The purpose of this research was to create a Culture of Assessment Instrument (Appendix F) that will allow education program provider (EPP) assessment leaders to measure the assessment culture within their program. General Systems Theory was the theoretical framework as the foundation of this research. Using a modified Delphi panel of assessment…

Item response theory (IRT) is currently the dominant methodological paradigm in educational and psychological measurement. IRT models are based on assumptions about the relationship between latent traits and observed responses, so the accuracy of the methodology depends heavily on the reasonableness of these assumptions. This dissertation consists…

Institutions of higher education are expected by accrediting agencies to perform systematic monitoring of student learning and evaluate the effectiveness of programs of study and institutional operations to identify what needs improvement and then enact planned change to improve the institution; however, many struggle to make this connection. This…

Agreement between stakeholders in a school change initiative can positively impact its success (Branson, 2008; Donnell & Gettinger, 2015); however, agreement has been largely unexplored within the context of a change initiative and its stakeholders. The current study analyzed the agreement between three key stakeholders in a change initiative:…

This study explored the uneven development of assessments by elementary physical education teachers that contributed to students' underdeveloped physical education skills. This current research was developed to investigate the need to focus on a teacher's understanding of assessment development using the Maryland State Physical Education Framework…

The purpose of this dissertation was to validate scores for a new survey tool, The Virtual Learning Assessment. This 53-item measure was designed with the intent that if scores are validated it could provide a means in which student-teacher relationships and the attributes that enhance those relationships in a remote setting could be assessed. To…

Common planning time is an integral part of the middle school concept, but this time is not always used effectively. When teaching teams do not effectively collaborate, there are missed opportunities to improve instruction and student achievement. The aim of the study was to improve middle school teachers' level of collaboration during common…

Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) education has become increasingly important in the US due to its influence on the nation's educational needs, the creation of a skilled labor force, and opportunities for more tech-savvy workers. However, the evaluation approaches and methodologies used in STEM education programs have come…

Over the past 40 years, a variety of school improvement initiatives have been designed and implemented in low-performing schools across the country, mostly with disappointing results. One potential explanation for the poor track record is that school leaders have too often designed improvement strategies without taking the time to understand the…

Community colleges are tasked with juggling multiple missions. They provide open access to education for adults in their community, work with industry partners to educate the local workforce, and provide relevant programming to the communities they serve. When compared with students at four-year institutions, community college students are older,…

This dissertation investigates the application of network models in educational assessment across diverse learning settings, encompassing both clinical and classroom environments. As educational paradigms shift and digital tools become more embedded in learning processes, traditional assessment methods often fall short in effectively capturing the…

Significant emphasis is currently placed on STEM education as a vehicle to encourage American youth to enter science, technology, engineering, and math-related professions. Gifted students are a natural resource of future innovators for these fields; however gifted programs are largely overlooked for program support. Since 1973, the Virginia…

With an increased focus on global competition, many educators and policymakers relied on international assessments such as the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) to evaluate the ability of their education system to prepare students for the global economy. Students in the United States continued to demonstrate disappointing…

In 2007, every district in North Carolina received access to EVAAS (Education Valued-Added Assessment System), a statistical tool designed to give principals a resource to make strong instructional decisions for their schools. The use of EVAAS has now worked its way into state law and its use is mandated in teacher evaluation. However, EVAAS is…

Assessment is a fundamental element in successful teaching and learning. However, few research studies have examined the assessment practices implemented by faculty in higher education. It is believed that testing has become the primary method of assessment, which could adversely impact student learning. The purpose of this descriptive…