Education Commons^™

Diverse Assessments That Encourage Creativity Among Gifted Students, Sowmya Anjur

Faculty Publications & Research

No abstract provided.

Engaging Students In Equitable Hands-On Assessments, Sowmya Anjur

Faculty Publications & Research

I have successfully replaced written assessments with more equitable and innovative hands-on projects such as heart modeling and creating graphic novels in my classroom, which help improve student engagement and stimulate their passion for learning.

Diverse Ways Of Assessing Students In Science, Sowmya Anjur

Faculty Publications & Research

No abstract provided.

Stem Mental Wellness Research, Hannah R. Anderson, Amber Stitziel Pareja

Publications & Research

NCSSS and IMSA conducted a survey to gather information regarding how NCSSS member schools handle carious aspects of student mental wellness and mental illness as well as the resources and programming available to address concerns in these areas.

Download The 2020 NCSSS Student Mental Health Survey: A Synopsis

Teaching In The Classroom With The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, José M. Torres, Robert Hernandez, Crystal Randall

Publications & Research

Engagement in the United nations Sustainability Goals (SDGs)

• As an academy

- What are the UN SDGs?
- IMSA history with the SDGs
- ISSF 2018

• In the classroom

- Introduction of UN SDG projects in core classes
- Development of a new core course that presents key concepts in real-world context
- Integrate UN SDGs into elective courses.

• As a faculty

- Across disciplines
- Sharing work through Digital commons
- Student independent research program

Reimagining Introductory Biology Pilot Study:Preliminary Findings, Amber Stitziel Pareja, Hannah R. Anderson

Publications & Research

No abstract provided.

Classroom Assessment Literacy: A Think-Pair-Share Workshop, Hannah R. Anderson, Aryn C. Karpinski,

Publications & Research

Classroom teachers spend a significant portion of their time in assessment-related activities, yet have not received commensurate time in formal training in evaluation and measurement techniques. This workshop will use the Think-Pair-Share collaborative learning strategy to discuss and implement assessment best-practices that educators can easily adopt for their own teaching.

Content Validity Of A Mathematics Placement Test For A Gifted High School, Hannah R. Anderson

Publications & Research

The Content Validity of a mathematics placement test at a Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) gifted residential high school is examined. Data were collected from internal and external mathematics subject matter experts (SMEs) using a card- sorting task and were analyzed using Multidimensional Scaling (MDS) and Hierarchical Cluster Analysis (HCA). Results demonstrate some congruence between the two configurations, suggesting marginal evidence of Content Validity.

09. Group Dynamics, Illinois Mathematics And Science Academy

CORE

The Group Dynamics module focuses on informing students about inter/intra group interactions, while also demonstrating the role of an individual within a group. As individuals become a part of a group, they lose a certain distinction between their personal identity and their group personality, or prototype. Individuals become part of a social categorization and comparison, and require the skills of empathy and relations to successfully communicate with not only their ingroup, but also their outgroup. An absence of awareness of the feelings around them can develop the negative effects of groupthink, as individual ideas are unheard. As fitting into the …

Reformers, Batting Averages, And Malpractice: The Case For Caution In Value-Added Use, Dan Gleason

Faculty Publications & Research

The essay considers two analogies that help to reveal the limitations of value-added modeling: the first, a comparison with batting averages, shows that the model’s reliability is quite limited even though year-to-year correlation figures may seem impressive; the second, a comparison between medical malpractice and so-called educational malpractice, suggests that strict accountability measures within education are out of line with legal precedent.

