Education Commons^™

Performance Of A Brief Assessment Tool For Identifying Substance Use Disorders, Todd Campbell, Norman G. Hoffman, Michael B. Madson, Timothy Melchert

Todd Campbell

Objective: Evaluation of the performance of a brief assessment tool for identifying substance use disorders. The Triage Assessment for Addictive Disorders (TAAD) is a triage instrument that provides professionals with a tool to evaluate indications of current substance use disorders in accordance with the DSM-IV diagnostic criteria. The TAAD is a 31-item structured interview that addresses both alcohol and other drug issues to discriminate among those with no clear indications of a diagnosis, those with definite, current indications of abuse or dependence, and those with inconclusive diagnostic indications.

Methods: Employing a sample of 1325 women between the ages of 18 ...

Nepc Review: Myths And Facts About Value-Added Analysis, Matthew Di Carlo

National Education Policy Center

In this review of The New Teacher Project’s (TNTP) “fact sheet” on value-added (VA) analysis, Di Carlo argues that while VA models are sophisticated and have a lot of potential, we have no idea how they are best used or whether they will work. It is likely, he says, that poor models implemented in the wrong way would “penalize” critically large numbers of teachers for reasons beyond their control, as well as generate estimates that are too unstable to be useful for any purpose, even low-stakes decisions. Given that TNTP is actively involved in redesigning teacher quality policies in ...

Using An Open Software System (Sakai) To Develop Student Portfolios, Linda L. Beith, Stephen White, Gregory Laramie

Staff Publications

E-portfolios are digital collections of artifacts that represent the achievements and reflections of individuals. They offer a unique view into student learning and allow educators and external accreditors to assess student progress towards established standards as well as reviewing their program’s performance in supporting that progress. Students benefit from assembling their e-portfolios through the process of reviewing their own work with a critical eye, choosing pieces of their work that best represent their abilities, and reflecting on the transformative nature of their University experience, both in class and through extra-curricular, service learning, internships and international activities. An e-portfolio provides ...

How Do You Measure Student Learning? Sails, Ilcc, & Rgr At Gvsu, Pete Coco, Emily Frigo, Hazel Mcclure, Debbie Morrow

Debbie Morrow

The GVSU University Libraries has responded in the last five years to internal and external emphases on assessing student learning outcomes and our contributions to student learning. We’ve conducted a higher-level information literacy assessment, and have made a priority of developing information literacy tools for use by classroom faculty. We have twice administered SAILS, the "Standardized Assessment of Information Literacy Skills," to provide us with a broad benchmark measure of student IL skills against a cohort of our institutional peers. We discovered that large scale efforts such as SAILS can be at odds with our approach to IL, proving ...

Assessment Training In Principal Preparation Programs, Bettye Grigsby, Winona Vesey

Administrative Issues Journal

The role of the administrator has evolved over the past 30 years from manager to instructional leader. As instructional leaders, administrators are now responsible for student achievement on high-stakes state-mandated assessments. Therefore, it is imperative principal preparation programs provide the necessary training instructional leaders need to analyze and interpret assessment data and make informed decisions toward school improvement. This descriptive study analyzes four syllabi components to determine the extent to which testing and measurement are covered in each course: objectives, classroom sessions, resources, and activities. Based on responses from 30 universities across the United States, less than 30% of principal ...

A Critical Examination Of The Relationship Between Student Performances On Assessments Of English Language Proficiency And Academic Achievement, Margaret E. D. Baker

Dissertations, Theses and Capstone Projects

To comply with federal accountability requirements, English learners (ELs) in Georgia must demonstrate progress in academic English language proficiency (ELP) and academic content-area achievement as measured annually by two state-mandated Title I and Title III assessments, the Accessing Communication and Comprehension in English State-to-State for English Language Learners® (ACCESS for ELLs®) and the Criterion-Referenced Competency Test (CRCT). Using a critical ELP assessment validation framework, the intent of this study was to investigate the relationship of students’ performances on Title assessments, analyze student level variability in the predictive power of the ELP assessment for academic achievement, and examine claims made when ...

A Slow Burn: The Impact Of Ials In Australia, Juliette Mendelovits

Juliette Mendelovits

Australia Australia has put its hand up to participate in all the international literacy surveys on offer: IALS in the second wave (1996), the ALL Survey in the second wave (2006), and PIAAC in 2011-12 – in the field right now. Nevertheless, until very recently Australia’s general response to the surveys can best be described as inert: more in the vein of our habitual “she’ll be right” than the “clever country” that our prime minister of the 1980s urged us to become. For most of the period since the IALS results were published in 1997, Australia paid little attention ...

