Education Commons^™

Online Learning: Exploring The Landscape, Jonathan D. Becker, Jesse Senechal, Charol Shakeshaft

MERC Publications

The Policy and Planning Council of the Metropolitan Educational Research Consortium (MERC) at Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) rightfully identified online learning as an area ripe for study. This report summarizes findings from both phases of the research is the first report of the study that was ultimately commissioned. After a brief review of the literature, this report includes a description of the survey research portion of the study as well as findings from the statewide survey that was undertaken and then phase 2, which consisted of case studies of four Virginia school divisions. The report concludes with a brief summary …

Formative Assessment And Benchmark Testing: Phase 2, Lisa Abrams, Divya Varier, James H. Mcmillan

MERC Publications

As school districts respond to test-based accountability requirements the emphasis on using data to drive decision making has most recently focused on using interim or benchmark assessment results. The use of these assessments to monitor student progress and inform instruction with the aim to improve learning is widespread. When considered in a continuum of assessments based on the proximity to instruction, benchmark assessments are located between teachers’ minute-by-minute and daily formative assessment practices that are used to direct instruction to support learning, and the summative unit assessments, or tests administered after instruction has occurred to measure learning. As such, the …

Percentile Growth Modeling: A Policy Response To Educational Accountability, Martin Reardon

MERC Publications

No abstract provided.

Teacher Evaluation: Artifacts That Document How The Work Of The Teacher Results In Student Academic Progress, Heather J. Bumgarner, Kristina Anthony

MERC Publications

Developed by the Virginia Department of Education, the Virginia Standards for the Professional Practice of Teachers (2011) includes seven teacher performance standards that define what teachers should know and be able to do. The seven performance standards cover professional knowledge, instructional planning, instructional delivery, assessment of and for student learning, learning environment, professionalism, and student academic progress. The Code of Virginia requires that teacher evaluation systems be consistent with the performance standards, and thus the Virginia Guidelines for Uniform Performance Standards and Evaluation Criteria for Teachers (Guidelines) (2011), which becomes effective July 1, 2012, serves as a guide for school …

Encourage Self Regulated Learning In The Classroom, Sharon Zumbrunn, Joseph Tadlock, Elizabeth Danielle Roberts

MERC Publications

Self-regulated learning (SLR) is recognized as an important predictor of student academic motivation and achievement. This process requires students to independently plan, monitor, and assess their learning. However, few students naturally do this well. This paper provides a review of the literature including: the definition of SRL; an explanation of the relationship between SRL and motivation in the classroom; specific SRL strategies for student use; approaches for encouraging student SRL; and a discussion of some of the challenges educators might encounter while teaching students to be self-regulated, life-long learners.

Indicators, Trends And Promising Interventions In Dropout Prevention: A Review Of Literature, Donna J. Dockery, Risha Berry

MERC Publications

The focus of this review of literature is dropout prevention and promoting retention of students at the secondary level. Brief background information is presented summarizing the history and current state of dropouts in the United States, including graduation and dropout rates and how these rates are calculated. Several of the most significant factors associated with students who dropout are described, in order to assist schools identify students who may be at risk for dropping out. Current trends in dropout research are reviewed, as well as recommended interventions.

Formative Assessment Practices With Benchmark Testing: Phase I, Lisa Abrams, Angela P. Wetzel, James H. Mcmillan

MERC Publications

The recent popularity of benchmark testing has become closely tied to formative assessment. Formative assessment has traditionally focused on a process in which evidence elicited from classroom assessments is used to provide feedback to students and inform instructional correctives (McMillan, 2007: 2010, Popham, 2008). However, accountability demands have led to widespread implementation of benchmark, interim, periodic, or quarterly testing at the school or district level that is often labeled “formative.” Indeed, some in the testing industry believe that benchmark testing is formative assessment. For example, the definition of benchmark testing by the Regional Education Laboratory Mid-Atlantic is that “a benchmark …

An Evaluation Of Program And Personnel Preparation Needs For Students With Autism Spectrum Disorders, Maureen A. Conroy, Carol Schall, Joy Engstrom

MERC Publications

The overall purpose of this project was to conduct a program evaluation of services provided to students with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) across all school divisions within the Metropolitan Educational Research Consortium (MERC). Two phases of the project occurred between the spring of 2007 and fall of 2009. During the first phase, the MERC Policy and Planning Council identified Autism Spectrum Disorders as an area to target for investigation. A MERC Autism Study Team was formed with representatives from all school divisions within the Metropolitan Educational Research Consortium (MERC). After several meetings, the Autism Study Team identified the need for …

