Research Unit for Assessment of Literacy Skills (RUALS)

The main aim of the research unit is to provide knowledge for the development of a new generation of assessment tools for reading and writing. The new generation of assessments will provide a good estimate of the individual pupil’s skills, as well as serving as useful tools for teachers in facilitating their instruction. Adaptive assessment is central for the unit’s work. New methods, such as machine learning and artificial intelligence, are used in combination with more traditional psychometric methods.

The research unit supports the development of assessments that:

• Are suited for the Norwegian context
• To an as large degree as possible provide a sense of achievement for the pupils completing the assessment
• Provide valid and reliable information about pupils on different skill levels
• Are highly useful, by providing information that the teacher can use in planning for instruction to meet individual learning needs.   

The research unit is characterized by a combination of research and development. There is a close relationship between the unit’s work, and research projects at the Reading Centre that follow the reading development of Norwegian pupils over time. The researchers in the unit have extended experience with test development and psychometrics for educational as well as research purposes. 
Associate professor Arild Michel Bakken is the unit's leader.