Center for Research on Evaluation, Standards and Student Testing

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Today in the Terrace Ballroom IV

Developing Indicators of Code Quality For Block-Based Programming

Sat, April 13, 3:05 to 4:35pm, Convention Center, Floor: Fourth, Terrace Ballroom IV

Abstract
We present an automated approach to analyzing code structures of block-based programs and developing indicators of code quality: complexity, content, and structure. Using sample responses for debugging tasks from the Scratch repository, we validate how our indicators reflect a priori categorizations of four debugging patterns and present preliminary findings.

Thrilled to be in Philly - thanks to everyone who found registration (on Market Street!) and is here with us for our training session on game design for measurement and assessment.

We are ! Join our team!

Go to the UCLA Careers page: https://lnkd.in/g5J24Rjc

Then use the"Search Jobs" link to filter by Department - we're 0286- CRESST on drop down.

In the spirit of congratulating CRESST staff:
Joena Mandanici recently reached her 35 year milestone at UCLA, with about half of that time at CRESST. As CRESST Director of Business and Finance Administration, Joena leads our mighty business office team, serving as the engine that keeps all CRESST administrative, contracting, personnel, and fiscal processes running efficiently and effectively.
Congratulations, Joena, and thank you for your continued contributions to the Center, the School, and the University as a whole!

To learn more about CRESST staff: https://cresst.org/people-of-cresst/

Join us in congratulating members of our staff who have recently achieved significant UCLA service milestones!

Both Law Casey and John Lee have reached their 25-year service milestones at UCLA!

Over his 25 years, Law has contributed high quality visuals, graphics, and design to numerous CRESST projects, products, and conferences, as well as the development of the branding and visuals for the Center as a whole.

John Lee has made important contributions to our technology work, including a long list of military-funded projects. He continues this work into 2024, including developing and testing a range of technical tools and innovations to support the implementation, assessment, and evaluation of the effectiveness of military training. He also recently collaborated on the development of the new HERI survey portal, a major achievement for the project.

Please join us in congratulating these valued team members for reaching the milestones, and in thanking them for all of their ongoing excellent work and contributions to the Center, the School, and the University as a whole!

To learn more about CRESST staff: https://cresst.org/people-of-cresst/

Our colleague, Glory Tobiason is the co-lead on the Holistic Evaluation of Teaching (HET) initiative. The project was given a shout-out in the recent Quarterly Update from Chancellor Block!

Congrats Dr. Tobiason and the HET team!

Winter 2024 Update - UCLA Chancellor Winter 2024 Update We begin the new year with exciting news — our university recently acquired the former Westside Pavilion mall, with plans to turn it into the state-of-the-art UCLA Research Park. This acquisition aligns with several of the goals in our new strategic plan, which was announced thi...

The special episode on ASSETS, the podcast hosted by Dr. Jobi Lawrence from is now live! Available on Spotify or Apple Podcasts, listen in as we share the first of our two-part series commemorating the 50th anniversary of Lau v. Nichols with Mr. Edward Steinman, the attorney who successfully argued the landmark legal case affecting English learners and educators.

Learn how, on January 21, 1974, the U.S. Supreme Court unanimously ruled that school districts must provide non-English-speaking students must receive English language instruction for an equal education under the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Check out the video link provided below to learn more about the 50th Anniversary Special Series.

If you enjoy the 50th Anniversary episode, be sure to follow along each month as Dr. Lawrence takes a deep dive into the educational realities of multilingual learners nationwide.

To listen:

ASSETS Listen to ASSETS on Spotify. ASSETS is a podcast original series hosted by Dr. Jobi Lawrence. Follow along as she takes a deep dive into the educational realities of multilingual learners across the country. Dr. Lawrence focuses on opportunities and challenges to meet the unique needs of our nation'...

Join us on January 21st, 2023, for a special episode on ASSETS, the podcast hosted by Dr. Jobi Lawrence from UCLA CRESST! Available on Spotify or Apple Podcasts, listen in as we share the first of our two-part series commemorating the 50th anniversary of Lau v. Nichols with Mr. Edward Steinman, the attorney who successfully argued the landmark legal case affecting English learners and educators.

Learn how, on January 21, 1974, the U.S. Supreme Court unanimously ruled that school districts must provide non-English-speaking students must receive English language instruction for an equal education under the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Check out the video link provided below to learn more about the 50th Anniversary Special Series.

If you enjoy the 50th Anniversary episode, be sure to follow along each month as Dr. Lawrence takes a deep dive into the educational realities of multilingual learners nationwide.

