ethanporcaro/eric-fulltext-meta huggingface dataset:
Framework for High-Quality English Language Proficiency Standards and Assessments: Brief
Author: Assessment and Accountability Comprehensive Center
Date: 2009-00-00
Type: Reports - Descriptive
Subjects: State Departments of Education,Technical Assistance,English (Second Language),Language Proficiency,English,Academic Standards,Educational Quality,Second Language Learning,State Standards,Guides,Evaluation Methods

This brief is an introduction to a "Framework for High-Quality English Language Proficiency Standards and Assessments" (Framework). It presents the intended purpose, uses, and organization of the Framework, as well as key background information and assumptions. The Framework was conceived as a critical tool in states' efforts to ensure that their English learner (EL) students achieve English language proficiency (ELP) and, also, achieve at high levels academically. It provides criteria for high-quality ELP standards and aligned assessments that can be used to either 1) engage in an evaluation of a state's existing ELP standards and assessments, and their implementation, or 2) oversee the development and implementation of new ELP standards and assessments. The Framework is intended to be a resource to state departments of education, state policymakers, test developers, technical assistance providers, and the research community. (Contains 20 endnotes.) [This report was prepared for the U.S. Department of Education. For the full report, "Framework for High-Quality English Language Proficiency Standards and Assessments", see ED524106.]
Benchmark Assessment for Improved Learning. An AACC Policy Brief
Author: Herman, Joan L.
Date: 2010-00-00
Type: Reports - Descriptive
Subjects: Federal Legislation,Formative Evaluation,Benchmarking,Educational Assessment,Student Evaluation,Evaluation Methods,Validity,Reliability,Alignment (Education),Guidelines,Test Bias,Educational Policy,Psychometrics,Access to Education,Academic Accommodations (Disabilities),Test Selection

The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB, 2002) has produced an explosion of interest in the use of assessment to measure and improve student learning. Initially focused on annual state tests, educators quickly learned that results came too little and too late to identify students who were falling behind. At the same time, evidence from the other end of the assessment spectrum was clear: teachers' ongoing use of assessment to guide and inform instruction--classroom formative assessment--can lead to statistically significant gains in student learning (Black &amp; Wiliam, 1998). In this policy brief, the authors describe the role of benchmark assessment in a balanced system of assessment, establish purposes and criteria for selecting or developing benchmark assessments, and consider organizational capacities needed to support sound use. (Contains 1 figure and 1 footnote.) [For the full report, &quot;Benchmark Assessment for Improved Learning&quot;, see ED524104.]
A New Majority: Low Income Students in the South's Public Schools. SEF Research Report
Author: Suitts, Steve
Date: 2007-00-00
Type: Reports - Descriptive
Subjects: Public Schools,Low Income,Research Reports,Policy Analysis,Democratic Values,Migration,Technical Assistance,Public Education,Educational Quality,Poverty,Educational Attainment,Racial Differences,Educational Finance,Educational Trends,Trend Analysis

The year 2007 marks the 140th year of continuous efforts by the Southern Education Foundation (SEF) to improve Southern education quality and opportunity for all of the region's people, especially those whose life chances are hobbled by poverty. SEF has played a critical role in the South's long circuitous march toward realizing the American Dream of freedom from want through education. SEF's programs of research, policy analysis and development, consensus and public-will building, educational outreach, and technical assistance provision have helped the region begin to address old patterns of education inequality and inequity. Progress has been made. As shackles of the past have been removed, the region's economy has expanded; old patterns of out-migration have been replaced by in-migration; and antiquated ideas and practices related to race have declined. A new more democratic and inclusive culture built on respect for diversity and recognition of the inter dependence of all Southerners has begun to take hold. Still, this is no time for complacency. In this research report, SEF explains why. For the first time in more than 40 years, the South is the only region in the nation where low income children constitute a majority of public school students--54 percent. This report chronicles the growth over time in the number of low income students, long-standing patterns of underinvestment in public education, and the consequences of that underinvestment. Low Income Students in Public Schools, 2006 are appended. (Contains 20 endnotes.)
Developing and Selecting Assessments of Student Growth for Use in Teacher Evaluation Systems
Author: Herman, Joan L.
Date: 2011-00-00
Type: Guides - Non-Classroom
Subjects: Teacher Evaluation,Testing,Test Selection,Test Construction,Student Evaluation,Achievement Gains,Academic Achievement,Academic Standards,Scores,Accuracy,Reliability,Validity,Test Bias,Measurement,Teacher Influence

