There is a growing interest in conceptualizing, defining, and assessing what are often called 21st century skills or deeper learning competencies. The purpose of this literature review is to explore the conceptualizations, definitions, and understandings in the research literature related to critical thinking. Key initial questions include: What…

Shortcomings in schools' efforts to serve English learners (ELs) are often both a function of the continuing scarcity of teacher education and the ability of schools to implement high-quality professional development (PD) to successfully prepare effective teachers for this marginalized student population. Scant literature addresses the processes…

The Individualized Education Program (IEP) is the heart of providing special education services to students with disabilities. It is a complex document that is supposed to include several required components. IEP teams are required to be composed of certain individuals, including "a representative of the district who is qualified to provide…

This article addresses the inclusion of English learners with disabilities, including those with significant cognitive disabilities, in state and district assessments. The authors provide background information on who these students are and the relationship between academic English language development, content learning, and assessment. The…

Although Machine Learning (ML) is used already in our daily lives, few are familiar with the technology. This poses new challenges for students to understand ML, its potential, and limitations as well as to empower them to become creators of intelligent solutions. To effectively guide the learning of ML, this article proposes a scoring rubric for…

This memorandum provides information for states that plan to amend their Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA) consolidated state plan and identifies technical assistance resources. The State accountability system, including the requirement to assess all students, and the requirement to annually publish extensive information on…

The authors posit that the traditional grading system involving points and percentages is not the best way to prepare students to be the self-directed, independent learners they need to be. A better system would produce grades that are FAST (fair, accurate, specific, timely). To bring about these changes, school leaders need not create full…

This study aims to reveal the similarities and differences in the secondary mathematics curricula (SMC) of Turkey, Estonia, Canada, and Singapore during the 2018-2019 academic years by comparing them in terms of the curriculum components. In this context, the horizontal approach technique, one of the comparative education approaches, was used in…

"Microlearning in the Digital Age" explores the design and implementation of bite-sized learning and training in technology-enabled environments. Grounded in research-based best practices and a robust, eight-dimensional framework, this book applies the latest developments in mobile learning, social media, and instructional/multimedia…

Statewide testing with college admissions exams dates to 2001, when Colorado and Illinois introduced the practice. Such testing expanded in subsequent years, and beginning in 2017--2018, the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) allowed states to use a college admissions exam to meet accountability requirements for high schools. Some see this option…

This addendum to the U.S. Department of Education (Department) "Fact Sheet Providing Services to English Learners During the COVID-19 Outbreak" (EL Fact Sheet) outlines State educational agencies' (SEAs') responsibilities regarding select topics related to English learners (ELs) during the national emergency caused by the novel…

Many education policies require estimating whether students in different grades are on track for achieving certain educational standards. One approach for constructing these cut scores is to estimate the values on tests that predict reaching targets on subsequent tests. Whether a student is deemed on target can affect the student's course…

Assessment in art is notoriously difficult and is probably best approached with skepticism. Artistry is notoriously difficult to assess. Yet measures of student learning in art are needed for both advocacy and art education policy. Assessments, particularly large-scale assessments, influence funding and educational policy at all levels. This…

The purpose of this brief is to examine disproportionality with respect to student group participation in Alternate Assessments aligned with Alternate Academic Achievement Standards (AA-AAAS). This paper is a companion to another National Center on Educational Outcomes (NCEO) brief, "Guidance for Examining District Alternate Assessment…

A major change in our country's educational landscape is taking place. The Department of Education (DepEd) has launched the Enhance Basic Education (K-12) Program last June 2012. The main purpose of this study was to assess the Level of Cognizance of Basic Education Teachers on the Enhanced K-12 Basic Education Program at Columban College. The…