To inform the use of universal social, emotional, and behavioral (SEB) screening in secondary schools, we examined the functioning of the Social, Academic, and Emotional Behavior Risk Screener--Student Rating Scale (mySAEBRS) across three occasions (fall, winter, and spring) in a sample of secondary students (Grades 6-12). With consideration for…

Most teachers assume that asking questions contributes to the effectiveness of their instruction. Because proper questioning techniques are important for the classroom, this study identified the Mathematics pre-service teachers' classification of test items using the revised Bloom's Taxonomy (rBT) and the Cunningham's Levels of Questions (CLQs).…

What is "teaching to the test," and can one detect evidence of this practice in state test scores? This paper unpacks this concept and empirically investigates one variant of it by analyzing test item--level data from three states' mathematics and reading tests. We show that NCLB-era state tests predictably emphasized some state…

Cambridge Assessment has more than 20 years experience in assessing Critical Thinking (CT) in a number of diverse tests and qualifications, unrivalled by any other body within the UK. In recent years, a number of research activities have been carried out in order to support these assessments, with a focus on the validity of measurement. This paper…

At the heart of most assessments lies a set of questions, and those who write them must achieve "two" things. Not only must they ensure that each question elicits the kind of performance that shows how "good" pupils are at the subject, but they must also ensure that each mark scheme gives more marks to those who are…

Psychometricians continue to develop and evaluate methods for linking test scores, both horizontally and vertically. This article describes a social moderation process for articulating (i.e., linking) performance standards across grade levels for an operational state assessment program. The researchers used generated data to evaluate the likely…

To determine whether objective test items could measure cognitive processes more complex than recall of isolated facts, the committee of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons preparing the Orthopaedic In-Training Examination classified test items into three taxonomic levels according to the cognitive process required to answer the item.…

A composite behavioral indicator of high school effectiveness was developed that measures the degree to which schools strike a balance between the press for academic excellence and the need to keep all students actively engaged in schooling. This proposed "participation" indicator is based on behavioral outcomes with demonstrated…

Data collection procedures for the Beginning Teacher Evaluation Study are described. The instructional time phase of this study investigated the amount of time the teacher spent teaching particular objectives in reading and mathematics, and its relationship to student achievement. Two types of data were gathered from the second and fifth grade…