almost 14 years ago
1 month to go!
The submission deadline for the ETS Assessment Games Challenge is August 18. It's not too late to get started, come up with a K–12 math assessment task in the form of a game today!
We've compiled a list of popular questions we've received since the competition began. Take some time and read through each of them. It might just spark an idea for your app.
If you haven't started yet, check out the Quick-Start Guide.
Learning Progressions & Assessment Explained
What exactly is a learning progression?
A learning progression is a way of categorizing the development of a concept (in this case, a mathematical concept) that has a foundation in research. Learning progressions are also called "learning trajectories," "hypothetical learning trajectories," or "developmental models." These sometimes have slightly different definitions, but we are happy to accept any of them.
Can learning progressions differ?
Yes, learning progressions can differ by what we call their "grain size." Progressions can be very fine grained (that is, they record even the slightest changes in thinking) or very wide grained (levels categorize large variations in thinking, with new levels indicating some new conceptual leap).
What kind of progressions did ETS provide?
The learning progressions that we provided you with ("Equality and Variables" and "Functions and Linear Functions") were wide grained, with only five levels that go from rudimentary thinking on the subject to a very deep and complex understanding. Your challenge is to design a game that can assess the level of the learning progression that the student is performing at (i.e. distinguish the twos from the threes and the threes from the fours). If your progression is wide-grained, like ours, there can be many students at level three and some that may be stronger than others (closer to level four). That's okay! Think of it as having just reached a level of a game versus defeating that level.
Does my game have to include all five levels?
Games that you design do not have to cover all five levels of the progression, but we recommend covering at least three. (If you can get all five, that's great!)
Can I provide my own progression? If so, what grain size should it be?
Yes, you can provide your own progression. It can be of any grain size you wish, but it should have a foundation in research (either research published by someone else or research done by you/your colleagues). Please tell us what the progression is and where it came from. For more information about Learning Trajectories in Mathematics, please see this handy document from our friends at CPRE. Appendix A has a long list of research-based learning trajectories in mathematics.
Questions?
We're here to help you every step of the way! For questions about the challenge rules, contact gameschallenge@ets.org, or post them under Discussions. For technical questions about the site, contact support@challengepost.com, and include "ETS" in the subject line.
We look forward to seeing your innovative games!