Dynamic Assessment
A Framework

Pre-test



Assess student’s current performance
Teach

Using a mediated learning experience (MLE)

Help the student develop strategies

Observe the student's modifiability
Post Test

Compare performance to pre-test

Assess transfer of strategies
Teaching Sessions / Mediated Learning Experiences (MLE)
A key to mediated learning experiences (MLE) is that the teacher deliberately teaches,
watches how the student responds to instruction, and adjusts teaching accordingly. The aim
during the teaching MLE) phase is for the students to become self-regulated and active in
their learning.
Component
Intentionality
What
Relate intention to change student
functioning to the student. Tell them the
target and the reason for the MLE.
‘Today we are going to…’
Why
Teach, create awareness in the
student
Meaning
Focus the student's attention on what is
important. Help the student to attend to
important features of the task and ignore
unimportant features.
‘This is important because…’
Help student to understand why task
is important
Transcendence
Bridging of concepts & events beyond the
immediate task; introduction of abstract
ideas. Examples included questions like,
"What would happen if…?" and "Have you
ever…?"
Help student think hypothetically.
Competence
Help the student develop plan. Help them
think through how they will use the
targeted strategy. Discuss appropriate
times to use particular skill.
‘What do you have to do..?
’How will you do that..?’
Teach student to be self-regulated &
active participant in own learning.
Modifiability
Modifiability is the term used to describe the student’s response to a MLE based on our
observations during a teaching session. It is important to consider a student's modifiability
when applying the MLE. Specifically, we need to consider student responsiveness, transfer
skills, and teacher input.
Student Responsiveness

How well does the student respond to the MLE?

Does the student attend to the task, and maintain attention?

Does the student demonstrate efficient learning strategies?

Does student use skills such as looking, comparing, and verbalising?
Transfer

How well does student apply the target skills from one item to the next?

From one task to the next?

Does student apply learned strategies soon after learning them?
Teacher Input / Consideration

How much support does the student need?

What is the nature of the support required?
Planning for Dynamic Assessment

Identify area of relative weakness

Pre-test

Conduct a mediated learning experience (MLE). Be sure to include the components

Intentionality

Meaning

Transcendence

Competence

Observe Modifiability

Make recommendations
Through a mediated learning experience, teachers can explore emerging skills. This process
helps to pinpoint intervention goals, and can help make better predications.
Targets should be selected for those skills in which student showed some awareness, but
below expectations. Goals are set in developmental order that will help the student within the
classroom setting.
Dynamic Maths Assessment
By providing an in-depth picture of a student's mathematical understanding of specific maths
concepts/skills, a dynamic maths assessment helps teachers to determine how to best teach
the student. Students with special educational needs often have gaps in mathematical
understanding that make it difficult for them to achieve success in maths. Teachers who are
able to gain insight into their students' mathematical thinking as well as their conceptual and
procedural knowledge related to the particular mathematic concepts/skills, will be better
equipped to provide effective maths instruction. By planning instruction that is based on a
student's level of proficiency, their level of understanding and their mathematical thinking,
teachers can better pinpoint what prerequisite concepts/skills a student needs to develop,
what particular non-successful strategies they are using, and whether they have established
conceptual and procedural understanding at the concrete, representational/semi-concrete, or
abstract levels. Based on this mathematical learning picture, appropriate instructional goals
and instructional practices can be developed for a student.
Implementing Dynamic Maths Assessment
1. Target the particular maths concepts/skills you are interested in evaluating.
2. Develop an abstract level assessment of target concepts/skills that includes at least 5
to 10 items for each target maths concept/skill.
3. Evaluate whether students are at a mastery level (90-100% accuracy), instructional
level (75%-89%), or frustration level (below 75%) using the abstract level
assessment.
4. For concepts/skills that the student is not at a mastery level, conduct an error pattern
analysis.
5. Based on your findings, conduct a flexible maths interview to get a picture of your
student's mathematical thinking and understanding of selected maths concepts/skills
(include use of concrete materials and/or drawings).
6. Use the information gained to:

Select appropriate concepts/skills for instruction, including any prerequisite
concepts/skills (e.g., place value).

Determine what level of understanding instruction should first incorporate
(e.g., concrete, representational/semi-concrete, abstract).

Teach conceptual understanding and procedural understanding.