Educational Assessment, Evaluation, and Research Commons^™

Implementing A Summer Fitness Program To Enhance Fitness Test Scores, Keith A. Price

Dissertations

Presently, there is general disquiet about the poor fitness and obesity levels being displayed by young people in the USA. Given my concern about this as a Physical Education teacher, I conducted a qualitative action research project that involved running a six-week Summer Fitness Club for elementary students in Grades 1-5. The purpose was to see if this program could make a difference in the fitness test scores of the children and to monitor the implementation of that program. The course was designed to operate four days a week for six weeks with each session lasting two hours. Each session …

The Effects Of A Systematic Progress Monitoring Program On Sixth Grade Middle School Reading Scores And Teacher Perceptions, Jamie Alexander Smith

Dissertations

The development of quality educational programs, designed to meet the needs of all students, is a pivotal responsibility of educators and yet a considerable challenge due to the diverse needs in each school. Many consider the Response to Intervention (RtI) model to be one initiative with the greatest potential to improve education for all students (Tilly, 2006). RtI is a process that screens students for concerns, uses scientifically based strategies to teach, intervenes to address identified learning needs, assesses and charts progress, and ultimately adjusts the educational support to meet the varied needs of all learners (Dickman, 2006). A vast …

Year-Round Calendars At The High School Level, Matthew Nohner

Mathematics Graduate Theses

The purpose of this paper is to explore the effects of a year round calendar on math scores at the high school level. Students forget facts, especially math facts, over long extended breaks. Year round calendars aim to address this dilemma by minimizing long breaks from learning. The results of year round calendars have been mixed. Some schools have reported both academic and monetary gains after switching from a traditional calendar, while other schools have seen modest gains in student learning. All studies cited in this paper report that at-risk and low socioeconomic students benefit academically from a year round …

Teaching Use Of Digital Primary Sources For K-12 Settings, Anne R. Diekama, Heather Leary, Sheri Haderlie, Connie Woxland

Instructional Technology and Learning Sciences Faculty Publications

This paper describes learning outcomes of a three-day workshop on integrating primary sources into K-12 teaching. The short curriculum — intended for teams of teachers and school librarians — combined visits to a museum and a library's special collections with an introduction to significant national and local digital collections of primary sources. The paper draws on focus group data, reflection papers, and a conference presentation by the workshop participants as well as curricular artifacts presented to the workshop instructors. Using their workshop experience, teachers integrated digitized primary sources into their curricula thereby creating quality instructional content that engaged students' interest. …

The Impact Of Class Size On Outcomes In Higher Education, James Monks, Robert M. Schmidt

Economics Faculty Publications

Numerous studies have investigated the impact of class size on student outcomes. This analysis contributes to this discussion by isolating the impact of class size on student outcomes in higher education by utilizing a natural experiment at a selective institution which enables the estimation of class size effects conditional on the total number of students taught by a faculty member. We find that class size negatively impacts student assessments of courses and instructors. Large classes appear to prompt faculty to alter their courses in ways deleterious to students.

Investigating The Transition Process When Moving From A Spiral Curriculum Alignment Into A Field-Focus Science Curriculum Alignment In Middle School, Randi Kay Alwardt

Dissertations

This investigation examined the transition from a spiral science curriculum to a field-focus science curriculum in middle school. A spiral science curriculum focuses on a small part of each field of science during each middle school year, more of a general science concept. In contast to that, the base of a field-focus curriculum is that each grade level focuses on a specific field of science, more of a high school like concept. The literature reviewed provides a history of science education, the steps of the change process, and the importance of professional development. The literature review provided a basis for …

Examination Of Existing Strategies To Support State Physical Fitness Standards: A Case Study Of A Large Mid-Western Urban School District, Tyrone D. Smith

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to identify which Missouri Physical Education Fitness Assessment strategies were implemented by high schools in the Study School District to meet state physical fitness standards and to identify physical fitness personnel perceptions of district-provided support for physical education programs and their possible benefits to students involved. Results may increase reader awareness of fitness related health issues such as teen obesity and early onset diabetes. The secondary data used for this research study was obtained from the study school fitness assessment results. The researcher generated the Teacher Resource survey administered by the district. Responses to …

Comparing Differences In Math Achievement And Attitudes Toward Math In A Sixth Grade Mathematics Enrichment Pilot Program, Tamara Tow

Dissertations

High-stakes assessments have encouraged educators to ignore the needs of the top performers. Therefore, the Oakwood School District decided to implement a mathematics pilot enrichment program in order to meet the needs of the advanced mathematics students. As a result, this study used quantitative data to determine if there was a significant change in the academic achievement and attitudes over the course of the year of sixth-grade students in the enrichment math pilot program. The curriculum for the pilot program centered on the same topics as the regular program, however, it involved more application of the basic concepts and of …

Predictors Of Mathematics Majors At The Post-Secondary Level Of Education, Megan L. Reineke

Dissertations

While there are numerous studies examining the courses students take at the secondary level and how different levels of mathematics courses can affect student achievement in beginning post-secondary mathematics courses, there are no studies that examine math majors at the post-secondary level of education. In addition, many reports stating gender and ethnicity gaps in the field of mathematics fail to discuss the issue surrounding what type of student pursues a mathematics degree. Understanding mathematics majors, including the types of high schools they attended and their ethnicities, may provide some insight into which students are becoming interested in the area of …