The Imsa© Promise: Diverse Perspectives Do Enrich Understanding!, Barb J. Miller, Adrienne Coleman

Publications & Research

For years we have grappled with the effects of the Achievement Gap, which has been defined by: (a) the National Assessment of Educational Progress (2011) as the “observed, persistent disparity of educational measures between the performance of groups of students, especially groups defined by socioeconomic status (SES), race/ethnicity and gender; (b) The National Education Association (2013) as differences between the scores of students with different backgrounds (ethnic, racial, gender, disability, and income) are evident on large-scale standardized tests, adding that test score gaps often lead to longer-term gaps, including high school and college completion and the kinds of jobs students …

Teaching Information Fluency: How To Teach Students To Be Efficient, Ethical, And Critical Information Consumers, Carl Heine, Dennis O'Connor

Publications & Research

Searching is becoming easier than thinking. Enter a query in a search engine, and the searcher is instantly flooded with results. Information has never been easier to retrieve and consume. At the same time, determining the quality of the results remains a daunting task. Despite the attempts to make search tools "brain dead easy"¹ to use, searching that reduces the need to think invites problems. Machines cannot reliably predict what each individual is hunting for, machines cannot determine what is credible, yet that is the direction search engine development is headed.

Preparing Students For Careers That Do Not Yet Exist, Glenn W. "Max" Mcgee

Publications & Research

The Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy (IMSA), as a self-described "teaching and learning laboratory for imagination and inquiry," has a history of pursuing innovations closely aligned with the vision and framework of the National Science Education Standards. Innovations include both methods and materials for inquiry-based student instruction as well as for delivering professional development for pre-service and practicing teachers. Instructional innovations described include yearlong student inquiry and research projects (SIR), self-paced physics instruction, student-driven energy and engineering projects, instruction in innovation and entrepreneurialism, and a host of student-led outreach activities to "ignite and nurture creative, ethical, scientific minds of students …

Extreme Math Makeover: Mathematics Assessment And Reporting In The Era Of The Common Core Standards, Glenn W. "Max" Mcgee

Publications & Research

This presentation discusses the need to develop high quality performance based assessments of the Common Core Mathematical Standards and Mathematical Practices. Several examples of performance assessments from high achieving countries as well as from the 2009 PISA test are included.

Loving The World And Our Children Enough--Nurturing Decidedly Different Scientifc Minds, By Design, Stephanie Pace Marshall

Publications & Research

Wise world-shaping and problem-solving requires that we and our children think in decidedly different, integral and wise ways. This transformation requires a fundamental shift in consciousness and the emergence of global minds that can creatively live into a new worldview of an interconnected planet and a sustainable and interdependent human family. "The fullness of our humanity and the sustainability of our planet rest with the nurturing of decidedly different minds."

Discovering And Developing Diverse Stem Talent: Enabling Academically Talented Urban Youth To Flourish, Stephanie Pace Marshall, Glenn W. "Max" Mcgee, Eric Mclaren, Catherine C. Veal

Publications & Research

The Growing Excellence Gap in K-12 Education, Plucker, Burroughs, and Song (2010) provided compelling evidence that "the presence of an excellence gap is demonstrated on both national and state assessments of student performance," with "economically disadvantaged, English Language Learners, and historically underprivileged minorities representing a smaller proportion of students scoring at the highest levels of achievement" (p. 28). Three "case stories" of students from IMSA illuminate some of the (a) challenges and opportunities inherent in igniting STEM talent in urban youth and ensuring their success; (b) principles for designing and creating learning experiences and environments that ignite and nurture the …

Existing Specialty Schools As Leverage For Behavioral Sciences Research On Teaching And Learning In Stem Fields, Christopher G. Kolar, Heather Sondel

Publications & Research

The National Science Foundation has requested comments and proposals that outline challenge questions for the next decade in behavioral sciences research. At the same time, the NSF has joined the President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology as well as the National Academy of Sciences in issuing reports first identifying the need for specialized STEM education as a strategic necessity and then proposing the establishment of an additional 1000 specialized STEM schools. A common theme in these reports is that foundational work must be conducted to establish effective organizational and instructional practices for these schools. The authors of this …

Specialized Science High Schools: Exploring Contributions Of The Model To Adolescent Talent Development Specialized Science, Christopher G. Kolar, Tracy L. Cross, Rena F. Subotnik, Paula Olszewski-Kubilius

Publications & Research

As the field of gifted education shifts much of its focus to domain-specific talent development, specialized science high schools are taking their place on the stage. Back in 1981,Bloom and Sosniak argued persuasively that talent development cannot take place exclusively in schools. They stressed that schools were not prepared to offer the required levels of expert teaching, time, and effort. Yet, specialized science high schools, by design, are staffed with teachers with advanced degrees, offer relatively flexible schedules, interested peers,reasonable access to appropriate technology, and connections with research institutions to provide apprenticeships for the most motivated and interested students.

