Supplemental instruction, study habits, and the community college student

The purpose of this study was to demonstrate if the academic assistance program Supplemental Instruction (SI) facilitates the acquisition of effective study behaviors through strategies that transcend simple double-exposure to the course material. Its advocates claim it increases academic achievement using learner-centered knowledge and acquisition of effective study behaviors. SI sessions are specifically related to particular courses that students are taking. Sessions are facilitated by the SI leader who has taken the subject matter course in the past. Students review the content of the previous subject matter class using collaborative learning strategies coordinated by a SI leader. In addition, the SI leader models appropriate study behaviors in his or her interactions with the students. ^ An instructor at a large Florida community college who taught five classes of an Anatomy & Physiology I course (traditionally supported by SI) was identified. Two of the classes were randomly selected to participate in SI activities, and two classes were random chosen to participate in alternate, computer-based activities that dealt with the course content, but did not include work in developing students' study behaviors. These treatments were carried out over the course of an entire semester. Participation was mandatory. ^ Data were collected on two variables. Academic achievement in anatomy and physiology content was measured both pre- and post-treatment using an instructor developed examination. Student study behaviors were measured using pre- and post-treatment administration of the Study Behavior Inventory, a valid and reliable instrument that provides scores on three categories of study behaviors: (a) Academic self-efficacy, (b) Preparation for routine academic tasks, and (c) Preparation for long range academic tasks. Measures obtained at the end of the semester of treatment revealed no significant differences between the SI and alternative treatment groups in post-treatment achievement test score and the post-treatment scores on the three study behaviors categories when adjusted for pre-treatment scores. ^ These results suggest that the development of appropriate study behaviors requires more time than SI, as it is now implemented, can provide. In addition, results indicate that improved academic achievement may be attained through any number of means that include repeated exposure to course material. ^

English language learners and standardized testing in an urban senior high school

The primary purpose of this study was to examine the influences of literacy variables on high-stakes test performance including: (a) student achievement on the Metropolitan Achievement Test, Seventh Edition (MAT-7) as correlated to the high-stakes test such as the FCAT examination and (b) the English language proficiency attained by English Language Learners (ELL) students when participating in, or exiting from English Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) program as determined by the Limited English Proficient (LEP) committee. ^ Two one-sample Chi-square tests were conducted to investigate the relationship between passing the MAT-7 Reading and Language examinations and the FCAT-SSS Reading Comprehension and FCAT-NRT examinations. In addition, 2x2 Analyses of Variance (ANOVAs) were conducted to address the relationship between the time ELL students spent in the ESOL program and the level of achievement on MAT-7 Reading and Language examinations and the FCAT-SSS Reading Comprehension and FCAT-NRT. ^ Findings of this study indicated that more ELL students exit the program based on the LEP committee decisions than by passing the MAT-7. The majority of ELL students failed the 10th grade FCAT, the passing of which is needed for graduation. A significant number of ELL students failed, even when passing the MAT-7 or being duly exited through the decision of the LEP committee. The data also indicated that ELL students who exited the ESOL program in six semesters or fewer had higher FCAT scores than those who exited the program in seven semesters or more. The MAT-7 and the decision of the LEP committee were shown to be ineffective as predictors of success on the FCAT. ^ Further research to determine the length of time a student in the ESOL program uses English to read, write, and speak should be conducted. Additionally, the development of a new assessment instrument to better predict student success should be considered. However, it should be noted that the results of this study are limited to the context in which it was conducted and does not warrant generalizations beyond that context. ^

The relationship between prekindergarten social and emotional development and academic success among Hispanic children from low-income families

