Interim Assessments' Effects on Low-Achieving Students

• In Event: 16.030 - Impacting What Matters: Using Assessment to Examine Student Outcomes

Abstract

Interim assessments are increasingly common in U.S. schools. We use high-quality data from a large-scale cluster randomized experiment conducted in Indiana to examine the impact of two interim assessment programs (mCLASS and Acuity) on mathematics and reading achievement in the state of Indiana. Quantile regression was used to analyze the data. Results indicate that treatment effects are positive, but not consistently significant. The treatment effects are smaller in lower grades (i.e., kindergarten to second grade), and larger in upper grades (i.e., third to eighth grade). Significant treatment effects are detected in grades three to six and three to eight. There is some evidence that in certain grades (third, fifth, and sixth) low-achievers may benefit more from Acuity than other students.

Authors

• Spyros Konstantopoulos, Michigan State University

• Wei Li, University of Alabama

• Shazia R. Miller, American Institutes for Research

• Arie J. van der Ploeg