Visualizing and Reporting Content-Referenced Growth on a Learning Progression

Link to Resource: Visualizing and Reporting Content-Referenced Growth on a Learning Progression

Authors: Derek C. Briggs, Kyla McClure, Sanford Student, Sarah Wellberg, Nathan Minchen, Olivia Cox, Erik Whitfield, Nicolás Buchbinder, Laurie Davis

Citation: 

Briggs, D. C., McClure, K., Student, S., Wellberg, S., Minchen, N., Cox, O., Whitfield. E., Buchbinder, N., & Davis, L. (2025). Visualizing and Reporting Content-Referenced Growth on a Learning Progression. Educational Assessment, 1–23. https://doi.org/10.1080/10627197.2025.2503288

Abstract:

This paper presents and illustrates a framework for visualizing large-scale assessment results in a dynamic score reporting interface to support teachers in making content-referenced interpretations of student growth. The reporting interface maps student performance to locations along a research-based learning progression to facilitate interpretations of the quantitative differences along a vertical score scale. We illustrate content-referenced growth reporting in the context of a learning progression for how students understand fractions. Two key aspects of the illustration include evidence showing that discrete levels of the learning progression have a moderate to strong association with the difficulty of assessment items that were coded to the levels, and results from a small-scale pilot test of the reporting interface with practicing classroom teachers. We speculate about important aspects of implementation that would strengthen the validity of CRG score reporting interpretations and uses.

Keywords: Growth, Learning Progression, Classroom Assessment, Large-scale Assessment, Score Reporting, Item Mapping, Formative Assessment