ethanporcaro/eric-fulltext-meta huggingface dataset:
Findings from the 2016-2017 North Carolina K-3 Formative Assessment Process Implementation Case Study. CEME Technical Report. CEMETR-2017-04
Author: Ferrara, Angela M.
Date: 2017-09-00
Type: Reports - Evaluative
Subjects: Testing Programs,Program Implementation,Primary Education,Formative Evaluation,School Readiness,Kindergarten,Student Evaluation,Alignment (Education),Faculty Development

The 2016-2017 academic year marks the second year of statewide implementation of the North Carolina K-3 Formative Assessment Process: Kindergarten Entry Assessment (FAPKEA). The assessment, developed and implemented by the Office of Early Learning (OEL) at the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction, is a comprehensive formative assessment process intended to assist teachers in both identifying and supporting the unique learning needs of their young students across all five domains of early childhood development. To support implementation fidelity and sustainability, OEL adopted a multi-tiered implementation team structure from the state level through the building level, an approach backed by implementation science research from the National Implementation Research Network (NIRN). These teams worked independently and collaboratively to identify both facilitators and barriers of implementation, and they developed action plans or resources to support efforts at every level. Since the assessment's inception in 2014, OEL has put significant energy into developing the teams for this implementation approach; however, little is known about practitioner's perceptions of the effectiveness of their teams in supporting implementation efforts. To better understand practitioner perceptions of this teaming structure and identify any resources that may still be needed to support both team functions and overall implementation, a partnership of researchers from the UNC Charlotte Center for Educational Measurement and Evaluation (CEME) and Child Trends, a non-profit organization focused on improving the lives and prospects of youth through social, economic, health, and education research, conducted case studies in four North Carolina school districts. These case studies included observations of implementation team meetings and in-depth interviews with team members at every level, from the state through the building. This report summarizes their findings.
Practitioner Perspectives on the Implementation of the North Carolina Kindergarten Entry Assessment. CEME Technical Report. CEMETR-2020-11
Author: Holcomb, T. Scott
Date: 2020-11-00
Type: Reports - Research
Subjects: Testing Programs,Program Implementation,Primary Education,Formative Evaluation,School Readiness,Kindergarten,Student Evaluation,Teacher Attitudes,Teaching Experience,Teacher Surveys,Data Use,Barriers,Affordances

This study gathered information from practitioners on their perspectives of experiences implementing the North Carolina Kindergarten Entry Assessment (NC KEA). Initially, practitioners were invited to complete an online survey asking them to rate or provide information about several aspects related to implementing the assessment process. In total, 385 practitioners completed the online survey. The survey was made up of open-ended questions and four-point Likert items (strongly disagree to strongly agree). At the end of the survey respondents could notify the research team of their interest in participating in a follow-up telephone interview. Out of 63 practitioners indicating interest in completing interviews, a final group of 15 interviews were conducted to provide a more in depth understanding of NC KEA experiences. The telephone interviews were conducted during late June to early July 2020. Teachers mentioned the importance of, and context for, using data from the NC KEA in Professional Learning Communities (PLC), with lead teachers, and on grade level teams. Several kindergarten teachers interviewed in the study indicated experiences with time constraints and difficulty managing several assessments simultaneously at the start of the school year. While some interview participants mentioned their appreciation for the NC KEA's whole-child approach to assessment, many teachers expressed concerns over the lack of alignment with other assessments or the redundancy of some kindergarten assessments. It is important to note that many of the responses from interview participants signaled misunderstandings or misuses of the NC KEA as a formative assessment process.
Opinions of Primary School Principals on Pre-School Education: An Example of the Zonguldak Province
Author: Ariman, Gülden
Date: 2022-00-00
Type: Speeches/Meeting Papers
Subjects: Administrator Attitudes,Elementary Schools,Administrators,Preschool Education,Foreign Countries,Emotional Development,Social Emotional Learning,Motor Reactions,Language Acquisition,Cognitive Development,Cooperation,Child Development,Educational Environment,Role Models,Budgeting