An Analysis Of Attendance Policies And High School Attendance Rates, Dawn Michelle Brenner

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to ascertain the relationship between the dependent variable, average daily attendance rate, and the independent variables, socio-economic status, student enrollment, and the type of attendance policy implemented in the 85 public high schools in southwest Missouri. The types of attendance policies were sorted into one of three pre-determined categories: punitive, reward, or affective. Data were collected for each of the independent and dependent variables. A percentage was calculated by dividing the number of policy types within each category by the total number of policy types. Then the data were organized based on the average …

Cultural Proficiency In Education: A Review Of The Literature Focused On Teachers, School Leaders, And Schools, Cady Landa

Gastón Institute Publications

This literature review complements numerous studies conducted by the Gastón Institute in the last twenty years showing the significance of cultural differences for the educational outcomes of Latino and other cultural- and linguistical-minority children. The Gastón Institute and Sociedad Latina partnered to produce this review with the goal of deepening the understanding of policy makers and administrators of the benefits of culturally proficient schools for all students.

The author, Cady Landa, presents a wealth of information on the characteristics of cultural proficiency and the qualities that it calls for in teachers, students, and administrators. She has drawn from dozens of …

International Update (No. 1) December 2010

International Update archive (2010-2012)

Table of contents for this issue: (a) Engaging international students; (b) Assessing higher education learning outcomes; (c) Indian Central Board of Secondary Education visits ACER; (d) Assessing student competencies in Brunei; (e) Assessing generic skills in Colombia; (f) English-language assessment in Hong Kong; (g) Evaluating reform in Mexican schools; (h) Initial findings from International Civics and Citizenship Education Study released; (i) Indonesian Islamic education; (j) National assessment in Mexico; (k) ACER advises PNG system on courses and curriculum; (l) ACER to assist in establishing Middle East centre; (m) Education for all in India; (n) Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER).

Medical Testing

International Developments

Universities are increasingly admitting new students based on more than just their academic results. In health-related fields especially, greater emphasis is being placed on the need for students to have a wider skill set, in particular logical reasoning and problem solving, the ability to communicate well and understand people, as well as the ability to work effectively in a team. Future doctors and other health professionals need to understand more than just medical theory – it is crucial they have the aptitude to work effectively with colleagues and patients in practice. ACER works with universities in the United Kingdom and …

International Schools' Assessment Program

International Developments

Designed and developed Schools’ Assessment Designed and developed by the Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER), the International Schools' Assessment Program (ISA) is currently administered in 260 international schools worldwide with over 49000 students participating, and allows these schools to benchmark themselves against other international schools in the core skill areas of mathematical literacy, reading and writing. The ISA is a culturally inclusive test that provides meaningful and valuable information for education providers and the parents of students.

Middle East

International Developments

The countries of the Middle East are forging ahead with educational development to ensure that their students are well prepared to meet the challenges of living and working in a global economy. with educational development to ensure that their students are well prepared to meet the challenges of living and working in a global economy. ACER's United Arab Emirates Office, located in Dubai, opened in October 2003 as the first educational research organisation in Knowledge Village. ACER UAE provides knowledge transfer, training and innovative educational services throughout the Middle East.

World Bank

International Developments

Established in 1944, the World Bank provides low‑interest loans, interest-free credits and grants to developing countries for investment in education, health, public administration, infrastructure, financial and private sector development, agriculture and environmental and natural resource management. One of the organisation’s strategic goals is to help countries integrate education into national economic strategies and develop holistic education systems responsive to varying socioeconomic needs. ACER’s World Bank-funded work extends from India to Ethiopia on projects involving national assessments, reviews and in-country consultancy.

Programme For International Student Assessment (Pisa)

International Developments

The Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER) leads an international consortium of research organisations, and educational institutions to deliver the International PISA project on behalf of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). Translated into 48 languages and then verified to ensure they can be understood by students from a wide range of language and cultural backgrounds, PISA questions are based on relevant, everyday situations. PISA tests the reading, mathematics and science literacy of 15-year-olds across the world. In 2009 around 400 000 students from 57 countries took part.

International Developments (No.1) 2010

International Developments

Table of contents for this issue: Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA); (b) World Bank; (c) Latin America; (d) Middle East; (e) International Schools Assessment Program; (f) Medical testing.

Test Score Differentials And Returns To Literacy Across Race/Gender Groups, Kevin Hollenbeck

Presentations

No abstract provided.

The Value Of Value-Added Measures, Nathan C. Jensen, Gary W. Ritter

Policy Briefs

The concept of value-added measures of teacher or school effectiveness is prompting a great deal of discussion in K-12 Education policy circles. This debate reached a boiling point last year when the Los Angeles Times published a database of the value-added scores for all teachers in the nation's second largest school district. Proponents argue value-added measures provide important information on school and teacher effectiveness. Opponents argue value-added measures are imprecise instruments which measure student background instead of teacher or school quality. The purpose of this policy brief is to provide the reader with a general understanding of the concept of …