What ”Exactly” Describes Planning in a Math Game-Based Assessment? Introducing Fraction Ball: Exactly

Abstract

The digital assessment community aims to align assessment design and measurement selection with theory, but many digital assessments fail to establish these theoretical links. In this paper, we introduce Fraction Ball: Exactly (FBE), a digital game-based assessment for planning in a mathematics problem-solving context. Using gameplay learning analytics, we create distinct measurement models for adult and child players. We demonstrate convergent validity of FBE both with the Shallice Tower of London and with mathematical knowledge. We share our approaches to theoretically ground our assessment design, measure selection, and measurement model validation. By theoretically grounding each process, we outline ways in which digital assessment developers can integrate educational theory with assessment design and validation and theorize for themselves.