Assessment and Learning in Knowledge Space

1. Assessment and Learning in Knowledge Space By: Sabrina McDow

2. PROBLEM Sweetwater Middle School in Gwinnett County School District, Georgia USA has failed to meet Annual Yearly Progress (AYP) mainly because of the math Criterion Referenced Competency Test. The next slide shows the scores for 2010, 2009, and 2008 in math. Pay special attention to 6th and 8th grade scores. They are below the district and state averages.

3. PROBLEM cont.

4. Research ALEKS is technology developed from research at New York University and the University of California, Irvine (UCI) by software engineers, mathemeticians, and scientists with the support of a multi-million-dollar grant from the National Science Foundation (Introduction to ALEKS). It is based upon original theoretical work in “Knowledge Space Theory” (Introduction to ALEKS). This work began in the 1980’s by Jean-Claude Falmagne. He is the founder and Chairman of ALEKS Corporation (Introduction to ALEKS).

5. RESEARCH There were several people and organizations that researched the affect of the ALEKS system on improving math test scores. Researchers include the following: Vincent LaVergne from Shawnee Mission South School District Holly Stillson and Parthasarathi Nag from Black Hills State University

6. Development

7. COMMERCIALIZATION • The ALEKS software has been granted by UCI to ALEKS Corporation under an exclusive, worldwide, perpetual license (UC Regents and ALEKS Corporation, 2011) • Information about ALEKS is provided in several educational and business journals • ALEKS representatives visit many education professional organization’s conferences

8. Knowledge Knowledge Space Theory is what the ALEKS system is based. The theory is based on the “knowledge state” of the student. What the student is ready to learn? What the student can do?

9. persuasion Relative Advantage – “In contrast to standardized tests, which typically result in numerical measures of achievement or “aptitude”, the outcome of an ALEKS assessment consists in (i) the precise and comprehensive delineation of an individual’s competence in a subject in the form of his or her knowledge state describing all the types of problems mastered by that individual, and (ii) a comprehensive list of the topics the individual is ready to learn (referred to in Knowledge Space Theory as the outer fringe of that individual’s knowledge state)” (ALEKS, (2011).

10. Decision/implementation/confirmation ALEKS is currently being used by hundreds of thousands of students each year in over 50 courses (ALEKS, 2011). Thousands of k-12 schools and higher education institutions around the world are currently using this software (ALEKS, 2011).

11. References • ALEKS Corporation. (2011). Research behind aleks. ALEKS. Retrieved from http://www.aleks.com/about_aleks/research_behind • Education.com. (2011). Sweetwater Middle School. Retrieved from http://www.education.com/schoolfinder/us/georgia/lawrenceville/sweetwater-middle-school/. • Falmagne, J., Doignon, J., Cosyn, E., Thiery, N. (2011). The assessment of knowledge, in theory and in practice. Retrieved from http://www.aleks.com/about_aleks/Science_Behind_ALEKS.pdf • Introduction to ALEKS: A beginner’s guide. Retrieved from http://people.msoe.edu/~jorgensen/ALEKS_Intro.pdf • LaVergne, V. (2007, April 9). The effect of the ALEKS web-based learning system on standardized math scores. Shawnee Mission Board of Education. Retrieved from http://www.scribd.com/doc/4813630/ALEKS-Action-Research-Results-April-2007. • Stillson, H., Nag, P. (2009). Aleks and mathxl: using online interactive systems to enhance a remedial algebra course. Mathematics and Computer Education: 43(3); Docstoc pg. 239. Retrieved from http://www.docstoc.com/docs/44985516/ALEKS-AND-MATHXL-USING-ONLINE-INTERACTIVE-SYSTEMS-TO-ENHANCE-A-REMEDIAL-ALGEBRA-COURSE