Computerized Dynamic Assessment Research Articles

Artificial intelligence technologies and applications for language learning and teaching

Abstract Artificial intelligence (AI) is changing many aspects of education and is gradually being introduced to language education. This article reviews the literature to examine main trends and common findings in relation to AI technologies and applications for second and foreign language learning and teaching. With special reference to computer-assisted language learning (CALL), the article explores natural language processing (NLP), data-driven learning (DDL), automated writing evaluation (AWE), computerized dynamic assessment (CDA), intelligent tutoring systems (ITSs), automatic speech recognition (ASR), and chatbots. It contributes to discussions on understanding and using AI-supported language learning and teaching. It suggests that AI will be continuously integrated into language education and AI technologies and applications will have a profound impact on language learning and teaching. Language educators need to ensure that AI is effectively used to support language learning and teaching in AI-powered contexts. More rigorous research on AI-supported language learning and teaching is recommended to maximise second and foreign language learning and teaching with AI.

Comparing the effects of computerized formative assessment vs. computerized dynamic assessment on developing EFL learners’ reading motivation, reading self-concept, autonomy, and self-regulation

This research compared the impacts of computerized formative assessment (CFA) and computerized dynamic assessment (CDA) on students’ motivation, reading self-concept, autonomy, and self-regulation. Out of a total of 123 Bangladeshi pupils, 87 participants were carefully chosen as the study’s sample subject based on the Preliminary English Test (PET) results. Using the convenience sampling method, three equal groups—one control and two experimental ones (dynamic and formative) (n = 29)—were randomly selected. Pretests were then taken by each of the three groups to assess their reading motivation, reading self-concept, autonomy, and self-regulation. Then, various treatments were presented to the groups. The control group students underwent conventional assessment. C-DA was administered to students in the first experimental group participants, while CFA was run in the second experimental group. At the treatment finished, the groups completed reading motivation, reading self-concept, autonomy, and self-regulation posttests. The data were examined using the one-way ANOVA test as well as the post hoc Scheffe test. The one-way ANOVA analysis showed that the three groups’ posttest outcomes varied. The C-DA group outperformed the computerized formative group in reading motivation, reading self-concept, autonomy, and self-regulation, according to the data analysis. It was found that C-DA helped EFL students improve their motivation in reading, reading self-concept, autonomy, and self-regulation. Finally, recommendations for further studies were offered along with the conclusions, implications, and limitations.

Mediation through Computerized Dynamic Assessment (C-DA) for Second and Foreign Language Learning: A Literature Review

This paper examines research on the effects and roles of computerized dynamic assessment (C-DA) in mediating second language (L2) learning and development. The review synthesizes studies on C-DA interventions for developing language skills including reading comprehension, vocabulary and grammar skills. C-DA studies indicate the promotion of language development, but the effectiveness is not all attributed to C-DA mediations. Effectiveness seems dependent on both C-DA and additional factors like noticing skills or teacher mediation. In these studies, most C-DA prompts are pre-constructed and not fully attuned to learners’ zone of proximal development, and some C-DA studies address this by complementing C-DA with human mediator interaction. Given the limited number of C-DA studies, the findings of this review are limited. More research is needed, especially on integrating human and computer mediation. However, this review offers implications for designing responsive C-DA platforms to better attune to learners’ needs.

Group dynamic assessment vs. computerized dynamic assessment: impacts on L2 listening development, L2 students’ perfectionism, foreign language anxiety, and intrinsic motivation

Dynamic assessment is heavily based on Vygotskian socio-cultural theory and in recent years researchers have shown interest in the theory as a way to facilitate learning. This study attempted to examine the comparative effect of group dynamic assessment (GDA) and computerized dynamic assessment (CDA) on listening development, L2 learners’ perfectionism, anxiety, and intrinsic motivation. To this end, 91 intermediate learners of English were selected based on convenience sampling and were divided into 3 groups: a GDA, a CDA, and a control group (CG). After implementing the treatment, the tests conducted and the data gathered. The results of one-way ANOVA showed that both GDA and CDA were facilitative of listening development with a large effect size (effect size = .516), and the difference between them was nonsignificant (p > 0.05). The results further showed that both GDA and CDA could ameliorate perfectionism with a moderate effect size (effect size = .332), decrease anxiety with a small effect size (.218), and increase intrinsic motivation among L2 learners with a small effect size (effect size = .228). The findings can have implications for language practitioners, and materials developers. The implications of the study are discussed.

