# Foundations and Assessment of Education/Edition 1/Foundations Table of Contents/Chapter 6/In the News/Peer Review One

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This article has been reviewed by: Adart001 (talk) 22:43, 7 June 2009 (UTC)
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PEER REVIEW TEMPLATE
Use this template for your peer reviews.
DIRECTIONS:
You are required to complete TWO (2) peer reviews.
Please take your time and provide effective, helpful feedback. Plan to spend 1.5 to 2 hours per review!
Each peer review is worth 50 points and will be "graded" by the article's author. (Click on Discussion to see the rubric the author will use to grade your peer review.)
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Starting the DAY AFTER the peer reviews are due, you may complete ADDITIONAL peer reviews for EXTRA CREDIT (25 points each). You MAY NOT complete any Extra Credit Reviews until that time.
Part 1 - Article Components
Learning Target(s)
Answer the following questions regarding the learning targets:
Is/are the stated learning targets actual learning targets i.e. they state what the reader should know or be able to do after reading the article? Yes
Is/are the learning target(s) specific? No
Is/are they appropriate and reasonable? (Are they too easy or too difficult for ECI 301 students?) Yes
Is/are they observable? (You wouldn't have to look inside the readers head to know if they met this target.) Yes
Does the article provide adequate information for readers to achieve these targets? Yes
Please make a comment about the learning target(s). If you answered "No" to any of the questions above, please explain how the author can improve them.
Comment: Some of the learning targets could be a little more specific to the article, such as:
'Readers will identify current federal issues about educational reform in the United States, including the stimulus package, No Child Left Behind (NCLB), and the potential development of a federal curriculum.
Readers will gain an understanding of Virginia Schools, how there are ranked and existing Standards of Learning arguments.
Readers will be introduced to the economic status of education, including budget cuts and teacher layoffs.
Grammar and Mechanics Review
Please either paste the entire body of the article here or any sections that you feel need to be revised.
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go back to the module page for the article
select "edit this page"
highlight all the text, hit control "c" (or "copy" from the edit menu)
navigate back to your peer review page
click edit this page and paste the text into this window (use control "v" or paste from the edit menu)
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Type your comments in ALL CAPITALS or in another color so the author can easily find them.
INTRODUCTION:
Unfortunately, while total reform may be necessary, this is a multifaceted issue entrenched in debates at the federal, state, and local municipal levels. The argument has been over vouchers, magnet schools, charter schools, home-schooling, and presently there seems to be no agreeable solution. So much time is spent debating that we ignore brilliant research right in front of us; shining bright lights on successful instructional methods. We ignore our teachers and their needs, as money gets irresponsibility shuffled to administrators and then totally lost to local school districts. This is not a problem that we can simply throw dollars at without oversight. Real solutions are needed that prepare students to be competitive in the global marketplaces of the 21st century and need a system that ensures an equal and quality education for all. What are these solutions? Should we look more closely at creating a federal curriculum? Should we operate schools more like traditional businesses with a healthy free market competition? Can we eliminate schools that do not maintain standards and provide extra funding for those who do? Can we provide teachers with a structured accountability system that purges jobs for those who do not make the cut, but increases salary for those who excel? Although these are valuable questions, no one seems able to move past typical bureaucratic red tape. Nevertheless, it is up to us to decide whether information in today's news will force us to engage change and become activists for reform.
FEDERAL CURRICULUM?:
There is much controversy surrounding the establishment of a federal curriculum, compared to other countries models of successful education. States argue that NCLB is already the largest federal encroachment, where education has always been primarily the state's jurisdiction. The federal government argues that our children cannot afford to have such disparities in instruction between state's guidelines. Nonetheless, Arne Duncan is still pushing for national standards in math and language arts instruction. How is this different from our current NCLB standards? If a national uniformity is passed, then students from every state would be tested the same way in chosen subject disciplines. According to the Washington Post (2009), "Forty-six states and the District of Columbia have already announced an effort to craft a single vision for what children should learn each year from Kindergarten through high school."
IT'S ALL ABOUT TEACHERS:
Regardless of these issues, the job must still go on. While legislative debates may continue forever, teachers still need to be able to work harder and smarter for their students. They need to leave the controversy out of the classroom and remain focused on the one thing that is most important, the students! There is a plethora of free online resources to help teachers with planning and activities.
FINAL THOUGHTS...:
At the end of the day, we can all do our very best to aide or participate in the educational reform process. However, all that really matters is that our future generation is safe, happy, and learning the skills necessary to survive successfully in this ever-changing world. Policies will be debated, students will grow up and move on, changes will occur. All that is left is whether we have done the best we can for our students and our communities.
Sources
For each source listed in the "References" section of the article, name the type of source (scholarly or popular) and the perspective it provides (research, expert opinion from educator, popular news source, parent organization, personal contact, etc.)
