We are pleased to share some exciting updates to OSCAR Classroom! The MZD team has been working diligently on enhancements that make OSCAR Classroom even easier to use and more collaborative for your students and teachers.
A few of the major enhancements include:
- Integration with Clever – Single sign-on and real-time class roster sync
- Collaborative Scoring Teams – Create your own specialized scoring teams (PLC’s, grade level teams or content areas in multiple buildings) to make it easier to collaborate and manage scoring projects.
- Easier and More flexible Assignment Upload – Students can scan/upload files with one click using a QR code
- Tailored Student Communication – Teachers can easily customize email communication to students about pertinent projects/assignments through OSCAR Classroom
- Enhanced Student Reporting – One click generates student reports for the entire class, including PDFs for digital distribution
- Simplified Google Drive and Google Documents Integration – Students can now submit work directly from Google Drive/Docs
In the Fall 2018, MZD was selected by the Michigan Assessment Consortium (MAC) to build a customized solution for their classroom-based, performance assessment scoring requirements necessary to support the Michigan Arts Education Instruction and Assessment Project (MAEIA). MAC had developed collection of over 360 curriculum-embedded performance tasks for MAEIA intended to support student learning and engage them in the creative process. Now they needed a platform that provided professional development opportunities for teachers, while simultaneously ensuring accurate, simple and efficient performance scoring capabilities.The end product of our collective efforts is a platform that lets teachers easily upload student work (PDF’s digital images, audio and video files) into a virtual classroom and then allows them to apply scores while referencing related online resources. Other qualified teachers can provide second scores and when those scores don’t align, the work is escalated for a third resolution score.
OSCAR Classroom also supports the capability for teachers to engage in an online collaborative scoring discussion with the option to add student feedback. The collaborative process in an ideal opportunity for teacher professional development and the student feedback provides enhanced student reports – all the while making the process as simple and efficient as possible.
My goal with our efforts at the MAC and with the use of OSCAR Classroom, is to get teachers to assess each other’s work, and then collaboratively develop students’ assessments. When teachers have these conversations, they begin to develop common understanding. When that occurs, it has a very positive impact on learning: It leads to more consistent standards in performance expectations, teaching standards, and assessment across students and districts.
Dr. Edward Roeber, Assessment Director, Michigan Assessment Consortium
