May: New Feature Releases in Pear Assessment

For Teachers

Improved Access to High-Quality Content

Ditch the haystack! We've revamped the item bank's filtering system to make it easier to find the content that aligns with your teaching needs.

Previously, hidden filters might have limited the questions you saw in the item bank. Over the last year we've been working hard to incorporate more information about state standards into Pear Assessment. With this latest release, our Item Bank and Test Library will be able to surface more items that are relevant for searches in nearly all states.

This means you'll see a wider range of high-quality questions that align with your curriculum, saving you valuable time and frustration. No more sifting through irrelevant content – Pear Assessment will surface the most relevant questions based on your specific needs, allowing you to focus on crafting exceptional assessments for your students.

If you’ve previously had limited content visible to you, check out the upgraded Item Bank for a wider range of questions based on your specific needs.

‍
Seamless Item Switching:

You asked, we delivered: effortlessly switch question types while authoring. No more starting from scratch – simply change the format (e.g., from multiple choice to open ended) and retain all your existing content. This new, time-saving feature allows you to focus on crafting high-quality assessments without technical roadblocks.

‍
Enhanced Rubric Creation:

Pear Assessment empowers you to create detailed rubrics that accurately reflect your learning objectives. We’re introducing two new features to streamline your workflow:

• Expandable Criterion Region: Say goodbye to cramped text boxes! The input area for criteria is now expandable, allowing you to review and edit formatted content, including lists, tables, and equations. 
• LaTeX Support for Math/Science Rubrics: Integrating complex math symbols and expressions into your rubrics is now a breeze with LaTeX code support.

‍
Video Quiz Closed Captions:

Student engagement and inclusive learning environments should go hand-in-hand. Teachers can now include closed caption (CC) functionality when assigning a Video Quiz. Students can toggle CC on or off while watching YouTube videos within your assessments, which is especially helpful for learners with hearing impairments or non-native language speakers. 

‍

For Admins

Hispanic Ethnicity Reporting:

Districts can now tailor how Hispanic ethnicity and race are reported in Data Studio. Choose between including race data for all students or reporting Hispanic students by ethnicity alone, excluding their race data. This flexibility empowers you to standardize reporting within your district.

‍
Data Studio - Enhanced Attendance Reports:

Attendance reports in Data Studio will now reflect the raw number of absences for a specific timeframe, as well as the average attendance percentage. This change provides a clearer picture of student attendance patterns. With this readily available data, you can identify students with frequent absences and take targeted interventions to address chronic absenteeism.

For instance, seeing a spike in absences for a particular student might prompt a teacher or counselor to reach out to the student or family to understand the root cause and develop a plan to get the student back on track.

School administrators can also leverage this data to monitor school-wide attendance trends. By pinpointing grades or classes with high absenteeism rates, resources can be allocated to develop strategies to improve overall attendance. This might involve implementing targeted programs or initiatives to address absenteeism within those specific groups.

We believe these updates will empower you to create engaging assessments, personalize learning experiences, and make data-driven decisions that benefit all your students. Explore these new features and unleash the full potential of Pear Assessment in your classroom!

‍