To listen: https://open.spotify.com/show/6KMqnNCq1ZjamN8ytbEevC

In case you missed it, CRESST Director Li Cai recently discussed fairness in assessment at the “Re-Envisioning Fairness in Educational Assessment and the Next Edition of the Standards.” Dr. Cai addressed the implications for measurement and psychometrics and recommends looking at growth as opposed to a snapshot, such as an ACT/SAT score, of student learning – one of the key points he made as a member of former UC President Napolitano’s Academic Council’s Standardized Testing Task Force.

Panelists Randy Bennett (Educational Testing Service), Li Cai (UCLA), Guillermo Solano-Flores (Stanford University), Ye Tong (National Board of Medical Examiners), Juli Coleman (CORE Districts), Heather Hough (Policy Analysis for California Education), Jennifer Randall (University of Michigan), Anne Vasquez (EdSource), and Emily Wolk (Santa Ana Unified School District) lead breakout panels and audience discussions. Conversations focused on the new standards, assessment for learning and the individual student, and the loss of culture in standards and assessment and the impacts of this on the US’s now majority of public school students of color.

The session explored the meaning of fairness in educational assessment, conceptual and methodological challenges in adopting new approaches, implications for educational measurement, policy and practice, and recommendations for the forthcoming revision of the Standards for Educational and Psychological Testing. From Randy Bennett of ETS, “The demographics of test-takers are changing and how do we best address this?”

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We wish you a Happy Holiday Season and New Year! We are so grateful for our staff and give thanks for another wonderfully productive year. From CRESST Director Li Cai, “With the holidays near, I hope that I can take a moment to thank you. I wish you and your loved ones a very pleasant holiday season and a happy 2024!”

CRESST continues its comprehensive, 18-month study assessing the efficacy of Teach For Armenia’s signature Teacher Leadership Program in collaboration with the Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sports (MoESCS). The study examines the key research question, “What impact does Teach For Armenia’s approach to teaching have on student leadership, the school, and the community at large?”

CRESST is now collecting a second round of data, including extensive interviews with stakeholders, at Teach For Armenia’s carefully selected control and intervention schools. The first phase of the study entailed data collection from 78 schools, including 39 schools that were carefully selected in partnership with MoESCS. Mirroring the data collection methods of the baselining process, the culminating results will compare progress made by both the control and intervention groups over the course of the school year. For more details on the study, please visit https://bit.ly/CRESST50Blog.

Heartfelt appreciation is extended to Dr. Eric Esrailian and UCLA’s School of Education and Information Studies (SEIS) for their generous financial backing of this pivotal study. Their invaluable contribution stands as a beacon of support, enabling CRESST and Teach For Armenia to catalyze meaningful change in the realm of education, fostering transformative prospects for students and educators not only within Armenia, but also reaching beyond its borders.

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Shout-out to CRESST Assistant Director for Program Evaluation Dr. Jia Wang for her invaluable insights on the post-COVID test scores in LAUSD. Dr. Wang and her team at CRESST have been on the frontlines of COVID academic recovery, exploring the effects of different learning environments on student performance. Their research (https://cresst.org/publications/r869/) delves into learning loss associated with learning location.

EdSource published an article on LAUSD test scores and interventions supporting student academic COVID recovery and reached out to CRESST for comment. The article is available here: https://edsource.org/2023/a-year-after-alberto-carvalho-vows-to-curb-covid-learning-loss-lausd-struggles-to-recuperate/700514.

Dr. Wang is quoted, “…while there is no perfect metric for students’ academic performance, learning support funneled into classrooms is just as important as student output. Instead of just saying ‘here’s what the student produced,’ I also want to see information about what is being put into the classroom. What kind of supports are being given to students [to] ensure they are given the opportunity to learn?”

It's a critical perspective, highlighting that academic success is not only about what students produce, but also about the quality of support provided. Dive into the full article and join the conversation on , , and the ongoing journey of post-pandemic academic recovery in LAUSD and CRESST’s efforts to support student learning.

On campus? In LA next week? Join CRESST, PACE, & UCLA's School of Education on October 6 for the Re-Envisioning Fairness in Educational Assessment Conference. Register today: https://bit.ly/3rAPtSL!

Re-Envisioning Fairness in Educational Assessment This conference will explore the meanings of fairness in education and implications for assessment research, development, and practice

Through collaborative efforts with Teach for Armenia, as well as Armenia’s Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sports (MoESCS), CRESST has undertaken a comprehensive study spanning 18 months to assess the efficacy of its Teacher-Leader Program, its fundamental program. The study aims to examine the key research question: “What impact does Teach For Armenia’s approach to teaching have on student leadership, the school, and the community at large?” The project, which began in June 2023, is now focusing on training local data collectors through September. The forthcoming data collection phase, slated for commencement in October, will encompass 40 schools engaged in the program and an equal number of comparison schools.
Heartfelt appreciation is extended to Dr. Eric Esrailian and UCLA’s School of Education and Information Studies (SEIS) for their generous financial backing of this pivotal study. Their invaluable contribution stands as a beacon of support, enabling CRESST and Teach For Armenia to catalyze meaningful change in the realm of education, fostering transformative prospects for students and educators not only within Armenia but also beyond its borders.
To learn more about the scope of the study, please visit this page:

