The purpose of this study is to illustrate the use of functional data analysis (FDA) as a general methodology for analyzing person response functions (PRFs). Applications of FDA to psychometrics have included the estimation of item response functions and latent distributions, as well as differential item functioning. Although FDA has been…

In order to investigate the influence of separation of grade distributions and ratio of common items on the precision of vertical scaling, this simulation study chooses common item design and first grade as base grade. There are four grades with 1,000 students each to take part in a test which has 100 items. Monte Carlo simulation method is used…

The aim of this study is to find out young Turkish students' opinions about living thing concept in detail and to investigate the criteria used by the students to define this concept. The study sample consisted of randomly selected 140 students studying at the 3rd, 4th and 5th grades in four different primary and middle schools located in the…

The aim of this study is to examine the impact of playgrounds drawn in school yards on development and school attachment levels of the children. Sample of the study consisted of 319 students. 164 of them are female students while 155 are male students studying in the 3rd and 4th grades in Dr. Ferdi Koçel Elementary School, Yarbay Refik Cesur…

This study aims to investigate the students' learning assessment practices used by Jordanian teachers of mathematics for grades (1-6) in Amman. The sample of the study consists of (402) teachers. A questionnaire of (72) items are developed on four domains, namely: questions, homework, exams, and alternative strategies. Validity and reliability are…

Many tests used in educational settings to identify learning difficulties endeavour to pick up only the lowest performers. Yet these tests are generally developed within a Classical Test Theory (CTT) paradigm that assumes that data do not have significant skew. Rasch analysis is more tolerant of skew and was used to validate two newly developed…

Fractions varied meanings is one of the causes of difficulties in learning fractions. These students should be given greater opportunities to explore the meaning of fractions before they learn the relationship between fractions and operations on fractions. Although students shading an area represents a fraction, it does not mean they really…

This study aimed to consider collaborative practice in contributing to joint assessment and producing appropriate referral of children to speech and language therapy (SLT). Results of formal testing of selected comprehension skills are compared with functional/classroom performance as rated by class teachers. Thirty children aged 6.5-8.4 years,…

Since the United States Congress enacted the No Child Left Behind Act in 2001, school districts have been charged with ensuring that all students are proficient in reading and math by 2014. Schools failing to achieve are labeled as failing or needing improvement. This study sought to determine if commercially produced elementary math curricula…

Computer-based multimedia presentations employing animated agents (avatars) can positively impact perceptions about engineering; the current research advances our understanding of this effect to pre-college populations, the main target for engineering outreach. The study examines the effectiveness of a brief computer-based intervention with…

This purpose of this study was to examine the reliability and validity of a curriculum-based measure of word problem solving (CBM-WPS) as an indicator of performance and progress in a sample of 136 third-grade students at risk for mathematics difficulties (MDs) instructed in a standards-based mathematics curriculum. Students completed the CBM-WPS…

Any voucher program that is going to have a major impact on a public education system is likely to require an expansion of private schools in order to accommodate increased demand; however, little is known about where private schools open and therefore how a major voucher program might affect private school availability in various communities.…