Conditional independence (CI) between response time and response accuracy is a fundamental assumption of many joint models for time and accuracy used in educational measurement. In this study, posterior predictive checks (PPCs) are proposed for testing this assumption. These PPCs are based on three discrepancy measures reflecting different…

Recent changes to the patient note (PN) format of the United States Medical Licensing Examination have challenged medical schools to improve the instruction and assessment of students taking the Step-2 clinical skills examination. The purpose of this study was to gather validity evidence regarding response process and internal structure, focusing…

It is widely recognised that high-stakes assessment can significantly influence what is taught in the classroom. Many argue that high-stakes assessment results in a narrowed curriculum where students learn by rote rather than developing higher cognitive skills. This paper describes a study investigating the various cognitive objectives present…

Entirely predictable examinations are ones for which the questions are known in advance. Some assessments are designed this way, but in public examinations, predictability is subtler. Students familiarise themselves with the requirements broadly: likely topics that will come up, question formats and how to maximise their marks. If students can…

Students at an eastern United States high school have experienced low pass rates on the High School Assessment Program for English Language Arts (HSAP ELA) for the past 5 consecutive years. The HSAP ELA test is 1 of 2 exams that students must pass to receive a high school diploma. Students who failed the HSAP ELA were provided remedial content and…

This report looks at the uptake of General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) (and International General Certificate of Secondary Education (IGCSE)) subjects in England in 2015. The data for these analyses were taken from the National Pupil Database (NPD). This is a database held by the Department for Education, consisting of results for…

In England, there is a growing need to improve the attainment in, and attitudes towards, science among disadvantaged secondary school pupils. This project was designed to support disadvantaged year 11 pupils (age 15-16) by pairing them with an undergraduate STEM student mentor throughout the final year of their compulsory science General…

Based on Eccles' expectancy-value model of achievement motivation this study used questionnaires to explore the relationships between expectations, task values and A-level achievement in 930 students from 12 Oxfordshire schools. Understanding the relationship between these variables is important given the significance of these qualifications for…

There is increased policy interest in extending test-based evaluations in K-12 education to include student achievement in high school. High school achievement is typically measured by performance on end-of-course exams (EOCs), which test course-specific standards in a variety of subjects. However, unlike standardized tests in the early grades,…

This qualitative phenomenological research study investigated Texas high school seniors who failed the initial administration of the End of Course (EOC) exams required for graduation but succeeded upon subsequent test administration. The four questions that guided the research explored the experienced regarding the EOC exams by identifying which…

In Germany about half of the adult learners who start second chance education drop out before graduation. In this paper we aim to contribute to an explanation for this low success rate. We focus on the normative expectations of learners: What are their expectations concerning teachers' attention to their personal abilities, teacher support and the…

When the nation shut down in March because of the COVID-19 pandemic, states had to figure out what education would look like for the remainder of the academic year. These abrupt changes affected not only students' ability to learn but also their access to the support system that would help prepare them for steps beyond high school. This Policy…

The New York City P-TECH Grades 9-14 schools represent an education model that ties together the secondary, higher education, and workforce systems as a way to improve outcomes in both domains. The distinguishing feature of the P-TECH 9-14 model, as it is referred to in this report, is a partnership between a high school, a local community…

This is the executive summary for the report, "Bridging the School-to-Work Divide: Interim Implementation and Impact Findings from New York City's P-TECH 9-14 Schools." This study offers initial impact and implementation findings from the first rigorous evaluation of the model, evaluating the first seven P-TECH 9-14 schools that opened…

This study represents program-level action research. A U.S. university Spanish language program had a goal for students to reach the ACTFL (2012) Intermediate Mid level after 2 years. An empirical question that resulted after regular end-of-year testing was whether the students were doing their best on assessments. To investigate this, 253…