Social and emotional development has been considered an important factor in child development which has been placed at the end of the learning spectrum due to high stakes testing. Social and emotional development consists of the relationships an individual has with others, the level of self-control, and the motivation and perseverance a person has during an activity (Bandura, 1989). This study examined the relationship between Hispanic children’s prekindergarten social and emotional development and their academic success. Hispanic children from a large southeastern city whose parents were receiving subsidized child-care were followed from their prekindergarten year through third grade (N=1,978). Several hierarchical regressions were run to determine the relationship between children’s social and emotional development, during their prekindergarten year using the DECA (Devereaux Early Childhood Assessment), and the their academic success, as measured by kindergarten through third grade end of the year reading and mathematics academic grades, second grade SAT (Stanford Achievement Test) scores, and third grade FCAT (Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test) and NRT (Norm Referenced Test) scores. Hierarchical regressions were conducted for each grade and subject in order to control for demographics and prior achievement. The results of this study revealed that for Hispanic children from low-income families, the best predictor for academic success was the children’s prior academic achievement. Social and emotional development showed no significant predictive value for the third grade criterion variables as well as end of the year academic grades in second grade and kindergarten reading. Evidence did suggest that for first grade end of the year academic grades and kindergarten math, social and emotional development had a small predictive value. Further research must be conducted as to why social and emotional development, after controlling for demographics and previous academic achievement, bears such a small predictive value when it is clear that many professionals feel it is the most important factor for school readiness.

Relationships between gifted selection criteria and performance in sixth -grade gifted science

This study examined the relationships between gifted selection criteria used in the Dade County Public Schools of Miami, Florida and performance in sixth grade gifted science classes.^ The goal of the study was to identify significant predictors of performance in sixth grade gifted science classes. Group comparisons of performance were also made. Performance in sixth grade gifted science was defined as the numeric average of nine weeks' grades earned in sixth grade gifted science classes.^ The sample consisted of 100 subjects who were formerly enrolled in sixth grade gifted science classes over two years at a large, multiethnic public middle school in Dade County.^ The predictors analyzed were I.Q. score (all scales combined), full scale I.Q. score, verbal scale I.Q. score, performance scale I.Q. score, combined Stanford Achievement Test (SAT) score (Reading Comprehension plus Math Applications), SAT Reading Comprehension score, and SAT Math Applications score. Combined SAT score and SAT Math Applications score were significantly positively correlated to performance in sixth grade gifted science. Performance scale I.Q. score was significantly negatively correlated to performance in sixth grade gifted science. The other predictors examined were not significantly correlated to performance.^ Group comparison results showed the mean average of nine weeks grades for the full scale I.Q. group was greater than the verbal and performance scale I.Q. groups. Females outperformed males to a highly significant level. Mean g.p.a. for ethnic groups was greatest for Asian students, followed by white non-Hispanic, Hispanic, and black. Students not receiving a lunch subsidy outperformed those receiving subsidies.^ Comparisons of performance based on gifted qualification plan showed the mean g.p.a. for traditional plan and Plan B groups were not different. Mean g.p.a. for students who qualified for gifted using automatic Math Applications criteria was highest, followed by automatic Reading Comprehension criteria and Plan B Matrix score. Both automatic qualification groups outperformed the traditional group. The traditional group outperformed the Plan B Matrix group. No significant differences in mean g.p.a. between the Plan B subgroups and the traditional plan group were found. ^

A comparative study of high -achieving and low -achieving African -American students in an urban setting

The purpose of this study was to delineate which demographic and school variables were important for predicting the achievement of 10th grade African-American students. The sample population was divided into two groups: high-achievers, students with GPAs of 3.5 or higher, and low-achievers, students with GPAs of 1.5 or lower. Variables examined in the study included: gender; birth place; student's native language; exceptionality (ESE); history of English proficiency (LEP); SES (lunch status) in elementary and high school; the percentage of the Black student population in high school; and suspensions, absences, tardies, and the Stanford Achievement Test (SAT) scores in reading comprehension, mathematics computation, and mathematics applications in elementary and middle school. Two separate logistic regression analyses were conducted to determine which variables were influential in predicting achievement.^ Analysis 1 (N = 366), which included all the variables, except the SAT percentile scores, correctly classified 87% of the students as high-achievers or low-achievers. The results from Analysis 1 revealed that students who--were female; spoke a language other than English as their first language; did not apply for free or reduced lunch in elementary school; were in the gifted program; had no absences or tardies in elementary school; had no suspensions or tardies in middle school; and attended a high school with a lower percentage of Black students--were more likely to be high-achieving than low-achieving.^ Analysis 2 (N = 274) included all the variables and resulted in 94% of the students being correctly classified. It was found that students who--were female; were currently or previously classified as Limited English Proficient (LEP); did not apply for free or reduced lunch in elementary school; had no suspensions or tardies in middle school; and had higher percentile scores in reading comprehension and mathematics computation on the SAT in middle school--were more likely to high-achieving than low-achieving.^ The quantitative analyses were coupled with interviews from a purposeful sample of the population (N = 12) to gain additional insight about why some African-American students are succeeding in our schools and others are not. This study provides a viable means for assessing African-American students' achievement patterns in our schools. ^