The comparative effect of computerized dynamic assessment and rater mediated assessment on EFL learners’ oral proficiency, writing performance, and test anxiety

This study aimed to examine the impacts of computerized dynamic assessment (C-DA) and rater-mediated assessment on the test anxiety, writing performance, and oral proficiency of Iranian EFL learners. Based on Preliminary English Test (PET) results, a sample of 64 intermediate participants was chosen from 93 students. Running a convenience sampling technique, target test-takers were randomly divided into the experimental groups (C-DA) and control (rater mediated assessment). Following that, both groups had pretests for oral and written skills. The Science Anxiety Scale (SAS) was also used to gauge their level of anxiety prior to treatment. The experimental group’s participants then received C-DA. Rater-mediated assessment, on the other hand, was given to the control group. Both groups took the post-test for writing performance, oral proficiency, and test anxiety at the conclusion of the treatment. According to the one-way ANCOVA analysis, the post-test results for the two groups were different. Based on the results, the experimental group outdid the control group on the oral proficiency, writing performance, and test anxiety post-tests. Iranian EFL learners were able to improve both their written and oral skills while experiencing less test anxiety thanks to C-DA. Finally, the conclusions, the implications, the limitations, and the suggestions for further studies were provided.

An exploration into EFL learners’ perspectives on online computerized listening comprehension dynamic assessment

As a part of a more extensive computerized dynamic assessment (CDA) project delivered through a dedicated website, www.lingeli.com, this study explores EFL learners’ perspectives on an online listening comprehension dynamic assessment software focusing on inferential listening skills while trying to minimize the guessing effect. The study participants were 94 Iranian EFL learners selected through convenience sampling to participate in a 1-month dynamic assessment targeting EFL learners listening comprehension using the developed software. The researchers involved half of the study participants in semi-structured interviews held in their native language (Persian) to shed light on the pros and cons of the software. Six major themes emerged from the interviews’ content analysis, encapsulating participant’’ generally positive perceptions and some negative perspectives about the software. They perceived the CDA software as novel and interesting, stress-relieving, supportive, convenient, and cost-effective in terms of time and money, and removing the time and location limitations. In contrast, a few others assumed it was time-consuming and stressful, with limited learning and ignoring the benefits of social aspects of teaching. The study’s findings recommend that learners’ perspectives be considered when developing future CDA listening comprehension software to increase the validity of CDA projects by addressing their drawbacks and fully implementing the CDA test's potential to enhance EFL learners’ listening comprehension abilities.

Computerized Dynamic Assessment (C-DA) on Reading Comprehension for L2 Learners of Vocational High Schools

<p><strong>Abstract: </strong>This study focuses on developing a prototype of an assessment program on reading comprehension based on computerized dynamic assessment. The reading skills to be measure include identifying topic, main idea, the detail of the text, logical inference, an assumption, word meaning and synonym, and a conclusion. The assessment consists of two types of tests including multiple choice type and cloze procedures. Those tests contain prompts as the characteristic of dynamic assessment. The participants in this study were 316 eleventh grade students of vocational high schools. The result reveals that the product was positively agreed by most of the subjects despite the fact that they were not familiar with this assessment program. This indicates that the developed product was acceptable by eleventh grade students on vocational high schools.</p><p><strong>Abstrak:</strong> Penelitian ini fokus pada pengembangan prototipe program penilaian pada membaca komprehensif yang berdasarkan pada <em>computerized dynamic assessment</em>. Kemampuan membaca yang akan diukur pada tes ini, meliputi identifikasi topik, ide pokok, informasi rinci dalam teks, referensi, identifikasi anggapan, memahami makna persamaan kata, dan menyimpulkan. Produk asesmen ini terdiri dari dua tipe teS, yaitu pilihan ganda dan <em>cloze procedures</em>. Tes tersebut mengandung petunjuk/saran sebagai karakteristik dari <em>dynamic assessment</em>. Peserta yang terlibat pada penelitian ini terdiri dari 316 siswa kelas sebelas sekolah menengah kejuruan. Hasil dari pengembangan produk program penilaian <em>computerized dynamic assessment</em> sangat diterima dengan baik dan hampir dari seluruh peserta tidak mengenal program penilaian <em>computerized dynamic assessment.</em> Hal ini mengindikasikan bahwa pengembangan produk ini diterima oleh siswa terutama pada sekolah menengah kejuruan. </p>

