ethanporcaro/eric-fulltext-meta huggingface dataset:
Updating the ACT College Readiness Benchmarks. ACT Research Report Series 2013 (6)
Author: Allen, Jeff
Date: 2013-09-00
Type: Reports - Research
Subjects: College Readiness,Benchmarking,High School Students,College Bound Students,Measures (Individuals),Student Placement,Progress Monitoring,Educational Indicators,Grade Point Average,Grades (Scholastic),Regression (Statistics),Statistical Analysis,Writing (Composition),Algebra,Social Sciences,Biology

The ACT College Readiness Benchmarks are the ACT® College Readiness Assessment scores associated with a 50% chance of earning a B or higher grade in typical first-year credit-bearing college courses. The Benchmarks also correspond to an approximate 75% chance of earning a C or higher grade in these courses. There are four Benchmarks, corresponding to the four ACT subject area test scores linked to common first-year courses: ACT English/English Composition I, ACT Mathematics/College Algebra, ACT Reading/social science courses, and ACT Science/Biology. This report updates the Benchmarks, first established in 2005, with more current data. We found no change in the English and Mathematics Benchmarks; the Reading Benchmark increased from 21 to 22; and the Science Benchmark decreased from 24 to 23. The ACT College Readiness Benchmarks are applicable to 11th and 12th grade students who take the ACT. ACT Explore® (grade 8 and 9) and ACT Plan® (grade 10) Benchmarks are the scores associated with a 50% chance of meeting the ACT Benchmarks. In this study, we also updated the Explore and Plan Benchmarks. This report describes potential uses of the Benchmarks, including 1) targets for monitoring K-12 academic progress, 2) indicators of academic readiness within multiple-measure systems for college course placement and intervention, and 3) indicators to monitor educational progress at the local, district, state, and national levels. The following tables are appended: (1) Course Content Codes Used for ACT Postsecondary Research; (2) Demographics of Student Samples by College Course; (3) Aggregate Academic Achievement of Student Samples by College Course; (4) Student Samples for Explore and Plan Benchmarks; (5) Parameter Estimates from Hierarchical Logistic Regression Models for Course Success; and (6) Parameter Estimates from Logistic Regression Models for Explore and Plan Benchmarks.
Trends in Achievement Gaps in First-Year College Courses for Racial/Ethnic, Income, and Gender Subgroups: A 12-Year Study. ACT Research Report Series 2013 (8)
Author: Lorah, Julie
Date: 2013-11-00
Type: Reports - Research
Subjects: Trend Analysis,Achievement Gap,College Freshmen,Racial Differences,Ethnic Groups,Socioeconomic Status,Income,Gender Differences,Longitudinal Studies,Grades (Scholastic),Grade Point Average,College Entrance Examinations,Credits,Science Achievement,Reading Achievement,Social Sciences,Biology,Algebra,College Preparation,Readiness,Language Arts,Writing (Composition),Mathematics Achievement,African American Students,White Students,Regression (Statistics),Hispanic American Students,High Schools,Asian American Students,Student Characteristics,Institutional Characteristics