Assessing Student Learning: Why Reform Is Overdue, Geoff Masters

Prof Geoff Masters AO

A Validation Of The Monitoring Academic Progress Mathematics: An Experimental Multidimensional Group Administered Curriculum-Based Measure Of Mathematics Fluency And Problem Solving, Michael Brandon Hopkins

Doctoral Dissertations

The study investigated the psychometric properties of a newly developed math curriculum-based measure, the Monitoring Academic Progress: Mathematics (MAP:M), through examination of its internal consistency, alternate-form, slope, and test-retest reliability and validity. Participants included 1688 first through third-grade students from a school district in Northeast Tennessee. Application of Generalizability Theory produced reliability coefficients, score variances, and standard-error-of-measures (SEM) for both absolute and relative decisions based on a particular number of probes. MAP:M reliability coefficients for relative decisions ranged from .67 to .97 across eleven probes. The highest percentage of score variance at all three grades was attributed to ...

Validation Of The Monitoring Academic Progress: Reading (Map: R): Development And Investigation Of A Group-Administered Comprehension-Based Tool For Rti, Angela Nicole Hilton-Prillhart

Doctoral Dissertations

Monitoring Academic Progress: Reading (MAP: R), a silent, group-administered screener was piloted as part of a comprehensive Response to Intervention program. MAP: R along with AIMSweb© Maze and STAR reading were administered to 1,688 students in Grades 1-3. Overall alternate-form reliabilities for MAP: R resulted in moderately high stability (Grade 1 = .79, Grade 2 = .78, and Grade 3 = .75). Test-retest reliability was .90 for Grade1, .84 for Grade 2, and .89 for Grade 3. Concurrent validity, correlations for MAP: R and AIMSweb© Maze ranged from .43 to .69, with correlations for MAP: R and STAR ranging from .48 to ...

Career College Students' Perceptions Of Portfolios And Their Influence In The Hiring Process, Andrea J. Webb

Master of Education Research Theses

Two-year college enrollment continues to increase to meet the challenges of our changing economy. Due to this increased enrollment, it has become quite evident that more research in the area of two-year colleges is needed. Many two-year colleges have their students complete a portfolio upon graduation, to assist them in the competitive job market. Does the portfolio really help students get jobs? The contents of this paper follow a mixed-method study that involves surveying graduates of two-year colleges as well as interviewing employers who frequently hire two-year college graduates. Graduates from a number of two-year colleges were asked to complete ...

Letter To Secretary Of Education Arne Duncan Concerning Evaluation Of Teachers And Principals, Kevin G. Welner, Carol C. Burris

National Education Policy Center

This NEPC Policy Memo presents the text of a letter from Drs. Burris and Welner to Secretary of Education Arne Duncan. The letter was invited by Secretary Duncan during a phone conversation with Dr. Burris. It offers concrete guiding principles for evaluation of educators and suggestions for a way forward.

Accommodations For English Language Learners With Disabilities On Federally Mandated English Language Proficiency Assessments, Laura Kuti

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this research study was to conduct exploratory research to examine federally-mandated annual English language proficiency (ELP) assessment of English language learners (ELLs) and their use of accommodations on the assessment. First the researcher provides a review of the literature regarding accommodations provided for ELLs, students with disabilities on English assessments, and ELLs with disabilities on ELP assessments. The researcher examined the literature for differences and similarities between the three types of testing scenarios as well as identifying gaps in the literature for students who are both ELLs and who also have a disability and how their ELP ...

Parts Of The Whole: An Algebra Lesson, Dorothy Wallace

Numeracy

This column draws on research of Eon Harper to demonstrate how an understanding of his proposed stages of algebra acquisition would inform a systemic overhaul of algebra education. Harper's stages also explain why students may pass a series of algebra courses yet still be unable to make sense of calculus, as well as offering insight on what aspects of algebra support quantitative literacy.

Quantitative Reasoning In The Contemporary World, 3: Assessing Student Learning, Stuart Boersma, Caren Diefenderfer, Shannon W. Dingman, Bernard L. Madison

Numeracy

In this third paper in a series describing the Quantitative Reasoning in the Contemporary World course, the authors provide an adaptation of the Association of American Colleges and Universities quantitative literacy VALUE rubric. Describing achievement levels in six core competencies (interpretation, representation, calculation, analysis/synthesis, and communication), the resulting Quantitative Literacy Assessment Rubric (QLAR) is applicable to grading student work and has exhibited a high degree of reliability in two separate scoring tests (97% and 88% respectively). The distribution of the six core competencies across the 24 case studies in the authors’ quantitative reasoning casebook shows that interpretation, calculation, and ...