LEARNING FROM TEACH FOR ARMENIA TO PROMOTE SYSTEMIC TRANSFORMATION — Teach For Armenia In partnership with the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) School of Education and Information Studies, as well as Armenia’s Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sports (MoESCS), Teach For Armenia conducts an external study in order to evaluate the effectiveness of its program…

CRESST is excited to announce we will be hosting the Re-Envisioning Fairness in Educational Assessment Conference with the UCLA School of Education and PACE on campus and in person on October 6! From the opening remarks by Dean Tina Christie to a reprise of the Special Issue of Educational Assessment, introduced by Drs. Joan L. Herman, Alison L. Bailey, and José Felipe Martinez and authored by Drs. Jennifer Randall, Randy Bennett, and W***y Solano, this event promises a deep dive into assessment standards. Drs. Li Cai and Tyrone Howard will be speaking at this event, along with other distinguished staff. Attendees will be able to engage with experts in psychometric and policy issues and join a lunch Q&A session with students. Click here to register for this event: https://ow.ly/NWMN50PJwgs
We hope to see you there!

Re-Envisioning Fairness in Educational Assessment This conference explores the meanings of fairness in educational assessment, along with implications and challenges adopting new approaches

CRESST is proud to congratulate Drs. Joan Herman, Alison Bailey, and Felipe Martinez of UCLA for their editing work on the Introduction to the Special Issue of Educational Assessment focused on fairness in assessment. The introduction offers a concise summary of the existing Fairness Standards as outlined in the Standards for Educational and Psychological Testing (2014). Moreover, it presents an insightful overview of the entire special issue, featuring significant contributions from esteemed researchers such as Dr. Jennifer Randall and Dr. Randy Bennett, who offer focal articles, and Dr. Guillermo Solano-Flores, who provides a synthesis discussion. This work contributes to advancing the understanding and implementation of fair assessment practices in education. Read the full article here:
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/10627197.2023.2215979.

Introduction to the Special Issue: Fairness in Educational Assessment and the Next Edition of the Standards This introduction provides context for Educational Assessment’s special issue, ”Fairness in Educational Assessment and the Next Edition of the Standards.” The article introduces the topic of fairne...

The American Council on Education (ACE) and the UCLA School of Education and Information Studies (UCLA Ed&IS) are partnering to lead and strengthen the Higher Education Research Institute (HERI). ACE and UCLA Ed&IS will enhance HERI's impact by 2025, leveraging their expertise in higher education research and assessment. UCLA CRESST will continue to manage and administer existing surveys, while the partnership will produce new HERI survey reports, including a report on data from The Freshman Survey. We are excited about the future of HERI and the bright future for higher education research and understanding.

Drs. Adrienne Lavine and Glory Tobiason (https://ow.ly/OpVn50OXslg) attended the Teaching Evaluation Networking Summit June 7-9, a gathering of distinguished leaders from the TEval initiative (https://ow.ly/UACX50OXslj), a national effort aimed at transforming the way teaching is evaluated in higher education.

The event brought together 40 representatives from over 20 esteemed colleges and universities across the United States and Canada. Dr. Lavine and Dr. Tobiason (of CRESST) showcased UCLA's pioneering efforts in teaching evaluation reform, specifically through the Holistic Evaluation of Teaching (HET) initiative (https://ow.ly/nq1Y50OXslh).

Holistic Evaluation of Teaching at UCLA – UCLA Center for the Advancement of Teaching UCLA’s Center for the Advancement of Teaching has initiated an exciting new project to improve the way UCLA evaluates teaching. Across our campus, there is widespread recognition that excellent teaching is too multifaceted and nuanced to be documented using a single source of evidence like student...

In partnership with Teach For Armenia and the Ministry of Education, Science, Culture, and Sports (MoESCS) of Armenia, the National Center for Research on Evaluation, Standards, and Student Testing (CRESST) at the UCLA School of Education and Information Studies is excited to initiate an external study to evaluate the effectiveness of the Teacher-Leader Program. Drawing on its extensive experience in educational assessment and evaluation, CRESST aims to examine the key research question: "What impact does Teach For Armenia's teaching approach have on student leadership, the school, and the broader community?" Led by renowned experts in educational statistics and evaluation methodologies, Dr. Li Cai (CRESST Director) and Dr. Noelle Griffin (CRESST Senior Associate Director), the study will span 18 months and involve close collaboration with Teach For Armenia's leadership team. The study seeks to provide valuable insights to enhance Teach For Armenia's program and improve the learning experience for both teachers and students. Additionally, the findings will be shared with MoESCS as it embarks on its 2030 Education Strategy, fostering mutual learning and growth.
Click here to learn more:

HOME (EN) — Teach For Armenia Our movement for educational justice is like the kochari. Communities across Armenia have their own special dances, yet each kochari shares similar movements. Each kochari emphasizes the importance of building community by moving together in unison. With hands linked, we move together to signify tha...

