Small-Scale Use Getting the Processs Started Purchasing Materials or Forms Per-Child Cost Using Method 1 How It Compares to Using Other Methods How Does it Compare With Other Assessment Instruments Back to Assessment K-12 Switchboard What Do We Need to Do to Get the Process Started and Prepare for the Assessment Date?

This section guides the School Coordinator through the preparations necessary for a DISCOVER Assessment.  These instructions may be downloaded by clicking on the graphic below.

After reading the preparation guidelines below, visit the other Assessment topics to learn about other details and costs associated with this Implementation Method for the Assessment.

At Least 2 Months Before the Desired Assessment Date

    Step 1)  Assign a School Coordinator:  This person will be the primary contact between the DISCOVER staff and your school.  S/he will coordinate all preparations for the Assessment.  In most cases, the School Coordinator is a school administrator, but anyone with the authority to make decisions about use of the school facilities will work well.

     Step 2)  Schedule the Assessment Date(s):  Please call the DISCOVER office as far in advance as possible to insure that Observers will be available on your preferred dates.  If Dr. Maker is to be involved with your school's activities, her schedule is booked far in advance.  The busiest months for DISCOVER Observers tend to be October and May.  Summer Assessments are also possible.  Confirm with the DISCOVER office the ages of the students who will be assessed so that the proper Observers for that age group can be scheduled. 

     Step 3)  Have a School Official Sign the Assessment AGREEMENT FOR USE:  The University of Arizona owns the copyright to the DISCOVER Assessment and specifies requirements for its use.  A qualified school official must sign a document called the "DISCOVER Assessment Agreement for Use" on behalf of the school.  The two most prominent components of this Agreement, as related to Assessment Implementation Method 1, are that the school and its personnel must keep all non-public components of the Assessment process confidential and that Assessment results are not be used in a manner outside of established research parameters.  You may review (or download) the Agreement for Use from the DISCOVER Website at Contracts & Agreements.


At Least 1 Month Before the Desired Assessment Date

     Step 4)  Schedule Facilities and Personnel:  Make sure the site (school or other facility) where the Assessment will take place is ready for the Assessment date.  Finalize any other scheduling details in preparation for the Assessment team's arrival.  Also, finalize hotel arrangements and transportation details and give the DISCOVER Team Leader instructions on how to find the Assessment location.

     Step 5)  Meet with and Prepare the Assessment Leader:  The School Coordinator chooses who will fill the role of "Assessment Leader" during the Assessment.  The Assessment Leader does not receive special training.  S/he reads a script of instructions during the Assessment and handles classroom management, which allows the DISCOVER Observers to focus on their responsibilities.  The best person to be the Assessment Leader is the classroom teacher of the class being assessed.  This person must "stick to the script" and must not participate in the Assessment or influence its results.  The Assessment Leader should know little about the Assessment other than his or her responsibilities and information that is available publicly.  The DISCOVER team guards against the possibility of "coaching" on future Assessments.  Sometimes teachers and parents are curious and want to know how the Assessment works.  Team members are happy to explain the Assessment in general terms.  Though the team will not reveal the Assessment's "secrets," the School Coordinator may schedule a half-day or full-day community or staff-development workshop to coincide with the Assessment.  The purpose of such a workshop is to give parents and staff an in-depth look at how the DISCOVER Assessment differs from other instruments and how it is used.

     Step 6)  Schedule Translators, If Needed:  Translation should be available for each dominant language spoken.  Translators are needed throughout the Assessment's three observed activities to translate directions and children's questions/responses.  Also, translators are needed to translate or transcribe any oral or written stories told or written in other languages.

     Step 7)  Coordinate Financial Arrangements Between DISCOVER and Your School:  Work with the DISCOVER representative to confirm the exact Assessment costs.  The DISCOVER administrator will invoice for services in advance.  Advance invoicing allows time for the school's business office to prepare a check before the team's departure.  Unless other arrangements are made, payment is due at the end of the assessment.  The host school must cover the team's expenses.  Unless other arrangements are made in advance, the school arranges for the team's lodging according to the reasonable preferences of the team members.  Lodging costs should be billed directly to the school. Other expenses, such as airfare, taxis/rental cars, and meals are paid for by the individual team members and invoiced to the school for reimbursement.


At Least 1 Week Before the Desired Assessment Date

     Step 8)  Confirm Final Details:  Communicate any last-minute changes of schedule or other details to the DISCOVER Assessment Team.  Confirm that they have proper directions and schedules.

