Personalized Learning is a teaching and learning philosophy that aims to meet the individual needs of each student by utilizing personal learning profiles, personal learning paths, competency-based learning, flexible learning environments, mentoring, and a culture of growth mindset. For the purpose of this study, a Personalized Learning school is…

This qualitative study explored private high school administrator and teacher perspectives on instructional strategies and rigor to improve Minnesota's college mathematic readiness. Data collection sources for the study included individual interviews, focus groups, and document review. The study produced four emergent themes from the data…

Since their introduction in the 1990s, explicit standards documents have pervaded higher education assessment--success likely linked to their compatibility with constructive alignment and quality assurance regimes. Researchers, however, criticise that such documents are based on a misconception of standards as explicit and absolute, when in fact…

Students' different standards may yield different kinds of bias, such as self-directed (higher than their past performance) bias and peer-directed (higher than their classmates) bias. Utilizing data obtained from a natural experiment where some students were able to see their grades prior to teacher evaluations, and to investigate possible sources…

Student grades that appear on assessments and report cards have no universal meaning and therefore require teachers to explicitly define and communicate the meaning in a clear manner to students and parents. Grading experts recommend the meaning to be student learning of academic standards, which requires teachers following this recommendation to…

The New York State Education Department (NYSED) adopted a set of three standards for social and emotional learning (SEL) in August 2018. In doing so, they have paved the way for explicit instruction in and assessment of 21st-century skills. The three-goal framework selected by NYSED (2018) is modeled after the five competencies of the…

Studying the experience of foreign language teachers' professional training in developed foreign countries opens up new opportunities for improving the system of pedagogical education in conditions of its adaptation to the requirements of the European educational space. Of a significant scientific interest are the progressive achievements of…

In a classic 2010 article, Craig Nelson critiques his own previously held "dysfunctional illusions of rigor" that for years had constrained his teaching. He demonstrates that certain "rigorous" pedagogical practices disadvantage rather than support learners, and he argues for an expansion of what counts as legitimate…

As secondary school leaders consider a shift toward standards-based grading (SBG) practices, they are no doubt weighing the odds of a successful implementation process. This research followed up on a study from 2014 to identify the challenges secondary school leaders experience when changing the currency of the classroom from points to learning.…

The Council for Exceptional Children (CEC) recently released updated standards regarding how to determine whether any particular intervention may be deemed an evidence-based practice (EBP). As new criteria regarding the acceptance of any specific intervention as evidence-based become available, the question arises: Would the application of new…

For years science curriculum reformers have bemoaned curricula that are "a mile wide and an inch deep." The tendency for high school science to be "[content]-dominate and textbook centered" leads to science courses bloated with facts and equations at the expense of a deep understanding of science as a process and way of knowing…

Curricular reforms in science education represent an opportunity for changes in instructional approaches with the intent of making learning and teaching more meaningful and effective. While beginning teachers may receive instruction on pedagogy aligned with adopted reforms, veteran teachers need support and development to implement instruction…

The purpose of this study is to better understand the norms, processes, and implications of a standards-based assessment (SBA) system in a project-based, STEM-focused secondary school in the United States. The SBA system had both formative and summative components in relation to classroom teaching and grading, respectively. We focus on both…

These revised Social Studies standards align with the College, Career, and Civic Readiness (C3) standards developed in partnership with the National Council for the Social Studies. In addition, the current version of the Learning Standards incorporates the Common Core State Standards and other revisions recommended by Washington's statewide cadre…

In "Demonstrating Student Mastery with Digital Badges and Portfolios," David Niguidula shows how students can meet standards and express their individuality through digital badges and portfolios. Building off an essential question--What do schools want their students to know and be able to do?--he then shows how schools can implement a…