This study aims to investigate the views of primary school principals regarding pre-school education. The study was carried out with ten primary school principals in the city of Zonguldak during the 2021-2022 academic year. The case study method, one of the qualitative research types, was used in the research. Based on the purpose of the research, the semi-structured interview technique was used to collect the data. A personal information form and an interview form prepared by the researchers were used to collect data in the study. In the research, it used the content analysis technique for the data obtained as a result of the semi-structured interviews. When the findings are examined, it shows that the primary school principals involved had positive perceptions regarding pre-school education. The primary school principals stated that pre-school education supports a child's psychomotor, linguistic, and cognitive development, and facilitates the preparation of children for primary school and their adaptation to school. Having a qualified pre-school educational institution in suitable conditions for children with interior and exterior space, it was stated that physical conditions and equipment should be planned in such a way that children can move freely. Some say that pre-school teachers should love their profession, be tolerant, give importance to their professional development, establish good relations with children and be role models to make pre-school education qualified. It was stated that the school principals had budget problems in pre-school education. They said that they sought support from the school-parent union and collected dues to solve these problems. Preparing physically suitable environments to carry out pre-school education more effectively, they expressed their suggestions to have auxiliary personnel, not to provide uninterrupted training, and to allocate the budget. [This paper was published in: &quot;EJERCongress 2022 Conference Proceedings,&quot; Ani Publishing, 2022, pp. 152-165.]
Bullying Behaviors and School Climate through the Perspective of Primary-School Students
Author: Özbek, Özlem Yesim
Date: 2022-00-00
Type: Speeches/Meeting Papers
Subjects: Educational Environment,Bullying,Elementary School Students,Foreign Countries,Student Attitudes,Intervention

Bullying, which is a global public health problem, has serious effects on children and adolescents. If peer-bullying behaviors among primary-school children with various effects ranging from low academic achievement, anxiety and depression to suicide and substance abuse are not detected and intervened in a timely manner, they have the risk of continuing to increase in frequency. School climate is one of the most important factors in the emergence and elimination of bullying behaviors. Therefore, it is important to examine the frequency and types of bullying behaviors among primary-school children and the views of children about school climate, to reveal the in-school factors affecting peer-bullying and to create effective intervention programs. In this study, it was aimed to determine the frequency and type of bullying behaviors experienced at primary-school level in Çankiri Province and to examine students' opinions about school climate. The sample of the research consists of 590 primary-school students selected through cluster sampling from Çankiri Province. The data of the study were collected using the Colorado School Climate Survey. Descriptive analyzes were done on the data with the help of SPSS program. The research showed that physical and relational bullying is the most common type of bullying among primary-school students, and in case of bullying, the victims most often get help from their family or an adult at school. [This paper was published in: &quot;EJERCongress 2022 Conference Proceedings,&quot; Ani Publishing, 2022, pp. 264-279.]
Using Markov Models and Random Walks to Examine Strategy Use of More or Less Successful Comprehenders
Author: Christhilf, Katerina
Date: 2022-00-00
Type: Speeches/Meeting Papers
Subjects: Markov Processes,Reading Strategies,Reading Comprehension,Models,High School Students,College Students,Science Materials,Responses,Scores,Classification,Profiles,Learning Analytics

Prompting students to generate constructed responses as they read provides a window into the processes and strategies that they use to make sense of complex text. In this study, Markov models examined the extent to which: (1) patterns of strategies; and (2) strategy combinations could be used to inform computational models of students' text comprehension. Random Walk models further revealed how consistency in strategy use over time was related to comprehension performance. High school (n = 257) and college students (n = 153) produced constructed responses at predetermined points while reading a scientific text. Each constructed response was scored for the presence of three common comprehension strategies (i.e., paraphrasing, bridging, elaborating), such that each constructed response could then be categorized as one of eight combination types. Markov chains revealed that more and less successful comprehenders leveraged different comprehension strategies, such that skilled comprehenders were more likely to use combinations of strategies while reading the text, particularly paraphrasing and making connections between ideas within the text (i.e., bridging). Random Walk analysis further demonstrated that successful comprehenders employed strategies more consistently. The results demonstrate the utility of Markov and Random Walk models in profiling learners' strategy use based on their constructed responses. [For the full proceedings, see ED623995.]
The Development of a Systemic Approach to Evaluating Early Childhood Educators Using the North Carolina Teacher Evaluation Process. CEME Technical Report. CEMETR-2021-12
Author: Bottoms, Bryndle L.
Date: 2021-12-00
Type: Reports - Descriptive
Subjects: Early Childhood Teachers,Teacher Evaluation,Teacher Certification,Early Childhood Education,Educational Quality,Improvement,Performance

