Next-Generation Assessment Systems

One of our objectives is to work with states to explore how innovative approaches and best practices in high-quality assessments can be applied to the development of a common assessment system.

To help states think about how a next-generation assessment system based on a common set of standards could serve students, teachers and administrators "better" than current systems, the U.S. Department of Education (USED) held a series of public meetings in late 2009 and early 2010 and invited research experts to comment. Randy Bennett, Frederiksen Chair in Assessment Innovation at ETS, presented at these meetings on Deploying Innovative Technologies to Create Better Assessment, Recommendations for Platform Functionality, Recommendations for Supporting Interim Assessments and overall Recommendations for the RTTT Program.

In April of 2011 the USED hosted the first in another series of public meetings related to the Race to the Top Assessment (RTTA) grants. Representatives from the two RTTA consortia and a panel of experts, which included Bennett, met to discuss the state and local technology infrastructure needed to support the new assessment systems being developed by the grantees.

Bennett also worked with members of the Advancing Consortium Assessment Reform (ACAR) project, funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, to release a white paper, Automated Scoring of Constructed-Response Literacy and Mathematics Items. This paper is one in a series of 13 papers authored by experts in the field of assessment design.

In an effort to respond to needs expressed by states, ETS, along with collaborators Pearson and the College Board, disseminated a white paper, Thoughts on an Assessment of Common Core Standards, to states that raised key assessment design questions and ideas for a possible comprehensive assessment system.

Innovative Design

For several years, we have been engaged in a research and development program, Cognitively Based Assessment of, for and as Learning (CBAL). The goal of CBAL is the creation of a comprehensive system model in which accountability assessment, formative assessment and professional support work synergistically to support learning and instruction. CBAL uses innovative item types that take full advantage of computer administration. In addition, CBAL uses learning-sciences research to strongly connect content standards to assessment design.

The CBAL model developed by ETS provides innovative, scenario-based questions in reading, mathematics and writing that focus on measuring conceptual understanding, critical thinking and problem-solving skills, as well as more basic component skills.

The CBAL model also suggests that accountability assessment be distributed over several administrations throughout the school year so that:

• the importance of any one assessment and occasion is diminished
• tasks can be more complex and more integrative because more time is available for assessment in the aggregate
• the assessments provide prompt interim information to teachers while there is time to take instructional action