Toward coherence in curriculum, instruction, and assessment: A review of learning progression literature

Abstract

To evaluate the recent advances in learning progression (LP) research and identify future research directions, we reviewed LP literature from 2006 to 2018. Through a systematic search of Web of Science databases and key journals, we located 130 LP articles published between 2006 and 2018. Among these articles, we reviewed 86 studies. The review was framed around three types of coherence that LPs can provide in a system of curriculum, instruction, and assessment: developmental, vertical, and horizontal coherence. Developmental coherence refers to the idea that LPs, as cognitive models, should describe development in students from intuitive thinking to scientific thinking. It provides a foundation for building the horizontal coherence (the alignment among curriculum, instruction, and assessment) and the vertical coherence (the linkage between classroom and large-scale assessments). The results of our review suggest significant advances in enhancing the developmental coherence. More specifically, existing LPs have captured the mechanisms of knowledge development and integrated knowledge and practice in different ways. Regarding the horizontal coherence, while the methodology for the development and validation of LPs has been established, limited attention has been given to LP-based interventions and teachers’ understanding and use of LPs. Only one study explored LP's role in building vertical coherence. The review reveals a great need for future research (a) to develop LPs for scientific reasoning that cut across multiple science topics and disciplines, (b) to use LPs in instructional interventions, teacher education, and professional development, and (c) to use LPs to link classroom assessments with large-scale assessments.