Exam view learning series v10 faq sheet

Turning Technologies’ ExamView Learning Series v10 11.18.2013 Page 1
Frequently Asked Questions

What is the ExamView® Learning Series (Learning Series)?
The ExamView® Learning Series is premium assessment content that works with the ExamView®
Assessment Suite to produce study guides, worksheets, and formative assessments which
help educators review, re‐teach, reinforce, and supplement standards‐based instruction. The Learning
Series is a collection of 15,646 unique, high‐quality assessment questions organized by five core
disciplines—English language arts, reading, math, science, and social studies. Many questions encourage
a student’s ability to analyze situations and to apply higher‐order thinking skills. Most questions are
aligned to 40 states’ standards. All English language arts, reading, and math questions are aligned to the
Common Core State Standards. All science questions are aligned to the Next Generation Science
Standards.
What ExamView Learning Series v10 products are available?
The Learning Series v10 is available as a state standards’‐aligned product for the following 40 states:
AL
AZ
AR
CA
CO
CT
FL
GA
ID
IL
IN
IA
KS
KY
LA
MD
MA
MI
MN
MS
MO
MT
NE
NV
NJ
NM
NY
NC
OH
OK
OR
PA
SC
TN
TX
VA
WA
WV
WI
WY

The Learning Series v10 Topic‐Aligned product is aligned to core curriculum topics (i.e., no state
standards) and is relevant for these 10 states:
AK
DE
HI
ME
NH
ND
RI
SD
UT
VT

Critical: All Learning Series state products and the Topic‐Aligned product include alignments to the
(1) national Common Core State Standards for all English Language Arts and Mathematics (2010; also
called Common Core, CC and CCSS) and the (2) Next Generation Science Standards (2013; also called
NGSS).
What’s new with ExamView Learning Series v10?
ExamView Learning Series v10 (released in November 2013) includes:
 Alignments to the Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts and Mathematics
(national and released states’ versions)
 Alignments to the Next Generation Science Standards (national)
 Alignments to state standards for English language arts, mathematics, science, and social studies
 No new questions
 ExamView Assessment Suite v8.1

How many questions are included in Learning Series v10?
Each ExamView® Learning Series v10 product includes 15,646 test items with the following breakdown
of items per discipline:
Language Arts 1,468 items
Reading 2,968 items
Math 7,738 items with approximately 385,000 unique iterations
Science 1,961 items with approximately 9,300 unique iterations
Social Studies 1,511 items with approximately 3,600 unique iterations
With dynamic content in math, science, and social studies, educators can generate multiple iterations of
questions that test the same concept, resulting in approximately 400,000 unique question variations.
What grades are covered in Learning Series v10?
Learning Series v10 provides coverage for grades K through 12, with coverage totally dependent upon
the subject and the grade‐level standards to which the items are aligned. From one product to the next,
items may align to a standard in different grade levels.
What question types are in Learning Series v10?
Learning Series offers a variety of question types, including Multiple Choice, Short Answer (short
response), Numeric Response, Completion, and Essay (extended response). The majority of the test
items are Multiple Choice items. To provide added flexibility, the majority of the Multiple Choice
questions are Bimodal, which means they can be displayed as either Multiple Choice or Short Answer
questions, allowing test administrators to change the difficulty level of a test instantly.
Who created the Learning Series?
Turning Technologies created and owns the Learning Series. Key players included the Content
Development director, project managers, and a team of question writers, content editors, and reviewers
with the following qualifications:
 Educational background and/or editorial experience in targeted content areas
 Experience writing assessment materials
 Classroom experience
 Understanding of/familiarity with educational standards
 Experience using the ExamView® Assessment Suite
Writers, editors, and reviewers followed a consistent, multi‐stage development and review process that
is documented in a 250‐page development manual for each subject area. We edited and reviewed every
Learning Series test item and verified each answer. At every stage of development, a cycle of checks and
revisions ensured that the questions are high quality. And, we cycled each product through a separate
and independent quality assurance process.
How can Turning Technologies provide assurance that the Learning Series items are of high quality?
Are free Learning Series samples available?
The most effective approach for educators to check out the quality of the Learning Series items and the
standards’ alignments is to direct customers to download a free Learning Series Sampler at
http://www.einstruction.com/products/examview‐learning‐series‐samplers. Each Sampler provides a

