Don’t Test After Lunch: The Relationship Between Disengagement and the Time of Day That Low-Stakes Testing Occurs

Abstract

When student achievement is assessed, we seek to elicit a student’s maximum performance–a goal requiring the assumption that the student is fully engaged. Otherwise, to the extent that disengagement occurs, test performance is likely to suffer. Effectively managing test-taking disengagement requires an understanding of the testing conditions under which disengagement is more likely. This study investigated the association between disengagement and the time-of-day testing occurred for a widely used low-stakes, computer-adaptive achievement test in grades 2–8. Disengagement was measured using two indicators: response time effort (RTE) and performance decline. Results showed clear evidence for a time-of-day effect for RTE, with the prevalence of students exhibiting low RTE (