Delaware tests computer-adaptive student assessment

The state assessment that will replace the Delaware Student Testing Program should show student growth, require less testing time, and give immediate, diagnostic feedback to help teachers adjust their instruction to meet students’ needs, a new report based on a two-year pilot project recommends. Such a test “allows the educational system to be more responsive to kids,” said Nancy Doorey, coordinator of the Delaware Statewide Academic Growth Assessment Pilot.

The pilot included more than 30,000 students across four districts and charter schools in grades 2 to 10. They were tested three times a year in reading and math using Measures of Academic Progress, a computerized multigrade assessment aligned to Delaware standards that adjusts the difficulty of questions asked according to how accurately a student is answering them.

The pilot compared the improved proficiency, or growth, documented using the computer-adaptive tests to the growth identified using DSTP and found the computer-adaptive assessments documented student progress that the grade-level DSTP assessments missed, particularly among children who began the year well above or below their grade level. The report, released January 8, 2008, suggests Delaware develop a system similar to Oregon’s. Read more at delawareonline.com.