Building a validity argument for an automated writing evaluation system (eRevise) as a formative assessment

• To be useful for formative assessment purposes, the information derived from an automated writing evaluation (AWE) system must capture meaningful features of a writing construct. • We present a validity argument for an AWE system– termed eRevise – that targets elementary students’ text-based argumentative writing skills, specifically their ability to use text evidence. • We provide evidence that the feedback is understood by students and that their revisions are aligned with the automated feedback they received. • Teachers overall responded very positively to eRevise , with nearly all reporting that they would use eRevise again. • Improvement scores were higher when teachers reported substantive interactions with students about the students’ interpretation of the automated feedback.