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Impact Of Standardized Test Performance On Success In Introductory College Physics Classes, Michael Gattone

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

This research project looks to analyze the ability of the ACT and other standardized tests to predict student success in introductory physics classes at Northern Illinois University (NIU). Admissions data from NIU was collected by the physics department from a total of 4262 students enrolled in introductory physics courses during the Fall 2012 semester until the Spring 2017 semester. This data includes academic level, gender, race/ethnicity, composite ACT score, high school GPA, and final letter grade. In particular, the composite ACT score of students was directly compared with their final letter grade from the student’s introductory physics class. The student …

Holistic Analysis Of The Social, Emotional, And Academic Development Of At-Risk Students In A Self-Regulated Learning Instructional Environment, Jennifer K. Macek

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

The testing an accountability system that plagues the current educational atmosphere has done little to improve outcomes for the general population, rather, it has increased harm to our nation’s most vulnerable populations. As districts grapple with accountability mandates and pressures to improve test scores the number of students excluded from traditional schools and sent to alternative programs continues to grow. Research shows that the majority of programs for at-risk youth are little more than graduation factories that do not adequately prepare students for active participation in democratic society.

This study used a mixed methods design to explore an alternative program …

The Role Of Administrative Observation, Evaluative Evidence And Procedural Due Process In Illinois, Before And After The Passage Of The Performance Evaluation Reform Act (Pera) And Senate Bill 7 (Sb7)., Christopher J. Adkins

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

This study examines the impact of the Performance Evaluation Reform Act (PERA) and Senate Bill 7 (SB7) on evaluative practices utilized with tenured educators within Illinois. Given the sense of urgency brought to bear on teacher quality from laws such as No Child Left Behind (NCLB) and Race To The Top (RTTT), revisions to the law that include streamlined processes, uniform evidence gathering and interpretation, and student growth measures are mainstays of legislation like PERA and SB7. Akin to many states, Illinois schools are working to institutionalize these concepts into everyday practices.

In reviewing the changes made to the Illinois …

Funding And High School Student Achievement In The State Of Illinois, Michael Edwin Tresnak

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship among selected school funding variables, percentage of low socioeconomic status students, and student achievement. Funding variables included percentage of funds a school district received from the three primary sources: local, state, and federal. Additional funding variables included per pupil expenditures, as well as teacher salaries and administrative salaries. Student achievement variables included ACT composite, ACT math, ACT reading, and the percentage of students that met or exceeded state standards. The population studied consisted of Illinois school districts containing high schools. The data used was the data the Illinois State Board …