The research shared in this conference paper report illustrates how an iterative process to item development that involves expert review and cognitive lab interviews with students can be used to collect evidence of validity for assessment items. Analysis of students' reasoning was also used to expand a model for identifying conceptions and…

Many students are not good at geometric proofs. One reason for this is that it is possible to memorize the proof procedure explained by the teacher without understanding the structure of a geometric proof. So far, we have developed a web-based application that supports the understanding of the "structure of geometric proofs" in junior…

This study provides the results of a latent class analysis (LCA) using data from the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study -- 2011 (TIMSS-2011) with a focus on the 8th grade mathematics section. The study presents the analysis of item data with Mplus 7.31 to determine if results obtained yielded distinct latent subgroups. The data…

This research aimed to develop an assessment tool for students' Positive Experiences about Science (PES). A preliminary version of PSE was developed through literature review, consisting of academic emotion, self-concept, learning motivation, career aspiration, and attitude in science. A pilot test was conducted with 198 students and a main test…

Statement of Problem: Although there is a rapidly increasing interest in creativity in specific domains such as science and math, there are not enough valid and reliable scales to assess students' creativity in these domains. If mathematical creativity potential can be measured, then the curriculum can be adapted to address the needs of creative…

We report on a long-term study which was executed in a German secondary school with 128 eights graders (ages 14 to 15) in four different classes. Two of these classes served as control groups. The mathematics lessons of the other two classes (treatment groups) were frequently enriched by distinguished phases in which structured argumentation and…

Amongst important and under-researched questions are how introductory lessons can be designed for teaching initial proofs to junior high school students, and how such lessons enrich students' understanding of proofs. With a view to improving the learning situation in the classroom, in this paper we report on the various functions of introductory…

The purposes of this study are twofold. First, to investigate the construct or factorial structure of a set of Reading and Mathematics computerized adaptive tests (CAT), "Measures of Academic Progress" (MAP), given in different states at different grades and academic terms. The second purpose is to investigate the invariance of test…

The least squares distance method (LSDM) was used in a cognitive diagnostic analysis of TIMSS (Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study) items administered to 4,498 8th-grade students from seven geographical regions of Turkey, extending analysis of attributes from content to process and skill attributes. Logit item positions were…

Students conducted inquiry using simulations within a rich learning environment for 4 science topics. By applying educational data mining to students' log data, assessment metrics were generated for two key inquiry skills, testing stated hypotheses and designing controlled experiments. Three models were then developed to analyze the transfer of…

When validating assessment models built with data mining, generalization is typically tested at the student-level, where models are tested on new students. This approach, though, may fail to find cases where model performance suffers if other aspects of those cases relevant to prediction are not well represented. We explore this here by testing if…

In this study, students' views were taken about history of Pythagoras theorem that contains improved activity which in the history people was thrilled at and there are a lot of their proofs. The study was conducted with 15 students 8th grade at a public elementary school in Trabzon during the spring term of 2009-2010 school year. Case study method…

Researchers who make tutoring systems would like to know which sequences of educational content lead to the most effective learning by their students. The majority of data collected in many ITS systems consist of answers to a group of questions of a given skill often presented in a random sequence. Following work that identifies which items…

The Texas Projection Measure (TPM) has grown out of the state's need to meet the requirements of No Child Left Behind (NCLB). An examination of the state's method of predicting 8th grade mathematics scores reveals that several factors have been ignored in the process of developing the model, including assumptions in its underlying statistical…

This paper will describe the relationships between research on learning and its application in assessment models and operational systems. These have been topics of research at the National Center for Research on Evaluation, Standards, and Student Testing (CRESST) for more than 20 years and form a significant part of the intellectual foundation of…