The historical development of the EER program, from its initiative as WSU's first Ed. D., to its growth with the Ph. D. and master's program, was well documented (Irwin, 1960). The importance of the EER doctoral program was established, in terms of its role in the COE, within WSU, and in the outside business and industry communities (Ozkan, 2008).…

This study explores six item-reduction methodologies used to shorten an existing complex problem-solving non-objective test by evaluating how each shortened form performs across three sources of validity evidence (i.e., test content, internal structure, and relationships with other variables). Two concerns prompted the development of the present…

This dissertation investigates the application of network models in educational assessment across diverse learning settings, encompassing both clinical and classroom environments. As educational paradigms shift and digital tools become more embedded in learning processes, traditional assessment methods often fall short in effectively capturing the…

As the field of education continues to grow, new methods and approaches to teaching are being developed with the goal of improving students' understanding of concepts. While research exists showing positive effects for particular teaching methods in small case studies, generalizations to larger populations of students, which are needed to…

In 2001 under No Child Left Behind, states were required to create an alternate assessment for students with significant cognitive disabilities using alternate achievement standards. In 2003, all states had created an alternate assessment. All fifty states independently developed, implemented, and revised their alternate assessments. By 2014,…

The purpose of this causal comparative study was to test the theory of assessment that relates benchmark assessments to the Georgia middle grades science Criterion Referenced Competency Test (CRCT) percentages, controlling for schools who do not administer benchmark assessments versus schools who do administer benchmark assessments for all middle…

This simulation study compared the utility of various discrepancy measures within a posterior predictive model checking (PPMC) framework for detecting different types of data-model misfit in multidimensional Bayesian network (BN) models. The investigated conditions were motivated by an applied research program utilizing an operational complex…

This study investigated a problem facing policy makers, education leaders, and external providers of service that support or facilitate school-based change designed to improve teaching and learning: How to match school needs with providers' services in ways that maximize school improvement. A growing number of organizations provide service to…

The community college baccalaureate and the university-center baccalaureate models are gaining traction in the state of California as alternatives to addressing the need for greater access to baccalaureate degree programs and to increase the baccalaureate-educated workforce. Little is known about the characteristics and factors associated with the…

Character education has been a part of education since the early settlers in America (McClellan, 1999). The history of the United States tells the challenges faced such as revolutionary wars, civil wars, world wars, and economic downfalls. George Washington (1790) once said, "A good moral character is the first essential in a man, and that…

The importance of subscores in educational and psychological assessments is undeniable. Subscores yield diagnostic information that can be used for determining how each examinee's abilities/skills vary over different content domains. One of the most common criticisms about reporting and using subscores is insufficient reliability of subscores.…

This dissertation examines the problem-solving processes of seven graduate student novices enrolled in a course in educational assessment and ten educational assessment experts. Using Jonassen's (1997) ill- and well-structured problem-solving frameworks, I analyze think-aloud protocols of experts and novices as they examine ill-structured…

Since the onset of NCLB legislation and federal funding for schools tied to summative assessment performance, educational leaders have sought to identify factors that are most influential on student learning outcomes. Research continues to link the use of formative data practices and teacher efficacy to improved student performance. The intent of…

Universitas Terbuka (UT), the Indonesia Open University and the 45th state university in the country, is the only one that uses distance learning as its sole mode of delivery and instruction. Although UT has operated for 28 years, unlike face-to-face classroom-based education, distance education has not been considered as a fully legitimate…

Synthetic control methods are an innovative matching technique first introduced within the economics and political science literature that have begun to find application in educational research as well. Synthetic controls create an aggregate-level, time-series comparison for a single treated unit of interest for causal inference with observational…