The Belt Testing System
The complete document set for running a belt test as a system: eligibility, invitation, the day, the record, and the follow-up. Every document is specified in full, with templates to copy. Built so a school can run its…
| Art | For Instructors |
|---|---|
| Family | Instructors |
| Level | all-levels |
| Format | reference |
| Topics | testing, administration, curricula |
| Audience | instructor |
The complete document set for running a belt test as a system: eligibility, invitation, the day, the record, and the follow-up. Every document is specified in full, with templates to copy. Built so a school can run its next cycle from this guide alone.
The Document Set at a Glance
A test cycle runs on seven documents. Each has one owner and one moment in the cycle.
| # | Document | Owner | Produced |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Eligibility tracker | Chief instructor | Continuous, locked at the invitation date |
| 2 | Invitation | Front desk or chief instructor | One per student, 3 to 4 weeks out |
| 3 | Readiness checklist | Testing student's instructor | Completed per student before invitation |
| 4 | Day-of run sheet | Test director | From the final roster, 5 days out |
| 5 | Scoresheet | Examiners | One per student, scored in the room |
| 6 | Test register and certificate log | Chief instructor | Completed within 48 hours of the test |
| 7 | Follow-up letters | Chief instructor | Pass note same day, not-yet and missed-test within 48 hours |
The eligibility criteria the set enforces, stated once and used everywhere: attendance, time in grade, effort, and skill judged against the student's own capability. A school adopting this system adopts the criteria or replaces them in writing on every document at once. Mixed criteria across documents is how fairness quietly breaks down.
The cycle calendar, worked backward
Set the test date first. Everything else is arithmetic. (A school testing every two months runs this cycle six times a year, monthly testers run it twelve times with the same gaps.)
| When | Action |
|---|---|
| Test minus 6 weeks | Eligibility window opens. Attendance and time-in-grade counts run from the tracker |
| Test minus 4 weeks | Readiness checklists completed for every candidate. Eligibility list locked |
| Test minus 3 to 4 weeks | Invitations issued, each with the start time and the registration deadline |
| Test minus 5 days | Registration deadline. Roster final. Run sheet and scoresheets produced |
| Test minus 2 days | Examiner briefing: running order, criteria, the not-yet protocol |
| Test day | The day runs off the run sheet. Scoresheets scored and signed in the room |
| Test plus 48 hours | Register and certificate log complete. Scoresheets filed to student records. Follow-up letters sent |
| Test plus 1 week | Cycle review: one page, what broke, what changes next cycle |
The Belt Testing System
The complete document set for running a belt test as a system: eligibility, invitation, the day, the record, and the follow-up. Every document is specified in full, with templates to copy. Built so a school can run its next cycle from this guide alone.
What's Inside
- The Document Set at a Glance
- Document 1: The Eligibility Tracker
- Document 2: The Invitation
- Document 3: The Readiness Checklist
- Document 4: The Day-Of Run Sheet
- Document 5: The Scoresheet
- …and 22 more sections
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Free companion article: Grading Day Without the Chaos — the full article, free in full.