Applying the Learning Progression Approach to Assessing Argumentation Skills of Middle School Students (Poster 21)

• In Event: AERA Poster Session 3
  In Poster Session: Poster Session 2 (San Diego)

Abstract

We adopted a learning progression (LP) approach to develop formative assessment tasks targeting key argumentation skills, and implemented these tasks to evaluate the potential utility of this LP-based approach to task design. We conducted a study with 786 middle school students to examine how well these tasks function and identify patterns of student performance. We also examined whether patterns of performance aligned to predicted LP levels, using task progression maps derived from item response theory (IRT) models. Results suggested that the majority of tasks were reliable and correlated with external measures; however, some lower-level LP tasks appeared to be unexpectedly difficult. Factors that could have contributed to item difficulty are discussed, and implications for future LP research are provided.

Authors

• Yi Song, Educational Testing Service

• Peter van Rijn, ETS Global