Prior research has demonstrated gaps in the academic success of college student subgroups defined by race/ethnicity, income, and gender. We studied trends over time in the success of students in these subgroups in particular first-year college courses: English Composition I, College Algebra, social science courses, and Biology. The study is based on course grade data for 1998 through 2009 from over 330,000 students enrolled in 101 colleges. Success in a course was defined as obtaining either a B or higher grade or a C or higher grade in the courses. Achievement gaps were defined as differences in probabilities of success among student subgroups, after controlling for high school grade point average (GPA) and ACT® College Readiness Assessment scores. Female students outperformed male students in all of the first-year credit-bearing college courses used in the study, with the largest differences being observed in English Composition I and College Algebra. From 1998 to 2009, however, the gender achievement gap narrowed in English Composition I and Biology. Students from low-income families were less likely to succeed in all four courses, and income gaps in English Composition I and social science courses increased over time. Gaps for African American students and Hispanic students were observed in English Composition I, social science courses, and Biology, but not in College Algebra. Racial/ethnic achievement gaps expanded over the twelve years in the social science courses, but the gap between African Americans students and White students in Biology narrowed over time. Two appendices provide: (1) Technical Details of Multilevel Logistic Regression Models; and (2) Multilevel Logistic Regression Models.
Computing and Engineering in Afterschool. Afterschool Alert. Issue Brief No. 62
Author: Afterschool Alliance
Date: 2013-12-00
Type: Reports - Descriptive
Subjects: After School Programs,STEM Education,Program Effectiveness,Experiential Learning,Computer Science Education,Engineering Education,Elementary School Students,Middle School Students,High School Students,Career Development,Access to Education,Disproportionate Representation,Racial Differences,Gender Differences,Access to Computers,Youth Programs,Social Problems,Relevance (Education),Job Skills,Equal Education,Rural Areas

This Afterschool Alert Issue Brief explores how afterschool programs are offering innovative, hands-on computing and engineering education opportunities. Both these subjects have emerged as priority areas within the &quot;STEM&quot; fields. Computing is one of the fastest growing industries, and yet current rates of college graduation in computer science do not keep pace with the projected number of job openings over the next ten years. Many high-profile efforts have been launched to raise awareness of this issue and get students interested in computing. Engineering faces similar challenges. Despite the availability of well-paying jobs, few students graduate with a degree in engineering. There is also an equity issue, with few women and students of color majoring in these fields. Similar to computing, students and teachers are unsure of to what exactly engineering is. Both subjects are often viewed as advanced topics and relegated to the realm of post-secondary education. While it is known that students need the academic background and skills necessary to be ready for college-level STEM courses, student interest is key to pursuing and persisting in further STEM opportunities and this has to start well before students enter college. While there is much work to be done to integrating computing classes in schools and connecting those experiences to higher education and the workforce, afterschool programs offer an immediate opportunity to engage young people in computing. Through several examples, this issue brief demonstrates how computing and engineering afterschool programs are reaching diverse audiences, bolstering interest, and connecting these experiences to careers. In fact, the winner of Afterschool Alliance&apos;s 2013 Afterschool STEM Impact Awards--Project GUTS in Santa Fe, New Mexico--is a computing program that teaches middle school students how to model and program simulations of real-world scenarios. This brief features Project GUTS and other exemplary afterschool programs that are offering rigorous computing and engineering educational experiences for elementary, middle, and high school students. This is the second in a series of issue briefs based on Afterschool Alliance&apos;s Afterschool STEM Impact Awards. [For the first brief in this series, see ED546853.]
Catching up to College and Career Readiness: The Challenge Is Greater for At-Risk Students. Issue Brief
Author: Dougherty, Chrys
Date: 2014-05-00
Type: Reports - Research
Subjects: College Readiness,Career Readiness,At Risk Students,Grade 4,Grade 5,Grade 6,Grade 7,Grade 8,Grade 9,Grade 10,Grade 11,Grade 12,Benchmarking,Mathematics Achievement,Reading Achievement,Science Achievement,English,Achievement Gains,Low Income Groups,African American Students,Hispanic American Students,English Language Learners,Special Education

Educators and policymakers have set a goal that all students graduate from high school ready for college and careers. A substantial body of research supports the idea that the path to college and career readiness begins well before middle and high school. In an earlier policy report, ACT examined the percentage of academically far off track students in grade 8 from multiple states who were able to reach ACT College Readiness Benchmarks on the ACT in grade 12, as an indicator of the challenges school systems face in closing academic preparation gaps at the high school level. This report extends earlier research by analyzing student catch-up rates in grades 4-8 (middle grades) and 8-11 or 8-12 (high school) by student demographic subgroup. Two states, Arkansas and Kentucky, supplied the data needed to link student enrollment and test records across those grade spans and to disaggregate students into demographic groups. The results of this study extend the findings of previous research to show the additional difficulty of catching up Far Off Track students from at-risk demographic groups.
Student- and Teacher-Reported Behavioral Measures: Do They Agree? Issue Brief
Author: ACT, Inc.
Date: 2013-04-00
Type: Reports - Research
Subjects: Middle School Students,Student Behavior,Teacher Attitudes,Student Attitudes,Middle School Teachers,Student Motivation,Learner Engagement,Self Control,Outcomes of Education,Grades (Scholastic),Attendance,Suspension,Measures (Individuals),Correlation,Academic Achievement

