Pulling preK1 into a K-12 orbit: the evolution of preK in the age of standards

Abstract

We might call this decade the era of early childhood. In the US, federal and state governments invest in the creation of public pre-kindergarten (preK) programs and create standards that articulate goals for practice and benchmarks that can be used to evaluate success. How have these trends provided a context for the evolution of preK curriculum? In this paper, we analyze the enactment of preK policy in New Jersey, a highly regulated preK program and Wisconsin, a local control state. We argue that standards-based practice is evolving into accountability in public preK programs, where outcomes set parameters for planning and teachers and children are increasingly regulated. As preK is more closely affiliated with the K-12 sector (elementary and secondary), preK programs are subject to the logic of alignment, benchmarks and assessments. Even when early learning standards support child-centered approaches to curriculum they are overruled by accountability discourse.     

Using participatory action research to study the implementation of Career Development Benchmarks at a New Zealand university

Benchmarks for career development services at tertiary institutions have been developed by Careers New Zealand. The benchmarks are intended to provide standards derived from international best practices to guide career development services. A new career development service was initiated at a large New Zealand university just after the benchmarks were published. This provided an opportunity to develop the new career service by implementing the benchmarks. In this article, we employ a participatory action research approach to study the process. Outcomes of a participatory action research cycle are reported and recommendations for using benchmarks are provided.     

Accounting for Student Attrition in Power Calculations: Benchmarks and Guidance

Abstract

Although the research methodology literature includes empirical benchmarks for effect sizes and intraclass correlations to help researchers determine adequate sample sizes through power analysis, it does not include similar benchmarks that would assist proper planning for attrition. To help fill this void, this paper describes how researchers can incorporate student attrition in power analyses and provides empirical benchmarks for the amount of attrition one might expect when conducting a school-based study that follows students over multiple years. The paper incorporates parameters for student attrition in common minimum detectable effect size calculations, presents attrition benchmarks based on student mobility rates in nationally representative longitudinal surveys, and presents benchmarks based on a synthesis of published evaluation studies. The paper includes a demonstration of how researchers can use the attrition benchmarks to take student attrition into account in a power analysis.     

Two approaches to teaching transformational lesson planning

Abstract

Teaching teachers to write lessons that exemplify transformational curriculum is vitally important, yet challenges face early childhood teacher educators who attempt this task. Two approaches for writing lesson plans are outlined, and the benefits of these planning approaches are described. Students become more knowledgeable about different types of objectives, about national standards and benchmarks, and about developmentally appropriate practice, emergent curriculum, and transformational curriculum. Students become more skilled at writing developmental and subject matter objectives, creating appropriate assessments for objectives, and articulating connections between objectives and standards and benchmarks. Finally, students become more focused on educational objectives and child outcomes.     

Early identification of young struggling readers: Preliminary benchmarks for intervention for students in years one and two in schools in New South Wales

It is now widely acknowledged that early intervention programs should be provided for young students who are experiencing difficulty in learning to read. It is important, therefore, to have efficient ways of identifying students who are most in need of intervention. The aim of this study was to establish preliminary performance benchmarks to identify the bottom 25% of year 1 and year 2 students in NSW schools at two key points in the school year. Students from grades 1 and 2 (n = 335) at two schools nominated as performing at state average levels were assessed on a battery of tests assessing various aspects of reading and related skills at the beginning and in the middle of the school year. Preliminary estimates of benchmarks for determining the bottom quartile of students were thereby obtained together with estimates of average performance at these two points in the school year to serve as performance goals for intervention.     

An examination of global university rankings as a new mechanism influencing mission differentiation: the UK context

Since their emergence a decade ago, global university rankings have become a powerful force in higher education internationally. The majority of research studies on global rankings have examined the effects at institutional and national levels. This study offers a valuable perspective on the ways rankings (and other international benchmarks) are deployed at the intra-sector level, by UK higher education ‘mission groups‘, to support different policy positions. The concept of object in activity theory is used to problematize the analysis. Critical discourse analysis is used as a methodological orientation to study the ways global rankings mediate the object in this context. The findings contribute to the current debate on whether rankings are promoting isomorphism in higher education sectors nationally, illustrating a differentiated engagement with rankings in the UK context. The relevance of the findings for policy-makers and institutional managers is discussed.

