News
The latest news at CRESST
CRESST researchers publish well over 150 articles every year, primarily in distinguished peer-reviewed journals but also in more practice- or policy-focused publications such as Educational Leadership, Education Next, Phi Delta Kappan magazine, the American School Board Journal, and the National PTA's Our Children magazine.
CRESST partners publish scholarly books and are regularly quoted for their expertise in America's newspapers such as the New York Times, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, or Chicago Tribune.
Our researchers serve as editors, co-editors, and reviewers for a number of national journals including the journal Educational Assessment.
Assessing 21st Century Skills Book Published
CRESST Director Joan Herman chaired a National Research Council committee that produced a new book, Assessing 21st Century Skills: Summary of a Workshop.
The book suggests how new assessments might be developed to better assess 21st Century skills. Assessment of cognitive, interpersonal, and intrapersonal skills are included in the 6 chapters.
A free overview is available from the National Academies Press. Click here to download, then look for Download Free.
How Do Teachers Use Interim Assessments?
In recent years, a large number of school districts have adopted interim or benchmark assessments to help inform instruction during the school year. But are the assessment results used to improve student learning?
Find out in CRESST Report 807 written by Lorrie Shepard, Kristen Davidson, and Richard Bowman.
If you are interested in formative, interim, and benchmark assessments, you may also find CRESST Reports 806 and 802 of interest.
Heritage Commentary on Learning Progressions
Margaret Heritage, CRESST Assistant Director for Professional Development, provides commentary about a new journal article, Road Maps for Learning: A Guide to the Navigation of Learning Progressions.
Her commentary appears in the journal "Measurement: Interdisciplinary Research & Perspective.
Interim Tests Face Major Implementation Hurdles
A new CRESST report has found that school districts and schools are struggling with successful implementation and use of interim tests, often called benchmark assessments.
Drawing from schools with the greatest success, the researchers provide recommendations for a high quality interim assessment system.
Download a free copy of "District Adoption and Implementation of Interim and Benchmark Assessments" by Kristen Davidson and Greta Frohbieter, CRESST Report 806.
Tests and Surveys
The CRESST web site has links to organizations that have hundreds of tests and surveys in topics that range from kindergarten readiness to parent attitudes. Check here.
What Teachers Learn from Formative Assessment
A new CRESST report analyzes three different middle school mathematics formative assessment programs, examining how features of each program provide valuable, but oftentimes different information to teachers. More importantly, are the how teachers use the information.
If you are interested in formative or benchmark assessment, you won't want to miss this report:
Knowing and Doing: What Teachers Learn from Formative Assessment and How They Use the Information
By Greta Frohbieter, Eric Greenwald, Brian Stecher and Heather Schwartz
CRESST Report 802, July 2011
CRESST Research Published in The Journal of Educational Research
Based on a randomized study design, students using the CRESST Powersource
program outperformed other students on distributive property test questions
as published in the August 2011 issue of the Journal of Educational
Research. The CRESST authors, Julia Phelan, Kilchan Choi, Terry Vendlinski,
Eva Baker, and Joan Herman, describe their results, study limitations, and
future directions.
Read the article.
Related CRESST reports: 792, 793, 794, 795.
