This quantitative research examined the effect of the implementation of project-based learning and assessment on the standardized test scores of high school students. Data were collected through a quantitative approach using standardized test scores for ninth-grade students taking the end-of-course World History and Geography to 1500 A.D. (C.E.)…

While the field advocates for a diversified and comprehensive professional role (National Association of School Psychologists, 2020), school psychologists have long spent most of their time in assessment-related activities (Farmer et al., 2021), averaging about eight cognitive evaluations monthly (Benson et al., 2020). Assessment practices have…

In Part 1 of this series, the authors briefly reviewed some challenges inherent in using standardized tools with students who are not well represented in norming data. To help readers clearly conceptualize the framework steps, the authors present two case studies that showcase how a nonstandardized approach to assessment can be individualized to…

Transitional Kindergarten (TK) is a relatively new model of early childhood education, with little evidence on whether and how it affects children's development. This study provides new evidence using data from Michigan, which has the nation's second-largest TK program. Using survey data (N=171) from administrators in 2021-2022, the paper…

Plate tectonics is the unifying theory of modern Earth science, but many university students have misconceptions about it that introductory geoscience classes often fail to correct. We developed a 5-to-12-hour-long hands-on active-learning curriculum for an introductory geoscience class for education majors. The curriculum includes: (1) A…

This paper investigates the impact of the 2016 presidential election on the Opt Out Florida Network (OOFN). Findings indicate that the widespread protests against the Trump presidency after the election highlighted the need to reframe OOFN's message in order to motivate membership to act for democratic schools. We suggest the outcome of OOFN's…

Background: While journalists claim social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter have been central to the growth of the opt-out movement, there is a lack of empirical research that examines its use by participants. We address this gap by highlighting findings related to the usage of social media by opt-out participants in Ohio. Purpose: This…

Background: In academic contexts, teachers' judgements are central to instruction and have many consequences for students' self-perceptions. Understanding the cognitive biases that may exist in teachers' judgements is thus of central importance. Aims: This paper presents two studies in which we aimed to investigate the presence of a halo effect in…

In the summer and fall months of a "typical" year, many education leaders would receive reports of student performance on annual summative state assessments administered each spring. Using these data, administrators begin a process of sense-making -- identifying areas that need support and integrating new information offered by the data…

English Language Learners are students who speak at least one language other than English. English Language Learners have lower standardized test scores than their native English speaking peers. As a result, ELLs are often put into remedial classes that might not have been necessary if they were native English speakers. Also, there is the threat…

In standardized educational testing, test items are reused in multiple test administrations. To ensure the validity of test scores, the psychometric properties of items should remain unchanged over time. In this article, we consider the sequential monitoring of test items, in particular, the detection of abrupt changes to their psychometric…

Across America, an ongoing crisis of reading underachievement exists for many African American students; reading skill proficiency is not being achieved at levels on par with their grade-level peers. The problem addressed in this study was African American students who have not met the minimum passing score on state tests are placed in reading…

Texas's current definition of continuous enrollment does not sufficiently capture the benefit of stable educational experiences. Broadly, Texas defines continuous enrollment as remaining in the same school district for several years. Its definition does not take into consideration changing schools within districts or students who leave and return…

In different parts of the world, social movements led by parents, educators, and professional organizations have emerged that resist educational standardisation and use of (high stakes) standardised tests, and that push for educational change. With the aim of extending empirical coverage of protest movements in non-English speaking countries, this…

As a foundational approach in inferential statistics, hypothesis testing (HT) is considered as one of the most challenging topics for teaching and learning. A promising approach is through the consideration of students' learning modalities, as demonstrated in vast applications; however, contentions that surround the use of learning modality in…