The PAES assessment sits in a rare position in vocational assessment: peer-reviewed at the instrument level, validated in the field continuously since 1989, and refined by supervisors rather than by marketing cycles.
The founding research
In 1998, Dr. Judith Swisher's doctoral dissertation at the University of Kansas formally validated the PAES Lab. That dissertation was the academic anchor for everything that followed. It examined whether the structured performance-based approach did what it claimed: produce reliable, defensible data on vocational aptitude and work behavior for students with diverse needs.
The answer was yes. The dissertation became the foundation for 35+ years of continued research and refinement.
Instrument-level peer review
The foundational peer-reviewed evidence sits in Educational Measurement, Issues and Practice (1999), with a companion paper presented at AERA the same year. Since then, PAES has been through additional peer-reviewed work on both predictive and content validity.
- Foundational peer review: Educational Measurement, Issues and Practice, 1999.
- Companion paper: AERA conference, 1999.
- Predictive validity: peer-reviewed study examining whether PAES scores predict post-secondary employment outcomes.
- Content validity: peer-reviewed study examining whether the PAES instrument measures what it claims to measure.
The PAES distinction: many programs in this space validate outcomes after an intervention. PAES validates the measurement itself. That difference matters when a district has to defend a high-stakes placement decision, or when a research team is evaluating which tool to adopt.
A new multi-site outcome study is underway in 2026 to refresh the foundational evidence. Details will be published here once results are approved for release.
Continuous field refinement
Peer review set the baseline. Everything since has been iterative refinement driven by supervisors in the field.
- 1989: PAES begins as a performance-based assessment business (A01).
- 1998: Dr. Swisher's doctoral dissertation, University of Kansas, validates the PAES lab.
- 1999: peer-reviewed publication in Educational Measurement, Issues and Practice, with a companion paper at AERA (A02, A03).
- 2000 onward: US expansion, Pre-ETS alignment, Perkins integration, program refinement.
- Recent years: digital scoring via the PAES Scan App, international footprint (live UK contract, plus Canada and Guam) (G01).
- 2026: Customer Impact Survey (n=308), Lighthouse UK case study, new multi-site outcome study underway.
The instrument has evolved. The core validation has held.
The 2026 Customer Impact Survey
In early 2026 we surveyed 308 active PAES supervisors across the US, UK, Canada, and Guam. The survey was designed to test whether the instrument still does what it is supposed to do, in the hands of the people who use it most.
Headline findings (verified, public, Evidence Register IDs in brackets):
Overall:
- 82% rate PAES positive overall (C01)
- 80% rate the credibility of PAES data as high (C03)
- 74% trust PAES data for high-stakes decisions (C04)
- 75% say PAES reduces subjectivity in decisions about students (C14)
- 76% rate PAES reporting as useful for planning and decisions (C13)
- 73% rate PAES as practical within their daily setting (C15)
Strengths and engagement:
- 81% say PAES reveals strengths traditional assessment misses (C02)
- 89% report improved student motivation (C05)
- 90% report improved on-task behavior (C06)
- 90% report students following directions more reliably (C07)
- 88.6% report improved problem-solving (C08)
- 89% report improved adherence to rules and safety practices (C09)
- 80.8% say students needed less assistance over the program (C10)
Transition readiness:
- 86% report students show increased transition readiness (C11)
- 77% report strong administrator support for PAES (C12)
- Recently trained sites scored 0.3 to 0.7 points higher on impact items than untrained sites (C17)
Honest about what the survey also showed: only 53% reported improved student attendance, the weakest item in the survey. We name it rather than hide it.
Methodology, full dataset, and survey instrument are available on request for research purposes.
Working with academics
We actively collaborate with academic researchers, doctoral students, and research-active supervisors. If you are evaluating PAES for a research study, a meta-analysis, or a doctoral thesis, we provide:
- Access to the published peer-reviewed validity studies (predictive and content)
- The PAES Assessment Framework documentation
- Anonymized datasets where IRB / ethics approval is in place
- Connections to PAES sites willing to participate in research
- Co-authorship or acknowledgment support as appropriate
Published evidence register
Every claim made on this website cites back to an internal Evidence Register. Verified, public claims only. If you see a stat, we can show you the source.
View the published evidence summary (PDF)Contact for academic enquiries