Game-based learning (GBL) is increasingly recognized as an effective tool for teaching diverse skills, particularly in science education, due to its interactive, engaging, and motivational qualities, along with timely assessments and intelligent feedback. However, more empirical studies are needed to facilitate its wider application in school…

Models and modeling are central to both scientific literacy and practices as demonstrated by the Next Generation Science Standards. Through a design-based research framework, we developed a model-based assessment (MBA) and associated rubric as tools for teachers to understand and support students in their conceptualization of the flow of energy…

This study was carried out to develop a test to assess algorithmic thinking skills. To this end, the twelve steps suggested by Downing (2006) were adopted. Throughout the test development, 24 middle school sixth-grade students and eight experts in different areas took part as needed in the tasks on the project. The test was given to 252 students…

The problem in this study was students failing to meet state-mandated mathematics proficiency. The purpose of this basic qualitative study was to examine teachers' experiences using formative assessment practices (FAP) in teaching mathematics in Grades 6 through 8. A gap in the literature related to teachers' use of FAP to increase mathematics…

Although educators frequently use assessment to identify who needs supplemental instruction and if that instruction is working, there is a lack of research investigating assessment that informs what instruction students need. The purpose of the current study was to determine if a brief (approximately 20 min) task that reflects a common middle…

While literacy research in the area of multimodality includes a range of communication modes, the combination of the visual and verbal modes is arguably the most common multimodal text form used in classroom contexts from posters, charts and information texts to picture books and graphic novels. Assessment of students' understanding of visual and…

Prospective longitudinal data collection is an important way for researchers and evaluators to assess change. In school-based settings, for low-risk and/or likely-beneficial interventions or surveys, data quality and ethical standards are both arguably stronger when using a waiver of parental consent--but doing so often requires the use of…

Formative assessment is a teaching method that helps to determine the prior knowledge of students, schedule the course plan accordingly, give it the final shape based on the feedback received from students, and encourage conceptual learning. The aim of this study is to introduce the "annotated student drawings" as one of the common…

This study aims to assess the validity of the Online Multiliteracy Assessment for students in Years 5 and 6. The Online Multiliteracy Assessment measures students' abilities in making and creating meaning, using a variety of different modes of communication, such as text, audio and video. The study involved selecting two groups of students: the…

This article reviews the development of a qualitative summative assessment based on the National Theater Standards to evaluate theater education classes. The authors examine the current state of the field of theater education; the use of the assessment; an overview of the results of an arts integration U.S. Department of Education project; and a…

Project-based learning (PBL) is an instructional method that has grown in popularity across all grade levels and subject areas, in both K-12 schools and higher education institutions. PBL embraces the integration of curriculum across subjects, the engagement of home and community in school learning, and the involvement of students in cooperative…

Educators aim to equip students with learning strategies they can apply when approaching new problems on their own. Teaching design-thinking strategies may support this goal. A first test would show that the strategies are good for learning and that students spontaneously transfer them beyond classroom instruction. To examine this, we introduce…

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…

In 2012 a new education monitoring system called the National Monitoring Study of Student Achievement (NMSSA) began collecting information about the achievement of Year 4 and Year 8 students enrolled in English-medium schools. Over the last 5 years it has had contact with over 20,000 students from more than 1,000 schools. This Assessment News…

The purpose of this research is to develop a vocabulary assessment, Evaluation of Academic Vocabulary or "EAV," that gauges students' depth of knowledge of academic words and is sensitive to vocabulary growth in the context of literacy interventions. We report results from two studies with native English-speaking middle school students…