ethanporcaro/eric-fulltext-meta huggingface dataset:
Commonly Unrecognized Error Variance in Statewide Assessment Programs: Sources of Error Variance and What Can Be Done to Reduce Them
Author: Brockmann, Frank
Date: 2011-00-00
Type: Reports - Descriptive
Subjects: Accuracy,Measurement,Testing,Expertise,Testing Programs,Error of Measurement,Academic Achievement,Research Reports,Test Results,Scores,Grade 3,Evaluation,Elementary School Students,Federal Programs,Competition,Federal Aid,Educational Improvement

State testing programs today are more extensive than ever, and their results are required to serve more purposes and high-stakes decisions than one might have imagined. Assessment results are used to hold schools, districts, and states accountable for student performance and to help guide a multitude of important decisions. This report describes commonly unrecognized sources of error variance (or random variations in assessment results) and provides actions states can take to identify and reduce these errors in existing and future assessment systems. These "errors" are not mistakes in the traditional sense of the word, but reflect random variations in student assessment results. Unlike the technical report on which it is based, this report is written for policymakers and educators who are not assessments experts. It provides an explanation of the sources of error variance, their impact on the ability to make data-based decisions with confidence, and the actions states and their contractors should take as quickly as is feasible to improve the accuracy and trustworthiness of their state testing program results. Peer Review Panelists are appended. (Contains 6 footnotes.)
Statewide Educational Accountability Systems under the NCLB Act: A Report on 2009 and 2010 Amendments to State Plans
Author: Erpenbach, William J.
Date: 2011-02-00
Type: Reports - Descriptive
Subjects: Disabilities,Accountability,Federal Legislation,Educational Legislation,Compliance (Legal),Educational Improvement,Federal Programs,Educational Indicators,Inclusion,Public Schools,School Districts,Graduation Rate,Academic Achievement

The conclusion of the 2010-11 school year will mark nine plus years since enactment of the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB). Throughout this period, numerous states--sometimes almost every one--have annually sought to amend the educational accountability systems they first developed as &quot;workbooks&quot; in 2002-03, consistent with the law's requirements and goals to improve teaching and student achievement. In this paper, covering the 2008-09 and 2009-10 school years, the number of states continuing to submit amendment requests and the number of substantive amendments proposed remains surprising so long after NCLB's enactment. The highest number of states (49 and the District of Columbia) and greatest number of proposed amendments (over 275) occurred in 2008. In 2009, at least 36 states and the District of Columbia submitted approximately 90 substantive requests, and at least 31 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico submitted approximately 95 substantive, proposed amendments in 2010. Appended are: (1) List of acronyms used in this paper; (2) Timeline of significant events related to the implementation of NCLB since its enactment in January 2002; (3) Selected information related to waiver provisions under sec. 9401 of the law; and (4) Table of substantive changes in ED policy with respect to decisions regarding states' amendment requests since 2002. References and other resource materials are included. (Contains 25 footnotes.)
A Guide to Computer Adaptive Testing Systems
Author: Davey, Tim
Date: 2011-11-00
Type: Guides - Non-Classroom
Subjects: Adaptive Testing,Computer Assisted Testing,Delivery Systems,Evaluation Methods,Computers,Computer Software,Test Construction,Test Items

Some brand names are used generically to describe an entire class of products that perform the same function. "Kleenex," "Xerox," "Thermos," and "Band-Aid" are good examples. The term "computerized adaptive testing" (CAT) is similar in that it is often applied uniformly across a diverse family of testing methods. Although the various members of this family share similar goals and employ similar means, they differ in important ways that can significantly impact how tests perform when delivered. This guide is intended to provide those responsible for procuring CAT systems with questions they can use to tease out differences across competing CAT delivery systems, and so make better-informed decisions. The scope of this guide is largely limited to differences across systems that can affect the quality, comparability, and usefulness of the test scores that a system produces. The substance of what is measured (the format and nature of the test questions) and test delivery issues (testing sites and test presentation software and hardware) will be considered only to the extent that they directly impact score properties. This guide is organized around the elements common to nearly all varieties of adaptive testing. To orient the reader to this framework, the guide begins with a brief introduction to adaptive testing methods and the sometimes arcane vocabulary that has grown up around those methods. Summary workbook is appended. (Contains 2 figures and 2 footnotes.)
Electives in Graduate Medical Education
Author: Kumar, Santosh
Date: 2013-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Graduate Medical Education,Elective Courses,Curriculum,Standards

