Education Commons^™

Freshman Retention Project: 2012-13 Report, Mirela Blekic

University Studies Assessment Research

This report summarizes the results of 2012-2013 Freshmen Retention Project and presents retention rates for various student populations.

A Profile Of Sophomore Inquiry Students Fall 2013, Rowanna L. Carpenter

University Studies Assessment Research

This report presents a profile of students enrolled in Sophomore Inquiry courses during Fall 2013.

A Profile Of Freshman Inquiry Students Fall 2013, Rowanna L. Carpenter

University Studies Assessment Research

This report presents a profile of students enrolled in Freshman Inquiry courses during Fall 2013, including demographic, academic, and financial information.

Improving Assessment Practice At The Course And Programmatic-Levels In Community Colleges: Developing The Guidebook For Student Learning Outcomes & The Assessment Loop, Steven George Beining

Dissertations and Theses

This project-based dissertation described, in detail, a seven-step research and development (R&D) process used to create, and bring to operational use, an educational tool that supported the academic use of the assessment loop: the Guidebook For Student Learning Outcomes & The Assessment Loop. The dissertation established the problem that this product solved, provided relevant research, including a literature review, and the process and methods that led to the development of this useful product. It described the purpose of this specific guidebook and for guidebooks in general.

This project was informed by research of instructional design of text-based teaching materials, R&D-focused …

Impact Of Teacher Feedback On The Development Of State Issued Scoring Guides For Science Inquiry And Engineering Design Performance Assessments, Timothy Paul Fiser

Dissertations and Theses

In 2010, Oregon Department of Education (ODE) developed a set of rubrics designed to score a state required performance assessment targeting Science Inquiry (SI) and Engineering Design (ED) skills. During the development of the rubrics, ODE invited six panels of teachers to provide feedback on an early draft of the rubrics. This case study analyzed the teachers' feedback and the revisions of the rubrics to identify the types of feedback teachers offered and how ODE used that feedback to develop the rubrics. The results showed the teachers' feedback focused on defining the skills students were asked to demonstrate and distinguishing …

What Research Says About... The National Project On Common Planning Time, Steven B. Mertens, Vincent A. Anfara Jr., Nancy Flowers, Micki M. Caskey

Curriculum and Instruction Faculty Publications and Presentations

What Research Says about... The National Project on Common Planning Time PDF version of a PowerPoint presentation given at the National Middle School Association Annual Conference, Indianapolis, IN, Nov. 6, 2009.

The Effect Of Teacher-Identified Classroom Management, Monica Rose Root

Dissertations and Theses

The framework of this study was monitoring classroom management strategies and student behaviors in the classroom, then providing strategies and feedback to increase effective classroom management and decrease problem student behaviors.

There were 15 evidence–based practices that were researched and used in the study. Specifically teachers were asked to focus on 5 of them. These practices were: using 5 positive feedback comments to 1 negative comment; having classroom rules and expectations that were posted, taught, practiced, consistent, and positively reinforced; using an attention getting cue that had been taught, practiced and positively reinforced; having continuous active supervision including moving and …

Evaluating Alternative High Schools: Program Evaluation In Action, Drew Samuel Wayne Hinds

Dissertations and Theses

Alternative high schools serve some of the most vulnerable students and their programs present a significant challenge to evaluate. Determining the impact of an alternative high school that serves mostly at-risk students presented a significant research problem. Few studies exist that dig deeper into the characteristics and strategies of successful alternative schooling. Moreover valid program evaluation methods to identify successful alternative school practices are hit and miss. As a result, public policy and systems of accountability have either disregarded information relating to alternative high schools or unjustifiably included them in comparisons with traditional high schools.

This dissertation studied the issue …

Designing Innovative Alternatives To Traditional High Schools: What Leaders Need To Know, Chester Roy Edwards

Dissertations and Theses

The need for new and innovative alternatives to traditional high schools has never been greater. Never designed to graduate all students on time, traditional high schools and their high dropout rates have remained unchanged for the last 30 years. Improving secondary schooling for all young people is a worthwhile social and educational objective. Many school leaders want to create alternative high schools but may lack the knowledge of what to do, nor may they have a comprehensive design process to follow.

