Effectiveness of feedback during the testing of preschool children, elementary school children, and adolescents with developmental delays

Students in Grades 1, 3, 5, and 7 studied test materials presented within the context of a story, and then responded to a 10-item quiz using either a Scantron form or an Immediate Feedback Assessment Technique (IF AT) form (Study 1). The retention of these materials was examined 1 week later using IF AT forms. Students evaluated with the IF AT demonstrated an overall increase in scores on the follow-up quiz; students evaluated with Scantron forms demonstrated an overall decrease in scores. In Study 2, the acquisition and retention of basic academic readiness materials by children preparing to enter the educational system was evaluated using either the IF AT or a Scantron form. Five 10-item tests were completed by each child, 1 per week, with 2 items randomly selected from each week's test for inclusion on the final examination. Children evaluated with the IF AT demonstrated significantly higher scores on the final examination and on readministrations of the final examination 1 and 3 months later. The enhancement of retention was particularly prominent when developmental status was considered. In Study 3, 4 adolescents with mild mental retardation studying 6 life-skills modules were tested with only IF AT forms, only Scantron forms, or with IF AT forms on 3 modules and Scantron forms on 3 modules. The distribution of performance on each module was overlapping; the student tested with only IF AT forms demonstrated the highest percentage of retention while the student tested with only Scantron forms demonstrated the lowest percentage of retention. The beneficial effects of corrective feedback observed in Studies 1-3 were similar to those observed previously in our laboratory, supporting the results of prior studies conducted with university students and highlighting the critical role of feedback during the assessment of children and adolescents, including those with developmental delays.