ethanporcaro/eric-fulltext-meta huggingface dataset:
An Investigation of &quot;Circle of Friends&quot; Peer-Mediated Intervention for Students with Autism
Author: Schlieder, Mary
Date: 2014-11-06
Type: Reports - Research
Subjects: Autism,Pervasive Developmental Disorders,Intervention,Peer Groups,Social Support Groups,Adolescents,Case Studies,Inclusion,Interpersonal Competence,Peer Acceptance,Empathy,Public Schools,High Schools,Interviews,Facilitators (Individuals),Parents,Leaders

The dramatic rise in children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is accompanied by a substantial increase in public school inclusion. A growing body of research supports the need for teachers proficient in evidence-based practices to support such students. One strategy involves using peer support networks like Circle of Friends (CoF) for ASD adolescents. A collective case study was used to investigate experiences of stakeholders relative to a CoF community. Four themes emerged from a cross-case analysis: the influence a CoF partnership has on inclusion, social skills improvement, empowerment, and sense of wellbeing. For the purposes of this article, findings relative to inclusion are discussed. CoF fostered an attitude of peer acceptance for classmates with ASD and helped alleviate feelings of fear peers experienced toward ASD classmates. CoF peers developed empathy and understanding for the CoF target student, and those qualities extended to students outside the circles. CoF seemed to have fostered true social inclusion, altering traditional divisions between special education and typical education populations. Peer acceptance generalized outside the school setting, even in the absence of CoF adult facilitators, and fostered long-term, genuine friendships. Findings from the larger study led to the development of an interactive website to foster a virtual learning community to enhance this ongoing partnership. The website might promote a deeper understanding of peer support networks for improved social skills, increased school involvement, decreased isolation, and decreased bullying in youth with ASD, as well as a successful community agency-public school partnership model.
Middle School Science and Items of High School Entrance Examination: Examining the Gap in Turkey
Author: Cepni, Salih
Date: 2012-05-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Middle Schools,High Schools,Secondary School Science,Science Curriculum,Technology Education,Course Content,Science Process Skills,Scientific Principles,Scientific Attitudes,Tests,Alignment (Education),Correlation,Documentation,Content Analysis,Science Teachers,Graduate Students,Academic Standards,Knowledge Level

This study presents findings from an analysis of the Turkish Science and Technology Curriculum Guidelines and their alignment to the university entrance examination. The analysis of the Science and Technology Curriculum focused on various related aspects: content areas and learning outcomes in terms of scientific process skills, science technology society and environment, attitudes and values, and cognitive objectives. The level determination examination (LDE) questions, which would allow for enrollment at elite high schools and would inevitably affect middle school students' university choices, were analyzed in an alignment study regarding the contents of the science and technology program. In order to investigate the relationship between high school science teaching and high school entrance examination, all relevant documents were analyzed by ten science teachers, who have been teaching science and technology courses at middle schools and are concurrently doctoral students at the science education department. The results indicated that the LDE questions and standards were not fully aligned because the first two alignment criteria have a high consistency while a range of knowledge and balance of representation criteria have a low consistency.
Summer Reading Camp Self-Study Guide. REL 2015-070
Author: Smith, Kevin G.
Date: 2015-02-00
Type: Guides - Non-Classroom
Subjects: Summer Programs,Reading Programs,Grade 3,Elementary School Students,Reading Instruction,Data Collection,Scoring,Rating Scales,Program Evaluation,Self Evaluation (Groups),Program Development,Program Implementation,Teacher Effectiveness,Teacher Qualifications,Admission Criteria,Enrollment,Time on Task,Test Selection,Mentors,Paraprofessional School Personnel,Educational Environment,Communication (Thought Transfer),Intervention

This guide is designed to facilitate self-studies of planning and implementation of state-required summer reading camp programs for grade 3 students who scored at the lowest level on the state reading assessment. It provides a template for data collection and guiding questions for discussion that may improve instruction and increase the number of students meeting the grade-level standard by the end of the summer reading camp. The guide is composed of a scoring guide and consensus rating form. The scoring guide includes guiding questions and potential sources of evidence. After completion of the scoring guide, a facilitator will guide the self-study team through a consensus rating process to come to agreement on the current status of implementation in the district or school and planning for next steps. The content of the scoring guide is based on eight areas that research indicates are important for summer reading camp implementation: teacher effectiveness and qualifications; student selection and enrollment; instructional time; content and instruction; assessment selection and data use; mentoring and/or paraprofessional use; learning environment; and communication with administration, staff, and parents.
Perceptions about Implementation of Differentiated Instruction
Author: Robinson, Lora
Date: 2014-11-07
Type: Reports - Research
Subjects: Individualized Instruction,Curriculum Implementation,Classroom Techniques,Classroom Environment,Constructivism (Learning),Multiple Intelligences,Case Studies,Elementary School Teachers,Middle School Teachers,Secondary School Teachers,Teacher Surveys,Interviews,Content Analysis,Student Needs,Teacher Attitudes,Faculty Development,Difficulty Level,Instructional Effectiveness,Self Efficacy,Teaching Skills,Capacity Building,Evaluation Utilization,Qualitative Research

