Affiliations: Educational Psychology and Learning Systems
Department, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL 32306 USA.
vshute@fsu.edu | Research and Development Center, Educational Testing
Service, Princeton, NJ 08541 USA. {ehansen, ralmond}@ets.org
Abstract: The purpose of the study described in this paper was to evaluate the
efficacy of an assessment for learning system named ACED (Adaptive Content with
Evidence-based Diagnosis). We used an evidencecentered design approach to
create an adaptive, diagnostic assessment system which includes five main
models: competency, evidence, task, presentation, and assembly. We also
included instructional support in the form of elaborated feedback. The key
issue we examined was whether the inclusion of the feedback into the system (a)
impairs the quality of the assessment (relative to validity, reliability, and
efficiency), and (b) does, in fact, enhance student learning. Results from a
controlled evaluation testing 268 high-school students showed that the quality
of the assessment was unimpaired by the provision of feedback. Moreover,
students using the ACED system showed significantly greater learning of the
content compared with a control group. These findings suggest that assessments
in other settings (e.g. state-mandated tests) might be augmented to support
student learning with instructional feedback without jeopardizing the primary
purpose of the assessment.
