TIMSS (Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study) is a long-standing international assessment of mathematics and science at the fourth and eighth grades, collecting trend data every four years since 1995. Over 70 countries rely on TIMSS to monitor their education systems in a global context, benchmarking national curricula and…

In 2024, the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) administered the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) mathematics assessment to representative samples of fourth- and eighth-grade students in the nation, states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, Department of Defense schools, and 26 participating large urban…

Test writing is a fundamental component of teaching. With increasing pressure to teach larger groups of students, conduct formal assessment of learning outcomes, and offer online and hybrid classes, there is a need for alternatives to constructed response problem-solving test questions. We believe that appropriate use of multiple-choice (MC)…

Criterion-referenced testing is usually applied to the assessment of achievement. In this article, we suggest how it can also be applied to the assessment of adaptive intelligence, that is, intelligence as adaptation to the environment. In the era of the Anthropocene, we argue that adaptive intelligence is what is most important not only for…

Abilities in scientific thinking and reasoning have been emphasized as core areas of initiatives, such as the Next Generation Science Standards or the College Board Standards for College Success in Science, which focus on the skills the future will demand of today's students. Although there is rich literature on studies of how these abilities…

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…

Writing multiple-choice test items to measure student learning in higher education is a challenge. Based on extensive scholarly research and experience, the author describes various item formats, offers guidelines for creating these items, and provides many examples of both good and bad test items. He also suggests some shortcuts for developing…

The project team for the National Monitoring Study of Student Achievement (NMSSA) has recently begun writing reports focussed on how insights generated by the study can be used to promote learning and teaching. The reports are written primarily for teachers. This short article introduces the reports with a special emphasis on the mathematics and…

In this paper, we present an agenda for the research directions we recommend in addressing the issues of realizing and evaluating communication in CPS instruments. We outline our ideas on potential ways to improve: (1) generalizability in Human-Human assessment tools and ecological validity in Human-Agent ones; (2) flexible and convenient use of…

Scientists and other professionals across the globe require employees to collaborate, think critically, and solve problems effectively. To this end, the "Next Generation Science Standards" (NGSS) have a vision of ensuring that through inquiry, collaboration, and evidence-based instruction, students will have the necessary skills to be…

Public discussion on the quality of education in different corners of the world very much relies on the data provided by the international large-scale assessment (ILSA) studies. While aware of different methodological keystones and technicalities embedded in these, the idea behind this special issue is to contribute to the understanding of how…

This plenary speech provides an overview of applications of corpus research in several core areas of applied linguistics, including second language acquisition and language assessment. It does this by showcasing a number of recent studies carried out by or with involvement of the author. These studies all focus on phraseological aspects of…

Analogical reasoning is a core facet of higher cognition in humans. Creating analogies as we navigate the environment helps us learn. Analogies involve reframing novel encounters using knowledge of familiar, relationally similar contexts stored in memory. When an analogy links a novel encounter with a familiar context, it can aid in problem…

This article is motivated by the importance of developing statistically literate students. The authors present a selection of problems that could be used to motivate student interest in probability as well as providing additional depth to the curriculum when used alongside traditional resources. The solutions presented utilise natural frequencies…

The COVID-19 pandemic has affected student learning; according to the National Assessment of Educational Progress (2022), scores for students in the United States have shown a decline in mathematics. . One way educators can strengthen students' current mathematical knowledge and bridge to new content is through Number Talks. Number Talks are brief…