A cluster randomized design was used to investigate effects of the Story Friends vocabulary curriculum on learning of 84 preschoolers in 24 classrooms who were at risk for language difficulties. Children in the treatment condition received explicit vocabulary instruction of 36 words during small-group storybook listening centers with extended…

The Virginia public-school assessment and accountability system impacted the statewide reading proficiency scores for students with disabilities. The purpose of this causal-comparative quantitative study was applied to answer the research question, and hypothesis statement and determine the difference in the reading improvement measured by the…

Background: Strategic implementation leadership is a critical determinant of successful implementation, hypothesized to create a more supportive implementation climate conducive to the adoption and use of evidence-based practices. Implementation leadership behaviors may vary significantly across contexts, necessitating studies that examine the…

This simulation study examines the characteristics of the Explanatory Item Response Model (EIRM) when estimating treatment effects when compared to classical test theory (CTT) sum and mean scores and item response theory (IRT)-based theta scores. Results show that the EIRM and IRT theta scores provide generally equivalent bias and false positive…

This simulation study examines the measurement precision, item exposure rates, and the depth of the MAP® Growth™ item pools under various grade-level restrictions. Unlike most summative assessments, MAP Growth allows examinees to see items from any grade level, regardless of the examinee's actual grade level. It does not limit the test to items…

In this study the validity of partial dictation as a measure of overall language proficiency was examined. Two partial dictation tests along with a C-Test, a cloze test, and a reading comprehension test, as criterion measures, were administered to a group of Iranian EFL learners. The coefficients of correlation between partial dictation and…

The aim of this research is to study the merits and complementarity of Construct Mapping and Categorical Principal Components Analysis as two approaches that explore the dimensionality of multiple-choice items in achievement tests. Data from the two forms of the Romanian National Assessment Tests on Science were used to explore the dimensionality…

Geography educators have been, and continue to be, interested in spatial thinking, especially since they have been convinced of its importance in their students' ability to learn and do geography. As they developed strategies to improve students' spatial thinking, they searched for assessment instruments to evaluate their interventions' effects.…

The purpose of this study is to develop instruments of critical thinking skills that meet the validity, reliability, and criteria for good items. This research includes development research which consists of the design and implementation stages. The analysis in the study used quantitative analysis with the Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA)…

A scoring framework that does not reflect true performance of an examinee would ultimately result in an abnormal score. This study assessed invariance person estimates of 2017 Nigerian National Examinations Council Basic Education Certificate Examination Mathematics Multiple Choice using classical test theory (CTT) and item response theory (IRT)…

Within a multi-tier system of support (MTSS), results from universal screeners help teachers make instructional decisions early in the learning process to prevent and remediate skill gaps. Universal screeners help teachers determine students' need for and intensity of additional instructional support to reach their learning goals by efficiently…

The aim of this study was to examine ninth-grade students' perception of a Swedish national test in science (high-stakes for the students) and a field trial (low-stakes for the students), in terms of test-taking motivation. The study is based on semi-structured interviews with 12 students. Overall, the students had a positive perception of the…

One of the areas subsumed under the data-based decision making and accountability practice identified in the National Association of School Psychologists' (NASP) "Model for Integrated School Psychological Services" is to collect information on psychological and educational variables to make decisions at a number of levels of service…

The factor structure of the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children--Fourth Edition, Italian adaptation (WISC-IV Itaian; Orsini, Pezzuti, & Picone, 2012; Wechsler, 2012) standardization sample was examined with exploratory factor analytic methods (EFA) not included in the "Technical Manual." Principal-axis extraction followed by…

Purpose: This research investigates Tests that include DIF items and which are purified from DIF items. While doing this, the ability estimations and purified DIF items are compared to understand whether there is a correlation between the estimations. Method: The researcher used to R 3.4.1 in order to compare the items and after this situation;…