small cross‐section sampling of content from all subjects and grades. Educators simply select the state
product, the Topic‐Aligned product, the Common Core State Standards content, or the Next Generation
Science Standards content and the desired operating system (Win or Mac). Educators will quickly satisfy
themselves that the Learning Series items are well‐constructed and of high quality.
How can Turning Technologies ensure the validity and reliability of the Learning Series?
Turning Technologies knows the value of quality assurance—all along the way—to ensure that every
Learning Series question is premium assessment content. The high quality of the Learning Series is
ensured with the following:
 Flesch‐Kincaid readability analysis was used to gauge the appropriate reading level for each of the
170 Learning Series reading passages.
 The Rebecca Sitton Spelling Program was used as a reference for appropriate reading levels. The
Sitton Spelling Program is based on 1,200 high‐frequency, everyday words that are divided into lists
for Grades 1‐8. Sitton’s primary philosophy is that students become confident spellers by studying
high‐frequency real‐world words and by recycling previously learned words.
 All Learning Series reading passages have also been analyzed using the Lexile Framework®
for
Reading. The Lexile Framework®
for Reading is a scientific approach to reading measurement,
providing a common scale for matching reader ability and text difficulty. This allows educators and
parents to quickly estimate expected reading comprehension and monitor progress. Lexile®

measures for the 170 Learning Series reading passages are available upon request.
 Throughout development, we performed content validity processes (i.e., non‐statistical studies) to
address the following major concerns:
o Absence of Bias: All Learning Series test items have been examined for bias and adherence to
fair‐and‐balanced treatment guidelines with regard to diversity of nationalities, gender bias, and
cultural stereotyping.
o Item Clarity: All Learning Series test items are age‐ and grade level‐appropriate with regard to
terminology and item context. Additionally, every question has been reviewed for clarity. The
intent is not to “trick” students by supplying extraneous, irrelevant information, but rather to
assess students’ ability to apply their knowledge to solve practical problems.
o Correctness of Answer Choices: Through the iterative development and review process, all
Learning Series test items have been checked for correctness of answer choices. Every dynamic
item was reviewed to ensure that all iterations calculated correctly.
o Proper Integration and Location of Text, Graphics, Figures, and Tables: The Learning Series test
items contain numerous visual elements, such as graphics, charts, diagrams, and figures, which
have all been reviewed for appropriate integration and location.
o Consistency of Results for Items: The questions have not been tested using any of the usual
statistical tests for reliability that typically come from extended use in testing environments.
What is the standards alignment process for the Learning Series?
Turning Technologies engaged a third‐party alignment vendor to align the ExamView® Learning Series
assessment items to states’ standards, the Common Core State Standards (i.e., Common Core, CC, or
CCSS), and the Next Generation Science Standards (i.e., NGSS). The intensive process involved subject
matter experts with intimate knowledge of standards. We implemented 1:1 alignments, aligning each
item to only one standard to ensure the strongest possible alignment at the most granular level within
the standards.

Does the Learning Series provide 100% coverage of standards?
No, the Learning Series does not provide 100% coverage of standards. Among the state‐aligned
products, coverage of the standards varies based on the number and nature of the standards and the
Learning Series one‐to‐one alignment process, which we believe provides the highest quality alignment.