The comparative effect of group dynamic assessment (GDA) and computerized dynamic assessment (C-DA) on Iranian upper-intermediate EFL learners\u2019 speaking complexity, accuracy, and fluency (CAF)

This study attempted to check the impact of two dynamic assessment (DA) models on speaking CAF. DA, as opposed to static assessment, is conceived as an interactive approach to assessment that integrates teaching and testing into a unified instructional engagement. To achieve the goals of this research, a convenience sample of 90 upper-intermediate male EFL learners that were randomly assigned into GDA, a C-DA, and a non-DA control group participated in the study. Before carrying out the treatment, a speaking pretest was administered to all three groups and their CAF scores were collected. Following that, the treatment using the aforementioned DA and non-DA conventional models was completed in 16 sessions. To check the impact of the treatment, a speaking post-test was given to the groups at the end of the study. Data analysis using ANOVA showed that C-DA and G-DA could significantly increase speaking CAF than the conventional non-DA instruction with C-DA being significantly better than G-DA. The results of this research propose that implementing DA, especially C-DA by the teachers, can enhance the speaking CAF of the L2 learners.

Toward a sociocultural approach to computerized dynamic assessment of the TOEFL iBT listening comprehension test.

The current study addressed the impact of computerized dynamic assessment (C-DA) on the TOEFL iBT listening comprehension test administered to Iranian EFL learners (n = 185) who took part in preparation courses on the TOEFL exam in some language centres in Iran. To mediate the test-takers with hints to process the listening questions, a computer software program was developed, and it was meant to produce the following: Actual, mediated, and learning potential scores. Findings of the study indicated that the actual and mediated scores led to significant different mean scores in various listening ability levels in almost all question types. Generally, results highlighted the significant positive impact of C-DA on improving EFL test-takers’ performances in the monologue and dialogue tasks. Teachers were recommended to implement C-DA since the information gained from this sociocultural assessment mode empowers them to provide learners with more individualized and accordingly more effective teaching and assessment strategies.

Diagnosing l2 English learners’ listening difficulties and learning needs through computerized dynamic assessment

ABSTRACT This study implemented the principles of dynamic assessment (DA) with computer technology, iSpring Quiz Maker, to (1) identify the English listening difficulties of 172 L2 English learners; (2) diagnose their individual learning needs, and (3) promote their future potential abilities. Upon evaluating the participating junior high school students’ performance on three English listening question types－overview, detail, and inference questions, this computerized DA (C-DA) program provided automatically generated results showing each participant’s current abilities, mediated performance, learning needs, and future potential (i.e., learning potential score, LPS). Findings revealed that (1) all three types of questions were challenging to the participants, especially the overview questions; (2) the mediation provided via the C-DA program was most effective in supporting participants’ attempts to answer inference questions, and (3) participants with low LPSs had more difficulty with inference questions while participants with mid or high LPSs needed more assistance in answering the detail questions. Results demonstrated that participants had very different listening difficulties regarding the three question types even when they had identical scores. It had shown that the implementation of C-DA could offer a fuller picture of EFL learners’ English listening abilities, which could affect the English instructional design, and pedagogical approaches.

The Impact of Computerized Dynamic Assessment on Iranian EFL Learners' Interlanguage Pragmatic Development

The present study reports the results of a dissertation aimed at consolidating assessment and instruction of L2 pragmatics comprehension by drawing on an interventionist computerized dynamic assessment (C-DA) through which the test was embodied by providing graduated hints (from the most explicit to the most implicit) which were standardized for all test takers. To do so, a web-based software, called a Computerized Dynamic Assessment of Speech Acts, Routines, and Implicatures (CDASRI), accessible at http://da-pragmatics.com, was developed. Then, 137 upper-intermediate or advanced high school and university students ranging in age from 16 to 36 from two provinces of Khorasan Razavi and Golestan, Iran, were selected based on convenience sampling, who voluntarily took part in the study. Based on how many hints or mediations were used by each test-taker, the CDASRI provided three scores: actual score (traditional score), mediated score, and learning potential score (LPS). The results of the study indicated that the test could improve test takers’ pragmatic comprehension competence. Moreover, the significant difference between the mediated (using hints) and actual (without hints) scores of learners accounted for the fact that because of test-takers’ different Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD) levels, their level of responsiveness to mediation was significantly different from one another. Hence, it can be concluded that traditional non-dynamic test loses sight of a big part of learners’ abilities through neglecting learners’ potentialities and putting emphasis only on their preliminary performance. The study concludes with some pedagogical implications for language teachers and instructors who seek an effective perspective for their assessment and instruction.