States and districts across the country are grappling with how to incorporate assessments of student learning into their teacher evaluation systems. Sophisticated statistical models have been proposed to estimate the relative value individual teachers add to their students' assessment performance (hence the term teacher "value-added" measures). The strengths and limitations of these statistical models, as well as the value-added measures they produce, have been widely debated. Little attention, however, has been devoted to the quality of the student assessments that these models use to estimate student growth, which is fundamental to the trustworthiness of any teacher value-added measure. Assessments that nominally address the subject or grade level that educators teach do not necessarily suffice for the purposes of measuring growth and calculating the value that teachers contribute to that growth. In fact, student growth scores require at least two assessments of student learning--one near the beginning of the school year or the end of the prior year and another at the end of the current school year. Carefully designed and validated assessments are needed to provide trustworthy evidence of teacher quality. Herein lies the purpose of this brief: to provide guidance to states and districts as they develop and/or select and refine assessments of student growth so that the assessments can well serve teacher evaluation purposes. This brief identifies an extensive set of propositions, claims, and evidence sources that are important to the validity argument and which justify the use of student growth assessments as part of teacher evaluation. (Contains 1 footnote, 1 figure, and 1 table.) [For the extended version of this document, "Guidance for Developing and Selecting Assessments of Student Growth for Use in Teacher Evaluation Systems (Extended Version)", see ED524088.]
Prospective English Language Teachers' Perceptions of the Target Language and Culture in Relation to Their Socioeconomic Status
Author: Arikan, Arda
Date: 2011-09-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,English (Second Language),Language Teachers,Second Language Instruction,Preservice Teachers,Knowledge Base for Teaching,Cultural Awareness,Student Teacher Attitudes,Language Attitudes,Predictor Variables,Socioeconomic Status,Family Income,Fathers,Employment Experience,Parent Influence

Prospective foreign language teachers need to have an accurate knowledge and a positive perception of the target language and target culture so that they can help their students gain further insight on culture by and large. Hence, by means of a questionnaire, prospective English language teachers' (n = 412) perceptions of the target language and culture are sought to be answered in relation to their present knowledge of the target language and culture and their socioeconomic status. The results indicate that the participants see themselves knowledgeable in target language, but insufficient in target culture. Similarly, target culture is much less appreciated than the language. It is also shown that attitudes toward target language, knowledge of target culture, parental use of target language, family income, and father's job have significant influence on prospective teachers' perceptions. (Contains 3 tables.)
Association between Emotional Variables and School Achievement
Author: Randler, Christoph
Date: 2009-07-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Grade 8,Grade 9,Affective Measures,Student Interests,Well Being,Anxiety,Correlation,Ecology,Outcomes of Education,Academic Achievement,Prior Learning,Regression (Statistics),Psychological Studies,Learning Processes

Recent psychological studies highlight emotional aspects, and they show an important role within individual learning processes. Hereby, positive emotions were supposed to positively influence learning and achievement processes and negative ones do the contrary. In this study, an educational unit &quot;ecosystem lake&quot; was used during which achievement (three tests) and emotional variables (interest, well-being, anxiety and boredom; measured at the end of three pre-selected lessons) were monitored. The research question was to explore correlations between emotional variables and the learning outcome of the teaching unit. Prior knowledge was regressed against the subsequent tests to account for its confounding effect. Regressions showed a highly significant influence of prior knowledge on the subsequent measurements of achievement. However, after accounting for prior knowledge, a positive correlation between interest/well-being and achievement and a negative correlation between anxiety/boredom and achievement was found. Further research and interventions should try to enhance positive emotions in biology lessons to positively influence achievement. (Contains 2 tables.)
Reform in the Social Sciences Curriculum of Turkey: An Evaluation in Terms of Teaching History
Author: Simsek, Ahmet
Date: 2009-07-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Rote Learning,Foreign Countries,Social Studies,History Instruction,Teaching Methods,Curriculum Development,Educational Change,Educational History,Socialization,Skill Development,Textbooks,Learning Activities,Relevance (Education)

