ethanporcaro/eric-fulltext-meta huggingface dataset:
Using Value-Added Models to Evaluate Teachers. Information Capsule. Volume 1609
Author: Blazer, Christie
Date: 2017-02-00
Type: Reports - Descriptive
Subjects: Teacher Evaluation,Evaluation Methods,Value Added Models,Academic Achievement,Scores,Student Characteristics,Institutional Characteristics,Achievement Tests,Computation,Teacher Effectiveness

The majority of states include value-added models (VAMs) or some other measure of student academic growth as a component of their teacher evaluation systems. However, there is considerable disagreement among researchers about whether states and school districts should use student growth measures to make high-stakes personnel decisions. Many researchers have concluded that VAMs and other student growth models are not appropriate as the primary measure for evaluating individual teachers. Others maintain that VAMs provide important and useful information on the effects that teachers have on their students' achievement. Studies on the consequences of using VAM scores in teacher evaluation systems are still accumulating. However, evidence has begun to emerge that teachers' VAM scores may depend more on the students they teach and the schools where they work than on the effectiveness of their teaching. This Information Capsule reviews the problems researchers have documented with using VAMs as measures of teacher effectiveness. For example, teachers' VAM scores vary depending on the students in their class, the school where they work, the specific achievement test used, and the statistical model used in the calculations; a teacher's VAM score can vary substantially from year to year; VAM scores are not highly correlated with other measures of teacher effectiveness; and it is difficult to isolate the impact of a single teacher on students' academic growth. Researchers have urged caution when basing teacher evaluations on VAM scores. Their recommendations for calculating and interpreting VAM scores, summarized in this Information Capsule, include using VAM scores as only one component of a comprehensive teacher evaluation system, using multiple years of data when calculating VAM scores, and calculating VAM scores only in grades and subjects where there are highly reliable and valid assessments that are comparable over time.
Mrs Wordsmith Narrative Journey: Pilot Evaluation. National Literacy Trust Research Report
Author: Teravainen-Goff, Anne
Date: 2018-08-00
Type: Reports - Research
Subjects: Vocabulary Development,Children,Early Adolescents,Reading Skills,Writing Skills,Program Evaluation,Story Telling,Elementary School Students,Foreign Countries,Program Effectiveness,Student Attitudes,Teaching Methods

Mrs Wordsmith is a vocabulary programme that combines data science and creativity to show children the words they need for school and life. Hilariously illustrated by the Emmy award-winning artists behind &quot;Madagascar,&quot; this is a research-driven vocabulary product aiming to make learning vocabulary manageable and engaging. Developed with leading literacy experts, The Narrative Journey illustrates storytelling words for 6-13 years, with the aim to boost their reading and writing age. The words are grouped into six themes: Character, Weather, Taste and Smell, Action, Emotion and Settings. Each set includes a Word of the Day workbook and display stand, Word Pair cards and an illustrated dictionary. The classroom set also includes a teacher's guide, which provides additional data and teaching ideas for each word. The National Literacy Trust was commissioned to evaluate the impact of Mrs Wordsmith's storytelling Narrative Journey on pupils in Year 3 and 4 in four Oasis Academy schools at in Bristol over the summer term of 2018. This pilot evaluation explored the benefit of the Narrative Journey on children's vocabulary learning and their attitudes towards it within the classroom. The purpose of this evaluation was also to pilot the vocabulary test based on the Mrs Wordsmith product and the attitudinal questions so that they can be used to conduct a larger-scale evaluation of the product in the future.
Structured English Immersion Programs: Research and Best Practices. Information Capsule. Volume 1611
Author: Blazer, Christie
Date: 2017-04-00
Type: Reports - Research
Subjects: Immersion Programs,Elementary School Students,Bilingual Education,Program Effectiveness,French,Language Proficiency,Second Language Learning,Foreign Countries,English (Second Language),Teaching Methods,Learner Engagement,Faculty Development,Teacher Role,Parent Attitudes