The absence of differentiated instruction in many classrooms stifles success for students who do not learn the same way as their peers. Providing teachers with the knowledge and tools to differentiate in their classrooms may increase test scores and help low achieving students find success, while expanding the learning growth of gifted and talented students. This study was guided by the theoretical frameworks of constructivism and multiple intelligences that suggest that students must connect their learning to prior experiences that support their modes of learning. A case study was used to investigate how teacher participants from an elementary school, a middle school, and a high school successfully differentiate instruction. Data collection included open-ended surveys, interviews with nine participants, and documents. The interviews explored participants' perceptions of how differentiated instruction has influenced their ability to successfully reach the diverse needs of learners in their classrooms. Data analysis was inductive using hand coding to discover the codes, commonalities, and themes. Key findings included a lack of professional development, time constraints, how differentiated instruction meets the needs of all learners, the difficulties of learning how to initially implement differentiated instruction, and the belief that differentiated instruction is essential for student success. For the purposes of this paper, the findings relative to how differentiated instruction meets the needs of all learners and the belief that differentiated instruction is essential for student success will be discussed. Findings may provide teachers with suggestions about how to successfully differentiate instruction.
How to Select Books for Teaching to Children: Taking a Critical Look at Books through a Pedagogical Lens
Author: Weih, Timothy G.
Date: 2015-00-00
Type: Reports - Evaluative
Subjects: Childrens Literature,Reading Material Selection,Selection Criteria,Demonstrations (Educational),Lesson Plans,Elementary Education,Reading Instruction,Reading Comprehension,Reading Fluency,Access to Information,Evaluation Methods,Instructional Material Evaluation,Nonfiction,Fiction

The purpose of this paper is to guide the process of selecting meaningful books to use in pre-K-6 classrooms. With thousands of children&apos;s books being published each year, it is difficult for teachers to select which ones hold the most potential to inspire students towards a life time of reading pleasure and purpose. This paper outlines selection criteria and provides lesson examples grounded within past and current pedagogical research. The paper includes the following appendices: (1) Teaching the Book: K is for Kissing a Cool Kangaroo. Andreae, G. (2002); (2) Teaching the Book: Way Out in the Desert. Marsh, T. J., &amp; Ward, J. (1998); (3) Teaching the Book: Runaway Pumpkin. Lewis, K. (2003); (4) Teaching the Book: I Survived: The Nazi Invasion, 1944. Tarshis, L. (2014); (5) Teaching the Book: The Nine Lives of Travis Keating Maclean, J. (2008); and (6) Teaching the Book: Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn by Herge (/erg/) pen name of Gorges Remi, Brussels, Belgium (1943c).
Houghton Mifflin Reading©. What Works Clearinghouse Intervention Report
Author: What Works Clearinghouse (ED)
Date: 2015-02-00
Type: Reports - Evaluative
Subjects: Beginning Reading,Reading Programs,Reading Instruction,Program Effectiveness,Educational Research,Elementary School Students,Oral Language,Reading Comprehension,Phonemic Awareness,Decoding (Reading),Writing Instruction,Spelling Instruction,Grammar,Grade 1,Grade 2,Grade 3,Grade 4,Grade 5,Grade 6,Kindergarten

&quot;Houghton Mifflin Reading&quot;© is a reading program designed for grades K-6. The program provides step-by-step instruction in reading using Big Books (fiction and nonfiction literature), anthologies, Read Aloud books, and audio compact discs. The product is designed to be used as a full-year curriculum program with instruction on developing oral language, comprehension, phonemic awareness, decoding skills (phonics, analogy, context, and word recognition), fluency, reading comprehension, writing, spelling, and grammar. This review of the program for the Beginning Reading topic area focuses on beginning readers in grades K-3. The What Works Clearinghouse (WWC) identified 10 studies of &quot;Houghton Mifflin Reading&quot;© for beginning readers in grades K-3 that were published or released between 1983 and 2014. Five studies are within the scope of the Beginning Reading review protocol but do not meet WWC group design standards. Five studies are out of the scope of the Beginning Reading review protocol for reasons other than study design. No studies of &quot;Houghton Mifflin Reading&quot;© that fall within the scope of the Beginning Reading review protocol meet WWC group design standards. Because no studies meet WWC group design standards at this time, the WWC is unable to draw any conclusions based on research about the effectiveness or ineffectiveness of &quot;Houghton Mifflin Reading&quot;© on beginning readers in grades K-3. A glossary of terms is included.
The Occurrence of Low Literacy among Adults in U.S. States and Counties. Research and Development Report. NCES 2010
Author: White, Sheida
Date: 2010-00-00
Type: Reports - Research
Subjects: Adult Literacy,Incidence,Illiteracy,Statistical Analysis,Computation,English,National Surveys,Models,Predictor Variables,Counties,Hispanic Americans,Mexican Americans,Poverty,African Americans,Immigrants,Educational Attainment

