Educational Assessment, Evaluation, and Research Commons^™

Integration Of Technology Into The Classroom Environment: A Study Of Student Perceptions As Related To Skill Attainment, Richard M. Sullivan

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to contribute to available literature by ascertaining student perceptions of benefits of student access to technology as correlated to students’ standardized test scores. Students and teachers were surveyed for perceptions of technology benefits. Survey results were analyzed and Pearson product-moment correlation coefficients were calculated comparing student perceptions to standardized Missouri Assessment Program (MAP) grade-level assessment results. As described in specific detail in this paper, it was found student standardized MAP testing data were positively correlated to the introduction of technology-integrated instruction in the classroom setting. Student perceptions indicated a more positive linear association to …

Achievement Gap In Reading: A Study Of School Practices And Effectual Results, Christina S. Brown

Dissertations

While it is important to recognize the economic background of students and home factors contributing to their achievement, the purpose of this study was to discover what best practices schools were implementing with low socioeconomic students to narrow the achievement gap in communication arts (Darling-Hammond & Richardson, 2009; Gorski, 2013; Snell, 2003). The research design incorporated mixed-methods by employing data collected from surveys, interviews, and secondary data sources. A triangulation of data was used to increase the credibility and validity of the study (Fraenkel et al., 2012; Mills, 2014). For this study, the quantitative data were collected using a survey …

The Significance Of Response To Intervention (Rti) To Student Progress In Fourth Grade Students In Missouri, Merlyn W. Johnson

Dissertations

focus of this research is in the area of Response to Intervention (RTI) and its effect on academic achievement in elementary schools in rural Missouri. In light of the regulations within the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act of 2004 and its accountability requirements for schools, this study is important and timely in order to provide valuable examples of effective RTI processes. The research approach adopted in this dissertation was a quantitative approach; therefore, quantitative analysis was utilized during a statistical comparison of elementary schools in Missouri and a review of information from a survey distributed to elementary principals in Missouri. …

A Mixed Methods Analysis On Creative Leadership And Missouri School Administrators, Tiffany Lynn Jarvis

Dissertations

In this mixed methods study, the researcher investigated whether or not Missouri school administrators were prepared to meet the creative leadership demands of the 21st century by measuring their creative capacity, creative styles, and their current creative leadership practices. A convenience sample of Missouri K-12 public school administrators and teachers completed the Abbreviated Torrance Test for Adults, the Creativity Styles Questionnaire – Revisited and an original Organizational Creativity Survey; two homogenous small focus groups discussed their experiences regarding creativity and creative leadership within school organizations. Whereas teachers were statistically significantly more creative than the normed adult population, administrators did not …

Singapore Math: A Longitudinal Study Of Singapore Math In One School District From 2007 To 2012, Justin Michael Reynolds

Dissertations

For the last several years, Americans have fallen behind in the area of mathematics when compared to their peers in industrialized countries around the world. Singapore, on the other hand, was at the top of the world rankings in mathematics in the last four Trends in International Math and Science Study (TIMSS) assessments taken by fourth and eighth graders every four years. This project focused on the impact of the Singapore Math program on two cohorts of students by utilizing their Missouri Assessment Program (MAP) scores from the mathematics subtest. The first cohort, A, was comprised of students who were …

Student And Teacher Perceptions Of Standards-Based Grading And Student Performance, Terry W. Winton

Dissertations

Assessing student learning has been part of education since the beginning of formalized schooling. Developments at the national, state, and local level have led to grading reforms over the past quarter century. The purpose of this study was to explore students’ and teachers’ perceptions of standards-based grading to determine if there was a significant difference on standardized tests scores between students graded using standards-based grading and students graded using traditional grading. Teachers and students from one Missouri high school were interviewed to determine their perceptions about standards-based grading. A stratified sample was utilized to select interviewees. Artifacts from the district …

Engaging The Learning Community With An Integrated E-Learning, Gaming And Social Networking Platform, Tim Thomasma

Journal of Educational Leadership in Action

Our view is that an e-learning platform based on user-created content, gamification, and with an integrated social network, will create a content-dense environment in which all of the stakeholders can maximize their outcomes and in which the best teachers, students, lessons, and organizations will rise to the top. The elements of such an integrated e-learning platform would include: Wizards to enable instructors to quickly create engaging multi-media lessons; Capability to automatically transform lesson content into additional activities, games, and quizzes; The ability for students to take lessons in the form they prefer, including lessons presented as games; Reports and monitoring …

Missouri Public School Teachers’ Perception Of Tenure, Roberta Savone Roache

Dissertations

In the state of Missouri, 550 public school superintendents were selected to have their district teachers participate in a study to provide information regarding the perception of teacher tenure. Approximately 64,000 PreK-12 public school teachers in Missouri were sent an 18 question online survey designed by the researcher to assess Missouri public school teachers’ perception of teacher tenure. A sample of 497 Missouri teachers participated in this study. Sub-questions of the purpose of the research study were adapted from Kersten (2006): (1) When teachers achieve tenure, are they more effective and highly qualified? (2) If teacher tenure was eliminated, would …

