Since the passage of No Child Left Behind (NCLB), the education system has seen immense shifts in its approach to schooling. Previously, students were taught using an extant curriculum with the instructional methods of the teachers at the school; there was little systematic modification to curriculum and methods; and the variable underlying…

Although self-publishing designed to enhance student understanding is important to promote learning objectives and can contribute to the field of knowledge, self-publishing without peer review is generally not acceptable for promotion and tenure purposes. However, there is a growing trend that recognizes the use of self-published items to help…

This report presents Advanced Placement (AP) and International Baccalaureate (IB) examination participation and performance results in Texas public schools for the 2017-18 school year. Data are provided by student characteristics, including race/ethnicity; gender; and economic, at-risk, dyslexia, English learner, foster care, homeless, immigrant,…

These authors have previously described how to use the "t" test to compare two groups. In this article, they describe the use of a different test, analysis of variance (ANOVA) to compare more than two groups. ANOVA is a test of group differences: do at least two of the means differ from each other? ANOVA assumes (1) normal distribution…

The measurement community needs to better understand how to interact with the media to effectively disseminate important findings from educational testing efforts. To this end, the current paper will review media coverage of educational testing and related issues and elaborate on areas of concern and opportunities for improved communication…

This technical assistance paper provides guidance to individuals with test administration responsibilities in adult education programs. These policies apply to the approved assessments that programs may use to report educational gains in compliance with the National Reporting System (NRS) requirements. The NRS is the accountability system for the…

Automation toward efficiency is the aim of most intelligent systems in an educational context in which results calculation automation that allows experts to spend most of their time on important tasks, not on retrieving, ordering, and interpreting information. In this paper, the authors provide a tool that easily evaluates Learning Objects quality…

The report examines 2012-2013 Austin Independent School District (AISD) student academic performance results on the state academic test (STAAR), on an early reading test (Tejas Lee), on the Language Assessment Scales (LAS) Links, and on the state's English language proficiency test (TELPAS) for English language learners in the AISD dual language…

In professional writing, usability testing investigates how well users can find, understand, and use a document (Lannon). Usability testing involves gathering feedback from users, analyzing how successfully they used the document, and drawing on the test results to change or refine the design. From the authors' experiences as writers and teachers,…

The ACT is a national college admissions examination. ACT, Inc. provides an annual summary of student performance at the end of each academic year. AISD students' results from that annual summary are described in this brief report.

This article features Lafayette Academy Charter School in New Orleans, Louisiana, which was recognized by the state board of education as a "center of excellence" in 2010, and given an automatic renewal of its charter--the only school in the state to receive this honor. The school has demonstrated impressive progress: the 2007 test…

Teachers in School 9, a small elementary school in Passaic County, N.J., were shocked: Just 2.5% of students in the school were performing at grade level in math, making it the lowest-performing school in math in the nonpublic school district of 49 schools. School 9's student population is 69% Hispanic and 31% black; 80% qualify for free or…

With crosscutting concepts such as stability and change in the "Next Generation Science Standards," this article was written for those who have wondered how to teach these concepts in a way that is relevant to students. In this investigation, students ask the question, "Why is the pond dirty?" As students investigate the health…

Aggregated test results that identify the literacy problems of boys as the most salient gender issue in schools distort the reality that girls experience significant gender-based challenges as well, though their problems may not present as clearly on standardized tests. This emphasis on boys' difficulties has moved educational resources in that…

This Research Brief summarizes the performance of M-DCPS students participating in the International Baccalaureate (IB) and Cambridge Advanced International Certificate of Education (AICE) programs. Outcome data are provided for the eight M-DCPS schools offering the two programs and corresponding examinations. Participation in international…