Speeded tests set time limits so that few examinees can reach all items, and power tests allow most test-takers sufficient time to attempt all items. Educational achievement tests are sometimes described as "timed power tests" because the amount of time provided is intended to allow nearly all students to complete the test, yet this…

The purpose of this study was to compare student growth of SCSD-7 students on the MAP (Measures of Academic Progress) reading assessment to otherwise similar students who did not use Istation. This study followed two cohorts of elementary school students over three years (2016-17 through 2018-19) to assess the effect of Istation on reading…

Combining Bachman's (1990) conceptualization of content validity with Messick's (1989) unifying model of construct validity, this study attempted to fill the gap in researching content validation in the context of a university reading achievement test by (a) examining traditional content validity evidence and (b) analyzing the test scores to…

This research assessed the impact of combining small-group cognitive reading intervention with a motivational program targeting students' goals, emotions, and self-efficacy beliefs on the reading performance and motivation of third-grade students at risk for reading difficulties (n = 25, M[subscript age] = 8.99, SD = 0.38). Using a…

Background: South Africa's participation across a number of international large-scale assessment programmes provides continued evidence of poor student achievement across grades and phases. Despite discouraging achievement results, evidence of slow progress begins to emerge, yet systemic inequalities persist. Aim: This article aims to unpack the…

A few years ago, Marnie O. Malone and her team at Elmira City Schools found themselves facing a challenge that's all too common: How can we best support students who we know aren't likely to meet grade-level standards? To find an answer, they looked to the MAP® Suite of assessments from NWEA®. This brief case study describes how Malone and her…

The purpose of this study was to examine the effect on student scores on the Northwest Evaluation Association (NWEA®) Measures of Academic Progress (MAP) Reading Assessment when students are engaged with on-line adaptive diagnostics and instruction via the Curriculum Associates (CA) i-Ready Reading on-line platform. Outcomes were explored based on…

The development of international surveys on children's learning like PISA, PIRLS and TIMSS--delivering comparable achievement measures across educational systems--has revealed large cross-country variability in average performance and in the degree of inequality across social groups. A key question is whether and how institutional differences…

The prevalence of academic underachievement or learning disabilities in children with autism or ADHD (two groups at increased risk for such problems) has been extensively researched, but little is known about overachievement in these groups. The frequency of overachievement across academic domains compared to nondiscrepant achievement and…

Virtual Reading Coach assesses student reading abilities with MindPlay's Universal Screener and automatically develops a unique, differentiated syllabus of instruction and mastery-based activities for every student, thus improving their reading fluency. This report includes its logic model, foundational literature review, and summaries of…

Educators and researchers measure student improvement in words read correct per minute (WRCM) to evaluate student response to reading interventions. The utility of evaluating improvement in WRCM via curriculum-based measures to make instructional decisions is based upon the assumption that growth in WRCM is predictive of performance on meaningful…

To test emerging narratives of principals' direct effect on student outcomes on a large scale, this study investigates whether school principals' time use for interacting with individual students is associated with academic achievement and student safety at school. Built on recent research on principals' time use, this study explores whether…

This study used mixed methods to investigate the relationships between parental leave policy components and academic achievement measured by TIMSS and PIRLS. Qualitative document analysis was used to analyze the policy documents and available literature on all the parental leave policies that had been implemented early enough to potentially affect…

This article reports on research conducted to investigate student confidence in reading by collecting data from 135 primary schools in rural China. In the survey, we adopted the PIRLS scales of confidence in reading and reading skills test items. Our analysis shows that compared to the other countries and regions, rural China ranks last with…

Our nation is characterized by diversity in languages, ethnicities, nationalities, and cultures with projected increases in English learners attending U.S. schools. Consequently, it is imperative that we recognize how to maximize the academic and linguistic assets of our English learner student population. This study compared the performance on…