Modern curricula have both compulsory portions and electives or portions chosen by students. Electives have been a part of graduate and postgraduate general higher education. Electives are included in various standards for graduate medical education and are also included in proposed Medical Council of India Regulations on Graduate Medical Education-2012. This article also briefly describes how to introduce electives in MBBS curriculum with an example of an elective in Urology.
Roadmap for Next-Generation State Accountability Systems. Second Edition
Author: Council of Chief State School Officers
Date: 2011-00-00
Type: Guides - Non-Classroom
Subjects: Academic Achievement,State Standards,Accountability,Leadership,State Action,Career Readiness,Academic Standards,College Readiness,Educational Objectives,Goal Orientation,Outcomes of Education,Educational Assessment

This Roadmap, developed by the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO) Next-Generation State Accountability Taskforce, presents a vision for next-generation accountability systems to support college and career readiness for all students. It is written by and for states, building on the leadership toward college and career readiness. This Roadmap has two core purposes: (1) To serve as a statement of state leadership in developing more robust and meaningful educational accountability systems; and (2) To provide a guide for state action in developing and implementing next-generation accountability systems. States recognize accountability as a core strategy designed to achieve educational goals, particularly student achievement outcomes. As states implement college- and career-ready standards and complementary assessment systems through the Common Core state standards and assessment consortia or otherwise, it is critical to consider the accountability implications of these policy shifts and to leverage state accountability systems to support the end goal of college and career readiness for all students. Individual sections contain resources.
Addressing Two Commonly Unrecognized Sources of Score Instability in Annual State Assessments
Author: Doorey, Nancy A.
Date: 2011-02-00
Type: Reports - Descriptive
Subjects: Testing,Sampling,Expertise,Testing Programs,Error of Measurement,Test Results,Scores,Vendors,Elementary Secondary Education,Inferences,Educational Indicators,Federal Programs,Test Bias,Item Response Theory,Sample Size,Educational Improvement,Academic Achievement,Effect Size

The work reported in this paper reflects a collaborative effort of many individuals representing multiple organizations. It began during a session at the October 2008 meeting of TILSA when a representative of a member state asked the group if any of their programs had experienced unexpected fluctuations in the annual state assessment scores, and if so, whether they have a reasonable explanation for such instability in the scores. Gary Phillips, representing AIR, offered that he had been investigating what he called "score drift" and did have a hypothesis about this phenomenon and offered a brief explanation regarding what he characterized as two unrecognized sources of error that underlie such fluctuations. A panel of nationally recognized experts recently reviewed research conducted by Gary Phillips of the American Institutes for Research on potential causes of the seemingly random fluctuations seen in many annual state test scores--fluctuations that both the state agency personnel and testing vendors often find difficult to explain. Phillips has identified and investigated the impact of two underlying sources of error that contribute to the instability of these annual scores: (1) Sampling error variance associated with cluster sampling of students (referred to as "design effects") rather than true random sampling; and (2) Error variance associated with equating test forms. The purpose of this paper is to summarize the points of consensus reached by the expert panel regarding Phillips' work on methodological factors that contribute to score drift, and the actions state agency personnel can and should take to manage and minimize these sources of error. Appended are: (1) Peer Review Panelists; and (2) Content of the "Score Drift and Design Effects: Why Test Results Bounce up and Down from Year to Year in Some State, District and School Testing Programs." (Contains 3 tables and 4 footnotes.)
The Effect of Using Computer Edutainment on Developing 2nd Primary Graders' Writing Skills
Author: Mohammed Abdel Raheem, Azza Ashraf
Date: 2011-00-00
Type: Dissertations/Theses - Masters Theses
Subjects: Elementary School Students,Grade 2,Writing Skills,Skill Development,Vocabulary Development,Computer Uses in Education,Computer Games,Educational Games,Writing Instruction,English (Second Language),Enrichment Activities,Instructional Effectiveness,Pretests Posttests,Writing Tests,Needs Assessment,Elementary School Teachers,Self Evaluation (Individuals),Learning Experience,Student Attitudes,Foreign Countries