Reading Strategies For Middle And High School Students: A Review Of Literature, William Muth

MERC Publications

This review targets “best practices” in adolescent reading instruction. While writing is inextricably related to reading, this review did not explicitly target studies of writing. However, where writing studies informed reading instruction, they were cited in this review. The first step in this search for empirical data was the U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Science’s What Works Clearinghouse. From the reports listed there, I followed major references to identify other key and current publications that targeted educators and stakeholders at the classroom, school, system, and state levels. Though its findings are still emerging and we are still learning …

Issues, Challenges, And Needs Of High School Esl And Content-Area Teachers In The Richmond Metropolitan Area, Seonhee Cho, Hana Kim

MERC Publications

n recent years, public schools in Central Virginia have experienced a fast growing ESL population. School districts throughout the state have reported increases in their ESL population that range from 300% to 700% in the past ten years. Unlike states with big cities that traditionally have a high immigrant population, the Virginia schools where the number of English language learners (ELLs) has increased recently, are less likely prepared to meet the needs of this particular group of students (Echevarria, Vogt & Short, 2004). With the passage of the federal No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act (2002), academic success is increasingly …

The Relationship Between Classroom Assessment Practices And Student Motivation And Engagement, Kathleen M. Cauley, Lisa Abrams, Gina Pannozzo, James H. Mcmillan, Jessica Hearn

MERC Publications

Assessment is becoming increasingly important in classrooms as school systems respond to federal and state testing mandates. The increasing emphasis on assessment surely impacts student outcomes such as engagement and motivation, and ultimately achievement. While it is clear that classroom assessment is receiving more attention as a critical component of teaching that directly affects student learning, there is still a lack of systematic research that addresses many classroom assessment issues. There is some evidence that effective formative assessment enhances achievement (Black & Williams 1998), and that certain grading practices result in greater student motivation and achievement (Brookhart, 2004b). However, researchers …

Using High-Quality Data To Evaluate High School Antecedents Of On-Time College Graduation: A School/University Collaborative Study, Martin Reardon, Sandra Fritton

MERC Publications

In the face of international comparisons showing the lower level of academic skills of students in the United States, high schools have been criticized for not adequately preparing their graduates for the academic demands of college life. This is occurring at a time when the impact of global competition has heightened the importance of maintaining an educated workforce capable of sustaining the economy. Academic remediation at the college level is expensive, and its effectiveness is open to question. The ability to evaluate the antecedents of on-time college graduation using high-quality data offers school divisions the opportunity to initiate conversations about …

Differentiated Instruction: A Review Of Literature, Whitney Sherman

MERC Publications

Differentiated instruction is recognized to be a compilation of many theories and practices related to effective teaching and its link to student achievement. It requires a departure from traditional methods of teaching and the belief that learners vary according to readiness, ability, motivation, and interest. While numerous testimonials, examples of differentiation in practice, and for profit tools abound in the literature, little empirical research exists warranting future research on the effectiveness of differentiated instruction as measured by student achievement on assessment. This manuscript provides a review of the literature.

The Impact Of Parental Involvement On Educational Outcomes: An Integrative Review, Doris A. White

MERC Publications

The efficacy of parental involvement in schools is usually taken for granted, but the issue is so complex that a single study cannot reasonably measure the effectiveness of parental involvement and its influence on educational outcomes. This review of literature examines several propositions regarding the influence of parental involvement on educational outcomes by synthesizing the findings of using the tools of meta-analysis, literature synthesis, evaluation synthesis, vote-counting, and best-evidence synthesis. Each of these methods combines results of a large number of studies to determine aggregated results of relevant existing studies. Meta-analysis reviews quantitative studies to provide statistical indicators of aggregate …

Middle School Students With Learning Disabilities And English Sols: Part Ii Best Practices, Paul J. Gerber

MERC Publications

This paper reports the findings of Phase II of a MERC study on middle school students with learning disabilities (LD) completed during academic year 2005 – 2006. Phase I investigated the success and failure of students with LD on the English SOLs by analyzing three consecutive years of individual education plans (IEPs). (Please see the MERC report titled “Accountability Testing and Students with Learning Disabilities: Factors of Passing and Failing the Virginia SOL Tests” (2004) for finding of the study.)

The goal of Phase II was to obtain best practices used for preparing students with LD on English SOLs in …

Fairness In Secondary Specialty Centers And Magnet School Admissions: Contending With The Equity-Excellence Tension: A Review Of Literature, Kurt Temhagen

MERC Publications

The purpose of the review is to consider the fairness of admissions processes related to magnet schools and specialty centers. Are criteria appropriate? Is there an under-representation of minority/low socioeconomic groups in such schools and programs? If so, what built-in and unforeseen bias exists in the admissions process? Finally, are there examples of programs that are overcoming these admissions-related problems and, if so, what can be learned from them?

