Nanjing Jinling High School, Gulou District, Nanjing, Jiangsu Province, China

Abstract: This paper presents the design and implementation of an AI-Driven Value-Added Assessment (AI-VAA) system for junior high school physics education, developed and validated by a classroom teacher at Nanjing Jinling High School. Departing from traditional assessment approaches that focus primarily on final test scores and student ranking, the AI-VAA system evaluates student growth and progress across four dimensions aligned with China's physics core competencies: physical concepts, scientific thinking, scientific inquiry, and scientific attitude and responsibility. Artificial intelligence serves as an intelligent diagnostic and value-added analysis engine that tracks longitudinal student development, identifies learning obstacles, and provides personalized feedback for improvement. The system was implemented over a 12-week period with 108 Grade 9 students across three classes, focusing on the unit on electricity and magnetism. A mixed-methods research design was employed, combining quantitative value-added data with qualitative evidence from classroom observations, teacher reflections, and student interviews. Results indicate that students achieved significant value-added gains across all four dimensions, with the largest growth observed in scientific thinking (average value-added score of 23.5 points) and scientific inquiry (21.8 points). The AI-VAA system was found to be particularly effective for low-achieving students, who showed substantially greater value-added gains compared to high-achieving students. Teachers reported that the system saved approximately 35% of assessment-related time while providing much richer diagnostic information. The study contributes to the growing Chinese literature on educational assessment reform and AI integration in education, offering a practical, teacher-developed model aligned with China's competency-based curriculum reform goals.

Keywords: value-added assessment, AI in education, junior high school physics, core competencies, educational measurement, Chinese physics education