The effects of cross -age peer tutoring on writing and reading comprehension skills and attitudes and self -perceptions as writers of third and fourth grade students

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of cross-age peer writing response groups on the writing and reading achievement of third and fourth grade students. Students' attitudes about writing and their perceptions of themselves as writers were also measured at the end of the study. ^ One hundred and twenty-two third and fourth grade students enrolled in a public school in a middle-class, multi-cultural neighborhood participated in the study. Four existing classes of students were randomly assigned to either the experimental condition (EC) or the control condition (CC). Both groups were pretested and posttested for writing and reading achievement. The intervention, cross-age peer writing groups, met for eleven weeks. ^ Three hypotheses were examined in this study: (a) writing improvement score, (b) reading comprehension improvement score, and (c) students' attitudes toward writing and their perception of themselves as writers based on the five scales measured on the Writer Self-Perception Scale. ^ ANOVAs were done on the pretests and posttests for writing and the Stanford Achievement Test reading comprehension subtest scores for the year of the study and the previous year. ANOVAs were also done for the five areas of the Writer Self-Perception Scale. Cross-tabulations were also used to compare improvement level verses treatment group, and grade level. ^ Analysis of the data revealed that there was no evidence that the tutoring (EC) groups made more progress than the non-tutoring (CC) groups in writing and reading. There was evidence of growth in writing, especially by the fourth graders. Most importantly, the fourth grade tutors, the experimental group, had the most positive feelings about writing and themselves as writers. ^

Dokumentation der Befragungsinstrumente der Interventionsstudie im Projekt “Conditions and Consequences of Classroom Assessment” (Co²CA)

Das im Rahmen des DFG-Schwerpunktprogramms „Kompetenzmodelle“ durchgeführte Projekt „Conditions and Consequences of Classroom Assessment“ (Co²CA) geht in vier Teilstudien der Frage nach, wie formatives Assessment im Unterricht gestaltet werden kann, um sowohl eine präzise Leistungsmessung zu ermöglichen als auch positive Wirkungen auf den Lehr-Lernprozess zu erreichen. Das Project Co²CA leistet damit einen wichtigen Beitrag zur Erforschung zweier Kernelemente formativen Assessments – der detaillierten Diagnose von Schülerleistungen und der Nutzung der gewonnenen Informationen in Form lernförderlichen Feedbacks. Zentrale Idee von formativem Assessment (Lernbegleitende Leistungsbeurteilung und –rückmeldung) ist es mit Hilfe von Leistungsmessungen Informationen über den Lernstand der Schülerinnen und Schüler zu gewinnen und diese Informationen für die Gestaltung des weiteren Lehr- und Lernprozess zu nutzen. Den Lernenden kann auf Basis der Leistungsbeurteilung lernförderliches Feedback gegeben werden, um so die Diskrepanz zwischen Lernstand und Lernziel zu verringern. Die Kernelemente formativem Assessments bestehen also aus einer detaillierten Diagnose des Lernstandes und der Nutzung der gewonnen Informationen – z.B. in Form von Feedback. [...] Das vorliegende Skalenhandbuch dokumentiert die in der Unterrichtsstudie eingesetzten Befragungsinstrumente für Schülerinnen und Schüler sowie für Lehrkräfte. (DIPF/Autor)

