Growth-to-standard models evaluate student growth against the growth needed to reach a future standard or target of interest, such as proficiency. A common growth-to-standard model involves comparing the popular Student Growth Percentile (SGP) to Adequate Growth Percentiles (AGPs). AGPs follow from an involved process based on fitting a series of…

There is a growing number of products for learning the interdisciplinary application of science, technology, engineering, art, and mathematics (STEAM) in K-12. However, there is no general assessment tool for those STEAM creations, so as to help parents or instructors to experience and evaluate the STEAM products created or sold by companies or…

This study utilized generalizability theory to assess the context where the National Survey of Student Engagement's (NSSE) summary measures, the Engagement Indicators, produce dependable group-level means. The dependability of NSSE group means is an important topic for the higher education assessment community given its wide utilization and usage…

Students with and without learning disabilities often struggle to learn a foreign language (FL). Teachers could benefit from a measure designed to screen and identify students at risk for FL learning difficulties. In this study, we examined the reliability and validity of scores from four curriculum-based measures (CBM) as potential indicators of…

Previous studies indicate that school climate is important for student health and academic achievement. This study concerns the validity and reliability of the student edition a Swedish instrument for measuring pedagogical and social school climate (PESOC). Data were collected from 5,745 students at 97 Swedish secondary schools. Multilevel…

The classroom psychosocial climate (CPSC) is a multidimensional construct, the indicators of which are being operationalized through the subscales of CPSC measuring instruments, such as the What Is Happening in This Class? (WIHIC) questionnaire. As opposed to studies with secondary students, elementary student studies have produced inconsistent…

The American university is currently undergoing a period of often-uncomfortable public scrutiny. Rising tuition costs and attendant higher student loan debt loads have caused both considerable human hardship and considerable criticism of individual institutions and the college education system as a whole. This report presents the following: (1) a…

A key question facing teacher evaluation systems is how to combine multiple measures of complex constructs into composite indicators of performance. We use data from the Measures of Effective Teaching (MET) study to investigate the measurement properties of composite indicators obtained under various conjunctive, disjunctive (or complementary),…

This study confirmed the reliability and validity of the Quality Indicators of Exemplary Transition Programs Needs Assessment-2 (QI-2). Quality transition program indicators were identified through a systematic synthesis of transition research, policies, and program evaluation measures. To verify reliability and validity of the QI-2, we…

Universal screening measures are an integral component of any tiered system of instructional delivery. Recent studies of screening measures have often excluded examinations of bias in predictive validity. The present study examined a common screening instrument for evidence of bias in predictive validity across the four disaggregation categories…

The ranking of the United States in major international tests such as the Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS), Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS), and Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) is used as the driving force and rationale for the current educational reforms in the United…

As part of its flagship educational study--the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA)--the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) has undertaken extensive work to create an internationally relevant composite indicator aimed at measuring socioeconomic background. However, the degree to which a single measure of…

Since their inception, charter schools have been a lighting rod for controversy, with much of the debate revolving around their effectiveness in improving student achievement. Previous research has shown mixed results for student achievement; this could be the consequence of different policy environments or varying methodological approaches with…

A new report titled "The Long-Term Impacts of Teachers" concludes that teachers whose students tend to show high gains on their test scores (called "high value-added teachers") also contribute to later student success in young adulthood, as indicated by outcomes such as college attendance and future earnings. To support this claim, it is not…

The use of standardized tests for outcome assessment has grown dramatically in recent years. Two driving factors have been the No Child Left Behind legislation, and the increase in outcome assessment measures by accrediting agencies such as AACSB, the international accrediting body for business schools. Despite the growth in usage, little effort…