ethanporcaro/eric-fulltext-meta huggingface dataset:
Science Alternate Assessments Based on Alternate Achievement Standards (AA-AAS) during School Year 2014-2015. Synthesis Report 99
Author: Rogers, Christopher M.
Date: 2015-11-00
Type: Reports - Research
Subjects: Standardized Tests,State Standards,Science Tests,Disabilities,Severe Intellectual Disability,Alternative Assessment,Web Sites,Science Achievement,Test Content,Test Items,Portfolio Assessment,Rating Scales,Elementary Schools,Middle Schools,High Schools,Evaluation Methods,Student Projects,Observation

Federal law requires that all students, including students with disabilities, participate in state assessments used for accountability purposes. It also requires states to assess students in several content areas, including science. Most students with disabilities take the general science assessment with or without accommodations, but a few students with the most significant cognitive disabilities participate in alternate assessments based on alternate achievement standards (AA-AAS). The purpose of this analysis was to learn more about the characteristics of states' science AA-AAS in 2014-2015. Data for this report were gathered by examining information that was publicly available on state websites. Key findings include: (1) Most states' science AA-AAS covered the life science/biology, earth science/earth and space science, and physical sciences/physics content domains at all grade levels; (2) In many states some content domains assessed differed between the general assessment and the AA-AAS; (3) In some states more content domains were covered on the AA-AAS than on the general assessment and in others fewer content domains were covered; and (4) More than half of the states had item-based AA-AAS, while about a third of the states used portfolios; fewer than 10 used rating scales, either alone or in combination with another approach. Although federal regulations do allow states to define the complexity, depth, and breadth of the AAAAS, the apparent lack of consistency in the domains assessed suggests that some students with significant cognitive disabilities may not be getting access to the same rigorous grade-appropriate content. States' evolving assessment systems provide an excellent opportunity for states and consortia to consider the content assessed by the science AA-AAS. The following are appended: (1) AA-AAS Science Content Domains by State; (2) General Assessment and AA-AAS Science Comparisons; and (3) Assessment Approach Types and Response Formats.
Next Generation School Districts: What Capacities Do Districts Need to Create and Sustain Schools That Are Ready to Deliver on Common Core?
Author: Lake, Robin
Date: 2015-04-00
Type: Reports - Evaluative
Subjects: School Districts,Common Core State Standards,Educational Change,Delivery Systems,Educational Innovation,Systems Development,College Readiness,Career Readiness,Individualized Instruction,School Policy,Barriers,School Administration,Elementary Secondary Education

Every sector of the U.S. economy is working on ways to deliver services in a more customized manner. If all goes well, education is headed in the same direction. Personalized learning and globally benchmarked academic standards (a.k.a. Common Core) are the focus of most major school districts and charter school networks. Educators and parents know students must be better prepared to think deeply about complex problems and to have skills that are relevant for jobs that haven't yet been created. Promising school models are showing what's possible, but innovation in the classroom only takes you so far. Twenty-first century learning practices demand twenty-first century systems. This paper goes deep into the question of which system policies are most likely to get in the way of implementing personalized learning at scale. We work outward from the school to define the new capacities and functions districts need to develop. We make the case that districts are currently unwittingly hostile to school-level innovation. For that to change, they must aggressively work to change the incentives, policies, and structures so that they encourage and free up schools to innovate. This is the first of three white papers looking at system redesign from a variety of perspectives. Our next paper, &quot;The Case for Coherent High Schools&quot; [see: ED556237], examines the challenges of high school redesign. Our third and final paper, &quot;Redesigning the District Operating System [see: ED563481], explains why there must be updated central office systems to allow school-level initiative and problem solving.
Government-Funded Students and Courses: January to September 2015. Australian Vocational Education and Training Statistics
Author: National Centre for Vocational Education Research
Date: 2015-00-00
Type: Reports - Evaluative
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Vocational Education,Statistical Data,Educational Trends,School Statistics,Community Education,Delivery Systems,Government Role,Federal Aid,Educational Finance,Funding Formulas,Enrollment Rate,Student Characteristics,Geographic Distribution,Intellectual Disciplines,Institutional Characteristics,Profiles,Educational Practices,Courses,Majors (Students)

