Digital Commons Network^™

Comparing Online And Traditional Assessment Practices In Middle School Mathematics, Maxwell Krueger, Kathy Enger

Dissertations, Theses, and Projects

As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, teachers across the world have been forced to explore different modalities of assessment, many of them virtual. Now that many of the most restricting policies for schools due to pandemic have been lifted, the use of these virtual assessments remain. Due to the recent nature of their use though means that not many studies have looked into the implications of these assessments on students let alone middle school students. This study aims to help fill in some of the gaps in this research. In this study, students will take one of two assessments …

Data Driven Instruction In Teaching Poetry Analysis To Advanced Placement Literature And Composition Seniors, Andrea Reyes

Theses/Capstones/Creative Projects

The goal of the poetry unit was to enhance students’ written ability by analyzing a variety of poetic literature to answer advanced placements practice prompts. I used the following research-based instructional strategies: homework and practice, nonlinguistic representations, and cooperative learning. I used the following research-based assessment strategies: essay writing, Quizizz, exit ticket, and topic, evidence, and analysis responses. The standards that the unit addressed are: LA.12.RP.2 Analyze the development and interaction of literary elements such as characterization, setting, and plot, and how they contribute to the meaning of the work as a whole, LA.12.V.2 Interpret an author’s use of figurative, …

Evaluating The Intersection Of Continuous Growth And Assessment In The Field Of English As A Second Language, Madison Johnson

All Graduate Reports and Creative Projects, Fall 2023 to Present

This teaching portfolio contains a compilation of the author’s personal teaching experiences and research interests while in the Master of Second Language Teaching (MSLT) program at Utah State University (USU). The sections of this portfolio highlight collaboration with current USU professors in the field of teaching English as a second language and the author’s personal experiences working in a second-grade elementary school classroom as well as teaching English in a community education setting. Much of the mentioned research focuses on the subfield of second language assessment. This is an area of interest to the author as an area for personal …

The Professional Roles And Functions Of School Psychologists In Alternative Vs Traditional Education, Staci C. Ballard

Graduate Doctoral Dissertations

Alternative Education Settings (AES) are unique environments that serve students whose educational and/or social-emotional needs are not being met in traditional schools. Students frequently enter AES with a range of mental health diagnoses, previous traumas, and behavioral/academic challenges. AES also serve many students from systemically marginalized and oppressed backgrounds, who are placed in these settings at higher rates than privileged peers. Considering these patterns, it becomes critical that AES provide effective student support, rather than serve simply to contain students based on disciplinary factors and convenience.

School psychologists, with training in mental health and education, are well-positioned to provide these …

Speech And Language Errors In An 8-Year-Old Spanish-English Bilingual Speaker: A Case Study, Alaniss Heredia

LSU Master's Theses

Despite the growing population of Spanish-English bilingual speakers with developmental language disorders and speech sound disorders (SSD) in the United States, there is limited research on assessment for this population. Research suggests that the linguistic environment in which the Spanish-English bilingual speakers are brought up should be considered when assessing and treating this population since the Spanish-English bilingual population is diverse. One result of such environments is differences in degrees of language exposure. For example, a child can be exposed to two languages but have more exposure in one than the other. This might lead to better proficiency in one …

Exploring The Experiences And Practices Of Midwestern High School English Teachers, Melea Shimkus

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The problem under study was that in a state in the midwestern United States, there was a disparity in reading scores between secondary schools of similar demographics. The purpose of this basic qualitative study was to explore the strategies and approaches used by secondary teachers whose students’ reading achievements exceeded those of other students. Shulman’s pedagogical content knowledge and Bandura’s theory of self-efficacy were used as the conceptual framework for the study. Data were collected from one-on-one interviews with 10 participants and analyzed with open coding. The findings indicated how to combine content and pedagogy; feeling efficacious about teaching had …

Chief Diversity Officers And The Process Of Culture Change Within Higher Education Professional Staff Units: A Qualitative Study On Cdo-Led Learning & Development Efforts, Amarildo "Lilu" Barbosa

Educational Studies Dissertations

Professional standards of practice for Chief Diversity Officers (CDOs) urge them to enhance institutional functions while leveraging education to build institutional capacity, but CDOs experience varying outcomes in their work. The current literature is limited with respect to how CDOs facilitate diversity learning and development experiences for professional staff in higher education. Adult learning theory argues for the implementation of intentional practices intended to drive developmental learning for adults: contextualizing the educational experience for learners, designing and delivering learning experiences that center the learner, and using assessment to provide relevant learning experiences that meet learner needs. However, it is not …

An Exploration Of Teacher Perception And Practices Of Using Assessment Data To Improve Achievement Of Equity Student Groups, Laurie Mazelin

