PROGRESS MONITORING WITH COMPUTER ADAPTIVE ASSESSMENTS: THE IMPACT OF DATA COLLECTION SCHEDULE ON GROWTH ESTIMATES

Although extensive research exists on the use of curriculum‐based measures for progress monitoring, little is known about using computer adaptive tests (CATs) for progress‐monitoring purposes. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the impact of the frequency of data collection on individual and group growth estimates using a CAT. Data were available for 278 fourth‐ and fifth‐grade students. Growth estimates were obtained when five, three, and two data collections were available across 18 weeks. Data were analyzed by grade to evaluate any observed differences in growth. Further, root mean square error values were obtained to evaluate differences in individual student growth estimates across data collection schedules. Group‐level estimates of growth did not differ across data collection schedules; however, growth estimates for individual students varied across the different schedules of data collection. Implications for using CATs to monitor student progress at the individual or group level are discussed.     

Application of the neuromuscular fatigue threshold treadmill test to muscles of the quadriceps and hamstrings

PurposeThe purposes of the present study were: (1) to determine whether the physical working capacity at the fatigue threshold (PWC_FT) model that has been used for estimating the onset of neuromuscular fatigue in the vastus lateralis (VL) during incremental treadmill running could also be applied to the vastus medialis (VM), biceps femoris (BF), and semitendinosus (ST) muscles; and (2) if applicable, to compare the running velocities associated with the PWC_FT among these muscles.MethodsEleven subjects (age 21.7 ± 1.8 years) performed an incremental treadmill test to exhaustion with electromyographic signals recorded from the VL, VM, BF, and ST.ResultsThe results indicated there were no significant (p > 0.05) mean differences in the running velocities associated with the PWC_FT for the VL (14.4 ± 2.0 km/h), VM (14.3 ± 1.9 km/h), BF (13.8 ± 1.8 km/h), and ST (14.7 ± 2.3 km/h). In addition, there were significant inter-correlations (r = 0.68–0.88) among running velocities associated with the PWC_FT of each muscle. Individual results also indicated that 9 of the 11 subjects exhibited identical PWC_FT values for at least 3 of the 4 muscles, but there were no uniform patterns for any intra-individual differences.ConclusionThe findings of the present study suggested that the PWC_FT test is a viable method to identify neuromuscular fatigue in the quadriceps and hamstrings during incremental treadmill exercise and results in consistent PWC_FT values among these muscles.     

Profiles of reading performance after exiting Tier 2 intervention

A fundamental assumption of multi-tiered systems of support is the bidirectional movement of students between tiers. In comparison to research on when to intensify instruction, less attention has been paid to the validity of decisions to exit students from supplemental supports. We used data from 554 third-grade students who met the criteria to be exited from a Tier 2 reading fluency intervention to answer two research questions. First, we used latent profile analysis to evaluate whether distinct profiles of student responding would emerge based upon initial skill level and intervention duration. Second, we evaluated whether the proportion of students who passed the end-of-year benchmark differed between profiles. Results favored a three-profile solution with a Below Average Start/Average Response; Average Start/Average Response; and an Above Average Start/Fast Response. The pooled mean proportion of students who did not achieve proficiency on the end-of-year benchmark assessment equaled 0.45, 0.33, and 0.13 across the three profiles, respectively. A series of χ² tests indicated the between-profile differences were statistically significant (p < .05). The results of this study suggest that there may be distinct profiles amongst students who show positive response and exit Tier 2 reading fluency interventions.     

Law and Regulation

THE ELECTRONIC MEDIA AND THE TRANSFORMATION OF LAW by M. Ethan Katsh (New York: Oxford University Press, 1989—$38.00, ISBN 0-19-504590-4)

COPYRIGHT LAW: A PRACTITIONER'S GUIDE and 1989 SUPPLEMENT by Harry G. Henn (Practising Law Institute, 810 Seventh Ave, New York, NY 10019—$85.00 for both, ISBN not provided)

USING COPYRIGHTED VIDEOCASSETTES IN CLASSROOMS, LIBRARIES, AND TRAINING CENTERS by Jerome K. Miller (1988,2nd ed.—$19.95, ISBN 0-914143-14-X)

A COPYRIGHT PRIMER FOR EDUCATIONAL AND INDUSTRIAL MEDIA PRODUCERS by Esther Sinofsky (1988—$29.95, ISBN 0-914143-12-3)

VIDEO COPYRIGHT PERMISSIONS: A GUIDE TO SECURING PERMISSION TO RETAIN, PERFORM, AND TRANSMIT TELEVISION PROGRAMS VIDEOTAPED OFF THE AIR by Jerome K. Miller and others (1989—price not given, ISBN 0-914143-13-1)

PRIVATE RIGHTS, PUBLIC WRONGS: THE COMPUTER AND PERSONAL PRIVACY by Michael Rogers Rubin (Norwood, NJ: Ablex, 1988—$32.50, ISBN 0-89391-518-1)

SUBJECTS IN PHOTOGRAPHS, FILM AND TELEVISION edited by Larry Gross, John Stuart Katz, and Jay Ruby (New York: Oxford University Press, 1988—$29.95, ISBN 0- 19-505433-4)

COMPENSATING CREATORS OF INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY: COLLECTIVES THAT COLLECT by Stanley M. Besen and Sheila Nataraj Kirby (Rand Corporation, 1700 Main St., PO Box 2138, Santa Monica, CA 90406—price not given, paper, ISBN 0-8330-0967-2)     

From the Field: Characteristics of Successful Tertiary Online Students and Strategies of Experienced Online Educators

Online learning, now a popular method of education at the tertiary level, creates new challenges for students and educators. Faculty members may know little about how to assist students in succeeding in this new learning environment, and students may be ill prepared to tackle the new demands put upon them. This research sought to identify dimensions of successful online learners by examining primary screening documents and mapping them to the literature base, and then invited experienced online educators to review the dimensions and provide strategies they use to ensure student success. Seven dimensions were identified and confirmed as significant, each dimension with slightly different importance, including access to tools; technology experience; learning preferences; study habits and skills; goals or purposes; lifestyle factors; and personal traits and characteristics. The experienced educators provided several online teaching strategies including students' posting biographies; frequent interaction; collaboration; required participation; question-asking forums; topical flexibility; and minimizing technology requirements.     

Hierarchy as a theme in the US college, 1880–1920

How did the undergraduate college rapidly position itself as the gateway to middle-class US employment between 1880 and 1920? This article attempts to explain one part of that process. Drawing on Weberian organisational theory, transnational intellectual history and case studies of three institutions, it identifies hierarchy as a defining aspect of both modern society and the modern workplace – one that must be comprehended and mastered by the successful ‘white collar’ worker. The author describes the turn-of-the-century transformation of the US college in the context of its increasingly hierarchical nature, as opposed to traditional explanations that focus on human capital production or the incorporation of the German research university model. Hierarchical structures in the hidden and extra-curriculum of the US college helped establish it as the pre-eminent testing ground for aspiring bureaucratic workers.