A school in Virginia serves students with significant cognitive disabilities (SWSCDs) whose full scale IQ scores are 40 and below. The problem is the SWSCDs were administered the Virginia Alternate Assessment Program (VAAP) and did not perform well from 2017 to 2019. As a result, the school did not receive state accreditation. The purpose of this…

Education researchers frequently have to choose between statistical models for their data, and in many cases the candidate models or parameters can be listed in a sequence, m=1,...,M, from less preferable choices to more. For instance, in choosing a bandwidth for regression discontinuity designs, researchers would favor the largest possible…

The current study investigates the use of alternative assessments in English as a foreign language (EFL) classes in Saudi Arabia. While alternative assessments have been recently recognized as a prospective approach to assessing EFL learning, little research has examined how language learners perceive this approach to assessment in an EFL context,…

Makerspaces are interactive learning environments that provide students with opportunities to improve life and career skills. The importance of these spaces has grown over the years. In Türkiye, the Ministry of National Education has established makerspace-like environments, known as Design and Skills-Labs (Tasarim Beceri Atölyeleri or TBA in…

The Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA), as amended by the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), establishes requirements for State educational agencies (SEAs) and local educational agencies (LEAs) to prepare and disseminate report cards that provide information on State, LEA, and school performance and progress in an understandable…

At a time when institutions of higher education are exploring alternatives to traditional admissions testing, institutions are also seeking to better support students and prepare them for academic success. Under such an engaged model, one may seek to measure not just the accumulated knowledge and skills that students would bring to a new academic…

Using a zone of mediation framework, we explore how one school district designed a community-based accountability system (CBAS) reflecting community stakeholders' values, priorities, and goals. We collected rich data sets from a document analysis, focus group, and individual interviews. Our findings indicated a strong dissatisfaction with…

This article reports on the development of the literary portfolio as an alternative to standard written tests in summative assessment of literary competences in the English as a foreign language (EFL) classroom. It is argued that traditional class tests put a too narrow focus on those aspects of literary competences that are more readily…

A coronavirus disease (COVID)-related educational emergency is believed to have changed some of the aspects of the educational landscape. Sudden changes to traditional structures that are schools are undoubtedly an interesting issue to explore: complex phenomena such as assessment methods are highly related to many different factors such as…

This study evaluates the effectiveness of non-paper-and-pencil tests (NPTs) in Chinese language education for second-grade primary students in Baoshan City, Yunnan Province. The research aims to assess how NPTs support educational goals outlined in China's "double reduction" policy, which seeks to alleviate academic pressure and promote…

This paper considers the kind of pedagogical knowledge and principles involved in the operationalisation of knowledge of children's mathematical thinking as a process of dynamic assessment. Using a case study of a particular child, this paper explores planning and instruction for a child determined by a detailed and informed interpretation of the…

Scholars have lamented that current methods of assessing student performance do not align with contemporary views of learning as situated within students, contexts, and time. Here, we introduce and describe one theoretical--psychometric paradigm--termed "dynamic measurement"--designed to provide a valid representation of the way students…

Validity evidence based on test content is critical to meaningful interpretation of test scores. Within high-stakes testing and accountability frameworks, content-related validity evidence is typically gathered via alignment studies, with panels of experts providing qualitative judgments on the degree to which test items align with the…

Dynamic assessment (DA) is appealing to educational psychologists (EPs) due to: its flexibility, allowing EPs to adjust materials and processes to fit the assessment context; its usefulness, revealing ideas about how the next steps for learning might be achieved; and its focus on strengths. In Feuerstein's words, "it is the instances of…

Mathematics anxiety is a prevalent problem in many K-12 classrooms, and if not appropriately addressed can cause lasting educational harm to students as they enter adulthood. Researchers suggest that the finality of traditional grades has increased mathematics anxiety in today's classrooms. The extreme weight of grades, such as determining…