Educational Assessment, Evaluation, and Research Commons^™

The Disconnection Between High School And College: A Study Of Retention Of Students Who Are At Risk Of Leaving College Before Completing A Degree, Peggy R. Sherwin

Dissertations

The number of students graduating high school and entering community colleges academically unprepared has increased. The problem is that they are at risk of leaving before degree completion. The community college in this study requires remedial no credit courses for unprepared students transitioning from high school based on an academic assessment test. There is no follow up once they are placed into the remedial courses. In contrast, non-traditional “returning learners” who test into remedial courses additionally receive follow-up in the form of an orientation workshop, a study skills course, and mentoring. The purpose of the study was to (a) review …

The Challenge Program: A Quantitative Analysis Of Strategies Designed To Eliminate The Achievement Gap, Diane L. Moore

Dissertations

The achievement gap is one of the most daunting challenges educators face in U.S. schools today. Researchers have identified many factors that contribute to the persistence of this gap in public schools. Family backgrounds, cultural environment, and socioeconomic status appear to be the main environmental factors perpetuating the achievement gap. A review of literature also revealed poor quality teachers, ineffective school leadership, course tracking in high schools, and a lack of parental involvement were the main school factors identified. This quantitative study examined one public high school’s effort to reduce the achievement gap between African American students and Caucasian students. …

The Impact Of Classroom Performance System-Based Instruction With Peer Instruction Upon Student Achievement And Motivation In Eighth Grade Math Students, Tracy Hunter Allison

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The researcher employed two designs to address the research question for this particular study. This quasi-experimental non-equivalent control group study compared the math achievement of 92 eighth grade students who received Classroom Performance System (CPS)-based instruction using Peer Instruction (PI) to 76 eighth grade students who received CPS-based math instruction without PI. Posttest scores were statistically analyzed using an ANCOVA. Iowa Test of Basic Skills scores were used as a covariate. A statistic control group design was employed to examine student motivation for the same group of students under the same conditions. Student motivation data from the Instructional Materials Motivation …

Some Assembly Required: How Scientific Explanations Are Constructed During Clinical Interviews, Bruce L. Sherin, Moshe Krakowski, Victor R. Lee

Instructional Technology and Learning Sciences Faculty Publications

This article is concerned with commonsense science knowledge, the informally-gained knowledge of the natural world that students possess prior to formal instruction in a scientific discipline. Although commonsense science has been the focus of substantial study for more than two decades, there are still profound disagreements about its nature and origin, and its role in science learning. What is the reason that it has been so difficult to reach consensus? We believe that the problems run deep; there are difficulties both with how the field has framed questions and the way that it has gone about seeking answers. In order …

Designed To Benefit Whom? An Evaluation Of Irish Early Childhood Education And Care Policy Using Policy Design Theory., Bernie O'Donoghue Hynes

Doctoral

The overarching aim of the research was to evaluate whether the mechanisms used by the state to implement policy were designed to effectively realise national early childhood education and care (ECEC) policy objectives and children‟s rights within that context. The theoretical framework selected for the project was policy design theory, a framework that emerged from within the field of implementation study. A focus on the distinct implementation phase within the policy process enabled an evaluation of policy achievements relative to policy intentions articulated in various policy documents. Five separate policy tool design models were selected and applied to data which …

Creating A Culture That Focuses On Assessing Leap Essential Learning Outcomes Without Killing Ourselves, Kenneth M. Jones, Philip I. Kramer, Peggy Retka

Office of Academic Review and Curricular Advancement Staff Publications

No abstract provided.

Quality Counts 2012, Misty Newcomb, Gary W. Ritter

Policy Briefs

In an attempt to gauge the educational progress of the nation and each state, Education Week has published state report cards since 1997 in its annual Quality Counts series. The 16th annual report - Quality Counts 2012 - was released in January. Overall, Arkansas ranked 5th among the 50 states and was one of only nine states in the U.S. that received a B. This policy brief examines Arkansas’ rank in each category of the report as well as the quality of the report itself.

Snapshot : Current International Projects

International Developments

This article gives a brief overview of ACER's current international projects including an overview of ACER's work in Spain, Norway, India, the Arab States, and Saudi Arabia.

Graduate Capability, Hamish Bennett Coates

International Developments

Is it feasible to produce a generalisable assessment of higher education learning outcomes to demonstrate the capability of graduates? In a word, yes. Hamish Coates explains.

Regional Focus : South East Asia

International Developments

Foreign Ministers at the sixth East Asia Summit (EAS) in Bali, Indonesia, in July 2011 welcomed the convening of the first EAS Education Ministers meeting. The meeting of the Education Ministers of the 18 EAS countries was agreed at the previous EAS meeting in Hanoi, Vietnam, in October 2010. The ministers agreed to pursue further cooperation to enhance the quality of education, and promote educational exchange and innovation in the region.

