Examining the Impact and School‐Level Predictors of Impact Variability of an 8th Grade Reading Intervention on At‐Risk Students’ Reading Achievement

The purpose of the present article is to report on a large‐scale investigation of six school districts’ implementation of an initiative aimed at reducing dropout rates by improving reading achievement in the middle grades. Data for the Middle School Intervention Project (MSIP) were collected in 25 middle schools across the state of Oregon. We examined (a) the degree to which the schools improved reading achievement for struggling readers in 8th grade, and (b) whether we could account for school differences in the treatment effect through measured explicit and intensive intervention factors. At the end of 8th grade there was no evidence of significant or positive effects on the two primary reading outcome measures.     

Voices from the bridge: Worldview conflicts of Kickapoo students of science

The purpose of this study was to compare the worldview of Native American students of the Traditional Kickapoo Band with the worldview encountered in the science classroom. The qualitative study investigated the worldview expressed in science instruction by conducting periodic observations in two classrooms over an 18-month period, teacher interviews, and text evaluations. StudentsÕ worldviews were investigated during individual and group interviews, classroom observations, science activities, and social interaction. Twenty-eight Kickapoo students, two teachers, and eight nonteaching members of the community participated in the study. Adult members of the Kickapoo Band were interviewed and asked to reflect on the educational and cultural norms of the students. A variable-oriented analysis revealed differences in epistemology, preferred methods of teaching/learning, values, spatial/temporal orientation, cultural rules for behavior, and perspective of the place of humans in the natural world. The study revealed significant worldview differences, none of which would prevent Kickapoo students from being full participants in the scientific community, but many of which may be preventing them from being successful in the science classroom. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Res Sci Teach 35: 111–132, 1998.     

Prevalence and correlates of physical fitness testing in U.S. schools--2000

Because of the perceived lack of youth physical fitness and/or concerns for increased obesity, physical education teachers are interested in youth fitness and physical activity levels. Statewide mandates are being developed that require school-based teachers to complete physical fitness testing. Data from the nationally representative School Health Policies and Programs Study 2000 were analyzed to investigate the prevalence of fitness testing and the professional characteristics of fitness test users. Data were collected with teachers of either randomly selected classes in elementary schools and randomly selected required physical education courses in middle/junior high and senior high schools (N = 1,564). The prevalence of fitness test use is 65% across all school levels. Variables associated with physical fitness test usage were professionally oriented. Results showed that teachers in secondary schools (odds ratio [OR] = 2.25, 95% confidence interval [CI] = I.18-4.27), those with degrees in physical education/kinesiology-related disciplines (OR = 2.01, 95% CI = 1.11-3.63), and those who had completed staff development on physical fitness testing (OR = 3.22, 95% CI = 1.86-5.60) were more likely than respondents without these characteristics to engage in physical fitness testing. Results changed little when separate analyses were conducted for classes/courses in districts requiring versus not requiring fitness testing. Financial variables, including fitness-oriented facilities available, metropolitan location, and discretionary expenditures per student, were not associated with fitness test use. Results provided national prevalence of school-based physical fitness testing use in the U. S. and conveyed information about those who currently use physical fitness tests.     

The effects of pre-first-grade programs on student reading and mathematics achievement

Pre-first programs and grade retentions have been ways that school personnel have attempted to address the problem of school failure. However, the benefits of these practices on student achievement have not been consistently supported in the research literature. This study investigated both the short- and long-term effects of pre-first programs on students' academic achievement in reading and mathematics, using three comparison groups. No significant differences were found in six of the eight analyses conducted, indicating few, if any, positive effects from the pre-first program. © 1996 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Teacher ratings of the achievement-related classroom behaviors of maltreated and non-maltreated children

This study investigated in what ways, if any, maltreated children differ from nonmaltreated children in regard to achievement-related classroom behaviors. Elementary school teachers completed the Hahnemann Elementary School Behavior Rating Scale on 33 maltreated children, 33 non-maltreated public assistance children, and 33 non-maltreated lower middle class children. The maltreated children were matched to the comparison children on gender and grade level. Results indicated that the maltreated children exhibited significantly less classroom behavior that is positively linked with academic achievement than did a comparable group of non-maltreated, public assistance children. However, the maltreated children did not differ significantly as a group from the public assistance children in most behaviors that are negatively linked with academic achievement, such as disruptive social involvement in the classroom. When compared with the lower middle class children, the maltreated children were rated as engaging in significantly less classroom behavior that is positively related to academic achievement and significantly more classroom behavior that is negatively related to academic achievement.     

The incidence and utility of the ACID,ACIDS, and SCAD profiles in a referred population

THE ACID, ACIDS, and SCAD profiles are examples of subtest patterns from the WISC-III that have been proposed as potentially helpful in differential diagnosis of exceptionalities. This study investigated the prevalence and utility of these profiles in a large referred population. Although the incidence rates of the ACID and ACIDS profiles in some groups were greater than rates reported for the standardization sample, incidence levels were found to be low in all clinical groups studied. The SCAD profile evidenced generally higher incidence rates but none greater than the rates reported for the standardization sample. The findings support the use of conditional probabilities and incremental gains based on the actual incidence from a referred population to assist in differential diagnosis; however, none of the profiles are recommended as a criterion for determining exceptionality.