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Full-Text Articles in Education

High School Exit Examinations: When Do Learning Effects Generalize?, John H. Bishop Oct 2009

High School Exit Examinations: When Do Learning Effects Generalize?, John H. Bishop

John H Bishop

This paper reviews international and domestic evidence on the effects of three types of high school exit exam systems: voluntary curriculum-based external exit exams, universal curriculum-based external exit exam systems and minimum competency tests that must be passed to receive a regular high school diploma. The nations and provinces that use Universal CBEEES (and typically teacher grades as well) to signal student achievement have significantly higher achievement levels and smaller differentials by family background than otherwise comparable jurisdictions that base high stakes decisions on voluntary college admissions tests and/or teacher grades. The introduction of Universal CBEEES in New York and …


The Effect Of National Standard And Curriculum-Based Exams On Achievement, John H. Bishop Oct 2009

The Effect Of National Standard And Curriculum-Based Exams On Achievement, John H. Bishop

John H Bishop

[Excerpt] Two presidents, the National Governors Association and numerous blue ribbon panels have called for the development of state or national content standards for core subjects and examinations that assess the achievement of these standards. The Competitiveness Policy Council, for example, advocates that "external assessments be given to individual students at the secondary level and that the results should be a major but not exclusive factor qualifying for college and better jobs at better wages (1993, p. 30)." It is claimed that curriculum-based external exit exam systems (CBEEEs) based on world class content standards will improve teaching and learning of …


The Role Of End-Of-Course Exams And Minimum Competency Exams In Standards-Based Reforms, John H. Bishop, Ferran Mane, Michael Bishop, Joan Moriarty Oct 2009

The Role Of End-Of-Course Exams And Minimum Competency Exams In Standards-Based Reforms, John H. Bishop, Ferran Mane, Michael Bishop, Joan Moriarty

John H Bishop

[Excerpt] Educational reformers and most of the American public believe that most teachers ask too little of their pupils. These low expectations, they believe, result in watered down curricula and a tolerance of mediocre teaching and inappropriate student behavior. The result is that the prophecy of low achievement becomes self-fulfilling. Although research has shown that learning gains are substantially larger when students take more demanding courses2, only a minority of students enroll in these courses. There are several reasons for this. Guidance counselors in many schools allow only a select few into the most challenging courses. While most schools give …


Do Curriculum-Based External Exit Exam Systems Enhance Student Achievement?, John H. Bishop Oct 2009

Do Curriculum-Based External Exit Exam Systems Enhance Student Achievement?, John H. Bishop

John H Bishop

[Excerpt] It is claimed that 'curriculum-based external exit exam systems', CBEEES, based on world class content standards will improve teaching and learning of core subjects. What evidence is there for this claim? New York's Regents Exams are an example of such a system. Do New York students outperform students with similar socio-economic backgrounds from other states? Outside the United States such systems are the rule, not the exception. What impacts have such systems had on school policies, teaching and student learning?


The Impact Of Curriculum-Based External Examinations On School Priorities And Student Learning, John H. Bishop Oct 2009

The Impact Of Curriculum-Based External Examinations On School Priorities And Student Learning, John H. Bishop

John H Bishop

[Excerpt] The first major prediction of the theory is that an increase in the extrinsic rewards for learning will cause student effort and achievement to increase. The primary extrinsic reward for achievement in high school is a higher probability of completing college. Thus the extrinsic rewards for learning in high school depend on the size of the payoff to college and on how contingent college admissions decisions are on achievement in high school. Time series data suggests that changes in college selectivity and payoff may have contributed to the ups and downs of student achievement during the postwar period. The …


The Effect Of Curriculum-Based Exit Exam Systems On Student Achievement, John H. Bishop Oct 2009

The Effect Of Curriculum-Based Exit Exam Systems On Student Achievement, John H. Bishop

John H Bishop

[Excerpt] Two presidents, the National Governors Association and numerous blue ribbon panels have called for the development of state or national content standards for core subjects and examinations that assess the achievement of these standards. The Competitiveness Policy Council, for example, advocates that "external assessments be given to individual students at the secondary level and that the results should be a major but not exclusive factor qualifying for college and better jobs at better wages (1993, p. 30)." It is claimed that 'curriculum-based external exit exam systems', CBEEES, based on world class content standards will improve teaching and learning of …


The Impact Of Extracurricular Activities On High School Students’ Academic Success, Nicholas Cooprider Mar 2009

The Impact Of Extracurricular Activities On High School Students’ Academic Success, Nicholas Cooprider

Leah A. Nillas

“Although we cannot conclude from the data that extracurricular activities alone caused these improvements, we can say with virtual certainty that when we help a student move from no participation in extracurricular activities to engagement in three or four such activities, it does not harm academic performance” (Reeves, 2008, p.2). Previous research concluded that participation in extracurricular activities does correlate to academic achievement in the classroom. This research examined how students perceived their involvement in extracurricular activities affected their academic performance. Surveys were distributed to a local, rural high school and students were asked to document the amount of time …


Pisa : Frequently Answered Criticisms, Ray Adams Dec 2008

Pisa : Frequently Answered Criticisms, Ray Adams

Prof Ray Adams

Studies such as PISA that attempt to compare outcomes across educational systems are expensive and difficult to implement. Further, the results of such studies are routinely criticized by educational commentators - particularly when the results are not consistent with their preconceived ideas about the relative merits and efficiencies of various educational practices and systems. This chapter discusses what is done to ameliorate the threats to the validity of PISA in five areas often targeted by commentators and reviewers as sources of invalidity in international comparisons. The five areas discussed are: (1) sampling - are the samples of students who undertake …


Learning Mathematics For Life : A Perspective From Pisa, Jan De Lange, Alla Routitsky, Kaye Stacey, Ross Turner, Margaret Wu, Andreas Schleicher, Claire Shewbridge, Pablo Zoido, Nicola Clements Dec 2008

Learning Mathematics For Life : A Perspective From Pisa, Jan De Lange, Alla Routitsky, Kaye Stacey, Ross Turner, Margaret Wu, Andreas Schleicher, Claire Shewbridge, Pablo Zoido, Nicola Clements

Dr Alla Routitsky

People from many countries have expressed interest in the tests students take for the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA). This book examines the link between the PISA test requirements and student performance. It focuses specifically on the proportions of students who answer questions correctly across a range of difficulty. The questions are classified by content, competencies, context and format, and the connections between these and student performance are then analysed. This analysis has been carried out in an effort to link PISA results to curricular programs and structures in participating countries and economies. Results from the student assessment reflect …