Education Commons^™

Stakes Increase For End Of Course Exams In 2009-10, Sarah C. Mckenzie, Gary W. Ritter

Policy Briefs

As of the 2009-10 academic year, high school students in Arkansas will be required to pass socalled “End of Course” (or “EOC”) examinations in Algebra I, Biology, Geometry, and English. Students who fail to meet the requisite passing standard will be required to retake the class or to pass “an appropriate alternative exit course in order to receive credit for the course on his or her transcript and in order to graduate.” In other words, these four EOC tests will become high school exit exams. Thus, as of 2009-10, Arkansas will join some 23 other states that have high school …

Diversity In Australian Education, Stephen Dinham

School and system improvement

Stephen Dinham describes the characteristics of the Australian school system, particularly the latest developments in the area of curriculum and professional training.

The Global Obsession With Rankings: How Should Ireland Respond?, Ellen Hazelkorn

Other resources

No abstract provided.

Highlights From Timss 2007 From Australia’S Perspective: Highlights From The Full Report, Taking A Closer Look At Mathematics And Science In Australia, Sue Thomson, Nicole Wernert, Catherine Underwood, Marina Nicholas

TIMSS 2007

In 2007, Australia participated in the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS 2007). TIMSS 2007 is the fourth in a cycle of internationally comparative assessments conducted under the aegis of the International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement (IEA) dedicated to improving teaching and learning in mathematics and science for students around the world. Carried out every four years at Year 4 and Year 8, TIMSS provides data about trends in mathematics and science achievement over time. In Australia, TIMSS is part of MCEETYA’s National Assessment Program. To inform educational policy in the participating countries, this world-wide …

Timss 2007: Taking A Closer Look At Mathematics And Science In Australia, Sue Thomson, Nicole Wernert, Catherine Underwood, Marina Nicholas

TIMSS 2007

The Trends in Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS 2007) is the latest in a series of international studies of mathematics and science, conducted under the aegis of the International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement (IEA). The goal of TIMSS is to provide comparative information about educational achievement across countries to improve teaching and learning in mathematics and science. TIMSS measures trends in mathematics and science achievement at Year 4 and Year 8, as well as monitoring curricular implementation. Conducted on a regular four-year cycle, TIMSS has assessed mathematics and science in 1995, 1999, 2003, and 2007. In addition …

Output Measurement In Education, Andrew Dowling

Policy Analysis and Program Evaluation

Governments can no longer justify their performance in education in terms of inputs; that is, in terms of the amount of new money they have provided, or the number of new teachers they have employed, or the range of new computers they have installed. It has been observed that ‘today, educators need to show how they have transformed current and new dollars into student achievement results, or the argument that education needs more - or even the current level of - money will be unlikely to attract public or political support’. Output measures, particularly those related to student achievement, are …

Indigenous Languages Programmes In Australian Schools - A Way Forward, Nola Purdie, Tracey Frigo, Clare Ozolins, Geoff Noblett, Nick Thieberger, Janet Sharp

Indigenous Education Research

Currently, over 16,000 Indigenous students and 13,000 non-Indigenous students located in 260 Australian schools are involved in an Indigenous language program. More than 80 different Indigenous languages are taught. This project sought to present practice which would strengthen the quality of Indigenous language programs in schools. The report consists of a literature review, a mapping exercise to document current practices relating to Indigenous languages in Australian schools, an analysis of existing models of teacher preparation, and six case studies of good practice examples.

Reporting And Comparing School Performances, Geoff N. Masters, Glenn Rowley, John Ainley, Siek Toon Khoo

Assessment and Reporting

This report provides advice on the collection and reporting of information about the performances of Australian schools. The focus is on the collection of nationally comparable data. Two purposes are envisaged: use by education authorities and governments to monitor school performances and, in particular, to identify schools that are performing unusually well or unusually poorly given their circumstances; and use by parents/caregivers and the public to make informed judgements about, and meaningful comparisons of, schools and their offerings. Our advice is based on a review of recent Australian and international research and experience in reporting on the performances of schools. …

Coming Together: The Pros And Cons Of School Consolidation, David Alan Dolph

Educational Leadership Faculty Publications

The viability and acceptability of consolidation— combining two or more school buildings or districts into a single entity—have ebbed and flowed over the years. In the early 1900s, the main targets of school consolidation were the rural schools. The education leaders and policy makers of the time believed that a centralized model in which all schools looked alike would prove to be the best approach for educating youth to be productive citizens (Kay, Hargood, and Russell 1982).

In addition to providing an expanded curriculum, they believed, consolidated schools could be operated more efficiently and economically—an idea that has continued to …

The Relationship Between Ministry Praxis And Spiritual Development Milestones In The Lives Of Children, Leon Marcel Blanchette Jr.

