This presentation was an invited address at the opening session of the 2021 Annual Conference for the Advancement of Science Teaching (CAST) in Ft. Worth, Texas. The presentation will investigate student achievement using three perspectives. The presenters will first ask if one could recognize a great teacher. They will then report research…

Recent research seeks to develop more comprehensive learner models for adaptive learning software. For example, models of reading comprehension built using data from students' use of adaptive instructional software for mathematics have recently been developed. These models aim to deliver experiences that consider factors related to learning beyond…

The number of students leaving traditional face-to-face public schools and moving to online school environments continues to grow. The National Center for Educational Statistics reported that almost 300,000 K12 students were served in a fully online environment for the 2019-2020 school year (US Department of Education, n.d.). This study…

In this study, the evaluation of mathematical proficiency (MP) in one NSW Year 12 standardised exam paper was investigated. By considering the multi-strand model of MP, a literature-based criteria for scoring the assessment of MP in individual exam questions was first developed. The criteria were then applied to quantitatively evaluate the 2023…

This paper drills deeper into the documented effects of the Cognitive Tutor Algebra I and ASSISTments intelligent tutoring systems by estimating their effects on specific problems. We start by describing a multilevel Rasch-type model that facilitates testing for differences in the effects between problems and precise problem-specific effect…

The gold-standard for evaluating the effect of an educational intervention on student outcomes is running a randomized controlled trial (RCT). However, RCTs may often be small due to logistical considerations, and resulting treatment effect estimates may lack precision. Recent methods improve experimental precision by incorporating information…

Recent methods have sought to improve precision in randomized controlled trials (RCTs) by utilizing data from large observational datasets for covariate adjustment. For example, consider an RCT aimed at evaluating a new algebra curriculum, in which a few dozen schools are randomly assigned to treatment (new curriculum) or control (standard…

The opt out movement represents a dramatic public challenge to today's school reform agenda, yet little empirical research has examined the political impact of this parent activism on local school communities. To address this gap, this paper uses survey, interview, and document-based data to explore the political impact of opt out activism in four…

This study examines data from a field experiment investigating the effects of a personalized recommendation algorithm that proposes to students which videos to watch next, after they complete mini-assessments for algebra that available on the Math Nation intelligent virtual learning environment (IVLE). The end users of Math Nation are students…

Educators in gifted education struggle to identify effective strategies for identifying gifted students from under-served populations who would benefit from gifted education services. Using data from a longitudinal study and drawing from an initial student sample in 12 low-income rural districts, we examined an alternative identification process…

Language and communication are a core aspect of teaching and learning in mathematics, and teacher dialogue is central to this. As part of a larger project that explores how mathematics classroom language is impacted by standardised testing, this paper explores how two teachers use language in "redirecting," "progressing," and…

Enacting equitable teaching practices and sustaining those practices continue to be challenges in most high schools (National Council of Teachers of Mathematics, 2018), particularly in an era of high-stakes testing. Just one year after Boaler and Staples (2008) reported on the successes of "Railside High," where equitable teaching…

Considered by many as a source of valuable data and a potential to improve mathematics education, a significant amount of studies have been conducted on The National Assessment Program -- Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) test results. This study is a systematic literature review of 86 peer-reviewed journal articles published between 2008 and 2017 to…

Each year, roughly 30% of first-year students at US baccalaureate institutions do not return for their second year and billions of dollars are spent educating these students. Yet, little quantitative research has analyzed the causes and possible remedies for student attrition. What's more, most of the previous attempts to model attrition at…

This study examined the effectiveness of a literacy-infused science (LIS) intervention on science learning of ELs from rural schools in the U.S.-Mexico border area. The intervention consists of teacher-level virtual professional development (VPD) and virtual mentoring and coaching (VMC), as well as a student-level LIS curriculum. Results from…