1. Popular, popular news source
2. Scholarly, expert opinion from educator
3. Popular, popular news source
4. Popular, popular news source
5. Scholarly, research
6. Scholarly, research
7. Scholarly, research
8. Scholarly, research; organization
9. Popular, popular news source
List the range of publication years for all sources, e.g. 1998-2006: 2008 - 2009
Answer the following questions about the sources used in the article:
Did the author CITE at least 5 sources? Yes and use at least 2 scholarly sources? Yes
Are the citations in APA format? Yes
Here are two examples of citations in APA format, one for a paraphrase and one for a quotation:
Constructing a title is both a science and an art, but on one fact all of the experts agree: the title must contain a colon (Lennon, McCartney, Harrison, & Starr, 2007).
Unfortunately impoverished children are often attending “low-performing schools staffed by ill-equipped teachers” (Murnane, 2007, p. 34).
Are all the sources listed in APA format in a Reference list labeled "References"? Yes
Here is an example of a reference written in APA format:
Bailey, J., & Barnum, P. (2001). The colon and its rise to prominence in the American circus. Journal of American Punctuation, 34(5), 2-3.
Taken together do the 5 sources represent a good balance of potential references for this topic? Yes
Does the author consider potential bias in the sources? No
Are most of the sources current (less than 5 years old)? Yes
Please make a comment about the sources. If you answered "No" to any of the questions above, please explain how the author can improve.
Comment: The article could shows some more sources against federal curriculum. The majority of sources appear to be in favor of federal curriculum.
Multiple Choice Questions
What does each question assess: knowledge or reasoning (application of knowledge)?
Question 1 Knowledge
Question 2 Knowledge
Question 3 Knowledge
Question 4 Reasoning?
Answer the following questions about the multiple-choice questions.
Are there 4 multiple-choice questions? Yes
Do they each have four answer choices (A-D)? Yes
Is there a single correct (not opinion-based) answer for each question? No
Do the questions assess the learning target? Yes
Are the questions appropriate and reasonable (not too easy and not too difficult)? No
Are the foils (the response options that are NOT the answer) reasonable i.e. they are not very obviously incorrect answers? Yes
Are the response options listed in alphabetical order? Yes
Are correct answers provided and listed BELOW all the questions? Yes
Please make a comment about the multiple-choice questions. If you answered "No" to any of the questions above, please explain how the author can improve the question/s.
Comment: The questions are very easy to answer if the article has been read once. There is also uncertanity if the 4th question is a knowledge or reasoning question. On the other hand, all of the options for each question are the same length, making it very unlikely for a person to pick an answer based on length.
Part 2 - Ratings
LIST and EXPLAIN your rating for each of the four criteria.
Importance:
I rated this article 4 for importance because it shows the recent developments of federal curriculum. Education in America has always been headed by the state, however teaching could change forever if it is headed by the national govermnet. It is also important to know the economic status of education, as many teachers' jobs may be in jeopardy.
Interest:
I rated this article 4 on interest because it gave facts on how much money will be spent on education. It also showed the impact NCLB has on issues still present from 10 to 20 years ago. The article also encompassed all levels of education, including education from local newspapers.
Credibility:
I rated this article 4 for credibility because the article included sources and references from local, state, and national newspapers. There was also information from both state and national Departments of Education.
Writing skill:
I rated this article 2 on writing because the article itself was very well written, but some sections were also very short. Questions at the end of the article were also very easy to answer for the intended readers of the article.
HIGHLIGHT SPECIFIC POINTS IN THE RUBRIC that apply to the article.
To do this: Highlight sections with the cursor and use the BOLD icon above OR type ''' (3 apostrophes) before and after the text you want to make bold
Wiki Article Rubric
criteria
5
4
3
2
1
How important was the information presented on this topic to you as a teacher education student?
Covers key ideas crucial for future teachers to know
Based on researched information.
Highly relevant to current educational practice (*this description may be less applicable for some topics such as history of education)
Provides an excellent overview of the topic including relevant research, educational practice, laws and litigation. Includes in-depth discussion of at least a few selected key issues.
Includes ideas relevant to future teachersMostly based on researched information.Applicable to today’s schoolsProvides a good general overview with relevant information and discussion of a few key ideas
A couple useful points; some irrelevant information
About half of the information is the author’s opinion.
Some out-dated information; may not reflect current practice
Good information is included but the paper yields a partial /incomplete understanding of the topic or key issues
One useful point
A few facts but mostly the author’s opinion.
Most of the information is irrelevant in today’s schools.
Focused on unimportant subtopics OR overly general with few specifics. Important information is missing.
Information is not relevant to future teachers.
Information is entirely the author’s opinion.
The information is obsolete.
Only irrelevant details or common knowledge. Lacks any substantive information.
criteria
5
4
3
2
1
How interesting was the article to read?