An Investigation Of Teacher Understanding And Perceptions Of The Effectiveness Of The Use Of Learning Targets In The Classroom, Melissa L. Wyers

Dissertations

Conflicting opinions and stances concerning standardization of curriculum in the United States education system are evidenced throughout the nation in the format of debates about the purpose of education and the curriculum. In 1892, nationally recognized American educators met as a Committee of Ten (National Education Association [NEA], 1893) to determine what subject matter should be contained in a formalized system of education, thus establishing the roots of the modern American school system. The results from the meeting were not accepted by all educational entities within the United States and curriculum content continued to be a matter of social and …

A Study On Access Scores And Map Data, Deborah Lynn Pearson

Dissertations

English Language Learners (ELLs) are no longer a part of specific areas of America. They have crossed all classroom boundaries of the United States. This means as ELLs have integrated into the classrooms, educators are becoming versed in methods and strategies to help ELLs learn and achieve proficiency on standardized assessments. The purpose of this study was to determine if ELLs learned enough to be proficient in English to do well on a standardized test as their non-ELL peers. The Missouri Assessment Program (MAP) and the Assessing Comprehension and Communication in English State to State (ACCESS) were the two exams …

Tenure: A Communal Privilege For Service, Not An Individual Privilege For Research, Steven Kessler

Journal of Educational Leadership in Action

Tenure is commonly understood as a privilege earned by individuals in higher education guaranteeing a lifetime appointment barring gross negligence. To individuals outside of higher education, the tenure process is less clear. Contemporary tenure is earned today largely for research and teaching with the heaviest emphasis on research. The third leg of tenure, service, is often neglected or discouraged in the rewards structure. While this information is widely known in higher education, the irony of this system is not. This paper aims to explore higher education’s historical roots as a medieval corporation in explaining the origins of tenure. Tenure originally …

Teacher Candidates Learn To Create Teacher Websites To Support Student Success Through Student, Parent And Community Engagement, Jennifer Laffier, Meaghan Clarke, Alanna Houston

Journal of Educational Leadership in Action

‘Theory to practice’ based learning activities are important for teachers in training. Therefore, as part of a course in a Bachelor of Education program in Ontario, Canada teacher candidates learned how to create effective teacher websites to promote the healthy development of students as well as engage students, parents, and the community in the learning environment. Student, parent, and community engagement are considered key elements of student success. This learning activity and how teacher candidates developed effective websites based on theories of healthy development and student success were explored in this paper. First, the research related to teacher websites is …

Developing And Implementing Principal And Teacher Evaluation Systems In Mississippi, Kristen Dechert, Lois Kappler, Alexis Nordin

Journal of Educational Leadership in Action

In 2013-2014, the Mississippi Department of Education (MDE) implemented statewide the Mississippi Principal Evaluation System (MPES) and select components of the Mississippi Teacher Evaluation System (MTES). Now overseen by the Office of Educator Quality, these instruments and the professional development that accompanied them were originally developed collaboratively by the MDE’s Office of Federal Programs, Teacher Center, and Office of Career and Technical Education in order to help identify best practices for their principals and teachers, as well as to illuminate areas for improvement. Elements of both the MPES and MTES were piloted in 2012-2013.

While offering an opportunity to reinvigorate …

Effect Of A Substance Abuse Intervention Program On Student Achievement At A Midwest University, Terry Russell

Dissertations

Through empirical research, this dissertation examined whether a substance abuse intervention program implemented at a Midwest university could prove beneficial in addressing the problem of substance abuse on college campuses. Drawing on multiple resources, including Department of Education, psychologists, scholars, and other professional sources, this dissertation provides information on the importance of intervention and behavioral adjustment. This study covered statistical data over a two year period on an intervention program including measurements such as: grade point average, attendance, number of months in the program, and degree persistence. A second area of research was directed at determining the effect of the …

A Qualitative Analysis Of Mentoring Experiences And Perceptions Of Female Students Enrolled In A Doctoral Program In Education At A Midwestern University, Sherrill Rayford

Dissertations

This qualitative study analyzed mentoring experiences and perceptions of females enrolled in a doctorate program of education, including a Principal Investigator-led peer mentoring group. The snowball technique generated 20 participants who were interviewed for a two-part study to share mentoring experiences by responding to Research Question One: What are the mentoring experiences of a sample of female students enrolled in an Educational leadership doctoral program at a Midwestern University? The conceptual framework explored experiences and perceptions of women at the doctoral level, mentoring support systems, and barriers to doctoral completion. Additional interviews were sought from faculty named as providing mentoring …