📣 We're a Marketing and Sales Coordinator!

If you have strong communication and organizational skills, a collaborative spirit, and show attention to detail, we want to hear from you!

Learn more and apply: https://hubs.la/Q01QJS-S0

The Higher Education Research Institute (HERI) here at UCLA's CRESST is excited to announce the Cooperative Institutional Research Program (CIRP) Data Institute, taking place June 21-23, 2023. Register here: https://heri.ucla.edu/cirp-summer-institute/

It's virtual this year and will instill emerging and experienced scholars, institutional researchers, and assessment leaders with the skills and knowledge needed to make sense of campus-level or multi-institutional data collected from HERI-administered surveys.

Regardless of level of expertise or statistical background, the Institute provides participants with valuable skills and connections to experts in the field.

Through engaging activities, participants will learn to create a mini-study using HERI data, receive comprehensive training on survey frameworks and data analysis, and discover new applications across campuses. Don't miss out on this great opportunity to expand your research skills and network with renowned experts. Education Research Institute School of Education & Information Studies

CIRP Data Institute: June 21-23, 2023 – HERI CIRP Data InstituteJune 21-23, 2023 (Pre-Institute June 21)* In this intensive, hands-on program you will learn how to design, analyze, and report your own study using CIRP data. You will also learn about the latest research findings on relevant issues ranging from retention and student-faculty inte...

CRESST researchers attended and presented at and in Chicago. Our researchers showcased our commitment to advancing research and practice in education.

Pictured below are CRESST researchers and graduate students with Jeremy Roberts of PBS KIDS. From the left: Greg Chung, Liz Redman, Jeremy Roberts, Ryan Lerch, Hyoungbin Park, Yon Soo Suh, and Tianying (Teanna) Feng. Our sessions and training were well attended and the following discussions were lively.

Looking for more information on CRESST’s services and offerings? Visit www.cresst.org. Thank you to everyone who contributed and attended and we’ll see you next year!

AERA/NCME Saturday morning getting started with 2 sessions. AERA is "Designing and Validating Games to Measure Social and Emotional Learning: Validation Results and Lessons Learned" with Jeremy Roberts of PBS, Bill Shribman (WGBH), Elizabeth Redman (CRESST), Yon Soo Suh (NWEA), Gregory Chung (CRESST), and discussants Eva Baker (CRESST Founding Director) and Kate Zinsser (U of Illinois at Chicago). https://bit.ly/41slloX

And NCME is "Holistic Admissions with Test-Optional Policies: Application Essays, Recommendation Letters, and Other Factors" with CRESST Director Li Cai, Guangming Ling (ETS), and Ou Lydia Liu (ETS). https://bit.ly/43t4Ri3

Hope you're having a great conference(s)!

AERA Annual Meeting 2023 The online program contains content that is remote in nature. Setting your timezone will allow for localization of the times.To change your timezone later, select "Change Preferences" from the "Navigation Menu" on the left side of the online program home page.

HERI’s mission is to inform educational policy and promote institutional improvement through an increased understanding of higher education and its impact on college students. HERI is now housed at CRESST at UCLA.

Questions about The Freshman Survey (TFS) and how your college can participate? Interested in a survey demo? Visit HERI.ucla.edu/cirp-freshman-survey/

cirpsurveys.org

The 2023 AERA Undergraduate Fellows Research Poster Fair is today, 2:50 to 4:20pm CDT. UCLA student Kayla Teng's research - Development and Validation of Game-Based Indicators of Computational Thinking in a Block-Based Programming Game (Poster 68) - on Computational Thinking (CT) in elementary children in a programming game is being highlighted.

This study uses existing data from children’s gameplay in a programming game, codeSpark Academy, to develop and validate game-based indicators with an existing external measure of CT.

CT in elementary children has been of much interest among educational researchers due to the significant growth and prevalence of technology and programming careers.

Here in Chicago ? See CRESST Director Li Cai in session "Advances in Item Response and Response Time Modeling" at 9:50 am CT. Here's to a great start! Find CRESST researchers' presentations this week here:

Upcoming Meeting - NCME We are pleased to announce that the 2023 National Council on Measurement in Education (NCME) Annual Meeting will take place April 12-15, with April 12 as the in-person training day. There will also be virtual training sessions and presentations from March 28-30, 2023.