Dynamic

Assessment

of Young

Children

(DAYC)

Revealing Hidden Learning Potential of Children

What is Dynamic Assessment (DA)?

Dynamic assessment (DA) refers to an

assessment, by an active teaching pro-

cess, of a child’s perception, learning,

thinking, and problem solving. The pro-cess is aimed at modifying an individu-

al’s cognitive functioning and observing

subsequent changes in learning and

problem-solving patterns within the test-

ing situation.

What is the Information We Get from

DA ?

DA can provide accurate information

about the individual's learning ability, specific deficient cognitive functions,

change processes, and mediation strate-

gies that are responsible for cognitive

modifiability or learning-how-to-learn.

DA was found as a much better predictor

of children’s future educational perfor-mance than static test scores. Research

findings support the conception of DA as

an effective approach for revealing a

“hidden” intellectual potential of special

needs students.

Criticism of Standardized Tests

They are biased towards minority groups

and children with special needs and do

not reflect their true ability.

They are characterized many times by

selective administration procedures and selective interpretation of results among

high-risk children.

Motivational, emotional, and personality

factors are not well taken as in DA which

is a holistic approach.

There is lack of information on learning

processes and metacognitive factors af-

fecting academic success.

Very frequently static tests provide inadequate

recommendations on specific remediation pro-

cesses, interventions strategies, and prescrip-tive teaching.

What are the Goals of DA?

To examine the capacity of the child to grasp

the principle underlying an initial problem presented to the child and solve it correctly.

To assess the specific deficient cognitive func-

tions (e.g., impulsivity, lack of systematic ex-

ploratory behavior) and the adequate cognitive

functions that are responsible for the child's

failures and successes, respectively.

To examine the nature and amount of invest-

ment required in order to teach the child a

given principle or modify a deficient cognitive

function.

To examine the extent to which the newly ac-

quired principle is successfully applied in solv-ing problems that become progressively more

complex than the initial task (i.e., transfer of

learning).

To examine the differential preference of the

child for one or another modality of presenta-

tion of the problem (i.e., pictorial, linguistic,

numerical).

To examine the differential effects of different

training strategies given to the child to im-prove his/her functioning.

Cognitive Modifiability Battery (CMB): Assessment and Inter-vention

The CMB is a comprehensive test composed of 8 subtests, each tap-ping different areas of cognitive functioning: Seriation, Reproduc-tion of Patterns, Analogies, Se-quences (Levels I and II), Memory, Mental Rotation, Spatial Working Memory. The CMB is constructed of 4 plates, 64 colored blocks, 36 wooden squares and a squared cardboard with the "Windows" de-sign. The cognitive functions tapped are: spatial orientation, systematic exploratory behavior, analogical reasoning, needs for ac-curacy and for pursuing logical evidence, impulsivity, verbal tools, working memory, spatial orienta-tion, planning behavior and visual transport. The validity and relia-bility of the CMB as a diagnostic and as an intervention instru-ment was reported in several studies. CMB Subtests predicted Reading Comprehension and Math. The CMB was found effec-tive in assessing several cognitive intervention programs.

Children’s Inferential Thinking Modifiability (CITM)

The CITM is aimed at assessing young children's learning poten-tial, cognitive functions, inferential thinking, and mediated learning strategies with 4-7 years old chil-dren It is composed of four sets of problems for Pre-Teaching, Teach-ing, Post-Teaching, and Transfer phases. The problems are com-posed of a set of figural "sentences," each presents infor-mation about the possible location of objects in houses with different colored roofs. The task requires systematic exploratory behavior, control of impulsivity, spontane-ous comparative behavior, plan-ning, inferential‑hypothetical ("iffy") thinking, need for precision, simultaneous consideration of sev-eral sources of information and

“negation”. The test includes Clas-

Children’s Analogical Think-ing Modifiability (CATM)

The CATM is aimed at assessing learning potential, cognitive functions, and required mediated learning strat-egies with young 4-7 years old chil-dren, using the operation of analogy. The CATM is composed of 18 colored (red, blue, yellow) blocks and three sets of analogical problems for Pre-Teaching, Teaching, and Post-Teaching phases. Major cognitive functions that may be identified are: Impulsivity, considering several sources of information, verbal tools and systematic exploratory behavior. Major cognitive operations are: Clas-sification and analogical reasoning. The CATM was used to evaluate cog-nitive education programs. The validi-ty of the CATM as well as its effective-ness with different groups of children, have been established both clinically and empirically.