This publication provides a summary of data relating to students, programs, training providers and funding in Australia's government-funded vocational education and training (VET) system (broadly defined as all activity delivered by government providers and government-funded activity delivered by community education and private training providers). It is the third quarterly report of government-funded training activity and does not provide comparisons with previously published collected data. The data in this publication cover the period 1 January 2015 to 30 September 2015. The Australian VET system provides training across a wide range of subject areas and is delivered through a variety of training institutions and enterprises (including to apprentices and trainees). The system provides training for students of all ages and backgrounds. Students have many options for training and may study individual subjects or full programs that lead to formal qualifications. Training takes place in classrooms, in the workplace, online and through other flexible delivery methods. Providers of vocational education and training in Australia include technical and further education (TAFE) institutes, universities, secondary schools, industry organisations, private enterprises, agricultural colleges, community education providers and other government providers.
Redesigning the District Operating System
Author: Hodas, Steven
Date: 2015-05-00
Type: Reports - Evaluative
Subjects: School Districts,Elementary Secondary Education,School Administration,Administrative Organization,Systems Approach,Systems Development,School Policy,Theory Practice Relationship,Organizational Culture,Urban Schools,Problems,Delivery Systems

In this paper, we look at the inner workings of a school district through the lens of the &quot;district operating system (DOS),&quot; a set of interlocking mutually-reinforcing modules that includes functions like procurement, contracting, data and IT policy, the general counsel's office, human resources, and the systems for employee and family engagement. We examine the ways in which ingrained district operating systems practices can interfere with policy goals and school-level initiative and argues for a retooling of the DOS to enable dynamic problem-solving. This is the last in a series of white papers on system redesign. Our first paper, &quot;Next Generation School Districts&quot; [see: ED563479], goes deep into the question of which system policies are most likely to get in the way of implementing personalized learning at scale and defines the new capacities and functions districts need to develop. Our second paper, &quot;The Case for Coherent High Schools&quot; [see: ED556237], explains why personalized high schools are hard to get and keep in a traditional district, and argues that stable leadership, school-level autonomy, and choice for both staff and families are necessary to support high school redesign at scale.
The Development of Australia's National Training System: A Dynamic Tension between Consistency and Flexibility. Occasional Paper
Author: Bowman, Kaye
Date: 2016-00-00
Type: Reports - Evaluative
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Training,Vocational Education,Program Development,Program Effectiveness,Labor Force Development,Student Needs,National Standards,Industry,Job Skills,Educational History,Government Role,Financial Support

This occasional paper provides an overview of the development of Australia's national training system and is a key knowledge document of a wider research project &quot;Consistency with flexibility in the Australian national training system.&quot; This research project investigates the various approaches undertaken by each of the jurisdictions to establish a student entitlement funding model and also examines one of the often overlooked fundamentals of the national training system--the dynamic tension that exists between consistency and flexibility. This paper reflects on the history of vocational education and training (VET) in Australia. A key focus is the development of the national training system, which has emerged over the last two decades. The authors also explore the dynamic tension, built into the system, to achieve both national consistency and sufficient flexibility to ensure that training meets specific local, industry and learner needs. Australia's national training system: goals, objectives and key elements 1992 to 2015 is appended.
Student Entitlement Models in Australia's National Training System: Expert Views. Occasional Paper
Author: Bowman, Kaye
Date: 2016-00-00
Type: Reports - Research
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Vocational Education,Postsecondary Education,Attitude Measures,Training,National Standards,Educational Change,Interviews,Academic Standards,Government Role,Certification,Job Skills,Employment Qualifications,Student Financial Aid

This occasional paper provides the views of 17 &quot;thought leaders&quot; in the Australian vocational education and training (VET) sector. Their insight and opinions were sought to inform a larger research project focused on the student entitlement reforms that were introduced into the national VET system from 2012. These individuals offered a variety of senior-level vantage points on the topics of: (1) Australia's national training system: why it has been developed, what its key elements are, and the aspects where consistency has been sought and the aspects where flexibility has been sought; (2) VET student training entitlements: why this initiative has been introduced and the implications of the agreed flexibility in approach to its implementation by jurisdictions, in terms of maintaining a functional national training system; and (3) the implications of the VET student entitlement initiative for future national VET reform. A particular emphasis has been on the implications of the reforms and the challenges faced in its implementation in the context of achieving a balance between national consistency and jurisdictional flexibility. The interviewees considered key elements of the national training system, namely: standards for VET products (training packages and materials); standards for VET providers; and a flexible training market. The interviewees commented on the consistency and flexibility sought in each of these key elements, highlighting where tensions exist, particularly in student training entitlements. The following are appended: (1) Project statement provided to interviewees about the project and Project protocols; and (2) Interview guide questions. Information about the NVETR Program funding is provided at the end of this paper.
Teacher Survey of the Accessibility and Text Features of the Computerized Oral Reading Evaluation (CORE). Technical Report #1601
Author: Kahn, Josh
Date: 2016-00-00
Type: Reports - Research
Subjects: Teacher Surveys,Oral Reading,Reading Tests,Computer Assisted Testing,Reading Fluency,Elementary School Teachers,Differences,Test Length,Testing Problems,Scoring,Grade 2,Grade 3,Grade 4,Curriculum Based Assessment