Faculty Scholarship – Christian Education

The purpose of this study was to determine the relationship between the children‘s ministry praxis in Nazarene churches and four significant spiritual milestones in the lives of Nazarene children. A mixed method study was used to obtain statistical, quantitative results from the population and then followed up with two small groups to explore those results in more depth through personal interviews. This study compares four quadrants of children’s spirituality, the Pragmatic-Participatory Model, Media-Driven Active-Engagement Model, Instructional-Analytic Model, and the Contemplative-Reflective Model. A quadrant is one of four categories that best describes a children‘s pastor‘s ministry praxis. These quadrants are sometimes …

The Academic Needs Of The Native Spanish-Speaking English Language Learner Under The No Child Left Behind Act (Nclb), Amy J. Whicker

Senior Honors Theses

The instructional demands and pressures placed on today’s educators are constantly increasing, influenced by national and state learning standards, assessments, and changing student demographics. More specifically, the standards of Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) set by the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) require academic gains to be made yearly by all students, including those with significant learning hurdles, such as the language acquisition difficulties faced by English Language Learners (ELLs). While the future of the NCLB Act is debatable, the necessity of effective classroom arrangements and instructional methods is indubitable. In addition, because the majority of this ELL population is …

Uno Aqip Systems Portfolio 2008, Steve Bullock

Accreditation

This is the UNO Systems Portfolio document submitted to AQIP in 2008.

Globalisation And Challenges For Higher Education, Ellen Hazelkorn

Other resources

No abstract provided.

The Global Labour Market And Graduate Employability: Challenges For Higher Education, Ellen Hazelkorn

Other resources

No abstract provided.

The Emperor Has No Clothes?: Rankings And The Shift From Qa To World-Class Excellence, Ellen Hazelkorn

Other resources

No abstract provided.

The Occupations And Earnings Of Young Australians : The Role Of Education And Training, Gary Marks

LSAY Research Reports

This report investigates the effect of post-secondary education and training on the occupation and earnings of young people. The majority of young Australians undertake further education and training after leaving school, and it is important to better understand the pathways that they follow, and the impact of different types of experience on the early career. Such analyses can help young people in choosing appropriate programs as well as assist policy makers in identifying resource priorities. They can also contribute to debates about the role of education in promoting social mobility and economic development. The data analysed are from a sample …

Assessment Matters #5, Nov 2008, Assessment In Action Committee

Assessment Matters @ WMU

No abstract provided.

Digital Learning: An Australian Research Agenda, Gerald K. White

Digital learning research

The purpose of this paper is to provide some suggestions for consideration of directions for Australian educational research about ICT in education, more recently being called digital learning. A number of agencies in Australia, Canada, Europe, New Zealand, the UK, and the USA have already embarked on developing research agendas and undertaking research into the use of digital learning. This report highlights some of the significant areas in which research has been undertaken and isolates those areas where there may be a need for further research or where there are gaps in the research agenda for Australia. This paper is …

The Impact Of Global Rankings On Higher Education Research, Ellen Hazelkorn

Other resources

No abstract provided.

Analysis Of Assessment And Learning Strategies For A Logistics Undergraduate Education Programme, Margaret Farrell

Conference Papers

It is recognised that in today’s global competitive marketplace, where outsourcing continues to grow at an exponential rate, Logistics and Supply Chain Management (SCM) have grown in importance [1]. Research suggests that as logistics moves from being viewed as a stand alone discipline to one viewed as integrating the management of supply, the duties, managerial skills and knowledge of the Professional Logistician have changed [2] [3] . The challenge for logistics educators is to design and develop curricula, learning, teaching and assessment strategies that can support wide-ranging and integrative learning objectives. Research also states that universal logistics management skills must …

Presidential Candidates On K-12 Education, Sarah C. Mckenzie, Gary W. Ritter

Policy Briefs

Every four years, our presidential candidates work hard to convince us that they have the best plan to keep us safe, prosperous, and well-educated. While economic challenges have recently taken center stage in the presidential election, education is still a critically important issue to OEP and its constituents. Here, we provide a summary of the views of each candidate on key issues and hope that this information is useful to our readers. In this brief, the OEP does not endorse one candidate over the other. Indeed, there is much to like in each candidate’s platform.

Measuring Teachers’ Perceptions Of Grading Practices: Does School Level Make A Difference?, Xing Liu

NERA Conference Proceedings 2008

The effectiveness of classroom assessment and grading practices has become an increasingly important research topic in education. However, previous research had no consensus on whether school level had an effect on teachers’ grading practices. The purpose of the present study was to examine whether middle and high school teachers differ in regard to ratings of the importance and usefulness of grading practices, teachers’ perceived self-efficacy of the grading process, and the degree to which factors such as student effort, ability and teachers’ personal grading habits affect their grading decisions. A total of 107 secondary school teachers participated in this study …

Assessing Measurement Invariance Of The Teachers’ Perceptions Of Grading Practices Scale Across Cultures, Xing Liu