The present study attempted to examine the effect of using computer edutainment on developing 2nd graders' writing skills. The study comprised thirty-second year primary stage enrolled in Bani Hamad primary governmental school, Minia governorate. The study adopted the quasi-experimental design. Thirty participants were randomly assigned to one group and they were taught through a suggested computer edutainment program. Data were gathered and analyzed using both quantitative and qualitative instruments. A pre post electronic writing test, a pre post paper and pencil writing test, a writing scoring rubric, a vocabulary acquisition test, a self-assessment checklist, a writing skills strategies and concepts checklist, writing samples, a writing development record, and reflection logs were used in the study. Findings indicated that participants showed significantly higher levels of writing samples in the area of content and ideas, organization and form, style, and convention. Findings also showed significantly higher levels of vocabulary acquisition. Participants' writing samples and the writing development record showed that they internalized the writing strategies and concepts they were taught, and transferred them to their independent writing. Participants also showed that they moved from the emergent stage of writing to the conventional one. The improvement of pupils writing as demonstrated by multiple measures suggests that computer edutainment is an effective way for developing 2nd primary graders' writing skills in one of the governmental schools. The following are appended: (1) Computer Edutainment: The Teacher's Guidebook; (2) Instruments (Enrichment Writing Activities Needs Assessment Survey, Technology Survey, Primary Teachers-Writing Practices Survey, Writing Skills Questionnaires, Pre-Post Electronic Writing Test, Pre-Post Paper and Pencil Writing Test, Pre-Post Vocabulary Test, Writing Analytical Scoring Rubric, Self-Assessment Writing Checklist, Reflection Logs, Early Literacy Achievement Tests, Computer Edutainment Evaluation Sheet, Writing Development Record); (3) Tables of Writing Strategies and Concepts Data and Tables of Writing Development Record Data; (4) Pupils' Writing Samples; and (5) List of Jury Members and Pictures. A Summary in Arabic is also provided. (Contains 17 tables and 8 figures.)
The Vital Role of Administrative Cost Allowances to Student Financial Aid Offices: Key Findings from NASFAA's Administrative Cost Allowance Survey, July 2011
Author: National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators (NASFAA)
Date: 2011-08-08
Type: Reports - Research
Subjects: Student Financial Aid,College Administration,Costs,Financial Support,Operating Expenses,Professional Development,Budgeting,Retrenchment,Student Financial Aid Officers,Surveys

The National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators (NASFAA) recently conducted a survey on the 2009-10 award year Administrative Cost Allowances (ACA), which are funds used by colleges and universities to support operations and professional development. Specifically, ACA is often used in essential areas that support the day-to-day operations of a financial aid office, such as salaries of financial aid counselors, equipment and supplies, and professional training. During this difficult fiscal environment, the ACA is being considered as a target for deficit reduction. The survey results presented in this paper indicate the vital role that the ACA plays in student aid administration, and the devastating impact that its elimination would have at the campus level.
Surveys of Enacted Curriculum Content & Instruction in Focus
Author: Council of Chief State School Officers
Date: 2013-00-00
Type: Reports - Descriptive
Subjects: State Standards,Teaching Methods,Needs Assessment,Faculty Development,Data Analysis,Elementary Secondary Education,Academic Standards,Elementary School Teachers,Secondary School Teachers,Educational Assessment,Academic Achievement,Instructional Effectiveness,Curriculum Development,Surveys,Charts

The "Surveys of Enacted Curriculum" (SEC) is a Web-based tool that provides K-12 mathematics, science, English language arts, and social studies teachers with consistent data, both on current instructional practices and the content actually being taught in their classrooms (the "how" and the "what"). Survey results are presented in clear and accessible charts and graphs to facilitate data analysis and discussion. The SEC's comprehensive data analysis and reporting tools help teachers, administrators, and policymakers to: (1) Align classroom instruction with state standards and assessments; (2) Measure indicators of instruction and their relationship to student achievement; (3) Analyze instructional practices and teacher preparation to develop a needs assessment in low performance areas; and (4) Plan and evaluate professional development and related staff development initiatives. The SEC will pinpoint how instruction aligns with content by guiding a teacher's and his/her colleagues in answering critical questions: (1) Is what we teach truly aligned with our state standards--the content our students should learn? How do we compare to the Common Core State Standards?; (2) Do we devote the right amount of instructional time to the right content?; (3) Can we identify the connection between current instructional practices and low performance relative to certain standards?; (4) Are our instructional practices consistent with prevailing research on effective practices?; and (5) What types of professional development do we need?
Statistics of State Universities and Other Institutions of Higher Education Partially Supported by the State for the Year Ended June 30, 1913. Bulletin, 1913, No. 60. Whole Number 571
Author: Department of the Interior, United States Bureau of Education (ED)
Date: 1914-00-00
Type: Historical Materials
Subjects: Higher Education,Educational Finance,Teaching Methods,Statistical Data,State Universities,Enrollment Trends,Educational Facilities Improvement,Private Financial Support,Income,Educational Facilities,School Buildings,Fees,Educational Change,State Aid

