Educational Assessment, Evaluation, and Research Commons^™

Final Dissertation Paper Rubric: 5-Part Dissertation, Dannelle D. Stevens

Education Faculty Publications and Presentations

This is a rubric developed by Dannelle D. Stevens, Doctoral Program Coordinator in the Graduate School of Education, designed to help guide evaluations for doctoral dissertations in Educational Leadership at Portland State University.

Dissertation Proposal Rubric: 5-Chapter Dissertation, Dannelle D. Stevens, Gayle Yvonne Thieman

Education Faculty Publications and Presentations

This is a rubric developed by Dannelle D. Stevens, Doctoral Program Coordinator in the Graduate School of Education, and Gayle Thieman, Doctoral Program Committee Member, designed to help guide evaluations for doctoral dissertation proposals in Educational Leadership at Portland State University.

Assessment Brief: Profile Of Online Sophomore Inquiry Students, Nicholas Osborn, Rowanna L. Carpenter

University Studies Assessment Research

This report presents an academic and demographic profile of online SINQ students compared with students enrolled in face-to-face courses.

Freshman Retention Project: 2012-13 Report, Mirela Blekic

University Studies Assessment Research

This report summarizes the results of 2012-2013 Freshmen Retention Project and presents retention rates for various student populations.

A Profile Of Sophomore Inquiry Students Fall 2013, Rowanna L. Carpenter

University Studies Assessment Research

This report presents a profile of students enrolled in Sophomore Inquiry courses during Fall 2013.

A Profile Of Freshman Inquiry Students Fall 2013, Rowanna L. Carpenter

University Studies Assessment Research

This report presents a profile of students enrolled in Freshman Inquiry courses during Fall 2013, including demographic, academic, and financial information.

Improving Assessment Practice At The Course And Programmatic-Levels In Community Colleges: Developing The Guidebook For Student Learning Outcomes & The Assessment Loop, Steven George Beining

Dissertations and Theses

This project-based dissertation described, in detail, a seven-step research and development (R&D) process used to create, and bring to operational use, an educational tool that supported the academic use of the assessment loop: the Guidebook For Student Learning Outcomes & The Assessment Loop. The dissertation established the problem that this product solved, provided relevant research, including a literature review, and the process and methods that led to the development of this useful product. It described the purpose of this specific guidebook and for guidebooks in general.

This project was informed by research of instructional design of text-based teaching materials, R&D-focused …

Impact Of Teacher Feedback On The Development Of State Issued Scoring Guides For Science Inquiry And Engineering Design Performance Assessments, Timothy Paul Fiser

Dissertations and Theses

In 2010, Oregon Department of Education (ODE) developed a set of rubrics designed to score a state required performance assessment targeting Science Inquiry (SI) and Engineering Design (ED) skills. During the development of the rubrics, ODE invited six panels of teachers to provide feedback on an early draft of the rubrics. This case study analyzed the teachers' feedback and the revisions of the rubrics to identify the types of feedback teachers offered and how ODE used that feedback to develop the rubrics. The results showed the teachers' feedback focused on defining the skills students were asked to demonstrate and distinguishing …

What Research Says About... The National Project On Common Planning Time, Steven B. Mertens, Vincent A. Anfara Jr., Nancy Flowers, Micki M. Caskey

Curriculum and Instruction Faculty Publications and Presentations

What Research Says about... The National Project on Common Planning Time PDF version of a PowerPoint presentation given at the National Middle School Association Annual Conference, Indianapolis, IN, Nov. 6, 2009.

Evaluating Alternative High Schools: Program Evaluation In Action, Drew Samuel Wayne Hinds

Dissertations and Theses

Alternative high schools serve some of the most vulnerable students and their programs present a significant challenge to evaluate. Determining the impact of an alternative high school that serves mostly at-risk students presented a significant research problem. Few studies exist that dig deeper into the characteristics and strategies of successful alternative schooling. Moreover valid program evaluation methods to identify successful alternative school practices are hit and miss. As a result, public policy and systems of accountability have either disregarded information relating to alternative high schools or unjustifiably included them in comparisons with traditional high schools.

This dissertation studied the issue …

Designing Innovative Alternatives To Traditional High Schools: What Leaders Need To Know, Chester Roy Edwards

Dissertations and Theses

The need for new and innovative alternatives to traditional high schools has never been greater. Never designed to graduate all students on time, traditional high schools and their high dropout rates have remained unchanged for the last 30 years. Improving secondary schooling for all young people is a worthwhile social and educational objective. Many school leaders want to create alternative high schools but may lack the knowledge of what to do, nor may they have a comprehensive design process to follow.