The research question explored in this dissertation is: What do leaders in education need to know to design innovative …

Developing The Instructional Leadership Skills Of High School Principals In Tanzania: A Problem-Based Learning Approach, Peter N. Siamoo

Dissertations and Theses

Underachievement among secondary students in Tanzania is tragic: the failure rate on the national exams after the fourth year is between 65 to 100 percent (Mushi, 2011). The literature affirms that student learning is primarily improved by enhancing quality classroom instruction while the second most impactful strategy is consistent school leadership to ensure that effective practices are utilized in the classroom (Blase & Blase, 2004; Chenoweth & Everhart, 2002; Fink & Markholt, 2011; Leithwood, Louis, Anderson, & Wahlstrom, 2004; Leithwood, Harris, & Strauss, 2010; Marzano, Waters, & McNulty, 2005). Despite the research, the researcher's pilot study revealed that there is …

Sinq Retention And Belonging: An Exploration Of Retention And Belonging Factors Of Portland State University Sophomore Inquiry Students, Cristina Restad, Christa Zinke

University Studies Assessment Research

Research on sophomore success.conducted by graduate students. Examines factors related to SINQ student retention and sense of belonging at PSU.

Writing Outcomes Assessment Special Report, Rowanna L. Carpenter

University Studies Assessment Research

A group of faculty provided feedback on revised UNST writing outcomes as part of our annual ePortfolio review process. This excerpt from our annual report reflects a summary of their conversation and feedback.

Based in part on this feedback, a group of faculty met throughout the 2013-2014 academic year to revise the UNST writing rubric.

University Studies Annual Assessment 2012-2013, Portland State University. University Studies Program, Rowanna L. Carpenter

University Studies Annual Assessment Reports

Annual in-depth examination and assessment of Portland State University's general education model, the University Studies Program. The tools and methods used to assess student learning are faculty driven and developed.

Preparation In Practice: Simultaneous Preparation Of Educational Leaders And Future Teachers For Social Justice In Professional Development Schools, Amy Daggett Petti, Sabrina Flamoe

Education Faculty Publications and Presentations

In times of crisis there are opportunities for innovation. Teacher preparation, leadership preparation, and education in general are facing a time of crisis. Teacher and principal preparation and performance are no longer just the fodder of educational journals and elite academics. When mainstream publications such as Newsweek run a cover image of a chalkboard with repeated lines of text, "We Must Fire Bad Teachers" as the solution to "saving American Education" (2010), we know the public perception of teacher preparation, teacher professionalism, and leadership in schools is in a crisis.

This chapter examines a case study of a school committed …

The Value Of Midterm Student Feedback In Cross-Disciplinary Graduate Programs, G.L.A. Harris, Dannelle D. Stevens

Education Faculty Publications and Presentations

End-of-course student evaluations are frequently used to evaluate university faculty teaching. However, employing midterm student feedback has been found to be instrumental in informing faculty about instructional quality and improving student learning outcomes. This study examined and compared the effects on classroom instruction of using a midterm student feedback (MSF) survey in the graduate courses of two faculty, an untenured professor in public administration and a full professor in education. The researchers gathered data from 122 students over two years for three courses in 6 classes—4 in public administration, 2 in education. Results indicate that midterm student feedback offered insight …

Basic Fba To Bsp Trainer’S Manual, Sheldon Loman, M. Kathleen Strickland-Cohen, Christopher Borgmeier, Robert Horner

Special Education Faculty Publications and Presentations

This manual presents procedures to train school-based personnel to conduct "basic" functional behavioral assessments (FBA) and design function-based behavior support plans (BSP). "Basic FBA/BSP" training methods, as they are presented in this manual, are designed to train school based personnel with flexible roles in a school (i.e. personnel not directly responsible for providing regular instruction for students; e.g., classroom teachers). The Basic FBA/BSP training methods are specifically designed for use with students that exhibit consistent problems that are NOT dangerous and have not been adequately addressed through previous assessment and intervention. For example, Basic FBA methods would be appropriate for …