On a daily basis, PreK-12 teachers make countless decisions about how to best meet their students' needs through assessment and instruction. However, their ability to justify these decisions is not frequently used as a resource for accountability measures or the evaluation of educational programs. The research presented here, which draws from a…

This report is the first in a series of five reports considering career-readiness features within high school assessments. Utilizing feature analysis and cognitive lab interviews, the primary objective of this study was to verify and validate the existence of specific career-readiness features in select math and English language arts (ELA) test…

In the United States, educational thought leaders have called for higher expectations (Gordon Commission, 2010), more rigorous college and career readiness standards for K-12 education (National Governors Association Center for Best Practices & Council of Chief State School Officers, 2010), and new constructs such as 21st century skills…

This report is the fourth in a series considering career-readiness factors within existing high school assessments. The primary goal of this study was to provide a preliminary validation of the career-readiness features identified in prior reports by exploring how different participant groups with different levels of experience in the…

This study explores the possibilities for learning content that might accompany the use of an historically accurate graphic novel as part of a language arts instructional unit. During a 6-day unit, 16 sixth grade students engaged in graphic novels in ways that support comprehension, both in the context of a graphic novel text set and a specific…

A multi-cohort cluster randomized trial was conducted to estimate effects of rich vocabulary classroom instruction on vocabulary and reading comprehension. A total of 1,232 fourth- and fifth-grade students from 61 classrooms in 24 schools completed the study. Students received instruction in 140 Tier Two vocabulary words featured in two…

"Louisiana Believes” embraces the principle that all children can achieve at high levels, as evidenced in Louisiana's recent adoption of the Common Core State Standards (CCSS). "Louisiana Believes" also promotes the idea that Louisiana's educators should be empowered to make decisions to support the success of their students. In…

"Louisiana Believes" embraces the principle that all children can achieve at high levels, as evidenced in Louisiana's recent adoption of the Common Core State Standards (CCSS). "Louisiana Believes" also promotes the idea that Louisiana educators should be empowered to make decisions to support the success of their students. In…

The Artist-Teacher Collaborative (ATC) program is a partnership between the Armory Center for the Arts and Pasadena Unified School District (PUSD). A central goal of this program, which is supported by the U. S. Department of Education, is to provide sustained, rigorous professional development to 3rd through 5th grade PUSD teachers, instilling in…

This report summarizes the results of the Newark, New Jersey, Striving Readers program for project Years 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5. This report updates one analysis (3 years); the remainder of the impacts and implementation findings are for Year 4. The Striving Readers Grant addresses the unmet needs of middle school students reading 2 or more years below…

Validation of assessments intended to improve instruction and learning should include evidence of instructional sensitivity. This study investigated the instructional sensitivity of a standards-based ninth-grade performance assessment that required students to write an essay about conflict in a literary work. Before administering the assessment,…

California high school English language arts teachers (n=467) representing 79 high schools and 49 school districts responded to a survey regarding their classroom assessment practices. A random sampling of 115 teachers completed a follow-up survey that focused on beliefs and values relative to assessment. Research questions were: (1) What are the…

This manual is about the assessment, evaluation, and documentation of literacy development and growth in a student's early years of public schooling in North Carolina and is aligned with and complements the state's revised English Language Arts Standard Course of Study and Grade Level Competencies. The manual offers a perspective for change and…

This practicum was designed to develop performance-based assessment tools to document language arts achievement for use in eighth-grade language arts classes. Two eighth grade language arts classes (55 students) participated in the program for an entire school year, maintaining a writing portfolio and a record-keeping portfolio. A video portfolio…

The Project PRIMES (Progress Research in Meeting Elementary Standards) system examines elementary schools in light of minimum standards set by the Ohio State Department of Education. This evaluation instrument includes sections on the use of test results, pupil evaluation, teacher profile, administrator strengths and weaknesses, instructional…