Team Readiness Assessments (TRAs)
Team readiness assessments (TRAs) are given every three weeks to assess student readiness for the more complex thinking required during application exercises. These assessments measure recognition & basic comprehension of (1) essential terms, (2) primary sources, and (3) key images. IMPORTANT: A number of these same questions then reappear on the final exam.
NOTE: each TRA takes place after a two-period guided reading session introducing the readings, but before the in-depth processing of readings done during team application exercises. Most students thus need to allow more time than they are used to for reading and studying assigned materials on their own.
Logistics (RAP: the "Readiness Assurance Process")
Individual TRAs must be taken on-line before coming to class on the third day of each two-week period (see syllabus for exact dates). Each TRA will become available shortly after the preceding class session; to take the test you must have a valid Saclink username and password and have been added to SacCT. The individual TRA is open-book and open-note, but you may not consult others during the test. (See my statements about the importance of academic honesty in FAQ, #10-13.)
Once in class:
- I will give you a paper copy of the same TRA and you will then convene with your team members to take it. IMPORTANT: the team TRA is closed-book and closed-note; that is, once in your team, you must choose the correct answers, and convince other team members if needed, based on what you remember of what you have read and heard.
NOTE: Each question will count for two and a half (2.5) points, for a total of 25 points for each individual and team. Since individual and team scores are added together, each individual ends up with a score out of 50 points for each TRA. The lowest TRA score will be dropped for each individual and team.
- When finished with the team test, one of your team members will deliver your answer sheet and write your team's score on the board. Then pick up a "TRA question analysis" form and decide if there are one or two questions you felt were to difficult or misleading. You can then TAKE OUT YOUR READING MATERIALS AND NOTES and write an analysis of the question that specifies in what way it is difficult or misleading. Alternatively, using the opposite side of the form, you may also submit an alternative question which I may use on some future TRA. A successful question analysis and effective alternative question may both receive up to 5 points of extra credit for the team (= 20% of the TRA score).
- Following each TRA, we will do a mini Application Exercise to guide teams in gathering evidence for the upcoming application exercises, during which time we will also consider questions on the TRA that many students missed.