Educational Assessment, Evaluation, and Research Commons^™

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 …

The Impact Of Mini-Computers And E-Books On The Success Of At-Risk College Students, Aaron W. Hughey, Charlene Manco

Counseling & Student Affairs Faculty Publications

Academically underprepared college students; i.e., those identified as needing developmental (remedial) English, mathematics and reading courses in order to maximize their potential for academic success at college-level studies, were provided with the opportunity to rent, for a minimal, subsidized fee, mini-computers bundled with digital course materials (e-books). The academic aptitude of the students who participated in the study was assessed when they entered the program, and their academic performance was assessed at the conclusion of the semester in which they were provided with these resources. The aptitude, performance and retention of program participants were then compared to those of similarly …

Analysis Of The Essential Programs And Services Disadvantaged Youth Cost Component, David L. Silvernail Phd, James E. Sloan

School Funding - Essential Programs and Services (EPS)

Prior to implementation of EPS, Maine’s funding formula had little in terms of prescribed levels of adjustment to insure vertical equity. But beginning in 2005-06, three vertical equity adjustments were put into place (special needs, LEP, and Disadvantaged Youth), and provisions were included in the law for three year reviews of these adjustments. The Disadvantaged Youth adjustment was first reviewed in Fall 2008. This report describes the results from the second regularly scheduled review in 2010-2011.

Schools In Their Communities, Robert Simons

Policy Briefs

The idea of school-community partnerships is intuitively attractive because of the benefits they can facilitate. These benefits include availability and access to complementary services to strengthen the focus on learning for students and teachers, and opportunities for continuing learning and skill development for parents and others in the community.1 However, there are also a number of practical challenges with the development of effective and sustainable school-community partnerships. This Policy Brief considers three models of partnerships in schools and communities that have been developed during the last fifteen years in Australia in response to a variety of national, regional, local and …

Analysis Of Year 12 Or Certificate Ii Attainment Of Indigenous Young People – Stage 1 : A Report Prepared For The Council Of Australian Governments Reform Council, John Ainley, Sarah Buckley, Adrian Beavis, Sheldon Rothman, Alice Tovey

Indigenous Education Research

The purpose of this paper is to assist the Council of Australian Governments (COAG) Reform Council to analyse performance information relating to the Year 12 or Certificate II attainment of Indigenous young people and to understand better variations in performance across jurisdictions. As part of these analyses variations over time within each jurisdiction have been reported. The analyses use existing data sources. No new data have been collected. There are four strands to this work:

1. a statistical overview of educational attainments and participation;
2. multivariate analyses of influences on attainment;
3. a review of literature intended to inform an understanding of trends …

Analysis Of The Essential Programs And Services Limited English Proficiency (Lep) Cost Component, David L. Silvernail Phd, Ida A. Batista

School Funding - Essential Programs and Services (EPS)

The first scheduled review of the LEP component was conducted in 2007-08, with an additional review conducted in 2008-09, as requested by the Joint Standing Committee on Education and Cultural Services. This report describes the results of the regularly scheduled 2010-11 review.

Assessment Matters #12, Feb 2011, Assessment In Action Committee

Assessment Matters @ WMU

No abstract provided.

A+Nywhere Learning System Comparative Analysis Of Direct Instruction And Online Learning Using The A+Nywhere Learning System In A Secondary Alternative High School, Patricia Mary Lee

Dissertations

In 2010, the problem of high school students dropping out of high school continues to plaque school districts across the United States. All students can learn when provided with opportunity, ample support systems, and encouragement to succeed. In this mixed methods study, the researcher investigated whether utilizing an online curriculum instead of direct instruction was an effective instructional tool for at-risk high school students attending an alternative high school. After the 2008–2009 school year, teaching methods at the participating high school were changed from direct instruction school to the A+nyWhere Learning System (A+LS) for communication arts, math, science, social studies, …

Promoting Professionalism In Master’S Level Teachers Through Research Based Writing, Jesus Garcia, P. S. Mcmillen, David A. Bolin

Library Faculty Presentations

Presentation of how the creators came together to redesign a course for social studies teachers.

School-Community Partnerships In Australian Schools, Michele Lonsdale

Program monitoring and evaluation

This report is based on an analysis of the data provided by Australian schools in their 2009 Schools First Impact Award applications. The data described the nature of the partnerships that schools had established with community and business groups, the reasons for these partnerships, the kinds of programs that were developed and implemented, and the effectiveness of the partnership/program.

These applications are a rich source of information about school–community partnerships in Australia. The report is organised around the following seven questions:

What types of schools established partnerships?

Who partnered with schools?

What were the main reasons for setting up these …

A Clinical Practicum Experience To Prepare Teacher Candidates For Classroom Literacy Instruction, Karen C. Waters

Education Faculty Publications

There is a pervasive reading crisis in the United States. Critics, including policymakers, educators, literacy scholars, and professional educational organizations have openly accused university teacher preparation programs of not preparing candidates to deliver effective reading instruction. This qualitative study used narrative inquiry to explore ways in which teacher candidates' participation in a research-based university clinical practicum contributed to their pedagogical understanding of literacy instruction. Conceptually this study was based on constructivism and the ideas of Dewey, Freire, Vygotsky, and Schön. Data collection included multiple interviews and observations to determine how teacher candidates' participation in clinical practicum affects their assumptions about …