A Co-Teaching Program Evaluation In A School District In Missouri, Tanya Marie Deering

Dissertations

This study was a program evaluation on the co-teaching model within the Smallville School District (a pseudonym) measuring its effectiveness defined by the perceptions of leaders in the field of special education. This study filled the gap of previous co-teaching studies by investigating a rural school district, across all buildings. The researcher selected the tools of classroom observations; convenience sample interviews; administrator, teacher, student, and parent surveys; and secondary data from High Quality Professional Development (HQPD) and the school budget. The researcher collected data with surveys, observations, and interviews to determine the perceptions of all stakeholders involved in the co-teaching …

High School Graduation Coaches: Supporting At-Risk High School Students, Heather Elise Dunnavant

Dissertations

This study investigated the effectiveness of a new dropout prevention program, Project WALK, which was launched at a low-income high school in Missouri during the 2012–2013 school year. After examining alarming dropout statistics, Washington High School chose 40 students to participate in a new program, Project WALK, which was designed to use graduation coaches to improve at-risk students’ performance. The program’s six graduation coaches formed relationships with at-risk students, monitored student progress, and consistently communicated with parents, teachers, and school administrators about the at-risk students. The researcher, an administrator at the school, gathered quantitative data to measure the effects of …

The Connection Program: An Examination Of One Developmental Education Program, Katherine Grace Craft

Dissertations

Developmental education continues to be an area of concern for higher education institutions. Understanding and developing programs to provide support and increase retention, completion, and success rates for developmental education students is vital to increasing degree attainment in the United States. This study explored one developmental education program at a Midwest community college implemented in 2011. A mixed-methods approach was executed to compare completion and success rates two years prior to implementation and two years following implementation, as well as to obtain qualitative information regarding perceptions of the program. Quantitative data analysis revealed increases in developmental education rates for qualifying …

A Comparison Of Fifth Grade Mathematics Curriculum Materials, Michael E. Starks Sr.

Dissertations

In the USA, the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 resulted in requirements placed on school districts to show student achievement in mathematics, based on measured adequate yearly progress. This caused school districts to search for standards based programs that improve mathematics learning. A quantitative multi-year study was used to compare the state-assessed achievement levels of 1,695 fifth-grade Midwestern children in the state of Missouri, who learned mathematics from two different curriculum-delivery programs, EveryDay Mathematics and EnVision Mathematics. A 2 by 2 by 8 research design was used through the choice of two elementary schools using EveryDay Mathematics and …

Evaluating The Impact Of Missouri Senate Bill 291 On Fifth And Ninth Grade State Physical Fitness Standards, Robert Scott Johnston

Dissertations

The current obesity rates of our nation’s youth continue to escalate at an alarming rate due to inactivity, poor nutrition, and lifestyle changes. The purpose of this research study was conducted to determine the effects of Missouri Senate Bill 291 on Missouri physical fitness scores as assessed by the Missouri Physical Fitness Assessment. The state of Missouri adopted new physical activity requirements starting in the 2010-2011 school year. This study evaluated the impact of Missouri Senate Bill 291 on fifth and ninth grade physical fitness assessments. Eleven years of statewide data, were examined to determine the impact of the physical …

Parental Mentoring: An African American Approach To Raising Daughters With Self-Esteem, Qiana Brandy Smith

Dissertations

There is an ample amount of research that documents the positive effect of self-esteem on a child established through an affirmative parental or mentoring relationship, verses a specific parent-mentoring approach designed with a curriculum to enhance the positive self-esteem of African-American daughters based on the relationship with their maternal parent. The purpose of this qualitative study was to answer the following research questions: what strategies and behaviors are used by parents in African-American families to affect the self-esteem of female children and adolescents and, how can strategies and behaviors exhibited by African-American parental mentors be organized in a teachable format …

Pharmacy Student Perceptions: How Do They Change And What Does That Mean?, Erika Lynn Michalski

Dissertations

With healthcare moving rapidly toward interprofessional expectations, this study examined the perceptions of a particular population of students pursuing a degree in the healthcare field. Pharmacy students attending a free-standing pharmacy institution were interviewed over the course of the 2012 – 2013 academic year. Interviews were conducted before, during, and after the students engaged in collaborative coursework with students from a variety of health care majors attending a nearby institution. The results demonstrated the positive impact exposure to peer students pursuing degrees in health care fields can have. Results of the interview process highlighted the impact intentional interaction with a …

A Quantitative Study Of Educational Poverty, School Location, And Student Achievement Measured By The Program For International Student Assessment (Pisa), Brett Barger

