Drawing on the principles of formative assessment identified by the Assessment Reform Group in England, Assessment is for Learning was a major Scottish initiative to improve children's learning. This paper surveys the implementation of formative assessment strategies during school placements by three cohorts of final-year Bachelor of Education…

The GetWET Observatory was developed as part of an overall course redesign of the Introductory Geology Laboratory at Colorado State University to improve student learning of key surface and groundwater concepts for nonmajors in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. Consisting of six groundwater monitoring wells, the GetWET Observatory…

This article investigates the effectiveness of two distinct formative assessment methods for promoting deep learning and hence improving the performance amongst engineering students. The first method, applied for undergraduate students, employs a lecturer-led approach whereas the second method uses a student-led approach and e-learning for…

It is well-established that language skills are amongst the best predictors of educational success. Consistent with this, findings from a population-based longitudinal study of parents and children in the UK indicate that language development at the age of two years predicts children's performance on entering primary school. Moreover, children who…

"Teach Reading, Not Testing" reinforces what teachers already know--test preparation worksheets and drill-and-kill activities do not make children into lifelong readers. The authors' conscientious approach to reading instruction combines an insider perspective on the development of high-stakes tests with classroom experience in achieving…

The purpose of this study was to determine the relationship between the Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills (DIBELS), the Reading Recovery Observation Survey (RROS) early reading sub-tests, and the reading achievement of Native American first-graders as measured by the Stanford 10. A causal-comparative correlation research design…

This study examined the strength and the direction of the relationships between student (i.e., socioeconomic status, attendance, and gender) and school variables (i.e., formative assessment usage and ASI classification) found in the extant literature to influence student achievement in language arts and mathematics. Analyses were conducted using…

The authors have worked together with the NASP (National Association of School Psychologists) National Emergency Assistance Team (NEAT) for a decade to help coordinate communications around large-scale crisis response efforts. The massive earthquake and tsunami that devastated the northeastern part of Japan and the subsequent response represented…

This study examined the impact of Oregon Reading First on student reading outcomes. Outcomes in schools that began Reading First implementation in 2003-2004 (Cohort A) were compared to outcomes in schools that began Reading First implementation in 2005-2006 (Cohort B). The primary hypothesis, that experienced Cohort A schools would outperform…

This exploratory study considered Larrivee's assessment of teachers' reflective practice levels by using a formative, weekly, online student evaluation of teaching (SET) tool through a virtual learning environment (VLE) as a means to encourage reflective practice. In-depth interviews were conducted with six faculty members in three departments at…

New students face the challenge of making a smooth transition between school and university, and with regards to academic practice, there are often gaps between student expectations and university requirements. This study supports the use of the plagiarism detection service Turnitin to give students instant feedback on essays to help improve…

This paper presents the results of a project on generating diagnostic feedback for guided learning in a first-year course on programming and a Master's course on software quality. An online multiple-choice questions (MCQs) system is integrated with neural network-based data analysis. Findings about how students use the system suggest that the…

A formative experiment investigated how two strategies aimed at increasing the quality and quantity of language interactions could be integrated into a preschool classroom. Strategies for enriching language interactions were introduced during book sharing, semi-structured group activities, and mealtimes. Mixed methods revealed factors that…

What are teachers' perceptions of Response to Intervention (RTI)? To address this question, we conducted interviews about teacher perceptions of an RTI model during the second year of its implementation at an urban elementary school. Results of this qualitative study suggest that teachers' perceptions of the RTI model grew more positive during the…

The purpose of this study was to explore the manner in which a community college district planned to implement a systematic outcomes-based assessment program review process in order to have results inform institutional, district, and state policy discussions. Data derived from this grounded theory study indicated that there was not a shared…