There is strong theoretical support for oral reading fluency (ORF) as an essential building block of reading proficiency. The current and standard ORF assessment procedure requires that students read aloud a grade-level passage (˜ 250 words) in a one-to-one administration, with the number of words read correctly in 60 seconds constituting their ORF performance. The current study was part of a larger project to develop and validate a computerized ORF assessment system--Computerized Oral Reading Evaluation (CORE)--to reduce limitations in current ORF measures and procedures. The purposes of this technical report are to: (a) document whether the CORE system was accessible and useful for teachers, (b) explore potential differences between CORE and traditional ORF (i.e., easyCBM) passages, and (c) identify potential deficits in the three CORE lengths (˜ 25, 50, or 85 words). This information contributes to the response-process evidence for the CORE system's validity. Our results suggest that delivering, scoring, and storing ORF assessments online may be feasible, and desirable, for classroom teachers across Grades 2 through 4. In addition, although there were no distinct differences between CORE and traditional ORF passages, teacher reports suggest that the CORE short passages are most appropriate for Grade 2 students while CORE long and medium passages are preferred by teachers for students in Grades 3 and 4. Appendix A contains the teacher questionnaire.
Jurisdictional Approaches to Student Training Entitlements: Commonalities and Differences. Research Report
Author: Bowman, Kaye
Date: 2016-00-00
Type: Reports - Research
Subjects: Vocational Education,Training,Foreign Countries,National Standards,Geographic Location,Job Skills,Employment Qualifications,Eligibility,Access to Education,Student Financial Aid,Postsecondary Education

The past two decades have seen some evolution towards a more nationally consistent vocational education and training (VET) system. One of the challenges is to find the right balance between national consistency and appropriate flexibility, to accommodate the regional and local industry requirements and learner preferences that best serve the needs of states and territories. This report maps the implementation by jurisdictions of the most recent training market reforms, agreed to in the 2012-16 National Partnership Agreement on Skills Reform--a student training entitlement. The authors also undertake an analysis of the commonalities and differences in each jurisdiction's approach. This report will be useful as a composite description and the analysis valuable to the review of the student training entitlement and other aspects of the 2012-16 National Partnership Agreement on Skills Reform, planned for 2015-16. Information was gathered from publicly available sources on each jurisdiction's approach to the student training entitlement as at 30 March 2015 and arranged by the categories in which flexibilities are allowed under the National Partnership Agreement on Skills Reform: (1) eligibility for the entitlement; (2) the level of entitlement available; (3) the courses (qualifications) the entitlement applies to; (4) processes for setting subsidies, fees and prices and maintaining budget control; (5) the providers delivering the entitlement; and (6) the way by which access to high-quality information on the training entitlement is provided to clients. Jurisdictions' training entitlement models as at 30 March 2015 are appended. Information on NVETR Program funding is provided at the end of this report.
Towards More Effective Continuing Education and Training for Australian Workers
Author: Billett, Stephen
Date: 2015-00-00
Type: Reports - Research
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Continuing Education,Training,Workplace Learning,Employees,Vocational Education,Models

This is the final report of a three-year research project that aimed to identify and evaluate the potential models and practices of learning support that might constitute a national approach to workers' continuing education and training. The identification of a national approach to continuing education and training is emerging as a priority for the nation's vocational education and training (VET) system because of changing work requirements, an ageing workforce, and lengthening working lives. This research was motivated by a concern that entry-level training models may not best address workers' continuing education and training needs. Previous reports on the project describe how a range of models and practices of continuing education and training were appraised and refined through interviews and surveys undertaken with 137 workers and 60 managers in five industries across four Australian states. This process led to the identification of four models of continuing education as being the most effective, and which were preferred by workers and supervisors involved in learning within workplaces. These four models are: (1) wholly work-based; (2) work-based with direct guidance; (3) work-based with educational interventions; and (4) wholly education institution-based. The final phase of the project involved a series of roundtable discussions, in which a total of 62 VET professionals (practitioners and managers) were asked to appraise the suitability and sustainability of the four proposed models of education and training from their perspectives. Consultations were also held with a number of senior representatives of three key national agencies concerned with training and workforce development: a central agency in the Australian Government department providing advice on the vocational education system and its contributions to workforce skills and productivity, and two peak national agencies for both the public and private provision of vocational education. The purpose of this report is twofold: (1) to report on the outcomes of the final consultations; and (2) to present conclusions about continuing education and training models and practices that support workers' ongoing employability and workforce development. The report's conclusions also draw on the earlier phases of the project. The authors argue that the overall findings of the project suggest that a broader concept of a national continuing education and training system is required, one that shifts the focus away from education organised by and through education institutions toward one that better encompasses workers' needs and workplace requirements. Acknowledgment, support, and recognition of the value of work-based learning are fundamental to achieving this more holistic continuing education and training system.
Balancing Consistency and Flexibility in Student Training Entitlements: Research Overview
Author: Bowman, Kaye
Date: 2016-00-00
Type: Reports - Evaluative
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Vocational Education,Postsecondary Education,Student Financial Aid,Job Skills,Program Implementation,Educational Policy,Employment Qualifications,Eligibility,Access to Education,Job Training,Government Role,National Standards,Geographic Location,Equal Education

