Quill Diagnostics offer two types of diagnostics: Baseline Diagnostics and Growth Diagnostics. Review the difference between the two types and read on to learn how to assign Growth Diagnostics to your classes.
📝 Baseline Diagnostics (Pre) measure students' skill proficiency in different writing skills to create personalized plans of practice recommendation activities. A Baseline Diagnostic functions as a pre-test and is your first step in assessing your students' writing skills.
Learn more about the different Baseline Diagnostics that Quill offers here.
📈 Growth Diagnostics (Post) measure skill proficiency growth after students have completed a Baseline Diagnostic and completed some or all of their practice recommendation activities. A Growth Diagnostic functions as a post-test and helps you gain insight into students' growth in writing skill proficiency and any remaining writing skill areas for growth.
Table of contents
How to assign Growth Diagnostics
1. Determine if this is the correct moment to assign a Growth Diagnostic to your students/classes. Generally, you should assign it when the statements below are true:
"My students have completed a Baseline Diagnostic."
"My students have completed most/all of the practice recommendation independent-practice activities that were recommended by the Baseline Diagnostic."
2. Once ready to assign a Growth Diagnostic, navigate to the Assign Activities page. Then, click the card Assess student writing with a diagnostic card to view the list of available diagnostics.
3. Select the Growth Diagnostic that corresponds with the Baseline Diagnostic your students/classes completed in the past. The following Growth Diagnostics are currently available.
Starter Growth Diagnostic (Post)
Intermediate Growth Diagnostic (Post)
Advanced Growth Diagnostic (Post)
ELL Starter Growth Diagnostic (Post)
ELL Intermediate Growth Diagnostic (Post)
ELL Advanced Growth Diagnostic (Post)
Growth Diagnostics may be locked if you have not previously assigned its corresponding Baseline Diagnostic to any classes/students. In order to unlock the Growth Diagnostic, you will first need to assign the corresponding Baseline Diagnostic, and in order for students to complete the Growth Diagnostic, they will first need to complete the corresponding Baseline Diagnostic.
4. After previewing and selecting a Growth Diagnostic, you will proceed to the Review and assign page.
a. In the Name the assignment section, name the activity pack containing the diagnostic. The name will default to the name of the diagnostic that you selected.
b. In the Review activities and pick due dates section, you have the option to set a Publish date (the date that this activity pack will show up in your students' Quill accounts) and set a Due date. Furthermore, the Previously assigned column indicates whether or not you have assigned this Growth Diagnostic to any of your students before.
c. In the Choose classes or students section, select the classes and students to whom you would like to assign the activity pack by checking the boxes next to their names.
d. Click the green Assign pack to classes button in the top right corner of the page to assign the activity pack to your selected students and classes.
How to assign a Growth Diagnostic from the Diagnostics report
Alternatively, you can assign a Growth Diagnostic right from the reports for the corresponding Baseline Diagnostic! First, navigate to the My Reports tab and click on the Diagnostics report.
Use the dropdown menu to select a class and only see the Quill Diagnostics assigned to that class.
Find the Baseline Diagnostic for which you would like to assign the corresponding Growth Diagnostic and click the respective View results and recommendations button.
In the menu on the left side of the subsequent page, click the Practice recommendations tab. Click here to learn more about the Practice recommendations report.
On the far right side of the Practice recommendations report, find the Diagnostic (Post) Test column. Check the boxes next to students' names or click the ellipsis icon to select all students at once. Then, click the Assign test button.
How to assign an already assigned Growth Diagnostic to additional students
To assign an existing Growth Diagnostic to more students or other classes, go to the My Activities tab and find the existing activity pack containing the diagnostic.
Tip 💡: Use the search shortcut, Ctrl+f or Command+f, to quickly search for the diagnostic by name.
After finding the activity pack containing the diagnostic, click the Add/remove students assigned button for that activity pack.
Clicking the Add/remove students assigned button will bring you a page containing rosters for each of your classes.
If the activity pack containing the diagnostic is not yet assigned to a student, the box next to the student's name will not be checked, and you will see no copy to the far right of the student's name.
To assign the activity pack containing the diagnostic to a student who is not yet assigned the activity pack, check the box to the left of the student's name. After checking the box next to the student's name, you will see the copy, Pack will be assigned, to the far right of the student's name.
If you would like to assign the activity pack containing the diagnostic to an entire class, click the Select all button for that class.
Once you have checked the boxes next to the names of the students to whom the activity pack needed to be assigned, click the Update students assigned to pack button.
Please click here to learn more about assigning and unassigning existing activity packs to and from new students.
Tip 💡: Please note that unchecking the box next to any student's name will unassign the diagnostic from that student and remove that student's data for the diagnostic, so keep the box next to a student's name checked if you would like to keep their data for that diagnostic. The student will not be reassigned the diagnostic. Learn more about this here.
How to view Growth Diagnostic results
After students complete a Growth Diagnostic, your next step is to review the results. Navigate to the My Reports tab and access the Diagnostics report.
Follow the guides below to understand the results that each Diagnostics report dsplays
Have more questions?
Please feel free to send a message to the Quill team using the green message bubble on the bottom right corner of the screen or email us at support@quill.org.