ERME Newsletter 1

Volume VI, Issue I

Summer 2012 Newsletter

BOSTON COLLEGE

Lynch School of Education

Department of Educational Research, Measurement and Evaluation

Congratulations, 2012 ERME Graduates!

Newsletter Contact Information

Dr. Larry Ludlow ludlow@bc.edu

Jillian Gomolka

jillian.gomolka@bc.edu 617-552-2072

In This Issue…

Career Fair & Alumni Panel Recap

TIMSS & PIRLS Update

Summer Plans

NEERO & AERA recaps

...and more!!!

Fall 2012 Course Schedule

http://www.bc.edu/content/dam/

files/offices/stserv/soc/

SOC_March_2012.pdf

Eleven students graduated from the ERME program within the last

year! Ph.D. graduates took part in the robing ceremony on May 20th,

and all recent graduates were honored at the commencement

ceremony on May 21st. Congratulations on your accomplishments!

M. Ed.

Beyza Aksu

Noelle Cavacchioli

Mary Durr

Ken Tan

Ragip Terzi

Ph.D.

Jessica Brown

Matthew Cannady

Gabrielle Stanco

Octavio Suarez Munist

Feng Tian

Yang (Caroline) Wang

(L-R) Dr. Mullis, Dr. Stanco, Dr. Cannady, Dr. Brown, Dr. Wang and Dr. Ludlow

ED460 INTERP/EVAL/RESEARCH Saenz TH 4 30-6 50

ED462 ASSESSMENT&TEST CONSTRUC Flanagan T 7-9 30

ED468 INTRO STATISTICS O’Dwyer T 1 30-4

ED468 INTRO STATISTICS Brown W 4 30-6 50

ED469 INTERMED. STATIS-TICS Carreras TH 7-9 30

ED560 ISSUES IN TESTING Braun M 1 30-4

ED671 PSYCHOMETRIC THE-ORY II Depascale T 4 30-6 50

ERME Newsletter 2

2012 ERME Career Fair & Alumni Panels Recap

The 2012 ERME Career Fair & Alumni Panels event

took place on May 16th. The event was a great suc-

cess— we had over 40 people in attendance! At-

tendees ranged from prospective and current stu-

dents to alumni and faculty members.

The alumni panels were very lively, and provided

students with practical advice on the job search, as

well as sharing their experiences as an ERME student

and in the workforce. The also provided us with

marketing materials from their current companies,

and informed us of various job opportunities. We

would like to thank the panels, and other alumni

that serve as great mentors to our current students.

During lunch time, attendees had the opportunity to

speak with prospective employers and pick up mate-

rials from companies hiring for ERME-related jobs.

In case you were unable to attend, we recorded the

alumni panels. Within the next month, ERME email

list subscribers will receive instruction on how to

view a video of the alumni panels.

We welcome your feedback on the event and look

forward planning the next Career Fair/Alumni Panel

Event!

HR Representative Joyce Boston informs ERME

PhD student Ryan Auster of numerous job op-

portunities available at Measured Progress.

Dr. Fidelman & Dr. Betebenner reflect upon their

ERME experiences.

ERME M.Ed. Students Jennifer Hotaling and Ada-

line Mirabel show off some swag they received

from ERME-related employers

(L-R) Deborah Cantor (M.Ed. ‘11), Beth Morton

(current PhD student), Gabrielle Stanco (PhD ‘12)

and Alka Arora (PhD ‘07) are all smiles!

ERME Newsletter 3

Summer Projects & Plans

TIMSS & PIRLS International Study Center Update

•May 2012•

Over the past several months, the TIMSS & PIRLS International Study Center has continued working to fi-

nalize the International Reports of trends in mathematics, science, and reading achievement for their release in De-

cember 2012. We have recently completed our scale anchoring analyses for the TIMSS and PIRLS International

Benchmarks, which describes mathematics, reading, or science achievement at the different points along the achieve-

ment scales. The Reading Development Group met in Stockholm, Sweden to conduct the PIRLS scale anchoring, and

the TIMSS Science and Mathematics Item Review Committee met in Helsinki, Finland for the mathematics and sci-

ence scale anchoring.

