School psychologists often administer evidence-based academic interventions such as Explicit Timing in order to increase math fact fluency. However, little is known about the efficacy of adapting Explicit Timing interventions to be used in a virtual format. This dissertation examines the use of virtually delivered Explicit Timing interventions as…

This study examines the conceptual understanding of numbers and operations among 372 fifth-grade students, based on their responses to an online three-tier test designed to assess their number sense, declarative knowledge, explanatory knowledge, and confidence. The results showed that most students had low performance and low number sense, with…

Background: Number line accuracy (NL accuracy) shows improvement over the course of a school education. However, there are practically no cross-country longitudinal studies of NL accuracy over the whole course of elementary school. Aims: This study investigated the developmental trajectories of NL accuracy and its types across the elementary…

Written answers to open-ended questions can have a higher long-term effect on learning than multiple-choice questions. However, it is critical that teachers immediately review the answers, and ask to redo those that are incoherent. This can be a difficult task and can be time-consuming for teachers. A possible solution is to automate the detection…

Star Math (SM) is a popular computer adaptive test (CAT) schools use to screen students for academic risk. Despite its popularity, few independent investigations of its diagnostic accuracy have been conducted. We evaluated the diagnostic accuracy of SM based upon vendor provided cut-scores (25th and 40th percentiles nationally) in predicting…

Research Findings: Children are increasingly using touchscreen technologies at home, which has become a recurring feature within their classroom too. Research has investigated the potential effect of using computer-based tests to assess pupils' performance rather than traditional paper tests. An agreement has still not been formed about the impact…

Due to low cost monte-carlo (MC) simulations have been extensively conducted in the area of educational measurement. However, the results derived from MC studies may not always be generalizable to operational studies. The purpose of this study was to provide a methodological discussion on the other different types of simulation methods, and run…

We report on an innovative computer-adaptive assessment, the Comprehensive Research-based Early Math Ability Test (CREMAT), using the case of 1st- and 2nd-graders' understanding of geometric measurement. CREMAT was developed with multiple aims in mind, including: (1) be administered with a reasonable number of items, (2) identify the level(s) of…

This study explored the validity of growth on two computer adaptive tests, Star Reading and Star Math, in explaining performance on an end-of-year achievement test for a sample of students in Grades 3 through 6. Results from quantile regression analyses indicate that growth on Star Reading explained a statistically significant amount of variance…

In this paper, we analyse a large, opportunistic dataset of responses (N = 219,826) to online, diagnostic multiple-choice mathematics questions, provided by 6-16-year-old UK school mathematics students (N = 7302). For each response, students were invited to indicate on a 5-point Likert-type scale how confident they were that their response was…

Researchers often develop instruments using correctness scores (and a variety of theories and techniques, such as Item Response Theory) for validation and scoring. Less frequently, observations of children's strategies are incorporated into the design, development, and application of assessments. We conducted individual interviews of 833…

The relationship between mathematics and spatial reasoning is well established and extensively researched. Certain mathematics content could be deemed explicitly spatial, for example within geometry. However, the link to spatial reasoning extends into other areas of mathematics, such as representations of the number line and reading and…

The arrival of the COVID-19 pandemic had a profound effect on K-12 education. Most schools transitioned to remote instruction, and some used remote testing to assess student learning. Remote testing, however, is less controlled than in-school testing, leading to concerns regarding test-taking engagement. This study compared the disengagement of…

Test developers are continually exploring the possibilities Computer Based Assessment (CBA) offers the Mathematics domain. This paper describes the trial of the Place Value Assessment Tool (PVAT) and its online equivalent, the PVAT-O. Both tests were administered using a counterbalanced research design to 253 Year 3-6 students across nine classes…

The instructions in this manual explain the responsibilities of school administrators for the New York State Testing Program (NYSTP) Grades 3-8 English Language Arts and Mathematics Tests. School administrators must be thoroughly familiar with the contents of the manual, and the policies and procedures must be followed as written so that testing…