While learning-oriented assessment (LOA) situates learning as the ultimate goal of assessment, current assessment practices often fail to reflect the role of learning and its bidirectional interactions with assessment. During Teachers College Columbia University Roundtable in Second Language Studies (TCCRISLS) 2014, a number of remarks were made…

Purpose: In this paper we describe the Internal Coherence (IC) model of assessment and professional development, a set of clinical tools and practices designed to help practitioners foster the organizational conditions required for whole-school instructional improvement. Proposed Conceptual Argument: We argue that the data captured by the IC…

The purpose of this study was focused on the various perceived impacts created by the expansion to a four-tier teacher performance evaluation rating model which would inform educational leaders in the State of Illinois. By studying the experiences of principals in two other states who previously underwent the same change, Florida and…

We present a semi-parametric approach to estimating item response functions (IRF) useful when the true IRF does not strictly follow commonly used functions. Our approach replaces the linear predictor of the generalized partial credit model with a monotonic polynomial. The model includes the regular generalized partial credit model at the lowest…

Rasch used a Poisson model to analyze errors and speed in reading tests. An important property of the Poisson distribution is that the mean and variance are equal. However, in social science research, it is very common for the variance to be greater than the mean (i.e., the data are overdispersed). This study embeds the Rasch model within an…

In the past few decades, approaches to language assessment and perspectives on learning have changed. This article highlights those developments with the greatest significance for teachers and classroom-based language assessment, including the emergence of new perspectives on the nature of language ability and learning, use of an expanded array of…

A Monte Carlo study was conducted to examine the accuracy of differential item functioning (DIF) detection using the differential functioning of items and tests (DFIT) method. Specifically, the performance of DFIT was compared using "testwide" critical values suggested by Flowers, Oshima, and Raju, based on simulations involving large numbers of…

A number of psychometricians have argued for the use of parallel analysis to determine the number of factors. However, parallel analysis must be viewed at best as a heuristic approach rather than a mathematically rigorous one. The authors suggest a revision to parallel analysis that could improve its accuracy. A Monte Carlo study is conducted to…

One purpose of the present paper is to elaborate 4 general advantages of the mixed methods approach. Another purpose is to propose a 5-phase evaluation design, and to demonstrate its usefulness for mixed methods research. The account is limited to research on groups in need of treatment, i.e., vulnerable groups, and the advantages of mixed methods…

Experimental methods have played a significant role in the growth of English teaching and learning studies. The paper presented here outlines basic features of experimental design, including the manipulation of independent variables, the role and practicality of randomised controlled trials (RCTs) in educational research, and alternative methods…

This paper describes a qualitative case study that investigated the underlying issues in implementing school-based teacher evaluation practices in four Malaysian primary schools. The participants of the study comprised eight school administrators and sixteen teachers. Data obtained through interviews, observations, and document reviews were…

This study explored the consistency and difference of teacher-, student self- and peer-assessment in the context of Web-based portfolio assessment. Participants were 72 senior high school students enrolled in a computer application course. Through the assessment system, the students performed portfolio creation, inspection, self- and…

This article presents a strategy for teaching newly qualified teachers (NQTs) during their first year of teaching, developed by teacher educators from the University of Hertfordshire School of Education. The strategy included a new learning and teaching approach designed to enable NQTs to: develop as critically reflective teachers; build…

University of Minnesota educators use an integrated pest management (IPM) survey conducted during private pesticide applicator training as an educational, needs assessment, and evaluation tool. By incorporating the IPM Assessment, as the survey is called, into a widely attended program and using TurningPoint audience response devices, Extension…

This study aimed at discovering general and specific assessment literacy components from the perspective of Iranian high school teachers. To this end, 32 humanities, science, English language, and non-English language teachers were interviewed. The interviewees referred to teachers' ability to identify the worth assessing contents, familiarity…