     Step 9)  Check to See That Non-Observer Parts of the Assessment Have Been Completed:  Math and Story Writing, the two written parts of the assessment, do not require Observers and are administered by the regular teacher in advance of the Assessment Team's arrival.  Confirm that these two parts have been completed.  You will give them to the Assessment Team on the Assessment Day. 

On the Assessment Day

     Step 10)  Prepare the Assessment Area:  Whether the Assessment will occur in a classroom or a common area such as the school library, the existing furniture should be replaced with large tables and moveable chairs.  Round tables, approximately five or six feet in diameter, are best.  One table will be needed for each group of five students to be assessed.  Seat and table height should be appropriate to the age of the students; however, an adult-size chair for the Observer seated at each table is needed.  An additional table, set to the side of the Assessment area, is needed to hold the Assessment Team's equipment.  No additional set-up is required because the Observers will have most of their materials and equipment organized in portable bins that sit on the floor during the Assessment.

     Step 11)  Make Sure the Assessment Leader Is Prepared for His/Her Responsibilities:  The Assessment Leader has three primary responsibilities—reading directions, managing classroom behavior, and escorting students in and out of the Assessment area.

     Reading Directions:  The Assessment Leader will read a scripted set of directions for each Assessment activity.  These directions are to be read exactly as written and repeated as necessary.  All students should be paying attention when the directions are read.  If any student speaks a dominant language other than English, the instructions must be translated.  When using translations, the translated version(s) of the instructions is read first and is followed by the English version.  For example, if the Assessment Leader is to read a paragraph of instructions, the translator(s) will say the first two sentences in the alternate language(s) followed by the Assessment Leader saying the same sentences in English.  Then, the next two sentences will be given in the alternate language and followed with the English until all the material has been read.  The Team Leader and translator can be the same person as long as alternate languages are spoken adequately.  No student can start an activity until all necessary instructions have been given in each language.

     Behavior Management:  The Assessment Leader should use whatever behavior management techniques are familiar to the students.  Students are given considerable freedom to express themselves during the Assessment activities.  However, they must be quiet and attentive during the occasional, short instructions.  During some of the actual assessment activities, they are free to be noisy and active as long as their actions do not damage Assessment materials or disrupt other students from pursuing Assessment activities.  The DISCOVER Assessment Team Leader will work with the Assessment Leader, as needed, to define what behaviors are appropriate.  The Assessment Leader is welcome to walk around and watch the students during the Assessment activities but should say little.  The Observers are the primary contacts with the students during the activities and are trained to interact with the students in ways that will not unduly affect the Assessment results.  If the Assessment Leader does chose to interact with students during the activities, s/he must be careful to show equal attention and encouragement to all.

     Escorting Students Between Activities:  Each of the three observed activities lasts approximately 45 minutes.  Between the activities the Assessment Leader should escort the students out of the Assessment area for approximately 15 minutes to give the Observers time to complete notes and prepare for the next activity.  The team recommends having the students do something fun and active during this time.  Younger children, especially, need to burn excess energy and take their minds off the Assessment that they have just completed.  Assessment activities are designed to seem much like "play".  As a result, students sometimes enjoy the exercises so much that they do not want to stop when the activity ends and, occasionally, become upset and uncooperative.  Helping them transition by taking them out for an activity that is fun and active will put them in a better frame of mind for the next activity.

     Step 12)  Meet With the Assessment Team Before the Assessment:  The Assessment Team will arrive at the Assessment Site approximately one hour before the students arrive.  They will set up and check arrangements.  For the most part, they will be self-sufficient, but they may need limited assistance.  Check with the team members to see if they need anything.  The DISCOVER Team Leader will want to meet with the Assessment Leader during this time to clarify her or his role and answer questions.

     Step 13)  Give the Assessment Team an Official Roster Printout:  DISCOVER will need an official computer printout from your school showing the full names of all the students who will be assessed.  The sheet should contain birthdays, as well, which we use in out database to identify students whose names are the same.  The roster should contain the name of the regular teacher if we are assessing a standard class.  Optional information, useful in research, includes students' ethnicity and the languages they speak.   DISCOVER will base the Assessment results on an identification system rather than names at the school's request.  However, the students' first names, at least, must be written on name tags that are worn during the Assessment.


After the Assessment

   Step 14)  Confer with DISCOVER on Assessment Results:  If for some reason the Math and Story Writing components are not completed by the Assessment day, they must be sent to Tucson as soon after the Assessment as possible.  The Assessment results cannot be finalized without these components.  When all necessary information has been assembled and scored, the DISCOVER database system will generate Strength Profiles for each student Assessed.  These profiles can be used to make decisions on placement and to customize teaching styles and curricula.  Your DISCOVER representative will assist in using the results.
Visit Us Back to Home Page Contact Us