Middle school students' behavior is an important dimension of high school readiness. Research has shown that academic achievement and academic behavior in middle school affect high school academic outcomes, high school persistence, and high school graduation. The academic behaviors that are important for success in middle school, high school, and beyond can be grouped into three broad domains: (1) Motivation; (2) Social Engagement; and (3) Self-Regulation. This paper addresses three key questions about student and teacher observations of behavior: (1) Do both types of behavioral measures--student-reported and teacher-reported--predict important educational outcomes: course grades, absenteeism, and being suspended from school? Does using both perspectives together improve prediction?; (2) How similar are the students' self-reports to teachers' perceptions of these same students' behaviors in each of the three domains?; and (3) Do the relationships between student-reported and teacher-reported behavioral measures vary by student grade level? Data were collected for over 6,000 students from 42 schools. The student-reported behavioral measures were collected using ACT Engage Grades 6-9, an instrument designed to measure behavior and psychosocial factors. Behavioral ratings were collected from these students' teachers using ACT Engage Teacher Edition. The results of this study suggest that the assessment of academic behaviors from multiple perspectives--student and teacher--yields more accurate and actionable information than either perspective alone. Implications for classroom and school practice and policy focus on more effective use of student information to improve student educational outcomes. An appendix presents ACT Engage Scales by Domain.
Early Monitoring and Long-Term College Success in Oklahoma. Issue Brief
Author: ACT, Inc.
Date: 2013-01-00
Type: Reports - Evaluative
Subjects: College Readiness,Enrollment,College Attendance,Developmental Studies Programs,Remedial Instruction,Remedial Programs,Academic Achievement,Academic Persistence,College Entrance Examinations,Graduation,Graduation Rate,Progress Monitoring,Intervention,High School Students,College Bound Students,Racial Differences

This report describes the differences in early and long-term college outcomes for Oklahoma ACT-tested students between those who were monitored early with ACT Explore® and ACT Plan® and those who did not take these two assessments prior to taking the ACT® Test. Findings support that early monitoring of college and career readiness with ACT Explore and ACT Plan is associated with:(1) increased college enrollment; (2) decreased remediation; (3) increased college achievement; (4) increased college persistence; and (5) increased degree completion. early monitoring of student progress toward college and career readiness and intervening with students not on track to graduate from high school ready for college or career is important and beneficial for all in a state. With ACT Explore, ACT Plan, and the ACT Test, schools, districts, and states can assess student achievement in grades 8, 10, and 11 or 12 while monitoring student, school, and state growth toward college and career readiness.
The Reality of College Readiness 2013: National
Author: ACT, Inc.
Date: 2013-00-00
Type: Numerical/Quantitative Data
Subjects: College Readiness,Colleges,Enrollment,Academic Persistence,Student Mobility,High School Graduates,Benchmarking,Academic Achievement