This Information Capsule summarizes the research on Structured English Immersion (SEI) programs. Most school districts use either the SEI or Bilingual Education (BE) model to instruct elementary level English Language Learners (ELLs). In SEI programs, ELLs receive all or most of their instruction in English. BE programs provide instruction in two languages -- the target language (English) and the student's native language. Studies comparing the effectiveness of SEI and BE programs have produced conflicting findings. There is, therefore, no consensus among researchers regarding the superiority of one instructional approach over the other. One notable exception is Canada's Early French Immersion (EFI) program that teaches elementary English-speaking students in French. Studies have found that elementary students in EFI programs acquire higher levels of French language proficiency than students enrolled in BE programs and attain mastery of academic skills at a level that is equivalent to that of students studying in all-English programs by the end of elementary school. Some researchers have concluded that the quality of the language acquisition program is more important than the instructional approach used to teach the language. In addition, they note that there is no &quot;one-size-fits-all&quot; model of instruction for ELLs. The characteristics of students, classroom teachers, schools, and local communities all affect program success. Researchers have identified characteristics of successful elementary level SEI programs. These characteristics, including high-quality teachers, clearly defined student entry and exit criteria, and grouping of students by level of English language proficiency, are summarized in this report.
Improving the Effectiveness of Reading Instruction in One Elementary School: A Description of the Process. FCRR Technical Report #3
Author: King, Ray
Date: 2000-01-00
Type: Reports - Descriptive
Subjects: Instructional Effectiveness,Reading Instruction,Elementary School Students,Reading Achievement,Reading Programs,Student Needs,Curriculum Implementation,Student Evaluation,Reading Tests,Progress Monitoring,Achievement Tests,Cognitive Tests

This report provides a partial description of a whole school change project that has taken place from 1996-2000 at Hartsfield Elementary School in Tallahassee, Florida. The primary focus of the report is on reading instruction and achievement. This is a partial report in that many variables contributed to the success of the reading program, and only a few of them are described here. The six key elements that are addressed and are considered critical to the gains in reading achievement experienced over the past four years, are: (1) commitment to meeting individual student needs at all levels; (2) adopting and implementing a research-based reading curriculum; (3) objective assessment to evaluate student progress and the effectiveness of reading programs; (4) designing and implementing an effective instructional delivery system; (5) maximizing available instructional time; and (6) administrative monitoring of student progress and program implementation.
The Relationship between Performance on a Measure of Oral Reading Fluency and Performance on the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test. FCRR Technical Report #1
Author: Buck, Julie
Date: 2018-00-00
Type: Reports - Research
Subjects: Correlation,Oral Reading,Performance,Reading Fluency,Achievement Tests,Standardized Tests,State Standards,Predictor Variables,Outcomes of Education,Scores,Grade 3,Reading Tests,Reading Comprehension,At Risk Students,Elementary School Students,Emergent Literacy

There is an extensive body of research establishing measures of oral reading fluency as valid and reliable predictors of important reading outcomes and performance on high stakes tests (Good, Simmons, &amp; Kame'enui, 2001). The present study was conducted to determine whether these findings also apply to the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test as a measure of reading outcomes and achievement of Florida's reading standards for third graders. Specifically, the authors wanted to determine whether performance on brief, one-minute measures of oral reading fluency are predictive of achievement in reading as measured by the reading portion of the Florida Comprehensive Assessment TestSunshine State Standards (FCAT-SSS). If these measures reliably predict performance on the FCAT-SSS, then teachers might use them as &quot;early warning signs&quot; that students may, or may not, succeed on the FCAT-SSS. Thirteen schools from one Florida school district provided data, which included curriculum-based measures of oral reading fluency (ORF) and FCAT scores for third grade students (N=1102). ORF scores were obtained in May 2002, and the FCAT was administered in April 2002. Although the correlations between ORF and FCAT-SSS performance are roughly similar across racial/ethnic groups, scores above 110 correct words read per minute are slightly less predictive of success for minority groups, while scores below 80 cwpm are more predictive of failure for these groups. This relationship likely attains because children from minority groups are typically weaker than white students in other reading skills, such as vocabulary, which also predict reading comprehension. Thus, for minority children (particularly African Americans), achieving the benchmark of 110 words per minute was not as strong a guarantee of success on the FCAT as it was for the white students in this study. Conversely, if a minority student attains an oral reading score below 80, there is a greater likelihood of performance at level 1 or 2 on the FCAT than for the white students in this study.
Summary of Outcomes from First Grade Study with &quot;Read, Write, and Type&quot; and &quot;Auditory Discrimination in Depth&quot; Instruction and Software with At-Risk Children. FCRR Technical Report #2
Author: Torgesen, Joseph K.
Date: 2018-00-00
Type: Reports - Research
Subjects: Experimental Groups,Control Groups,At Risk Students,Decoding (Reading),Reading Skills,Phonological Awareness,Intervention,Cognitive Ability,Intelligence Tests,Grade 1,Elementary School Students,Scores,Reading Comprehension,Reading Instruction