Dissertations

The performance of the United States’ students on international tests remains an ongoing source of concern, division, and anxiety for government, educational, and business leaders, teachers (and their unions), as well as the general public. These selfsame test results have been used as evidence to support diametrically opposed political and educational strategy and policy for decades. All too often the performance of students is discussed with a single test score number that is used to represent the entirety of the education system’s students without accounting for geographical, demographic, or socioeconomic differences among the student test takers. The contributing factors of …

Non-Restrictive Environment After Age 21: Program Placement For Young Adults With Severe Developmental Disabilities, Deborah Dirisio

Dissertations

For students with significant disabilities, the process of transitioning from their secondary school setting to their post-secondary setting includes the exploration of potential adult settings. This paper explored the perspectives of secondary school personnel, as well as the viewpoints of personnel from St. Louis area post-secondary programs, as to the characteristics which determine adult program placement. State agencies that facilitate Person Centered Plans were also interviewed regarding viewpoints as to how secondary students with significant disabilities could seek and secure their most non-restrictive adult program placements. Research questions included: (1) How do the Missouri Alternative Frameworks utilized in secondary programming …

Teacher Induction Programs: How Key Components Influence Teacher Retention Rates In Rural School Districts, Samuel Rogers

Dissertations

Upon entrance to the educational arena, new teachers face many challenges, and rural school teachers face a unique series of challenges compared to teachers in urban and suburban school districts (Ingersoll, 2012). Rural school districts often have difficulty both recruiting and retaining teachers (Dadisman, Gravelle, Farmer, & Petrin, 2010). Teacher induction programs presented a possible solution to increase the teacher retention rates for rural school districts (National Commission on Teaching and America’s Future, 2007). The purpose of this study was to describe the relationship between the degree of implementation of teacher induction programs and the teacher retention rates for high-performing …

A Study Of Alternative Education Programs In The State Of Missouri, Ronald Joshua Ladd

Dissertations

The focus of this study was to examine the characteristics of alternative programs in the state of Missouri and to determine whether a statistical difference in the persistence to graduation rate existed between the two variations of programs. When identifying the characteristics, several commonalities emerged. These commonalities could be the focus of future studies to determine a list of best-practices among alternative programs. When focusing on the statistical element of this study, the two programs in question were revolving door and one-way programs. For the purpose of this study, a revolving door style program was defined as one that assesses …

Forgiveness Education And Bullying Prevention And Intervention: Benefits For Bullies, Victims And Schools, Amy Carlon, Suzanne Freedman, Nicole Skaar

Journal of Educational Leadership in Action

Over the past 50 years, attitudes toward incidences of bullying in the schools have shifted significantly. Previously, bullying was seen as an expected and normal part of a child's development and school experience. Some even believed bullying wasn't harmful, that it assisted in character-building, and was simply "part of growing up" (Smith & Brain, 2000, p. 3). In recent decades, however, the negative effects of bullying have been more widely recognized, and there is growing acceptance that experiences of bullying often lead to negative outcomes, such as poor physical and psychological health, for those who are victimized (Due et al., …

Read 180: Is It An Effective Reading Intervention For English Language Learners?, Carissa Gober

Dissertations

The purpose of this quasi-experimental study was to determine if READ 180 is an effective reading intervention program for English Language Learners (ELLs). School districts nationwide are seeking effective programs to close the achievement gap between ELLs and the general population in order to fulfill federally established Title III requirements. This study examined the results of the 2011-2013 Assessing Comprehension and Communication in English State-to-State (ACCESS), an English Language Proficiency assessment tool specifically designed for ELLs. At the time of this study, 35 states, including Missouri utilize the ACCESS test to measure proficiency levels of their ELLs in partial fulfillment …

The Effect Of An Integrated Music Curriculum On Reading Achievement Outcomes Of Kindergarten Students, Tracy St. Clair

Dissertations

At the time of this study, school districts in the United States faced challenges relative to educational accountability, especially in the areas of language arts and mathematics. Research suggested that music held the potential to bolster student engagement and academic achievement to improve reading outcomes for students. An integrated music curriculum was designed and implemented by the researcher to support reading achievement in a Midwestern, suburban elementary school. The purpose of this counterbalanced research design was to examine the effect of an integrated music curriculum upon the reading achievement of kindergarten students. The lesson framework included brain-based and active listening …

Discrepancies In Discipline Of Middle School Students By Gender: A Comparison Of Principal Candidates’ Responses To Vignettes, And Teacher Perceptions, Jill Lukefahr-Farrar

Dissertations

Discipline in schools exists so that there are guidelines to ensure safety and learning. Administrators and teachers give students consequences based upon discipline guidelines made by the school districts’ board of education. The discipline administered can be subjective. In a suburban mid-western school district, alarming trends in the amount of discipline referrals of male students both in the primary investigator’s middle school and in the other middle schools within the researched district were recognized. The purpose of this mixed methods study is to analyze and understand if gender discrepancies exist in discipline for middle school students among aspiring administrators, practicing …