Annually, ACT provides each state with &quot;The Condition of College &amp; Career Readiness,&quot; a report that details the college readiness of students who took the ACT® test. Based on extensive empirical research, ACT has defined &quot;college and career readiness&quot; as the acquisition of knowledge and skills a student needs to enroll and succeed in credit-bearing first-year college courses at a postsecondary institution without the need for remediation. This definition has been adopted by the Common Core State Standards Initiative. This report is a companion to &quot;The Condition of College &amp; Career Readiness.&quot; The report traces the college enrollment, retention, re-enrollment, and migration patterns of the 2011 ACT-tested high school graduates across the country. It also provides a snapshot of the impact that benchmark-meeting behavior has on those patterns and, ultimately, on success in college. This report is intended to raise awareness of the fact that the path to college success is not a linear one for many students. There are significant numbers of qualified students who move through (or in and out of) multiple postsecondary experiences as they pursue their educational goals. [For related report, &quot;The Condition of College &amp; Career Readiness, 2013, see ED546779.]
What Are the ACT College Readiness Benchmarks? Information Brief
Author: ACT, Inc.
Date: 2013-09-00
Type: Reports - Descriptive
Subjects: College Readiness,College Credits,Community Colleges,Student Placement,Benchmarking,Social Sciences,Algebra,Biology,Science Instruction,Writing Instruction,Writing (Composition)

The ACT College Readiness Benchmarks are the minimum ACT® college readiness assessment scores required for students to have a high probability of success in credit-bearing college courses--English Composition, social sciences courses, College Algebra, or Biology. This report identifies the College Readiness Benchmarks on the ACT Compass scale corresponding to success in credit-bearing community college courses. Colleges can use the Benchmarks for the ACT as one among several criteria for admission or as a foundation for determining course placement scores. The Benchmarks offer users a concise, reliable method of articulating postsecondary expectations to middle schools and high schools so that timely interventions can be made.
&quot;You Can Go to College&quot;: Foster High School. College Readiness Case Study
Author: ACT, Inc.
Date: 2010-00-00
Type: Reports - Research
Subjects: College Readiness,Case Studies,Minority Group Students,Academic Achievement,Career Readiness,Achievement Gap,High School Students,High School Graduates,Scores,Academic Aspiration,Core Curriculum,Models,Educational Policy,Educational Practices,Demography,Racial Composition,Educational Improvement,Secondary School Teachers,Secondary School Curriculum,Academic Support Services,Progress Monitoring,Parents,Parent Participation,School Community Relationship,Community Involvement

Foster High School, located in Richmond, Texas, is a school with a substantial enrollment of minority students (29 percent Hispanic students, 15 percent African American students) that has made noteworthy strides in improving the academic achievement and the college and career readiness of its students. Moreover, the gaps in academic achievement between White and minority students, and between lower- and higher-income students, at Foster High School have narrowed considerably. This case study highlights the achievements and advancements made by Foster High School between 2004 and 2008 and the policies and practices that have contributed to these achievements. The research concluded that across racial/ethnic and income groups, ACT-tested graduates of Foster High School have seen notable improvements in test scores, taking a core curriculum, college and career readiness, educational aspirations, and enrollment in college. ACT researchers have identified a number of policies and practices that are consistent with these improvements. Taken together, these policies and practices may serve as a model for other high schools--particularly those with substantial enrollments of minority students--that are attempting to improve the academic achievement and the college and career readiness of their students.
A Comparison of the American Common Core State Standards with the Finnish Educational System
Author: Lynch, Kelly
Date: 2014-07-00
Type: Reports - Research
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Comparative Analysis,Academic Standards,State Standards,Federal Legislation,Educational Legislation,Educational Change,Educational Practices,Standardized Tests,Curriculum Design,Qualitative Research,Educational Finance,Financial Support,Professional Autonomy,Teacher Education,Community Control,School District Autonomy,Educational Administration,Cooperation,Educational Assessment,Formative Evaluation,Portfolios (Background Materials),Portfolio Assessment,Performance Based Assessment,Social Systems,Educational Attitudes,Access to Education,Special Needs Students,Preschool Education,School Entrance Age,Recess Breaks,Class Size,Individualized Instruction,Second Language Learning,Second Language Instruction

