Education Commons^™

Assessing Assessments: A Comparative Study Of Three Assessments Of Inquiry Skills In Tenth Grade High School Biology Students, Heather K. Murphy

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

Inquiry is an educational technique where students develop scientific knowledge and understanding through processes similar to those used by scientist. One of the obstacles to implementing the techniques is the need for teachers to self-evaluate their teaching and determine the effectiveness of inquiry-based teaching techniques with respect to developing higher-order thinking (HOT) skills in students. Feedback from an assessment permits teachers to adjust their curriculum to incorporate the most effective inquiry-base lessons.

This report considers three short assessments of inquiry that were modified for use in the high school biology classroom. First there three assessments were compared against one another …

Analysis Of Aleks Mathematics Placement Test Data, Teresa Woods

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

In Fall 2014, Michigan Technological University (MTU) began using an online mathematics placement test provided by ALEKS Corporation. This study answers three questions that accompanied this implementation: (1) Do the cut scores being used for Precalculus and Calculus I result in the expected pass rates for those courses?, (2) Does the path by which a student becomes eligible for Calculus I – via a single placement test attempt, via multiple placement test attempts, or by beginning in Precalculus at MTU – influence their likelihood of success in Calculus I?, and (3) Does a mathematical background weak in any particular curriculum …