Serious games are increasingly being explored for use as assessment tools in broad domains. Drawing from research in these domains, we present important advantages and challenges that arise when using games for assessment. In light of this context and as an introduction to this special issue on Serious Games and Assessments, we introduce the…

This opinion piece considers the current predominance of assessment tools and strategies in working with people at risk of suicide, and questions their efficacy and how they are privileged in day to day mental health practice. While such tools and an evidence-based "scientific" approach to assessment clearly has its place, the author…

Multi-tiered problem-solving models that focus on promoting positive outcomes for student behavior continue to be emphasized within educational research. Although substantial work has been conducted to support systems-level implementation and intervention for behavior, concomitant advances in behavior assessment have been limited. This is despite…

In an era of ever-deepening budget cuts and a concomitant demand for substantiated programs, many organizations have elected to conduct internal program evaluations. Internal evaluations offer advantages (e.g., enhanced evaluator program knowledge and ease of data collection) but may confront important challenges, including credibility threats,…

Purpose: The strength of the relationship between vowel centralization measures and perceptual ratings of dysarthria severity has varied considerably across reports. This article evaluates methods of acoustic-perceptual analysis to determine whether procedural changes can strengthen the association between these measures. Method: Sixty-one…

This article describes two assessment tools that have been used to assess the reading skills of youth participating in alternative basic skills and livelihood skills training programs. The Rapid Assessment of Reading Skills (RARS) was developed to identify potential participants who needed to improve their reading skills before beginning training…

The What Works Clearinghouse (WWC) examines manuscripts (that is, journal articles, working papers, dissertations, or other publications or pieces of written research presented as complete sets of findings) to determine if they are eligible to be included in a specific review effort. The WWC first determines whether the manuscript contains a…

Research indicates that several factors variably influence teachers' approaches to classroom assessment. Building on previous assessment literacy research, this study empirically examines variability in teachers' approaches to classroom assessment across a set of dimensions including their conceptions of assessment purposes, processes, fairness,…

Characterizing students' knowledge and skill upon kindergarten entry has implications for early learning and K-12 outcomes and systems alignment. Large-scale entry assessments measure skillsets shown important for later success, so that meaningful comparisons and appropriate decisions can be made. Consequently, it is important to document the…

Preservice teachers in the field encounter materials with varying degrees of completeness and quality. Using a curriculum strategy framework that analyzes how preservice teachers read, evaluate, and adapt materials, this study compares the planning of six preservice teachers using curriculum materials of varying completeness. Preservice teachers…

Environmental science is a broad, interdisciplinary field integrating aspects of biology, chemistry, earth science, geology, and social sciences. Mastery of basic science concepts and reasoning are therefore necessary for students to understand the interactions of different components in an environmental system. How do teachers identify and assess…

Context: Musculoskeletal palpation is taught in our athletic training programs as part of the injury evaluation process. However, as palpation skills are taught, the focus is oftentimes on accuracy of surface-anatomy landmarks instead of the ability to discriminate qualitative information such as tissue tone, spasm, or pain response from the soft…

Spelling skills have been identified as one of the major barriers to written text production in young English writers. By contrast oral language skills and text generation have been found to be less influential in the texts produced by beginning writers. To date, our understanding of the role of spelling skills in transparent orthographies is…

MOOCs are re-operationalising traditional concepts in education. While they draw on elements of existing educational and learning models, they represent a new approach to instruction and learning. The challenges MOOCs present to traditional education models have important implications for approaching and assessing quality. This paper foregrounds…

Since April 2013, the Eleanor Chelimsky Forum has served as the centerpiece of the Eastern Evaluation Research Society's (EERS) annual conference. Eleanor Chelimsky (2012), a highly esteemed pioneer in the evaluation field, inspired the Forum in her 2012 plenary address (subsequently published in "American Journal of Evaluation"…