ethanporcaro/eric-fulltext-meta huggingface dataset:
Apprentices and Trainees: March Quarter 2010. Terms and Definitions. Support Document
Author: National Centre for Vocational Education Research
Date: 2010-00-00
Type: Reference Materials - Vocabularies/Classifications
Subjects: Definitions,Trainees,Foreign Countries,Vocational Education,Apprenticeships,Classification,Glossaries,Occupational Clusters

This document covers the data terms used in the &quot;Apprentices and Trainees: March quarter 2010&quot; publication and its associated data tables. The primary purpose of this document is to assist users of the publication to understand the specific data terms used within it. Terms that appear in the publication are listed in alphabetical order with the following information provided for each: (1) Definition: a brief explanation of the term; (2) Classification categories: defined categories that apply to each term are listed where applicable; and (3) Source: a description of the source of this information, including details of any calculations or derivations. Unless stated otherwise, all data are sourced from the National Apprentice and Trainee Collection. References to the applicable field definitions within AVETMISS Release 6.0, which further define the data collected, are provided in the &quot;Source&quot; section. Training packages grouped by industry skills councils is appended. [For the accompanying report, &quot;Apprentices and Trainees: March Quarter 2010&quot;, see ED511675.]
The Likelihood of Completing a VET Qualification: A Model-Based Approach. Technical Paper
Author: Mark, Kevin
Date: 2010-00-00
Type: Reports - Evaluative
Subjects: Markov Processes,Qualifications,Vocational Education,Models,Enrollment Rate,Graduation Rate,Maximum Likelihood Statistics,Intellectual Disciplines,Educational Attainment,Educational Assessment,Educational Indicators,Longitudinal Studies,Definitions,Geographic Distribution,Foreign Countries

This paper estimates vocational education and training (VET) course-completion rates, in order to fill a gap in performance measures for the VET sector. The technique the authors use is to track all VET course enrolments within a three-year window, centred on the year of interest. Then, using an absorbing Markov chain model for a VET course enrolment, they estimate the proportion of VET course enrolments commencing in the year of interest that will eventually be completed. This approach allows them to estimate the completion rate without having to longitudinally track course enrolments over a long period of time. Findings reveal that: (1) The national estimated completion rate of VET course enrolments at certificate I level or above commencing in 2005 is 27.1%. For full-time VET students aged 25 years and under in 2005, this rate is 34.7%; (2) When cut by fields of education, the completion rates in 2005 range from 13.3% (for course enrolments in Mixed field programs) to 48.3% (for course enrolments in Education); and (3) Course enrolments at certificate III level had the highest rate of completion at 33.5% compared with other qualification levels. One of the distinctive characteristics of the VET sector is that many students wish to learn specific skills and have no intention of completing a full qualification. For these students a more sensible measure of success is the proportion of modules passed (the load pass rate). Overall, the load pass rate of 2005 enrolments was 79.1%. Appendices include: (1) Completion rate of new VET students; (2) Flow diagram; (3) Completions formula; and (4) Sample sizes. (Contains 9 tables, 2 figures, and 2 footnotes.)
Professional Development in the Vocational Education and Training Workforce. Occasional Paper
Author: Guthrie, Hugh
Date: 2010-00-00
Type: Reports - Evaluative
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Professional Development,Vocational Education,Teaching Methods,Educational Principles,Performance Factors,Labor Force Development,Educational Strategies,Qualifications,Program Implementation,Federal Regulation,Instructional Design,Educational Quality,Instructional Effectiveness,Audits (Verification),Curriculum Evaluation

This paper is based on one prepared for South Australia's Training and Skills Commission. It comes at a time of strong interest in the quality and professionalism of the vocational education and training (VET) workforce. This interest is underpinned by research into what constitutes quality teaching, as well as initiatives such as the strategic audit of the Certificate IV in Training and Assessment under the auspices of the National Quality Council. The author argues that professional development is just one approach to improving the quality of the VET workforce. A strong professional culture in the workplace and better approaches to recruitment, job design, industrial relations, workplace and performance management also need to play their part. Whatever the approach, professional development needs adequate resourcing if it is to be effective. He does not shy away from two areas surrounded by controversy--the Certificate IV in Training and Assessment and the registration of VET practitioners. On the former, the author's view is that the certificate IV is a sound qualification as long as it is taught well and adequate support is provided. On the latter, he opposes mandatory registration but notes that under the Australian Quality Training Framework it is possible to audit so that providers not only have staff with the necessary qualifications and skills profile but also have an ongoing professional development program in place that helps the organisation run--and improve--its core business of teaching and learning. Perhaps these audit requirements should be particularly rigorous for providers issuing teaching qualifications. (Contains 22 footnotes.)
Linking Ready Kids to Ready Schools through P-20 Councils: A View from Arizona
Author: Education Commission of the States
Date: 2008-07-16
Type: Reports - Descriptive
Subjects: Child Care,Early Childhood Education,Change Strategies,Educational Change,Alignment (Education),School Readiness,Learning Readiness,Focus Groups,State Action,State Standards,Educational Policy,State Programs