NERA Conference Proceedings 2008

In a cross-cultural study, it is crucial to understand whether items and the factorial structure of a survey instrument are equivalent across different cultural groups, because items might mean differently to different population groups, and thus the factorial structure of the measurement instrument might not hold across groups. The purpose of this study was to investigate the measurement invariance of the Teachers’ Perceptions of Grading Practices Scale (TPGP) across the U.S. and China using structural equation modeling. In particular, this study was designed to examine whether items and the factorial structure of the TPGP scale were equivalent across the two …

Development Of An Instrument To Measure University Students' Social Ties And Social Distance With A Particular Focus On Racial And Ethnic Diversity, Vanessa E. Kass

NERA Conference Proceedings 2008

The opportunities for students to create and maintain friendships with individuals whose experiences and cultures differ from their own is steadily increasing. A survey designed to measure students' social ties and social distance was administered to one hundred eighty-two university students. Statistical analysis reveals that students who are more comfortable with people from a different race or ethnicity are more likely to interact with diverse groups. Additionally students are more likely to interact with diverse groups in the classroom than in purely social situations. These findings influence the types of interactions that create meaningful and long-lasting relationships among diverse groups.

Using A Longitudinal Data Mart To Examine The Effects Of Student Mobility On Test Performance Over Time, Richard F. Mooney, Barbara Q. Beaudin

NERA Conference Proceedings 2008

Our analysis shows how a longitudinal data mart can provide a simple and effective way to analyze student test performance over time. Our data mart in this case is a mega-table compiled from several years of archival student-level test data, where we have modified all of the fields so that they have a common meaning over time. Using this longitudinal data base we then compared the performance statistics and effect sizes of test results in math and reading on the Connecticut Mastery Test (CMT) series for grades 4, 6 and 8 and on the Connecticut Academic Performance Test (CAPT) in …

A Confirmatory Factor Analytic Study Examining The Dimensionality Of Educational Achievement Tests, Nina Deng, Craig Wells, Ronald Hambleton

NERA Conference Proceedings 2008

It is important to check the fundamental assumption of most popular Item Response Theory models, unidimensionality. However, it is hard for educational and psychological tests to be strictly unidimensional. The tests studied in this paper are from a standardized high-stake testing program. They feature potential multidimensionality by presenting various item types and item sets. Confirmatory factor analyses with one-factor and bifactor models, and based on both linear structural equation modeling approach and nonlinear IRT approach were conducted. The competing models were compared and the implications of the bifactor model for checking essential unidimensionality were discussed.

The Relationship Between Ap English Language Performance And College Outcomes, Xinhui Xiong, K. D. Mattern, E. J. Shaw

NERA Conference Proceedings 2008

This study focused on the relationship between students’ Advanced Placement (AP) English language performance and their subsequent college success. Targeted students were divided into three groups according to their AP English Language performance. Subsequent college success was measured by students’ first-year college GPA, retention to the second year, and institutional selectivity. The demographic characteristics of the three AP performance groups with regard to gender, ethnicity, and best language spoken are provided. Results indicated that, after controlling for students’ SAT scores as a measure of prior academic performance, AP English Language performance was positively related to all three measures of college …

A Validation Of The Collaborative Alternative Magnet School For Leadership (Cams) Student Survey, Wei Xia, Mary E. Yakimowski, Maureen Bransfield, Carolyn Mcnally

NERA Conference Proceedings 2008

The Collaborative Alternative Magnet School for Leadership (CAMS) Student Survey is intended to assess students' leadership development and skills. The survey was originally adapted by the Area Cooperative Educational Services (ACES) from Connecticut's Common Core of Learning, and was recently revised and used by CAMS. There are four basic aspects in the CAMS Student Survey: responsibility, persistence, respect for culture diversity, and sense of community. In this paper, the authors write about the exploratory factor analysis (EFA) that was conducted to explore the factor structure of the survey, and also report the reliability analysis results. Recommendations are provided about further …

Measuring Middle School Achievement Growth With Student Growth Percentile Methodology, Rachel Slaughter

NERA Conference Proceedings 2008

This study examined reading and mathematics achievement growth for middle school students over three years using statewide test scores using student growth percentile methodology (Betebenner, 2008). This newly-emerging growth methodology provides a basis for examining growth normatively (“what is”) in order to provide a foundation for policies about adequate growth (“what should be”) and excellent growth (“what could be”). Growth is compared among student subgroups and different middle schools. A particular focus of the study is identifying typical growth trajectories of low-achieving 6th graders through the middle school years.

Connecting Resources To Student Achievement: Assessment Of The Indeterminacy Of District Performance, Peter Simpson, Robert K. Gable, Stacey L. Kite

School Finance and Student Achievement

The purpose of this study is to conduct cluster analyses, resulting in groupings of N=113 districts based on socioeconomic status (SES), which is the independent variable and primary correlate of performance. It is a quantitative analysis of N=113 districts in Massachusetts for the period from 2000 to 2005. The study conducts cluster analyses to evaluate district performance as measured by student achievement. The problem is stated by National Research Council (1999) that: “Indeterminacy characterizes education production”. Indeterminacy is represented by variation in the N=113 districts’ performance. The groupings of performance obtained from the cluster analyses provide information about the types …