A Multidimensional Assessment of Teachers’ Knowledge of Algebra for Teaching: Developing an Instrument and Supporting Valid Inferences

Numerous researchers have suggested that there are multiple mathematical knowledge and skill areas needed by teachers in order for them to be effective teachers of mathematics: knowledge of the mathematics that are the goals of instruction, advanced mathematics beyond the instructional material, and mathematical knowledge that is specific to what is needed to teach students. The research reported here is about the development of a test of teachers’ knowledge in these three areas related to the teaching of algebra. The test development process is described and the results of several analyses are reported that had the goal of checking whether valid inferences can be made about the hypothesized components of teacher knowledge.     

There are Children Here: Service Learning for Social Justice

In this article, The Social Justice Education in Schools (SJES) Project integrates field-based study and existing research to identify five key Principles of Social Justice Education in Schools. An outgrowth of the federally funded Massachusetts Coalition for Teacher Quality and Student Achievement, the SJES Project seeks to positively impact teacher preparation, student achievement, and social justice practice in urban environments. The authors ground their discussion in their partnership with Rodriguez Elementary School, and present specific points of inquiry to facilitate K-12 educators, administrators, and community members' critical reflection on their own school environments. By developing a concrete framework for Social Justice Education in Schools, the authors hope to encourage future empirical research explicitly linking Social Justice Education to student achievement.     

Curriculum-Based Measurement as a Predictor of Performance on a State Assessment: Diagnostic Efficiency of Local Norms

With the concurrent emphasis on accountability, prevention, and early intervention, curriculum-based measurement of reading (R-CBM) is playing an increasingly important role in the educational process. This study investigated the differences in diagnostic accuracy and utility between commercial norms and local norms when making high-stakes, local decisions. Scores on Dynamic Indicators of Early Literacy Skills Oral Reading Fluency for 1,374 students in Grades 2 to 5 were used to predict outcomes the Georgia reading achievement test, the Criterion Referenced Competency Tests. Local norms were generated using logistic regression and receiver operator characteristic curve analysis. The generated cut scores were compared to the commercial norms for differences in diagnostic efficiency. The generated cut scores were lower than the commercial norms and had improved diagnostic efficiency. Implications related to educational policy and the use of R-CBM are discussed.     

EDUCATIONAL GOALS OF AUTOMOTIVE MECHANICS STUDENTS ATTENDING POSTSECONDARY VOCATIONAL INSTITUTES IN GEORGIA

The importance of vocational education has long been recognized in meeting society's need for trained workers. Since the early 1960s there has been a gradual shift in emphasis of federal vocational education priorities from specific programs (e.g., agriculture) to special populations, such as minorities, women, disadvantaged or handicapped individuals, and individuals with limited English‐speaking proficiency (Ohanneson, 1982). The Vocational Education Act Amendments of 1976 reinforced this emphasis by requiring that follow‐up information be collected, not just by the vocational discipline but by special population groups as well (U.S. 94th Congress, 1976). Subsequent vocational education legislation places emphasis on providing vocational education to all individuals who can benefit from such training (U.S. 98th Congress, 1984; U.S. 101st Congress, 1990).