This report is an overview and summary of the Arizona Governor's Forum: Linking Ready Kids to Ready Schools. The forum, supported by the W.K. Kellogg Foundation and the Education Commission of the States, was held on May 30, 2008 in Phoenix, Arizona. Six dozen educators, education experts and advocates gathered during the one-day forum to map out ways in which they might bring change to Arizona's education system. Already, the state is leading the way. In late 2006, voters agreed to funnel an estimated $150 million a year from a tobacco tax to a new program known as First Things First, aimed at improving access to quality care for newborns and children through the age of five years old, and at coordinating the efforts of educators, caregivers, families, tribal governments, communities and health care professionals. And a year before the proposition made it on the ballot, Gov. Janet Napolitano created the P-20 Council to improve education from early childhood through the post-secondary years. Forum participants recommended: (1) Aligning early learning standards with K-3 standards; (2) Determining what &quot;ready schools&quot; mean; (3) Collecting data on where younger children are receiving care, including organized child care centers, public or private preschools, home-based care and &quot;kin&quot; care; (4) Developing an agenda for those early years so that all children will be ready for kindergarten; (5) Building a pipeline among educators at different levels so that children learn on a smooth continuum; integrating their care from the earliest years through post-graduate work; (6) Educating the public on the P-20 system so that there is a broader understanding of how early learning fits into the whole. Making sure agencies on all levels send the same message; (7) Creating unique identifiers for children so that they may be tracked beginning in the early years and, possibly, receive individualized learning plans; (8) Improving the &quot;art of communication,&quot; including reading, writing and speaking among all students; and (9) Investigating how best to certify teachers at all levels
Student Participation and Accommodations Handbook: Grades 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 10. Spring 2007. Hawai'i State Reading and Mathematics Assessment
Author: Hawaii Department of Education
Date: 2007-00-00
Type: Guides - Non-Classroom
Subjects: Testing Programs,Student Participation,Disabilities,Mathematics Tests,Reading Tests,Writing Tests,Testing Accommodations,Achievement Tests,Federal Legislation,Individualized Education Programs,Limited English Speaking,English (Second Language),Second Language Instruction,Second Language Learning,Home Schooling,Homeless People,Migrant Children,Migrant Education,Educational Indicators,Federal Programs

The Hawai'i State Assessment is an annual testing program that measures student progress on Hawai'i's reading, writing, and mathematics standards. This handbook provides all Department of Education personnel at the school, complex area, and state levels with information about participation in the Hawai'i State Reading and Mathematics Assessment for twelve student populations and accommodations for four of those student populations. The handbook was prepared specifically for the spring 2007 Hawai'i State Reading and  Mathematics Assessment.
Eight Questions on Teacher Recruitment and Retention: What Does the Research Say? A Summary of the Findings
Author: Education Commission of the States
Date: 2005-00-00
Type: Information Analyses
Subjects: Teaching (Occupation),Teacher Recruitment,Teacher Persistence,Teacher Employment,Teacher Effectiveness,Institutional Characteristics,Educational Policy,Teacher Characteristics,Beginning Teacher Induction,Mentors

This document summarizes the findings of a report by the Education Commission of the States (ECS) designed to help policymakers gain a better understanding of both the nature  of the teacher workforce and of promising recruitment and retention strategies. ECS reviewed 91 studies on teacher recruitment and retention in search of answers to eight questions that are of particular importance to policy and education leaders. The eight questions are: (1) What are the characteristics of those individuals who enter teaching? (2) How do those individuals who remain in teaching compare with those who leave? (3) What are the characteristics of schools and districts most likely to be successful in recruiting and retaining teachers? (4) What impact do the working conditions in schools have on their ability to recruit and retain teachers? (5) What impact does compensation have on the recruitment and retention of teachers?; (6) What impact do various strategies related to teacher preparation have on teacher recruitment and retention? (7) What impact do induction and mentoring have on teacher retention?; and (8) What is the efficacy of particular recruitment strategies and policies in bringing new teachers into the profession, including specifically targeted populations? [For the full report, see ED489332.]
ECS Report to the Nation: State Implementation of the No Child Left Behind Act
Author: Christie, Kathy
Date: 2004-07-00
Type: Reports - Evaluative
Subjects: Federal Legislation,State Government,Educational Improvement,Accountability,Program Implementation,Teacher Effectiveness,Civil Rights,Federal Programs,Educational Indicators,Educational Policy,Visual Aids

