From abstract Greek symbols to analysis of writing.
I have recently been exposed to the Brightpath assessment tool as a measure to assess student writing. Brightpath allows, ‘[teachers to] compare their student’s work to calibrated exemplars to arrive at a scaled score,’ and notes that, ‘these judgements are comparable across teachers, schools and over time.’1
We can consider a Thurston Paired Comparison. This method of statistical analysis is intended to, ‘[create] concrete comparisons between two scripts, removing the uncertainties associated with a notional standard; and differences between judges’ notional standards cancel out, so the method naturally controls for variability in judges’ internal standard’.2 Mathematically it seems this is saying a lot. To me, it seems to be suggesting that after taking into consideration a teacher’s judgement for assessment, a score will be skewed. As educators we are constantly seeking the ability to make consistent and comparable judgements.
At its core the Brightpath assessment uses pairwise analysis to create a scalar score. It appears the Brightpath program took the mathematics of the Thurston Paired Comparison and endeavoured to create a better model. The creators of the program in their design noted, ‘in arguing attitudes could be measures, Thurstone developed a process and model that can be used to scale a collection of stimuli based on simple comparisons between stimuli two at a time: that is, based on a series of pairwise comparisons.’3
It is evident there is some higher order, mathematical thinking within the program. I think it would both arduous and potentially irrelevant to unpack this. What is essential to consider though, is the application to the education process. We are brought back to the consideration of assessment and what is means for the education process. The beautiful part of a Brightpath tool is the ability to use it in a formative capacity. We can take one definition of formative assessment as obtaining evidence of student knowledge through the use of formal or informal processes to improve the outcome of student learning.4 A Brightpath program allows the teachers to collect data and make meaningful adjustments to a teaching program, based on where the students’ learning is at.
This approach ties in nicely with some key values of the Australian Curriculum. Consider how formative assessment can be used as a tool to diagnose learning difficulties, improve our teaching practise and to allow for timely feedback for both educator and learner.5 Succinctly, we want as many tools in our teaching kit that empowers every student in the classroom to be given the opportunity to learn, regardless of any barriers in the education process. From a higher order mathematical equation speculating on teacher judgement, to an in school tool that can be used to analyse writing samples, Brightpath shows potential to add another element to an already diverse range of assessment opportunities.
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References
1Brightpath – Brightpath. (2020). Retrieved 3 April 2020, from https://www.brightpath.com.au/
2Bramley, T., Bell, J. F., & Pollitt, A. (1998). Assessing changes in standards over time using Thurstone Paired Comparisons. Education Research and Perspectives, 25(2), 1-24.
3Heldsinger, S., & Humphry, S. (2010). Using the method of pairwise comparison to obtain reliable teacher assessments. The Australian Educational Researcher, 37(2), 1-19.
4Bennett, R. (2011). Formative assessment: A critical review. Assessment in Education: Principles, Policy & Practice, 18, 5–25. doi:10.1080/0969594X.2010.513678
5Van Der Kleij, F., Cumming, J., & Looney, A. (2018). Policy expectations and support for teacher formative assessment in Australian education reform. Assessment in Education: Principles, Policy & Practice, 25(6), 620-637.
AITSL Standards: 1.6, 2.3, 5.3, 5.4, 5.5
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