The Program for International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC) results, released in 2013, have spurred researchers to engage in rich analyses. In addition to making it possible to compare skill levels among the 23 participating nations, the PIAAC data have enabled researchers to analyze relationships among cognitive literacy, numeracy, and…

Competency-based learning requires making changes in the higher education model in response to current socio-educational demands. Rubrics are an innovative educational tool for competence evaluation, for both students and educators. Ever since arriving at the university systems, the application of rubrics in evaluation programs has grown…

The Health Education Specialist Practice Analysis 2015 (HESPA 2015) was conducted to update and validate the Areas of Responsibilities, Competencies, and Sub-competencies for Entry- and Advanced-Level Health Education Specialists. Two data collection instruments were developed--one was focused on Sub-competencies and the other on knowledge items…

Restricted equating samples are often used to equate test results. Previously eligible students may be excluded because this group of students is not stable from year to year and their inclusion may bias the results. The present study evaluated the impact of including previously eligible students in the equating samples, where the percentage of…

This study compares the inquiry competence of the 8th-grade students participating in the science and environmental education program GLOBE in the Czech Republic with a sample of students of the same age not participating in the program from the Slovak and Czech Republics. Inquiry competence is analyzed as a set of variables representing students'…

The ability to purposefully access, reflect, and use evidence from educational research (Educational Research Literacy) is expected of future professionals in educational practice. Based on the presented conceptual framework, a test instrument was developed to assess the different competency aspects: Information Literacy, Statistical Literacy, and…

This study compared elementary and special education teachers' knowledge of when K-3 students develop key reading competencies, their knowledge of who is responsible for teaching K-3 students key reading competencies, and teachers' perceptions of their own instructionally relevant competencies to those standards articulated within their state's…

At a time when governments face the challenges of maintaining competitiveness in a global economy, it is necessary to have high-quality comparative information regarding the fundamental skills of the adult population. Such information can help governments to evaluate policies and design more effective interventions. This article describes a…

This paper provides an exposition on simple and complex comparisons within the framework of Poisson regression. Poisson regression is well suited for the analysis of event count outcomes. Since simple and complex comparisons with both analysis of variance (ANOVA) and multiple linear regression (MLR) are common, the similarities between Poisson…

The following papers that reflect on problems facing teacher education are included in this monograph: (1) "Toward a New Model of Teacher Education" (Henry J. Hermanowicz); (2) "Recent Research on the Beliefs of Teachers and its Importance for Teacher Education" (Robert H. Mayer); (3) "The Dialogue of Democracy: Its Form, Content, and Implications…

A survey of principals and second- and fifth-grade teachers in 25 Puerto Rican schools reveals that (1) they value and use reading tests; (2) province and district-wide reading assessments primarily affect curriculum decisions; (3) the generally accepted goals of testing programs are being met; and (4) their attitudes are similar to educators…

The procedures currently used in the 12 European Community (EC) member countries for certifying the employment qualifications of graduates of full-time vocational education and training programs and/or apprenticeship programs were compared. The comparison, which was based on information obtained from 12 national studies of EC members' education…

A study was conducted to determine if significant attitudinal differences concerning evaluation by principals could be found between Mississippi's kindergarten teachers and other grade-level teachers immediately after administrators had evaluated teachers with the Mississippi Teacher Assessment Instruments (MTAI). Designed to assess minimum…

Although isolating the degree of association that exists between a teacher's specific knowledge and his or her particular classroom performance is extremely difficult at best, that is the focus of the knowledge and performance based instruments used in the evaluation of preservice English teachers in the University of Georgia teacher education…

All teacher education students in Texas must pass three minimum competency examinations to be admitted to a teacher education program. The Pre-Professional Skills Tests (PPST) contains three separate tests in reading, mathematics, and writing. West Texas State University requires all entering freshmen to submit scores from the American College…