Case Study Examines Prizes for Innovation in Assessment

SEATTLE, WA, January 10, 2013 (Press-News.org) Getting Smart released a report on the Automated Student Assessment Prize (ASAP). The case study illustrates a powerful philanthropic use of prizes to drive focused innovation with the goal of promoting deeper learning.

The first two phases of ASAP were sponsored by the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation to promote focused innovation in student writing assessment.

"ASAP was designed to answer a basic question: Can a computer grade a student-written response on a state-administered test as well as or better than a human grader?" explained co-author Jaison Morgan.

The case study, "Automated Student Assessment Prize Phase One and Phase Two: A Case Study to Promote Focused Innovation in Student Writing Assessment," takes a close look at the ways the two phases of the ASAP challenge mobilized talent, delivered results and moved the needle on education innovation for students' futures.

"Prizes have long been used as an efficient means of inducing innovation. This case study illustrates the philanthropic use of a sequence of prizes to focus and accelerate innovation in education," said co-author Tom Vander Ark.

The results of these two studies present unique opportunities to:
- Establish standards for state departments of education to utilize assessment technologies;
- Advance the field of machine scoring in the application of student assessment; and
- Introduce new players with different and disruptive approaches to the field.

ASAP is now expanding to other challenges in machine-scoring applications, including the development of systems to support writing instruction in a classroom setting. ASAP remains committed to its role as an open, fair and impartial arbiter of machine scoring and writing assessment capabilities through a series of scientifically rigorous studies and field trials.

ASAP does not endorse or promote any specific technology or provider. Instead, ASAP seeks to deliver critical information to administrators, educators, families and students during a time when student assessment is undergoing a critical shift in schools across America.

Learn more and download the full case study at gettingsmart.com/resources. Join the conversation at gettingsmart.com, on Facebook at facebook.com/gettingsmart, and on Twitter at @Getting_Smart.

ABOUT GETTING SMART
Getting Smart is a advocacy firm passionate about innovations in learning. We help education organizations construct cohesive and forward-thinking strategies for branding, awareness, advancement and communication, and public and media relations. We are advocates for better K-12 education as well as early, post-secondary and informal learning opportunities for all students. We attempt to accelerate and improve the shift to digital learning. On GettingSmart.com we cover important events, trends, products, books, and reports.

Website: http://gettingsmart.com

ABOUT AUTOMATED STUDENT ASSESSMENT PRIZE
Automated Student Assessment Prize (ASAP) sponsors competitions to evaluate the current state of automated testing and to encourage further developments in the field. The goal of ASAP is to offer a series of impartial competitions in which a fair, open and transparent participation process will allow key participants in the world of education and testing to understand the value of automated student assessment technologies.