The idea that formative assessments embedded in a curriculum could help guide teachers toward better instructional practices that lead to greater student learning has taken center stage in science assessment research. In order to embed formative assessments in a curriculum, curriculum developers and assessment specialists should collaborate to…

Given the current emphasis on conducting high-quality experimental studies, it is becoming increasingly important for researchers to accompany their studies with evaluations of the "fidelity of implementation" of the experimental treatments. This article compares the form and extent of an experimental treatment to student learning. The study…

This article gives details of the Portsmouth Learning Community Assessment for Learning (AfL) project from 2002 to 2007. A context of research is given and a reframing of formative assessment suggested. Qualitative, positive effects are indicated resulting from teachers' collaborative action research and learners' involvement in classroom…

Novice professionals entering the fields of early childhood education and early childhood special education face many challenges and often feel disconnected from the support system that nurtured them during their teacher education programs (Brindle, Fleege, & Graves, 2000). The Early Childhood Professional Mentoring Group (ECPMG) was established…

This article presents design, development, and evaluation of POSbase in Psychology teaching. POSbase is a highly flexible system that encourages constructive and self-regulated learning. It also allows researchers and instructors to share their teaching materials and experience. POSbase was introduced to undergraduate and to masters students in…

The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation has invested in the development and dissemination of instructional tools to support teachers' incorporation of the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) into their classroom instruction. Math experts have developed formative assessment lessons (FALs) that teachers can incorporate throughout the year's curriculum.…

In this paper we report on research related to the provision of automated feedback based on a computer adaptive test (CAT), used in formative assessment. A cohort of 76 second year university undergraduates took part in a formative assessment with a CAT and were provided with automated feedback on their performance. A sample of students responded…

Inverness Research Associates served as external evaluators for the Center for Informal Learning and Schools (CILS) from its inception in 2002 as a National Science Foundation (NSF)-funded Center for Learning and Teaching. One of the programs that CILS developed was the Informal Learning Certificate (ILC) for informal science educators (mostly…

The second in a series of five, module 2 provides everything one will need to run sharply focused, practical staff development training sessions for adult and Post-16 literacy, language and numeracy teachers. Each module addresses aspects of teaching and learning commonly identified as areas in need of improvement and can be used individually or…

The standards-based reform movement has resulted in the wide-spread use of summative assessments designed to measure students' performance at specific points in time. While many have hoped that these end-of-year tests would provide constructional useful information for educators, they do not. This is not because there is something…

The Academic Pathways of People Learning Engineering Survey (APPLES or APPLE survey) is a component of the Academic Pathways Study (APS) of the Center for the Advancement of Engineering Education (CAEE). The APS aims to provide a comprehensive account of how people become engineers by exploring key questions around the engineering learning…

This article features FAST-R, or Formative Assessments of Student Thinking in Reading, a new assessment tool that measures critical-reading skills. FAST-R was developed by the the nonprofit Boston Plan for Excellence (BPE), a local education foundation, to provide teachers with information about what students are thinking when they try to find…

In this article, the authors describe a group of committed people called the Our Kids Network in the Regional Municipality of Halton, in Ontario, Canada, which was given the opportunity to create a positive, future-oriented vision for the children in their community, and detail how it is making its vision for children a reality. The Halton Our…

The paper reflects on how photography was used during a small piece of mixed methods qualitative research with some young Travellers and their families. The context for the study was "Every Child Matters" and the accompanying push aimed to include groups considered as marginalised, such as young Travellers, in mainstream educational provision, as…

The findings from recent Canadian research indicate that while agency managers and front-line workers agree that evaluation is important, they seldom evaluate their work with clients. With the current emphasis on evidence-based practice and outcome-focused intervention, it is important to be able to demonstrate the value of career services in a…