For each of the 40 state products, the Common Core content, and the Next Generation Science content,
the ExamView Learning Series Item Counts by Standard charts identify the number of Learning Series
items for each standard with aligned content. A similar chart is also available for the Topic‐Aligned
product that provides the number of items per learning objective. The ExamView Learning Series Item
Counts by Standard charts are in the partner portal (http://www.einstruction.com/partner‐
portal/marketing‐material).
What are the Bloom’s and Webb’s levels?
With the Learning Series, educators can create assessments that measure and promote progress at
different cognitive levels (or levels of learning) because all questions are aligned to Bloom’s Taxonomy
levels and Webb’s Depth‐of‐Knowledge levels.
 The Bloom’s Taxonomy cognitive levels are knowledge, comprehension, application, analysis,
synthesis, and evaluation.
 The Webb’s Depth‐of‐Knowledge cognitive levels are Level 1 – Recall and Reproduction,
Level 2 – Skills and Concepts/Basic Reasoning, Level 3 – Strategic Thinking/Complex Reasoning, and
Level 4 – Extended Thinking/Reasoning.
What are the standards pick lists?
Each Learning Series product includes standards pick lists (Windows only), which are lists of the state’s
standards per discipline, a list of the Common Core State Standards, and a list of the Next Generation
Science Standards. The standards pick lists allow an educator to align authored questions to a standard.
(To use the pick lists, follow the instructions in the READ ME_Using Picklists.pdf provided with the
product.)
What standards are the Learning Series questions aligned to?
The ExamView Learning Series Question Breakdown Charts v10 includes a bookmark and question
breakdown chart for each of the 40 state products, the Topic‐Aligned product, the Common Core State
Standards content, and the Next Generation Science Standards content. Each question breakdown chart
identifies (1) the standards set to which the items are aligned and (2) by subject and grade level, the
number of items, the number of unique iterations, and the number of items per question type. The
ExamView Learning Series Question Breakdown charts are in the partner portal
(http://www.einstruction.com/partner‐portal/marketing‐material).
Are the Learning Series v10 questions aligned to the Common Core State Standards?
Each of the 12,174 English Language Arts, reading, and math items are aligned to the Common Core
State Standards for English Language Arts and Mathematics. And, every state product and the Topic‐
Aligned product include the Common Core alignments.

What are the Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts and Mathematics?
The Common Core State Standards Initiative website (http://www.corestandards.org) provides a link to
the Common Core standards along with this explanation:
The Common Core State Standards Initiative is a state‐led effort coordinated by the National
Governors Association Center for Best Practices (NGA Center) and the Council of Chief State School
Officers (CCSSO). The standards [issued in June 2010] were developed in collaboration with
teachers, school administrators, and experts, to provide a clear and consistent framework to
prepare our children for college and the workforce. . . . These standards define the knowledge and
skills students should have within their K‐12 education careers so that they will graduate high school
able to succeed in entry‐level, credit‐bearing academic college courses and in workforce training
programs.
Which states have adopted the Common Core State Standards?
As of November 2013, the Common Core website (http://www.corestandards.org/in‐the‐states) reports
that the following states have formally adopted the Common Core State Standards:
AL
AR
AZ
CA
CO
CT
DC
DE
FL
GA
HI
IA
ID
IL
IN
KS
KY
LA
MA
MD
ME
MI
MN*
MO
MS
MT
NC
ND
NH
NJ
NM
NV
NY
OH
OK
OR
PA
RI
SC
SD
TN
UT
VT
WA
WI
WV
WY
__________
*MN adopted only the Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts.

As of November 2013, these states have not adopted the Common Core State Standards:
AK MN* NE TX VA
__________
*MN did not adopt the Common Core State Standards for Mathematics.
What are common assessments? What are the SMARTER Balanced Assessment Consortium and the
PARCC Consortium?
The Common Core State Standards Initiative (http://www.corestandards.org/about‐the‐standards) also
provided for common online assessments will use technology to deliver, take, score, and report results
and be designed to compare student achievement across the US.

The US Department of Education awarded funding to two consortia: (1) SMARTER Balanced Assessment
Consortium (SBAC) and (2) the Partnership for the Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers
(PARCC) to develop a valid, reliable, and fair system of next‐generation assessments. The common
assessments will evaluate students’ knowledge of the Common Core State Standards for English
Language Arts and Mathematics beginning in the academic year 2014‐2015. These assessments will
provide administrators, educators, parents, and students with information to continuously improve
teaching and learning and to help ensure that students are college‐ and career‐ready when they graduate
from high school. The online assessments will also be developed to serve all students, including English
language learners and students with disabilities.