Sidebar includes new information that was motivating to read/view
Visuals (headings, colors, fonts, pictures, etc.) enhance the article by making it easier or more inviting to read
Multiple perspectives are considered and discussed
Mostly new information/ideas
Insightful interpretation & analysis are evident throughout the article; a clearly stated conclusion synthesizes all of the material presented.
Points are clearly made and elaborated on with compelling examples.
Sidebar includes new information that enhances understanding of the topic
Visuals add to the article
At least two perspectives were presented
About half of the information/ideas are new
Interpretation and analysis is provided for 3-4 points in the article; a reasonable conclusion based on this information is stated
Some good points are made and explained.
Sidebar includes new information related to the topic.
Visuals are included but have minimal effect
One interesting or new perspective is presented
A couple (2-3) new ideas or pieces of information
Interpretation/ analysis is included for a few (1-2) individual sections, but there is not a conclusion that synthesizes the information presented.
Points are made but may not always be adequately supported or explained.
Sidebar repeats what is already in the article
Visuals are somewhat distracting or not included
Only the “typical” view or one biased perspective is presented.
One new idea or bit of information
Information presented with minimal analysis or interpretation; no conclusion or the conclusion is not based on the information presented
At least one clear point is made and supported.
No side bar included.
Visuals are offensive and completely detract from the content
No perspective is acknowledged.
Nothing new.
No analysis or interpretation included
No clear points are made or points appear pasted from other sources without any explanation.
criteria
5
4
3
2
1
How credible do you think the information is?
Required sources are properly cited and included in a reference list in APA format.
Information from diverse sources representing multiple perspectives is included. Several reputable and current sources are cited. The author acknowledges potential bias in sources where appropriate.
Author clearly identifies his own ideas, biases and opinions
Required sources are included; a couple of formatting errors
Information from a variety of sources is included. Most sources are reasonably reputable; bias is acknowledged in others.
It is clear when the author is presenting his own opinion; he doesn’t try to pass if off as fact.
Required sources are included; APA format is not used or has many errors.
A variety of sources is listed but the information primarily reflects a single viewpoint. Sources are reasonable.
The author occasionally (1-2 times) states his own opinion as fact.
Only 4 sources are cited/listed in the references or only 1 scholarly source was used
Sources lack diversity OR information from divergent sources is only superficially mentioned. Some sources are untrustworthy or biased and not acknowledged as such.
Author routinely (3-4 times) states her opinion as fact, ignores own biases.
Missing two or more sources OR sources used but not cited or listed.
All sources and information reflect a single viewpoint. Most sources are untrustworthy or biased and not acknowledged as such.
The entire article is biased and opinion-based without acknowledgment of this perspective.
criteria
5
4
3
2
1
How well do you think this article was written?
Multiple-choice questions (2 application & 2 knowledge) align with the learning targets, assess key points, and are written according to guidelines (see R4)
Specific, appropriate and observable learning targets are stated; the content is clearly organized to help the reader achieve these goals
Captures and maintains attention throughout
All or almost all of the cited information is introduced, elaborated on and explained
Writing is organized, easy to read, and contains few to no mechanical errors.
Multiple-choice questions (2 application & 2 knowledge) align with the learning targets, and assess key points.
Specific and reasonable learning targets are stated; the content aligns with these goals
Captures attention initially and periodically throughout
Most of the cited information is discussed or explained.
The article flowed pretty well and there were just a few mechanical errors.
Multiple-choice questions (2 application & 2 knowledge) assess key points
Reasonable learning targets are stated; the content relates to these goals
Parts of the article capture attention
About half of the cited information is discussed
A few areas were hard to follow, confusing or oddly organized. There were a few distracting errors.
4 multiple-choice questions are included.
Learning targets generally related to the content are stated
At least one part of the article is interesting
Information is “pasted” together with minimal explanation.
Organization was difficult to follow, sentences were awkward and/or there were several distracting errors.
Questions are missing or not multiple-choice.
Learning target is missing or unrelated to content or is/are not actual learning targets
Nothing in the article grabs the reader’s attention
Article is entirely “pasted” together from other sources.
Poor organization, sentence structure and/or grammatical errors made it very difficult to understand the content.
Part 3 - "2+2"
List TWO compliments and TWO suggestions about the article content
Hints:
Focus on the work, not the person
Describe "There is...", "I see.." rather than judge "You didn't..."
Compliments
. The article is very detailed and specific with its information.
. I see the article address how NCLB is affect schools at a local, state and national level.
Suggestions
. I would try to lengthen the article itself, as it seems a little short.
. Two of the questions could be rewritten as application questions instead of knowledge questions.
You can make compliments and suggestions that relate to specific areas of the paper or to the paper in general. I suggest a mixture of both. Focus on what's most important. Of course, you can also include more than two suggestions and more than two compliments. The goal is to help the author improve his/her article. :