Charmtech Labs LLC

Traditional reading assessments have relied on a passage-and-question format that primarily measures low-level recall rather than deeper comprehension and critical thinking. These assessments are often disconnected from classroom instruction, leaving many students disengaged. This project aims to transform reading assessment by creating Capti SBA, a platform that empowers educators to generate scenario-based assessments (SBAs) that are aligned to local curricula.

Two-thirds of U.S. students in grades 3–12 read below proficiency, yet most existing reading assessments lack the depth needed to identify specific areas of difficulty. ReadBasix, developed by ETS, is a validated diagnostic reading assessment that measures six foundational reading skills. Charmtech Labs created Capti, a platform designed to develop, deliver, and manage assessments.

Research shows that when students struggle to read, the best course of action is to use a diagnostic assessment and then plan interventions for students that build the deficient reading skills. In a previous project funded through the IES Reading for Understanding Research Initiative, ETS created the ReadBasix assessment, and through ED/IES SBIR contracts in 2021 and 2022, Charmtech built the Capti Assess platform to develop, administer, and bring assessments to market. In this project, the ...

In this project, the team will develop a prototype of a novel scenario-based assessment that generates new localized and culturally responsive items to measure students' reading skills and inform further instruction in reading. Results from the 2022 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) in reading demonstrated that students in grades 4 and 8 from diverse backgrounds scored lower than other students. To address these gaps and to improve reading for all students, scholars have cal...

The most recent National Assessment of Educational Progress revealed that more than one-quarter of 8th graders are below basic in reading. Through a prior IES award, the SERP Institute and partners created the Strategic Adolescent Reading Intervention (STARI) to accelerate adolescents' reading. Although research demonstrates that the STARI is effective for improving reading and meets What Works Clearinghouse standards without reservation, STARI is paper-based intervention that requires signi...

In this project, the research team will develop a scenario-based reading assessment that employs machine learning to personalize student learning. Students who fail to achieve proficiency in reading are at increased risk for dropping out of school. New forms of assessment can be used to measure student performance in real-time and to provide insights to educators to inform instruction.