The purpose of this study was to examine the relative effectiveness of two computer supported approaches to teaching beginning reading skills that differed in important aspects of their instructional approach and emphasis. One of the programs was &quot;Auditory Discrimination in Depth,&quot; which provides very explicit instruction and practice in acquiring phonological awareness and phonemic decoding skills. In this program, children spend a lot of time practicing word reading skills out of context, but they also read phonetically controlled text in order to learn how to apply their word reading skills to passages that convey meaning. The other program was &quot;Read, Write, and Type,&quot; which provides explicit instruction and practice in phonological awareness, letter sound correspondences, and phonemic decoding, but does so primarily in the context of encouraging children to express themselves in written language. In this program, children spend a greater proportion of their time processing meaningful written material, and they are encouraged to acquire &quot;phonics&quot; knowledge to enable written communication. All the first grade children in five elementary schools were initially screened using a test of letter-sound knowledge. Selection procedures identified 18% of children as the most at risk in these schools to develop problems in learning to read. These 104 children were randomly assigned to the ADD group, and the RWT group. Children were seen from October through May in groups of three children. The children received four, 50 minute sessions per week during this time. Approximately half the time in each instructional session was devoted to direct instruction by a trained teacher in skills and concepts that would be practiced on the computer. The big surprise here was how well everyone did. Particularly in phonemic reading skills, the children in both groups showed very large gains (two full standard deviations) in this area, and their gains in fluency were almost as strong as those for accuracy. The results are encouraging for both intervention programs. It is also important to note that the reading comprehension scores were higher than expected based on the children's estimated general verbal ability.
Social Networks and Skills Instruction: A Pilot Study of STEM College Educators and Employers in Wisconsin and New York. WCER Working Paper No. 2018-3
Author: Benbow, Ross J.
Date: 2018-01-00
Type: Reports - Research
Subjects: STEM Education,College Faculty,Employers,Social Networks,Network Analysis,Skill Development,Social Capital,Teamwork,Job Skills

Research indicates that teamwork, communication, self-directed learning, and problem-solving skills are strongly linked to individual academic and professional success, yet little is known regarding how college educators and employer trainers learn to better teach or train others in these valuable skills in postsecondary and employment STEM contexts. This pilot study uses social network analysis--a research perspective studying relationships or &quot;social ties&quot; to better understand the ways interactions influence behavior--to explore the dimensions of educator and trainer discussions regarding methods for helping students or employees acquire important skills. The study also examines whether educators and employers believe such discussions influence their instruction. A descriptive analysis of data from online surveys collected from educators (n=192) and employers (n=70) in technology and manufacturing fields in southern Wisconsin and western New York indicates respondents frequently engage in such teaching- and training-focused discussions with people inside and outside their colleges and businesses. Though more college educators are involved in such conversations than employers, employer trainers who engage in such conversations do so with individuals affiliated with more diverse organizations. Results also indicate that educators and employers who have these discussions do so at a similar frequency. Finally, most educators and employers with teaching- and training-focused social networks perceive them to be beneficial to their teamwork, communication, self-directed learning, and problem-solving instruction. In light of these findings, leaders hoping to further develop teaching- and training-focused social networks in education and employment fields may find more success in openly promoting the importance of such social ties as well as providing more opportunities for intra- and interorganizational professional development in instruction.
Hiring as Cultural Gatekeeping into Occupational Communities: Implications for College Students, Faculty, and Career Advisors. WCER Working Paper No. 2018-1
Author: Hora, Matthew T.
Date: 2018-01-00
Type: Reports - Research
Subjects: Manufacturing Industry,College Graduates,Employment Qualifications,Personnel Selection,Cultural Influences,Individual Characteristics,Personality Traits,Attitudes,Competence,Work Environment,Human Capital,Social Capital,Cultural Capital,Employees,Organizational Culture

With the increasing price tag of college and rising student debt, the employability of graduates is a dominant narrative shaping postsecondary policy and practice. Yet, completion and the acquisition of a credential alone does not guarantee employment, and research on hiring reveals its subjective aspects, particularly when cultural signals of applicants are matched to those of organizations. In this qualitative study of 42 manufacturing firms, the prevalence of hiring for cultural fit is examined using thematic and social network methods to analyze the interviews that were conducted. Results indicate that 74% of employers hire for cultural fit, but, contrary to prior research, this matching process is not simply a matter of fitting applicant personalities to monolithic &quot;organizational cultures&quot; or interviewer preferences. Instead, employers match diverse applicant &quot;dispositions&quot; (e.g., personality, attitude) and &quot;competencies&quot; (e.g., cognitive, interpersonal, intrapersonal) to the personalities of existing staff as well as to industry-specific norms that are dominant within specific departments. The paper discusses implications of these findings for college students, faculty, and career advisors, especially in light of the potential for discriminatory practices during the job search and hiring process.
Extended Foreign Language Program in Elementary Grades: Focus on Student Achievement. Research Brief. Volume 1701
Author: Shneyderman, Aleksandr
Date: 2017-07-00
Type: Reports - Evaluative
Subjects: Second Language Instruction,English,Language of Instruction,Public Schools,Elementary Education,Elementary School Students,Program Effectiveness,Grade 3,Grade 4,Grade 5,Bilingual Education,Mathematics Achievement,Academic Achievement,Language Arts