Katrin Ulrike Zaborowski / Michael Meier / Georg Breidenstein: Leistungsbewertung und Unterricht, Ethnographische Studien zur Bewertungspraxis in Gymnasium und Sekundarschule. Wiesbaden: VS Verlag für Sozialwissenschaften 2011 [Rezension]

Rezension von: Katrin Ulrike Zaborowski / Michael Meier / Georg Breidenstein: Leistungsbewertung und Unterricht, Ethnographische Studien zur Bewertungspraxis in Gymnasium und Sekundarschule, Wiesbaden: VS Verlag für Sozialwissenschaften 2011 (376 S.; ISBN 978-3-531-16808-1)

Does gender make a difference? Gender-related fairness of high-stakes testing in A-level examinations in English as foreign language in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia in the context of Educational Governance

The shift from decentralized to centralized A-level examinations (Abitur) was implemented in the German school system as a measure of Educational Governance in the last decade. This reform was mainly introduced with the intention of providing higher comparability of school examinations and student achievement as well as increasing fairness in school examinations. It is not known yet if these ambitious aims and functions of the new centralized examination format have been achieved and if fairer assessment can be guaranteed in terms of providing all students with the same opportunities to pass the examinations by allocating fair tests to different student subpopulations e.g., students of different background or gender. The research presented in this article deals with these questions and focuses on gender differences. It investigates gender-specific fairness of the test items in centralized Abitur examinations as high school exit examinations in Germany. The data are drawn from Abitur examinations in English (as a foreign language). Differential item functioning (DIF) analysis reveals that at least some parts of the examinations indicate gender inequality. (DIPF/Orig.)

Georg Breidenstein: Zeugnisnotenbesprechung. Zur Analyse der Praxis schulischer Leistungsbewertung. Opladen / Berlin / Toronto: Barbara Budrich 2012 (101 S.) [Rezension]

Rezension von: Georg Breidenstein: Zeugnisnotenbesprechung. Zur Analyse der Praxis schulischer Leistungsbewertung. Opladen / Berlin / Toronto: Barbara Budrich 2012 (101 S.; ISBN 978-3-86649-466-4)

INCORPORATING STIMULATING QUICK-WRITE PROMPTS WITHIN A SECONDARY SCIENCE CLASSROOM: A CASE STUDY IN LESOTHO

The use of intriguing open-ended quick-write prompts within the Basotho science classroom could potentially provide a way for secondary teachers in Lesotho to have a time-efficient alternative to stimulate student thinking and increase critical thinking or application of scientific principles. Writing can be used as a powerful means to improve the achievement of students across many subject areas, including the sciences (Moore, 1993; Rivard, 1994; Rillero, Zambo, Cleland, and Ryan, 1996; Greenstein, 2013). This study focuses on the use of a non-traditional nor extensively studied writing method that could potentially support learning in science. A quasi-experimental research design, with a control and experimental group, was applied. The study was conducted at two schools, with one experimental classroom in one school and a second control group classroom in the second school for a period of 4 weeks. 51 Form B (US Grade 9 equivalent) students participated as the experimental group and 43 Form B students as the control group. In an effort to assess learning achievement, a 1 hour (35 mark) pre-test evaluation was made by and given to students by Basotho teachers at the beginning of this study to have an idea of student’s previous knowledge. Topics covered were Static Electricity, Current Electricity, Electromagnetic Waves, and Chemistry of Water. After the experimental trial period, an almost completely identical post-test evaluation was given to students in the same fashion to observe and compare gains in achievement. Test data was analyzed using an inferential statistics procedure that compared means and gains in knowledge made by the experimental and control groups. Difference between the gains of mean pre-test and post-test scores were statistically significant within each group, but were not statistically significant when the control and experimental groups were compared. Therefore, there was no clear practical effect. Qualitative data from teachers’ journals and students’ written feedback provides insight on the assessments, incorporation of the teaching method, and the development of participating students. Both mid and post-study student feedback shows that students had an overall positive and beneficial experience participating in this activity. Assessments and teacher journals showed areas of strength and weaknesses in student learning and on differences in teaching styles. They also helped support some feedback claims made by students. Areas of further research and improvement of the incorporation of this teaching method in the Basotho secondary science classroom are explored.