 The PARCC online assessment system will include fixed‐form summative and interim tests with a mix
of item types (short answer, longer open responses, richer multiple‐choice items, and performance‐
based). Educators will also have access to a robust library of formative resources that they can use in
the classroom to address the individual needs of their students. Sample items and prototypes are
online at http://parcconline.org/samples/item‐task‐prototypes.
 The SMARTER Balanced online, flexible assessment system promotes student success and meaningful
feedback to teachers. SMARTER’s vision is a balanced system of assessments—including formative,
interim, and summative—that improves teaching and learning. These assessments will capitalize on
computer adaptive technology (CAT), which is more precise and efficient than fixed‐form testing and
will go beyond multiple‐choice questions and include short constructed response, extended
response, and performance tasks (i.e., an in‐depth project that demonstrates analytical skills and
real‐world problem solving). CAT adjusts the difficulty of questions based on student responses
throughout the assessment. Sample items and prototypes are online at
http://www.smarterbalanced.org/sample‐items‐and‐performance‐tasks.
With all the uncertainties and challenges associated with the Common Core State Standards and
Smarter Balanced/PARCC assessments, how do you know what is going on in your state?
Numerous sites track the status of states’ legislation around the Common Core. Consider referencing
Education Week’s Bill Status Tracker at http://www.edweek.org/ew/section/multimedia/anti‐cc‐bill.html.
Are the Learning Series v10 questions aligned to the Next Generation Science Standards?
Each of the 1,961 science items are aligned to the Next Generation Science Standards. And, every state
product and the Topic‐Aligned product include the alignments to the Next Generation Science Standards.
What are the Next Generation Science Standards (released in April 2013)?
The Next Generation Science Standards website (http://www.nextgenscience.org/) provides a link to the
Next Generation Science Standards along with this explanation:
The development of the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) was a state‐led effort. In addition
to states, the National Research Council (NRC), the National Science Teachers Association (NSTA), the
American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), and other critical partners were active
in the development and review of the NGSS and will continue to provide significant support to states
as they consider adoption and implementation of the standards. Writing and review teams consisted
of K–12 teachers, state science and policy staff, higher education faculty, scientists, engineers,
cognitive scientists, and business leaders. Achieve managed the development process on behalf of
the lead states.
Which states have adopted the Next Generation Science Standards?
As of November 2013, the following states have formally adopted the Next Generation Science
Standards:
CA DE KS KY MD RI VT WA

Will there be a common assessment for the Next Generation Science Standards?
Common online assessments for the Next Generation Science Standards are expected. Because the Next
Generation Science Standards is a state‐led effort, the participating states will decide whether to create
assessments aligned to the Next Generation Science Standards. For more information, check
(http://www.nextgenscience.org).
What question support information is included with the Learning Series items?
All Learning Series test items contain valuable, comprehensive question support information to help
educators assess and reteach specific concepts. All data in the question information fields is searchable
from within the ExamView Test Builder, allowing an educator to create assessments with questions that
align to particular standards by number or standard text, for example.

The question support information is displayed in the following question information fields:
 The Difficulty field contains two cognitive levels for the test item: the Bloom’s Taxonomy Level and
the Webb’s Depth‐of‐Knowledge Level.
 The Reference field for most subjects contains the general context or cross‐curricular reference in
which the question is presented (e.g., The Arts, Science, etc.).
 The State Standard field displays the standard number and descriptive text in state products with
which the item aligns.
 The Learning Objective field displays the standard’s descriptive text in standards‐aligned products or
the Core Curriculum objective in the Topic‐Aligned product with which the item aligns.
 The National Standard field displays the Common Core State Standard or the Next Generation
Science Standard and descriptive text with which the item aligns in the associated Common Core
content or the Next Generation Science content.
 The Topic field contains category information, such as the subject, strand, or course.
 The Keywords field contains significant words or key concepts associated with the question.
 The Item ID No. contains a unique item number used for internal tracking purposes.

