The purpose of this action research study was to develop and implement common formative assessments for mathematics teachers to inform instructional practices. To address the purpose of this action research study, the following research questions guided this study: 1. How can the district instructional leadership team support professional learning…

Although the relationship between reading fluency and high-stakes test achievement is well known, studies were conducted in similar contexts. This correlational study aimed to investigate the relationship between reading error types (insertions, omissions, mispronunciations, and total) and reading fluency (rate, accuracy, and prosody) in narrative…

This action-research dissertation explored how Standard Age Scores on the "Cognitive Abilities Test™" ("CogAT®") (Cognitive Abilities Test) Screening Form of underserved populations, as identified through gifted literature, compared to those students who are traditionally overserved with mental gifted identification within the…

This study investigates meaning-making processes in language and literacy assessments. Using a social semiotic perspective, it examines how adult second language learners with emerging literacy self-articulate their understanding of multimodal elements and components utilized in low-stakes assessments, and the strategies they use to make meaning…

Creativity has been of research interest to psychologists dating back many decades, and is currently recognized as one of the essential skills needed to succeed in our complex, interconnected world. One medium that has affordances to assess and support creativity in young people is video games. In this paper, we briefly discuss the literature on…

TIMSS (Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study) is a long-standing international assessment of mathematics and science at the fourth and eighth grades that has been collecting trend data every four years since 1995. About 70 countries use TIMSS trend data for monitoring the effectiveness of their education systems in a global…

The Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), as amended by the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), requires state education agencies to establish and implement standardized, statewide entrance and exit procedures for English learners (ELs). WIDA provides the English language proficiency placement and annual assessments administered in…

This open access book presents original research on effective and equitable teacher practice in mathematics and science education across Nordic countries. It focuses on three key aspects of teacher practice: what teachers teach, how teachers teach, and how teachers assess their students. To provide a comprehensive understanding of teacher…

Objective: This study aimed to develop a brief and valid measure of family resilience for use in research with military families. Method: A population-based sample of military spouses (N = 16,379) completed assessments of family resilience and validation constructs. Participants were randomized into two subsamples. Subsample 1 was used in a factor…

While in recent years, the introduction of English as a Medium of Instruction (EMI) courses has been increasing in Taiwanese and Vietnamese universities, use of EMI courses is still in an early phase, and their effectiveness remains under-explored in both territories. This study aims to develop an EMI effectiveness scale and apply…

Advancement of testing of mathematical problem-solving skills calls for open-ended, realistic tasks particularly susceptible to bias, compromising the score validity and fairness of tests. Informed by universal design principles, this study framed 360 prototype items developed for the "Problem-solving Measures Grades 6-8 Computer Adaptive…

Designing an effective K-12 alternate English language proficiency assessment (ELP) for English learners with significant cognitive disabilities (ELSCDs) is a substantial undertaking, particularly given the absence of design models for such an assessment and limited empirical research to guide test design teams. These challenges emphasized the…

With this article I explore the relationship between core academic language skills (CALS) -- a construct representing a set of high-utility language skills needed to manage the linguistic features prevalent in academic texts across content areas -- and schooling outcomes. There has long been an understanding that there is a distinction between…

Years of teaching experience have long been taken as an important indicator of teacher and school quality in primary and secondary schools. However, research on the effects of teacher years of experience on student outcomes has shown mixed results. To investigate the source of variation causing these mixed results, this study examined a broad…

The study investigates the effect of the perception of text and task difficulty on adults' performance in reading tests in L1 and L2. The relationship between the following variables is studied: (a) readers' perception of text and task difficulty in L1 and L2 measured in a self-reported post-task questionnaire, (b) the number of correct answers to…