The recent focus on AfL has shifted from defining its scope and extent to understanding its implementation, and research has revealed AfL implementation to be complex and contested. AfL implementation is especially challenging in national contexts that emphasise high stakes examination performance and grades. One such example is the nation state…

Theorising STEM Education in the 21st Century is a book that captures the essence of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics and the intricacies of STEM education in the contemporary society. It explores STEM as an interdisciplinary field as well as the individual disciplines that make up STEM. This ensures the field of STEM as a whole is…

A Regional Education Agency (REA) functions as a partner with local districts and the State Educational Agency (SEA). REAs provide training, guidance and support intended to enable school districts to operate efficiently and improve their student outcomes. The primary purpose of this Regional Capacity Assessment (RCA) is to assist regional…

"Authentic Project-Based Learning in Grades 9-12" provides a clear guide to design, develop, and implement real-world challenges for any high school subject. The author lays out five clear, standards-based stages of assessment to help you and your learners process the what, how, and why of authentic project-based experiences. You'll…

The nature and effects of PBLA were investigated. I examined LINC program evaluations, government-solicited assessment reports, PBLA research, and other PBLA-related documents. I discuss the features of PBLA and its reported effects on language outcomes and teacher and student attitudes. I found that the government did not provide a rationale for…

Advancing the science of gifted education requires that researchers and educators better understand when and why (and for whom) programs and services are effective. Assessing Fidelity of Implementation (FoI) is key to achieving this level of understanding and can be incorporated into formative or summative evaluations and formal or informal…

Individualized Learning Plans (ILPs), an effective strategy to promote students' college and career readiness, are increasingly used in US school systems as a mechanism to encourage students' career exploration and identification of career goals. After describing features of ILPs, we provide an example of the ILP process developed and implemented…

There is an identified problem with patients receiving suboptimal pain management at a hospice agency in the northwestern United States. At this agency, undertreatment of pain is prevalent. Evidence indicates that this may be a result of a lack of guidelines, education, and knowledge of appropriate prescribing. Known barriers to the correct…

Research reports using global data show that the failure rates in introductory programming courses average about 32%. As learners from schools join the university and enrol for different courses, they find the sudden transformation quite challenging. This makes it more challenging for first year university students, especially in difficult courses…

This paper discusses practical implications of formative assessment effectiveness research in grades one through six. Formative assessment effectiveness is a timely topic for state and district leaders as they develop implementation plans for Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), including their approaches to supporting school-based practitioners…

In this paper, we provide an overview of the Pathways to Innovation Program (Pathways), a faculty development and institutional change initiative designed to address the adaptive challenge of integrating innovation and entrepreneurship (I&E) into undergraduate engineering, nationwide. In particular, we build upon earlier papers that describe…

The North Carolina K-3 Formative Assessment Process: Kindergarten Entry Assessment (NC K-3 FAP: KEA) is the initial step in the development of a comprehensive formative assessment process for young children from kindergarten entry through the end of third grade. The purpose of this qualitative study was to gather teacher and administrator feedback…

Assessment for learning (AfL) improves student learning and achievement outcomes but, despite its positive effects, sustained implementation has been problematic. An examination of the policy environment, implementation factors that relate particularly to professional learning, and a New Zealand model of AfL, reveal gaps of interdependence at…

This paper describes the use of two different risk assessment strategies during the design and development of a complex authentic task-based e-learning program developed by the World Health Organization (WHO). The first strategy involved the use of expert reviewers and the second strategy employed the engagement of a risk assessment expert…

We collected artifacts from 42 teachers participating in a statewide educator effectiveness system to examine the fidelity with which the formative components of the system were implemented. Specifically, we collected written feedback from principals to teachers and teacher professional growth goals. We developed indicators of quality for each and…