Digital Commons Network^™

Effects Of Plain Language Revision On Item Difficulty, Discrimination And Dif, Holly E. Baker

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Colorado assesses approximately 98% of students enrolled in grades 3-10 in the area of mathematics. In 2005, 69,872 English Language Learners (ELLs) in grades 3-10 participated in the state content area assessments. In 2007, 88,060 ELLs participated in the state content area assessments. With this dramatic growth in the ELL population in the state of Colorado and elsewhere in the nation, ensuring that ELLs have access to comprehensible materials on state assessments is of paramount importance. Accommodations provide access for students based on their individual needs. Likewise, assessment items designed and/or revised using the principles of plain language and universal …

The Emperor Has No Clothes?: Rankings And The Shift From Qa To World-Class Excellence, Ellen Hazelkorn

Other resources

No abstract provided.

Connecting Resources To Student Achievement: Assessment Of The Indeterminacy Of District Performance, Peter Simpson, Robert K. Gable, Stacey L. Kite

School Finance and Student Achievement

The purpose of this study is to conduct cluster analyses, resulting in groupings of N=113 districts based on socioeconomic status (SES), which is the independent variable and primary correlate of performance. It is a quantitative analysis of N=113 districts in Massachusetts for the period from 2000 to 2005. The study conducts cluster analyses to evaluate district performance as measured by student achievement. The problem is stated by National Research Council (1999) that: “Indeterminacy characterizes education production”. Indeterminacy is represented by variation in the N=113 districts’ performance. The groupings of performance obtained from the cluster analyses provide information about the types …

A Validation Of The Collaborative Alternative Magnet School For Leadership (Cams) Student Survey, Wei Xia, Mary E. Yakimowski, Maureen Bransfield, Carolyn Mcnally

NERA Conference Proceedings 2008

The Collaborative Alternative Magnet School for Leadership (CAMS) Student Survey is intended to assess students' leadership development and skills. The survey was originally adapted by the Area Cooperative Educational Services (ACES) from Connecticut's Common Core of Learning, and was recently revised and used by CAMS. There are four basic aspects in the CAMS Student Survey: responsibility, persistence, respect for culture diversity, and sense of community. In this paper, the authors write about the exploratory factor analysis (EFA) that was conducted to explore the factor structure of the survey, and also report the reliability analysis results. Recommendations are provided about further …

A Confirmatory Factor Analytic Study Examining The Dimensionality Of Educational Achievement Tests, Nina Deng, Craig Wells, Ronald Hambleton

NERA Conference Proceedings 2008

It is important to check the fundamental assumption of most popular Item Response Theory models, unidimensionality. However, it is hard for educational and psychological tests to be strictly unidimensional. The tests studied in this paper are from a standardized high-stake testing program. They feature potential multidimensionality by presenting various item types and item sets. Confirmatory factor analyses with one-factor and bifactor models, and based on both linear structural equation modeling approach and nonlinear IRT approach were conducted. The competing models were compared and the implications of the bifactor model for checking essential unidimensionality were discussed.

The Relationship Between Ap English Language Performance And College Outcomes, Xinhui Xiong, K. D. Mattern, E. J. Shaw

NERA Conference Proceedings 2008

This study focused on the relationship between students’ Advanced Placement (AP) English language performance and their subsequent college success. Targeted students were divided into three groups according to their AP English Language performance. Subsequent college success was measured by students’ first-year college GPA, retention to the second year, and institutional selectivity. The demographic characteristics of the three AP performance groups with regard to gender, ethnicity, and best language spoken are provided. Results indicated that, after controlling for students’ SAT scores as a measure of prior academic performance, AP English Language performance was positively related to all three measures of college …

Measuring Teachers’ Perceptions Of Grading Practices: Does School Level Make A Difference?, Xing Liu

