System and method for real-time observation assessment

• US 7,114,126 B2
• Filed: 07/18/2002
• Issued: 09/26/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 07/18/2001
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Amplify Education Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Wireless Generation, Inc. (Amplify Education Incorporated)
• Inventors: Markovits, Anouk, Berger, Lawrence J., Stewart, John D., Gunn, Gregory M., Lynn, Elizabeth, Gunn, Kenneth M., Adams, Nicole M., Boyd, Aaron
• Primary Examiner(s): Lo, Weilun
• Assistant Examiner(s): Theriault, Steven B.
• Application Number:
  US10/197,482
• Publication Number:
  US 20030087219A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,531 Days
• Field of Search: 434/178, 434/362, 707/10, 715/512, 715/750
• US Class Current: 715/750
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 5/00 Electrically-operated educational appliances working with questions and answers G09B7/00; simulators G09B9/00; advertising or displaying in general G09F
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 5/02 with visual presentation of the material to be studied, e.g. using film strip
• 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 system, method and computer program product for real-time observation assessment is provided. The invention, designed for educators, takes advantage of handheld computers, desktop/laptop computers and the increasing presence of Internet access in order to reduce the paperwork associated with conventional educational assessments. The invention includes an array of instructional assessment applications designed to run on handheld computers. The instructional assessment applications may be based on existing and widely-used paper methodologies. A common Web-based platform for assessment application distribution, selection, download, data management and reporting is also provided. Users can then periodically synchronize instructional data (assessments, diagnostic results, notes and/or schedules) to the Web site. At the Web site, browser-based reports and analysis can be viewed, administered and shared via electronic mail.

Claims

1. A method for providing a teacher with a substantialy real-time, literacy observation application for execution on a mobile computing device in order to assess a student, the method comprising:

storing content that is made perceivable to an assessed student on a mobile computing device;

providing a ticker area on a first screen displayed on the mobile computing device, wherein at least a portion of the content that is made perceivable to the assessed student is displayed in the ticker area;

providing a first palette on the first screen;

providing a plurality of buttons on the first palette on the first screen, wherein each of the plurality of buttons corresponds to at least one of a plurality of behaviors observable by a teacher during an assessment and related to the content that is made perceivable to the assessed student;

providing a freehand area on the first screen, wherein the teacher may create a note relating to one of the plurality of observable behaviors;

and displaying a word in the ticker area and an annotation corresponding to one of the plurality of observable behaviors in response to the teacher interacting with one of the plurality of buttons on the first palette.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said plurality of buttons on the first palette includes buttons corresponding to at least one of the following observable behaviors:

(i) Omission;

(ii) Told;

(iii) Substitution;

(iv) Insertion; and

(v) Self-Correction.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

providing a plurality of buttons on a second palette on the first screen, wherein each of the plurality of buttons corresponds to a pre-defined cue which the teacher may observe daring the assessment.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the plurality of buttons on the second palette includes buttons corresponding to at least one of the following pre-defined cues:

(i) Meaning;

(ii) Syntax; and

(iii) Visual.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

providing a plurality of buttons on a second screen, wherein each of the plurality of buttons corresponds to a pre-defined cue which the teacher may observe daring the assessment.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the plurality of buttons on the second screen includes buttons corresponding to at least one of the following pre-defined cues:

(i) Meaning;

(ii) Syntax; and

(iii) Visual.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

displaying a second screen on the mobile computing device including an accuracy rate achieved by the student during the assessment.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

displaying a second screen on the mobile computing device including a ratio of self-corrections to errors achieved by the student during the assessment.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein storing content that is made perceivable to an assessed student comprises storing text of at least one book.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein content that is made perceivable to an assessed student comprises storing all of the text of the at least one book.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein the teacher may create, after interacting with one of the plurality of buttons on the first palette, a note relating to the corresponding one of the plurality of observable behaviors.

12. The method of claim 1 wherein the teacher, after interacting with one of the plurality of buttons on the first palette, may create a note relating to the corresponding one of the plurality of observable behaviors.

13. The method of claim 1 whereby the teacher has access, substantially in real-time relative to the completion of the assessment, to statistics reflecting the results of the assessment on the mobile computing device.

14. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

causing, after being selected by the teacher in the ticker area, a word from the content to be displayed in a lens area on the first screen, and allowing the creation of the note relating to the word and the one of the plurality of observable behaviors in the freehand area.

15. A computer program product comprising a computer usable medium having control logic stored therein for providing a teacher with a real-time, literacy observation application for execution on a mobile computing device in order to assess a student, the control logic, when executed, causes the mobile computing device to:

store content that is made perceivable to an assessed student on a mobile computing device;

provide a ticker area on a first screen displayed on the mobile computing device, wherein at least a portion of the content tat is made perceivable to the assessed student is displayed in the ticker area;

provide a first palette on the first screen;

provide a plurality of buttons on the first palette on the first screen, wherein each of the plurality of buttons corresponds to at least one of a plurality of behaviors observable by a teacher during an assessment;

provide a freehand area on the first screen, wherein the teacher may create a note relating to the corresponding one of the plurality of observable behaviors; and

displaying a word in the ticker area and an annotation corresponding to one of the plurality of observable behaviors in response to the teacher interacting with one of the plurality of buttons on the first palette.

