This article presents a new perspective on measuring gender differences in the large-scale assessment study Trends in International Science Study (TIMSS). The suggested empirical model is directly based on the theoretical competence model of the domain mathematics and thus includes the interaction between content and cognitive sub-competencies.…

Recent research has shown that over-extraction of latent classes can be observed in the Bayesian estimation of the mixed Rasch model when the distribution of ability is non-normal. This study examined the effect of non-normal ability distributions on the number of latent classes in the mixed Rasch model when estimated with maximum likelihood…

After a long six-year lapse, the Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statement introduced in 2012 included geometry as part of the South African Grade 12 Mathematics Paper 2. The first cohort of matriculation students wrote Paper 2 in 2014. This article reports on the understanding of geometry terminology with which a group of 154 first-year…

Amid the implementation of new curriculum standard regarding statistics and new recommendations for preservice secondary mathematics teachers (PSMTs) to teach statistics, there is a need to examine the current state of PSMTs' knowledge of the statistical content they will be expected to teach. This study reports on the statistical knowledge of 217…

This paper compares sections on functions and linear functions from two Korean textbooks and an American standards-based textbook (University of Chicago School Mathematics Project [UCSMP] Algebra) to understand differences and similarities among these textbooks through horizontal and vertical analyses. We found that these textbooks provide…

With the rise of large-scale academic assessment programs around the world, there is a need to better understand the factors predicting students' achievement in these assessment exercises. This investigation into national numeracy assessment drew on ecological and transactional conceptualizing involving student, student/home, and school factors.…

This case study details the integration of an online grading platform in a Calculus program. Initially implemented to increase the efficiency and quality of grading written assessments in a large undergraduate program, the effects were many and surprising. Two main concerns surfaced that we needed to address, namely: (1) consistency in grading;…

Educational effectiveness research has provided evidence about the importance of teacher beliefs and attitudes for teaching and learning. This study builds on the concept of academic optimism, which combines 3 aspects of a teacher's professional creed: self-efficacy, trust, and academic emphasis. The study explores the functioning of the…

The media analysis is situated in the larger body of studies that explore the varied reasons why different policy actors advocate for international large-scale student assessments (ILSAs) and adds to the research on the fast advance of the global education industry. The analysis of "The Economist," "Financial Times," and…

The Chinese government has implemented centralised science curriculum standards to change science teaching from a didactic to inquiry-based approach to support all students in acquiring science literacy. Framed through theoretical perspectives of inquiry-based instruction and cultural pedagogy, this study examined the influence and impact of these…

This paper examines the mediating role of parental literacy and numeracy involvement before the child entered school in the relationship between family socio-economic status (SES) and students' interest in reading and mathematics. Causal mediation analysis is applied to international assessment data from the Trends in International Mathematics and…

Survival analysis is an advanced statistical method to investigate the occurrence and the timing of an important event such as school access, dropout, and graduation in a longitudinal framework. The aim of our study is to provide practical guidelines for empirical researchers in choosing an appropriate survival analysis model. For this goal, this…

The study aimed to investigate the relationship between mathematics anxiety and academic performance among developmental mathematics students attending a Northeastern community college. In particular, the study examined the relationship between mathematics anxiety, according to gender and age. The purpose of mixed method case study was two fold:…

Thousands of U.S. school districts and many international schools use MAP® Growth™ to monitor the academic growth of their students and to inform instruction. The MAP Growth assessment is untimed, meaning that limits are not placed on how much time a student has to respond to the items. However, to help schools understand the amount of time MAP…

California's K-12 system relies on the Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium (SBAC) English and mathematics tests to measure student academic progress and assess school and district performance. This report uses publicly available data to explore trends in student performance during the first three years this test has been in place. Key findings…