This quantitative study investigated whether a "mandala set" consisting of 143 mandalas drawn by art therapy graduate students depicts archetypal patterns and stages as defined by Kellogg's "Archetypal Stages of the Great Round of the Mandala" and if these patterns explain events in their professional development. Eight…

Digital formative assessment tools have been identified as a promising support for mathematics teachers' practices of monitoring and enhancing students' understanding. However, more research is required to align these support affordances better with teachers' practices. In a qualitative expert-novice comparison, we investigated how expert and…

There is little empirical research related to how elementary students develop computational thinking (CT) and how they apply CT in problem-solving. To address this gap in knowledge, this study made use of learning trajectories (LTs; hypothesized learning goals, progressions, and activities) in CT concept areas such as sequence, repetition,…

In non-autistic children, academic skills are associated with academic enablers (motivation, engagement, study/interpersonal skills), but few studies have explored these in autistic children. This study identified profiles of academic skills and enablers in autistic students and explored the trajectory of each profile over time. Teachers completed…

One agenda of science instruction in primary schools is to develop learners' scientific reasoning abilities and to equip them with the necessary twenty-first-century skills. Few studies have been conducted to develop measurement tools that aspire to assess primary school learners' scientific reasoning. Most of these studies lack a theoretical…

This paper explores new methods for tracking learning growth using curriculum-embedded assessments. The key objective of the study was to examine new ways to capture students' performance data to help make ecologically-valid inferences about what learners know and can do long before benchmark or end-of-year assessments. Student learning outcomes…

Background: With the increasing interdisciplinarity between computer science (CS) and other fields, a growing number of non-CS students are embracing programming. However, there is a gap in research concerning differences in programming learning between CS and non-CS students. Previous studies predominantly relied on outcome-based assessments,…

This report is focused on what research and practice indicate about how assessment impacts the teaching and learning of STEM subject matter in K-12 classrooms. The intent is to take stock of what is currently known as well as what needs to be known to make classroom assessment in STEM maximally beneficial for the instructional practices of…

This is the executive summary for the full report, "Classroom-Based STEM Assessment: Contemporary Issues and Perspectives." This report is focused on what research and practice indicate about how assessment impacts the teaching and learning of STEM subject matter in K-12 classrooms. The intent is to take stock of what is currently known…

Major developments over the past two decades in STEM education and classroom assessment provide a compelling argument for shifting the focus of assessment toward the classroom where its most powerful benefits can be realized. The increased emphasis on diversity, equity, and inclusion in education puts increased scrutiny on assessment practices and…

There is little empirical research related to how elementary students develop computational thinking (CT) and how students apply CT in problem-solving. To address this gap in knowledge, this study made use of learning trajectories (LTs; hypothesized learning goals, progressions, and activities) in CT concept areas such as sequence, repetition,…

Learning progressions (LPs) are novel models for the development of assessments in science education, that often use a scale to categorize students' levels of reasoning. Pictorial representations are important in chemistry teaching and learning, and also in LPs, but the differences between pictorial and verbal items in chemistry LPs is unclear. In…

We describe here lessons learned in designing an early algebra curriculum to measure early algebra's impact on children's algebra readiness for middle grades. The curriculum was developed to supplement regular mathematics instruction in Grades K-5. Lessons learned centered around the importance of several key factors, including using conceptual…

This report contains reliability and validity evidence for the North Carolina Kindergarten Entry Assessment system (KEA) using a statewide sample of kindergarten children. The KEA was designed as a formative, developmental, authentic, and criterion referenced classroom resource for teachers. As a formative assessment, the KEA focuses on the…