Advancing research to expand educational opportunities
The Collaborative for Student Growth at NWEA is devoted to transforming education research through advancements in assessment, growth measurement, and the availability of longitudinal data.
The work of our researchers spans a range of educational measurement and policy issues including achievement gaps, assessment engagement, social-emotional learning, and innovations in how we measure student learning. Core to our mission is building research partnerships with universities, think tanks, grant-funding agencies, and other stakeholders to expand the insights drawn from our student growth database—which is one of the most extensive in the world.
New insights about education problems
Beth Tarasawa, executive vice president of research, explains how the Collaborative for Student Growth relies on the right expertise, the right research partners, and the right data to re-envision seemingly intractable problems in education, making them more tractable.
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Featured Research
Blog
The impact of COVID-19 on student achievement and what it may mean for educators
In this Brookings Brown Center Chalkboard blog, James Soland shares new research projections on potential impacts of COVID-19 school closures on student achievement, how wide the range in achievement might be between high and low-performing students, and what this may mean for educators.
Topics: Measurement & scaling, COVID-19 and schools, Equity, Seasonal learning patterns & summer loss
Research by the Collaborative for Student Growth
The impact of test-taking disengagement on item content representation
Rapid-guessing can distort test scores and adversely affect measurement. New research shows how disengaged responses can also distort content representation.
Topics: School & test engagement, Innovations in reporting & assessment, Measurement & scaling
New research predicts steep COVID learning losses will widen already dramatic achievement gaps within classrooms
New research conducted by the nonprofit assessment organization NWEA predicts that teachers are likely to see an even broader array of achievement gaps when schools reopen.
The 74
Topics: COVID-19 and schools, Equity, Seasonal learning patterns & summer loss
How to reopen America’s schools
Many questions remain as experts weigh options for getting children back into the classroom.
The New York Times (2020, June 6)
Topics: COVID-19 and schools, Equity, Seasonal learning patterns & summer loss
Trends in children’s academic skills at school entry: 2010 to 2017
This study examines academic skills at kindergarten entry from 2010 and 2017 using data from over 2 million kindergarten students.
Topics: Early learning, Equity
Research shows students falling months behind during virus disruptions
The abrupt switch to remote learning wiped out academic gains for many students in America, and widened racial and economic gaps. Catching up in the fall won’t be easy.
The New York Times (2020, June 5)
Topics: COVID-19 and schools, Equity, Seasonal learning patterns & summer loss
Correlates of change in elementary students’ perceptions of interactions with their teacher
This study leveraged a racially/ethnically diverse sample of third and fourth grade students and teachers in a large, urban district to investigate whether stable student and teacher characteristics (e.g., sex) and observed quality of classroom interactions influenced change in students’ perceptions of interactions with their teacher.
Topics: Equity, Social-emotional learning
The impact of COVID-19 on student achievement and what it may mean for educators
In this Brookings Brown Center Chalkboard blog, James Soland shares new research projections on potential impacts of COVID-19 school closures on student achievement, how wide the range in achievement might be between high and low-performing students, and what this may mean for educators.
Topics: COVID-19 and schools, Equity, Seasonal learning patterns & summer loss
