The observation systems being used in all 50 states require administrators to learn to accurately and reliably score their teachers' instruction using standardized observation systems. Although the literature on observation systems is growing, relatively few studies have examined the outcomes of trainings focused on developing administrators'…

The last comprehensive study to examine the assessment practices promoted by school psychology programs was published 25 years ago (i.e., Wilson & Reschly, 1996). Since then, significant changes to assessment theory and practice have occurred. Data from a 2020 survey of directors of school psychology programs were collected to gain an…

Strong teacher and principal evaluation systems have the potential to help teachers and principals improve their practice, to exit teachers who are perennially ineffective, to retain teachers who are effective and learn from them, and to increase the overall quality of a district's teacher workforce. As states respond to widespread concerns (both…

This paper attempts to explain why test cheating in Croatia seemingly prevails despite the introduction of a standardised examination, the state matura. It offers a contrast to sweeping cultural explanations of the stereotypical Eastern-European cheater and attempts to examine the issue more thoroughly. The Croatian state matura is a secondary…

Background: Deficits in the ability to use language in social contexts, including storytelling skills, are observed across the autism spectrum. Development in machine-learning approaches may contribute to clinical psychology and psychiatry, given its potential to support decisions concerning the diagnosis and treatment of psychiatric conditions…

The Classroom Learning Activities Checklist (CLAC) is a brief classroom observation measure that assesses task-oriented and self-regulated learning in early childhood environments. We assessed the tool's dimensionality and validity in predicting prekindergarten (PreK) learning gains. The study sample is from the Midwest Child-Parent Center (MCPC)…

The study addressed the gap in fifth-grade science proficiency between English language learners (ELLs) enrolled in two different science programs in a large school district in the Southeast United States. The Inspire program was implemented in 125 schools, while a combination of Inspire and Promoting Science among English Language Learners…

The Pre-Kindergarten/Kindergarten Assessment tab of the State of the States section of the Center on Standards and Assessment Implementation (CSAI) website provides information on the design, development, and implementation of state-funded pre-kindergarten and kindergarten assessments that are intended to measure school readiness, both before and…

Context: Improving teacher quality and granting every student equal access to high-quality instruction have been a shared goal of many parents, educators, and policy makers for decades. In practice, teacher qualification measures (e.g. teacher degree, years of experience etc.) are often used as proxies of teacher quality. However, Shulman (1986)…

Using a case study methodology, the article examines the language practices of two third-grade bilingual, dual-language education teachers as they prepare their students for their state's standardized assessment. Findings revealed that both teachers taught in between the contradicting tensions of the language-as-problem and -resource orientations…

Much debate surrounding teacher quality has focused on students' standardized test scores, but recent federal and state initiatives have emphasized the use of multiple measures to evaluate teacher quality, including classroom observations. In this study, we explore differences across school districts in the relationship between student achievement…

Graduating sufficient numbers of healthcare providers to fill the needs of an aging population in the United States is a major social concern. To address this problem physical therapist assistant (PTA) programs need to improve their graduation rates to keep up with the demand for qualified personnel. Applying Senge's theory of effective systems, 1…

This article shares findings from a multilevel analytic induction of administrators, teachers, and gifted students within specialized science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) schools about their beliefs regarding the role of standards and standardized tests in the education of gifted learners. Sharing results from a cross-case…

In three experiments, I tested the effects of the conditioned reinforcement for reading (R+Reading) on reading comprehension with 5th graders. In Experiment 1, I conducted a series of statistical analyses with data from 18 participants for one year. I administered 4 pre/post measurements for reading repertoires which included: 1) state-wide…

This article summarizes results from 12 empirical evaluations of observational methods in education contexts. We look at the performance of three common covariate-types in observational studies where the outcome is a standardized reading or math test. They are: pretest measures, local geographic matching, and rich covariate sets with a strong…