Education Commons^™

New Profile Of A Virginia High School Graduate: A Research Brief, David Naff

MERC Publications

Guided by recommendations from the Standards of Learning Innovation Committee - a group of educators, policymakers, and community members charged by the Virginia Secretary of Education with furthering PK-12 education in the Commonwealth - the Virginia General Assembly has recently passed legislation through House Bill 895 and Senate Bill 336 directing the Board of Education to redefine the “Profile of a Virginia Graduate.” The legislation indicates that beginning with the freshman class of 2018, students receiving a diploma in the state of Virginia must adhere to new graduation standards that include life skills that could potentially enhance the academic, civic, …

Formative Assessment Practices With Benchmark Testing: Phase I, Lisa Abrams, Angela P. Wetzel, James H. Mcmillan

MERC Publications

The recent popularity of benchmark testing has become closely tied to formative assessment. Formative assessment has traditionally focused on a process in which evidence elicited from classroom assessments is used to provide feedback to students and inform instructional correctives (McMillan, 2007: 2010, Popham, 2008). However, accountability demands have led to widespread implementation of benchmark, interim, periodic, or quarterly testing at the school or district level that is often labeled “formative.” Indeed, some in the testing industry believe that benchmark testing is formative assessment. For example, the definition of benchmark testing by the Regional Education Laboratory Mid-Atlantic is that “a benchmark …

Issues, Challenges, And Needs Of High School Esl And Content-Area Teachers In The Richmond Metropolitan Area, Seonhee Cho, Hana Kim

MERC Publications

n recent years, public schools in Central Virginia have experienced a fast growing ESL population. School districts throughout the state have reported increases in their ESL population that range from 300% to 700% in the past ten years. Unlike states with big cities that traditionally have a high immigrant population, the Virginia schools where the number of English language learners (ELLs) has increased recently, are less likely prepared to meet the needs of this particular group of students (Echevarria, Vogt & Short, 2004). With the passage of the federal No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act (2002), academic success is increasingly …

The Relationship Between Classroom Assessment Practices And Student Motivation And Engagement: A Literature Review, Kathleen M. Cauley, Gina Pannanzzo, Lisa Abrams, James H. Mcmillan

MERC Publications

Assessment is becoming increasingly important in classrooms as school systems respond to federal and state testing mandates. The increasing emphasis on assessment surely impacts student outcomes such as engagement and motivation, and ultimately achievement. While it is clear that classroom assessment is receiving more attention as a critical component of teaching that directly affects student learning, there is still a lack of systematic research that addresses many classroom assessment issues. There is some evidence that effective formative assessment enhances achievement (Black & William, 1998) and that curtain grading practices result in greater student motivation and achievement (Brookhart, 2004b). However, researchers …

Alignment Of Classroom Assessments With The Virginia Standards Of Learning (Sol), Joan A. Rhodes, Valerie J. Robnolt, Susan P. Mckelvey

MERC Publications

Parents, teachers, and school administrators all have one common goal — student success. Teachers have been trusted to impart knowledge to students, while hopefully fostering a love of learning, then assessing how much the students know. Assessment in the classroom, whether informal, formative, or summative, has been the major source of identifying student strengths and weaknesses. Today, many people believe that teachers must be accountable for what they do in the classroom. Within the educational system, students’ success has been measured inconsistently from state-to-state, district-to-district, and even classroom-to-classroom. In this age of accountability, national and state standards have been developed, …

Accountability Testing And Students With Learning Disabilities: Factors Of Passing And Failing The Virginia Sol Tests, Paul J. Gerber

MERC Publications

Since the landmark work A Nation At-Risk (National Commission on Excellence in Education, 1988), school systems in the United States have been evolving by a myriad of reform efforts, particularly with regard to the “standards movement.” Outcomes of standards-based education are measured by accountability and assessment systems. Currently, all states have some kind of assessment system that (1) provides information about individual student achievement and (2) gauges the success of schools and school systems. Conventional wisdom is if standards are raised all students will benefit through greater student achievement and the efforts of educators will, in essence, be validated.