Quantitative Literacy At Michigan State University, 2: Connection To Financial Literacy, Dennis Gilliland, Vince Melfi, Alla Sikorskii, Edward Corcoran, Eleanor Melfi

Numeracy

The lack of capability of making financial decisions has been recently described for the adult United States population. A concerted effort to increase awareness of this crisis, to improve education in quantitative and financial literacy, and to simplify financial decision-making processes is critical to the solution. This paper describes a study that was undertaken to explore the relationship between quantitative literacy and financial literacy for entering college freshmen. In summer 2010, incoming freshmen to Michigan State University were assessed. Well-tested financial literacy items and validated quantitative literacy assessment instruments were administered to 531 subjects. Logistic regression models were used to ...

Quantitative Literacy At Michigan State University, 1: Development And Initial Evaluation Of The Assessment, Alla Sikorskii, Vince Melfi, Dennis Gilliland, Jennifer Kaplan, Suzie Ahn

Numeracy

Development, psychometric testing, and the results of the administration of a quantitative literacy (QL) assessment to undergraduate students are described. Three forms were developed covering a wide range of skills, contexts, and quantitative information presentation formats. Following item generation and revision based on preliminary testing and cognitive interviewing, a total of 3,701 consented undergraduate students at Michigan State University completed one of the three forms. Two of the forms contained 14 multiple-choice items, and one form contained 17 multiple-choice items. All forms were completed by students in less than 30 minutes. Evidence of validity and reliability were obtained for ...

Development Of An Assessment Of Quantitative Literacy For Miami University, Rose Marie Ward, Monica C. Schneider, James D. Kiper

Numeracy

Quantitative Literacy is a competence as important as general literacy; yet, while writing requirements are seemingly ubiquitous across the college curriculum, quantitative literacy requirements are not. The current project provides preliminary evidence of the reliability and validity of a quantitative literacy measure suitable for delivery online. A sample of 188 undergraduate students from Miami University, a midsize university in the midwestern U.S., participated in the current study. Scores on the measure, were inversely related to statistical/mathematical anxiety measures, directly related to subjective assessment of numeracy, and did not differ across gender or year in school. The resulting measure ...

Communicating Quantitative Literacy: An Examination Of Open-Ended Assessment Items In Timss, Nals, Ials, And Pisa, Karl W. Kosko, Jesse L. M. Wilkins

Numeracy

Quantitative Literacy (QL) has been described as the skill set an individual uses when interacting with the world in a quantitative manner. A necessary component of this interaction is communication. To this end, assessments of QL have included open-ended items as a means of including communicative aspects of QL. The present study sought to examine whether such open-ended items typically measured aspects of quantitative communication, as compared to mathematical communication, or mathematical skills. We focused on public-released items and rubrics from four of the most widely referenced assessments: the Third International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS-95): the National Adult Literacy ...

Outcomes Assessment Of Role-Play Scenarios For Teaching Responsible Conduct Of Research, Stephanie N. Seiler, Bradley J. Brummel, Kerri L. Anderson, Kyoung Jin Kim, Serena G. Wee, C. K. Gunsalus, Michael C. Loui

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

We describe the summative assessment of role-play scenarios that we previously developed to teach central topics in the responsible conduct of research (RCR) to graduate students in science and engineering. Interviews with role-play participants, with participants in a case discussion training session, and with untrained students suggested that role-playing might promote a deeper appreciation of RCR by shifting the focus away from wanting to simply “know the rules.“ We also present the results of a think-aloud case analysis study and describe the development of a behaviorally-anchored rating scale (BARS) to assess participants' case analysis performance.

Brief Treatment Analysis For Elopement In An Outpatient Clinic Setting, Lakaren Deann Rickman

Theses and Dissertations

Elopement is a potentially dangerous behavior that can result in accidental injury or death. Assessment and treatment of elopement in children has most frequently been examined using behavioral approaches. Most of these evaluations have typically been conducted in settings where assessment and treatment occurred over extended periods of time (such as inpatient units, residential treatment centers, or day treatment programs). As more children present for assessment and treatment of elopement in outpatient clinics, a need exists for efficient and pragmatic means of assessing and treating elopement. This study examined a novel way to assess and treat elopement behavior in young ...

Analysis Of Hiv/Aids Incidents In Sudan With Reference To Khartoum State, Professor Issam A.W. Mohamed

Professor Issam A.W. Mohamed

The present paper introduces results of an analysis conducted on data collected from Khartoum state for the yea 2009. It aims to apply statistical models for the HIV/AIDS data in Khartoum state centers of testing blood and counseling. AIDS is recognized as an emerging disease only in the early 1980s, AIDS has rapidly established itself throughout the world, and is likely to endure and persist well into the 21s century. AIDS has evolved from a mysterious illness to a global pandemic which has infected tens of millions less than 20 years. The importance of the study is to emphasize ...