16. The computer program product of claim 15 wherein the control logic, when executed, is further configured to cause the mobile computing device to:

display, after being tapped by the teacher in said ticker area, a word from the text of the book to be displayed in a lens area on the first screen, and allow the creation of said note relating to the word and said one of the plurality of observable behaviors in said freehand area.

17. The computer program product of claim 15, wherein the plurality of buttons on said first palette includes buttons corresponding to at least one of the following observable behaviors:

(i) Omission;

(ii) Told;

(iii) Substitution;

(iv) Insertion; and

(v) Self-Correction.

18. The computer program product of claim 15 wherein the control logic, when executed, is further configured to cause the mobile computing device to:

provide a plurality of buttons on a second palette on the first screen, wherein each of the plurality of buttons corresponds to a pre-defined cue which the teacher may observe during the assessment.

19. The computer program product of claim 18, wherein the plurality of buttons on the second palette includes buttons corresponding to at least one of the following pre-defined cues:

(i) Meaning;

(ii) Syntax; and

(iii) Visual.

20. The computer program product of claim 15 wherein the control logic, when executed, is further configured to cause the mobile computing device to:

provide a plurality of buttons on a second screen, wherein each of the plurality of buttons corresponds to a pre-defined cue which the teacher may observe during the assessment.

21. The computer program product of claim 20, wherein said plurality of buttons on the second screen includes buttons corresponding to at least one of the following pre-defined cues:

(i) Meaning;

(ii) Syntax; and

(iii) Visual.

22. The computer program product of claim 15 wherein the control logic, when executed, is further configured to cause the mobile computing device to:

display a second screen on the mobile computing device including an accuracy rate achieved by the student during the assessment.

23. The computer program product of claim 15 wherein the control logic, when executed, is further configured to cause the mobile computing device to:

display a second screen on the mobile computing device containing a ratio of self-corrections to errors achieved by the student during the assessment.

24. The computer program product of claim 15 wherein storing content that is made perceivable to an assessed student comprises storing text of at least one book.

25. The computer program product of claim 15 wherein storing content that is made perceivable to an assessed student comprises storing all of the text of the at least one book.

26. The computer program product of claim 15 wherein the teacher may create, after interacting with one of the plurality of buttons on the first palette, a note relating to the corresponding one of the plurality of behaviors of interest.

27. The computer program product of claim 15 wherein the control logic is further configured to enable the teacher to, after interacting with one of the plurality of buttons on the first palette, create a note relating to the corresponding one of the plurality of behaviors of interest.

28. The computer program product of claim 15 wherein the control logic is further configured to enable the teacher obtain access, substantially in real-time relative to the completion of the assessment, to statistics reflecting the results of the assessment on the mobile computing device.

29. A method for assessing literacy, the method comprising:

providing multiple behavior indicators on a mobile computing device, each behavior indicator representing a particular behavior observable by a teacher during a literacy assessment;

providing a freehand area on the mobile computing device to enable the teacher to enter a note related to a behavior observed during the literacy assessment;

displaying content on the mobile computing device, the content corresponding to content being presented to a person who is a subject of a literacy assessment;

receiving, from the teacher using the mobile computing device, an indication that corresponds to one of the provided multiple behavior indicators and represents a behavior that is observed by the teacher during the literacy assessment relative to the content presented to the person being assessed;

receiving, from the teacher using the mobile computing device, a note entered through the provided freehand area, the note being related to the behavior observed by the teacher during the literacy assessment relative to the content presented to the person being assessed; and

displaying a word of the content being presented to the person being assessed and an annotation related to the behavior observed by the teacher.

30. The method of claim 29 wherein the content presented to the person being assessed comprises a portion of a book.

31. The method of claim 29 wherein the note entered through the provided freehand area is received after the receipt of the indication that corresponds to one of the provided multiple behavior indicators.

32. The method of claim 29 further comprising providing, substantially in real-time relative to the completion of the literacy assessment, the teacher with statistics on the mobile computing device reflecting results of the literacy assessment.

33. The method of claim 32 wherein the statistics are provided to the teacher substantially in real-time with respect to completion of the literacy assessment.

34. The method of claim 29 further comprising associating the note with a particular portion of the content made perceivable to an assessed student.

35. The method of claim 29 wherein an observed behavior is at least one of omission, told, substitution, insertion, and self-correction.

36. The method of claim 29 further comprising:

providing an indicator of multiple pre-defined cues, each pre-defined cue being observable by the teacher during a literacy assessment; and

receiving, from the teacher using the mobile computing device, an indication that corresponds to one of the pre-defined cues and is observed by the teacher during the literacy assessment relative to the presentation of the content being assessed.

37. The method of claim 36 wherein a pre-defined cue is at least one of meaning, syntax, and visual.

38. The method of claim 29 wherein a button on the mobile computing device corresponds to at least one of the multiple behavior indicators.

39. The method of claim 29 wherein the content comprises all substantive content presented to the person as a basis for soliciting feedback from the person and thereafter making the literacy assessment of the person.