Meanwhile, we have also been busy finalizing the TIMSS and PIRLS Encyclopedias in preparation for their

release in September 2012. In total, the Encyclopedias will contain 125 chapters describing the educational systems

and policies related to mathematics, science, and reading in the TIMSS and PIRLS countries.

(Article written by Katie Drucker, Senior Research Associate at TIMSS & PIRLS International Study Center )

Andrea Humez will be spending the first half of the summer conducting video-based interviews about math in-

struction with elementary school principals and collecting survey data. She's also looking forward to spending

some time in Maine with her family, and working on some creative writing projects.

Dana Diaconu writes, “First and foremost, I am preparing my final dissertation defense on June 11th (all are invit-

ed...). The rest of the summer, I plan to work on a paper based on my dissertation research and to nurture my

body and the precious new life growing inside me...”

Apryl Holder is working a few consulting jobs for the summer while she tries to secure a more permanent job for

the fall and finish up her dissertation. She also hopes to take a weeklong vacation and head to the DC area to

visit friends in DC, Philadelphia, and Virginia.

Caroline Vuilleumier will be tutoring students to get them through their AP summer work. She also has a lot of

traveling planned: “One week in Martha’s Vineyard, one week at the Jersey Shore, a few weddings here and there

and plenty of trips to NYC to visit family. “

Jennifer Glickman is interning in Washington, D.C. in the Research and Information Department of the American

Federation of Teachers. She is currently writing a literature review on the Portfolio Management Models springing

up in New Orleans, New York, Chicago, Detroit, Philadelphia, etc.

Josh Tobias is working at CIRCLE (The Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement)

which is housed at Tufts University. He is also getting married on June 10th in West Greenwich, Rhode Island!

Oscar J. Mayorga (ERME M.Ed. ’10) is the Director of the Damietta Cross-Cultural Center at Siena College in Alba-

ny, NY. Among his other responsibilities, he has lead an assessment and evidence-based program to improve

campus climate and student’s cultural competencies. Oscar is seeking higher education leadership or re-

search\assessment employment opportunities in the Boston metro area. You can find Oscar’s profile on

LinkedIn.

Ken Tan (ERME M. Ed. ‘12) is in his third week at the Bartley Secondary School in Singapore as the Head of De-

partment for Student Development. He is teaching and overseeing courses, including Mathematics and Physics.

Ken mentions, “Right now, I'm using my ERME skills to review our Character Development Framework, as well as

select students for a new Character Award. At some point, I'll also be refining our staff and student climate sur-

veys, all of which will utilize my ERME knowledge!”

ERME Newsletter 4

Congratulations to Dana Diaconu for successfully

defending her dissertation! Click her name to view

abstract information

Dana V. Diaconu Title: Modeling science achievement differences

between single-sex and coeducational schools:

analyses from Hong Kong, SAR and New Zealand

from TIMSS 1995, 1999, and 2003

Committee Readers:

Dr. Henry Braun (chair)

Dr. Laura O’Dwyer

DR. Mike Barnett

DR. Damian Betebenner

Dissertation Defense NEERO RECAP

The 2013 Annual Meeting will take April 27 -

May 1, 2013 in San Francisco. Dates for open

submission are: June 1 – July 22nd, 2012 . More

information can be found here.

2012 NEERO participants eager to present! (back row: Katherine Shields, Todd Reeves, Minsong Kim, Ragip Terzi, Joshua Tobias front row: Shelagh Peoples, Jessica Brown, Clair Johnson)

The 44th Annual New England Educa-

tional Research Organization (NEERO)

meeting was held May 2 through May 4

this year. The Lynch School of Education

was well-represented at this conference,

particularly in the ERME department.

ERME students, faculty and alumni pre-

sented a variety of topics, and many stu-

dents from Dr. Ludlow’s Psychometrics

course opted to

present their Rasch

models in a

symposium. It was

great to reconnect

with ERME alumni,

and meet scholars

with similar

interests. Ragip and Dr. Ludlow are all smiles after the Rasch Models

Symposium

AERA Annual

Meeting 2013

Dr. Ludlow’s drawing is a view from the Vancouver Convention Center (where the 2012 AERA Annual

Meeting took place).

