The Critical Role of Design
Patterns in Large-Scale
Assessment
Robert J. Mislevy & Min Liu University of Maryland
Geneva Haertel SRI International
DR K-12 grant #0733172, “Application of Evidence-Centered Design to State
Large-Scale Science Assessment.”
This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant No. DRL- 0733172. Any opinions, findings,
and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the
National Science Foundation.
Three design challenges
 Hard-to-assess standards in the domain of
interest
 e.g., inquiry science skills
 Efficient and valid design and development of
complex tasks
 e.g., scenarios, simulations
 Accessibility of tasks for diverse learners
 varying perceptual and expressive capabilities
 valid use of assistive technology, modifications,
alternative assessments
Design Patterns
 Design Patterns in Architecture
 Design Patterns in Software Engineering
 Design Patterns in Literature
Motivation for
Assessment Design Patterns
 In-between structure, to connect...
 Thinking about science learning & inquiry
 Technical elements of measurement & delivery
 Narrative, not technical, contents
 Some Design Patterns from PADI
 Model-Based Reasoning
 Model Formation; Evaluation; Model Revision; Use
 Observational & Experimental Investigations
 Systems Thinking
Motivation for
Assessment Design Patterns
 They lay out a design space for developers
 Choices, connections, examples
 Things to be aware of (e.g., research on
Universal Design for Learning)
 Can improve both Efficiency + Validity
 Attributes reflect assessment argument
structure
Assessment Arguments

What complex of knowledge,
skills, or other attributes
should be assessed?

What behaviors or
performances should reveal
those constructs?

What tasks or situations
should elicit those behaviors?
Messick, S. (1994). The interplay of evidence and
consequences in the validation of performance
assessments. Educational Researcher, 23(2), 13-23.
Student
Model
Evidence
Model
Task
Model
Mislevy, R.J., & Haertel, G. (2006).
Implications for evidence-centered design
for educational assessment. Educational
Measurement: Issues and Practice, 25, 6-20.
The Structure of Assessment Design Patterns
ATTRIBUTE
Student
Model
Evidence
Model
Task
Model
DESCRIPTION
Rationale
How/why this DP addresses evidence
about focal KSAs.
Focal
Knowledge,
Skills, Abilities
The primary knowledge / skills /
abilities (KSAs) targeted by this design
pattern.
Additional
KSAs
Other knowledge/skills/abilities that
may be required by tasks.
Characteristic
features of
tasks
Aspects of assessment situations that
are needed to evoke evidence about
the focal KSAs.
Variable
features of
tasks
Aspects of assessment situations that
can be varied to shift difficulty or
focus.
Potential work
products
What students actually say, do, or
make, to produce evidence.
Potential
observations
Aspects of work products we might
identify and evaluate, as evidence
about students’ KSAs.
Potential
rubrics
Ways of evaluating work products to
produce values of observations.
How Design Patterns Support Thinking
about the Assessment Argument
ATTRIBUTE
Student
Model
Evidence
Model
Task
Model
DESCRIPTION
Rationale
How/why this DP addresses evidence
about focal KSAs.
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pattern.
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about students’ KSAs.
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rubrics
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produce values of observations.
How Design Patterns Support Thinking
about the Assessment Argument
ATTRIBUTE
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Model
DESCRIPTION
Rationale
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about focal KSAs.
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identify and evaluate, as evidence
about students’ KSAs.
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rubrics
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produce values of observations.
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about the Assessment Argument
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observations
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identify and evaluate, as evidence
about students’ KSAs.
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rubrics
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produce values of observations.
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about the Assessment Argument
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ATTRIBUTE
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Model
Rationale
How/why this DP addresses evidence
about focal KSAs.
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Skills, Abilities
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abilities (KSAs) targeted by this design
pattern.
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observations
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identify and evaluate, as evidence
about students’ KSAs.
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rubrics
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produce values of observations.
How Design Patterns Support Thinking
about the Assessment Argument
ATTRIBUTE
Student
Model
Evidence
Model
Task
Model
DESCRIPTION
Rationale
How/why this DP addresses evidence
about focal KSAs.
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Knowledge,
Skills, Abilities
The primary knowledge / skills /
abilities (KSAs) targeted by this design
pattern.
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KSAs
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may be required by tasks.
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rubrics
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produce values of observations.
Current Catalog of Design Patterns
ECD/PADI related projects have produced over 100
Design Patterns
Domains include science inquiry, science content,
mathematics, economics, model-based reasoning
Span grades 3-16+
Organized around themes, models, and processes,
not surface features or formats of tasks
Support the design of scenario-based, multiple choice, and
performance tasks
Current Catalog of Design Patterns
Education
Standards
Unifying
Themes/
Inquiry
Big Ideas
within
Disciplines
Learning
Progressions
Language
Proficiency
Total
Science
17
57
4
2
0
80
Mathematics
30
2
3
0
0
35
Economics
0
0
3
0
0
3
Language Arts
30
0
0
0
1
31
Management/
Business
0
7
3
0
0
10
Second
Language
Acquisition
0
0
0
0
3
3
Grand Total
77
66
13
2
4
162
Subject Areas
For more information…

PADI: Principled Assessment Design for
Inquiry




http://padi.sri.com
Links to NSF & IES follow-on projects
Lots of Tech Reports, interactive online examples
Bob Mislevy home page



http://www.education.umd.edu/EDMS/mislevy/
Links to papers on ECD
Cisco applications
Now for the Good Stuff …
 Examples of design patterns with content
 Different projects
 Different grain sizes
 Different users
 How they are being used to tackle
pervasive challenges of large-scale
assessment.
 How they evolved to suit needs of users
 Same essential structure, but
 Representations, language, emphases, and
affordances tuned to users and needs