Advanced Education Research and Development Fund (AERDF)

It’s no surprise that a quarter of fifth graders still struggle with reading—but now we have a clearer understanding of WHY. In a new joint report, ETS scientists Zuowei Wang, PhD, Tenaha O’Reilly and Rebecca Sutherland (AERDF) confirmed that the decoding threshold is a major factor contributing to this gap. ?? Decoding threshold is the level at which students can recognize words accurately and quickly enough to focus on understanding the text. ??This report further proves the effectiveness of ReadBasix?, an ETS assessment tool, in helping teachers identify students struggling with decoding. ?? Why it matters: When teachers can identify decoding challenges early, they can give students the right support—helping every child succeed. ?? A big thank you to our partners at Reading Reimagined at Advanced Education Research and Development Fund (AERDF) for helping bring these insights to life! Read the report here: https://bit.ly/3Cd3oUc #Reading #K12 #ETSResearch #ReadingComprehension

Join EF+Math at #PMENA 2024! Don't miss the exciting session on executive functions in mathematics education led by Advanced Education Research and Development Fund (AERDF)'s EF+Math: "Equitable and Dynamic Approaches to Assessing Executive Functions in the Mathematics Context" ?? Sunday, November 10th ? 10:20 AM ET ?? Cleveland, Ohio Presenters: Megan Brunner, PhD Rebecca Merkley, PhD Stephen J. Hutt The EF+Math team will share several innovative approaches that assess students’ executive functions during mathematical learning. The approaches aim to provide data that is useful and usable for both teachers - to inform their practice - and researchers - to answer research questions about EFs and math learning. We are looking forward to engaging with fellow researchers and educators at PME-NA 2024! https://lnkd.in/eB57569Y

Powering the future of education requires a sustainable and collaborative ecosystem of research and development, philanthropy, science and technology, policymakers, and education experts—educators, learners, and caregivers included! This past September, The Study Group and Eric Tucker hosted the Advancing Artificial Intelligence, Measurement and Assessment System Innovation Summit, an important step towards creating crucial touchpoints across sectors. Our CEO, Auditi Chakravarty, joined an incredible mix of over 120 senior leaders from philanthropy, federal policy, statehouses, classrooms, scientific communities, and research and development fields. We exchanged knowledge and envisioned the ways measurement, data, and AI will shape the future of learning and teaching. Advanced Education Research and Development Fund (AERDF) is proud to be among the leaders addressing and championing high-impact approaches to data, AI, measurement and assessment, and Advanced R&D. We believe AI has the potential to be an accelerant by making our work more efficient and easier. Each of our three current programs—Reading Reimagined, Assessment for Good, and EF+Math—have investigated ways that AI can be an accelerant for good. Whether in assessment or individualized instruction, it's clear AI can play a supporting role alongside educators and other caring adults in advancing education and equity.

Assessments today often focus only on academics, missing key aspects of student development like social, emotional, and cognitive growth. AERDF's program, Assessment for Good (with the support of essential collaborators like the Center for Whole-Child Education | Arizona State University Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College), aims to shift the assessment landscape in U.S. education by creating tools that look at the whole child and the conditions that support learning – not just test scores. The Innovation Playbook shares key lessons the Assessment for Good team has learned about how to engage learners and their school communities to codesign assessment tools that honor the whole child: https://lnkd.in/e3KrTUQK

Every student deserves to become a confident reader, but older students often struggle with grade-level texts. As of 2022, National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) data–often called “the nation’s report card”–has shown nearly 70% of 4th grade and 8th grade students are not proficient readers. A new study from Advanced Education Research and Development Fund (AERDF) and ETS offers critical insights into why older students are struggling to read: the “decoding threshold.” The decoding threshold is a critical level of decoding skill needed to read and understand grade-level text. The report, "The Decoding Threshold: Measuring the Roots of Older Students' Reading Difficulties: New Evidence," reconfirms the urgent need for resources that target foundational literacy skills in grades 3 and up. Learn more about the decoding threshold and its potential to reshape reading instruction on The 74 Media: https://lnkd.in/gbUrA8A9

The CueThinkEF+ & Pennesota R&D project team, supported by AERDF’s EF+Math program, are partnering on an AI-powered problem-solving and collaboration platform–co-designed with students–to improve learners’ critical mathematical thinking skills. Learn more about how the CueThinkEF+ platform is empowering students and transforming math problem-solving skills on our blog: https://lnkd.in/gVx2aUne CueThinkEF+ is also looking for more district partners interested in bringing the CueThinkEF+ platform to their schools. Sign up for more information about partnership opportunities: https://lnkd.in/ebcQzYev

There’s an urgent need for new solutions to help students recover from learning disruptions caused by the pandemic and to prepare for an uncertain job market. Education research and development is crucial for generating evidence-backed solutions to these teaching and learning challenges. Chief Learning Officer Advanced Education Research and Development Fund (AERDF), Chris L., advocates for a collaborative approach to education solutions that enables faster and bigger breakthroughs. This Advanced Inclusive R&D approach, which we also support at AERDF, must: 1. ?????????????????? ???????????????????? ???????????????? ???????? ?????????????????? ?????????? to develop effective solutions. Research and development should not be treated as separate steps to be completed sequentially; they must occur continuously and simultaneously. Don’t create a solution, take it to market, and then see if it works; start with the science of learning. 2. ?????????? ???????????? ?????????????????? ??&?? ?????? ?????????????? ??????????????????. The R&D process, from initial research to classroom application, requires careful measurement, evaluation, and co-design, and must include end users—students and educators—from the very beginning as they are part of the R&D ecosystem of U.S. Education. This approach ensures that the solutions produced are effective and aligned with the lived and contextual needs of students and teachers. 3. ???????????? ?????????????? ?????? ?????????? ???????????????????? to sustain an education R&D ecosystem that promotes ambitious research, inclusive practices, and evidence-backed breakthroughs. Read his opinion piece with The 74 Media to learn about four key criteria that he recommends teachers, administrators and education leaders should look for when determining whether to introduce new education technology and curriculum into their districts, schools, and classrooms. https://lnkd.in/gEEy4mkc

Current, widespread classroom assessment methods are too often rooted in outdated, exclusionary practices designed to sort and label students. Advanced Education Research and Development Fund (AERDF)'s program, Assessment for Good, is working to transform these outdated practices, so the brilliance in all students is seen and valued. Hear from one of Assessment for Good's R&D partners, ReGEN: Restore Together Global Education Network, on why it's time to reshape assessment to reflect the inclusive, dynamic future we want for all learners. Learn more about Assessment for Good: https://lnkd.in/gRXRag2t

A new study from RAND and Advanced Education Research and Development Fund (AERDF) reveals nearly 75% of educators in grades 3–8 feel that they lack the tools to address their students’ reading challenges. The study confirms what those of us in education have seen firsthand: older learners need help with basic reading skills, too. AERDF’s Reading Reimagined program is pioneering evidence-based solutions to meet these needs by applying Advanced Inclusive R&D to develop practical tools to support both teachers and students at all ages and stages of learning—because we know it’s never too late to unlock the greater reader in every child. Read about the growing need for innovative teaching and learning solutions from Education Week: https://lnkd.in/gvpnDC4g?

4 Ways to Recover from COVID Learning Loss & Advance US Education. ?? Honored to share my Opinion Piece in The 74 Media: "Develop EdTech with a Focus on Students, Teachers, & the Research." https://lnkd.in/gJ-FkFee Advanced Education Research and Development Fund (AERDF)