NERA Conference Proceedings 2008

The effectiveness of classroom assessment and grading practices has become an increasingly important research topic in education. However, previous research had no consensus on whether school level had an effect on teachers’ grading practices. The purpose of the present study was to examine whether middle and high school teachers differ in regard to ratings of the importance and usefulness of grading practices, teachers’ perceived self-efficacy of the grading process, and the degree to which factors such as student effort, ability and teachers’ personal grading habits affect their grading decisions. A total of 107 secondary school teachers participated in this study …

Assessing Measurement Invariance Of The Teachers’ Perceptions Of Grading Practices Scale Across Cultures, Xing Liu

NERA Conference Proceedings 2008

In a cross-cultural study, it is crucial to understand whether items and the factorial structure of a survey instrument are equivalent across different cultural groups, because items might mean differently to different population groups, and thus the factorial structure of the measurement instrument might not hold across groups. The purpose of this study was to investigate the measurement invariance of the Teachers’ Perceptions of Grading Practices Scale (TPGP) across the U.S. and China using structural equation modeling. In particular, this study was designed to examine whether items and the factorial structure of the TPGP scale were equivalent across the two …

2008-2009 Common Data, Morehead State University. Institutional Research & Analysis.

Office of Institutional Research & Analysis Publication Archive

2008-2009 issue of the Common Data.

Relationship Among Essential Leadership Preparation Practices And Leader, School, And Student Outcomes In K-8 Schools, Donna Braun, Robert K. Gable, Stacey L. Kite

K-12 Education

A questionnaire was administered to school principals (N=88). The questionnaire data, along with student data, were analyzed using hierarchical multiple regression to investigate the relationships among leadership preparation practices, self rated leader behavior, the school learning environment, and student achievement. After controlling for demographic variables, the amount of variance explained was incremented a statistically significant degree between: preparation practices and leader behaviors ( R2 = 5%); preparation practices and student achievement ( R2 = 5%); preparation practices and leaders’ instructional knowledge ( R2 = 6%); and leaders’ instructional knowledge and instructional practices in schools ( R2 = 5%).

Relationship Among Essential Leadership Preparation Practices And Leader, School, And Student Outcomes In K-8 Schools, Donna Braun, Robert K. Gable, Stacey L. Kite

Teacher Education

A questionnaire was administered to school principals (N=88). The questionnaire data, along with student data, were analyzed using hierarchical multiple regression to investigate the relationships among leadership preparation practices, self rated leader behavior, the school learning environment, and student achievement. After controlling for demographic variables, the amount of variance explained was incremented a statistically significant degree between: preparation practices and leader behaviors (R2 = 5%); preparation practices and student achievement (R2 = 5%); preparation practices and leaders’ instructional knowledge (R2 = 6%); and leaders’ instructional knowledge and instructional practices in schools (R2 = 5%).

Teaching Metalinguistic Awareness And Reading Comprehension With Riddles, Marcy Zipke

Education Faculty Publications

The article reports on multiple meanings in sentences and metalinguistic awareness in education. Comprehension of lexical ambiguity and structural ambiguity are presented as key components of reading education. The author explores the use of riddles in teaching language comprehension and having students develop their own riddles. The author concludes that riddles can encourage metalinguistic skill development and awareness. Other topics include homonyms, ambiguous sentences, riddle books, and brainstorming.

Fact Book 2008, Uno Office Of Institutional Effectiveness

Fact Book

The Fact Book has been designed to present a variety of information and data about the University, in a concise, easily-used format. Included are details regarding student and faculty. Generally, data are broken out by college, rank, level, gender, age and ethnicity for both spring and fall semesters.

Common Data Set 2008, Uno Office Of Institutional Effectiveness

Common Data Sets

Common Data Set (2008 - 2009) for the University of Nebraska at Omaha.

2008 Fall Nutshell, Morehead State University. Institutional Research & Analysis.

Office of Institutional Research & Analysis Publication Archive

Fall 2008 issue of the Nutshell.