Rationale and feedback are provided for all Multiple Choice questions.
 Rationale is an explanation or clarification of the concept the question addresses. Rationale often
includes facts, formulas, and/or steps that students should consider to arrive at the correct answer.
 Feedback for each incorrect answer choice in a Multiple Choice question provides hints or guidance
to students if they select the wrong answer and reinforces learning.
What are the advantages for teachers and schools to use the Learning Series?
Teachers and schools will benefit from the Learning Series in these ways:
 All Learning Series test items are unique, original, independent, and high quality.
 The Learning Series is composed of critical‐thinking questions framed in “real‐world” contexts to
promote students’ abilities to analyze situations and apply higher‐order thinking skills. The math
items include contextual‐based items and computational (drill and kill) items.
 The Learning Series Math, Science, and Social Studies test items contain dynamic content—i.e., they
contain algorithmic definitions that, when used with the ExamView® Assessment Suite, calculate new
values for the variable elements in the questions and answers. Each time a dynamic question is
recalculated, different values, units of measure, tabular data, graphs, pictures, text strings, or answer
choices are displayed, generating unique questions that assess the same concepts.

 The Learning Series Reading products contain age‐appropriate, cross‐curricular reading selections
that embrace a wide variety of reading genres, including short stories, excerpts, poems, and original,
fact‐based passages. Passages are similar in length and complexity to those typically found on many
high‐stakes’ tests. The associated reading questions are designed to assess higher‐order thinking
skills.
 The Learning Series offers a variety of question types, including Multiple Choice, Short Answer (short
response), Numeric Response, Completion, and Essay (extended response). To provide added
flexibility, the majority of the Multiple Choice questions are Bimodal which means they can be
displayed as either Multiple Choice or Short Answer questions, allowing test administrators to change
the difficulty level of a test instantly.
 The Learning Series test items contain numerous illustrations, tables, graphs, charts, and maps for
students to analyze and interpret.
 The Learning Series test items contain valuable, built‐in support information to aid teachers’ efforts
to assess and reteach specific concepts.
How can administrators use the Learning Series effectively at the building and classroom levels?
Administrators can implement a uniform assessment program across the core disciplines of English
language arts/reading, math, science, and social studies and use the Learning Series for multiple
assessment purposes at the building and classroom levels:
 Daily Formative Testing: Produce formative assessments to determine student mastery of concepts
covered by the standards.
 Data Gathering: Create (1) standards’‐aligned pretests to establish an aggregate educational baseline
and (2) posttests to provide potential early indicators of school or class performance on high‐stakes’
tests.
 Identifying Individual Student’s Needs: Identify and diagnose each student’s level of knowledge as it
relates to the standards and expectations, thereby addressing areas of weakness.
 Reinforcement: Create practice study guides to reinforce instruction.
 Quizzes and Tests: Produce assessments that will measure student learning and progress toward
specific content mastery.
 Re‐teaching and Intervention: Choose specific Learning Series questions that target only the concepts
needed to re‐teach in either group or individualized instruction.
How will students benefit from the Learning Series?
Students will benefit from the Learning Series in these ways:
 Multiple delivery options provide for various learning styles.
 Every Multiple Choice item includes a rationale (that is, an explanation of the facts and formulas that
should be considered to arrive at the correct answer) to reinforce learning.
 Feedback for each incorrect answer choice provides hints or guidance to the student if he or she
selects the wrong answer and reinforces learning.
 The incorrect answer choices for Multiple Choice questions are designed to mirror common student
mistakes—providing opportunities to reinforce learning and to assess student mastery of concepts.
 Educators can format the study guides, worksheets, and tests to closely resemble state tests.
 Immediate feedback regarding individual assessment and classroom performance reinforces student
mastery of concepts.

