Education

We conduct comprehensive research, development, and evaluation that enhances Pre-K-16 education globally. You’ll find our innovative methods and indicators for evaluating educational quality in broad use, including comprehensive approaches for monitoring and improving schools and their programs.

Our researchers are also making important contributions to the development of next-generation K-12 assessments that measure college and career readiness. Additionally, our work in higher education supports teacher capacity-building programs, as well as adult learning. And we develop models, methods and statistical software that address measurement error issues – bolstering the validity of inferences and the statistical power of educational assessment and evaluation studies industry-wide.

  • Peer-Assisted Reflection on Student Learning (PAROSL)

    Professional Learning

    CRESST provides technical assistance for the Peer-Assisted Reflection on Student Learning (PAROSL) project in collaboration with UCLA’s Center for the Advancement of Teaching; Center for Education Innovation and Learning in the Sciences; and the Excellence in Pedagogy and Innovative Classrooms initiative, which is part of the Division of the Humanities. The PAROSL process, informed by […]

  • Evaluation of Magnet Schools Assistance Program

    Evaluation, Learning Design, Methodology

    While magnet school initiatives have garnered support across the country, many questions remain regarding student achievement within these programs in relation to “conventional” public schools. In the effort to answer these questions, CRESST has been engaged in evaluating the impact of the Magnet Schools Assistance Program (MSAP) on student achievement for the past eight years, […]

  • Developing Career-Readiness Indicators: EAG

    Assessment, Methodology, Technology

    As part of an Enhanced Assessment Grant, in collaboration with the California Department of Education, this project is aimed at (1) directly supporting California’s current K-12 assessment initiatives; (2) producing information, tools, and methodologies that will inform the assessment work; and (3) developing career readiness indices for California high school assessments to improve career readiness […]

  • PBS KIDS: Big Data for Little Kids

    Assessment, Data Use, Learning Design, Technology

    For the past four years, CRESST has collaborated with PBS KIDS on their Ready To Learn (RTL) program. Sponsored by the U.S. Department of Education, this program leverages content on television, the Internet and other media to help millions of young children—particularly those living in poverty—learn the basic reading, math, and science skills needed for […]

  • Imbellus

    Assessment, Technology

    Imbellus is a venture-backed startup that develops new ways to measure human potential to help our nation better prepare for the future of work. CRESST is providing expertise on the psychometric framework and scoring methodologies to be used in Imbellus’ initial products. This process will include tasks like understanding data to inform rubric design and translating […]

  • Research Study of Literacy Design Collaborative

    Evaluation, Learning Design, Methodology

    CRESST is the independent external evaluator for LDC’s i3 validation grant, and is examining the implementation and impact of the LDC intervention on the New York City Department of Education and the Los Angeles Unified School District. The study will be a comprehensive mixed-methods evaluation to understand the impact of LDC on student learning using […]

  • Mobilize: Everyday Data Collection

    Assessment, Data Use, Evaluation, Learning Design, Methodology, Technology

    Project Mobilize, a National Science Foundation Math Science Partnership (NSF MSP) grantee, engages students in statistical investigations that promote computational thinking practices while drawing upon real-world data. Hundreds of teachers and thousands of high school students in the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) have participated in Mobilize since its inception in 2010. Over the […]

  • Assessment Supporting Deeper Learning

    Assessment, Learning Design

    With support from the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, CRESST has monitored Smarter Balanced and PARCC test development processes relative to deeper learning goals. We have developed a series of middle school social studies/history, science, and math units that integrate content with deeper learning goals. The units provide college and career ready-aligned resources for teachers […]

  • Center on Standards and Assessment Implementation (CSAI)

    Assessment, Learning Design

    CRESST partners with WestEd on the Center on Standards and Assessment Implementation (CSAI), a part of the federal Comprehensive Center network. CSAI  provides research-based technical assistance and support to 15 Regional Comprehensive Centers and to the states and districts that they serve to improve policy and practice on issues of standards, assessment, and accountability. At CRESST, the work focuses […]

  • English Language Proficiency Assessment for the 21st Century (ELPA21)

    Assessment, Evaluation, Learning Design

    ELPA21 is a consortium of states that has developed a new system of standards-based, K-12 assessments of English Language Proficiency. ELPA21 assessments are used in the initial identification of English Learners and in monitoring their progress over time. The recent adoption of new college- and career-readiness standards (in Math and English Language Arts, for example) […]

  • Wildwood STEM Institute Program Evaluation

    Evaluation, Learning Design

    CRESST is carrying out an evaluation of Wildwood School’s STEM Institute. The Institute aims to give its students the opportunity to take responsibility for their learning, as collaborators and directors of the institute. It also allows them to investigate topics of personal interest through independent research projects under the guidance of Institute staff and with […]

  • Evaluation of the STEM Teachers in Advanced Residency (STAR)

    Data Use, Evaluation, Methodology

    We recently started our evaluation work of the STEM Teachers in Advanced Residency (STAR) program, funded under the Teacher Quality Partnership (TQP) Grant Program. The evaluation uses surveys, interviews, and analysis of existing data to examine the impact—over a defined period of time—of the STAR program on program participants, their mentors, and their K-12 students. […]