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Lessons Learned from the 2012 Grade 4 Writing Computer-Based Assessment (WCBA) Study

The Grade 4 WCBA Study consisted of two parts:

  • small-scale usability testing to inform development of the assessment platform for fourth-grade students; and
  • a pilot writing assessment administered to a sample of 13,000 students nationwide.

Lessons learned from the study can inform future development of computer-based assessments as well as shed light on what fourth-grade students know and can do. Additionally, we were able to gain insights on fourth-grade students’ use of editing tools to compose their responses.

Note that the sample used in this study is not representative of the nation. The performance results only pertain to participants in the pilot study. Please use caution when interpreting these findings.

More About the Study

The mathematics framework defines five broad content areas, three levels of complexity, and specifies the number of questions in each content area by grade The framework also outlines what mathematics knowledge and skills students should have to reach NAEP Basic, NAEP Proficient, and NAEP Advanced achievement. The mathematics framework was updated in 2005 and again in 2009. Survey questionnaires, administered to students, teachers, and school administrators who participate in a mathematics assessment, are used to collect and report contextual information about students’ learning experience in and out of the classroom.

Computer monitor displaying icons of data and charts.

Last updated 01 April 2025 (DS)