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

While utilizing assessment data has been a pervasive practice in educational reform for decades, and teachers are expected to use assessment data to improve instruction, little is known about how the practice of requiring teachers to review test data affects their perception of effectiveness in addressing the learning gaps of student groups. This qualitative phenomenological research study used open-ended, semi-structured interviews to help better understand how the expectations of teachers analyzing and integrating assessment data translates into teacher instructional practice and self-efficacy. This study aimed to explore the shared experience of teachers required to participate in collaborative planning centered on …

Atlas: Targeting Student Writing Deficiencies Through Assessment & Mentoring In The College Classroom, Leanna Brunner

Doctor of Arts in English Pedagogy Capstones

The landscape of the college classroom is changing at warp speed in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic and developing technologies such as artificial intelligence. As such, it is time for those in leadership at the administrative level to redefine what it means for students to be successful in their college classrooms. Placing students with different educational experiences and skillsets into one class is no longer working, and many students who could be successful with a little bit of understanding and assistance are slipping through the proverbial cracks of failure. Some of these students never step foot in college again. …

An Analysis Of Traditional Pedagogical Practices With Innovative Strategies For Beginning Band Students With A Focus On Assessment, Higher-Order Thinking Skills And Differentiation, Cole Woods

Music Theses

Instrumental education is a field rich in tradition, with a strong foundation of methodology being codified in method books used by band directors around the country. Equally rich is the vibrant research community found within music education, and innovative techniques for teaching band are being presented yearly in both journals and conventions. These new strategies and additions to curriculum supported by recent research could potentially deepen the learning taking place in the instrumental music classroom. Nowhere is this more visible than in the wealth of new research, curricula, and literature that has been published regarding beginner instrumental music instruction in …

An Examination Of The Effects Of Testing On Student Learning In Elementary School, Dana Spielberger

Culminating Experience Projects

Research has revealed important information about the effects of testing on student motivation, mental well-being, and academic performance. These effects are mostly negative, yet most schools throughout the country have not adopted alternative education models to reflect this information. This project explores the recent history of educational testing as holistic theories of education and associated alternative pedagogies that can be used to address the problems created by testing. An effective assessment model must be recurring and longitudinal in nature, collaborative between students, parents, teachers, and outside stakeholders, and be able to account for the differing needs, environments, backgrounds, and interests …

Teaching Animal And Plant Survival With Instructional And Assessment Strategies, Kapri Case

Theses/Capstones/Creative Projects

This capstone study explored the impact of instructional and assessment strategies on students’ achievement in science. The study spanned 6 days, comprising 5 lessons. The students took a 6-item pre-assessment to assess prior knowledge, a 4-item post-assessment at the unit’s conclusion, and a summative assessment to demonstrate their new knowledge.

Instructional strategies were adapted based on pre-assessment results. Analysis of student performance data revealed a marked increase in learning outcomes through the integration of differentiated instruction and assessment strategies. Following the review of the student work, it became evident that the integration of summarizing/note-taking and cooperative learning significantly enhanced post-instruction …

Considerations When Developing An Indigenous Early Learning And Child Care Outcomes Framework Within Canada: A Collaboration Between A White Settler And Ojibway/Oneida Knowledge Keeper, Bronwyn Johns

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

This research contributes to the scholarship on evaluation and assessment within early learning and child care (ELCC) environments. The research was carried out in collaboration with the leaders of an Indigenous ELCC centre, an Ojibway/Oneida Knowledge Keeper, co-supervisors with the Faculty of Education at Western University, and funding partners Mitacs and a municipal funder. The collaboration took place within Southwestern Ontario, Canada. The dissertation is a diffractive analysis that involved reading texts multiple times, focusing on differences that matter while not ignoring relevant similarities. The methodology was also informed by the Ojibway/Oneida Knowledge Keeper who collaborated with the researcher by …

Grading To Better Communicate Student Learning, Derek M. Carlisle

Culminating Experience Projects

While the inadequacies of traditional grading have been well documented, it is still the most prominent grading system in schools today, including Kent City Community Schools. This project analyzes research on traditional and non-traditional grading systems to determine how to best assess and communicate student learning. Research confirms that, while traditional grading does have some benefits, the negative effects far outweigh the positive. And while there are a few other grading systems of merit, standards-based grading is the most commonly implemented and best meets the project goals of accurately assessing and communicating student learning and growth. The teacher in-service designed …

Project-Based Learning And Student Engagement In The Interdisciplinary Secondary Classroom, James Carlson

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

Research shows that Project-Based Learning has an impact on student engagement in a variety of ways. This capstone project is a unit plan designed to utilize Project-Based Learning as the foundation for a College and Career Readiness course. The main Project-Based Learning system utilized is the GOLD Standard PBL by the Buck Institute which attempts to maintain student engagement through complex tasks on a topic of the student’s choice. The focal point for students centers around STEAM careers in particular, but can be adjusted for use in other classes. The overall goal of this project is to allow secondary students …

