MyWritingWeb comprises the following features and principles (from the white paper, “Next-Generation Assessments”):

1) Assessment and instruction are blurred, proving that it is possible to “mine the exhaust” of the instructional experience for assessment data as the student engages in instructional tasks.

2) Computer-adaptive engines are applied to instructional content, just as they are applied to the test item bank. Both the creation and delivery of content and test items are targeted to the individual.

3) Assessment engines connect day-to-day progress with year-to-year summative tests by reporting on common developmental scales. Having multiple measurements on a common scale over time and various assessment instruments permits a more reliable and stable estimate of the learner’s true ability. We have more confidence in the inferences that we make about a student’s current status and growth trajectory when we rely on multiple measures across the year, as opposed to the single administration of a high-stakes assessment.

4) Test items are created “on the fly” as students interact with the instructional content. Test items literally are fungible and appear and disappear as needed throughout the experience of the student. The storehouse of value is in the underlying scale that is being measured, not in a secured set of test items.

5) Scoring, feedback and reporting are immediate for students, teachers, parents and policymakers. The learning experience and the assessment data mined is not constrained by calendar, time or location. Delivery is accessible 24/7 via the Web.

6) Perspectives and monitoring are longitudinal across the developmental lifespan of the student for each skill. As we move from K–12 to P–20 systems of accountability, the importance of optimizing growth for each individual student requires the monitoring and documentation of longitudinal data. Within these utilities, growth over the lifespan of the learner is measured and expressed with an unparalleled precision.

7) The focus is “student-centric,” as opposed to “teacher-centric.” A student-centric approach breathes life and reality into the ideal of individual educational plans (IEPs) by paying attention to the critical components of skill acquisition: targeted practice, real-time corrective feedback, intensive practice, distributed practice and self-directed practice.

For more information,call 1–888–LEXILES or email support@mywritingweb.com.