To address the seven guiding questions posed for authors of articles in this special issue, we begin by discussing the development (in the late 1970s-early 1980s) of Eccles' expectancy-value theory of achievement choice (EEVT), a theory developed to explain the cultural phenomenon of why girls were less likely to participate in STEM courses and…

School-based testing is often well suited and widely used for monitoring students' academic progress. However, for almost a century, researchers have taken an interest in the potential moderating qualities of testing student's academic achievements on their academic achievements (Jones, 1923; Keys, 1934; Kulp, 1933; Spitzer, 1939; Turney, 1931);…

A significant challenge currently facing the higher education sector is how to address differential student outcomes in terms of attainment and continuation gaps at various stages of students' transitions. Worryingly, there appears to be a 'deficit' discourse among some university staff in which differential outcomes are perceived to be due to…

Researchers and practitioners in postsecondary and workplace settings recognize the value of noncognitive constructs in predicting academic and vocational success but also perceive that many students or employees are lacking in these areas. In turn, there is increased interest in interventions designed to enhance these constructs. We provide an…

Students' socioeconomic status (SES) is central to much research and policy deliberation on educational inequalities. However, the SES model is under severe stress for several reasons. SES is an ill-defined concept, unlike parental education or family income. SES measures are frequently based on proxy reports from students; these are generally…

Institutions of higher education face a great deal of pressure to be accessible, inclusive, and diverse, but these goals should not come at the expense of maintaining high standards. Universal and vigilantly enforced standards exist not only to safeguard students' best interests, but are crucial to the academic integrity and core educational…

Although Oregon has made recent gains in its overall high school graduation rate, 21 percent of public school students entering grade 9 in 2014 did not graduate within four years, by 2018. To improve graduation rates, Oregon voters approved Ballot Measure 98 in 2016 to fund dropout prevention and college and career readiness initiatives in high…

Not only graduation rates are important, the quality of the education received also matters for the educational prospects of young people and successful entry into the labour market. The shares of neither employed nor in education or training (NEET) are negatively related to the skill levels among young people (OECD, 2017a). The main objective of…

This brief presents a method for predicting the impact of school closures on average ACT® test scores. The purpose is to illustrate a methodology and major conditions that should be considered in predicting aggregate ACT scores when school closes prematurely and learning and testing are disrupted. Across three scenarios examined herein, the impact…

School administrators must ensure that every child has access to high quality instruction, making it imperative that only the teacher candidates with the greatest probability of success are hired. Most teacher selection practices are neither valid nor reliable and do not accurately predict job performance. Teacher hiring processes and therefore,…

Most community college students take in-person placement tests in English or math to determine whether they are required to take developmental (or remedial) courses, which are prerequisites for the college-level courses in those subjects. However, the COVID-19 pandemic has forced colleges to close their campuses, making in-person testing…

Background and Context: Computer Science attrition rates (in the western world) are very concerning, with a large number of students failing to progress each year. It is well acknowledged that a significant factor of this attrition, is the students' difficulty to master the introductory programming module, often referred to as CS1. Objective: The…

We discuss the development of achievement motivation from the perspective of Eccles and colleagues' expectancy-value theory (EVT), focusing on the importance of children developing positive expectancies for success and valuing of achievement to help them cope with change and uncertainty. Although research has shown that, overall, children's…

To support efforts to improve students' college readiness and success, leaders at the Palau Ministry of Education and Palau Community College want to understand the experiences and background of Palau High School graduates who are better prepared for Palau Community College. This study identified the Palau High School academic preparation…

This Study Snapshot highlights findings from a larger study on Arkansas's middle school and high school indicators of postsecondary readiness and success outcomes. The Arkansas Department of Education identified college and career readiness indicators in their Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) plan. Using two statewide cohorts of grade 6 students…