Level Lifters

Table of Contents

1. Overview of Level Lifters
2. Unlocking Level Lifters
   1. How Students Unlock Level Lifters for the First Time
   2. How Students Unlock the Level Lifter for Subsequent Attempts
   3. How Teachers Can Manually Unlock Level Lifters
3. Level Lifter Passing Requirements
   1. Retakes
   2. Passing Percentage: How to Adjust Passing Requirements
4. Level Lifter Interviews: An Alternative Means of Assessment

Overview of Level Lifters

'Level Lifters' is the name we use for the assessments students take to move up a level in both the addition/subtraction and multiplication/division programs.  

Level Lifters enable students to demonstrate their ability to efficiently apply the strategies they have practiced at their current level and from previous levels.  Level Lifters (and Placement Tests) are the only time that students are asked to solve math facts prompts without being provided an accompanying strategy for solving.  

Each level lifter comes in 3 parts: 

1. First operation fact problems: either addition or multiplication
2. Second operation fact problems: either subtraction or division fact problems
3. Results:
   1. If a student passes, they receive a 'Congratulations' message.
   2. If a student does not pass, they are shown their Level Lifter report to help them see what progress they still need to make.   

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Unlocking Level Lifters

Before a student can take a Level Lifter, they need to unlock it first. Students can unlock a Level Lifter in two different ways.

How Students Unlock the Level Lifter for the First Time

The first time a student unlocks a Level Lifter, they do this by completing all activities shown on their dashboard.

• A checkmark appears in the top-right corner of each activity when it is completed.
• Once all activities are completed, the Level Lifter button becomes available to click.

How Students Unlock the Level Lifter for Subsequent Attempts

If a student needs to try a Level Lifter again, or if they are working in the advanced levels, they will need to reach a points goal before they can try again.

• If a student did not pass either part of the Level Lifter, they need to earn 900 points on two activities - one activity for each operation.
• If a student passed one part but not the other, they need to earn 900 points on one activity for the operation they did not pass.

The rationale for this requirement is that it allows students the opportunity to focus on their preferred strategies, and earning 900 points gives them a good chance of passing the Level Lifter.  

Answering all of an activity's problems correctly and within the assigned fluency rate earns the student 1000 points.  Points are deducted for incorrect or not-yet-fluent responses.

How Teachers Can Manually Unlock Level Lifters

If you feel a student is ready to take a Level Lifter, you can unlock the Level Lifter for the student by doing the following:

1. Go to the Students tab on the teacher dashboard.
2. Switch to the Performance side of the Students tab.
3. Find the student whose Level Lifter you wish to unlock. and click the 3-dots action button on that student's row.  (You'll find this in the Actions column, just beside the edit button.)
4. Select 'Unlock Level Lifter'.

The next time the student logs into their account, the Level Lifter will be available for them to take when they are ready. If the student is already using MathFactLab when you make this change, they may need to refresh their screen for the Level Lifter to be available.

Note: Unlocking the level lifter provides one-time access to the Level Lifter.   If they fail to pass the Level Lifter after this attempt, the typical requirements will again apply.

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Level Lifter Passing Requirements

To move up a level, students need to demonstrate fluency with the newly learned facts of their current level, along with the facts learned in previous levels.  

Fluency means students respond accurately to prompts within their assigned time limit (called their Required Response Rate ). For example, if a student's Required Response Rate is 6 seconds, any correct answer given within 6 seconds is considered fluent. The Required Response Rate may be adjusted from 2 to 120 seconds per problem. This article explains how to adjust the Required Response Rate.

To pass a section of a Level Lifter, a student needs to meet their assigned Passing Percentage. By default, the Passing Percentage is set at 80%, but this can be changed either for individual students or for all of your students.

To level up, students need to meet passing requirements for both sections of their Level Lifter (for example, the addition and subtraction sections). If a student passes one of the sections but not the other, when they return to their dashboard at that level, they will only need to earn points in the operation for which they did not pass.

For example, let's say a student is on Level B and the student's Passing Percentage is set at the default of 80%. If the student takes the Level B Level Lifter and scores 85% on the addition section but 75% on the subtraction section, the student passes in addition but not in subtraction. This means that the student will return to the Level B dashboard but will only need to practice subtraction. Once the student meets the 900-point requirement in subtraction, they will unlock the Level Lifter again. The student will then only be required to take the subtraction section of the Level Lifter. If the student passes it, they will be promoted to Level C.

Retakes

Just like adults, students sometimes make simple mistakes or typos. Because of this, Level Lifters allow limited retakes. Students can reanswer up to 15% of the problems in each section of a Level Lifter.  For example, if a section has 20 problems, a student can retake up to 3 problems. 

If a student answers a problem incorrectly or takes longer than their Required Response Rate, the program may present those problems again at the end of the section (up to the retake limit).

The new answers will replace the earlier ones.

Students will not be told which questions are retakes.

Passing Percentage: How to Adjust Passing Requirements

Providing flexibility in passing requirements helps struggling students stay motivated. A student's score for any Level Lifter assessment is determined by the accuracy and response rate using the following point system:

• Fluent responses receive full points.
• Responses that are accurate but do not meet the required response rate receive half points.
• Inaccurate responses receive no points.

To pass a Level Lifter assessment, a student must earn a minimum percentage of the total possible points. This passing benchmark is set by the teacher, and we call this the Passing Percentage.

The teacher can change the passing percentage for Level Lifters for individuals or groups of students. The passing percentage may be set from 50% to 100%. The default setting is 80%

This document provides step-by-step instructions on how to adjust the passing percentage for one or more students.

Level Lifter Interviews: An Alternative Means of Assessment

Some students, for a variety of reasons, may not show their full understanding on a standard Level Lifter. For these students, MathFactLab offers Level Lifter Interviews.

A Level Lifter Interview asks the same questions as a regular Level Lifter, but it is given on a teacher’s device. Your student does not need to type any answers.

Your student can complete a Level Lifter Interview at any time. The student does not need to unlock the Level Lifter first. (However, it is usually best if the student completes practice activities first so they feel prepared.)

To begin a student Level Lifter Interview: 

1. Go to the Students tab on the teacher dashboard.
2. Find the student whom you wish to interview.
3. Click the 3-dots action button on that student's row.  (You'll find this in the Actions column, just beside the edit button.)
4. Select 'Level Lifter Interview'.   

How a Level Lifter Interview Works

The interview is similar to a typical Level Lifter with the following exceptions:

• A Level Lifter Interview is similar to a regular Level Lifter, with a few important differences:
  • The student answers questions out loud instead of typing, and the teacher decides if the answer is correct:
    • Press the spacebar if the answer is correct
    • Press another key if the answer is not correct
  • Each section of the assessment can be stopped at any time if needed
  • After both parts of the interview are finished, the student’s Level Lifter report appears. The teacher then decides whether the student is ready to move up by selecting:
    • Level Up! - The student moves to the next level
    • Not Yet - The student continues practicing at the current level

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