There is some conceptual muddle as to whether magnet schools and specialty centers “work.” In order to know what is meant by “work”, relevant terms must be clarified and aims must …

Alignment Of District Assessments With The Virginia Standards Of Learning (Sol), Joan A. Rhodes

MERC Publications

Parents, teachers, and school administrators all have one common goal — student success. Teachers have been trusted to impart knowledge to students, while hopefully fostering a love of learning, then assessing how much the students know. Assessment in the classroom, whether informal, formative, or summative, has been the major source of identifying students strengths and weaknesses. Today, there is increased pressure on teachers to ensure they are accountable for what they do in the classroom. Within the educational system, students’ success has been measured inconsistently from state-to-state, district-to-district, and even classroom-to-classroom. In this age of accountability, national and state standards …

The Work Skills Mismatch: A Review Of Literature, Martin Reardon, Wendy E. Balliet

MERC Publications

For the purpose of this review, imagine the case of a firm which has job openings for recent high school graduates. In choosing new employees for these openings, the potential employer is trying to select the most suitable applicants from a pool of people about whom he or she has very little knowledge. It could be thought that an obvious predictor of future employee behavior is the performance of any particular applicant while he or she was in high school. However, “for the most part, employers never ask about high school achievement or performance on standards-based assessments. Moreover, states offer …

Instructional Strategies To Increase Motivation, Close The Achievement Gap, And Help Students Reach Their Potential: A Review Of Literature, Nora Alder, Susan P. Mckelvey

MERC Publications

Closing the achievement gap between African, Native, and Hispanic American and their European and Asian American counterparts has been a concern for decades. Recently, the persistence of this issue has become more pressing due to several factors. First, high stakes accountability testing places demands on students to demonstrate mastery of material across disciplines in order to successfully complete high school. Second, some states have already reported an increase dropout rate when students feel that they cannot pass the tests or will be retained in their grade level (Clark, et al., 2000). Third, the society’s economic structure in the new millennium …

The Relationship Between Classroom Assessment Practices And Student Motivation And Engagement: A Literature Review, Kathleen M. Cauley, Gina Pannanzzo, Lisa Abrams, James H. Mcmillan

MERC Publications

Assessment is becoming increasingly important in classrooms as school systems respond to federal and state testing mandates. The increasing emphasis on assessment surely impacts student outcomes such as engagement and motivation, and ultimately achievement. While it is clear that classroom assessment is receiving more attention as a critical component of teaching that directly affects student learning, there is still a lack of systematic research that addresses many classroom assessment issues. There is some evidence that effective formative assessment enhances achievement (Black & William, 1998) and that curtain grading practices result in greater student motivation and achievement (Brookhart, 2004b). However, researchers …

Educators' Perceptions Of Mobile Students And The Interventions That Assist Them, Timothy Bruce Bostic, Mary Angela Coleman

MERC Publications

In the educational climate of no Child Left Behind (NCLB), school personnel are searching for any means available to help all children succeed academically and meet state standards. School teachers and administrators in Virginia are no different. All schools and school districts, in Virginia and across the country, must demonstrate through adequate yearly progress (AYP) that children are achieving state standards of education. AYP requires that schools no only show that all students are achieving state standards but also that disaggregated groups of students (e.g. black students, speakers of English as a second language, special education students) are meeting standards …

High Stakes Testing And Students With Learning Disabilities: Factors Of Passing And Failing The Virginia Standards Of Learning Tests, Paul J. Gerber

MERC Publications

In the era of high stakes testing there are questions about the performance of students with learning disabilities. Passing or failing the Standards of Learning (SOL) tests in Virginia Can be the difference between ultimately obtaining a regular diploma, modified diploma, or a certificate of completion. This study analyzed the performance of middle school students with learning disabilities to ascertain why some students passed the Virginia SOL tests and others failed. Student failure was attributed to two main trends in the data. First, was a significant pattern of inconsistency in program planning. Second, was a systemic set of problems in …

Effectiveness Of Instructional Strategies To Enhance The Reading Achievement Of At-Risk Students, Leila Christenbury

MERC Publications

Certainly researchers and teachers are in agreement regarding the components that are needed to read successfully and have a good idea of the skills that proficient readers consistently use. When children or older students are not able to read well or fluently or to comprehend their reading, the specific intervention strategies – and their duration and intensity – to bring those readers up to skill level remains an area of serious debate. This report will attempt to provide some background regarding that controversy and to look at selected recent research and its implications.