In 2009, the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) published a technical report titled &quot;Indirect County and State Estimates of the Percentage of Adults at the Lowest Literacy Level for 1992 and 2003,&quot; (ED503830). NCES also published a corresponding online tool (http://nces.ed.gov/naal/estimates/index.aspx) that allows users to compare estimates of the percentage of adults with the lowest level of prose literacy for any two states or counties--or to compare the estimates for 1992 and 2003 by jurisdiction. This report conveys in nontechnical terms the statistical methodology used to develop the estimates. It also provides major findings for all 50 states and the District of Columbia, a profile of adults lacking &quot;Basic&quot; prose literacy, and a description of various potential users and usages of the findings. By way of illustrating how literacy estimates from the report and tool may be interpreted and used, examples from three jurisdictions--the District of Columbia, California, and Connecticut--are provided. This set of estimates is expected to provide information about the literacy of adults, ages 16 and older, lacking &quot;Basic&quot; prose literacy in English (i.e., those who have &quot;Below Basic&quot; barriers). These individuals may be able to read simple words and phrases, but are generally unable to read and comprehend connected text in English, such as a newspaper story. Among the selected findings are: (1) The estimates of the percentage of adults lacking &quot;Basic&quot; prose literacy across states in 2003 range from 6 percent to 23 percent; (2) The national direct estimate in 2003 of the percentage of adults lacking &quot;Basic&quot; prose literacy in English was 14.5 percent--or about 32 million (1 in 7) adults; (3) The corresponding figure from the 1992 National Adult Literacy Survey is very similar: 14.7 percent--or about 29 million (1 in 7) adults, so there is no statistically significant change during the period 1992 to 2003 in the proportion having low literacy; and (4) While there was no significant change for the nation during the period 1992 to 2003 in adults' low literacy, there were significant changes for a few states. Three states (Kentucky, Missouri, and Rhode Island) had a significant increase of literacy rates during the past decade and two states (California and New York) had a significant decrease of literacy rates.
Comparing Methodologies for Developing an Early Warning System: Classification and Regression Tree Model versus Logistic Regression. REL 2015-077
Author: Koon, Sharon
Date: 2015-02-00
Type: Reports - Research
Subjects: Classification,Regression (Statistics),Models,At Risk Students,Reading Difficulties,Comparative Analysis,Grade 1,Grade 2,Elementary School Students,Public Schools,Accuracy,Identification,Statistical Analysis,Nonparametric Statistics,Achievement Tests,Reading Tests,Predictive Validity

The purpose of this report was to explicate the use of logistic regression and classification and regression tree (CART) analysis in the development of early warning systems. It was motivated by state education leaders' interest in maintaining high classification accuracy while simultaneously improving practitioner understanding of the rules by which students are identified as at-risk or not at-risk readers. Logistic regression and CART were compared using data on a sample of grades 1 and 2 Florida public school students who participated in both interim assessments and an end-of-the year summative assessment during the 2012/13 academic year. Grade-level analyses were conducted and comparisons between methods were based on traditional measures of diagnostic accuracy, including sensitivity (i.e., proportion of true positives), specificity (proportion of true negatives), positive and negative predictive power, and overall correct classification. Results indicate that CART is comparable to logistic regression, with the results of both methods yielding negative predictive power greater than the recommended standard of .90. Details of each method are provided to assist analysts interested in developing early warning systems using one of the methods. Two appendixes include: (1) Literature Review; and (2) Technical details on methods and additional results.
How Methodology Decisions Affect the Variability of Schools Identified as Beating the Odds. REL 2015-071
Author: Abe, Yasuyo
Date: 2015-02-00
Type: Reports - Research
Subjects: School Effectiveness,Identification,Statistical Analysis,Comparative Analysis,Prediction,Institutional Characteristics,Elementary Secondary Education,Academic Achievement,Public Schools

