Page 6 of 8~112 min topic

Train a tiny model

Instrument the tiny linear model

Page 6 adds signals that distinguish bad input from component failure in the hours→score linear fit with holdout.

~14 min this pageTesting and observability

1Learn the idea

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Emit stage signals

Instrument the hours→score linear fit with holdout so a run records enough structure to debug offline: counts, latency if relevant, pass/fail of holdout absolute error, and a stable stage name. Redact secrets and raw credentials from every event.

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Emit and assert

import json
print(json.dumps({'slope':1.4,'mae':0.2,'baseline_mae':1.5,'holdout':True}))

Expected evidence: fit metrics vs baseline. Prefer JSON or structured text you can grep in CI over prose logs for train-a-tiny-model.

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Lock signals with a regression test

Turn one historical failure—especially training on the test row—into a test that fails if the signal disappears for the tiny linear model. Observability without a failing test is optional decoration; observability with a test is part of the train-a-tiny-model artifact.

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Lab notebook: signal schema

Draft a three-field event for the tiny linear model: stage, ok, and one domain field derived from holdout absolute error; slope sign matches the hours/score trend. Add fixture_id or docs_version when content can change. Explicitly list fields that must never appear (tokens, passwords, raw prompts) because publishing per-learner residuals that re-identify students is in scope for this lab.

Wire one assertion that fails if the tiny linear model event is missing after a run. Observability that cannot fail a test will not survive contact with a busy train-a-tiny-model repository.

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Worked judgment

Imagine a teammate opens only your event stream after a bad deploy. Could they tell whether small hours/score table with one held-out pair was wrong, whether training on the test row, or reporting R² without the holdout error returned, or whether publishing per-learner residuals that re-identify students slipped through? If not, rename fields until those three stories are distinguishable.

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Why this stage matters for the tiny linear model

At the testing and observability stage for train-a-tiny-model, the job is narrower than finishing a product demo. You are creating one progressive evidence piece about small hours/score table with one held-out pair that later pages inherit without redefining success. Keep that fixture small enough to inspect by hand, keep outputs copy-pasteable as text, and refuse to narrate this baseline as if it were a production SLA: predict mean train score for the holdout before fitting.

For this page specifically, success looks like a structured event schema locked by a test while still centering the user decision to estimate slope/intercept from study hours and score a held-out row honestly. If you cannot point to a file, command, or assertion that proves that for the tiny linear model, stay on this page instead of advancing.

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Before you start

Why this matters

Write the single log line or metric event that would tell you whether a bad result came from input vs implementation for the tiny linear model. If your line could not tell them apart, redesign it before coding.

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Page assessment

Answer from memory. Completion is saved from this evidence, not from opening the next page.

1. Can input faults be distinguished from component faults in the event?
2. Are secrets redacted from logs?
3. Is there a test that fails if the signal vanishes?
4. Does the event still reference the decision: estimate slope/intercept from study hours and score a held-out row honestly?

All responses are required.