Alignment Of Classroom Assessments With The Virginia Standards Of Learning (Sol), Joan A. Rhodes, Valerie J. Robnolt, Susan P. Mckelvey

MERC Publications

Parents, teachers, and school administrators all have one common goal — student success. Teachers have been trusted to impart knowledge to students, while hopefully fostering a love of learning, then assessing how much the students know. Assessment in the classroom, whether informal, formative, or summative, has been the major source of identifying student strengths and weaknesses. Today, many people believe that teachers must be accountable for what they do in the classroom. Within the educational system, students’ success has been measured inconsistently from state-to-state, district-to-district, and even classroom-to-classroom. In this age of accountability, national and state standards have been developed, …

Investigating Factors Associated With Low Achievement Early In School: A Pilot Study, Kevin Sutherland

MERC Publications

The purpose of the current study were to (a) examine the relationship between academic achievement and social competence in a sample of kindergarten and first grade students, and (b) investigate the interventions their teachers are using with low achieving students. Sixty kindergarten and first grade students and 15 teachers participated in this study. Results indicated significant differences between low achieving and typically achieving students on reading achievement and teacher reported academic competence. No other significant difference between groups were found. Teachers reported that they most often use explicit instruction with low achieving students; evidence-based practices such as data-based decision making …

Accountability Testing And Students With Learning Disabilities: Factors Of Passing And Failing The Virginia Sol Tests, Paul J. Gerber

MERC Publications

Since the landmark work A Nation At-Risk (National Commission on Excellence in Education, 1988), school systems in the United States have been evolving by a myriad of reform efforts, particularly with regard to the “standards movement.” Outcomes of standards-based education are measured by accountability and assessment systems. Currently, all states have some kind of assessment system that (1) provides information about individual student achievement and (2) gauges the success of schools and school systems. Conventional wisdom is if standards are raised all students will benefit through greater student achievement and the efforts of educators will, in essence, be validated.

All …

Research-Based Practices As A Protective Factor For Students At-Risk For Academic Failure, Kevin Sutherland, Donna Jovanovich

MERC Publications

Increasing pressure on teachers and administrators due to high-stakes testing has led to increased risk to our most vulnerable population, those students who arrive at school without the prerequisite skills necessary to successfully participate in the academic climate of the classroom. Unfortunately, given the large range of ability levels often present even in early elementary school, teachers face enormous challenges in meeting the needs of all their students. Further, due to the challenges inherent in teaching low-achieving students, and the ensuing classroom behavior problems often presented by these students, teachers may be conditioned to avoid interacting with these students, particularly …

Facilitating The Transition Into Middle School And High School, Kathleen M. Cauley, Donna Jovanovich

MERC Publications

Making a transition to a new school causes anxiety for students and can challenge the coping skills of many adolescents, especially those at risk. Typically the move to a new school includes changes in school climate, school size, peer relationships, academic expectations, and degree of departmentalization. When adolescents move into middle school or high school, the anxiety is complicated further by other normative changes like puberty, social and emotional changes, the importance of peer relationships, and the development of higher order cognitive skills. Students who experience the stresses of numerous changes often have lower grades and decreased academic motivation, and …

Teacher Use Of High-Stakes Test Score Data To Improve Instruction, James H. Mcmillan, Susan P. Mckelvey

MERC Publications

Across the United States most school districts and state departments of education have embraced high-stakes testing for their public schools and students. This has led to widespread school reform since many students have not reached the standards that the states and/or districts have set. Teachers increasingly focus on making sure that their students have enough knowledge to pass these tests, and some states and districts have made passing scores a requirement for graduation. Many states and districts have invested considerable time aligning their standardized tests with the objectives of the curriculum.

One of the consequences of high-stakes testing is that …

Accountability Tests And Assessment Of Students With Disabilities: High-Stakes Are For Tomatoes! A Review Of Literature, Paul J. Gerber

MERC Publications

Since the landmark work A Nation at Risk (1998), a report that warned about “the rising tide of mediocrity in American public education”, school systems in the United States have been evolving by way of myriad of reform efforts, particularly with regard to the “standards movement.” There has been much scrutiny of student achievement by variety of constituencies – policymakers, school boards, and unions; school administrators, teachers, and parents. Each has viewed the metamorphosis of the K-12 system through its own lens. Moreover, each group has been most interested in the “bottom line” of educational efforts. That is, the outcomes …