     

The state of affairs of teacher education with respect to information and communications technology

Abstract

If the Internet is an information superhighway, then teachers just might be the road-kill on the asphalt of the information superhighway. Possibly, for the first time in history, students are more adept at using the tools necessary for acquiring and transmitting knowledge than are their teachers. Children everywhere are creating their own virtual communities through the use of new technologies. They make use of chat facilities (MSN®, ICQ® etc.) to stay synchronously in touch with both old and new friends and email and short message services to stay in touch with them asynchronously. They take part in discussion groups, navigate through virtual worlds and assimilate new hardware and software as if it were second nature. In many ways they are light years ahead of their parents and teachers with respect to the possibilities of information and communications technology (ICT). As a result students are getting bored and frustrated and teachers are getting frustrated and distraught. To try to remedy this, the Inspectorate of Education of the Netherlands commissioned the Educational Technology Expertise Centre of the Open University of the Netherlands to lead an international study (quick-scan) on good/best practice with respect to the integration of ICT into the mental and physical toolbox of the aspirant teacher and to try to draw from this preliminary curricular benchmarks for teachers' colleges in the Netherlands. The quick-scan was carried out by a network of teacher training and ICT experts throughout the world. This special issue shows the reader the results of this quick-scan in terms of good practice and benchmarks for calibration and/or modelling of teacher training in ICT along with a number of pedagogical and policy repercussions of their adoption     

Using Oral Reading Rate to Predict Student Performance on Statewide Achievement Tests

In this study, a curriculum-based measurement (CBM) of reading aloud from narrative passages was used to predict performance on statewide achievement tests in reading and math. Scores on multiple-choice reading and math achievement tests were moderately correlated with scores on rate measures during the same year and rate measures administered 1 year previously. The results provide initial support for use of timed oral readings to predict students' performance on statewide achievement tests. Usefulness of CBM in monitoring students' progress toward preestablished benchmarks is supported, as well as the stability of the measures over time. Results are interpreted as a new application of research conducted on CBM during the past 2 decades.

In this study, a curriculum-based measurement (CBM) of reading aloud from narrative passages was used to predict performance on statewide achievement tests in reading and math. Scores on multiple-choice reading and math achievement tests were moderately correlated with scores on rate measures during the same year and rate measures administered 1 year previously. The results provide initial support for use of timed oral readings to predict students' performance on statewide achievement tests. Usefulness of CBM in monitoring students' progress toward preestablished benchmarks is supported, as well as the stability of the measures over time. Results are interpreted as a new application of research conducted on CBM during the past 2 decades.     

Integrating the Educative Functions of Information and Communications Technology (ICT) in teachers' and learners' toolboxes: a reflection on pedagogical benchmarks for ICT in teacher education

Abstract

The big question about pedagogical benchmarks for information and communications technology (ICT) in teacher training is whether they can be transferred to contexts other than the ones in which the benchmarks have been developed. In this article we reflect on the chances that the benchmarks presented will become really integrated within the heart of the learning and teaching process of teacher training programmes. To understand that process better, we reflect on the concept of professional learning and what that concept has to say about organisational learning and about how the integration process could be further developed. We propose a broad framework for actions of all actors involved: teacher training institutes, their partners (professional development schools), research and development agencies, the teacher trainers, the students, teachers in practice and their pupils. Only a concerted action of collaborative experimenting and professional learning on ICT integration in the learning and teaching processes can lead to the use of ICT as a catalyst for implementing learning arrangements that fit the expectations of the twenty-first century and its youth.     

The Impact of Every Classroom,Every Day on High School Student Achievement: Results From a School-Randomized Trial

Abstract

Every Classroom, Every Day (ECED) is a set of instructional improvement interventions designed to increase student achievement in math and English/language arts (ELA). ECED includes three primary components: (a) systematic classroom observations by school leaders, (b) intensive professional development and support for math teachers and instructional leaders to reorganize math instruction, assessment, and grading around mastery of benchmarks, and (c) a structured literacy curriculum that supplements traditional English courses, with accompanying professional development and support for teachers surrounding its use. The present study is a two-year trial, conducted by independent researchers, which employed a school-randomized design and included 20 high schools (10 treatment; 10 control) in five districts in four states. The students were ethnically diverse and most were eligible for free or reduced-price lunch. Results provided evidence that ECED improved scores on standardized tests of math achievement, but not standardized tests of ELA achievement. Findings are discussed in terms of differences between math and ELA and of implications for future large-scale school-randomized trials.     

