School & test engagement
Educators need accurate assessment data to help students learn. But when students rapid-guess or otherwise disengage on tests the validity of scores can be affected. Our research examines the causes of test disengagement, how it relates to students’ overall academic engagement, and its impacts on individual test scores. We look at its effects on aggregated metrics used for school and teacher evaluations, achievement gap studies, and more. This research also explores better ways to measure and improve engagement and to help ensure that test scores more accurately reflect what students know and can do.
Measuring the impact of test disengagement on estimates of educational effectiveness
Learn more about our examination of student disengagement and how it may bias estimates of effectiveness based on observed test results.
Topics: Measurement & scaling, School & test engagement, Student growth & accountability policies
This study uses an analytic example to explore whether metadata might help illuminate such constructs. Specifically, analyses examine whether the amount of time students spend on test items (after accounting for item difficulty and estimates of true achievement), and difficult items in particular, tell us anything about the student’s academic motivation and self‐efficacy.
Topics: School & test engagement, Math & STEM, Social-emotional learning
The impact of proctor notification when students disengage
How do you help make sure students give their best effort on testing day? New research on student test engagement shows how proctor notification can make a significant impact.
Topics: Measurement & scaling, Innovations in reporting & assessment, School & test engagement
What happens when test takers disengage? Understanding and addressing rapid guessing
How does rapid-guessing differ from solution behavior? Research provides insight into test disengagement and how disengagement should be managed in scoring.
Can item response times provide insight into students’ motivation and self-efficacy in math
What can we glean about students’ social-emotional learning from how long they spend on math test questions? New research shows promise and limitations of using response time metadata to measure SEL.
Topics: School & test engagement, Math & STEM, Social-emotional learning
Student test engagement and its impact on achievement gap estimates
In this Brookings Institute Chalkboard blog, James Soland shares his work investigating how student test engagement may shape achievement gaps.
Topics: School & test engagement, Student growth & accountability policies
“No fun games”: Engagement effects of two gameful assessment prototypes
This study examines the impact of two “gameful assessment” prototypes on student engagement and teacher perceptions among 391 Grades 3–7 students and 14 teachers in one Midwestern and one Northwestern school.
Topics: School & test engagement, Innovations in reporting & assessment
