Key Practices in the English Language Arts (ELA): Linking Learning Theory, Assessment, and Instruction

This paper presents a framework intended to link the following assessment development concepts into a systematic framework: evidence-centered design (ECD), scenario-based assessment (SBA), and assessment of, for, and as learning. The context within which we develop this framework is the English language arts (ELA) for K-12 students, though the framework could easily be applied to cover reading, writing, and critical thinking skills from pre-K through college. Central to the framework is the concept of a key practice, drawn from constructivist learning theory, which emphasizes the purposeful social context within which skills are recruited and organized to carry out complex literacy tasks. We argue that key practices provide a key link between existing CBAL™ ELA learning progressions (defined as part of a student model for literacy skills) and the structure of well-designed SBAs. This structure enables us to design assessments that model a key practice, supporting the systematic creation of task sequences that can be used to support both instruction and assessment.