All …

Research-Based Practices As A Protective Factor For Students At-Risk For Academic Failure, Kevin Sutherland, Donna Jovanovich

MERC Publications

Increasing pressure on teachers and administrators due to high-stakes testing has led to increased risk to our most vulnerable population, those students who arrive at school without the prerequisite skills necessary to successfully participate in the academic climate of the classroom. Unfortunately, given the large range of ability levels often present even in early elementary school, teachers face enormous challenges in meeting the needs of all their students. Further, due to the challenges inherent in teaching low-achieving students, and the ensuing classroom behavior problems often presented by these students, teachers may be conditioned to avoid interacting with these students, particularly …

Teacher Use Of High-Stakes Test Score Data To Improve Instruction, James H. Mcmillan, Susan P. Mckelvey

MERC Publications

Across the United States most school districts and state departments of education have embraced high-stakes testing for their public schools and students. This has led to widespread school reform since many students have not reached the standards that the states and/or districts have set. Teachers increasingly focus on making sure that their students have enough knowledge to pass these tests, and some states and districts have made passing scores a requirement for graduation. Many states and districts have invested considerable time aligning their standardized tests with the objectives of the curriculum.

One of the consequences of high-stakes testing is that …

Stories Of Student Success In Title I Elementary Schools, Rachel Mccay, Rachel Savage

MERC Publications

The purpose of this study was to examine factors present in schools with students who performed higher or demonstrated greater improvement on SOL(Standards of Learning) tests that might have been expected based on student demographics. The study identified factors present in these schools that contributed to their success. The study examined four Title I elementary schools, including three designated as high achieving and one as low achieving for purposes of comparison. The study was initially designed to examine equal numbers of schools representing each phenomenon (high and low achieving); however, the perceived pressure associated with state and local reform efforts …

Accountability Tests And Assessment Of Students With Disabilities: High-Stakes Are For Tomatoes! A Review Of Literature, Paul J. Gerber

MERC Publications

Since the landmark work A Nation at Risk (1998), a report that warned about “the rising tide of mediocrity in American public education”, school systems in the United States have been evolving by way of myriad of reform efforts, particularly with regard to the “standards movement.” There has been much scrutiny of student achievement by variety of constituencies – policymakers, school boards, and unions; school administrators, teachers, and parents. Each has viewed the metamorphosis of the K-12 system through its own lens. Moreover, each group has been most interested in the “bottom line” of educational efforts. That is, the outcomes …

Teachers' Use Of High-Stakes Test Results To Improve Instruction: A Review Of Literature, James H. Mcmillan, Susan P. Mckelvey

MERC Publications

Across the United States many school districts and state departments of education have embraced high-stakes testing for their public schools and students. This has led to widespread school reform since many students have not reached the standards that the states and/or districts have set. Teachers increasingly focus on making sure that their students have enough knowledge to pass these tests, and some states and districts have made passing scores a requirement for graduation. Many states and districts have invested considerable time aligning their standardized tests with the objectives of the curriculum.

One of the consequences of high-stakes testing is that …

The Effectiveness Of Summer Remediation For High-Stakes Testing, James H. Mcmillan, Angela Snyder

MERC Publications

Summer school has been an integral part of American education for many years. Historically, summer school was used to prevent delinquency, to keep children “off the streets.” While this function is still served, the purposes of summer school now include academic enrichment, summer employment for teachers, supervision for children during the summer months for working parents, the mitigation of summer learning loss, and what can be teamed remediation of student knowledge and skills to meet high academic standards (Hirschman, 200; New York State United Teachers, 1999); the National Assembly of Health and Human Service Organizations, 2000). For some students, summer …

The Effectiveness Of Remedial School Summer Programs: Review Of Literature And Annotated Bibliography, James H. Mcmillan, Dawn Bonanno Fitzelle

MERC Publications

Summer School has been an integral part of American education for many years. Historically, summer school was used to prevent delinquency, to keep children “off the streets.” While this function is still served, the purposes of summer school now include academic enrichment, summer employment for teachers, supervision for children during the summer months for working parents, the mitigation of summer learning loss, and what can be termed remediation of student knowledge and skills to meet higher academic standards (Hirschman, 2000; New York State United Teachers, 1999; The National Assembly of Health and Human Service Organizations, 2000). For some students, summer …

Testing, Accountability And Accrediation, Sanford D. Snider

MERC Publications

The primary purpose of this case study was to describe the implementation of the Virginia Standards of Learning in seven public school systems in the Richmond, Virginia metropolitan area. Implementation includes the application of the grade level and subject objectives to daily classroom instruction, organization of instruction, and preparation of students for administration of the tests.

