FAQ for Performance Level (PL) Updates

Where are the performance levels?

Performance levels will continue to be editable in the General test settings page when authoring new assessments. If editing existing assessments, performance levels are found at the top of the Test Key tab.

What is Performance Level Zero (PL0)?

Did Not Meet is Performance Level Zero (PL0). With PL0, districts can rename the lowest level of performance to meet local needs. Learn more about Performance Level Zero (PL0). 

I’ve created assessments for next year. What do I need to do to make sure they’re ready for testing?

The only thing you’ll need to do for assessments is verify that the performance levels for each assessment are set appropriately. Before checking these, ensure that the district configuration for performance levels has been completed.

When verifying performance levels on assessments, double-check that the correct performance levels are enabled or disabled. A 0 is no longer a valid entry for a performance level cut score. Hide unneeded performance levels using the checkboxes next to each PL. PLs must also be in numerical order.

What if I have two different sets of performance levels that I’d like to use that cannot be easily put into numerical order?

In cases where two separate sets of performance levels exist for a district, it is best practice to use only one set of performance levels at a time for each individual assessment. Doing so allows for the best use of the new Highest Level Achieved column. Utilizing two different sets of PLs simultaneously will cause the Highest Level Achieved column to function outside of its intended use.

What do I do when copying a test?

Copying a test will function very similarly as it always has. When making the copy, you’ll be presented with the assessment settings page as usual to name the assessment, set the TEKS course, grade level, etc. At the bottom of the screen, you can use the checkboxes to enable or disable performance levels.

For teacher-level tests, the default state is disabled for all levels. Enable or disable any performance levels that best apply to the assessment being copied and set the performance cut points in ascending order. Once all settings have been selected, including performance levels in numerical order, you can generate the test as usual. You may still generate a test with no performance levels enabled. This can be changed under the Test Key tab in the test author space at a later time.

How does this change re-using a test from previous years?

Occasionally, a teacher may keep an assessment open across more than one school year, re-using the assessment. In cases like this, the test will still function as usual with one exception. If no performance levels are enabled, there will be no change. If performance levels are enabled, Enter Answers will be disabled until performance levels have been fixed.

How does this affect imported assessments?

Imported assessments either have no performance levels (i.e. MAP) or have performance levels controlled by Eduphoria (i.e. STAAR/EOC). Imported assessments should be unaffected by these changes.

How is data for tests from previous years affected?

Data for tests from previous years is still stored. Raw score, percent score, TEKS data, answers selected, and points earned by item will not be affected. However, the performance level columns that show Yes/No may not reflect changes your district made to the order of the performance level configuration. Overall performance and item level data will not be affected in any way.

To correct performance level columns in a data view, a rescore is required for each individual assessment. Conducting a rescore will require the performance levels for the individual test to be adjusted to match the new requirements. Rescoring will also be required to populate the new Highest Level Achieved column.

If your performance levels are not changed as a result of these updates, there should not be a change in your historical data. Rescoring will be required to populate the new Highest Level Achieved column.

How does the Highest Level Achieved column work?

The new column will display the name of the highest performance level achieved for each individual student based on the cut scores entered when authoring the test. This column could effectively replace the currently existing Yes/No columns for individual performance levels. 

I see decimals on individual student performance now. How does that affect historical assessments?

Historical assessments will show the student score with additional decimal points and will no longer round to the nearest PL cut point. Performance levels will not automatically adjust to this change and may require a rescore.

When do you need to rescore?

You will need to rescore an assessment

• If the district has changed the order of the performance levels.
• If individual assessments have raw scores that could result in student percent scores that would have rounded up and earned a student a particular performance level. For example, if a student got 21/24 possible raw score (87.5%), and the threshold was set at 88%, a rescore would be necessary to reflect that the student did not earn the PL set at 88%.