Schools that show better academic performance than would be expected given characteristics of the school and student populations are often described as &quot;beating the odds&quot; (BTO). State and local education agencies often attempt to identify such schools as a means of identifying strategies or practices that might be contributing to the schools' relative success. Key decisions on how to identify BTO schools may affect whether schools make the BTO list and thereby the identification of practices used to beat the odds. The purpose of this study was to examine how a list of BTO schools might change depending on the methodological choices and selection of indicators used in the BTO identification process. This study considered whether choices of methodologies and type of indicators affect the schools that are identified as BTO. The three indicators were (1) type of performance measure used to compare schools, (2) the types of school characteristics used as controls in selecting BTO schools, and (3) the school sample configuration used to pool schools across grade levels. The study applied statistical models involving the different methodologies and indicators and documented how the lists schools identified as BTO changed based on the models. Public school and student data from one midwest state from 2007-08 through 2010-11 academic years were used to generate BTO school lists. By performing pairwise comparisons among BTO school lists and computing agreement rates among models, the project team was able to gauge the variation in BTO identification results. Results indicate that even when similar specifications were applied across statistical methods, different sets of BTO schools were identified. In addition, for each statistical method used, the lists of BTO schools identified varied with the choice of indicators. Fewer than half of the schools were identified as BTO in more than one year. The results demonstrate that different technical decisions can lead to different identification results. Three appendices include: (1) Measures of classification accuracy; (2) Data, measures, and outliers and missing data; and (3) Classification tables.
Influence of School-Image on Academic Self-Efficacy Belief
Author: Gafoor, K. Abdul
Date: 2012-01-00
Type: Reports - Research
Subjects: Self Efficacy,Beliefs,Influences,Reputation,Secondary School Students,Grade 11,Self Concept Measures,Gender Differences,School Location,Leadership Styles,Intellectual Disciplines,Institutional Characteristics,School Choice,Academic Ability,Correlation,Multiple Regression Analysis,Foreign Countries

This study explores the academic self-efficacy and School-Image among higher secondary school students, on a sample of 652 XIth standard students drawn from Kerala, adopting proportionate stratified random sampling. The data was collected using Academic Self-Efficacy Scale and School-Image Scale. Significant difference exist in School-Image of secondary school students based on gender of the student, locale of school, type of management of school, and the subject being studied at higher secondary level. Girls, rural school students and aided school students have higher image of their school, compared to boys, urban school students and government school students. Nevertheless, gender, locale and subject of study do not make significant difference in the academic self-efficacy belief of students. Academic Self-efficacy is higher among aided school students than government school students. One eighth of secondary school students' academic self-efficacy is attributable to school image. Academic focus of the school, its involvement with parents and community, and leadership of the school significantly determine students' self-efficacy belief.
English as an International Language (EIL), World Englishes within an International Context, and the Tower of Babel
Author: Smith, Jerry
Date: 2015-02-16
Type: Reports - Evaluative
Subjects: English (Second Language),Second Language Learning,Grammar,Phonetics,Language Variation,Biblical Literature,Tagalog,Standard Spoken Usage,Foreign Countries,Language Attitudes,Native Speakers,Black Dialects,Juvenile Gangs,Guidelines,Language Proficiency,Language Tests

This paper discusses the similarities between the Bible record of the Tower of Babel and the resulting confusion of languages and how it relates to modern times and the trend we see of English as an International Language (EIL). This paper then briefly examines the trend of being culturally sensitive in EIL by accepting cultural or &quot;world Englishes&quot; as a part of the English as a Second Language (ESL) paradigm. Furthermore, this paper demonstrates that world Englishes applied to EIL on a global scale will limit, not enhance effective communication by showing evidences of potential misunderstandings from the areas of grammar, phonetics, and lexis between EIL speakers. The author uses examples from a Filipino-English perspective but also includes references from other &quot;Englishes.&quot; Finally, the point is raised that without a standardized English, where everyone has their own 'version' of the language in an EIL setting, we shall repeat history with a world where everyone speaks a language, but where understanding is limited. Hence, the Tower of Babel all over again. A list of resources is included.
Reading Traditional Literature Guides Story Writing
Author: Weih, Timothy G.
Date: 2005-00-00
Type: Reports - Research
Subjects: Reader Response,Feedback (Response),Research Projects,Literacy,Reading Comprehension,Teaching Methods,Reading Aloud to Others,Story Grammar,Childrens Writing,Story Telling,American Indians,Integrated Activities,Writing (Composition),Writing Processes,Class Activities,Classroom Techniques,Grade 2,Childrens Literature,Folk Culture

This article describes a research study that implemented literacy methods for the purpose of promoting reading comprehension with links to student writing through the practice of integrating reader response before, during, and following teacher read-alouds, and then extending the reader response into the composing process of student-created stories about Native Americans. The main question that guided the study was: How will the integration of direct instruction in story structure together with reader response to traditional literature influence children's composition of self-created stories? Findings and classroom implications are discussed.