This study investigated teachers' perspectives of the digital interface used in the English Language Arts (ELA) Florida Standards Assessment (FSA) Practice Test. The ELA FSA is a high-stakes, standardized, computer-based test used to assess student, teacher, and school performance Prior research has focused on the validity of the test items as opposed to how the interface may affect the response process. Survey and focus group data were collected from teachers and instructional coaches in grades 3 to 8 in one Central Florida school district. Participants expressed that the ELA FSA interface is not user-friendly, along with the students not being familiar with the accompanying digital tools and awkward test navigation tools. Even familiar digital tools, such as the highlighting tool, are used in atypical ways. Students are also unable to use essential reading comprehension strategies they learn in school. Interpreting these findings through user-centered design principles, the test design is not consistent with students' prior experiences and allows users too much user control, leading to cognitive overload for students. These design choices may differentially affect test-takers' response processes, leading to questions about the validity and fairness of the ELA FSA. Recommendations are made to improve the design of the interface and for best practices to scaffold student success on the ELA FSA Practice Test through professional development for teachers.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:ucf.edu/oai:stars.library.ucf.edu:etd2020-2397 |
| Date | 01 January 2022 |
| Creators | Kesner, Lorna |
| Publisher | STARS |
| Source Sets | University of Central Florida |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | text |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Source | Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020- |
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