Laine P. Bradshaw

Research Summary

My research focuses on developing and improving psychometric methods for educational assessments. By improving psychometric methodology, I seek to improve the utility of assessments. My goal is to help provide students, teachers, and researchers with actionable information they need, value and can trust.

My work has contributed to advancements in multidimensional item response models called diagnostic classification models (DCMs). DCM-based methods I have designed are used to provide fine-grained diagnoses of students' complex knowledge structures, which include concepts students understand as well as misconceptions they have.

Intersecting my background in mathematics education with psychometrics, my research also includes collaborating with interdisciplinary teams to create diagnostic assessments. Recently, I founded Navvy Education, LLC and developed a classroom-based, diagnostic assessment system for Grades 3-8 and high school mathematics and English language arts. The assessment system ("Navvy", rhymes with savvy) is the first of its kind. Navvy is a through-year, web-based assessment system that provides real-time feedback about students' competencies of state academic standards using novel psychometric methods. Currently, 16 school districts are using the system to provide on-going, actionable information about what students understand and what they need additional help to understand.