Social Studies course aims not only the socialization of children but also providing them with some vital skills. And it is obvious that such aim can not be achieved only via the transfer of information and values. Taking as basis the USA practice, Social Studies course was started to be taught in primary schools of Turkey in place of history and geography courses in 1968. However, social studies course was based on the heavy transfer of information and values rather than provision of skills until 2005. In this context, as history was taught in a way that was irrelevant with the daily life of children, rote learning turned into an inseparable part of this course. By means of 2005 Social Studies curriculum, textbook-based teaching was replaced by activity-based teaching. The objectives of history course were reviewed and a history teaching approach aimed at providing vital skill was adopted. New curriculum presents a history course that teaches history by taking into consideration the factors such as children and their interests, parents and neighbourhood. (Contains 3 footnotes.)
Laptop Ownership and Use among Educators: Reflections from School Teachers in Malaysia
Author: Khambari, Mas Nida Md.
Date: 2009-07-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Interviews,Foreign Countries,Secondary School Teachers,Laptop Computers,Computer Uses in Education,Access to Computers,Educational Technology,Teacher Attitudes,Mathematics Instruction,Science Instruction,Language of Instruction,English (Second Language),Computer Literacy

This research explored the experiences of owning and using laptops among three secondary school teachers in Malaysia. They were granted personal laptops by the Ministry of Education through the Teaching and Learning of Science and Mathematics in English, or known as Pengajaran dan Pembelajaran Sains dan Matematik dalam Bahasa Inggeris (PPSMI) programme. This document has no comments. PPSMI was aimed at enhancing the teaching of these subjects in English with the aid of technology. The research adopted a case study qualitative approach using semi-structured interviews. Three in-depth interviews were audio recorded in the teachers' schools, transcribed and analysed. Several themes related to the benefits and challenges of owning and using laptops emerged from these interviews. This paper, therefore, also seeks to discuss these themes in detail. (Contains 1 table.)
Instructional Efficiency of the Integration of Graphing Calculators in Teaching and Learning Mathematics
Author: Tajuddin, Nor'ain Mohd
Date: 2009-07-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Experimental Groups,Control Groups,Achievement Tests,Rating Scales,Program Effectiveness,Graphing Calculators,Conventional Instruction,Secondary School Students,Investigations,Data Analysis,Comparative Analysis,Mathematics Education,Teaching Methods

This quasi-experimental study with non-equivalent control group post-test only design was conducted to investigate the effects of using graphing calculators in mathematics teaching and learning on Form Four Malaysian secondary school students' performance and their meta-cognitive awareness level. Graphing calculator strategy refers to the use of TI-83 Plus graphing calculator in teaching and learning of Straight Lines topic. The experimental group underwent learning using graphing calculator while the control group underwent learning using conventional instruction. Three instruments were used in this study namely, Straight Lines Achievement Test, Paas Mental Effort Rating Scale and Meta-cognitive Awareness Survey. The data were analysed using independent t-test and planned comparison test.  The findings indicated that the graphing calculators' instruction enhanced students' performance and induced higher levels of meta-cognitive awareness among students. Less mental effort were invested during the learning and test phases and hence increased 3-dimensional instructional efficiency index in learning of Straight Lines topic. Hence it can be implied that integrating the use of graphing calculators in teaching and learning of mathematics was more efficient than the conventional instruction strategy. Even though some students experience difficulties in using graphing calculators initially during learning, they responded overwhelmingly that graphing calculators improves their understanding of the Straight Lines topic. Hence, the usage of the graphing calculator lends as an effective strategy in teaching and learning of mathematics. (Contains 5 tables and 1 figure.)
Influx of Asian Pacific Americans/Veterans in American Universities
Author: Bailey, Steven
Date: 2011-08-17
Type: Reports - Evaluative
Subjects: Pacific Americans,Males,Veterans,College Students,Racial Composition,Military Personnel,Korean Americans,Asian Americans,Cultural Influences

Asian Pacific Americans (APA's) are one of the fastest growing racial/ethnic groups within the United States and among most of the college student vast population (Escueta and O'Brien, 1995). APA's represented 5.8% of all college students in 1996, an 83.8% gain in population since 1986 (Wilds and Wilson, 1998), and the fastest increase amongst all racial groups over the past 30 years (Suzuki, 1995). This trend is expected to continue, with APAs making up 1.3 million of the projected 16 million undergraduates in 2015, an 86% increase since 1995 (Carnevale and Fry, 2000). The percentage of APAs on a campus varies widely in different geographical locations, with APAs making up over 50% of the student body at some California colleges or universities. With these Asian Pacific Americans, their countries have in place a rigorous military obligation that needs to be satisfied among their young, healthy men. To accomplish this goal for their countries, many young men have to leave their school to attend to their military duties. So with such a large and getting larger population coming and going, what problems will this have on our students and advisors?
Factors that Influence Academic Achievement and Attitudes in Web Based Education
Author: Erdogan, Yavuz
Date: 2008-01-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Grade Point Average,Web Based Instruction,Academic Achievement,Student Interests,Teaching Methods,Educational Technology,Computer Uses in Education,Masters Degrees,Foreign Countries,Graduate Students,Questionnaires,Gender Differences,Marital Status,Age Differences,Institutional Characteristics,Student Attitudes

