What is ParSYSTEM? By Neil Sapper, Amarillo College (Amarillo, TX) Par is an acronym for test _P_reparation, test _A_nalysis, and test _R_eports ParSYSTEM software is a family of test development, scoring, analysis, and grades management software for PCs (not Mac and not Windows--yet) and optical scanners (SCANTRON, HEI, and NCS); however, the software does not require a scanner if that feature is not needed. ParTEST is a computerized item banking and test generation program in menu-driven design. Test items of ANY type (essay/problem, multiple choice, matching, true-false, fill-in) are entered in the PC, classified, and stored in test item banks. ParTEST has word-processing capabilities, provides unlimited question size, an unlimited number of items, an unlimited number of item banks, and allows password protection. In addition, ParTEST provides 300 user-defined test item descriptor categories per directory, allows 12,500 user-defined descriptors per directory, manual or random selection of test items, and prints different versions by scrambling answers, items, or both. ParTEST can import graphics files (maps, photos, charts, and the like). Finally, ParTEST integrates with ParSCORE (although ParTEST can stand alone as a test generator) for automatic tracking of item analysis data. ParSCORE is an integrated test-scoring, gradebook, and reporting program (which can also stand alone) that interfaces an optical scanner with a PC to enter student data such as names, ID numbers, and test responses. Student data can be downloaded from other databases or entered by keyboard. ParGRADE is functionally the dame program as ParSCORE with one exception: ParGRADE does not have the capability to read data from a scanner; ParGRADE is the stand-alone version of ParSCORE (many users have ParGRADE on their home machines). ParSCORE handles up to 2,000 per class with up to 90 test scores per student; any number of classes; can combine classes for analysis on up to 9,999 students; questions can have up to 25 answer choices; and allows on-line keyboard correction of marking errors (multiple marks or faint marks scanned as omissions). ParSCORE provides sophisticated item analysis: point-biserial correlation coefficients, Kuder-Richardson (KR-20) reliability coefficients. difficulty levels for overall/highest/lowest groups, mean/median/mode/highest/lowest scores, standard deviation, response frequencies, and nondistractors. ParSCORE generates a wide variety of test reports and rosters: test item analysis, roster printouts, score distributions, grade distributions, error logs (multiple marks and omitted items), histograms of scores, test feedback reports to students, and progress reports (up to 90 assignments per student). Automatically, student scores are posted to ParSCORE's built-in gradebook. Scores are updated and corrected if any rescoring is undertaken. ParSCORE's gradebook provides options for scores and grades management: lowest scores can be dropped, the roster can be weighted for average, tests can be scaled or converted to a variety of standardized scores, and multiple grading criteria can be utilized in a single class. Questions can be selected from a test and scored as a subtest. Any number of subtests can be generated and recorded. Student data can be imported from other databases or exported to other databases. ParSCORE has built-in utlity programs for copying and deleting files. Custom paper forms (score sheets) can be developed to work with ParSCORE. Finally, ParSCORE has a multiple password system. For hard disk users, up to 99 passwords can be utlized for data directory access. ParTEST also exists in an On-Line version to allow students to take tests at a PC keyboard. (A recent upgrade permits scrambling test forms and test responses in on-line tests.) And ParSURVEY is a family of survey software for PCs and optical scanners and consists of two programs: GST and SEI. GST is survey software that can handle up to 200 questions and over 32,000 respondents on a single survey. GST provides Likert Scale response analysis (up to 26 scales) of the survey and unlimited cross tabulation of the data. GST reports can be generated on an unlimited number of subsamples of the respondents. Reports can be printed with abbreviated questions printed on the report for the user's convenience. SEI is survey software that collects and analyzes data specifically for student evaluation of instruction. SEI can handle up to 60 questions and over 32,000 respondents on a single survey. SEI provides automatic printing of reports for a single class or groups of classes based upon user-assigned course numbers. Individual classes can be compared to the entire institution on a single, easy-to- read report. Teachers are ranked by percentile for each item, relative to all other teachers campus-wide. Or subsamples (college/school/division/ department/section/any subdivision) chosen by the user can be printed. The ParSYSTEM User's Group (PUG) has been focused upon ParTEST and ParSCORE/GRADE with particular emphasis on ParSCORE/GRADE. Now you know what PUG KNOWS. To learn more about about ParSYSTEM software contact Neil Sapper or 806/371-5416 for information about the software vendor.