Teachers' Use Of Assessment Data To Improve Instruction And Student Achievement, Donna Summers

Education Theses and Dissertations

This study addressed a problem of practice in a majority-minority suburban school district with a high percentage of students from low socioeconomic backgrounds. Specifically, the problem of historically low sixth-grade reading achievement on the state assessment was investigated. The study took place in two phases. Both phases were built on the improvement science framework and used a mixed-methods approach. Quantitative sources included surveys of teachers, instructional coaches, and campus administrators and student achievement scores based on the Northwest Evaluation Association's (NWEA) Measures of Academic Progress (MAP) Growth reading assessment. Qualitative sources included focus groups and site walkthroughs. In the first …

Accounting For Oral Language Skills In Children With Dyslexia: A Systematic Review Of The Literature, Natalie Kay Olsen Miller

Theses and Dissertations

Purpose: In the present study, we conducted a systematic review to determine whether studies involving children with dyslexia include the assessment of oral language skills in their assessment batteries across various professional disciplines. Overlooking assessment of oral language in children with dyslexia may result in the misinterpretation of research findings and applications to children who present with both dyslexia and Developmental Language Disorder (DLD) or experience secondary oral language deficits. Method: According to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and MetaAnalyses (PRISMA) guidelines, we searched the Elsevier Scopus database and obtained and analyzed 764 articles, up to 40 articles …

Student Proficiency On High School Math Assessments And Their Relation To College And University Math Readiness, Tiffany Robinson

Dissertations

Data indicate that a significant number of first-year college students were inadequately prepared in high school to complete university-level mathematics courses. The purpose of this study is to evaluate student proficiency on high school mathematics assessments and their relation to student preparedness for university-level mathematics courses. The context of my study is a cohort of diverse, high school senior students in one state in the United States who have shown proficiency on mathematics assessments. The methodology I used was a mixture of qualitative and quantitative data, comprised of student and faculty index surveys at the high school and university level …

Improving Second Language Learning Through Performance-Based Assessment Practices, Maria Granados

Dissertations

From the time of the No Child Left Behind Act (2001) to the present day, standardized testing has become the benchmark measure for student assessment and school accountability in the United States. Multilingual learners are a vulnerable population with more testing and accountability requirements than mainstream students. Not only are they required to learn a second language, but they are also assessed within the same standardized testing paradigms as their peers - native speakers of the English language. This study aimed to examine and evaluate the benefits of instructional practices and assessments that provide multilingual students and teachers prompt and …

Reevaluating Student Engagement: Exploring And Applying Alternative Assignments In Higher Education Undergraduate Applied Saxophone, Anthony S. Cincotta Ii

Dissertations, 2020-current

Undergraduate applied saxophone study revolves around the conservatory model. This inflexible model, often referred to as a master-apprentice relationship, can create an instructor-centric power dynamic which does not address the needs of the modern student. A classroom where the power lies so heavily with the instructor can stifle student engagement and can create a sense of disenfranchisement. In this setting, students have limited input on their assignment selections. While curricula have evolved with regards to being more culturally diverse, relevant, and inclusive, the approach that educators use to deliver the material has remained largely unchanged. There is limited research on …

Development And Initial Validation Of The Mindful Self-Regulated Learning Scale (M-Srls), Sarah Wolff

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Modern mindfulness is a catch-all term. Just exactly what it looks like within the context of education and how it is taught vastly varies. As such, program fidelity and integrity is questioned. Here a definition of mindful self-regulated learning is proposed and the Mindful Self-Regulated Learning Scale (m-SRLS) is developed. This includes item generation and development, systematic testing of item performance, scale dimensionality, convergent and divergent validity, measurement invariance across groups and subgroups, and scale reliability over a series of five pilot studies and five primary studies using independent samples. The resulting m-SRLS is a context specific measurement tool that …

Equitable And Inclusive Dance Assessment Resources, Christie Owens

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

This capstone inquires, how can the Minnesota K-12 Dance Standards (revised 2018) lay a practical framework for dance educators to create equitable and inclusive assessments for student success? A dance teacher addresses the need to expand how standards and success are defined in educational dance, noting circumstances where students of dance outside the dominant culture in the United States experience fewer feelings of inclusion and success when dance standards, curriculum, and assessment do not encompass what success looks like for them given their historical and cultural identities, hindering student ability to become self-actualized and wholistically educated artists. Through a review …

Improving Science Literacy Using Photographic Documentation Of Laboratory Activities, Mary Radus

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Theses and Dissertations

Digital photography is a valuable educational tool which has been shown to improve language acquisition and vocabulary usage. Photography can also be used to enhance hands-on laboratory activities in high school science classes. This study examined the impact of photographic documentation of lab activities on students’ literacy in science. In this convergent, mixed methods investigation, 9th grade biology students took photographs during a lab activity, which they used to create collaborative photo projects based on the activity. Changes in literacy were measured by assessing the students’ usage of scientific vocabulary terms before and after the photo project, and assessing the …

