This annual report provides information for the 2018-19 school year on grade-level retention and student performance in the Texas public school system. Student retention and promotion data are reported with data on the performance of students in Grades 3-8 on the State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness (STAAR) reading and mathematics…

This primer summarizes the Education Sciences Reform Act (ESRA), the Educational Technical Assistance Act (ETAA), and the National Assessment of Educational Progress Authorization Act (NAEPAA). The report is organized in a manner that aligns with P.L. 107-279, the law that enacted the three acts. The ESRA authorizes much of the federal…

The current study is a scale development one that investigates the determinants of PU in the context of using gamified learning tools for classroom-based English-as-a-second-language (ESL) teaching. Gamified learning tools (GLTs) refer to educational websites, software, or mobile apps that employ game design elements to improve learning engagement…

The purpose of this research is to study the effectiveness of using the specialized interactive environment Revit Architecture for creativity development. The study methodology relies on an empirical approach, including a sample of students from three Chinese colleges (n = 319) divided into two groups based on learning approach. Accordingly, the…

Cognitive flexibility (CF) is the ability to shift between concepts or rules. Difficulty with CF is associated with autism (i.e., ASD) as it contributes to repetitive behaviours. However, little is known about CF skills of autistic adolescents with low intelligence. This study uses the Wisconsin Card Sorting Task (WCST) to assess the CF of 36…

The aim of this study was to examine the effects of critical thinking (CT) teaching involving general, immersion, and mixed approaches on the CT skills and dispositions of high-school students. The study, which had three experimental groups (EG) and one control group, employed a pretest--posttest control-group quasi-experimental design. CT…

To illustrate primary students' use of argumentation, this study reported on an analysis of elements in argumentation of 168 grade 5 students in Taiwan. This study adopted the van Hiele (vH) model as the main theoretical framework with relevant studies to show the development of argumentation. This study designed a geometric argumentation test…

The purpose of this study was to determine K-8 preservice teacher (PST) candidates' statistical thinking when selecting the best center representation for the given data. Forty-four PSTs enrolled in a Statistics and Probability for K-8 Teachers course in a university located in the southeastern region of the United States were asked to complete a…

This paper deals with the results of students during the preparing courses of mathematics for entrance exams at an university. These courses take place every year and since the Covid-19 period, they are not only face-to-face, but also online. The study involves students of secondary schools who apply to the university of economics. This report…

As a learner-centered pedagogy, project-based learning (PBL) is recognized to improve students' engagement and long-term learning effectiveness. The present PBL practices are based on instructor-defined topics and are assigned as a partial or full substitution of traditional assessments. Here, open-topic PBL as an opt-in activity is proposed and…

Formative assessments are primarily used as a tool to gauge learning throughout an anatomy course. They have also been demonstrated to improve student mastery and exam performance, although the precise nature of this relationship is poorly understood. In this study, it is hypothesized that formative assessment questions targeting higher cognitive…

Common response-time-based approaches for non-effortful response behavior (NRB) in educational achievement tests filter responses that are associated with response times below some threshold. These approaches are, however, limited in that they require a binary decision on whether a response is classified as stemming from NRB; thus ignoring…

Examination of emotional intelligence (EI) of autistic individuals has gained popularity. These efforts have included the BarOn Emotional Quotient Inventory, Youth Version (BarOn EQ-i YV); however, this measure was not standardized with this population and so its utility and the accuracy of its factor structure for this population is questionable.…

Children with normal hearing who present with listening difficulties (LiD) are frequently referred for assessment of auditory processing disorder (APD). Complicating diagnosis is the similarities of APD to other neurodevelopmental disorders, especially attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Due to well-documented deficits in executive…

Despite the importance of writing skills to school and life success, there is scant research into the enabling and constraining conditions that shape elementary students' views about their writing practices. This paper examines students' views about writing through the lens of reflexivity theory. Applying an explanatory sequential model of…