The study of measurement invariance in polytomous items that targets individual score levels is known as differential step functioning (DSF; Penfield, 2007, 2008). DSF methods provide specific information describing the manifestation of the invariance effect within particular score levels and therefore serve a diagnostic role in identifying the…

The ability to question lies at the heart of human curiosity and is a necessary component of cognition. The author stresses that forming questions is essential to human thought and communication. As such, forming questions is a foundational process that cuts across curricular areas and is embedded in content standards across the nation, including…

The magnitude and variability of sex differences in vocational interests were examined in the present meta-analysis for Holland's (1959, 1997) categories (Realistic, Investigative, Artistic, Social, Enterprising, and Conventional), Prediger's (1982) Things-People and Data-Ideas dimensions, and the STEM (science, technology, engineering, and…

A graduate student who has an 11-year-old daughter in 5th grade described an incident that underscored concerns that the authors and other professional teacher educators have felt for some time. The 11-year-old had a science assignment to complete as homework. Her parent, attempting to help, offered several suggestions for enhancing the project.…

The expanded use of teaching case based analysis based on current events and news stories relating to computer ethics improves student engagement, encourages creativity and fosters an active learning environment. Professional ethics standards, accreditation standards for computer curriculum, ethics theories, resources for ethics on the internet,…

English language learners (ELLs) in K-12 schools continue to increase in number across the country. In California alone, about 1.5 million students are not sufficiently proficient in English to perform optimally in mainstream classrooms. The No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act of 2001 emphasizes the need for highly qualified teachers, but just who is…

According to a study conducted by the American Association of Colleges of Teacher Education (2002), approximately 90% of universities and colleges of education use portfolios regarding student assessment. Forty percent of universities use electronic portfolios in teacher certification programs for licensing. Because of the popular use of…

Collecting, processing, and using assessment data to form instruction for each student can be overwhelming--especially with so much diversity in the classroom. Help is here, with this hands-on guide that brings together the two leading approaches to teaching students of varying abilities: Response to Instruction and Intervention (RTI) and…

The purpose of this study was to determine what effects synchronous instruction has on students in an asynchronous online art course. Action research was selected as the research method as it allows the researcher to study his or her own classroom in order to improve their own instruction. Data was collected for a period of one month from five…

Authorizers are as varied as the schools they oversee. Some are responsible for just one charter, while others monitor hundreds of charters serving tens of thousands of students. Some are school districts, while others are independent statewide boards, universities, not-for-profits, or state education agencies. Regardless of their size and type,…

The purpose of this study was to develop specific rubrics for assessing critiques in English 202, an English as a foreign language course at the Lebanese American University to explore the effectiveness of these rubrics on students' writing and to investigate students' attitudes and reactions to the use of these rubrics. After development of the…

This study investigated the effect of peer leadership on students' cognitive achievement in online asynchronous discussions. Undergraduate students from a large online course were randomly assigned into groups for four asynchronous discussions, with each group having two to three peer leaders. Results of the mixed-method analysis revealed that the…

A FORTRAN program that quickly and accurately scores large numbers of Peabody Picture Vocabulary Tests if briefly described. (Author/JKS)

"E-rater" is an operational automated essay scoring application that combines several natural language processing (NLP) tools for the purpose of identifying linguistic features in essay responses to assess the quality of the text. The application currently identifies a variety of syntactic, discourse, and topical analysis features. Two…