The current study examined the effect of using laptops on the spelling skills of students with learning disabilities (LD). It was conducted as part of the Israeli "Katom" (A Computer for Every Class, Student, and Teacher) Program. Participants included 93 Hebrew-speaking students with LD aged 13-16, who attend 10 special education…

Differential item functioning (DIF) occurs when an item on a test, questionnaire, or interview has different measurement properties for one group of people versus another, irrespective of true group-mean differences on the constructs being measured. This article is focused on item response theory based likelihood ratio testing for DIF (IRT-LR or…

The aim of this experimental study was to compare learning outcomes of students using a simulation alone (simulation environment) with outcomes of those using a simulation in parallel with real circuits (combination environment) in the domain of electricity, and to explore how learning outcomes in these environments are mediated by implicit (only…

This article describes the development and validation of a Vietnamese bilingual version of the Vocabulary Size Test--a test which measures written receptive vocabulary size. The test can be used to measure the English vocabulary size of Vietnamese learners of English. A learner's total vocabulary size is calculated by multiplying their test result…

Since 1949 when the People's Republic of China was established, China adopted the single criterion higher education admissions policy. That is, admissions only looked at the Gao Kao scores. The test-score-centered admissions policy undermined students' health, distorted instructions and curricula and also resulted in corruption. As a result, China…

This dissertation pertains to the field of Engineering Education. The Department of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Nevada, Reno (UNR) is hosting this dissertation under a special agreement. This study was motivated by the desire to find an improved, quantitative measure of student quality that is both convenient to use and easy to…

The release of School Grades by the State of Florida in the late summer of 2010 created quite a stir. Over 500 elementary schools all over the state dropped at least one grade level. Among those schools that experienced drops, the Reading Gains and Mathematics Gains components seemed especially low. Some of the historically best performing schools…

Researchers have developed indices to identify persons whose test results "misfit" and are considered statistically "aberrant" or "unexpected" and whose measures are consequently potentially invalid, drawing the test's validity into question. This study draws on interviews of pupils and their teachers, using a sample…

Medical diagnostics help us evaluate a range of disorders, such as cancer and infectious diseases. In the United States and other developed countries, doctors have access to advanced equipment and laboratories that provide reliable diagnoses. As a result, when we are sick, we feel confident that we will get the treatment we need. Unfortunately,…

The U.S. Department of Education released regulations governing the development of alternate assessments for students with persistent learning problems who are eligible for Modified Academic Achievement Standards (MAAS) in 2007. To date, state regular assessments or alternate assessments based on Alternate Academic Achievement Standards have not…

Recently, much attention has focused on the number of schools in the nation failing to make adequate yearly progress (AYP) in raising student achievement under the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB). The Obama Administration has projected a dramatic increase in this number as 2014--the year when 100% of students are expected to score proficient on…

When one compares summary FCAT data from the Miami-Dade district to other major districts in the State, it appears that student performance in Miami-Dade district is generally lower. However, overall summary data can be deceiving. Part of the reason is that the subgroups that make up each district have distinctly different success rates. One can…

The aim of this study was to determine the effectiveness of teaching based on conceptual change overcome misconceptions of 9th grade high school students about the subject of air pressure. The sampling of the study was formed with two classes of 9th grade students from a general high school in the city-center of Trabzon. A quasi-experimental…

What's the best estimate of student performance on the Common Core State Standards? ACT, an organization involved in developing the standards, wanted to know how well today's students are meeting them. To find out, it analyzed the test results of 256,765 11th graders who took selected forms of the ACT test in spring 2010. In its report, "A First…

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to examine advanced coursework completion rates, Advanced Placement (AP)/International Baccalaureate (IB) testing rates, AP/IB exam passage rates, and the percentage of AP/IB exam scores at or above the criterion that may exist among Texas public high school students from 2001 to 2012 to ascertain (a) the…