This research overview summarizes the work undertaken by Kaye Bowman and Suzy McKenna in exploring jurisdictional approaches to the implementation of student entitlements to vocational skills training, a key reform initiative in the National Partnership Agreement on Skills Reform (NPASR) of 2012-16. The overview is a condensed summary of three related papers, the first being a description of the recent evolution of a national training system, the second a detailed description and analysis on the manner in which student entitlements have been implemented by the states and territories, and, thirdly, the reflective opinions of informed experts on these issues. It highlights similarities and differences in the implementation of student entitlements and, pieced together, it examines the balance between the consistency of the national policy approach and practised jurisdictional flexibility, and the consequences for the longer-term objectives of the national training system. [For the reports summarized in this research overview, see ED563482, ED563486, and ED563483.]
Age and Time Population Differences: Young Adults, Gen Xers, and Millennials
Author: Menard, Lauren A.
Date: 2013-05-27
Type: Reports - Research
Subjects: Generational Differences,Young Adults,Theories,Age Differences,Racial Differences,Educational Attainment,Marital Status,Child Rearing,Employment Level,Income,Computer Use,Social Influences,Religion,Hypothesis Testing,Time,Surveys,Statistical Analysis,Multiple Regression Analysis

Age and Time disparities in young adult research populations are common because young adults are defined by varying age spans; members of Generation X and Millennial generations may both be considered young adults; study years vary, affecting populations; and qualitative methods with limited age/year samples are frequently utilized. The current theoretical analysis brings population differences to the forefront by a) identifying Age and Time differences among Young Adults, Gen Xers, and Millennials, b) demonstrating associations vary by Age and Time, and c) directly comparing findings for several commonly researched measures (i.e., Race, Education, Marriage, Parenthood, Employment, Income, Computer Use, Social Trust, and Prayer). Information presented advances the perspicacious assessment of young adult studies.
Comprehension of English Text among Saudi Arabian and American Undergraduates
Author: Menard, Lauren
Date: 2014-11-00
Type: Speeches/Meeting Papers
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Reading Comprehension,English,Undergraduate Students,Language Proficiency,Curriculum Based Assessment,Differences,Comparative Analysis,Females,Reading Tests

Reading comprehension was investigated between undergraduates at a university in Louisiana, United States (n = 17) and an English-based university in Saudi Arabia (n = 41) for the purpose of comparing variance and proficiency. Comprehension was measured with an 8th grade curriculum-based measure administered in English. The research hypothesis of a larger proportion proficient (60% or higher) from the university within the United States (99%) than the proportion proficient from an English-based university in Saudi Arabia (49%) was revealed in data (?[superscript 2] = 10.49, p = 0.0012). Greater variance in reading comprehension was expected at the English-based university in the non-English speaking country because of non-standardization of English instruction in k-12 programming. Analysis of sample variance in student data from Prince Mohammad bin fahd University (s[superscript 2] = 11.575) and Northwestern State University (s[superscript 2] = 4.639) confirmed this expectation.
Educational Attainment and Financial Satisfaction: The Changing Economic Value of a College Degree
Author: Menard, Lauren Ann
Date: 2014-11-00
Type: Speeches/Meeting Papers
Subjects: Educational Attainment,Satisfaction,Academic Degrees,National Surveys,Correlation,Age Differences,Gender Differences,Racial Differences,College Graduates,Economic Impact

Dwindling American financial satisfaction and growing college degree attainment were revealed in national social survey data spanning more than four decades (N = 57,061). Against these backdrops, associations between being financially satisfied and having a college degree grew stronger in each decade, with the strongest association between graduate degree and financially satisfied in 2010-2012 data. Associate degree was inversely correlated with financial satisfaction when statistically significant, but associations grew more weakly inverse over time. Older Americans with a bachelor or graduate degree in 2010-2012 were 152% more likely to be financially satisfied, compared to 68% more likely for young counterparts. The strength of associations between college degree and financial satisfaction more than doubled between the 1970s and 2012 for men and women. College degree was a stronger predictor of financial satisfaction for Other individuals than for White individuals in 2010-2012 data.