Nutmeg Education: Build Common Core Assessments and Improve Student Performance

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Since the transition to the Common Core Learning Standards, teachers across the nation are working hard to adjust their teaching styles and curriculum materials to reflect the instructional shifts required by the new standards. But how do we, as educators, know for sure that our students are “getting it?” And how do we prepare students for new assessments that will look significantly different than those given in the past?

Nutmeg Education is one assessment platform that many teachers are using to create Common Core aligned tests and monitor students’ performance. In addition to providing teachers with real time data on students’ mastery of the CCLS, Nutmeg also provides personalized support to students by directing them to tutorial resources aligned with their individual needs. When students receive their assessment results, they will see a list of recommended resources underneath each incorrect answer. If a student misses a question on finding the perimeter of a quadrilateral, for example, he might see a link to a Khan Academy video on this exact topic, or a PowerPoint created by his teacher. Teachers are provided with valuable data (no grading necessary), and students are given access to resources to help them improve on topics they are struggling to understand.

How Does Nutmeg Work?

Start using Nutmeg to build and assign an assessment in five simple steps:

1. Create a Class

Create a class and type in students’ names. Nutmeg will automatically generate a username and ID # for each student. Emails are not required, and you have the option to print ID cards for students to help them remember their login details.

2. Select Your Common Core Standard

Select “Build a New Assessment” and choose the grade level and Common Core math standard(s) you wish to assess (ELA coming soon).

3. Select Your Questions

Once you select a standard, choose the assessment questions from Nutmeg’s question bank for the selected standard. You also have the option to create your own questions in a multiple choice, true/false, or fill in the blank format. If you are limited on time, select “auto-build assessment” and Nutmeg will choose the the questions for you.

4. Assign Assessment to Students

After building your test, assign the assessment to students. You may choose to assign the test to your whole class or to specific students, allowing for differentiation. Students login with their username and take the quiz from the Nutmeg website on any web browser, or from an iPad or iPhone using the Nutmeg for Students app.

5. View and Analyze Assessment Results

The assessment is automatically graded, providing both the teacher and students with immediate feedback. View results to identify individual and whole-class learning trends. Students who struggled with the assessment will be directed to resources aligned with their needs, based on the questions they missed.

Nutmeg is available across all devices and free for a year for the first 5,000 users to sign up, so create an account today to start evaluating, monitoring, and improving your students’ understanding of the Common Core Learning Standards!