Scientific explanations, which include a claim, evidence, and reasoning (CER), are frequently used to measure students' deep conceptual understandings of science. In this study, we developed an automated scoring approach for the CER that students constructed as a part of virtual inquiry (e.g., formulating questions, analyzing data, and warranting…

To address inequitable literacy attainment and achieve equitable opportunity in literacy education, every teacher must be knowledgeable about reading practices and processes. This study examines the knowledge about reader-text interactions articulated by 21 middle school teachers, and explores the ways teachers convert that knowledge into…

Experimentation is a valuable way to build understanding in science. EcoXPT research looks at supporting authentic experiment-based inquiry within an immersive virtual ecosystem. EcoXPT includes a variety of investigative tools, including a Mesocosm tool that allows students to set up experimental pools to test interactions between variables. This…

In this paper, we present a dataset consisting of data generated from 22 previously and currently running randomized controlled experiments inside the ASSISTments online learning platform. This dataset provides data mining opportunities for researchers to analyze ASSISTments data in a convenient format across multiple experiments at the same time.…

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to examine the effects of the creative reversal act (CREACT) used in teaching ecosystems topics on the creativity levels of middle school students. Research Methods: The research was conducted using a quasi-experimental design, a quantitative research method, and a pretest-posttest control group design. The…

Because it is not clear that teachers will volunteer for good professional development if it is made available, this study used surveys--including social network analysis--and interviews to examine why teachers did and did not participate in one school's high-quality study group. While all teachers were motivated by intrinsic incentives, two…

William M. Cruickshank (e.g., Cruickshank 1952, 1976, 1977, 1978, 1985) was a man of strong opinions and a prolific writer. Not only did he contribute to the very beginning of the field of learning disabilities (LD), he strongly advocated for students with LD. He firmly believed that students with learning disabilities needed very competent…

In this paper characterizations of mental objects for fractions of middle school students (from 12 to 14 years old) with absenteeism problems and low academic performance, are described. A test was designed as part of a research whose general purpose is to contribute in the building up of better mental objects for fractions through a teaching…

We show how the novel use of a semantic representation based on Osgood's semantic differential scales can lead to effective features in predicting short- and long-term learning in students using a vocabulary learning system. Previous studies in students' intermediate knowledge states during vocabulary acquisition did not provide much information…

This study examined teachers' perceptions of the teacher evaluation process within a district that implemented a national teacher evaluation model. Within this teacher evaluation model, teachers are evaluated by administrators, as well as teacher leaders. Evaluators utilize a detailed rubric to assess teacher performance in the context of student…

The current study introduces a model for measuring student diligence using online behaviors during intelligent tutoring system use. This model is validated using a full academic year dataset to test its predictive validity against long-term academic outcomes including end-of-year grades and total work completed by the end of the year. The model is…

This study examined middle and secondary mathematics teachers' knowledge structures and informal inferential reasoning (IIR). Using task-based clinical interviews (Goldin, 1997) and cross-case analysis, nine teachers responded to four LOCUS assessment tasks (Jacobbe, 2016). Responses were used to construct knowledge structure maps for measures of…

The purpose of this study was to examine our work with the edTPA while teaching 100 elementary/middle school licensure students in the College of Education at our university. This study investigated: How did the process of implementing edTPA alter our licensure program both broadly and as individual teachers during years one and two?

In 2013 the Vermont legislature enacted Act 77 mandating that students in grades 7-12 develop personalized learning plans (PLPs) to guide them toward high school graduation using proficiency based requirements. In a qualitative self-study the authors document the implementation of a personal learning framework integrating PLPs into a humanities…

Educational games have become hugely popular, and educational data mining has been used to predict student performance in the context of these games. However, models built on student behavior in educational games rarely differentiate between the types of problem solving that students employ and fail to address how efficacious student problem…