Measuring and Supporting Second Language Development Using Computerized Dynamic Assessment

This study developed an innovative framework for measuring and supporting second language development through integrating diagnostic language assessment and instruction by incorporating mediation. Nineteen students enrolled in an intermediate Chinese listening and speaking course at a large public university in the Midwest United States took a computerized dynamic assessment (C-DA) listening test in the Spring 2015 semester. The C-DA test differed from traditional standardized tests in that it diagnosed not only students’ fully developed abilities but also their emerging abilities. It offered students graduated mediational prompts for items they had difficulty with and tracked the amount of mediation they needed for those items. The test report also included a learner profile detailing each student’s independent and mediated performance on clusters of items designed to test different language constructs. Based on the results of the diagnostic C-DA test, students were categorized in three groups, and each group was offered instructional support tailored to their listening abilities and learning needs. Analysis of the diagnostic test reports, student interviews, and end-of-semester student evaluations of the course provided evidence that the integration of diagnostic language assessment and instruction that incorporates appropriate mediation helped creating a coherent and effective pedagogy for the students.

Diagnosing L2 learners’ development through online computerized dynamic assessment

Dynamic Assessment (DA) is proposed as a workable diagnostic tool in second or foreign language context. Compared to traditional non-dynamic testing, DA presents a more comprehensive account of human beings’ abilities through addressing both the fully internalized abilities and the abilities that are in the process of being internalized. However, a major problem with the application of ordinary DA procedures is their limited capacity for addressing larger contexts in terms of learners and constructs. Computerized Dynamic Assessment (C-DA) is suggested as a solution for the practicality concerns associated with DA procedures. Considering lack of research in this regard, this study reports the results of designing and implementing an interventionist online computerized dynamic test of English listening skill for Iranian EFL university students. The online multiple-choice C-DA software has been designed following Poehner, M. E., & Lantolf, J. P. (2013). Bringing the zone of proximal development (ZPD) into the equation: Capturing L2 development during computerized dynamic assessment (C-DA). Language Teaching Research, 17(3), 323–342 and Poehner, M. E., Zhang, J., & Lu, X. (2015). Computerized dynamic assessment (C-DA): Diagnosing L2 development according to learner responsiveness to mediation. Language Testing, 32(3), 337–321. The software presents learners with ZPD-based mediation via hints and prompts and generates an actual score reporting their independent performance; a mediated score reporting their mediated performance; and a learning potential score (LPS) reporting the gain between the actual and mediated scores. The results revealed a significant difference between learners’ actual and mediated scores indicating the inadequacy of non-dynamic testing in accounting for learners’ responsiveness to mediation. Moreover, LPS could differentiate among learners classified into the same level by non-dynamic testing. The analysis of each learner’s scoring profile plus their LPS proved conducive to diagnosing their strengths and weaknesses in different language constructs included in the test and could help teachers develop fine-tuned individualized learning plans and materials for future learning.

Promoting L2 English learners’ reading proficiency through computerized dynamic assessment

abstract This study used computerized dynamic assessment (CDA) as a teaching and assessment method to promote Chinese EFL learners’ reading comprehension, with a quasi-experimental design in which the control and experimental groups were each given three tests but in different formats. Each test consisted of multiple choice questions (MCQs) selected from reading sections of a collection of original forms of the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL); however, CDA was employed for the experimental group, whereas conventional MCQs were used for the control group. The two groups also differed in their 4-week enrichment programs. The experimental group was taught using CDA, whereas conventional teaching methods were used for the control group. Learners’ performance on the three tests was compared within and between the two groups by using repeated measures mixed factorial analysis of variance, whereby the advantages of CDA over conventional teaching and assessment methods were identified. The results indicated that although reading comprehension performance in the two groups was quite similar at the beginning of the study, the experimental group performed significantly more efficiently than the control group after four weeks of learning. This study’s contributions and implications are discussed.

