5 Things to Know About Recent Exact Path Research in Indiana

We’re excited to announce a new research study for Indiana educators performed by a third-party research organization. The results can be used to predict how students will perform on Indiana Learning Evaluation Assessment Readiness Network (ILEARN) tests based on student scores from the Exact Path diagnostic. Given that Indiana will not administer ILEARN this school year due to school closures from COVID-19, you might be wondering how predictive validity could be used this school year. This research allows administrators to predict how students would have scored on ILEARN in spring 2020 by either having students take the Exact Path diagnostic at home this spring or by using the most recent Exact Path diagnostic scores prior to school closures. Predicting ILEARN scores for 2020 allows administrators to track consistent data year over year in order to compare to last year’s ILEARN results and to compare this year’s student performance across schools using the familiar ILEARN performance levels.

Here are five things to know about the study:

1. The study was performed with a psychometric method called a linking study.

Use of a linking study is a way to predict scores on one test (e.g., ILEARN) from scores on another test (e.g., the Exact Path diagnostic). In a linking study, students complete both assessments (ILEARN and the Exact Path diagnostic) in the same timeframe so that performance on each test can be compared.

2. The study sample was large and demographically representative of Indiana students.

Approximately 11,000 Indiana students per content area were included in the linking study. These students represented the population of Indiana according to six different demographic variables: special education status, English language learner status, socioeconomic status, Section 504 status, race/ethnicity, and gender.

3. Predictions of ILEARN proficiency from Exact Path diagnostic scores are highly accurate.

When comparing students’ actual proficiency on ILEARN and their predicted proficiency from the Exact Path diagnostic, predictions of proficiency were accurate for about 81 to 86 percent of students.

4. Results provide strong validity evidence for the Exact Path diagnostic.

The study found high positive correlations between students’ ILEARN scores and Exact Path diagnostic scores, indicating that students who score high on the Exact Path diagnostic also typically score high on ILEARN and vice versa.

5. Indiana educators can use ILEARN predictions to set student goals for both achievement and growth.

By referencing tables that show which Exact Path scale scores map to each ILEARN performance level, Indiana educators can see which Exact Path diagnostic scale score a student must achieve to likely reach a particular ILEARN performance level.

Check out the research brief for more information and for tables that show which Exact Path scale scores compare to each ILEARN performance level!