Prairie State Achievement Examination, PSAE : teachers' handbook, 2000 - 2001.

An introductory handbook for teachers that discusses first-time administration of the PSAE, including how the test is constructed and contains information about test-preparation materials, timelines, test-day schedules, and upcoming informational workshops.

Negotiating the meaning of achievement standards in the Australian curriculum

Planning for assessment using the achievement standards in the implementation of the Australian Curriculum presents a challenge for teachers. The achievement standards differ in appearance and function from current assessment practices. This research inquiry used qualitative focus group discussions to investigate how Year 6 teachers from three Queensland schools negotiated the meaning of the English and Mathematics achievement standards for their assessment practice. A sociocultural theoretical perspective was used to analyse the data. Three significant influences on the teachers’ understanding of the achievement standards were their understanding of the achievement standard text, their beliefs about learning and assessment, and the assessment culture of the school. The opportunity to learn through supported professional conversations with peers, and the need for a shared assessment discourse were identified as necessities to support teachers as they seek to implement the new practices inherent in the achievement standards in the Australian Curriculum.

Using annotations to inform an understanding of achievement standards

The implementation of a new national curriculum and standards-referenced assessment in Australia has been an opportunity and a challenge for teacher assessment practices. In this case study of teachers in two Queensland schools, we explore how annotating student or exemplar assessment tasks could support teacher assessment practice. Three learning conversations between the researchers and the teacher teams are interpreted through the lens of Bernstein’s (1999) horizontal and vertical discourses to understand the complexities of coming to know an assessment standard. The study contributes to the literature on the use of annotations by exploring how teachers negotiated the purposes and processes of annotation, how annotating student work or exemplars before teaching commenced supported teachers to experience greater clarity about assessment standards and, finally, some of the tensions experienced by the teachers as they considered this practice within the practicalities of their daily work.

Estudio de la incidencia psicolingüística en la lectura usando como instrumento de diagnóstico y como base de programas de intervención psicopedagógica el test de aptitudes psicolingüísticas de Illinois.

Comparar la correlación que con la madurez lectora pueden tener variables de tipo psicolingüístico en comparación con variables de tipo psicomotriz. Analizar, estudiar y adaptar el material de intervención educativa editado en base al test Illinois de aptitudes psicolingüísticas. Aplicar y evaluar en la práctica escolar los programas de intervención adaptados. Primera investigación: 102 alumnos de segundo de preescolar, primero y segundo de EGB. Segunda investigación: 25 alumnos de segundo de EGB de cinco centros públicos de Ciudad Real. Se presentan 2 investigaciones paralelas. En la primera se establece un diseño transversal. Se correlacionan 19 variables de tipo psicolingüístico y 3 variables psicomotrices con una variable de madurez lectora. En la segunda investigación se procede a la revisión, adaptación y traducción de los materiales de intervención editados en base al ITPA. Posteriormente, se aplican y evaluan dichos programas siguiendo un diseño test-retest. Test Illinois de aptitudes psicolingüísticas, test de lectura Edil, test de escritura Enives, test de cálculo Enima, test gestáltico visomotor de Bender. Primera investigación: las variables psicolingüísticas son las que mayor correlación obtienen con la madurez lectora, aunque dicha correlación es de tipo medio. En preescolar la variable 'canal visomotor' es la que mejor correlaciona con la madurez lectora. En primero de EGB, son conjuntamente 'procesos de elaboración' y 'expresión verbal' las que mejor correlacionan. En segundo de EGB, la madurez lectora correlaciona significativamente con el 'nivel psicolingüístico global' y la 'memoria secuencial visomotora'. Segunda investigación: se observa una clara evolución de los alumnos a los que se aplicaron los programas, aunque se carece de datos fiables para adjudicar dicha evolución a los programas de intervención. No obstante, el profesorado ha evaluado como muy útil el material confeccionado.