Although the number of countries conducting large-scale assessments has increased significantly over the past two decades, this has not necessarily led to the effective use of learning assessment data in policy-making and planning. To better understand the reasons for this, the UNESCO International Institute for Educational Planning (IIEP)…

Large-scale learning assessments can be used to generate performance and contextual data on student learning outcomes. They can be national, regional, or international; school based or household based. The UNESCO International Institute for Educational Planning (IIEP-UNESCO) has conducted a qualitative study to explore both how and why learning…

Using data from the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) 2007, this study examined the big-fish-little-pond-effects (BFLPEs) in 49 countries. In this study, the effect of math ability on math self-concept was decomposed into a within- and a between-level components using implicit mean centring and the complex data…

Many scales contain both positively and negatively worded items. Reverse recoding of negatively worded items might not be enough for them to function as positively worded items do. In this study, we commented on the drawbacks of existing approaches to wording effect in mixed-format scales and used bi-factor item response theory (IRT) models to…

International large-scale assessments are now part of the educational landscape in many countries and often feed into major policy decisions. Yet, such assessments also provide data sets for secondary analysis that can address key issues of concern to educators and policymakers alike. Traditionally, such secondary analyses have been based on a…

Are U.S. and, in particular, Hoosier students competitive and ready to succeed in an ever-changing and increasingly global economic landscape? This question is frequently considered by K-12 education stakeholders at all levels, including national, state, and local officials. One of the central ways in which education systems can compare themselves…

The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) initiated this special study in an effort to link the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) scale to the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) scale so that states could compare the performance of their students with that of students in other countries. The…

An examination of the content and level of mastery required of students taking statewide mathematics achievement tests was conducted to provide clues about the kind and level of mathematics valued in the United States. Proposals for voluntary national tests also contributed to the rationale for the study. In particular, this study: (1) examined…

A multilevel approach was used to examine determinants of growth in grade 8 mathematics achievement in Thailand. Data for 99 mathematics teachers and their 4,030 eighth graders (the 14-year-old cohort) were taken from the Second International Mathematics Study (1981-82) of the International Association for the Assessment of Educational…

Statistical data and comments describe the results of the 1977 eighth grade testing program in Ontario, Canada. The tests were: Mathematics (in French and English), Problem Solving (in French and English); Science (in English only), Attitudes, French Comprehension, and Written English. Table 1 presents the numbers of students, by school district,…

A series of tests was administered to Ontario, Canada students who had completed the eighth grade: mathematics, reading, language, written English, social studies, science, health, physical fitness, French as a second language, French as a first language, written French, values, moral reasoning, problem solving, and attitudes. Approximately 50…