The importance of adjusting for pupil background in school value-added models: A study of Progress 8 and school accountability in England

In the UK, USA and elsewhere, school accountability systems increasingly compare schools using value-added measures of school performance derived from pupil scores in high-stakes standardised tests. Rather than naïvely comparing school average scores, which largely reflect school intake differences in prior attainment, these measures attempt to compare the average progress or improvement pupils make during a year or phase of schooling. Schools, however, also differ in terms of their pupil demographic and socioeconomic characteristics and these factors also predict why some schools subsequently score higher than others. Many therefore argue that value-added measures unadjusted for pupil background are biased in favour of schools with more ‘educationally advantaged’ intakes. But others worry that adjusting for pupil background entrenches socioeconomic inequities and excuses low-performing schools. In this article we explore these theoretical arguments and their practical importance in the context of the ‘Progress 8’ secondary school accountability system in England, which has chosen to ignore pupil background. We reveal how the reported low or high performance of many schools changes dramatically once adjustments are made for pupil background, and these changes also affect the reported differential performances of regions and of different school types. We conclude that accountability systems which choose to ignore pupil background are likely to reward and punish the wrong schools and this will likely have detrimental effects on pupil learning. These findings, especially when coupled with more general concerns surrounding high-stakes testing and school value-added models, raise serious doubts about their use in school accountability systems.     

偏向性技术进步下中国能源强度变动研究

从偏向性技术进步这一角度,采用LMDI指数分解法、回归法相结合的方法研究我国能源强度变动的原因,从而对我国能源强度不断下降的现象作出解释。得到的主要结论有:第一,从外生偏向性技术进步下的能源强度增长情况而言,能源增长型技术水平的提升显著地影响了我国的能源强度,能源价格与技术水平的提高可以分别解释28%与72%的能源强度变化;第二,就内生偏向性技术水平提升下的能源强度增长而言,二产比重、能源价格、研发投入是影响我国能源强度变动的主要原因,改革开放以来我国能源强度不断下降的主要原因是研发投入的快速增长和能源价格的提高。     

论康拉德小说的孤独主题:以《进步前哨》为例

孤独是康拉德小说深度刻画与反复表现的主题之一。康拉德短篇小说《进步前哨》对孤独主题作了深入思考和深度表述,孤独是人类生活、思考和书写关注的永恒主题,有其不同性质、状态和形态。     

全面迈向创新法时代——2021年《中华人民共和国科学技术进步法》修订评述

2021年12月24日全国人民代表大会常务委员会通过了《中华人民共和国科学技术进步法》第二次修订。此次法律修订对现行的科技基本性法律进行了系统、全面地更新,修订涉及的深度、强度和范围都是我国科技立法史上前所未有的。文章通过梳理当前科技立法发展趋势和面临的挑战,系统构建此次法律修订的宏观背景,并在此基础上重点从制度回应、制度创新和实施挑战3个方面对此次修订的重大亮点、重点制度和可能问题予以系统评述,以期为新法律有效实施提供参考。     

振荡体系研究进展

针对振荡体系研究的结果进行了综述，分5个方面对振荡体系进行了讨论．它们分别是：(1)典型的非线性化学振荡体系；(2)液膜振荡体系；(3)微生物振荡体系；(4)萃取振荡体系；(5)中草药振荡体系．文中重点介绍了BZ振荡体系，BZ反应机理，BZ反应的特征；振荡体系的研究方法；化学振荡体系的类型(包括经典类BZ反应，非催化类BZ反应，耦合类BZ反应和异相类BZ反应)．最后对非线性化学研究进展趋势进行了预测．     

我国农业可持续发展与科技进步

可持续发展是我国政府20世纪90年代提出的重大发展战略。由于农业在我国国民经济中的基础地位，农业可持续发展成为我国社会经济发展中的重要问题。农业可持续发展与科学技术进步有着密不可分的关系，要解决制约我国农业可持续发展中的主要问题必须依靠科技进步。     

猪繁殖与呼吸综合症（PRRS）的研究进展

猪繁殖与呼吸综合症(PRRS)是一种新近发现的猪病毒性传染病，自1987年首次在美国发现以来，近三年时间内，已传遍世界各地，我国也已发现有本病存在，他给各国养猪业造成严重的经济损失，成为当前兽医研究的一个新的热点。世界各国兽医界学者对本病进行了大量调查研究，取得了一定的成绩。本文从病毒学、发病机理和病理学、临床流行病学、实验室诊断技术和防治措施等五方面详细介绍该病目前的研究进展。我国是世界上养猪最多的国家，应高度警惕此病的传播，并高度重视其防治工作。     

The Christian Doctrines of Salvation in John Bunyan’s"Doubting Castle"and"Enchanted Ground"

John Bunyan’s The Pilgrim’s Progress has been written to preach the glad tidings of salvation.Therefore its allegorical protagonists have gradually gone through many tests and trials on the path to salvation.This paper is focused on the doctrinal instruction of the later two episodes,Doubting Castle and Enchanted Ground.     

周素园追求进步、光明思想探析

周素园从一个封建地主阶级青年知识分子,逐渐接受资产阶级进步思想及维新派的政治主张,直到接受马克思主义,成为坚定的无产阶级革命者。无论条件多么恶劣,他都坚定地追求进步和光明。周素园与封建旧思想决裂,在黑暗中寻找光明、追求光明、迎接光明,体现了坚定的信念。     

煤矿井下无线传感器网络国内外研究进展

煤矿井下作业工序繁杂,工作面布线网络复杂,如此而造成的工程事故概率颇高．而无线传感器网络对于改进工作面的布线网络和移动具有显著作用．该文采用文献资料、逻辑分析等发展,对国内外学者针对无线传感器网络问题的观点进行研究,分析其在煤矿井下的作用的研究进展,对改善并深入煤矿井下作业研究和无线传感器网络研究具有一定的现实价值和理论意义．