Dynamic assessment in inclusive elementary education: A systematic literature review of the usability, methods, and challenges in the past decade

Abstract

Dynamic Assessment (DA) provides alternative strategies for assessing children in inclusive education but hasn’t been widely incorporated in teacher education as a tool for mediating learning in special education. This systematic literature review investigates empirical studies reported in the last decade to provide a comprehensive overview of the applications DA in inclusive elementary education, reviewing common methodologies and tools, challenges, and recommended solutions to develop DA. In the final analysis, 24 articles published between 2010-2021 met the study’s inclusion criteria. Results indicate that DA is mainly used to identify students’ educational needs, predict students’ future performance and responsiveness to intervention, and assess academic development, but rarely to guide intervention, inform instruction, or develop individual educational planning. DA is mainly used by trained researchers and their assistants, instead of teachers, despite its relevance to educational processes. Challenges employing DA and recommendations for developing its practice are critically discussed.