Real-time observation assessment with phoneme segment capturing and scoring

• US 8,231,389 B1
• Filed: 04/29/2005
• Issued: 07/31/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 04/29/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Amplify Education Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Wireless Generation, Inc. (Amplify Education Incorporated)
• Inventors: Berger, Lawrence Jason, Markovits, Anouk, Kare, Susan, Stevenson, David Barratt, Roberts, Justine Elizabeth
• Primary Examiner(s): Thai, Xuan
• Assistant Examiner(s): Hadizonooz, Banafsheh
• Application Number:
  US11/117,696
• Time in Patent Office: 2,650 Days
• Field of Search: 434/157, 434/322, 434/156, 434/365, 434/308, 434/318
• US Class Current: 434/322
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 7/00 Electrically-operated teaching apparatus or devices working with questions and answers mechanically operated G09B3/00; computing arrangements G06F

Abstract

A real-time observation assessment system includes an assessment application that enables an assessor to administer a probe to a student, and to capture responses of the student, and to automatically score the captured responses. The assessment system includes a user interface of the assessment application. The user interface includes a first area of the user interface that displays a character sequence that is divided into multiple segments, where at least two of the multiple segments of the character sequence are separately selectable and a second area of the user interface that is divided into multiple segments corresponding to each segment of the character sequence in the first area, where each segment in the second area is separately selectable to enable capturing of different combinations of student responses reflecting selection of one or more of the segments in the second area. A scoring module enables a score to be calculated based on the selected segments according to scoring rules for the probe.

Claims

1. A real-time observation assessment system comprising:

one or more processing devices;

one or more storage devices storing instructions that, when executed by the one or more processing devices, cause the one or more processing devices to implement;

an assessment application configured to enable an assessor to administer a probe to a student and to capture responses of the student;

a user interface of the assessment application that includes;

a first area of the user interface that displays a character sequence that is divided into multiple segments, where at least two of the multiple segments of the character sequence are separately selectable by the assessor using an input device; and

a second area of the user interface that is divided into multiple segments that collectively correspond to an aggregation of the multiple segments of the character sequences, with individual constituent segments of the second area corresponding to segments of the character sequence in the first area,

wherein each segment in the second area is separately selectable by the assessor using the input device to capture different combinations of student responses; and

a scoring module configured to calculate a score based on the selected segments according to scoring rules for the probe.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the one or more processing devices and the one or more storage devices form part of a mobile computing device.

3. The system of claim 1 further comprising a third area of the user interface that displays one or more selectable segment responses that correspond to combinations of student responses input in the second area of the user interface.

4. The system of claim 3 wherein:

a selection in the third area of a displayed selectable segment response causes a previously captured response to be undone, and

the scoring module recalculates the score.

5. The system of claim 1 wherein the probe includes a phoneme segmentation fluency probe.

6. The system of claim 1 wherein the probe includes a nonsense word fluency probe.

7. The system of claim 1 where in the first area of the user interface displays one or more markings of the segments of the character sequence that correspond to the combinations of student responses input in the second area of the user interface.

8. The system of claim 1 wherein the second area of the user interface enables the assessor to capture a student response that blends segments.

9. The system of claim 1 wherein the second area of the user interface enables the assessor to capture a student response that repeats selection of a same segment more than once.

10. The system of claim 1 wherein the second area of the user interface enables the assessor to capture a student response that repeats selection of all segments of the character sequence.

11. The system of claim 1 wherein a selection of a segment in the first area visually changes the segment to indicate an incorrect response.

12. The system of claim 1 wherein a selection of a previously selected segment causes a previously captured response to be undone and the score to be recalculated.

13. The system of claim 1 wherein the character sequence is a word and the segments represent a phonetic breakdown of the word.

14. The system of claim 1 wherein each segment is selectable.

15. A method for performing a real-time observation assessment, the method comprising:

displaying an assessment application that is configured to enable an assessor to administer a probe to a student and to capture responses of the student;

providing a first area of a user interface that displays a character sequence that is divided into multiple segments, where at least two of the multiple segments of the character sequence are separately selectable by the assessor using an input device;

providing a second area of the user interface that is divided into multiple segments that collectively correspond to an aggregation of the multiple segments of the character sequences, with individual constituent segments of the second area corresponding to segments of the character sequence in the first area,

wherein each segment in the second area is separately selectable by the assessor using the input device to capture different combinations of student responses; and

automatically calculating a score based on the selected segments according to scoring rules for the probe.

