The Diagnostic takes an average of 35 minutes to complete and is available in ELA and Math for grades PK–8. A new Diagnostic is available for each of the four assessment windows.
What questions does the Diagnostic answer?
The Screener answers: Which students' data indicates learning below or above curriculum expectations?
The Diagnostic answers: Which specific foundational skills does the data indicate a student has mastered, and which need instructional attention?
Who takes the Diagnostic?
Every student takes the Screener. Students whose Screener data places them at red or yellow scores are the primary candidates for the Diagnostic. After a student completes the Screener, the platform automatically assigns the appropriate grade-level Diagnostic based on the Screener result.
The Diagnostic is not only for students whose data indicates learning below curriculum expectations. A student whose Screener score indicates learning above the level of the core curriculum may take the Diagnostic at the next grade level up to determine whether foundational skills at that level are secure before moving instruction further above grade level.
How the Diagnostic works
The Diagnostic assesses each skill with four or more questions. A score of 75% correct or higher on the questions for a given skill indicates mastery. A score below 75% indicates an area that may need instructional attention.
Results are presented skill by skill, showing which skills the data indicates as mastered and which as needing attention — giving educators a clear map of where instruction should focus rather than a single summary number.
How the Diagnostic is used
Individual students: The most common use is with students whose Screener data indicates learning below curriculum expectations. The Diagnostic identifies which specific skills are contributing to that gap, giving the educator or interventionist clear entry points for instruction.
Students learning above curriculum expectations: A student whose Screener data indicates learning above the level of the core curriculum can take the Diagnostic at the next grade level to determine readiness for more advanced instruction. If that Diagnostic shows strong mastery across all skills, the data suggests the student is ready to engage with curriculum beyond the current grade level.
Small groups: The Diagnostic can be administered to a group of students and results can be viewed in aggregate — showing which skills present shared opportunities across the group and which areas show general mastery. This helps educators focus small-group instruction on what the data indicates the group actually needs rather than reteaching what is already secure.