Problem-Based Educational Games: Connections, Prescriptions, And Assessment, Andrew Walker, Brett E. Shelton

Instructional Technology and Learning Sciences Faculty Publications

The overwhelming success of the commercial game market has brought increased attention to emerging work in educational game design. Much of the existing work in educational games a strong similarity to the field of Problem-Based Learning (PBL), which has a rich history of conceptual literature as well as empirical investigations. Despite apparent similarities between the two fields, there has been no formal effort to explore the connections between them. This conceptual paper examines the basic tenants of PBL with an eye toward making prescriptive recommendations for the design and use of problem-based educational games. Examples within existing educational games are …

Training School Psychology Graduate Students To Address Regional Shortages: A Distance Learning Model, Susan C. Davies, Julie Q. Morrison, Sawyer Hunley

Counselor Education and Human Services Faculty Publications

Addressing the shortages of school psychologists in underserved regions of the country is critical to the profession and the communities served by its members. This article describes a school psychology satellite training program using a hybrid approach combining distance learning technologies and face-to-face classroom meetings. The purpose of this study was to describe the experiences of sixteen graduate students in a rural, Appalachian region of Ohio as members of the first two cohorts enrolled in the school psychology satellite program.

Questionnaire Construct Validation In The International Civic And Citizenship Education Study, Wolfram Schulz

Civics and Citizenship Assessment

International studies tend to use student, teacher or school questionnaires for the collection of contextual data on student or teacher characteristics, background, activities and the school's learning environment. Furthermore, student measures of values, attitudes and behavioural intentions are also frequently viewed as important learning outcomes, in particular in the context of studies of civic and citizenship education. Data obtained from these instruments become frequently important predictors of student performance or are treated as learning outcome variables of interest. Therefore, the scaling of questionnaire items to obtain measures of students', teachers' and principals' perceptions and attitudes should ideally be subject of …

What Do Teachers Know, Think And Intend To Do About Adhd?, Julie Kos

School and system improvement

Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is a common childhood disorder affecting approximately 5% of primary school-aged children. The disorder is characterised by severe difficulties in one or more of three areas; inattention, impulsivity, and hyperactivity. Considering that primary school teachers are often the first to notice behavioural difficulties in children, it is surprising that relatively little research has been undertaken with teachers. The limited research that has been conducted on teachers’ knowledge has shown that knowledge scores range from 50 to 70%, and most attitudinal research has merely assessed knowledge. There is also a dearth of research assessing teachers’ classroom management of …

2007-2008 Profile, Morehead State University. Institutional Research & Analysis.

Office of Institutional Research & Analysis Publication Archive

2007-2008 issue of Profile Magazine.

Classroom Organizational Structures As Related To Student Achievement In Upper Elementary Grades In Northeast Tennessee Public Schools., Darrell Wayne Moore

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

An Analysis Of The Relationship Between Teacher Variables And Student Achievement Scores In Hamblen County, Tennessee., Anne Nelson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine if a relationship exists between teacher variables and the Tennessee Comprehensive Assessment Program (TCAP) student annual scores in reading and mathematics for students in grades 3 through 8 in Hamblen County, Tennessee. The teacher variables included number of days absent, Praxis II Principles of Learning and Teaching (PLT) scores, and years of experience. The population of the study was limited to 3rd- through 8th grade reading and mathematics teachers employed by the Hamblen County school district during the 2006-2007 school year. Raw scores from the 2006-2007 TCAP criterion-referenced assessment were used as …

Participation In Science, Mathematics And Technology In Australian Education, John Ainley, Julie Kos, Marina Nicholas

ACER Research Monographs

This report was commissioned to update and extend the Background Data and Analysis component of the report, Australia’s Teachers: Australia’s Future – Advancing Innovation, Science, Technology and Mathematics (Committee for the Review of Teaching and Teacher Education, 2003a) that informed the Main Report (Committee for the Review of Teaching and Teacher Education, 2003b). In the five years since the 2003 review, there have been developments in science, technology and mathematics education that have been impacted on by initiatives in policy and practice as well by changes in the context. So that changes in science, technology and mathematics education can be …

X, Y And Z: Three Decades Of Education, Employment And Social Outcomes Of Australian Youth, Sheldon Rothman, Kylie Hillman