 Reports point to specific standards on which students need additional practice and reinforcement,
thereby addressing areas of weakness.
 Visually appealing illustrations, tables, graphs, charts, and maps for students to analyze and interpret
enhance assessment and mimic high‐stakes’ tests.
What are the classroom delivery options for the Learning Series?
Educators can deliver the Learning Series on both Windows and Macintosh platforms. Learning Series
items are designed to be used with ExamView® Assessment Suite, the most powerful, easy‐to‐use test
generator in the market today. Versatile delivery options include paper‐pencil, bubble forms for plain‐
paper scanning, local area network, learning management system options, Turning Technologies’ student
response systems, Insight 360™, and Workspace™. Only Turning’s technology works seamlessly with
ExamView®.
Which version of ExamView Learning Series is included in Insight 360?
ExamView Learning Series v9 is included in Insight 360 v2. (ExamView Learning Series v10 is not included
in Insight 360.)
What marketing materials are available for the Learning Series?
Use the following marketing materials for the Learning Series:
 ExamView® Learning Series Question Breakdown Charts v10 – This pdf includes a bookmarked
question breakdown chart for each of the 40 state products, the Topic‐Aligned product, the Common
Core State Standards content, and the Next Generation Science Standards content. Each question
breakdown chart identifies (1) the standards set to which the items are aligned and (2) by subject and
grade level, the number of items, the number of unique iterations, and the number of items per
question type. The ExamView Learning Series Question Breakdown charts are in the partner portal
 ExamView® Learning Series Item Counts by Standard v10 Charts – This zipped file includes an item
count by standards chart for each of the 40 state products, the Common Core content, and the Next
Generation Science content. Each chart identifies the number of Learning Series items for each
standard with aligned content. A similar chart is also available for the Topic‐Aligned product that
provides the number of items per learning objective. The ExamView Learning Series Item Counts by
Standard charts are in the partner portal (http://www.einstruction.com/partner‐portal/marketing‐
material).
 ExamView® Learning Series FAQ – This pdf includes the most frequently asked questions and
answers. The ExamView Learning Series FAQ is in the partner portal
 ExamView® Learning Series Samplers – If customers want to review the quality of our questions
and/or standards’ alignments, always recommend that they download a free Learning Series sampler
at http://www.einstruction.com/products/examview‐learning‐series‐samplers. Each Learning Series
Sampler provides a small cross‐section sampling of content from all subjects and grades.  A Windows
and Mac sampler is available for each of the state products, the Topic‐Aligned product, the Common
Core State Standards content, and the Next Generation Science Standards content.
 Status of Common Core State Standards in the Customer’s State – Always know whether your
customer has adopted the Common Core State Standards. You can check the status of each state’s
decision on the Common Core website at http://www.corestandards.org/in‐the‐states.

 Status of Next Generation Science Standards in the Customer’s State – Always know whether your
customer has adopted the Next Generation Science Standards. You can check the status of each
state’s decision on the Next Generation Science Standards website at
http://www.nextgenscience.org.
 ExamView® Test Generator ‐ Select Questions by Criteria – As you demo the power of the ExamView
Test Generator, use the most robust question selection option—Select Questions by Criteria—to
efficiently show the value of all the Learning Series question information with each item. The Select
Questions by Criteria option allows the user to select questions by using the question information
fields as filters which narrow the number of questions on a given topic. Users can also view the
questions before selecting them.
 Online general overview information about the Learning Series is on our website at
http://www.einstruction.com/examview‐ls‐overview.
What is the price of the Learning Series?
The US education list price for the Learning Series is as follows:
 $199 for a single classroom license;
 $1,299 for a building license; and
 $1,039 for a building license upgrade
If another version of the Learning Series is released shortly after a customer purchases the Learning
Series, can the customer receive a free upgrade?
If a newer version of the Learning Series is released within 30 days of the customer’s initial purchase, the
customer qualifies for a free upgrade.

Exam view learning series v10 faq sheet

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