Cleveland Schools Social Skills Training Program Showing Positive Results, David Volosin, Oscar T. Mcknight, John Sikula

Oscar T McKnight Ph.D.

This article reports on research conducted in the Cleveland Metropolitan School District by the Society for Prevention of Violence (SPV). A total of 1500 students and 150 teachers participated in a social skills training program. Statistically significant positive results were found over the course of the 2009 - 2010 school year. A positive change in the school environment was documented via a thirty-five item learning survey. Because of the positive results, during the 2010 - 2011 school year, SPV's social skills training program is being implemented in all three Parma middle schools.

From Classroom Assessment To Ials And Piaac: Disconnected Conceptions About Measuring Adult Literacy, Audrey Gardner

Adult Education Research Conference

The International Adult Literacy Survey has resulted in a reframing of the meaning of adult literacy and contributed to disconnected conceptions about literacy assessment in Canada and elsewhere. In the emerging IALS framework governments prioritize statistical measures and largely overlook the array of mostly qualitative evidence of learner progress. Programs are challenged to balance assessment methods that are meaningful to learners with policy expectations on raising literacy rates. This paper offers a brief analysis of how adult literacy assessment has been caught up in the IALS discourse that undercuts learner-centered assessment.

Kanyininpa (Holding): A Way Of Nurturing Children In Aboriginal Australia, Fiona Ryan

Aboriginal Policy Research Consortium International (APRCi)

This paper discusses aspects of traditional Australian Aboriginal nurturance of infants, children, and young people through an exploration of the meaning of certain words selected from Central and Western Desert Aboriginal languages. Connections are drawn between this traditional form of child rearing and Bowlby’s theory of attachment. Aspects of traditional Aboriginal methods of nurturing infants, children, and young people, which have been retained in contemporary Aboriginal child-rearing practices, are also explored. Practitioners, policy makers, and researchers in child protection are encouraged to listen to Aboriginal people, and through listening and reflecting on their own practice, to identify and work ...

A Study Of K-12 Music Educators' Attitudes Toward Technology-Assisted Assessment Tools, Lance D. Nielsen

Student Research, Creative Activity, and Performance - School of Music

The purpose of this study was to examine K-12 music educators’ attitudes regarding the use of technology in the assessment of music learning. There is a considerable range of musical behaviors with different levels of complexity that can be assessed (Boyle & Radocy, 1987). A variety of software and web-based assessment tools are available for music educators. However, it is unclear how many teachers are taking advantage of incorporating these technological assessment tools into their instructional practice. This study provided current data about the demographics of teachers using technology to assess musical growth and the variables that might motivate a music ...

Getting To Global Yes! Designing A Distributed Student Collaboration, Selma Limam Mansar, Randy Weinberg, Benjamin Kok Siew Gan

Research Collection School Of Information Systems

The authors have taught a course called 'Global Project Management' for four years, engaging students in three international locations in hands-on distance projects. The distance projects are intended to provide students with enriching, realistic global project experience. With experience, improved planning and better coordination, each iteration of the distance projects has improved. In this paper, the authors present lessons learned and a mind map demonstrating key aspects of design of global hands-on projects.

The Pace Eportfolio As Educational Passport: Enhancing Students' Interdisciplinary, Co-Curricular And Experiential Learning, Beth Klingner, Linda Anstendig

Cornerstone 3 Reports : Interdisciplinary Informatics

No abstract provided.

Nepc Review: Passing Muster: Evaluating Teacher Evaluation Systems, Bruce D. Baker

National Education Policy Center

Baker expresses concern that Passing Muster is an example of “…technicians working within the political arena…deferring judgment on important technical concerns that have real ethical implications.” Although the authors of Passing Muster claim no preference for specific types of evaluation systems, their rating system effectively suggests that value-added measures should be the benchmark for evaluating teacher evaluation systems, simply because they are available and not because they are good measures. Baker calls on the authors to admit their bias: “When a technician knows that one choice is better (or worse) than another, one measure or model better than another ...

Measurement Of Life Skill Acquisition Of The Idaho First Lego® League State Tournament Participants Ages 9-14, Kristina Lee Luckey

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

Youth development programs provide opportunities for children to learn and apply the life skills they are likely to utilize later in life. Therefore, it is critical that steps are taken to evaluate their effectiveness. The direct purpose of this study was to measure life skill outcomes of participants ages 9-14 of the Idaho FIRST LEGO® League program state tournament participants. This mixed method pre-experimental design study incorporated quantitative measurements using a paired samples test and qualitative measures utilizing a single-category design focus group methodology for triangulation purposes. This study contributes to the literature by providing empirical evidence of the formation ...