Self-efficacy has been considered an essential mediator and predictor of individual counseling performance. As there is no existing scale to measure counseling self-efficacy in the counseling domain, the Sources of Middle School Mathematics Self-Efficacy Scale was modified in this study. The purpose of this study is to examine the psychometric…

Background: When delivered in a safe space, programs effective in promoting positive youth development (PYD) involve key features termed the Big Three: (1) Positive and sustained adult-youth relationships; (2) Life-skill-building activities; and (3) Opportunities for youth contribution and leadership. However, no measures exist in the literature…

Background: Cycling has gained more attention as an important lifelong physical activity. Learning to cycle independently without assistance is a milestone for most children that requires time and practice to master. Cycling was recently added to the motor development model and so a valid and reliable measure of cycling ability is required to…

A valid and reliable measurement tool has been developed to measure the teaching-learning process self-efficacy of instructors in higher education institutions. During the scale development stage, the scale form was e-mailed to 305 instructors, who were selected through purposive sampling method, working at the faculties of health, social,…

The authors examined the cross-cultural validation of a Chinese version of the Survey of Adolescent Reading Attitudes (CSARA) in a sample of 524 students in grades 7-9 in China. Confirmatory factor analyses revealed that Chinese adolescents' attitudes toward reading can be measured in four dimensions--attitudes toward academic print, academic…

This brief examines Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) science achievement of the 20% highest and the 20% lowest performing fourth and eighth graders in 11 countries. To do so, the authors compare achievement distributions across countries, using measures of relative equality within countries. Such an examination…

The New York State Education Department (NYSED) has a partnership with Questar Assessment Inc. (Questar) for the development of the 2020 Grades 3-8 English Language Arts Tests. Teachers from across the State work with NYSED in a variety of activities to ensure the validity and reliability of the New York State Testing Program (NYSTP). The 2020…

Regional Educational Laboratory Appalachia (REL AP) supported Kentucky Department of Education (KDE) staff with training, coaching, and technical support to execute quantitative analyses aimed at two research questions: (1) which schools performed better, worse, or about the same as predicted with respect to grade 3 students' mathematics…

The purpose of this phenomenological study was to explore English high school teachers' perceptions regarding standardized testing and college readiness. This study provided a thorough investigation of the lived experiences and perceptions of English high school teachers' ability to prepare students for standardized testing, and their ability to…

The purpose of this study is to analyze the relationship between the 9th grade state assessment test scores for Disadvantaged Hispanic students who are taking the English I State of Texas Assessment of Academic Readiness End-of-Course exam. The group analyzed was comprised of the 2016-2017 cohort students from a South Texas High School. [The…

This study examined the relationships between enabling structures, academic optimism, and student achievement to determine whether academic optimism served as a mediator between the two. Student achievement was measured using both criterion-referenced and norm-referenced tests. Findings indicated a relationship between academic optimism, enabling…

Assessing the achievement of students in elementary and secondary schools and the nation's educational progress is fundamental to informing education policy approaches. Congressional interest in this area includes and extends beyond the annual assessments administered by states to comply with the educational accountability requirements of Title…

The number of charter schools grew rapidly for a quarter-century after the first charter opened its doors in 1992. But since 2016, the rate of increase has slowed. Is the pause related to a decline in charter effectiveness? To find out, the authors tracked changes in student performance at charter and district schools on the National Assessment of…

The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted the education of students in Illinois and around the nation. Leaders at the Illinois State Board of Education and in Illinois public school districts want to better understand how student learning changed during the pandemic. This study examines data from 17 Illinois districts over five years, including four years…

Children's speech is influenced by the speech they hear, in particular by the parental speech addressed directly to them. The aim of this study was to analyse toddlers' speech with their parents and to investigate the influence of specific characteristics of child-directed speech on child speech in real time during mother-child and father-child…