The North Carolina Teacher Evaluation Process (NC TEP) serves over 100,000 teachers per year throughout the state (U.S. Department of Education, 2021). This process includes formative observations, summative assessments, and formal mentoring to ensure high quality educators. In an attempt to ensure a high-quality evaluation process, hubs at both the University of North Carolina at Charlotte and East Carolina University were developed in 2007 to serve early childhood educators that have a Birth to Kindergarten (B-K) license (de Kort-Young et al., 2016). Both universities house an Early Educator Support Office to provide mentorship and support. The purpose of this report is to provide a description of how the Early Educator Support Office has systematically planned and orchestrated evaluation training to provide valid and reliable teacher evaluations for B-K licensure educators. The report provides an explanation of the educator evaluation process in the state of North Carolina as well as background literature to comprehensively describe the need for a high-quality evaluation process. The report also provides a brief description of the NCTEP rubric and the phased Quality Improvement model. Finally, an overview of the next steps for the Early Educator Support Office research at the end of this report. Finally, an overview of the next steps for the Early Educator Support Office research which include gathering data for the next groups of evaluators and conducting a Many Facets Rasch Model with all evaluators that took part in the interrater reliability certification process with the aim to determine specific supports for evaluators and educators.
Reactions to Thinking: Turkish Pre-Service Teachers&apos; Experiences
Author: Ozturk, Nesrin
Date: 2022-00-00
Type: Speeches/Meeting Papers
Subjects: Thinking Skills,Preservice Teachers,Foreign Countries,Phenomenology,Sociocultural Patterns,College Students,Student Attitudes

Thinking skills are instruments for meaningful learning and academic achievement and in relation, they are indispensable components of 21st century competencies. However, current Turkish policies do not define what thinking is and some inconsistencies regarding forms of thinking exist in different documents. Also, while teachers might not feel competent with teaching thinking skills, teacher education programs do not offer much to practice thinking skills. The analysis of coursebooks and curriculum also presents limited opportunities for thinking as well as Turkish sociocultural practices may reflect thinking as a negative or problematic concept. Regarding these problems, this study aims to explore pre-service teachers' experiences when they say, &quot;I am thinking&quot; via a phenomenological methodology. Participants (N=42) were recruited via convenience sampling methodology. Data were collected via focus group interviews (N=7) that included 5 to 7 participants. In each interview, participants described (1) thinking, (2) talked about the reactions to their thinking, and (3) named the proverbs that pertain to thinking. Data were analyzed via phenomenological reduction and horizons and structural themes were developed after bracketing was employed. Findings revealed that definitions of thinking highlight individualistic and universal characteristics, and functions of thinking pertain to skills. 80% of reactions to thinking were negative.Also, half of the proverbs highlighted negative connotations. This study suggest that thinking might not be initiated and shared safely as educational practices and cultural reminisces might not promote such intellectual actions. In this sense, curriculum and materials need revisions regarding sociocultural characteristics of Turkish society and pedagogies of thinking. [This paper was published in: &quot;EJERCongress 2022 Conference Proceedings,&quot; Ani Publishing, 2022, pp. 252-263.]
Towards Real Interpretability of Student Success Prediction Combining Methods of XAI and Social Science
Author: Cohausz, Lea
Date: 2022-00-00
Type: Speeches/Meeting Papers
Subjects: Success,Prediction,Social Sciences,Artificial Intelligence,Data

Despite calls to increase the focus on explainability and interpretability in EDM and, in particular, student success prediction, so that it becomes useful for personalized intervention systems, only few efforts have been undertaken in that direction so far. In this paper, we argue that this is mainly due to the limitations of current Explainable Artificial Intelligence (XAI) approaches regarding interpretability. We further argue that the issue, thus, calls for a a combination of AI and social science methods utilizing the strengths of both. For this, we introduce a step-wise model of interpretability where the first step constitutes of knowing important features, the second step of understanding counterfactuals regarding a particular person's prediction, and the third step of uncovering causal relations relevant for a set of similar students. We show that LIME, a current XAI method, reaches the first but not subsequent steps. To reach step two, we propose an extension to LIME, Minimal Counterfactual-LIME, finding the smallest number of changes necessary to change a prediction. Reaching step three, however, is more involved and additionally requires theoretical and causal reasoning - to this end, we construct an easily applicable framework. Using artificial data, we showcase that our methods can recover connections among features; additionally, we demonstrate its applicability on real-life data. Limitations of our methods are discussed and collaborations with social scientists encouraged. [For the full proceedings, see ED623995.]
Differences in Teacher Background and School Structure by Racial/Ethnic Congruence between Teachers and Students. CEME Technical Report. CEMETR-2020-07
Author: Lambert, Richard G.
Date: 2020-07-00
Type: Reports - Research
Subjects: Teacher Background,Racial Differences,African American Teachers,Minority Group Teachers,White Teachers,Student Characteristics,Elementary School Teachers,Secondary School Teachers,Hispanic Americans,Minority Group Students,Teacher Characteristics,Teacher Qualifications,Institutional Characteristics,Racial Composition

