Link to Resource: Big Ideas in the Understanding of Fractions: A Learning Progression

Authors: Sarah Wellberg, Derek C. Briggs, Sanford R. Student

This report details the development of a learning progression for the understanding of fractions. The intended use of the learning progression is to support formative assessment practices for children as they receive instruction during elementary school. The validity of the learning progression is evaluated by mapping its levels to vertically scaled test items answered by students taking Curriculum Associates' i-Ready Diagnostic Assessment. It is shown that there is a significant moderate correlation between the levels of the learning progression and the difficulty of the test items associated with each level.

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Link to Resource: Classroom Assessment Principles to Support Teaching and Learning

Authors: Lorrie Shepard, Elena Diaz-Bilello, William Penuel, and Scott Marion

Suggested Citation:  Shepard, L. A., Diaz-Bilello, E., Penuel, W. R., & Marion, S. F. (2020). Classroom assessment principles to support teaching and learning. Boulder, CO: Center for Assessment, Design, Research and Evaluation, University of Colorado Boulder.  

This document presents a set of classroom assessment principles intended as a resource for practitioners, especially school leaders and district and state policymakers. Together these principles articulate a shared vision for effective classroom assessment practices. The key ideas guiding this vision come directly from learning sciences research and the research literatures on motivation and assessment. They explain how classroom assessment can best be enacted to support teaching and learning.  An initial draft of these classroom assessment principles was developed in preparation for the NCME Special Conference on Classroom Assessment held at the University of Colorado Boulder, September 18-19, 2019.

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Link to Resource: A Learning Progression for Modeling Energy Flows in Systems

Authors: The ASPIRE Reseach Team

Citation: Buell, J.Y., Briggs, D.C., Burkhardt, A., Chattergoon, R., Fine, C., Furtak, E.M., Henson, K., Mahr, B., & Tayne, K. (2019). A Learning Progression for Modeling Energy Flows in Systems. Boulder, CO: Center for Assessment, Design, Research and Evaluation (CADRE).

Abstract: 

This paper outlines development of the Modeling Energy Flows Learning Progression and key indicators for each level of the learning progression. This learning progression is designed to directly support three-dimensional science learning by integrating the crosscutting concept of energy in systems and the science practice of modeling at each level. These two-dimensional levels can then be integrated with individual disciplinary core ideas. In this paper, we describe the foundational literature that informed development of the learning progression, the individual levels, and key indicators that mark transition points between levels. The learning progression is designed for use across scientific disciplines, but is also specific enough to support instructional coherence within disciplines. We posit that learning progressions that are designed in this way can serve to support systems of assessment, instruction, and professional development across multiple grade levels and disciplines.

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Link to Resource: Learning Progressions and Embedded Assessment 

Authors: Derek C. Briggs and Erin Marie Furtak

Citation: Briggs, D.C. & Furtak, E. (2018). Learning progressions and embedded assessment. Pre-print from S. Brookhart & J. McMillan (Eds) Classroom Assessment and Educational Measurement, NCME Book Series. 

Abstract: 

Learning progressions have great potential as an organizing framework for classroom instruction and assessment. However, successful implementation of this framework hinges upon developing a curriculum-embedded system of student assessment. In this chapter, an approach to meeting this challenge is illustrated in the context of a learning progression in science that crosses the disciplinary boundaries of physics, chemistry and biology in a high school setting. Four key ingredients of our approach include (1) mapping and aligning the scientific content of the learning progression to the curricula of the participating teachers, (2) making the case that assessment activities targeted to the learning progression can provide teachers with relevant insights about their students, (3) bringing teachers together to discuss student ideas that emerge from assessment activities, and (4) linking the assessments within and across the courses taught by participating teachers.

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Link to Resource: Examining the Dual Purpose Use of Student Learning Objectives for Classroom Assessment and Teacher Evaluation

Authors: Derek C. Briggs, Rajendra Chattergoon, and Amy Burkhardt

Citation: Briggs, D.C., Chattergoon, R. & Burkhardt, A. (2018). Examining the dual purpose use of student learning objectives for classroom assessment and teacher evaluation. In press, Journal of Educational Measurement.

Abstract: 

The process of setting and evaluating Student Learning Objectives (SLOs) has become increasingly popular as an example where classroom assessment is intended to fulfill the dual purpose use of informing instruction and holding teachers accountable. A concern is that the high stakes purpose may lead to distortions in the inferences about students and teachers that SLOs can support. This concern is explored in the present study by contrasting student SLO scores in a large urban school district to performance on a common objective external criterion. This external criterion is used to evaluate the extent to which student growth scores appear to be inflated. Using two years of data, growth comparisons are also made at the teacher-level for teachers who submit SLOs and have students that take the state-administered large-scale assessment. Although they do show similar relationships with demographic covariates and have the same degree of stability across years, the two different measures of growth are weakly correlated.

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Link to Resource:  The State of District-Level Interim Assessments

Authors:  Amy Burkhardt and Derek C. Briggs

Citation: Burkhardt, A. & Briggs, D.C. (2018). The state of district-level interim assessments. Boulder, CO:  The Center for Assessment, Design, Research and Evaluation (CADRE).

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Link to Resource:  . 

Authors:  Derek Briggs, Elena Diaz-Bilello, Fred Peck, Jessica Alzen, Rajendra Chattergoon, Abigail McClelland

Citation:  Briggs, D. C., Diaz-Bilello, E., Peck, F., Alzen, J., Chattergoon, R., McClelland, A., (2014). Learning progression project: Documentation of pilot work and lessons in the 2013-2014 school year. Center for Assessment, Design, Research and Evaluation (CADRE) and National Center for the Improvement of Educational Assessment. 

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Link to Resource: The Learning progression project year 2 pilot findings: Mathematics

Authors:  Derek Briggs, Fred Peck, Jessica Alzen, Raymond Johnson

Suggested citation:  Briggs, D.C., Peck, F., Alzen, J. & Johnson, R. (2015). The learning progression project year 2 pilot findings: mathematics. Report commissioned by the Colorado Department of Education.  Boulder, CO: Center for Assessment Design Research and Evaluation (CADRE).  

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