The new IEA "International Civic and Citizenship Education Study" (ICCS) will investigate the extent to which young people are prepared to undertake their roles as citizens across a range of countries. ICCS will survey 13-to-14-year old students in over 30 countries in the year 2009. The ICCS outcome data will be obtained from representative…

The Indiana Department of Education, at the direction of Phyllis Lewis, commissioned the National Association of Peer Programs (NAPP: formerly known as the National Peer Helpers Association) and the authors listed above to develop a rubric for peer helping programs. Development of the rubric began with a review of the NAPP Programmatic Standards…

This research project focuses on the question: Which effects do teachers' attitudes have on students' academic self-concept and students' competences? The study is informed by the theoretical perspective that competences and individual skills can be improved especially when students and teachers are confident about the possibility of change of…

Secondary vocational-technical education programs in Mississippi are faced with many challenges resulting from sweeping educational reforms at the national and state levels. Schools and teachers are increasingly being held accountable for providing true learning activities to every student in the classroom. This accountability is measured through…

This case study discusses a collaborative three year project involving two school clusters located in the North Island and South Island of New Zealand. The project was named "Project ACTIVate" and its main thrust was to study how the use of the interactive whiteboard (IWB) combined with teaching, learning and research across schools. The…

The purpose of this study was to examine students' experiences and perceptions of multiple interaction activities (self-directed, peer, and teacher feedback) implemented in a large multilevel EFL writing class in one private technological university in the southern part of Taiwan. Large size writing classes, quite common in private institutions of…

This study compared the model-data fit of a parametric item response theory (PIRT) model to a nonparametric item response theory (NIRT) model to determine the best-fitting model for use with ordinal-level alternate assessment ratings. The PIRT Generalized Graded Unfolding Model (GGUM) was compared to the NIRT Mokken model. Chi-square statistics…

This study explores the efforts at Brigham Young University to improve preservice candidates' technology integration using the Teacher Work Sample (TWS) as an assessment tool. Baseline data that was analyzed from 95 TWSs indicated that students were predominantly using technology for productivity and information presentation purposes even though…

Despite the challenges inherent in adopting problem-based learning (PBL) in the middle school classroom, successful PBL teachers are able to find suitable solutions. In this exploratory study we examined the perceptions and practices of five successful middle school PBL teachers regarding the specific difficulties encountered with PBL and the…

Developing scoring rubrics to evaluate student work was studied, concentrating on the use of intermediate points in rating scales. How scales that allow for intermediate points between defined categories should be constructed and used was explored. In the recent National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) visual arts field test, researchers…

In an effort designed to guide and improve the assessment of a newly developed writing environment, the reliability and developmental and concurrent validity of a previously validated rubric developed for pen-and-paper-created narratives, Writing What You Read (WWYR), was determined when applied to hypermedia-authored narratives of children in…

Over the past six semesters, researchers developed a project-based learning experience for an introductory Educational Psychology course. Each semester, one or two aspects of the project were varied. In the most recent semester, 44 students in 2 sections of the course worked on the project in groups. In both sections, students were provided with a…

This Digest defines student engagement and describes various methods used to measure it, both in empirical research studies and at the classroom level. Student engagement has been defined in various ways, but it is evident that students who are engaged show sustained behavioral involvement in learning activities accompanied by a positive emotional…

This Digest addresses developing scoring rubrics, administering performance assessments, and scoring, interpreting, and using results. In developing scoring rubrics, the criteria within the scoring rubric should be clearly aligned with the requirements of the task and the state goals and objectives. They should also be expressed in terms of…

Rubrics, scoring guides, and performance criteria help define important outcomes for students. Well crafted rubrics help teachers define learning targets so that they can plan instruction more effectively, be more consistent in scoring student work, and be more systematic in reporting student progress. Rubrics can generally be divided into…