Permanent uncertainty as normality? Finnish-Russian double degrees in the post-Crimea world

ABSTRACT

EU-Russia higher education cooperation has continued despite global tensions including Crimea incorporation. One example of this cooperation is the development of Finnish-Russian double degree programmes.

This paper focuses on institutional environments where double degrees develop and asks how and why they produce uncertainty from inside Finnish and Russian universities in the period of this unfavourable political situation. The matryoshka model is applied to understand the institutional environment of a university and the institutions around it. The institutional nature of a double degree is determined by comparative analysis of how internal university stakeholders in Finland and Russia perceive a programme’s benchmarks.

The study is based on the analysis of interviews conducted in partner universities. This paper discusses how perceptions of double degrees influence uncertainty in programme provision within and between institutional environments in Finnish and Russian universities. In addition, the level of institutionalisation of the double degrees may be evaluated.     

Disciplinary,Gender and Course Year Influences on Student Perceptions of Teaching: Explorations and implications

The prevalent use of student ratings in teaching evaluations, particularly the reliability of such data, has been debated for many years. Reports in the literature indicate that there are many factors influencing student perceptions of teaching. Three of these factors were investigated at the University of Western Australia, namely the broad discipline group, course/unit year level and student gender. Data collected over 3 years were analysed. The outcomes of this study confirmed results reported by other workers in the field that there are differences in ratings of students in different discipline groups and at different year levels. It also provided a possible explanation for the mixed results reported in studies of student gender in relation to student ratings.     

Understanding Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 4 on “quality education” from micro,meso and macro perspectives

This article discusses the current focus of education policies around the world on working with benchmarks, indicators and targets. Its aim is to increase knowledge of potential strategies to meet the fourth United Nations Sustainable Development Goal (SDG 4), which strives for quality education. The SDGs form part of the United Nations (UN) “2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development”, which was unanimously adopted in 2015 by all UN Member States as a “plan of action for people, planet and prosperity”. Structure and agency theory form an important starting point of this article, allowing the ten targets within SDG 4 to be separated and viewed from micro-, meso- and macro-level perspectives. This analysis explores the idea that reaching the SDG 4 targets is a responsibility shared among individuals, education and training institutions, and regulating governments.

     

Perceived relevance of information technology courses to prospective teachers' professional needs: the case of greece

Abstract

This study was designed to assess the extent to which computer courses provided by teacher education institutions in Greece fulfilled the professional needs of their students. A non-probability accidental sample of 1407 student teachers responded to a questionnaire. The analysis of collected data included t-tests and multiple regressions. The results of this study suggest that students are not convinced that the computer courses offered at their departments match their professional needs as teachers.     

Computer-aided graphing: a comparative study

Abstract

Good practice with information and communication technologies (ICT) in teacher education is responsive to its society's needs. This article provides a complementary view to those from Europe and elsewhere in the world from the perspective of federal USA, with this nation's localised support for K-12 schools. It is part of the quick-scan study in 2002 led by Paul Kirschner of the Open University of the Netherlands. Five teacher education programmes were selected to illustrate best practice with technology (as ICT is called in the USA) in US teacher education. Although the ICT benchmarks described by Kirschner & Davis (this issue) were present in every case, a better distinguishing factor was that all had a mission to serve their diverse communities. In addition, these programmes provide complementary professional development in the schools in which pre-service students gain internships. The review of best practice comes after 3 years of significant federal funding provided through the Federal Department of Education's initiative: ‘Preparing Tomorrow's Teachers to use Technology’ (PT3∥. Strategic planning for this initiative by government agencies and professional organisations is also described. It is noted that there is still much work to be done towards social justice and digital equity within and beyond the USA.     

Assessment of the quality and generalizability of the revised UCLA loneliness scale in Chinese and Korean community-dwelling elderly populations using item response theory (IRT)-Rasch modeling and hybrid IRT-logistic regression

ABSTRACT

Objectives: This study aims to test the dimensionality, reliability, and item quality of the revised UCLA loneliness scale as well as to investigate the differential item functioning (DIF) of the three dimensions of the revised UCLA loneliness scale in community-dwelling Chinese and Korean elderly individuals.