This annual bulletin, formerly prepared and published by the National Association of State Universities, has been published by the Bureau of Education for the past five years. The data given are taken from reports received from the offices of the presidents of the various institutions, and the figures printed are substantially as given in those reports. Apparent errors have been called to the attention of the authorities making the report and opportunity given for correction. In the preparation of these bulletins the bureau makes no investigation, but simply tabulates the returns as reported by the several institutions. This bulletin offers statistics of state universities and other institutions of higher education partially supported by the State in terms of: (1) Changes in courses and methods of instruction; (2) Gifts, buildings and improvements; (3) Teaching force; (4) Student enrollments; (5) Property and income; and (6) Student fees. (Contains 4 tables.) [Best copy available has been provided.]
Education in Costa Rica. Bulletin, 1946, No. 4
Author: Furbay, John H.
Date: 1946-00-00
Type: Historical Materials
Subjects: Extracurricular Activities,Foreign Countries,International Cooperation,World History,Educational Development,Educational History,Educational Legislation,Kindergarten,Elementary Education,Evening Programs,Private Schools,Secondary Education,Scholarships,Teacher Associations,College Preparation,Grading,Libraries,Parent School Relationship,Vocational Education,Teacher Education Programs,Teacher Competencies,Teacher Selection,Teacher Salaries,Higher Education,College Admission,Fees,College Housing,College Faculty,College Students,Academic Degrees,Student Personnel Services

The U.S. Office of Education has undertaken the preparation of a series of basic studies on education in a number of Central and South American countries under the sponsorship of the Interdepartmental Committee on Cultural and Scientific Cooperation. This series of studies is part of a program to promote understanding of educational conditions in the American countries and to encourage cooperation in the field of Inter-American education. The project, a part of a Government-wide program of cultural cooperation under the auspices of the Department of State, was begun in the fall of 1943. This document is based on data gathered by the author in Costa Rica in 1944 and supplemented since then through documentation. Its contents include: (1) The Country and Its People, providing an overview of the nation and its history from the colonial period through independence to today; (2) Costa Rica Goes to School, describing education during the colonial period and under the Republic from the passage of the Public school law of 1886 to today; (3) Kindergarten and Elementary Education, which introduces the kindergarten movement, currently in an early stage of development, the modern and new program of studies adopted in 1943 for elementary schools, evening schools and private schools; (4) Secondary Education, covering structure and purpose of secondary school education as well as the scholarships, Teachers Council, curriculum, extracurricular activities, examination for the baccalaureate, grading system medical services, libraries, the parent, nights schools, and commercial training, as well as a brief segment on private secondary education; (5) Training and Status of Teachers, comprising their preparation, appointment, classification and salaries, social security benefits, other benefits, and teacher organizations; (6) Higher Education, presenting the organization, requirements for admission, fees, living accommodations, student life, university teachers, degrees, and programs of study of the University of Costa Rica, as well as brief descriptions about the Inter-American Institute and Rubber research; (7) Agencies of Public and Pupil Welfare, summarizing the activities of 11 organizations that supplement the formal educational programs of the schools; and (8) Summary and Conclusion. A bibliography is provided. (Contains 45 footnotes and 6 tables.) [Best copy available has been provided.]
How to Build a Unit of Work. Bulletin, 1946, No. 5
Author: Strickland, Ruth G.
Date: 1946-00-00
Type: Historical Materials
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Educational History,Units of Study,Curriculum Development,Learning Activities,Teaching Methods,Class Activities,Bibliographies,Elementary Secondary Education,Special Needs Students,Early Childhood Education,Rural Schools,Kindergarten,Aviation Education,Lesson Plans,Communications,Student Centered Curriculum,Student Interests,Educational Strategies,Guidelines,Instructional Materials,Reading Lists,Educational Objectives,Evaluation Methods,Student Evaluation

Units of work represent an effort on the part of the school to relate subject matter and the development of skills in the organization of children's learning about important interests, topics, or problems. The units are made by teachers with their children and are designed to fit the situation in which they are to be used. There is no single pattern for a unit of experience. It can be carried out in a variety of ways depending upon the teacher's interests and resources, the needs and interests of the children, and the course of study requirements. This bulletin has been prepared as a service bulletin to help teachers select, prepare, and carry through the units of work which fit the needs of the children in their groups. A number of suggestions are offered so that a unit of work may be modified to fit the needs of individuals and groups as to time, organization, level and difficulty of content, and types of activities. Contents address units of work for younger children, middle-grade children, and older boys and girls; identify adaptations and variations in units of work, and provide subject bibliographies for the teacher and for the children, as well as a brief list of references to help a teacher build units of work. (Contains 2 footnotes.) [Best copy available has been provided.]