Bringing L2 learners’ learning preferences in the mediating process through computerized dynamic assessment

Computerized dynamic assessment (C-DA) brings the rationality of assessment–instruction integration behind dynamic assessment (DA) into computerized context through the presentation of electronic mediations (Poehner). This study attempts to unravel L2 learners’ actual/developed ability and learning potential in a C-DA reading comprehension context where 183 Iranian EFL learners were asked to freely select pre-specified, implicit to explicit mediations based upon their visual, audio, and textual learning preferences as well as their zone of proximal level of development. More precisely, this study seeks to discover the feasibility of integration of learners’ mediating preferences into C-DA procedure. In contrast to previous C-DA studies, learners in this study played an active role in deciding on different types of visual, audio, and textual mediations required to deal with comprehending the main ideas of 15 passages. The software was programmed to present 15 reading comprehension passages alongside three sets of visual/audio/textual mediations presented strategically (implicit to explicit) in a prefabricated standardized fashion to assess and co-construct emerging zone of proximal development (ZPD). The learners’ learning potential score based on their own mediation tendencies uncovered the effectiveness of visual, audio, and textual mediations in assisting the learners to reach independency in grasping the main ideas of reading comprehension passages. Statistically, a paired samples t-test revealed the learners’ ZPD enhancement in comparison with their developed ability. Overall, the results demonstrated that it is feasible to respond to individual learning preferences with fine-tuned electronic mediations in the C-DA context of reading comprehension.

Exploring lexical inferencing as a vocabulary acquisition strategy through computerized dynamic assessment and static assessment

ABSTRACTLexical inferencing has not led to substantial vocabulary gains. In previous studies, the learners were not obliged by design to notice the unfamiliar words and static approaches to assessment were adopted. In this quasi-experimental study, we adopted dynamic assessment (DA) approach and took measures to ensure noticing of the new words. Through purposive sampling, 80 intermediate English as a Foreign Language (EFL) students were selected as participants. They were randomly assigned to computerized dynamic assessment (CDA) and static assessment (SA) groups. Participants read five texts, one per week, and inferred the meaning of highlighted unfamiliar words. In CDA group, through a software program, struggling learners received graduated mediational hints for each target word which helped them to infer the meaning of unfamiliar words. No mediational assistance was provided to the participants of SA group. Acquisition and retention post-tests were administered to both groups one day and four weeks after reading each text, respectively. Results showed that vocabulary gains in CDA group were significantly higher than those in the control group. The findings suggest that the noticing of unfamiliar words and the adoption of DA approach could enhance vocabulary gains from lexical inferencing.

Assessing English reading comprehension by Chinese EFL learners in computerized dynamic assessment

BackgroundPredicated on Vygotsky’s zone of proximal development (ZPD), dynamic assessment (DA) integrates teaching with assessment in a single activity by providing mediation to help learners perform beyond their independent functioning and simultaneously promote learner development. It advantages over traditional psychometric tests in that DA can not only reveal the learners’ actual level of development from their independent performance as what the traditional tests did but also their potential level of development from the mediations the learners need during the mediator-learner interactions. However, the number of learners a DA assessor can help is limited due to the time demand of mediator-learner interactions. To overcome this weakness, researchers are turning to computerized dynamic assessment (C-DA).MethodsThe study aimed to find out the learners’ difficulties in reading comprehension, the effects of C-DA and the learners’ reflections on the C-DA program. Multiple choice questions in the reading comprehension section were adapted from CET4 (College English Test, Band 4). Two groups of students participated in the present study. In the pilot study, a group of students were asked to write down their thinking process after they finished a reading test, from which the students’ difficulties in reading comprehension test were identified and mediations were worked out afterwards. The mediation levels and the scoring scale were also determined and put into the C-DA program devised for the main study. Another group of students were asked to do a reading test using C-DA. After the test, a learner profile capturing the students’ performances in the test was generated from the program. Finally, a questionnaire was distributed to collect data for the students’ reflections on C-DA.ResultsIt was found that the learners mainly encountered three difficulties in their reading comprehension test: (1) new words were the biggest barrier; (2) learners felt hard to locate on the relevant sentences in the original passage from the information provided in the question; (3) their inferential abilities are weak. The analysis of the data generated by the C-DA program indicated that C-DA far exceeded the traditional static assessment for its stronger diagnostic capacities and the deeper insights it provided for subsequent teaching. The results of the questionnaire showed that C-DA was greatly welcomed by the students and believed to be particularly helpful in building up confidence for those low achievers as identified in traditional static assessment.ConclusionsThe major contribution of the present study was to implement DA principles to larger scale study with the use of computer technology and gain valuable insights for future studies. However, limitations remained and future studies should try to address the issues discussed in the present study.