The research question explored in this dissertation is: What do leaders in education need to know to design innovative …

Developing The Instructional Leadership Skills Of High School Principals In Tanzania: A Problem-Based Learning Approach, Peter N. Siamoo

Dissertations and Theses

Underachievement among secondary students in Tanzania is tragic: the failure rate on the national exams after the fourth year is between 65 to 100 percent (Mushi, 2011). The literature affirms that student learning is primarily improved by enhancing quality classroom instruction while the second most impactful strategy is consistent school leadership to ensure that effective practices are utilized in the classroom (Blase & Blase, 2004; Chenoweth & Everhart, 2002; Fink & Markholt, 2011; Leithwood, Louis, Anderson, & Wahlstrom, 2004; Leithwood, Harris, & Strauss, 2010; Marzano, Waters, & McNulty, 2005). Despite the research, the researcher's pilot study revealed that there is …

The Value Of Midterm Student Feedback In Cross-Disciplinary Graduate Programs, G.L.A. Harris, Dannelle D. Stevens

Education Faculty Publications and Presentations

End-of-course student evaluations are frequently used to evaluate university faculty teaching. However, employing midterm student feedback has been found to be instrumental in informing faculty about instructional quality and improving student learning outcomes. This study examined and compared the effects on classroom instruction of using a midterm student feedback (MSF) survey in the graduate courses of two faculty, an untenured professor in public administration and a full professor in education. The researchers gathered data from 122 students over two years for three courses in 6 classes—4 in public administration, 2 in education. Results indicate that midterm student feedback offered insight …

University Studies Annual Assessment 2012-2013, Portland State University. University Studies Program, Rowanna L. Carpenter

University Studies Annual Assessment Reports

Annual in-depth examination and assessment of Portland State University's general education model, the University Studies Program. The tools and methods used to assess student learning are faculty driven and developed.

Basic Fba To Bsp Trainer’S Manual, Sheldon Loman, M. Kathleen Strickland-Cohen, Christopher Borgmeier, Robert Horner

Special Education Faculty Publications and Presentations

This manual presents procedures to train school-based personnel to conduct "basic" functional behavioral assessments (FBA) and design function-based behavior support plans (BSP). "Basic FBA/BSP" training methods, as they are presented in this manual, are designed to train school based personnel with flexible roles in a school (i.e. personnel not directly responsible for providing regular instruction for students; e.g., classroom teachers). The Basic FBA/BSP training methods are specifically designed for use with students that exhibit consistent problems that are NOT dangerous and have not been adequately addressed through previous assessment and intervention. For example, Basic FBA methods would be appropriate for …

Sinq Retention And Belonging: An Exploration Of Retention And Belonging Factors Of Portland State University Sophomore Inquiry Students, Cristina Restad, Christa Zinke

University Studies Assessment Research

Research on sophomore success.conducted by graduate students. Examines factors related to SINQ student retention and sense of belonging at PSU.

Writing Outcomes Assessment Special Report, Rowanna L. Carpenter

University Studies Assessment Research

A group of faculty provided feedback on revised UNST writing outcomes as part of our annual ePortfolio review process. This excerpt from our annual report reflects a summary of their conversation and feedback.

Based in part on this feedback, a group of faculty met throughout the 2013-2014 academic year to revise the UNST writing rubric.

Preparation In Practice: Simultaneous Preparation Of Educational Leaders And Future Teachers For Social Justice In Professional Development Schools, Amy Daggett Petti, Sabrina Flamoe

Education Faculty Publications and Presentations

In times of crisis there are opportunities for innovation. Teacher preparation, leadership preparation, and education in general are facing a time of crisis. Teacher and principal preparation and performance are no longer just the fodder of educational journals and elite academics. When mainstream publications such as Newsweek run a cover image of a chalkboard with repeated lines of text, "We Must Fire Bad Teachers" as the solution to "saving American Education" (2010), we know the public perception of teacher preparation, teacher professionalism, and leadership in schools is in a crisis.

This chapter examines a case study of a school committed …

Enhancing Instruction For English Learners In Response To Intervention Systems: The Pluss Model, Amanda K. Sanford, Julie Esparza Brown, Maranda Turner

Education Faculty Publications and Presentations

This paper proposes a model of effective instruction and intervention for English Learners (ELs) within a Response to Intervention (RTI) framework. First, we review literature on effective instruction for ELs and how RTI can address the needs of these students. Then, we describe the PLUSS model, which integrates research on effective instruction for ELs, tiered models of support, and teacher practices. The model includes the following elements: Pre-teaching critical vocabulary; Language modeling and opportunities to use academic language; Using visuals and graphic organizers; Systematic and explicit instruction; and Strategic use of native language and teaching for transfer. Finally, we provide …

