Work in “value-added” analysys of schools' performance at the National Foundation for Educational Research

Abstract

The article presents a revision of the added value model in school assessment, understood to mean the extent to which the school achieves greater student performance, once other factors have been controlled, such as the socio-cultural context and the initial level of knowledge. Firstly, the evolution of this concept over the last few years is analysed, on account of an advance in three areas: studies on effective schools; performance measures; and changes in educational ideology. In point two there is some reflection on the contributions this model makes towards the most classical assessment approach, but attention is also drawn to the risk which may be run in doing so. Part three presents the assessment and research projects which are conducted by the National Foundation for Educational Research (NFER) within this theoretical framework. Finally, there is an appendix with a guide on taking the necessary decisions for working from the added value approach.     

How to Improve the Effectiveness of Teaching Writing under the New Curriculum?

The requirements of "Curriculum standards" for high school students to write have greatly improved than ever. Thus,in high school,teachers should seriously study teaching materials and "curriculum standards" and pay attention to the importance of English writing instruction,guide and organize students to do English writing to train and improve students’ writing skills and to improve their writing instruction effectiveness.     

From “Producing” to “Consuming” Research: Incorporating Evidence-Based Practice Into Advanced Research Courses in a Master of Social Work Program

Schools of social work have begun to explore teaching evidence-based practice (EBP) across their curriculum. Although the current literature offers ideas on how to incorporate EBP in foundation research and practice courses, the literature seems nonexistent on how to teach EBP in an advanced research sequence, which could clearly address the widespread criticism that research courses are unsuccessful in making the practice–research link more apparent. This article describes the transition of one school from a “producing research” curriculum focus to an EBP focus, which embraces consuming research. In the present article, the authors discuss the benefits and struggles associated with these two different approaches.     

“The Military Taught Me How to Study,How to Work Hard”: Helping Student-Veterans Transition by Building on Their Strengths

Community colleges are experiencing growing numbers of student veterans. Unfortunately, much training for faculty and staff tends to stem from a deficit mindset: the focus is on remediating what student veterans lack rather than building on their unique strengths. Training programs, courses, and college interventions that acknowledge and build on the strengths student veterans bring from the military to the academy will likely be more effective than those that focus solely on lack. This article identifies three key strengths characteristic to student veterans, connects them to current research on student success, and recommends ways colleges can build upon these strengths to support student-veterans’ transition to college.     

What Works to Improve Student Literacy Achievement? An Examination of Instructional Practices in a Balanced Literacy Approach

A core assumption of the San Diego City Schools (SDCS) reform effort was that improved instructional practices, aligned with a balanced literacy approach, would be effective in improving student outcomes. This article explores this hypothesis by presenting findings from an analysis of classroom instruction data collected in 101 classrooms in 9 high-poverty elementary schools. Data were collected using a literacy observation tool adapted from prior research. The study found a prevalent focus on reading comprehension instruction and on students' active engagement in making meaning from text. Teachers' use of higher-level questions and discussion about text were substantially higher than that found by a prior study using the same instrument in similar classrooms elsewhere. Hierarchical Linear Modeling analyses of instruction and student outcome data indicate that teacher practices related to the higher-level meaning of text, writing instruction, and strategies for accountable talk were associated with growth in students' reading comprehension.     

Preparing the “New” Biologist of the Future: Student Research at the Interface of Mathematics and Biology

We describe a unique Research Experience for Undergraduates and Research Experience for Veterinary students summer program at the National Institute for Mathematical and Biological Synthesis on the campus of the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. The program focused on interdisciplinary research at the interface of biology and mathematics. Participants were selected to work on projects with a biology mentor and a mathematics mentor in an environment that promoted collaboration outside of the students'' respective disciplines. There were four research projects with teams of four participants and two faculty mentors. The participants consisted of a mixture of 10 undergraduates in biology- and mathematics-related disciplines, four veterinary students, and two high-school teachers. The activities included lectures on both the biological and mathematical backgrounds of the projects, tutorials for software, and sessions on ethics, graduate school, and possible career paths for individuals interested in biology and mathematics. The program was designed to give students the ability to actively participate in the scientific research process by working on a project, writing up their results in a final report, and presenting their work orally. We report on the results of our evaluation surveys of the participants.     

School Effectiveness Research: Which Way at the Crossroads?

ABSTRACT

This article, a revised version of the plenary speech presented at the Fourth International Congress for School Effectiveness and Improvement, provides a state of the art view of research on school effectiveness. In the first part, the notion of effectiveness is related to the idea of quality. The necessity of taking the nature of the student intake into account, when making a judgement about the quality of a school, is also stressed.

After a presentation of research, mainly from the United Kingdom and the United States, different directions for the future are discussed. These directions range from the application of concepts and methodology to other aspects of the education service, to school improvement projects based on the equity dimension of education.