Response latency as a tool to study L2 Learners’ ZPD, ZAD and ongoing information processing

Under the influence of Vygotsky, dynamic assessment (DA) has recently crept into the realm of L2 testing to assess learners’ cognitive modification through the concept of mediation and zone of proximal development (ZPD) (Ableeva, The Effects of Dynamic Assessment on L2 Listening Comprehension 2008; Lantolf, Sociocultural theory and the pedagogical imperative 2010). Computerized dynamic assessment (C-DA) is introduced as a technological offshoot of DA which has the applicability to provide a more vivid picture of learners cognitive functioning (Poehner, 2008). DA proponents proposed that the presentation of mediations is the only option to assess and assist learners’ ZPD and cognitive functioning. In this study, response latency (RL), with the potentiality to analyze on-going information processing of mind, is employed as a measurement tool in assessing learners’ cognitive functioning via C-DA form of an L2 reading comprehension task borrowed from Philips (Longman complete course for the TOEFL Test: preparation for the computer and paper tests, 2001). A software was programmed based on Campione and Brown’s (Dynamic assessment: one approach and some initial data, 1985; Dynamic assessment: an international approach to evaluating learning potential, 1987). Graduated Prompt Approach, an adapted version of Guthke and Beckmann’s (Dynamic assessment: prevailing models and applications, 2000), and Aljaafreh and Lantolf’s (Mod. Lang. J 78:465–483, 1994) hierarchical presentation of mediations to record the learners’ passive RL. The results reveal that learners’ with larger ZPD not only reached the answer with implicit mediations but also reflected shorter RL in reaching the correct answer. The learners’ information processing also expedited through presentation of mediations.

Computerized dynamic assessment (C-DA): Diagnosing L2 development according to learner responsiveness to mediation

Dynamic assessment (DA) derives from the sociocultural theory of mind as elaborated by Russian psychologist L. S. Vygotsky. By offering mediation when individuals experience difficulties and carefully tracing their responsiveness, Vygotsky (1998) proposed that diagnoses may uncover abilities that have fully formed as well as those still in the process of developing. This insight has led to numerous assessments, collectively referred to as DA, that have been pursued primarily in the domains of special education and general cognitive abilities measurement (Feuerstein, Feuerstein, & Falik, 2010; Haywood & Lidz, 2007). To date, L2 DA work has been primarily conducted in classroom settings (Ableeva, 2010; Lantolf & Poehner, 2011; Poehner, 2007, 2008). This paper discusses a recent project concerning the design of online multiple-choice tests of L2 reading and listening comprehension that leverage the principle that mediation is indispensable for diagnosing development. Specifically, each test item is accompanied by a set of prompts graduated from implicit to explicit. In this way, resultant diagnoses include not only whether learners answered correctly (their actual score) but also the amount of support they required (mediated score) during the test. We argue that the set of scores automatically generated by the tests, together with a breakdown of learner performance on items targeting particular component features of comprehension, provide a fine-grained diagnosis of their L2 development while also offering information relevant to subsequent teaching and learning.

Bringing the ZPD into the equation: Capturing L2 development during Computerized Dynamic Assessment (C-DA)

Dynamic Assessment (DA) derives from Vygotsky’s (1987) insight that the use of mediation, attuned to learner needs, enables learners to perform beyond their current level of functioning, thereby providing insights into emerging capabilities. The instructional quality of mediation means that this process simultaneously creates possibilities for development, even over the course of a single session, a phenomenon referred to as ‘microgenesis’ (Wertsch, 1985). An important feature of DA is transfer, or transcendence: the process of tracking learner development as it unfolds not only with regard to control of tasks included in an assessment but also more complex and difficult tasks that build on those included in the original instrument (Campione, Brown, Ferrera, & Bryant, 1984; Feuerstein, Rand, & Hoffman, 1979; Poehner, 2007). The present study reports on the use of DA principles in tests of second language (L2) listening and reading comprehension delivered through an online format. The tests, which incorporate mediation, include transfer items to determine the extent to which learner development is supported during the test. This process generates three scores: actual (to capture unmediated performance); mediated (reflecting responsiveness to assistance provided on each test item); and a learning potential score (based on gain between actual and mediated performance) that indicates how much investment in future instructional activity is likely required for development to move forward.