We use data from a large-scale experiment conducted in Indiana in 2009-2010 to examine the impact of two interim assessment programs (mCLASS and Acuity) across the mathematics and reading achievement distributions. Specifically, we focus on whether the use of interim assessments has a particularly strong effect on improving outcomes for low…

Curriculum Associates' i-Ready is an adaptive diagnostic and individualized instructional tool that has been used in M-DCPS in the last few years. In addition, in 2016-2017, Curriculum Associates provided the District with results of their predictive model, which used the outcomes of the Fall and Winter i-Ready diagnostic testing to estimate the…

The language of instruction for Deaf children in the American educational system has long been the subject of debate: Should Deaf children learn language via American Sign Language (ASL), English-based visual communication systems, or spoken English only? It has long been the practice of the standard epistemology to encourage the use of verbal…

Our work aims to substantiate and extend earlier findings on the effects of student-teacher race matching on academic achievement using longitudinal data for students in Grades 3 through 8 in Tennessee. We examine heterogenous effects not only by racial subgroup and student preparedness, as explored in prior literature, but also by levels of…

During the 2016-2017 school year, the Vision Partnership program provided vision services to approximately 3,353 students enrolled in the Houston Independent School District. This evaluation brief describes HISD students' participation in campus-based screenings and the Vision Partnership, and the academic achievement of students served by the…

Additional research is needed on ways in which urban youth report their civic engagement. Existing research indicates that federal legislation has resulted in reduced instructional time and resources in social studies and civic education in many states, which has led to a civic education opportunity gap that resonates through many urban…

This simulation study examines the measurement precision, item exposure rates, and the depth of the MAP® Growth™ item pools under various grade-level restrictions. Unlike most summative assessments, MAP Growth allows examinees to see items from any grade level, regardless of the examinee's actual grade level. It does not limit the test to items…

This study examined indicators of cheating on a statewide summative assessment for grades 3--8 over a 4-year period. Between year 2 and year 3 of this study, the state launched an aggressive, highly publicized investigation into cheating by educators. The basis of the investigation was an erasure analysis. The current study found that the number…

With the rapid growth in the number of English learner students served by schools in the United States, educators are increasingly concerned with how these students progress toward proficiency in English. The large and diverse English learner student population in New York City public schools, where more than 41 percent of students speak a…

The purpose of this paper is to showcase new research that seeks to provide guidance on the heterogeneity of treatment effects by utilizing the variance of demographic differences in state assessments. This study is focused on a simple randomized block design where students are nested within schools, and within each school students are randomized…

This report examines how students are performing across the entire 2020-2021 school year in reading and mathematics during the pandemic. Based on insights from millions of student assessments, the report explores key questions effected by COVID-19 in education, including: (1) How much did students grow during the 2020-2021 school year compared…

As a facilitator of the Incredible Years for Teachers Programme (IYT), I have found that the classroom management strategies participant teachers learned during the 6-month programme period have not been embedded and sustained in their use through time. This inquiry investigated the benefits and barriers to IYT being spontaneously, consistently…

This annual report provides information for the 2013-14 school year on grade-level retention and student performance in the Texas public school system. Student retention and promotion data are reported with data on the performance of students in Grades 3-8 on the State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness (STAAR) reading and mathematics…

This annual report provides information for the 2014-15 school year on grade-level retention and student performance in the Texas public school system. Student retention and promotion data are reported with data on the performance of students in Grades 3-8 on the State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness (STAAR) reading and mathematics…

Individual growth curves yield insights about growth that are not available from any other methodology; and developmental scales based on conjoint measurement models provide unique interpretive advantages for investigations of academic growth. The advantages are apparent when: (1) 15 consecutive statewide reading growth curves are annotated with…