Differences in personal characteristics, professional qualifications, and contextual factors for congruent and incongruent Black, Hispanic, and White teachers were investigated using data from the National Teacher and Principal Survey (n[subscript teachers]=25,420; n[subscript schools]=5,500). Racial/ethnic congruence was defined as the match between the predominant race/ethnicity of students within a school and the teacher's own race/ethnicity. White incongruent elementary and secondary teachers were less qualified than their congruent counterparts. There were few differences in teacher qualifications between congruent and incongruent Black and Hispanic teachers. This study demonstrates that predominantly White schools employ more qualified teachers given the substantial differences between White congruent and incongruent teachers and thereby illustrates yet another aspect of systemic inequities in U.S. schools.
Examining the Psychometric Properties of the North Carolina Kindergarten Entry Assessment. CEME Technical Report. CEMETR-2018-01
Author: Lambert, Richard G.
Date: 2018-03-00
Type: Reports - Research
Subjects: Psychometrics,School Readiness,Kindergarten,Formative Evaluation,Learning Processes,Learning Trajectories,Teaching Methods,Feedback (Response),Preschool Teachers,Rating Scales,Reliability,Validity,Performance Based Assessment,Probability,Difficulty Level,Student Evaluation

This report contains reliability and validity evidence for the North Carolina Kindergarten Entry Assessment system (KEA) using a statewide sample of kindergarten children. The KEA was designed as a formative, developmental, authentic, and criterion referenced classroom resource for teachers. As a formative assessment, the KEA focuses on the learning process and is used to support learning while learning is taking place. It is a tool to support teachers and students, and helps provides valuable feedback to inform and adjust both teaching and learning. This study focused on the following research questions in an effort to begin to understand the rating scale category effectiveness of the KEA progressions as used by North Carolina kindergarten teachers: (1) What are the characteristics of the distributions of placements on each of the progressions? (2) Do the mean total scores of the children placed in each category increase monotonically along the rating scale for each of the progressions? (3) Do the thresholds between rating scale categories increase monotonically along the rating scale for each of the progressions? and (4) Do the category probability plots indicate distinct probability distributions for each rating scale point for each of the progressions? The results of the analyses related to dimensionality and reliability are all very strong and reflect very positively on the use of a total score for psychometric research purposes such as those outlined in this report. The results related to item or progression difficulty estimates were generally positive, though they suggest a need for a greater range of progression difficulties. The results of the examination of rating scale category effectiveness were mixed.
Findings from the 2015 Statewide Implementation of the North Carolina K-3 Formative Assessment Process: Kindergarten Entry Assessment. CEME Technical Report. CEMETR-2016-01
Author: Ferrara, Angela M.
Date: 2016-06-00
Type: Reports - Research
Subjects: Testing Programs,Program Implementation,Primary Education,Formative Evaluation,School Readiness,Kindergarten,Student Evaluation,Faculty Development,Data Use

The North Carolina K-3 Formative Assessment Process: Kindergarten Entry Assessment (NC K-3 FAP: KEA) is the initial step in the development of a comprehensive formative assessment process for young children from kindergarten entry through the end of third grade. The purpose of this qualitative study was to gather teacher and administrator feedback that could inform potential changes to the following aspects of KEA implementation: (1) professional development for the assessment process; (2) the content of the current KEA construct progressions; (3) teachers' perceptions of the overall utility of the overall KEA process; and (4) the usability and features of the NC K-3 FAP electronic platform. Researchers conducted case studies at six elementary schools selected for their demographic representativeness of the larger North Carolina kindergarten population. The case studies included classroom observations, as well as semi-structured interviews with teachers, administrators, and instructional coaches involved with implementation in each school. At the end of the 60-day KEA period, researchers conducted an electronic survey which was open to all North Carolina kindergarten teachers. Findings indicate that practitioner informed changes are occurring as part of the continual development of the NC K-3 FAP: KEA. Whether that knowledge affects overall teacher perceptions and buy-in for the assessment process is a question for future research
Using a Randomized Experiment to Compare the Performance of Two Adaptive Assessment Engines
Author: Matayoshi, Jeffrey
Date: 2022-00-00
Type: Speeches/Meeting Papers
Subjects: Knowledge Level,Mathematical Models,Learning Experience,Comparative Analysis,Learning Management Systems,Classification,Artificial Intelligence,Student Evaluation,Computer Assisted Testing,Middle School Students,Chemistry,Science Projects,Undergraduate Students,Algebra,Science Achievement,Mathematics Achievement,Recall (Psychology),Accuracy

Knowledge space theory (KST) is a mathematical framework for modeling and assessing student knowledge. While KST has successfully served as the foundation of several learning systems, recent advancements in machine learning provide an opportunity to improve on purely KST-based approaches to assessing student knowledge. As such, in this work we compare the performance of an existing KST-based adaptive assessment to that of a newly developed version--with this new version combining the predictive power of a neural network model with the strengths of existing KST-based approaches. Using a cluster randomized experiment containing data from approximately 140,000 assessments, we show that the new neural network assessment engine improves on the performance of the existing KST version, both on standard classification metrics, as well as on measures more specific to the student learning experience. [For the full proceedings, see ED623995.]