Exhaustively researched and analyzed, this report examines the progress states made between March 2003 and March 2004 on 40 requirements of the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB). It also explores the issues and challenges remaining; looks at some of the policy approaches states are using to meet requirements; and offers recommendations and actions for fine-tuning the law. This report is organized around the seven major categories of the law's requirements. Each of the seven sections provides a look at: (1) How States Are Doing (graphics summarizing the progress and extent of implementation efforts); (2) What States Are Doing (examples of policy approaches within and across states and some state highlights); and (3) Issues and Challenges (a review of emerging issues and major difficulties facing states). The report notes five issues meriting immediate attention on the part of federal officials and state policymakers: (1) Embrace NCLB as a Civil Rights Issue; (2) Ensure Performance Growth of All Students, Not Just Low-Performing Students; (3) Reassess Adequate Yearly Progress; (4) Strengthen Highly Qualified Teacher Requirements; and (5) Build State and Local Capacity. Appended to this report are: (1) Recommended Actions; (2) Status of State Implementation of NCLB Requirements; and (3) Methodology.
Training and Assessment (TAA40104) in Community Providers in New South Wales: Participant Intentions and Outcomes. Occasional Paper
Author: Walker, Ruth
Date: 2010-00-00
Type: Reports - Research
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Vocational Education,Trainers,Evaluators,Qualifications,Intention,Adult Students,Student Educational Objectives,Expectation,Outcomes of Education,Social Capital,Student Attitudes,Course Content,Employment,Individual Characteristics,Interviews,Surveys

Five years after implementation, the Certificate IV in Training and Assessment (TAA40104, and hereafter also referred to as the Certificate IV) remains a pivotal qualification in the national vocational education and training (VET) system. Under the Australian Quality Training Framework (AQTF) it is the qualification required by both workplace trainers/assessors and trainers/assessors working in classroom situations in registered training organisations (RTOs). Graduates with this qualification are in a position to have a significant influence on the quality of VET delivery. Consequently, opinions abound regarding the content and delivery of the qualification. There is a small but growing body of research, reports and conference papers that focus on the implementation of the qualification (Alexander 2007; Vocational Education and Training Accreditation Board 2008), its fitness as the benchmark for trainers and assessors in the national VET system (Innovation Business Skills Australia 2006; McRae 2008; Smith 2007; Robertson 2008, 2009) and more recently the experiences of those who have undertaken the qualification (Down, De Luca &amp; Galloway 2009; Clayton 2009). This paper aims to contribute to this body of research by exploring the goals of a sample of Certificate IV candidates and their expectations of the course, and comparing their initial intentions with their actual outcomes. As the author works in the adult and community education (ACE) sector in New South Wales, the sample was drawn from among the 25 NSW ACE providers with the Certificate IV in Training and Assessment on their scope of registration. The research findings will be useful for registered training organisations who are seeking a procedure for examining and comparing intent and outcomes. This paper provides a brief overview of current research and reports on the Certificate IV in Training and Assessment and other literature relating to the measurement of learner intent and outcomes. The paper then discusses the findings that emerged from the data collected for this research. Appendices include: (1) Online survey questions; (2) Phone interview questions; and (3) Profiles of phone interviewees. (Contains 2 tables, 9 figures, and 1 footnote.)
Adjustment Notes for Apprentice and Trainee Estimates. Technical Paper
Author: National Centre for Vocational Education Research
Date: 2010-08-00
Type: Numerical/Quantitative Data
Subjects: Vocational Education,Trainees,Apprenticeships,Contract Training,Data Collection,Statistical Data,Statistical Surveys,Computation,Prediction,Foreign Countries

Apprentice and trainee data are reported by the State and Territory Training Authorities to National Centre for Vocational Education Research (NCVER) on a quarterly basis, starting at the September quarter of 1994. The set of data submitted that quarter is referred to as Collection 1. The sets of data submitted in subsequent quarters are referred to as Collection 2, Collection 3 and so on. NCVER publishes data on the numbers of contracts of training that commence, complete, cancel/withdraw, re-commence, expire or suspend and the time at which these events occur (referred to as the &quot;date of effect&quot;). From these events, the number of contracts in training at a given time can be calculated. Due to time delays in reporting data on the status of contracts to NCVER, the most recent data are estimated. This technical note provides a cumulative record of the adjustment notes relevant for the estimation of apprentice and trainee figures at each collection. This document commences with the adjustment note for Collection 64 (June 2010 estimates used to produce the March quarter 2010 publication). (Contains 15 figures.) [This is a support document for &quot;Australian Vocational Education and Training Statistics: Apprentices and Trainees, March Quarter 2010&quot;]
The MPCP Longitudinal Educational Growth Study: Third Year Report. SCDP Milwaukee Evaluation Report #15
Author: Witte, John F.
Date: 2010-04-00
Type: Numerical/Quantitative Data
Subjects: Private Schools,Private Sector,Graduation Rate,Evaluation,Mathematics Achievement,Educational Attainment,Scores,Educational Vouchers,Low Income Groups,Academic Achievement,Public Schools,Statistical Significance,Reading Achievement,Educational Change,School Choice,Probability,Equations (Mathematics),Attrition (Research Studies)