Questioning The Utility Of Self‐Efficacy Measurements For Indians, Purva J. Rushi

Publications & Research

This study examined the influence of academic self‐efficacy and social support on the academic success of Indian‐American and Caucasian‐American undergraduate students. 200 Indian‐American and Caucasian‐American students completed a demographic form and five surveys. The data showed that academic self‐efficacy had a significant effect on college grade point averages (GPA) for Caucasians, but not for Indians. Regarding social support, the quality of mentoring relationships was found to be twice as high for Indians than Caucasians. The total number of mentors, however, was significantly higher for Caucasians. The results of this study support theories that highlight the importance of social support on …

Thailand Ties, Raymond J. Dagenais

Publications & Research

One of the resolutions I witnessed moving forward at the Summer 2006 National Congress on Science Education in Toronto, Canada involved expanding our learning through international collaborations. The Congress encouraged National Science Teacher Association affiliates to make an effort to connect with educators in other countries in order to both learn and share ideas and issues facing the science education community. With the already large numbers of students from other cultures in many school systems in the United States and the increasing quality of students coming out of science programs in other countries, it has become imperative that we better …

Imsa20: Bold Ideas, Illinois Mathematics And Science Academy

IMSA History

In the mid 1980s, the state of Illinois, recognizing a sharply increased need for highly skilled leaders in mathematics, science and technology, founded the Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy®. Twenty years later, the national demand for mathematics, science and technology leaders has never been greater. The National Academies report - Rising Above the Gathering Storm and President Bush's American Competitiveness Initiative - address the growing concern that the United States is losing its competitive advantage as countries abroad invest heavily in the education and training of scientists and engineers. Both initiatives call for increased commitments in scientific research and in …

The Development Of Professional Expertise Through Reflection In The Principalship, Eric Mclaren

Publications & Research

The study of principals as learners is important because the landscape of public education is changing. Schools are becoming more diverse and the demands on schools more varied and complex. The role of the principal is increasingly ambiguous, complex, and varied. Principals must adapt and develop'their professional practice. Effective principals learn from experience to meet the shifting expectations of the role and the needs of the school.

Multiple learning experiences help principals become more proficient in their jobs. Initial certification, induction into the role, continuing professional education, and learning from experiences are means to the development of expertise. This study …

The Power Of An Idea..., Illinois Mathematics And Science Academy

IMSA History

It is our privilege to share with you the First Decade Report of the Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy, an educational laboratory engaged in serious inquiry about critical issues of teaching and learning.

Ten years ago, IMSA opened its doors with 210 students, 12 faculty members, 21 courses, no residence halls, no computers, no external programs, many unanswered questions and an uncertain future. During our early years, we faced many challenges; these strengthened our resolve and deepened our commitment to transform teaching and learning in mathematics, science and technology.

While IMSA is still a very young enterprise, in ten short …

Illinois Science Academy: A Proposal To The State Of Illinois, Corridor Partnership For Excellence In Education, Friends Of Fermilab

IMSA History

There is a widely recognized perception that the nation facing a crisis in fulfilling its needs for citizens trained in the fields of science, mathematics and technology. In particular, the State of Illinois has an obligation toward this national issue and to .its own need to develop these human resources that are so intimately coupled to economic leadership in a post-industrial society. This is a very broad challenge; here we propose to address only one important aspect: the nurturing of creative excellence in students of science and mathematics. We are concerned with the extraordinarily gifted person--the upper few tenths of …