Establishing a Stopping Rule for an Instructionally Informative Diagnostic Assessment of Algebra Readiness

• In Event: Roundtable Session 15
  In Roundtable Session: Implications of Assessment Systems and Tools for Formative Classroom Practice and Improved Learning

Abstract

The importance of mastery, particularly for struggling learners, cannot be overstated. Defining mastery is particularly important in the development of instructionally informative diagnostic assessments because the goal of such assessments is to accurately and efficiently identify why students are struggling without placing undue burden on the student. In this paper we discuss a process for determining how to discontinue administration of ordered multiple-choice test items on five diagnostic assessments of algebra readiness. Preliminary results indicate that different stopping rules (e.g., percent correct, consecutive number of items correct) may function differently for students with different levels of proficiency. The implications of the different stopping rules and the implications of devising stopping rules during test development are discussed.

Authors

• Deni L. Basaraba, Southern Methodist University

• Leanne R. Ketterlin-Geller, Southern Methodist University

• Paul Yovanoff, Southern Methodist University