How and what schools report as grades is important. Academics argue that traditional grading reduces teaching effectiveness and the accuracy of reporting (Marzano & Heflebower, 2011). Many education experts advocate for standards-based grading (SBG) as a research-based response (Link & Guskey, 2022; O'Connor, 2018; Townsley et al., 2019).…

Grades are ubiquitous in schools and have significant consequences in students' lives. Over a century of research has reported variability in teachers' grade compositions and grading practices. Although measurement experts have advocated for grades to represent student achievement alone, teachers continue to include nonachievement factors, such as…

The United States has become increasingly aware of the prevalence of childhood trauma and adverse experiences which can have long-lasting negative consequences on health and school achievement. It is possible to recover from trauma with the right support and schools are ideally placed to support many children in the United States. One method…

Research shows that U.S. students continue to lag behind in science and mathematics internationally (Fleischman, Hopstock, Pelczar, & Shelley, 2010; Provasnik et al., 2012). A recent study found there is a direct link between students' mastery of academic subjects and their ability to collaboratively problem solve, a critical 21st century…

New policy at LHP (pseudonym) requires all teachers to implement the Danish Forest School approach and integrate the natural outdoor areas surrounding the campus in their curriculum and pedagogy. The purposes of the present study are to identify the cognitive, affective and psychomotor impact of the Danish Forest School approach on students and to…

Today's grading practices mirror those of the early 1900s, and despite myriad research suggesting they are invalid, unreliable, and a hindrance to student learning, many teachers continue detrimental practices such as using 100-point percentage scales averaging all academic and nonacademic factors together into a single grade, and using grades to…

As a result of reforms like the Common Core Standards and the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) and its framework, science instruction is transitioning from traditional forms of science to reformist curriculum. Classrooms committed to an epistemological approach to science education will have students engaging in a co-construction of…

The conceptualization of normal in schools is problematic. It mediates perceptions about ability, achievement and behavior. Normal implies a hierarchy, naturalizing the idea that some students can achieve better than others. This practice places the blame on the student by locating the problem within the child while failing to consider ways to…

The purpose of this study was to examine the programs, practices, and culture of a school that claims to be meeting the demands of globalization. A qualitative case study of an elementary school was used to extract a comprehensive description of the instructional practice, professional life, and perceived impact on the culture of a school that has…

Assessing educational outcomes is a matter of great importance for everyone in a society that relies primarily on public schools to shape the next generation of citizens. Given the vital nature of this task, it is imperative that the researchers who undertake it have an informed understanding of the measures used to evaluate educational outcomes.…