The identification of developmentally specific windows at which key predictors of adolescent substance use are most influential is a crucial task for informing the design of appropriately targeted substance use prevention and intervention programs. The current study examined effects of conduct problems and depressive symptomatology on changes in…

Value-added approaches for attributing student growth to teachers often use weighted estimates of building-level factors based on "typical" schools to represent a range of community, school, and other variables related to teacher and student work that are not easily measured directly. This study examines whether such estimates are likely…

In this study, the authors examined the validity of a holistically scored retell within a confirmatory factor analysis framework by comparing the fit of a three-factor model of reading with the data from a diverse sample of seventh and eighth graders. The final model demonstrated adequate fit, [chi][squared](32) = 97.316; comparative fit index =…

Researchers have extensively studied the effects of placement on academic and behavioral interventions for students with disabilities and have found varying results. A correlational research design was used to determine if there was a relationship between the level of special education support (amount of time spent with special education support)…

The purpose of this study was to examine the existence and strength of relationships between students' cognitive skills and mathematical problem-solving performance. Specifically, relationships between students' verbal, spatial, and analytical skills and their problem-solving performance on items that require a verbal response, items…

The easyCBM© CCSS Math tests were developed to help inform teachers' instructional decisions by providing relevant information on students' mathematical skills, relative to the Common Core State Standards (CCSS). This technical report describes a study to explore the validity of the easyCBM© CCSS Math tests by evaluating the relation between…

Proponents of the recent and widely adopted Common Core State Standards argue that high quality curricular standards are critical to students' educational success. Little clear evidence exists, however, linking the quality of such standards to student achievement. I remedy this by connecting data on state-level student achievement from 1994-2011…

This study presents secondary analyses on a 2-stage test of reading comprehension for students with reading-based learning disabilities (RLD). The present paper describes student perceptions of the test and its features as well as analyses focused on the routing test and associated cut score. The routing test contained typical state assessment…

A main purpose of the present study was to investigate the distribution of qualified mathematics teachers in relation to students' socioeconomic status (SES), as measured by parental education, among Turkish middle schools. Further, relationships between mathematics teacher quality indicators and students' mathematics achievement were explored.…

This study examined the predictive relationship of fifth-, sixth-, seventh-, and eighth-grade students' final numerical grades for mathematics and communication arts (e.g., English or language arts) and their standardized scores on the Missouri Assessment Program (MAP). It examined the relationship between students' performance on the MAP in the…

Accountability for student achievement is required by legislation and demanded by the public. Testing is the method of choice for determining student achievement and for informing teachers, parents and students about what students know and still need to learn. State tests that meet the demands of federal legislation have far-reaching consequences…

The transfer of leadership to younger generations is an important factor in agricultural communities and is likely one reason developing leaders is a central mission of many youth organizations, including 4-H and FFA. In adults, researchers have extensively explored the relationship between personality traits and leadership (Judge, Bono, Ilies,…

Recent years have seen the convergence of two major policy streams in U.S. K-12 education: standards/accountability and teacher quality reforms. Work in these areas has led to the creation of multiple measures of teacher quality, including measures of their instructional alignment to standards/assessments, observational and student survey measures…

The objective of the present study was to develop a scale that is appropriate for use internationally to measure affective, behavioral, and cognitive dimensions of student engagement. Psychometric properties of this scale were examined with data of 3,420 students (7th, 8th, and 9th grade) from 12 countries (Austria, Canada, China, Cyprus, Estonia,…

In this study, we examined how the relationships between one observation protocol, the Protocol for Language Arts Teaching Observation (PLATO), and value-added measures shift when different tests are used to assess student achievement. Using data from the Measures of Effective Teaching Project, we found that PLATO was more strongly related to the…