The Extended Foreign Language (EFL) program is a &quot;school within a school&quot; dual language program in which students are instructed in both English and a language other than English (Spanish or French) with one hour of daily instruction in that language. Most of the schools participating in the program implement the English/Spanish version of dual language instruction. The implementation of the EFL program began in Miami-Dade County Public Schools (M-DCPS) in 1997. In 2012-2013, the District initiated an expansion of the EFL program that began with grade K students and expanded by one grade level per academic year. In 2016-2017, many elementary schools had implemented the EFL program in their entire grade K-5 span. Generally, students are placed into the EFL program in Grade K at the request of their parents and depending on the number of seats available. The goal of this Research Brief is to compare the achievement of students in the EFL program with that of their peers and to determine whether learning the second language distracts students from mastering core academic subjects. Because the selection and placement of students into the program are not random, one needs to employ a suitable analytic methodology to enable proper comparisons.
Hiring as an Experiment: Reframing the Skills Shortage. WCER Working Paper No. 2018-4
Author: Grundvig, A. Nelse
Date: 2018-02-00
Type: Reports - Evaluative
Subjects: Supply and Demand,Job Skills,Employer Attitudes,Labor Needs,Skilled Occupations,Personnel Selection,Occupational Information,Talent Development,Needs Assessment,Labor Supply,Apprenticeships

&quot;Skills shortage&quot; is often used to describe the difficulty that can arise when trying to match a ready supply of qualified applicants to open positions. To believe the term accurately describes situations where unemployment rates are low and employers have to compete for skilled workers frames the discussion as an issue of supply and demand. However, this framework does not fully address why skills shortages persist (Holzer, 2017; Cappelli, 2014; Hora, Benbow, &amp; Oleson, 2016; Veneri, 1999; Richardson, 2007). This paper argues that employers may want to consider adopting an experimental approach when addressing skills shortages. Using this approach examines the expectations and perceptions of employers as well as how they address their need for skilled labor. Altering their approach may empower employers when addressing chronic or systemic problems trying to find needed skills.
Where&apos;s the Crisis? How Undergraduate Enrollment Patterns Influence Growth in Student Debt. WCER Working Paper No. 2018-10
Author: Pyne, Jaymes
Date: 2018-08-00
Type: Reports - Research
Subjects: Undergraduate Students,Enrollment,Debt (Financial),Student Loan Programs,Education Work Relationship,Selective Admission,Graduation Rate,In State Students,Out of State Students,Public Colleges,Private Colleges,Outcomes of Education,Employment,College Choice,Enrollment Trends,Longitudinal Studies,Postsecondary Education,College Graduates,Bachelors Degrees

When planning for college, students face a range of constrained choices governed in part by variation among institutions. What are the economic consequences of those decisions and constraints during and after college? We know borrowing patterns vary by institutional sector, yet colleges within a sector vary considerably by admission and graduation rates, returns to degrees, and costs for students. Using data from the Beginning Postsecondary Students and Baccalaureate and Beyond studies, we evaluate undergraduate student loan debt and labor market outcomes differentiated by institutional sector and competitiveness. First, we corroborate previous research finding that recent growth in educational debt is mainly confined to the top fifth of borrowers. Second, we find that the sector and selectivity of institutions predict both graduation rates and higher borrowing. In-state public institutions provide a haven from high debt relative to public out-of-state and less competitive private colleges. Finally, we find this differential risk of exposure to high borrowing is what matters for labor market outcomes of graduates from less-competitive institutions. Once these students enter the top fifth of borrowing, early labor market experiences have more influence than what kind of college students attend.
Skilled Non-College Occupations in the U.S. WCER Working Paper No. 2018-7
Author: Scaglione, Matías D.
Date: 2018-06-00
Type: Reports - Research
Subjects: Skilled Occupations,Employment,Employment Qualifications,Occupational Information,Wages,Skilled Workers,Underemployment,Educational Attainment

This paper presents a new approach to the identification of relatively skilled occupations that do not typically require a bachelor's degree for entry. I call this group of occupations Skilled Non-College Occupations (SNCOs). The proposed approach relies heavily on a new skills index based on data from the Occupational Information Network (O*NET) sponsored by the U.S. Department of Labor. In contrast with studies that estimate that employment in so-called middle-skill jobs in the U.S. represents one third to nearly a half of total employment, this study estimates that the combined employment of SNCOs accounted for 16.2% of all jobs in 2016. Exploratory analysis shows that SNCOs (a) represent only one in five jobs that do not require a 4-year college degree for entry; (b) encompass a wide variety of occupations and industries, even though they are highly concentrated in a relatively small number of them; (c) usually pay above-average wages; (d) show a quite low correlation between wages and the skills scores; and (e) include a significant proportion of workers who are potentially underemployed in terms of their level of educational attainment.