Welcome to the Future of Student Assessment
Passing informed judgment on the curriculum, the learning and teaching process, and programs is a process of making sense of where schools, teachers, and students stand. Over the past decade, assessment has become a central feature of the educational environment. In 2001, the Society for the Advancement of Excellence in Education published the groundbreaking study, Student Assessment in Canada: Improving the Learning Environment through Effective Evaluation by Alan R. Taylor and Teresita-Salve Tubianosa of Raven Research Associates. Their report examined many important facets of student evaluation. It analyzed and compared provincial and national assessment systems through interviews and surveys with education officials across Canada. The research also reviewed the international context for testing, the role of testing and measurement in the teaching and learning environment, and emerging assessment technologies. A major finding from the study identified a new direction for assessment in the future. Computer-based technology will be the vehicle that delivers advantages in both the assessment OF learning and the assessment FOR learning. Since 2001, there has been an explosion of interest in technology as a tool for better assessment. In the United States, major test companies and research centers are investigating computer-administered assessments for general or specialized student populations, computer-adaptive methodologies which can adjust to varying levels of competency, and computer scoring of essays and other open-response tasks. Several states plan to deliver all statewide assessments on-line by 2010 and several Canadian provinces are on a similar timetable. Such ambitious goals require significant R & D support and rigorous evaluation.
Context and Pretext of the Institute
Rapidly emerging technology promises a revolutionary shift in the future delivery and management of assessment. (See The Potential of Technology Assisted Student Assessment) As a result of our initial research and rapidly unfolding developments subsequent to the publication of Student Assessment in Canada, the Society for the Advancement of Excellence in Education has determined to focus on the application of technology to student assessment. To expand significantly upon the research of Drs. Taylor and Tubianosa in this area we are forming a new initiative: the Technology Assisted Student Assessment Institute (TASA Institute, for short). The purposes of the Institute are:
1. To document trends, leading-edge prototypes, evidence regarding their effectiveness, best practice, and implications for policy in the field of technology-delivered student assessment.
2. To develop a next-generation assessment toolset and process, leveraging the considerable strengths of computer and online technologies.
3. To collaborate with Ministries of Education, school districts, testing agencies and international researchers in the piloting and evaluation of computer assisted assessment models.
4. To serve as a clearinghouse for research and provide a source of expertise to schools, districts, and ministries/departments of education on the design, implementation, and use of computer based assessment.