Research Highlights

In 1947, ETS's founders envisioned an organization devoted to educational research and assessment that could make fundamental contributions to the progress of education in the United States.

The work of ETS research staff is summarized in a capabilities document.

In K–12 assessment, recent innovations in both formative and summative assessments item have been studied in the CBAL™ (Cognitively Based Assessments of, for, and as Learning) initiative with several states. That work is also referenced on a resource page for the Race to the Top Common Assessments ETS put together for state, district and legislative leaders.

Policy Information Center Reports

ETS provides policy and research publications for students, parents, educators, researchers and policymakers.

Fault Lines in Our Democracy: Civic Knowledge, Voting Behavior, and Civic Engagement in the United States
This report shows that weak civic knowledge among young people is linked to less voting, less volunteering and greater distrust in government. This report calls for sustained efforts on the part of parents, the public, the educational system, and local and national leaders to address these fault lines in our democracy that threaten our nation's civic well-being.

ETS Research Spotlight (Issue 6): CBAL™ Results from Piloting Innovative K–12 Assessments
The sixth issue of ETS Research Spotlight focuses on a report highlighting our long-term Research & Development initiative — Cognitively Based Assessment of, for, and as Learning (CBAL™)

State Pre-K Assessment Policies: Issues and Status
This report identifies and describes state-funded Pre-K assessment policies and programs operating in 2012 and discusses the special challenges related to assessing young children.

The Mission of the High School: A New Consensus of the Purposes of Public Education?
This report provides a perspective on a variety of issues that need to be addressed as the mission of the high school is being transformed to prepare all students for college and careers.

ETS Policy Notes — The Family: America's Smallest School
This issue of ETS Policy Notes provides highlights from the "Addressing Achievement Gaps" symposium held in Washington, DC on October 18, 2010.

ETS Policy Notes — A Look Inside the Fourth-Grade Reading Classroom
This issue of ETS Policy Notes provides an interesting and informative overview of some of the data collected for the 2009 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) reading assessment at the fourth grade level.

ETS Policy Notes — After the Bell Rings: Learning Outside of the Classroom and Its Relationship to Student Academic Achievement
This issue of ETS Policy Notes provides highlights from the "Addressing Achievement Gaps" symposium held in Washington, D.C. on October 5th and 6th, 2009.

R&D Connections

This publication from ETS's Research & Development team presents research in nontechnical language for educators and administrators.

Each issue highlights a particular area of research relevant to K–12 educators and discusses how it affects the field of education and offers possible real-world applications.

Some of our topics are:

• Why Bother with Research When We Have Common Sense?
  by B. Bridgeman
  R&D Connections No. 20
• Formative Assessment – Supporting Students' Learning
  by C. Wylie & C. Lyon
  R&D Connections No. 19
• Dropping Out of High School: Prevalence, Risk Factors, and Remediation Strategies
  by J. Burrus & R.D. Roberts
  R&D Connections No. 18
• Setting Standards on The Praxis Series™ Tests: A Multistate Approach
  by R.J. Tannenbaum
  R&D Connections No. 17
• Why Do Standardized Testing Programs Report Scaled Scores?
  by X. Tan & R. Michel
  R&D Connections No. 16
• Can Speech Technology Improve Assessment and Learning?
  by I.I. Bejar
  R&D Connections No. 15
• The Case for a Comprehensive, Four-Skills Assessment of English-Language Proficiency
  by D.E. Powers
  R&D Connections No. 14
• Constructed-Response Scoring — Doing it Right
  by C.A. McClellan
  R&D Connections No. 13
• Leveling the Field on Math and Science Tests for Students with Learning Disabilities
  by E. Stone and L. Cook
  R&D Connections No. 12
• Constructed-Response Test Questions: Why We Use Them; How We Score Them
  by S.A. Livingston
  R&D Connections No. 11
• Measuring Learning Outcomes in Higher Education
  by O.L. Liu
  R&D Connections No. 10
• What Does It Mean to Repurpose a Test?
  by C. Wendler and D. Powers
  R&D Connections No. 9
• Ensuring Valid Content Tests for English-language Learners
  by J.W. Young
  R&D Connections No. 8
• Standard Setting: What Is It? Why Is It Important?
  by I.I. Bejar
  R&D Connections No. 7
• The Practice of Comparing Scores on Different Tests
  by N.J. Dorans
  R&D Connections No. 6
• Is Test Score Reliability Necessary?
  by M.E. Walker
  R&D Connections No. 5
• The Facts About Subscores
  by W. Monaghan
  R&D Connections No. 4
• The Case for Noncognitive Assessments
  by P. Kyllonen
  R&D Connections No. 3
• E-rater® as a Quality Control on Human Scores
  By W. Monaghan and B. Bridgeman
  R&D Connections No. 2
• Testing and Time Limits
  By B. Bridgeman, A. McBride, and W. Monaghan
  R&D Connections No. 1

See also:

• ETS Research
• Find a research report
• K–12 Center Assessment & Performance Management