2008 – Touching the Future: Building Skills for Life and Work

This paper focuses on three decades of findings from Australian longitudinal studies of adolescents and their transitions from secondary school to further education and training and the labour force. The presenters examine trends in young people’s participation in the post-compulsory years of school; completion of Year 12; participation in and completion of various forms of further education and training; employment rates and earnings; and leaving home and family formation. The data for this presentation come from a number of longitudinal survey programs, which are part of the Longitudinal Surveys of Australian Youth. The oldest cohort comprises young people who were …

A Metamorphosis Of Thought: Parent Education Based On Transformative Learning Theory In A Title I-Funded Middle School, Ayanna Lichelle Shivers

Dissertations

Section 1118(e)(2) of the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 encouraged public schools to conduct and evaluate parent education programs to assist with closing the achievement gap. In an effort to combat the existing problem, the researcher engaged in a mixed-methods study to address four research questions.

A comparative-quantitative study, using the Middle School Parent Perception Survey, was conducted to determine if there were statistically significant differences in perceptions of parents whose children attended Title I funded and non-Title l-funded schools in the following areas—barriers to parent involvement, their ability to assist their children with schoolwork, and the support …

Identifying Preschool Students In Need Of Early Intervention, Cassie Delso Wells

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to investigate a screening instrument targeting identification of preschool students in need of early intervention in order to determine the screening instrument's predictive validity. This study specifically examined the relationship between student scores on the DIALS and student achievement in reading at the end of first grade. All participants in the study were residing on Alaska's North Slope and the majority were Alaska Natives. The remote geographic location of the North Slope along with the ancient traditions of the Inupiat Eskimos, including the Inupiaq language that is still spoken among the residents of the …

Cohesion, Instructional Time And Reading Performance At Mugc Summer Enrichment Program, Sandra S. Stroebel, Brenda S. Harvey, Stephen L. O’Keefe

School Psychology Faculty Research

As schools attempt to improve the services to struggling readers, teacher are encouraged to work collaboratively to enhance instruction. Studies are needed to examine the effects of teaming on student performance. The purpose of this study was to determine if team cohesion or instructional time at Marshall University Graduate College Summer Enrichment Program (MUGCSEP) would be correlated with measures of reading performance for students who attended the program. Statistical analyses yielded a statistically significant correlation between cohesion, instructional time and reading performance during the 2006 program. While in 2007, instructional time was not significantly correlated, cohesion results yielded a mildly …

The Application Of Web 2.0 Technologies As An Experimental Method Of Teaching Remote Sensing At Dit, Ireland, Avril Behan

Conference Papers

This paper describes the implementation of an experimental method of delivery for a module of remote sensing material to second year students on the BSc (Hons) in Geomatics at the Dublin Institute of Technology. The project began as a reaction to poor levels of student engagement and unsatisfactory grades, as well as the requirement to focus more on real-world type problems due to the implementation of a work-placement semester for third year students. Both pedagogical considerations (movement towards formative feedback, interactivity and group-based work) and the effect of technological drivers, such as the popularity of the internet in general and …

Enrollment Report - Summer 2008, Uno Office Of Institutional Effectiveness

Enrollment Reports

The Enrollment Report provides administrative and delivery-site information on enrollment headcount and student credit hours, as well as the demographic characteristics of enrolled students. The purpose of this profile is to provide the undergraduate and graduate enrollments and student credit hour information by college or equivalent academic unit, class, gender and ethnicity.

Beyond Happiness: Managing Engagement To Enhance Satisfaction And Grades, Hamish Coates

Australasian Survey of Student Engagement (AUSSE)

Universities collect a considerable amount of data on students’ perceptions of the quality of teaching and institutional services, including on their satisfaction with the overall experience. While much data is collected from students, less is collected on what students are actually doing. Yet it is equally – or arguably more – important to understand students and their learning as it is to understand learners’ satisfaction with provision. The Australasian Survey of Student Engagement (AUSSE) provides data on both learners’ engagement in effective learning practices and on whether institutions have provided the support mechanisms to facilitate such engagement. It also collects …