It is concluded that no single direction can be followed but that, as far as possible, all the directions identified should be pursued.     

How to Improve Listening Skills——in Light of the Information Processing Theory

Using Gagne’s information processing theory to analyze the listening process so as to provide a pedagogical model for L2 learners to solve listening problems as well as to cast some lights on listening teaching.     

“How”—beyond the “what”, towards the “why”: A rule-assessment approach to achievement testing

The advantages of a rule assessment approach to the interpretation of achievement test results have been demonstrated using an S-P chart with coded error types. The problems of similar total test scores resulting from completely different misapprehensions, as well as correct answers resulting from incorrect rules of operation, were addressed using a simulated data-set.Although the overall quality of the test used here as measured by conventional psychometric indices proved satisfactory, it was shown that the traditional interpretation, which refers to total test scores, can be misleading, especially when adaptive remediation is sought. It is well known in medical sciences that a disease has several symptoms yet several diseases can share the same symptoms (i.e. high fever). Consequently, no responsible physician would prescribe the same medicine for two patients suffering from different diseases just because they both share high fever as one of their symptoms. Similarly, when two students with different misapprehensions get the same total test score, should the teacher prescribe the same remediation for correcting their misapprehension?Although the method for diagnostic test construction was out of the scope of this paper, it should be noted that test design is a crucial matter which eventually determines the quality of the diagnosis. One has to, therefore, carefully choose the items for the diagnosis in order to maximize the information about the rules of operation underlying the students' responses. A task specification chart (Birenbaum & Shaw, 1985) may serve as a useful tool in the process of test construction. As was illustrated in the chart, when an item yields the same results as a result of various “bugs”, its contribution to rule assessment is in question.Although in reality test results are contaminated by noise resulting from careless errors or strategy changes during the test, the overall identification rate achieved by diagnostic tests ranges between 70%–80% (Tatsuoka, 1984). Similarly, current AI diagnostic systems such as DEBUGGY and DPF are reported as being capable of identifying 80%–90% of student errors (VanLehn, 1981; Ohlesson & Langley, 1985). It seems that such a rate justifies the tedious work involved in constructing a diagnostic tool.     

Spanish validation of the Basic Psychological Needs at Work Scale: A measure to predict teachers’ well-being in the workplace

The present study aimed to validate a Spanish-version of the Basic Psychological Needs at Work Scale (BPNWS-Sp) and to examine the associations between needs satisfaction and engagement and burnout in secondary education teachers. Using a sample of 584 secondary education teachers, the results supported the three-factor model, composite reliability, measurement invariance, and nomological validity of the BPNWS-Sp. This study contributes to validating the first instrument in Spanish to measure the satisfaction of the three BPNs separately in secondary education teachers. The measurement of teachers’ BPNs could effectively provide guidance for school policies to improve teaching and learning.     

Getting Ready for Work:the New“Hire”Education

1983年,一(项政府)个总统领导之下的委员会(任报告)发出警(示)告:“目前,我们社会的教育基础正在被(已充斥)如潮涌起的平庸之(才)辈所冲蚀, (且愈演愈烈,这必将)威胁到我们祖国和民族的未来。”二十多年以后,(此)这个名为《(危机)处在风险中     

What Work Do the Concepts of “Language” and “Literature” Do for Michael Rosenak?

Michael Rosenak uses the twin metaphors of “language” and “literature,” borrowed from Oakeshott and Peters, to argue that the goal of education is initiation into a language. This goal transcends the study of literature in that language. It includes, as well, the development of the capacity both to critique literature and to produce literature of one’s own. This article compares his use of the language-literature distinction to that of Oakeshott and Peters, revealing some inconsistencies that are driven by his desire to emphasize both autonomy and pluralism, on the one hand, and to maintain a residual essentialism on the other.     

From the “Revolutionary” to “Modernity” ——the Research on the Political System since the Founding of PRC

改革开放以来的中国政治实践表明,政治行为变化诱导政治系统及其子系统发生局部或全部的变迁,这种变迁既是原有政治系统的一种部分性延续,也是新系统结构渐成雏形的开端.除政治系统的外部环境发生改变外,新中国建立的组织化的政治系统自身的生存与维系产生困境,其内部的结构张力是导致系统变迁的关键性要素.当封闭的政治环境向半开放或开放的条件转变,在内外部因素共同作用的情景下,政治系统经历了由领袖权威式结构的“让位”到以“民族-国家”为核心的结构性“归位”,由政治系统核心因素替换引发的系统变迁标志着中国的政治系统开始了性质与行为方式的变化.     

A Systematic Review of Research on Personalized Learning: Personalized by Whom,to What,How, and for What Purpose(s)?

Educational Psychology Review - Teachers, schools, districts, states, and technology developers endeavor to personalize learning experiences for students, but definitions of personalized learning...