A Comparison of Paper-based and Computer-based Formats for Assessing Student Achievement

Given the growing trend toward using technology to assess student learning, this investigation examined test mode comparability of student achievement scores obtained from paper-pencil and computerized assessments of statewide End-of-Course and End- of-Grade examinations in the subject areas of high school biology and eighth-grade English Language Arts and math. Propensity score matching was used to generate comparable groups of students who were assessed using paper-pencil or computer-based formats. T-tests and generalized linear models were further used to examine test mode effect. Analyses revealed a small test mode effect for all three subjects such that students using the paper-based format achieved higher scores than students using the computer- based format. The findings are germane to school districts transitioning to computerized assessments and investigating test mode comparability

A Large-Scale Zebrafish Gene Knockout Resource for the Genome-Wide Study of Gene Function

With the completion of the zebrafish genome sequencing project, it becomes possible to analyze the function of zebrafish genes in a systematic way. The first step in such an analysis is to inactivate each protein-coding gene by targeted or random mutation. Here we describe a streamlined pipeline using proviral insertions coupled with high-throughput sequencing and mapping technologies to widely mutagenize genes in the zebrafish genome. We also report the first 6144 mutagenized and archived F1’s predicted to carry up to 3776 mutations in annotated genes. Using in vitro fertilization, we have rescued and characterized ~0.5% of the predicted mutations, showing mutation efficacy and a variety of phenotypes relevant to both developmental processes and human genetic diseases. Mutagenized fish lines are being made freely available to the public through the Zebrafish International Resource Center. These fish lines establish an important milestone for zebrafish genetics research and should greatly facilitate systematic functional studies of the vertebrate genome

The Impact of Education Policies on Socioeconomic Inequality in Student Achievement: A Review of Comparative Studies

This chapter reviews international comparative studies on the determinants of socioeconomic inequality in student performance. We were interested in studies of explanatory variables that are amenable to educational policy interventions. To identify such publications, we developed a comprehensive search strategy and conducted an electronic search based on six databases. We also manually searched two existing hand-picked reviews. After duplicates were removed, the search resulted in 814 references, of which a total of 35 studies met the eligibility criteria. The included studies investigated diverse topics such as learning environments inside and outside of school, educational expenditure, teacher education, autonomy, accountability, differentiation, and competition from private schools. Most studies are descriptive in nature and their findings are sometimes ambiguous. Despite these limitations, we tentatively conclude that the opportunity of choice reinforces inequality. Measures that target social selection can be effective