The Metropolitan Educational Research Consortium (MERC) is made up of Virginia Commonwealth University and seven school systems in the vicinity of Richmond. A Policy and Planning Council, which governs the consortium, is made up of the school superintendent, a representative member of each school …

Report On The Implementation Of Alternative High Schools, Nora Alder, Terry Brown

MERC Publications

The Richmond Academy opened in January 1999 to accommodate ninth and tenth graders whose behavior had been problematic in regular school settings. Created with a mission to support these students' academic and social growth, the Richmond Academy's goals include preparing students to successfully return to their home schools and complete high school.

The purpose of this report is to describe the Richmond Academy as it had been implemented in its opening semester and to make recommendations for subsequent semesters. This report beings with a review of the literature that focuses on evaluations of similar alternative settings. Next, a description of …

Teachers' Classroom Assessment And Grading Practices: Phase 2, James H. Mcmillan, Daryl Workman

MERC Publications

A significant amount of recent literature has focused on classroom assessment and grading as essential aspects of effective teaching. There is an increased scrutiny of assessment as indicated by the popularity of performance assessment and portfolios, newly established national assessment competencies for teachers (Standards, 1990), and the interplay between learning, motivation, as assessment (Brookhart, 1993, 1994; Tittle, 1994). In Virginia, the Standards of Learning and associated tests highlight the importance of assessment.

Previous research documents that teachers tend to award a "hodgepodge grade of attitude, effort, and achievement" (Brookhart, 1991, p. 36). It is also clear that teachers use a …

Report On The Implementation Of The Richmond Academy, Nora Alder, Terry Brown

MERC Publications

The purpose of this report is to describe the Richmond Academy as it had been implemented in its opening semester and to make recommendations for subsequent semesters. This report begins with a review of the literature that focuses on evaluations of similar alternative settings. Next, a description of the methodology used in this report is outlined. A description of the basic components of the Richmond Academy follows the methodology. Finally, recommendations for the future of the Richmond Academy are made.

High School Follow-Up Surveys: What Works?, James H. Mcmillan, Suzanne Trevvett

MERC Publications

Increasing demand for accountability have prompted a renewed interest in determining effective methods of obtaining data from high school graduates and former students. The purpose of this investigation was to examine the methods and objectives of high school graduate/former student follow-up activities to identify procedures that resulted in high response rates and helpful information.

Information was obtained from three sources: local school systems in the Richmond metropolitan area, selected school systems in other areas of Virginia, and school systems in other states as identified through a search of the Educational Resources Information Center (ERIC) database.

The purposes of the follow-up …

Teachers' Classroom Assessment And Grading Practices: Phase 1, James H. Mcmillan, Daryl Workman

MERC Publications

Classroom assessment and grading practices are becoming a greater focus of educational inquiry as teachers and policymakers become more accountable to the public for educational outcomes via assessment driven instructional practices. This study was an attempt to better understand the classroom assessment and grading practices of teachers, which have previously been described as a "hodgepodge" mix of student attitude, effort and achievement. Specifically, the following questions regarding teachers' assessment and grading practices were addressed:

What is the current state of assessment practice and grading by teachers?

What assessment and grading topics do teachers identify as needs to be addressed in …

Successful Literacy Passport Test Remediation Strategies For Elementary And Middle School Students: A Research Report, James H. Mcmillan

MERC Publications

The purpose of this study was to examine instructional strategies teachers and other school personnel have employed to successfully remediate students who have failed the reading and writing parts of the Virginia Literacy Passport Test (LPT), or the LPT Predictor Test. The intent was to determine if specific approaches seem to work best for different types of students, and if particular materials, teaching strategies, scheduling, and other factors are associated with successful remediation.

A qualitative research design was employed to gather and analyze information related to successful remediation. Classroom and resource teachers who had experience in remediating students who had …