levels premade by the district.
Select Add Performance Level to begin creating Performance Levels from scratch.
Select Skip Performance Level to forego adding Performance Levels.
Select Save to save progress, or Close to return to the Manage Assessments page.

Scaled Score (Optional)

Creating Scaled Scores is an optional configuration. Linked Assessment do not require Scaled Scores to exist.

The Manage Assessments page with the Linked tab selected, and the down arrow under the Functions column labeled as step 1, and the Scaled Scores option labeled as step 2.

Starting from the Manage Assessments page, with the Linked tab selected, select the dropdown arrow under the Functions column for the desired Linked Assessment.
Select Scaled Scores.

The Scaled Score Setup screen with the Load from Available Templates button labeled as step 3, the Scaled Score column labeled as step 4, the Set tabs labeled as step 5, the Save button labeled as step 6, the Staff Portal checkbox labeled as step 7, the Reports dropdown labeled as step 8, the History button labeled as step 9, and the Apply Scale to Reports button labeled as step 10.

Select Load from Available Templates to choose a set of Scaled Scores premade by the district.
OR
Enter customized Scaled Score values into the text fields.
If desired, create further Scaled Score Sets.
Select Save after entries are complete.
Once all Sets are entered and saved, select the checkbox to determine if raw scores and percent values will display on the Staff Portal alongside the Scaled Scores.
From the dropdown, select if a Scaled Score Set should display in Reports.
Select History to view the log of Scaled Score Sets entered, edited, and deleted.
Once finished, select Apply Scale to Reports.

Reporting

The data in Predefined Reports reflects a composite score of the linked assessments. Linked Assessments can be toggled back and forth using the Linked button.

An example Test Results report for a linked assessment, with the Linked Assessments button and associated dropdown menu highlighted.

For students' data to appear in Predefined Reports of Linked Assessments, students must have completed all of the included assessments, and must be fully scored on all of the included assessments, including having all Constructed Response (CR) and Writing Prompt (WP) items hand scored by the assessor.

Preliminary scores, before all assessments have been taken and fully scored, will display within individual assessment reporting, but will not appear on linked assessments.

Next Steps

To learn more about using bulk functions to manage assessments, visit the Bulk Functions for Online Testing section.