A partnership between The University of Wisconsin and Castle Worldwide
Offering the comprehensive and successful University of Wisconsin System placement testing program to the national higher education market
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Full Service for All
Testing- related Needs
Psychometric Consultation
Job Analysis and Exam
Development
Exam Assembly &
Standard Setting
Candidate Registration
and Fulfillment Test Admin & Delivery
Test Scoring and Analysis
Program Evaluation for Accreditation
Project Management
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Overview of the University of Wisconsin System Center for Placement Testing
Developing and validating placement exams for the state of Wisconsin for over 40 years Exams are used by both two- and four-year campuses within UW System
Exams are developed by faculty, for faculty.
Center’s psychometric staff oversee item development and review, test scaling, and test validation.
Offer exams in math, English, French, German, and Spanish Exams place into all courses in introductory sequence
UW has successfully delivered exams through Castle for last year.
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University of Wisconsin System’s
Comprehensive and successful placement testing program
40 years of proven placement test design and delivery experience
Validated exams
Castle’s Delivery System
Flexible delivery options
Highly reliable exam delivery engine
Responsive customer service
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Mathematics Placement Exam
85 multiple choice items
90 minutes to complete entire exam
Students receive scores for each of three content areas Math Fundamentals Advanced Algebra Trigonometry
Can be used to place into multiple levels of mathematics courses
Reliabilities range from .85 to .90
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Mathematics Placement Exam: Math Fundamentals Blueprint
Objective % of Scale
ARITHMETIC Integer Arithmetic 5%
Rational and Decimal Arithmetic 10%
Introducing Algebraic Skills 10.0%
ALGEBRA Simplifying Algebraic Expressions 10.0%
Factoring Algebraic Expressions 7.5%
Linear and Quadratic Equations 10.0%
Linear Inequalities 5.0%
Introduction to Solving Rational and Radical Equations 5.0%
Functions 7.5%
Solving Literal Equations 5.0%
GEOMETRY Plane Geometry 10.0%
Three-Dimensional Geometry 5.0%
Geometric Relationships 10.0% 8
English Placement Exam
Approximately 100 multiple choice items Writing Mechanics
Usage
Sentence Correction
Reading Comprehension
90 minutes to complete exam
Scores for writing mechanics and reading comprehension separately, as well as composite score can be provided
Reliabilities of .85 for subscales; above .90 for composite score
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English Placement Exam
Writing Mechanics Blueprint
Objective % of Scale
Run-on, comma-splice, fragment 17.5%
Parallelism and Subordination 12.5%
Adverb/Adjective/Comparison 10.0%
Punctuation for Clarity 10.0%
Subject-Verb Agreement 10.0%
Tense and Form 10.0%
Pronoun Agreement, Case, Reference 10.0%
Dangling and Misplaced Modifier 7.5%
Idiom and Diction 7.5%
Economy and Word Order 5.0%
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Foreign Language Exams
Exams in French, German, and Spanish
Approximately 50-60 multiple choice items Language Mechanics
Grammar Cloze Passages Conversational items/Logical Rejoinders
Reading Comprehension
60 minutes to complete exam
Scores for language mechanics and reading comprehension separately, as well as a composite score can be provided
Can be used to place from 1st to 5th semester in the language
Reliabilities above .90 for the composite scores
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Foreign Language Exams
French Language Mechanics Blueprint
Objective % of Scale
Lexical 32.5%
Verbs 20.0%
Pronouns 20.0%
Syntax 12.5%
Articles and Adjectives 10.0%
Relatives and Questions 5.0%
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Objective % of Scale
Verbs: Present Tense 10.0%
Verbs: Other Tenses 25.0%
Nominal Phrases 30.0%
Sentences 15.0%
Special Cases 10.0%
Pragmatics 10.0%
Foreign Language Exams
German Language Mechanics Blueprint
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Foreign Language Exams
Spanish Language Mechanics Blueprint
Objective % of Scale
Verb Tense, Aspect, and Agreement 20.0%
Communicative/Logical Completions 15.0%
Mood 15.0%
Ser/Estar/Haber/Tener/Hacer 15.0%
Lexicon 10.0%
Direct and Indirect Object Pronouns 5.0%
Other Pronouns, Conjunctions, and Negatives 5.0%
Uses of “se” 5.0%
Gustar and Similar Verbs 5.0%
Modifiers and Comparisons 5.0%
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Current Annual Testing Volume
Within the state of Wisconsin
Test Year the First Form was Published
Current Approximate # of Students
Math 1982 25,000
English 1975 20,000
French 1988 1,000
German 1988 1,000
Spanish 1988 8,000
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Accommodations Principles English Placement Test Mathematics Placement Test Foreign Language Placement Test Time Limits Visual Impairments Accessibility
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Prefer mid-semester/first major assessment scores Characteristics of correctly enrolled students
Average half a grade point higher Drop less frequently
Continue in discipline longer Higher satisfaction ratings
Correlates with other expected outcomes Scores increase as HS units increase Scores decrease with time away from discipline EPT scores correlate strongly with student writing samples
UW Validation Data
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Benefits
Content and item types are developed and reviewed annually by faculty who teach the relevant courses
Math/English tests produce scores for all content areas necessary for placement into introductory sequence
A broader range of content is tested in math allowing for placement not only into/out of developmental level math, but into upper level math courses as well
Robust exams in French, German, and Spanish
Effective tool for quick and accurate placement across a diverse set of institutions
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Practice Examinations
Full-length practice exams will be posted to the Tailwind website within the next couple weeks
Each exam contains its own link that provides an overview of the test and a full length sample exam
Note that these are paper based sample exams, but they do provide students and educators with an idea of the types of items one will be exposed to on the actual exam
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Internet-based Testing Options http://vimeo.com/100429164
In client sites (within your campuses) In Castle’s network
550+ sites US/Canada 230 + sites internationally
Online with Live Online Proctoring
Testing options can be combined
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Payment Options Post-pay:
Client/University invoiced on a monthly basis for tests delivered during previous month
Purchase Order: Client/University designates number of test units Castle is approved to deliver. Castle invoices on a monthly basis for the tests delivered against the Purchase Order.
Check: Client/University submits pre-payment by check for a designated number of test units.
E-commerce: Students who test off campus through Castle’s sites or Live Online Proctoring can pay via e-commerce at the time of test scheduling.
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Student Registration Options Test Delivery Solutions Student Registration (receipt of
student eligibility data)
Option 1: Client/College test sites and proctors
Walk-in registration (pre-registration is not required for walk-in)
Option 2: Castle test sites and proctors: a. Domestic only OR b. Domestic and international
Web services or eligibility autoloader (no walk-ins permitted)
Option 3: Castle live online proctoring (domestic and international)
Web services or eligibility autoloader (no walk-ins permitted)
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Data Reporting Options Test Delivery Solutions Data Reporting Solutions
(Student registration status and score results data)
Option 1: Client/University test sites and proctors
Web services OR Client report portal
Option 2: Castle test sites and proctors: • Domestic only OR • Domestic and international
Web services OR Client report portal
Option 3: Castle live online proctoring (LOP) • Domestic and international
Web services OR Client report portal
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Student Score Reporting Options
Option 1: Immediate score reporting to the student upon submission of the test for scoring (or time expiration)
Option 2: No immediate scores (Client reports score results to students)
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For more information and to register, Contact:
Patrick Flynn, Sr. Consultant
Direct: 919-657-6936
www.tailwindtesting.com
General: 919-572-6880
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