Cognitively Based Assessment of, for, and as Learning (CBAL): A Preliminary Theory of Action for Summative and Formative Assessment

Abstract

CBAL (Cognitively Based Assessment of, for, and as Learning) is a research initiative intended to create a model for an innovative K–12 assessment system that documents what students have achieved (of learning); helps identify how to plan instruction (for learning); and is considered by students and teachers to be a worthwhile educational experience in and of itself (as learning). Because CBAL intends to not only measure student achievement but also facilitate it, CBAL, like any similar assessment program, requires a theory of action. This paper describes the notion of theory of action, offers a preliminary version of such a theory for CBAL, and outlines a provisional research program for evaluating that theory.

Notes

This article is based on an invited paper presented at the annual meeting of the American Educational Research Association, Denver, CO, May 2010, as part of the symposium “Innovations in Test-Based Educational Accountability” (H. Braun, Chair). I am indebted to Isaac Bejar, Dan Eignor, Caroline Wylie, and one anonymous reviewer for their helpful comments on an earlier draft of this paper.

¹It should be noted that there is no one-to-one mapping between the CBAL components and the notions of “assessment of learning,” “for learning,” and “as learning.” The competency model and professional support components cannot be mapped because they are not assessments but rather complements to assessment. Although summative assessment is frequently equated categorically with “assessment of learning” and formative assessment with “assessment for learning,” the relationships are, arguably, more complex (Bennett, in press). In CBAL, the summative assessments are designed primarily to document what students know and can do, an “of learning” role, and, secondarily, to aid instructional planning and model good learning practice, “for” and “as learning” roles, respectively. CBAL formative assessments are designed primarily as instructional planning aids and as learning experiences but, secondarily, to help teachers form judgments about what students know and can do.

²More timely feedback to teachers might be achieved through “phased reporting.” An assessment program might be able, for example, to report initial formative results from a periodic assessment before communicating the summative results that require more time-consuming statistical analysis and demanding quality assurance.