This is the third-year report in a five-year evaluation of the Milwaukee Parental Choice Program (MPCP). The MPCP, which began in 1990, provides government-funded vouchers for low-income children to attend private schools in the City of Milwaukee. The general purposes of the evaluation are to analyze the effectiveness of the MPCP in terms of longitudinal student achievement growth and educational attainment as measured by high school graduation rates. The former will be primarily accomplished by measuring and estimating student growth in achievement as measured by the Wisconsin Knowledge and Concepts Examinations (WKCE) in math and reading in 2006-07, grades 3 through 8 over a five-year period. The latter will be accomplished by following the 2006-07 8th and 9th grade cohorts over a five-year period or longer. The general research design consists of a comparison between a random sample of MPCP students and a matched sample of Milwaukee Public School (MPS) students. This third year report presents results from the November 2008 WKCE tests as second year student achievement growth in MPCP relative to the matched MPS sample. We provide varying descriptive statistics comparing test score means and distributions for math and reading for 2006-07 (baseline year) and 2008-09 (second outcome year) for each sample. The report also analyzes achievement growth using several multivariate techniques and models. The primary finding in all these comparisons is that, in general, there are few statistically significant differences between levels of MPCP and MPS student achievement growth in either math or reading two years after they were carefully matched to each other. In one of the ways of estimating these results, focusing only on those students who have remained in the public or private sector for all three years, private, voucher students are slightly behind MPS students in mathematics achievement growth. The report offers several cautions in interpreting this result against the overwhelming set of results that indicate no difference in achievement growth. Appended are additional tables and study attrition. (Contains 9 tables, 2 figures, and 7 footnotes.) [Additional funding for this project was provided by the Robertson Foundation.]
What Works Clearinghouse Quick Review of the Report &quot;Reading and Language Outcomes of a Five-Year Randomized Evaluation of Transitional Bilingual Education&quot;
Author: What Works Clearinghouse (ED)
Date: 2010-09-00
Type: Reports - Evaluative
Subjects: Educational Research,Bilingual Education,Immersion Programs,Reading Achievement,Spanish Speaking,English (Second Language),Comparative Analysis,Longitudinal Studies,Scores,Elementary School Students

The study examined how the English reading performance of predominantly Spanish-speaking students in transitional bilingual education compared with the performance of predominantly Spanish-speaking students in structured English immersion. The study analyzed data on three cohorts of students in six schools in Los Angeles; Denver; Albuquerque; St. Paul, MN; Rockford, IL; and Alamo, TX, from 2004 to 2009. Students were randomly assigned to receive either transitional bilingual education or structured English immersion upon entering kindergarten and were followed for three, four, or five years. Proficiency in English reading was measured using standardized tests administered at the end of each year. The study compared test scores of students in the transitional bilingual education group with those of students in the structured English immersion group. Scores on four English tests were examined. At the end of kindergarten and first grade, students in structured English immersion had significantly better English-reading skills than students in transitional bilingual education. The WWC interprets these effects as corresponding roughly to the skill difference between the 50th and 66th percentiles of English reading achievement. By the end of second and third grades, when many students in transitional bilingual education had switched to instruction in English, the differences in skills were statistically insignificant for six of the eight outcomes. When the students reached fourth grade, they only received English instruction. At this time, differences in English-reading skills between the groups were all statistically insignificant. Two of the four outcomes, though, showed large enough differences favoring structured English immersion that the WWC considered them noteworthy: the effect sizes were roughly equivalent to the skill difference between the 50th and 61st percentiles of English reading achievement. The research described in this report meets WWC evidence standards and is a well-implemented randomized controlled trial. (Contains 3 footnotes.) [The following study is the focus of this &quot;Quick Review&quot;: Slavin, R. E., Madden, N., Calderon, M., Chamberlain, A., &amp; Hennessy, M. (2010). &quot;Reading and language outcomes of a five-year randomized evaluation of transitional bilingual education.&quot; Baltimore, MD: Johns Hopkins University.]