Pear Assessment’s June Improvements: Customizable Text-to-Speech and Streamlined Student Groups

Ever wished you had more control over how your assessments sound? Or wanted an easier way to analyze student performance by subgroup? This month’s Pear Assessment update brings two powerful feature enhancements to the table: customizable text-to-speech (TTS) and streamlined student group management. Let's see how these can help you create assessments that are both clear and insightful!

Customizable Text-to-Speech  

Pear Assessment already offered powerful text-to-speech features for improved accessibility. This update empowers you to directly specify how the TTS audio sounds for your students. 

Math teachers requested this improvement to customize how mathematical expressions and equations are read aloud. This update means no more crossed fingers hoping the TTS engine gets those tricky square roots or sigma notation just right. You can ensure consistent pronunciation that aligns perfectly with your state's guidelines or your preferred instructional approach. For example, some states require reading "(2,3)" as "coordinates two comma three" while others might say "two three." The TTS engine might also mispronounce a symbol or term that has more than one potential pronunciation. For example (2,3) might refer to the range two to three, not inclusive. Aligning the TTS audio with classroom instruction improves the overall understanding for students, while adherence to state standards ensures clarity and consistency for your students on standardized tests and state summatives. 

Beyond math, the customizable TTS feature extends to all types of assessments. This means you can now calibrate the TTS audio for any text, not just neatly formatted sentences. Here are a few examples:

• Reading Poetry: Traditional TTS can struggle with stanzas and breaks in poems. Use the customizable option in Pear Assessment to ensure a natural, flowing reading experience for students.
• Vocabulary Lists and Glossaries: Clearly pronounce complex vocabulary terms and their definitions
• Visual and Formatted Items: Provide natural-sounding instructions for test items with diagrams, tables, or other visual elements

By offering customizable TTS, we're putting the power of clear communication directly in your hands. This empowers you to create assessments that are not only rigorous but also accessible and supportive for every student.

Learn how to enable customize the text-to-speech for students in Pear Assessment

Streamlined Student Group Management

We've also made improvements to Student Groups, a powerful tool that allows you to monitor the performance of specific student subgroups. This update introduces a new "Add Student" button, making it easier than ever to expand your groups and gain deeper insights into student performance.

Student Groups allow you to categorize students based on various criteria, such as grade level, special education status, or even a custom group like a "Tier 2 Math Support Group." These groups can then be used to filter reports within the Insights section of Pear Assessment, specifically under the "Subgroup" tab.

This update empowers both district administrators and educators:

• District Administrators: Gain a clearer picture of how specific student populations are performing by easily filtering reports through Student Groups. This allows for data-driven decision making when it comes to curriculum adjustments, resource allocation, and targeted interventions.
• Educators: Add students to a Student Group to tailor instruction and provide targeted support or additional practice based on that group's unique needs.

By streamlining the management of Student Groups, we're making it easier than ever to leverage the power of data to drive targeted instruction and support student success.

Learn How to Create and Manage Student Groups in Pear Assessment

We encourage you to explore these new features and see how they can enhance your assessment practices! As always, we're committed to providing you with the tools and resources you need to create effective and meaningful learning experiences for all your students.

‍