Method: Data from 493 elderly individuals (287 Chinese and 206 Korean) were used to examine the revised UCLA loneliness scale. The Research model based on item response theory (IRT) was used to test dimensionality, reliability, and item fit. The hybrid ordinal logistic regression-IRT test was used to evaluate DIF.

Results: Item separation reliability, person reliability, and Cronbach’s alpha met the benchmarks. The quality of the items in the three-dimension model met the benchmark. Eight items were detected as significant DIF items (at α < .01). The loneliness level of Chinese elderly individuals was significantly higher than that of Koreans in Dimensions 1 and 2, while Korean elderly participants showed significantly higher loneliness levels than Chinese participants in Dimension 3. Several collected demographic characteristics and loneliness levels were more highly correlated in Korean elderly individuals than in Chinese elderly individuals.

Conclusion: Analysis using the three dimensions is reasonable for the revised UCLA loneliness scale. Good item quality and the items of this measure suggest that the revised UCLA loneliness can be used to assess the preferred latent traits. Finally, the differences between the levels of loneliness in Chinese and Korean elderly individuals are associated with the factors of loneliness.     

A plan for child find in gifted education

Educators of children with special needs are required by law to employ “child find” to identify children with disabilities in their communities. Similar efforts to locate gifted children are required in a few states, but the practice is not mandated at the federal level. A rationale for child find is provided, as well as the guidelines of child find regarding locating gifted children among the states requiring this practice. Examples of current child find resources are provided, as well as implications for future research. Agencies that may participate in locating potentially gifted children are provided, along with suggested strategies for initiating a child find plan.     

Context,Participation and Discourse: The Role of the Communities of Practice Concept in Understanding Farmer Decision-Making

Abstract

This article contributes to the study of decision-making processes both at a farm systems level and at the level of agricultural research in partnership with commercial farms. It also highlights the way in which adoption and adaptation of innovation occurs in a socially rich context with information, group formation and connectivity converging to create a complex learning environment.

Design/methodology/approach. The methodology used in this research centres on the Communities of Practice (CoP) theoretical framework augmented by Gramsci's notion of Intellectual Communities and discursive analysis. A dairy farming systems project operating in Australia (3030 Project) provided the context for our study.

Findings. The group structures within the 3030 Project constitute CoP in which innovation is evolved, adopted and adapted. This process involves socially negotiated learning which is both processual and highly contextual. Discursive dialects are formed and interact within these CoP at the level of decision-making and can be analysed in context to further our understanding of the way in which farmers participate in learning opportunities and negotiate innovation.

Practical implications. This theoretical framework can be used to enhance the learning capabilities of these groups by developing a better understanding of how discourse is used to successfully transfer knowledge effectively and with authority.

Originality/value. The 3030 Project provided a unique opportunity for a comparative analysis of on-farm and research-based decision-making processes in a ‘real time’ situation from a multi-scale perspective.     

A Survey of Nursery School Costs

ABSTRACT

The authors investigated the extent to which taking specific types of Advanced Placement (AP) courses and the number of courses taken predicts the likelihood of passing subject benchmarks and earning a score of 19 on the composite score on the ACT test, and examined the role gender plays in the projection. They found evidence that taking an AP mathematics course and taking more AP courses derives a positive benefit. Results suggest young men are more likely to succeed in passing ACT mathematics and ACT science tests than are young women, but no gender difference was found on ACT Reading and ACT social studies.     

Increasing Secondary Teachers’ Capacity to Integrate the Arts

Abstract

Examples from a team of collaborating secondary teachers—one visual arts teacher and one science teacher—highlight key aspects of this professional development project in arts integration. The article traces a regional network designed to build teacher capacity with implications for the design, effectiveness, and sustainability of professional development for secondary teachers. It describes the framework for professional development through the first two years of the project. In year one, teachers increased their understanding of arts integration; collegial collaboration; the design and use of assessments that align with standards, benchmarks, and learning goals; and how to reflect on student work. In year two, professional development activity focused on co-teaching and helping teachers to increase the rigor of student learning goals as a way to improve student learning in arts and non-arts content areas. Project outcomes and challenges to sustaining such job-embedded and networked professional learning opportunities are discussed and directions for further research are offered.