The Seria-Think Instrument –

Revised

The test is a novel DA instrument aimed at assessing and teaching children plan-ning and self-regulation behavior and a variety of arithmetic skills based on the operation of seriation and math. The Se-ria-Think-Revised Instrument includes also an Easy Version Test, a Transfer Test and Mental Rotation Test. It is de-signed for grades 1-3, but it can be used with older children who have difficulties in self-regulation. The problems require cognitive functions (e.g., planning, self-regulation, systematic exploratory behav-ior, and simultaneous consideration of a few sources of information). The instru-ment is composed of two a wooden blocks: Original and Transfer. Each block has five rows of holes (5 in each), a set of cylinders, and a measuring rod. The tasks involve insertion of the cylin-ders inside the holes so as to get lines of cylinders with equal or increasing height. The child is instructed insert the cylin-ders with as less number of insertions as possible.

Children’s Seriational Thinking Modifiability-Revised (CSTM-R)

The CSTM-R is designed for 3-5 years old children. It is based mainly on the operation of seriation, although other operations (e.g., comparison, quantita-tive relations) are included as well. Se-riation is considered as a prerequisite for arithmetic skills and the operation of transitivity. The child has to order sets of cards cylinders and blocks ac-cording to dimensions of number, size, darkness, height and perimeter; each represented in the problems, either by itself or in combination with other di-mensions. The CSTM-R has a transfer section used mainly for intervention and contains problems of psychological and philosophical nature. The CSTM-R has been used with different groups of disadvantaged and advantaged children and with special education children with a variety of problems. Reliability and validity have been reported in sev-eral studies.

Children’s Conceptual and Per-ceptual Analogical Modifiability

(CCPAM) Test

The CCPAM is composed of two ver-sions: Closed and Construction Analo-gies, each version is comprised of two sets of analogical problems, conceptual and perceptual. The test is designed for 3-5 years old children. Each closed analogy is formatted in a 2 x 2 matrix (A : B :: C : D) and presented in a picto-rial colored modality. At the bottom of the page there are four alternative an-swers, only one is correct. In construc-tion analogies each problem is present-ed with 6 cards, in a mixed order, and the child is asked to build an analogy with only four cards formatted in a 2 x 2 pattern, sorting out two distractive cards. Research findings with 5 years old children showed that while percep-tual training helped to improve only perceptual analogies, conceptual analo-gies helped to improve both conceptual and perceptual analogies. CCPAM anal-ogies were associated with emergent literacy and improved analogical rea-soning of children with intellectual dis-ability.

In What Ways DA is Different from Conventional-Standardized

Testing

Goals of Testing

Change in Nature of the Tasks

Change in Test Situation.

Change of Focus: From End Products to Process Orientation

Change in Interpretation of Results

What are the Major Strategies of Mediation in DA

Improvement of (deficient) cognitive functions.

Preparing the child for complex tasks by establishing pre-required think-ing behaviors.

Self-regulation by planning and or-ganization of the solution. En-hancement of reflective, insightful, and analytic processes.

Teaching of specific contents that are related to the task-specific context.

Feedback on success or failure in the learning process.

Development of basic communica-tion skills and adequate response style.

Is DA Reliable and Valid?

There is plenty of research demon-strating the reliability and validity of DA. DA is used in various educational settings, developmental research, cog-nitive-intervention programs, and cog-nitive rehabilitation. Validity refers to objective scores, deficient cognitive functions mediation strategies, and non-intellective factors assessed dur-ing the DA procedure.

The Windows Mental-Rotation Dynamic Assessment (WMR-DA)

Spatial ability has a vital role in our daily interaction with envi-ronment, such as navigation, recognizing and manipulating objects, mechanic performance, academic tasks, and recalling locations. The WMR-DA is de-signed for students in grades 1 to 6 and to older children who demonstrate learning difficulties especially in visuo-spatial areas. There are three levels of difficul-ty, each level has Pre-teaching, Teaching, and Post-teaching phases. In all levels children are presented with model figures of ‘‘houses with windows’’ ar-ranged in a 3 x 3 patterns; some windows are blackened whereas others are “open”. On turned-about houses, taking into ac-count their rotation in space, children are asked to mark the identical closed windows.

Contact Us

Prof. David Tzuriel

School of Education

Bar Ilan University

Ramat-Gan, Israel 5290002

David.Tzuriel@biu.ac.il