Regional Focus : India And Bangladesh

International Developments

ACER India increased the size of its workforce in 2011 and now boasts more than double the number of staff employed in 2010. The expansion increases the capacity of ACER India in terms of data analysis with a focus on international achievement studies, state monitoring programs and evaluation studies, as well as in terms of publication and marketing. The increased capacity means ACER India is well placed to independently undertake educational research and development work in India and beyond.

Partner Focus : Good Neighbours, Leila Ismail

International Developments

Researchers at ACER are ensuring Australia's international aid program in support of quality education is as smart as it can be, through its work with AusAID.

A Clearer Picture : National And International Testing In The Uae, Alan Egbert

International Developments

The Ministry of Education of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has recently introduced the UAE National Assessment Program (UAENAP), developed by the Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER) in partnership with the ministry, to monitor student achievement and progress, in order to inform policy and curriculum development for the nation.

International Developments (No.2) 2012

International Developments

No abstract provided.

International Update (No. 2) November 2011

International Update archive (2010-2012)

Table of contents for this issue: (a) Beginning teacher standards in Saudi Arabia; (b) National assessment reports on health of UAE school system; (c) AHELO moves ahead; (d) ACER and CBSE conduct international assessment conference; (e) ACER India expands operations; (f) Measuring adult skills in New Zealand; (g) ACER and UNESCO Beirut collaborate in Arab States; (h) Reading literacy reform in Portugal; (i) Assessing generic skills; (j) Testing basic mathematics in Norway.

Walking Box Ranch Custodianship Quarterly Progress Report: Period Ending January 10, 2012, Margaret N. Rees

Walking Box Ranch

• UNLV provides stewardship of Walking Box Ranch (WBR) by providing a caretaker who oversees the property, facilitating use of the property by researchers and educators, developing a use and research policy for the property, and coordinating these activities with BLM and in accordance with TNC restrictions.
• UNLV currently addresses security issues for the property through the presence of the caretaker and two Metro Officers who reside on the property in two recreational vehicles.
• UNLV is working with new BLM employees Glen Marsh and Audrey Asselin to address continuing deterioration of the ranch house. UNLV has suggested to BLM that they …

Walking Box Ranch Planning And Design Quarterly Progress Report: Period Ending January 10, 2012, Margaret N. Rees

Walking Box Ranch

• UNLV’s President Smatresk has reiterated his commitment to the WBR project and has further committed full funding for IT and security costs.
• UNLV participated in a one-half day meeting with BLM to discuss the future WBR operating agreement between BLM and UNLV; UNLV participated in a 1.5 day meeting to review the 100% Design drawings.
• UNLV continues to wait on BLM for direction on how to mitigate the continuing deterioration of the ranch house.
• Weather station research continues and has produced the following this past quarter. 1) Ground-source heat pump (GSHP) Vs Photovoltaic (PV) technology: A detailed analysis comparing these …

Student Financial Aid 2012-13, Uno Office Of Institutional Effectiveness

IPEDS Financial Aid

IPEDS Student Financial Aid annual report contains the following information:

• Number and percent of undergraduate and of full-time, first-time, degree/certificate-seeking undergraduate students receiving student financial aid, by type of aid and average amount of aid received

Self-Made Writer: A Grounded Theory Investigation Of Writing Development Without Writing Instruction In A Charlotte Mason Home School, Jennifer C. Spencer

Education Dissertations and Projects

The aim of this study was to explore how one adult who learned at home under the holistic methods of Charlotte Mason developed as a writer when this model eschews direct instruction in composition. The participant in the study developed exemplary writing skills despite the fact that the teaching methods of the parent did not conform to state standards, nor even to techniques typically accepted as best practices by such organizations as the International Reading Association (IRA) and the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC). As states across the nation are adopting and implementing the Common Core, …

Deep Engagement With Student Learning: Librarians As Instructors-Of-Record For Writing-Intensive Undergraduate Courses, Jean Caspers, Susan Barnes Whyte

Faculty & Staff Presentations

How can librarians gain authentic knowledge about how students apply the skills and concepts we teach? In order to address this question, Susan Barnes Whyte and Jean Caspers share the knowledge they have gained by teaching two writing intensive courses: Information Gathering, a required 4-credit course for Mass Communication majors, and Information Ethics: the Individual as Creator and Consumer, a required 4-credit first year inquiry seminar course. Caspers and Whyte both continue to teach multiple information literacy (IL) sessions for other professors’ courses. Their for-credit teaching experiences have helped them understand the difficulty other teaching faculty have finding …

Walking The Walk: Using Evidence-Based Teaching And Learning To Improve Teaching Training, Sarah Grison, Stephanie Seiler, Crystal Carlson

Psychology Faculty

Over two years, we explored whether a novel graduate teaching course could weave together three programs that would simultaneously: (1) Enhance graduate TAs’ teaching skills; (2) Investigate undergraduates’ learning and educational experiences; and (3) Develop research in teaching and learning sciences.

