What 3 Billion Questions Tell Us About Technology Enhanced Items
Technology-enhanced items (TEIs) are becoming a central part of state assessments, but many educators still question how students truly perform on them. This large-scale analysis from Progress Learning examines over 3 billion student responses across grades K–12 and all core subjects to better understand how TEIs impact performance, instruction, and student understanding.
This report also highlights how TEIs can provide a clearer picture of student understanding. While high-performing item types like Multiple Response and Classification allow students to demonstrate knowledge in different ways, lower-performing types (such as graphing and math text entry) help uncover learning gaps that traditional multiple choice can often miss.
Key insights from this TEI data analysis:
- TEIs and multiple choice have similar accuracy rates early on before TEI accuracy drops off significantly in later grade levels
- Analysis of 3.06 billion student responses across grades K–12 and four core subjects
- Certain TEI types (e.g., graphing, constructed response) consistently reveal deeper learning gaps
- Accuracy declines in higher grades due to increased content complexity—not necessarily the format itself
- Social Studies shows the highest reliance on multiple choice, indicating a key opportunity for increased TEI exposure as tests add more
With the shift to digital assessments accelerating nationwide, TEIs are no longer optional—they are essential. This report shows that when used intentionally, TEIs can do more than assess performance. They help educators identify gaps, guide instruction, and create targeted support.
Download the full report here to see how TEIs can strengthen your assessment strategy, improve progress monitoring, and provide clearer insight into student learning.