Early Intervention Speech-Language Pathologists’ Knowledge, Beliefs, And Practices Surrounding Culturally And Linguistically Responsive Assessment Practices For Dual Language Learners, Rebecca Lynne Jarzynski

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Early intervention (EI) speech-language pathologists (SLPs) are required to provide culturally and linguistically responsive assessments for dual language learners (DLLs) within an increasingly diverse population. Previous research has documented gaps between SLPs’ beliefs related to assessments for DLLs and their implementation of best practices within school-based and pediatric outpatient settings. The purpose of this present research study was to better understand the current knowledge, beliefs, and practices of EI SLPs in relation to the use of culturally and linguistically responsive assessment practices within the context of EI programs. A total of 134 EI SLPs completed a nationwide survey in which …

Standards-Based Grading In Traditional-Grading Contexts: A Case Study In Asynchronous Professional Development, Christopher A. Bronke

Dissertations of Practice

With a growing conversation around best practices in assessment, there are teachers out there seeking to make a shift to standards-based grading despite the fact that they work in a school system that uses traditional grading systems. This dissertation explores the differences between traditional grading and standard-based grading, the supports teachers need to make a shift to standards-based grading, and the effectiveness of an asynchronous professional development course on teachers’ knowledge base around and implementation of standards-based grading. The professional development course that is the research context for this study is shown to impact participants’ knowledge of standards-based grading as …

Exploring Teachers’ Preparedness To Conduct Competency Based Curriculum Assessment In A Selected Secondary School In Taveta Sub-County Coast Region - Kenya., Milcah Emisiko Ashiali

Theses & Dissertations

The government of Kenya has been at the forefront of advocating for a Competence Based Curriculum (CBC) to ensure that the country can produce a workforce that competes with the current market which requires 21st-century skills. This has been seen by implementing CBC in schools and being focused on a learner- centered approach. CBC Assessment has been emphasized in the curriculum since teachers are required to know how learners are progressing at different grades and identify what competencies they must go and apply in real life. Study aimed at exploring how teachers are prepared to conduct CBC assessments in secondary …

An Exploration Of Assessment Of Learners With Special Needs In An Inclusive Primary School In Kilifi County- Kenya, Saida Chepchumba Bashir

Theses & Dissertations

Assessment of learners with special needs (LSN) can be a challenge in inclusive classrooms since they may require individualized assessment approaches that account for their unique needs and abilities. Most of the disabilities in inclusive classrooms are termed invisible since they cannot be seen. There is a need to adapt assessment practices and content that will take into consideration the individual needs of LSN for appropriate assessment. The objectives of this study were to assess strategies teachers use to assess LSN in an inclusive classroom; to assess challenges teachers and learners encounter during the assessment; to explore what teachers think, …

Grade 6 To 8 Science Teachers’ Perceptions Of Implementing Project-Based Learning, Christian Smoke

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Project-based learning (PjBL) instruction is an inquiry-based method that is beneficial to student achievement and their exploration of 21st-century learning skills, but there is a gap in the literature about how Grades 6 to 8 teachers feel about PjBL and its implementation. The research problem was science teachers in the United States were not consistently implementing project-based learning strategies as an instructional method to support students’ learning and academic achievement. The purpose of this study was to explore Grades 6 to 8 science teachers’ perceptions about the implementation of project-based learning instruction to support science education. The conceptual framework for …

Social Studies Teachers’ Perceptions Of Alternative Assessments For Students With Ieps, Chander Mohan Mallhotra Jr.

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Assessments are one of the vital pillars of education but often are designed without the specific needs of students considered. Instruction is often differentiated for students with individualized education programs (IEPs), but rarely are assessments. Students in classes with IEPs in the social studies department at the project site school in the state of New York are performing below grade level. Teachers at this school are encouraged by the department chair to structure their assessments based on the Regents exam, which uses traditional assessment methods. The purpose of this case study was to investigate the perceptions of teachers regarding the …

Score Equating Between Aeps-2 And Aeps-3 For 0-3 Year Olds, Yuyan Xia

Theses and Dissertations--Education Sciences

Over the past two decades, the emphasis on educational equity in early childhood education (ECE) and early childhood special education (ECSE) has highlighted the importance of assessment through policies and regulations. Ensuring accurate assessment scores is a fundamental aspect of this trend. The release of the Assessment, Evaluation, and Programming System for Infants and Children, Third Edition (AEPS-3) in December 2021 led to a shift from the Second Edition (AEPS-2) in child development scoring. In order to harmonize the previous and updated assessment versions for children aged 0-3 across six developmental domains, a common item non-equivalent design, featuring fixed parameter …