ERME Newsletter 5

Mind Puzzle

Using the letters AAEEIIMMPPTT, com-

plete this grid with valid words. The grid reads the same across as down.

Source: brainbashers.com

(answer in next issue)

Just for Fun...

SAVE THE DATE!ERME faculty and students,

Mark your calendars for the 15th Annual Back-to-School Potluck Dinner! ERME and C&I faculty and students are cordially invited to attend our annual potluck dinner. This is an opportunity for new and continuing master’s and doc-toral students to meet one another as well as a chance for faculty and students to connect with one another. More information will follow about location, what to bring, direc-tions, RSVPs, etc. (Partners and guests are welcome.)

ERME /C&I Student/Faculty Back-to-School

Potluck Dinner

Date: Sunday, September 9, 2012

Time: 4pm

Place: Cochran-Smith/Ludlow Home

Professor Pedulla’s Last Class

Wednesday, May 2nd was Dr. Pedulla’s last class

teaching at Boston College! Although he will still

be around next year, we wanted to show our ap-

preciation for such a memorable professor who

has left a lasting impres-

sion on students over the

past few decades.

Dr. Ludlow came up with

the devious plan to crash

Dr. Pedulla’s final Inter-

mediate Statistics class,

and bake him a senti-

mental cake. Current stu-

dents, faculty, and alum-

ni in the building all

joined in on the fun.

Dr. Ludlow presents

Dr. Pedulla with a

celebratory cake

GUESS WHERE THIS PHOTO

WAS TAKEN….

A member of ERME recently

submitted this photo, taken during recent travels...

In what country was this photo taken? (Bonus points

for correct city!) Hint: This country is made up of two main

islands, and a number of smaller islands…

Answer revealed in the next newsletter.

ERME Newsletter 6

Thank you to everyone who attended the GEA bowl-

ing event this February at Jillian’s in Fenway! A spe-

cial congratulations to Todd Reeves who won first

place and Terry Lee St. John who won second

place within the ERME group. Campion Hall 336

Chestnut Hill, MA 02467 617-552-2072

Jillian Gomolka Administrative Assistant jillian.gomolka@bc.edu

Suzie Scordino Undergraduate Research Fellow

scordins@bc.edu

For past newsletters and more information, please visit:

http://www.bc.edu/content/bc/schools/lsoe/academics/departments/erme/community.html

SUMMER FAMILY FUN EVENTS Here are some kid-friendly activities and events happening around the Boston area during the

summer:

Sunday, June 10 12:00p to 3:00p The New School of Music Presents: a Family Music Festival Cambridge, MA Free music and family fun in the park! Join us as we fill the Lowell School Park with musical fun and activities for the family. Enjoy picnic games, face-painting, crafts, bake sale, concerts and a musi-cal instrument "Petting Zoo." Suitable for all ages. Details Here

Saturday, June 16 8:00a to 11:00a Youth Fishing Derby Upper Artichoke Reservoir, Newburyport, MA Open to youth ages 3-16(parents can't fish but can help), this catch and release tournament will award those with the longest and heaviest catch of the morning (special prize for the smallest fish too). Shore fishing only! $10 registration fee. http://www.cityofboston.gov/arts festival_ Sunday, June 24, 2012, 10am – 5pm Chinatown Main Street Festival Chinatown, Boston, MA This Free event includes activities such as Childrens Chinese folk dance, Vendor booths, Chinese Dough Art, Chinese Opera, Lion Dances, and more! http://www.chinatownmainstreet.org/events.php Tuesday, June 26, 2012, 7:30 pm - 9:00 pm Ice Cream and…Frogs/Fireflies/Bats Natick, MA Broadmoor Wildlife Sanctuary

What's better than ice cream on a summer night? Why not add a little fun outdoor exploration? Join the adventure as we look for flashing fire flies, listen for the songs of frogs and katydids and use a "bat detector" to find our local bats. Fee: Adults $12.00m/ $14.00nm, Children $7.00m/ $9.00nm Frogs: June 26 Fireflies: July 10 Bats: July 31 Registration is required. Register online or call 508-655-2296 to register by phone.