With the failure of the No Child Left Behind policies of the 1990's, educational reformers wished to establish a &quot;new and improved&quot; set of standards for the United States to follow. However, since their inception in 2006-2007, the new Common Core State Standards have become increasingly unpopular due to the fact that they remain largely untested, and are riddled with inconsistencies. Standards that were put in place to make sure that every child is &quot;job-ready&quot; when they graduate have actually created more division between wealthy schools, who can afford the computers and textbooks required for the new standards, and poorer schools who can barely afford the outdated and worn out textbooks they already have. While many opponents of these new standards would like to see them eliminated completely, there are alternative methods of assessment that may actually enhance or improve the standards that are already in place. However, some countries have eliminated standardized testing altogether and are thriving. Ranked as one of the best educational systems in the world, Finland reformed their educational system over thirty years ago, and has continued to develop their educational system with continued investment, teacher training, and the practice of trust.
Peer Observation and Reflection in the ELT Practicum
Author: Day, Richard R.
Date: 2013-00-00
Type: Reports - Research
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Reflective Teaching,Observation,Peer Evaluation,English (Second Language),Second Language Instruction,Student Attitudes,Teacher Behavior,Behavior Change,Practicums,Questionnaires,Teacher Education,Program Effectiveness,Measures (Individuals),Likert Scales,Student Teachers

The purpose of this study was to determine if peer observation (PO) in an ELT practicum for graduate students led to reflective teaching. The 15 students in the practicum taught EFL at two universities in rural Thailand in eight-week intensive courses. Five questions were investigated: (1) Did PO help the students engage in reflective teaching? (2) What were the students' reactions to PO? (3) Did the students modify their teaching behaviors or practices because of PO? (4) Did the students change any of their teaching beliefs because of PO? (5) Would engaging in reflective teaching in the practicum generalize to subsequent teaching experiences? The data were collected by means of two questionnaires. The findings demonstrate that the students liked PO, and that they reflected on their teaching which helped them modify their teaching practices and beliefs. They also show that the students would engage in reflective teaching in future teaching.
Middle School Learners' Ontological &quot;Trying-on&quot; of Dimensions: A Phenomenological Investigation
Author: Valentine, Keri Duncan
Date: 2014-06-00
Type: Reports - Research
Subjects: Middle School Students,Student Experience,Grade 5,Grade 6,Phenomenology,Geometric Concepts,Films,Interviews,Mathematics Instruction,Perception,Vision

This paper shares findings from a post-intentional phenomenological study aimed at understanding learners' experience investigating space and dimension concepts in a fifth and sixth grade mathematics class. Findings indicate experiences in this study manifest as an ontological &quot;trying-on&quot; of geometric dimensions (e.g., through sight, perception, and motion), leading learners to conjecture about dimensional relationships. The paper discusses implications informing the second iteration of the design-based research project. [This paper was published in: &quot;ICLS 2014 Proceedings,&quot; ISLS, p745-752.]
College of Education Graduate School Students Examine the Advantages of Integrating Research-Based Instructional Theories into Every Day Classroom Instruction
Author: Costley, Kevin C.
Date: 2014-10-15
Type: Reports - Research
Subjects: Graduate Students,Schools of Education,Educational Theories,Instruction,Educational Research,Public Schools,Student Attitudes,Theory Practice Relationship

College of Education students are always interested in the purpose and use of educational theories and what theories can be used to aid in classroom instruction and learning. This article contains written dialogues from of university educational graduate students elaborating on their personal perceptions of the usefulness of theories in public school classrooms and instruction. The topic was intriguing to these students who commonly agree that many theories can be useful in instruction and securing learner outcomes. After one on one sharing these comments in class, students became much more aware of the usefulness of theories resulting in cooperative dialogues of specific theories that are useful. One focus in the paper is that there is no one single theory that applies to all learners. This realization is the exciting part about studying and analyzing theories in depth. Through these in-class dialogues presented in this paper, students came to the understanding that a theory is an orderly, integrated set of statements that describes, explains, and predicts behavior. Theories are directly influenced by cultural values and give meaning to what teachers see. The consensus is that theories can be useful and helpful guiding instruction.