Data To Action: Freshman Retention Project, Mirela Blekic, James Ofsink, Sukhwant Jhaj, Dan Fortmiller, Rowanna L. Carpenter, Paloma Harrison, Martha Dyson, Becki Ingersoll, Becky Sanchez, Robert Mercer, Amanda Nguyen, Louise Mcdonald

University Studies Assessment Research

About 10% of freshmen students who are admitted in fall do not transition to winter term and about 15-20% of the students who complete their freshmen year do not return the following fall. In addition, students who have major concerns about financing their education and students who are not sure about their plans (as identified in FRINQ Prior Learning Survey) tend to leave at a higher rate. Similarly, students with HS GPA below 3.0 and conditionally admitted students tend to leave at a higher rate. Finally, about 80% of the students who indicate (in the FRINQ End-of-Year Survey) they are …

Assessment Brief: Writing In Sophomore Inquiry, Rowanna L. Carpenter

University Studies Assessment Research

SINQ students report on their previous writing experience and on the writing assignments and support in their SINQ courses.

Redefining Education In The Developing World, Marc J. Epstein, Kristi Jane Yuthas

Business Faculty Publications and Presentations

Brief article in which the authors argue that governments and organizations investing in developing-world education must move away from the assumption that improvements in test scores provide evidence of success. They believe, instead, that in a time of scarcity, it is more important to seek out interventions that lead to the greatest social and economic impact for the poor.

Deepening Students’ Appreciation For Diversity Through University Studies Courses, Rowanna L. Carpenter

University Studies Assessment Research

This report gathers assessment data related to the diversity learning goal across levels and multiple years.

Undergraduate Mentor Demographic Summary, Jacob Coppola, Rowanna L. Carpenter

University Studies Assessment Research

Undergraduate Mentors in Freshman Inquiry are placed in a unique position of influence. With each spending one entire year working with a single class, mentors will color the educational experience of over 1,200 Portland State freshmen each year. Given this significant role, it is important that mentors are demographically representative of the PSU student body. By compiling this report, we hope to better understand the composition of the Undergraduate Mentor population, as well as identity possible areas of representational imbalance.

A Profile Of Sophomore Inquiry Students Fall 2011, Rowanna L. Carpenter

University Studies Assessment Research

Presents a profile of students enrolled in SINQ courses based on responses to the Prior Learning Survey and demographic and academic university data.

A National Research Project Revitalizes And Strengthens A Sig’S Membership, Leadership, And The Quality Of Research In The Field, Steven B. Mertens, Vincent A. Anfara Jr., Nancy Flowers, Micki M. Caskey

Curriculum and Instruction Faculty Publications and Presentations

A recent moratorium has temporarily halted the creation of new Special Interest Groups (SIGs) in the American Educational Research Association (AERA). The AERA SIG Executive Committee, the official governance body that oversees approximately 160 SIGs, requested this moratorium, which was subsequently approved by AERA Council. The purpose of the moratorium is to allow the SIG Executive Committee to gather data to facilitate a more critical examination of issues related to SIGs, including low membership numbers, leadership challenges, and specific membership needs addressed by SIGs. This article offers the Middle Level Education Research (MLER) SIG as an example of a SIG …

A Few Questions We're No Longer Asking About Assessment : The Assessment Landscape And Possible Futures, Todd Lundberg, Gary R. Brown, Robin Jeffers

Office of Academic Innovation Publications

This presentation addresses the current assessment landscape, possible and quickly emerging futures. Presenters, all experienced assessment designers/practitioners, address the topic from a 4-year/national, a 2-year/Washington state, and an educational policy perspective. To guide the conversation, presenters pose "what if" questions based on the changing needs of students and current research into effective pedagogies.

The Impact Of Peer Mentoring At Psu, Portland State University. University Studies Program

University Studies Assessment Research

Since its inception in 1994, the University Studies (UNST) Program at Portland State University (PSU) has led the nation with a unique model of peer mentoring that supports student success and retention at Oregon’s largest and most diverse, urban university.

This report articulates mentors impact on their students and the impact of the mentoring experience on mentors.

What The Students Say...Eportfolio Learning Overview, Krys Roth

University Studies Assessment Research

Undergraduate Mentor Krys Roth analyzed student survey comments and wrote this report summarizing the findings.

Compared To What? Reconsidering Assessment In Higher Education, Gary R. Brown

Office of Academic Innovation Publications

There is, as Peter Ewell has recently observed, a tension between accountability and improvement. Batson elaborates, noting the parallel realization is dawning that tracking student outcomes toward learning goals, while a useful and necessary exercise, does not yield as much value as we had thought. Batson argues that developing an accountability system has provided rewards to faculty and student painfully insufficient to warrant the work such development requires. Batson argues that ePortfolios provide a rich alternative. This presentation will demonstrate with real student ePortfolio case studies nested within the context of organizational ePortfolio to provide an example that suggests Batson's …