In web based instruction, students' interests and needs vary greatly when compared with the traditional learning approaches. Therefore, trying to find solutions to the students' problems that are similar to the traditional learning approaches would yield poor results. Apart from that researches are needed to examine the various aspects of this new way of learning. In the light of this perspective, the current study investigates the factors that affect learners' academic achievement and attitudes in web based education. 127 students enrolled in the e-MBA Masters Degree of Bilgi University constituted the study group of the research. A survey method was used for the study and the data were collected by a Demographic Information Questionnaire and Web Based Education Attitudes Scale. Initially, Demographic Information Questionnaire and Web Based Education Attitudes Scale were administered to the e-MBA students. Then, the e-MBA Degree average course grades (GPA) were obtained from the department to determine academic achievement of the students. At the end of the study, it was revealed that web based education have positive effects on the improvement of academic achievement. The effect of web based education on attitude toward learning suggested that web use had positive effects mainly on motivation for learning and interested in the lessons. (Contains 7 tables.)
An Assessment of Social Studies Competency of Turkish Classroom Teachers
Author: Acar, Filiz Evran
Date: 2008-07-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Social Studies,Teacher Competencies,Foreign Countries,Pedagogical Content Knowledge,Elementary School Teachers,Questionnaires,History Instruction,Geography,Citizenship Education,Sociology,Economics

The aim of this study is to determine the importance of the competence and competence acquiring levels in the subject matter and subject teaching of the teachers who are graduated from the primary school teaching programmes of the educational faculties, towards the social studies. The universe population of the research are the teachers who were graduated from the Education Faculties, Department of Elementary Education the primary school teaching programmes and whose assignments were made by the Ministry of National Education (MEB), 270 teachers in total have been taken into the sampling group. The subject matter and subject teaching competencies of the classroom teachers for the social studies are determined with the analyze method. The questionnaire forms are prepared upon the determined competencies. From the teachers included in the scope of the research, it was asked to declare their opinions on the importance of the social studies competency in the proceeding of the education-training activities and their acquisition levels for these competencies during their university studies. The ratio of the questionnaire forms which were filled out by the classroom teachers and sent via mail and whose validity is acknowledged is 51, 48%. It has been understood that, the determined competencies on the social studies have been found as important by the teachers. The average of their acquiring levels for the determined competencies is lower than their importance level average. In other words, some meaningful differences between the averages of the social studies importance and acquiring levels were found. The teachers could not have the competency on the social studies in a manner compatible with its importance. (Contains 17 tables.)
The Effect of an Intelligent Tutoring System (ITS) on Student Achievement in Algebraic Expression
Author: Chien, Tsai Chen
Date: 2008-07-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Computer Assisted Instruction,Intelligent Tutoring Systems,Mathematics Instruction,Algebra,Mathematics Achievement,Instructional Effectiveness,Secondary School Mathematics,Secondary School Students,Foreign Countries

In this experimental study, use of Computer Assisted Instruction (CAI) followed by use of an Intelligent Tutoring System (CAI+ITS) was compared to the use of CAI (CAI only) in tutoring students on the topic of Algebraic Expression. Two groups of students participated in the study. One group of 32 students studied algebraic expression in a CAI learning environment, while the other group of 30 students was in a CAI and ITS (CAI+ITS) environment. Before the experimental treatment began, subjects were given a pre-test on algebraic expression. A post-test was also given at the end of the study. The experimental treatment was administered in eight sessions with one hour per session. For the first stage of the study, both groups of subjects studied algebraic expression in a CAI environment. In the second stage, subjects from the CAI group continued with a tutoring session using the drill and practice section of the CAI package, whereas subjects from the CAI+ITS environment continued their learning using the ITS tutorial. The results of the study showed that there was a significant difference in the students' achievement in algebraic expression between students who learned with CAI+ITS and who learned with CAI only as the delivery system.  The findings of the study indicated that CAI+ITS was more effective in helping students learn algebraic expression as compared to using CAI alone. This study suggests that educators and software developers should focus on the development of ITS based learning tools or integrate ITS elements in courseware development rather than developing a mere CAI tool. (Contains 3 tables and 2 figures.)