16. The method as in claim 15 wherein displaying the assessment application includes displaying the assessment application on a mobile computing device.

17. The method as in claim 15 further comprising providing a third area of the user interface that displays one or more selectable segment responses that correspond to combinations of student responses input in the second area of the user interface.

18. The method as in claim 17 further comprising:

receiving a selection in the third area of a displayed selectable segment response that causes a previously captured response to be undone; and

automatically recalculating the score.

19. The method as in claim 15 wherein the probe includes a phoneme segmentation fluency probe.

20. The method as in claim 15 wherein the probe includes a nonsense word fluency probe.

21. The method as in claim 15 where in the first area of the user interface displays one or more markings of the segments of the character sequence that correspond to the combinations of student responses input in the second area of the user interface.

22. The method as in claim 15 wherein the second area of the user interface enables the assessor to capture a student response that blends segments.

23. The method as in claim 15 wherein the second area of the user interface enables the assessor to capture a student response that repeats selection of a same segment more than once.

24. The method as in claim 15 wherein the second area of the user interface enables the assessor to capture a student response that repeats selection of all segments of the character sequence.

25. The method as in claim 15 wherein a selection of a segment in the first area visually changes the segment to indicate an incorrect response.

26. The method as in claim 15 wherein a selection of a previously selected segment causes a previously captured response to be undone and the score to be recalculated.

27. The method as in claim 15 wherein the character sequence is a word and the segments represent a phonetic breakdown of the word.

28. The method as in claim 15 wherein each segment is selectable.

29. A machine-accessible medium that when accessed, results in a machine performing operations for enabling an assessor to perform a real-time observation assessment, the operations comprising:

displaying an assessment application that is configured to enable an assessor to administer a probe to a student and to capture responses of the student;

providing a first area of a user interface that displays a character sequence that is divided into multiple segments, where at least two of the multiple segments of the character sequence are separately selectable by the assessor using an input device;

providing a second area of the user interface that is divided into multiple segments that collectively correspond to an aggregation of the multiple segments of the character sequences, with individual constituent segments of the second area corresponding to segments of the character sequence in the first area,

wherein each segment in the second area is separately selectable by the assessor using the input device to capture different combinations of student responses; and

automatically calculating a score based on the selected segments according to scoring rules for the probe.

30. The machine-accessible medium of claim 29 wherein displaying the assessment application includes displaying the assessment application on a mobile computing device.

31. The machine-accessible medium of claim 29 further comprising providing a third area of the user interface that displays one or more selectable segment responses that correspond to combinations of student responses input in the second area of the user interface.

32. The machine-accessible medium of claim 31 further comprising:

receiving a selection in the third area of a displayed selectable segment response that causes a previously captured response to be undone; and

automatically recalculating the score.

33. The machine-accessible medium of claim 29 wherein the probe includes a phoneme segmentation fluency probe.

34. The machine-accessible medium of claim 29 wherein the probe includes a nonsense word fluency probe.

35. The machine-accessible medium of claim 29 where in the first area of the user interface displays one or more markings of the segments of the character sequence that correspond to the combinations of student responses input in the second area of the user interface.

36. The machine-accessible medium of claim 29 wherein the second area of the user interface enables the assessor to capture a student response that blends segments.

37. The machine-accessible medium of claim 29 wherein the second area of the user interface enables the assessor to capture a student response that repeats selection of a same segment more than once.

38. The machine-accessible medium of claim 29 wherein the second area of the user interface enables the assessor to capture a student response that repeats selection of all segments of the character sequence.

39. The machine-accessible medium of claim 29 wherein a selection of a segment in the first area visually changes the segment to indicate an incorrect response.

40. The machine-accessible medium of claim 29 wherein a selection of a previously selected segment causes a previously captured response to be undone and the score to be recalculated.

41. The machine-accessible medium of claim 29 wherein the character sequence is a word and the segments represent a phonetic breakdown of the word.

42. The machine-accessible medium of claim 29 wherein each segment is selectable.