Sixth International School On Mind, Brain And Education
2011 August 3-7
Education in the
Digital Era
Directors: Antonio M. Battro and Kurt W. Fischer
Program officer: María Lourdes Majdalani
DTS, USA
Virtuous cycles of learning and assessment: A digital revolution
We describe a new approach to educational testing (DiscoTest) that blurs the boundaries between testing and instruction by engaging students, teachers, decision makers, and researchers in virtuous cycles of learning. At the core of this system are a growing number of research-based, formative, and diagnostic assessments, all of which are standardized through calibration to Fischer's (1980) skill scale. These assessments support multi-level learning by advancing the understanding of students, teachers, decision makers, and researchers. First, we review the methodology behind the assessments. Then we take a close look at the anatomy of a DiscoTest and the technological advances that make it possible.
