From Checkpoint to Catalyst: How MOY Testing and TEIs Drive Standards Mastery
Middle of Year (MOY) testing is more than a midyear milestone. It is a strategic moment where assessment and instruction intersect to impact end-of-year outcomes. In our recent webinar, Maximizing MOY Testing & TEIs to Drive Standards Mastery, Dr. Sandra Markowitz guided educators through a powerful framework for turning MOY assessments into targeted, data-driven action plans that close gaps and build student confidence.
Dr. Markowitz is an experienced instructional technologist and Enterprise Success Manager at Progress Learning. With nearly two decades of experience in education and technology integration, she works closely with districts across the country to support the effective implementation of data-informed instruction.
Rethinking MOY: A Midyear Moment to Intervene and Accelerate
MOY testing serves four critical purposes in the academic year:
- Measure progress since the beginning of the year
- Identify areas of growth and persistent learning gaps
- Inform instructional shifts and adjust student groupings
- Intervene early enough to ensure gains by end-of-year testing
Too often, schools conduct assessments without actionable follow-through. Dr. Markowitz challenged this passive approach, urging educators to see MOY testing as the turning point where instructional practices can evolve based on real-time data.
“MOY testing is that critical checkpoint that allows you to pivot your instruction, based on what students need now—not what they needed back in August,” said Dr. Markowitz.
It is not just data collection. It is the point in the year when schools can pivot instruction with purpose.
A System Designed for Action: Using Progress Learning to Maximize MOY
Progress Learning was built to close the gap between what students know and what they need to master. Dr. Markowitz showed how the platform supports every stage of the assessment cycle—from testing and analysis to remediation and growth tracking:
- Custom and Pre-Built Assessments: Schools can build their own or use ready-made assessments that align directly to their state’s standards (e.g., TEKS in Texas, SOL in Virginia, GSE in Georgia).
- Immediate Data Visibility: Dashboards give educators and administrators an instant snapshot of performance, broken down by standard, student, and question type.
- Remediation Tools: The platform’s quick-click remediation links students directly to targeted support tied to the exact standards they missed.
- Individualized Study Plans: Based on MOY assessment data, Progress Learning auto-generates personalized learning paths that students can work through independently or in small groups.
“Our platform doesn’t just give you numbers. It gives you next steps,” Dr. Markowitz emphasized. “Every missed question is a chance to teach again, not just record a mistake.”
TEIs in Focus: Preparing for the Test by Teaching the Skills That Matter
Technology-Enhanced Items (TEIs) are not just test prep tools. They are essential to helping students become digitally fluent, cognitively engaged, and assessment-ready. In the webinar, Dr. Markowitz emphasized how Progress Learning’s TEIs:
- Mirror the formats of actual state assessments
- Increase engagement through interactivity
- Support higher-order thinking with DOK 2 and above items
Examples from the platform included multi-select responses, drag-and-drop classification, graphing tools, highlight text for evidence-based reading, and more.
“TEIs help students become comfortable with the format, but they also challenge them to think critically,” she said. “These aren’t just gimmicks. They are rigorous, purposeful tasks that build depth.”
What Educators Can Do Next: A Practical Walkthrough
Dr. Markowitz gave attendees a step-by-step walkthrough of how to take action after MOY assessments:
- Build a standards-aligned MOY assessment using prebuilt or custom items
- Analyze the data using Progress Learning’s reporting tools to pinpoint standard-level trends
- Use Quick-Click Remediation to assign targeted practice on missed standards
- Automatically generate Study Plans for individualized follow-up
- Track growth over time through built-in progress monitoring reports
“You don’t need five systems to get this done. You need one system that connects diagnostics, reporting, and remediation. That’s what we’ve built,” Dr. Markowitz explained.
Educators left the session with not just theory, but a concrete action plan that can be implemented immediately.
A Culture of Mastery, Not Just Completion
Beyond the tools, the webinar emphasized a mindset shift: treating assessment data as an instructional asset. The goal is not to administer a test and move on, but to build a culture of continuous learning, adjustment, and mastery.
“If students see progress, they feel progress,” said Dr. Markowitz. “When they know what they missed and have the tools to fix it, you’ll see the motivation shift almost instantly.”
Dr. Markowitz also encouraged educators to involve students in the process. When students understand their goals, see their progress, and are given the tools to close gaps, they become more invested in their learning journey.
Ready to Rewatch?
If you missed the webinar or want to revisit the strategies, you can watch the full recording here.
