Skill Connect Assessments

Industry-driven assessments

Meeting Industry Demands -

SkillsUSA

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Work Force Ready System

Designed to meet the needs of both education and industry:•Interactive•Industry-driven•Up-to-date•Real-time feedback•Affordable•Meets Perkins IV requirements

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The Development Process

A rigorous, sound process monitored

closely by a team of psychometricians…

1. Validation of the technical standard

2. Construction of the assessment matrix

3. Validation of the assessment matrix

4. Assessment item development

5. Validation of assessment items

6. Field testing (pilots)

7. Analysis of field test results

8. Deployment

What differentiates the Skill Connect Assessments?

• Online, native assessment. (Didn’t originate as a paper-pencil test)

• Interactive questions with media-rich content (videos, animation, images)

– More closely assesses student practical knowledge than text-only– More engaging – less test fatigue!

• Text to Speech for students with IEPs• Developed through a rigorous,

educationally-sound process– Based on critical competencies, standards and criteria as defined

by industry– Comply with standards for testing

About the Assessments

• Each assessment includes 50 questions of different question types

• Tests are all online• Approximately one hour to administer• Students and instructors get immediate

results• Skill Connect Certificates available

immediately for students who achieve industry-defined cut score

• The test license is usable any time from date of purchase until July 31st.

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www.workforcereadysystem.org

Testing Instructions

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47 Assessments – 11 Cluster Areas

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Information TechnologyComputer Maintenance TechnologyComputer ProgrammingInternetworking Law, Public Safety, Corrections & SecurityCriminal Justice / CSI ManufacturingAutomated Manufacturing TechnologyCNC Milling and Turning TechnologyElectronics Application & TechnologyMajor Appliance RepairMechatronicsRoboticsTechnical DraftingWelding

Science, Technology, Engineering & Math (STEM) Engineering TechnologyEnergy Industry Employability Skills Transportation, Distriubtion & LogisticsAutomotive Refinishing (ASE-AYES Co-brand)Automotive Service Technology (ASE-AYES)Aviation Maintenance (Secondary)Aviation Maintenance (Post-secondary) Collision Repair Technology (ASE-AYES Co-brand)Diesel Engines and Electronic Systems (ASE-AYES)Marine Service TechnologyMotorcycle Service TechnologyPower Equipment Technology

Architectural ConstructionArchitectural DraftingCabinetmakingCarpentryMasonryPlumbingElectrical Construction Wiring (Residential Wiring)

Arts, A/V Production and Communications3D Visualization & Animation Advertising Design (PrintED Co-brand)Audio-Radio ProductionDigital File Preparation & Digital File Output (PrintED Co-brand)Graphic Communications (PrintED Co-brand)Offset Press Operations/Binding & Finishing (PrintED Co-brand)PhotographyScreen Printing (PrintED Co-brand)Television Video Production EmployabilityCustomer ServiceEmployability Health ScienceMedical AssistingNurse AssistingPractical Nursing

Hospitality and TourismCommercial BakingCulinary Arts

Human ServicesCosmetologyNail Care

Assessment SelectionUnits and Topics . . .

Nail Care BlueprintApply the knowledge and skills needed to perform safety and sanitation in a nail care situation

• Demonstrate knowledge of safe handling of nail care products

• Demonstrate knowledge of safe usage of implements and tools

• Demonstrate knowledge of sanitation and disinfection, how they are accomplished and how they differ.

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Work Force Ready System

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Sample – Video “Drag & Drop”

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Sample – Hot Spot

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Multiple Choice with Graphic

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How they can be used

• Focus is on the students• Candidates prove skills and knowledge

to instructors and employers• Support instructional programs as

– Pre-assessments– End-of-program evaluation– Prepare for industry certification

(on-ramp) • Instructors demonstrate the value of

their programs

Instructor & Administrator Resources

Instructor/Administrator Skill Connect™ Assessment Resources

• Free 10-question demonstration• Blueprint of each assessment area

– The blueprint describes the standards, competencies, and academic skills tied to each assessment.

• Resources for industry standard curriculum/study guides.• Permitted aids/tools during testing.• PDP Online and CSEP - SkillsUSA premier employability

skills curriculum– Professional Development Program for high school students and

Career Skills Education Program for college/postsecondary students.

– workforcereadysystem.org/resources.shtml

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Skill Connect Certificates

Competency areas fromnationalindustry standards

Companylogos

Robust Reporting

• Robust, real-time and dynamic reporting – reports available immediately after assessments submitted

• All reports can be printed AND exported to a CSV file (Excel readable)

• Course (school)-specific reports for teachers

• Aggregated reports for administrators available at an additional cost.

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Shows final grades for students in a course, as compared to the course, school, state and national average.

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Assessment Grades (course)

Certificates Issued

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Shows teachers how many students in a school received certificates for an assessment vs. how many were ineligible. Also shows cut rate, # of users who took the test form and average score per form.

Competency Profile

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Details student progress per competency, including the # of questions answered per competency and average score. Often known as a skills gap analysis.

What was liked best

22What did you like best about the Skill Connect Assessments?*Based on 327 participants in a survey at NLSC

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Students related

• “The Skill Connect Assessment is much easier than the assessment we’ve been using. I liked the colors, and it’s just a better assessment. Students related to it better than any other assessments they have taken. It was so nice to have the results in the same day! This seems like the way to go with assessments in the future.”

– Dave OwensBarry Tech, NY

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More accurate than written exam

• “It was better than taking a written exam. The interactivity made it a more accurate presentation to help me understand the questions and answers.”

– Joshua, Student N. Kansas City School District, MO

Easy to administer and navigate

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If you took the test, please rate your experience with the test based on the following criteria.

Pricing- $10 / $20

• SkillsUSA Member Discount:• $10 per assessment for the total number of SkillsUSA

members in your school.• $20 per assessment once your school has exceeded the

membership price allotment.• PrintED Students• $10 per assessment for SkillsUSA/PrintED co-brand

assessments. • Non-SkillsUSA Members:   • $20 per assessment.• Acceptable Payment types: Check, money order,

purchase order or credit card.

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Contact Us – Customer Support

• Contact us at:703-737-0633 or skillconnect@skillsusa.org

• Customer support hours: Mon - Fri, 8:30 a.m. - 5 p.m. Eastern time

• Peak test season (March- May): Mon - Fri, 8 a.m. - 5:30 p.m. Eastern time

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Work Force Ready System

Thank You

For

Participating!

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Your SkillsUSA Team