More Efficient Public Schools In Maine: Learning Communities Building The Foundation Of Intellectual Work, David L. Silvernail Phd, Erika K. Stump Phd, Richard E. Barnes, Kenneth E. Kunin, Sarah E. Wintle

School Improvement

This report describes the methodology used to identify Maine schools that were outperforming expectations and reports the results from conducting case studies of a representative sample of these and other Maine schools. Through these case studies, we were able to uncover what the schools were doing that set them apart from other schools and what other schools may wish to emulate as they work to build the foundation for improvement within their own schools.

Planned Missingness Study Design: Two Methods To Developing The Study Survey Versions, E. Whitney G. Moore

Kinesiology, Health and Sport Studies

A planned missingness data study design takes advantage of modern techniques for handling data missingness that is MCAR (Missing Completely at Random) and MAR (Missing at Random) (Brown, 2006; Enders, 2010). As modern data imputation techniques have improved, this study design option has become a powerful, cost-effective option for collecting the most data across the largest sample possible, while keeping the fatigue effect and expense of the study minimized (Little, 2010a, 2010b, 2012). The purpose of this guide is to provide an applied example for designing the surveys necessary when conducting a planned missingness research study design.

Assessing University-Based Research: Advocating Best Practice, Ellen Hazelkorn

Other resources

No abstract provided.

Attendance Rates Of Special Populations In One Rural County, Julie Bright

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

The purpose of this current study is to determine if a difference exists in the attendance rates for special education students and low socioeconomic status students when compared to their peers who do not have these designations. The attendance data from one rural county school district for the years of 2007-2011 were examined to determine if a difference in the attendance rates did exist. Results from this research revealed that students receiving special education services were absent significantly more than their general education peers. However, students of low socioeconomic status were not absent any more than their peers who were …

Factors Influencing College Decision-Making For First-Generation Appalachian Students, Kristy Lynn Wood

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

This investigation determined the degree of importance for selected personal-psychological, academic, peer, financial, and family factors influencing the decision to attend college by first-generation, Appalachian (FGA) sophomore students. Outcomes were further related to the degree of academic and social integration in college and the likelihood of participants returning (persisting) to the next term or year. Participants were a purposeful group of 3,264 sophomores enrolled at three universities. Data were collected using the Transition to College Survey (TCS), which participants completed via an email invitation. Two-hundred, seventy-three responded (273) as follows: 110 (41%) first-generation status, 214 (78%); Appalachian status and 90 …

Targeted Cognitive-Based Tier Ii Interventions To Increase Student Achievement, Rachel K. Wakefield

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

The purpose of this study was to examine whether targeted cognitive-based reading interventions are more effective than traditional evidence-based Tier II reading interventions. Ninety students who performed in the lowest third on a state reading test from a rural school district in Virginia were placed into three groups: 1) students who received traditional evidence-based reading interventions, 2) students whose teachers were trained in Cattell-Horn-Carroll theory and whose teacher chose an intervention that he/she thought would be most tailored to the student’s cognitive needs, 3) students who were tested using the Woodcock Johnson III Tests of Cognitive Abilities (WJ-III) and were …

Parental Involvement And Level Of Parent Satisfaction In A Summer Enrichment Program, Leslie Rae Danner

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

The current study was conducted to determine which variable of parental involvement was the best predictor of parental satisfaction in the 2011 Marshall University Summer Enrichment Program. Data of parental involvement and level of parent satisfaction was collected using a survey format. A prediction equation analysis using a linear regression was calculated and results indicated that parents feeling involved was a significant variable in satisfaction. An independent samples t-test determined that there was no significant difference between parents’ actual participation in services and satisfaction. A linear regression determined the levels of involvement in activities were not a predictor of satisfaction. …

Measuring Team Collaboration In The Marshall University Summer Enrichment Program, Marian Pyles

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

The present study investigates measures of team collaboration among graduate students participating in the Marshall University Graduate College Summer Enrichment Program. The purpose of the study was to use an independent criterion, rankings by an expert panel, as a way to determine the better measure of collaboration: Thermometers or the Collaboration Survey. A Spearman’s rho correlation showed correlations between the Thermometer Team question, the Collaboration Survey, and the expert rankings, whereas a binary logistic regression showed that only the Thermometers predicted whether a team would be ranked as high or low. Results indicate that the MUGC Summer Enrichment Program should …

Parent Expectations Linked To Parent Satisfaction In A Summer Enrichment Program Evaluation, Laura E. Saltsman

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

The purpose of this study was to determine if parent expectations were a determining factor in the level of satisfaction of the parents of students who attended the Marshall University Graduate College Summer Enrichment Program of 2011. Data of parent satisfaction was collected using a revised survey based off of parent satisfaction surveys from previous years while parent expectation data was collected from applications completed by parents prior to the start of the program. Analysis using independent samples t-test determined parental expectations was not a predictor of parent satisfaction. Further exploration of the data indicated the most common expectations were …