Instructional Alignment: Searching for a Magic Bullet

Abstract

When critical features of instructional stimuli match those of assessment, effect sizes routinely reach 1.2 to 3 sigma. An instructional psychologist recasts this classic problem of stimulus control as instructional alignment. This paper describes results of alignment studies that have dramatic Implications for researchers and practitioners. One implication embraces the obvious validity of teaching to the test, but poses what is worth testing as instructional design’s most awesome challenge.