Since its introduction in 2017, NFER has been contracted by Ofqual to develop, deliver and analyse the results of the National Reference Test (NRT) in English and maths. The NRT is administered annually and shows if student performance in English and maths at GCSE level has changed from year to year. The NRT results are based on analysis of data…

While curriculum-based measurement (CBM) tools for screening decisions in reading, mathematics, and written language have been well examined, tools for use in content areas (e.g., science and social studies) remain in the beginning stages of research. In this study, two alternate forms of a new CBM tool (Statement Verification for Science; SV-S),…

Inquiry-oriented teaching is a specific form of active learning gaining popularity in teaching communities. The goal of inquiry-oriented classes is to help students in gaining a conceptual understanding of the material. My research focus is to gauge students' performance and conceptual understanding in inquiry-oriented linear algebra classes. This…

Whether high-stakes exams such as the SAT or College Board AP exams should penalize incorrect answers is a controversial question. In this paper, we document that penalty functions can have differential effects depending on a student's risk tolerance. Moreover, literature shows that risk aversion tends to vary along other areas of concern such as…

This study set out to develop a short interest inventory based on Holland's model of vocational personality types using items from the South African Career Interest Inventory (SACII). In study 1, we used 1000 responses to the SACII from an existing database to select 30 items for this interest inventory. Satisfactory reliability and structural…

This study examines the range of cognitive processes assessed in the English language reading literacy test as part of the Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education Examination (HKDSE), the secondary school exit test in Hong Kong. Prior studies have suggested that higher order cognitive processes are often undermined in high-stakes tests and…

Since its implementation in 2004, the Canadian English Language Benchmark Assessment for Nurses (CELBAN) has been accepted as evidence of language ability for licensure of internationally educated nurses (IENs) in Canada. This article focuses on the complexities of sustaining an occupation-specific assessment over time. The authors reference the…

Reading self-efficacy performs a fundamental role in gaining academic achievement in college education. Review of the related literature unveils that it needs to be enriched by conducting further research on college students' reading self-efficacy. The paucity of investigations into college students' reading self-efficacy could have a connection…

This article presents a didactic situation focused on geometric reasoning using 3D GeoGebra, using the concepts Theory of Didactical Situations (TDS). The objective of this work is to bring a didactic proposal for the teaching of Spatial Geometry, working with the students' geometric perception, oriented and elaborated based on the dialectic of…

Previous studies have found that students' concept-building approaches, identified a priori with a cognitive psychology laboratory task, are associated with student exam performances in chemistry classes. Abstraction learners (those who extract the principles underlying related examples) performed better than exemplar learners (those who focus on…

This exploratory study assesses the utility of the U.S. version of the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) teacher form as a screener for mental health and behavior concerns. The SDQ was administered to a heavily economically vulnerable, Latinx community sample of 391 students in grades K-6. Internal reliability and differences by sex…

The essential purpose of developing PISA-like questions is to train students' reasoning abilities so that students' ability to solve PISA-like questions increases. Therefore, this research aims to produce PISA-like math problems in the context of historical buildings in the Karawang Regency that are valid, practical, and potentially affect…

An assessment-related stress is an object of interest of both educational and neurobiological research. In educational literature, "feeling stressed" is measured by self-reports and mostly in the situation of high-stakes examinations before and after an exam. In neurophysiological research, "acute stress" is laboratory observed…

The aim of the current study is to conduct the validity and reliability studies of the Academic Inertia Scale for Adolescents (AAIS). Inertia is that occurs from not adapting to the current situation, lack of motivation, insufficient self-control and lack of socializing. It has been stated that living in inertia is a result of the individual's…

Preservice elementary teachers (PSTs) prepare for various standardized assessments, such as the Praxis® licensure assessment. However, there is little research on test-taking behavior and test-taking strategies for this examinee population. A common belief and instruction given in some test preparation materials is that examinees should stick to…