This study sought a time-efficient way to implement writing in ninth-grade Geometry. Students wrote responses to five expository writing prompts spread out over the spring semester of the 2014-2015 school year. Students first attempts were graded and returned to them along with feedback in the form of a teacher-written exemplar. Students rewrote assignments to improve their grades. All first and second attempts were collected and evaluated. We found that students were more successful after seeing the exemplar. Moreover, on assignments occurring later in the semester, more students were able to score in the top categories of the writing assignments on their first attempts. This suggests that students were not only able to improve their performance within attempts of the same assignment, but they were also able to improve their performance between assignments.

This thesis emphasizes the need for, and the development of, auxiliary and supplemental materials for students struggling with the Module 1 of the Common Core aligned EngageNY/Eureka Math, Algebra 1 Curriculum, in particular, special education students and regular education students who are missing essential pre-requisite skills. The goal of this thesis is to provide resources which assist both the students and the teachers with the transition from the old Louisiana Comprehensive Curriculum to the intensity, rigor, and mathematical sophistication of the new Common Core aligned curriculum. Clearly, the need for supplementary materials is not restricted to the first of six modules of the EngageNY Algebra 1 Curriculum. However, due to the obvious time constraints, this thesis provides only a proof of concept that is restricted to Module 1. The supplemental materials developed for this thesis focus on recognized foundational mathematics standards which students should have mastered at previous grade levels. The workbook included in this thesis contains exercises to reinforce students knowledge and proficiency in meeting pre-requisite foundational standards needed for Module 1 of the EngageNY Algebra 1 course. Additionally, it assists in the achievement of standards-based or Common Core aligned goals and objectives cited in special education students Individualized Education Programs (IEPs). The materials are structured systematically so that teachers can continue with their at-grade-level instruction while still addressing the missing mathematical skills.

To combat the obstacles that students experience in chemistry, two cooperative learning strategies, Rally Coach and Teams-Games-Tournaments, were implemented in five chemistry courses at East Ascension High School. Rally Coach called for two students to work as a pair and peer tutor to successfully complete practice problems for each lesson. Teams-Games-Tournaments required students to work in groups of four to complete practice problems and compete for team points as a review. Every student experienced both learning strategies. A comparison was made to see which cooperative learning strategy better helped student performance, including comparisons of effects on different student demographics and question types. To compare the strategies, normalized learning gains were calculated using pre- and post-test exams for each experimental unit. Rally Coach was found to significantly outperform Teams-Games-Tournaments in one of the units. Statistically significant differences also existed in comparisons of students with free or reduced lunch, different genders and grade levels, as well as a difference in performance on multiple choice questions. Student surveys indicated more enjoyment with Teams-Games-Tournaments but both strategies led to positive results.

This study investigates whether or not there is a correlation between parental involvement and student academic achievement. A sample of 103 students at Madison Preparatory Academy and CSAL Middle School (CSAL, Inc) were tested for correlations between the degree with which their parents are engaged in their academic lives and the success that they achieve as a result. Small correlations were found to exist between some of the variables tested. The test group consisted of a group of high school students from Madison Preparatory Academy (MPA) and their siblings who attended CSAL Middle which is the feeder school for MPA. The control group consisted of the remaining middle school students, whose parents volunteered for the study. It was assumed that because the demographic make-up of the two schools was similar that, untreated, their results would be similar as well. The high school parents received a handbook, which gave them tips for improving academic achievement, whereas the parents of the middle school did not receive the handbook. The analysis of the data showed a correlation in several categories for both groups. A correlation existed between students views of the assistance that they received from their parents and their level of confidence in their parents abilities to assist them. There was also a correlation between the parents self-efficacy and the amount of assistance they offered. I conclude that, parents who are more involved in the academic lives of their children have students who have a higher probability of being successful academically, as a result of that additional assistance.

This thesis offers a model professional development workshop to high school geometry teachers, with a focus on the Common Core State Standards in geometry, including a description of the workshop, materials to assist in the presentation, and follow-up materials. This workshop, which is based upon curriculum written for EngageNY under the direction of Common Core, Inc., has been presented by the author on four separate occasions to a total of approximately two hundred teachers and other school and district personnel over the past few months. Feedback obtained from attendees has been uniformly positive, indicating that the information and understanding obtained as a direct result of the workshop experience will be useful both in teaching the curriculum and in assisting other geometry teachers in the attendees schools and districts.

One of the mathematics standards for high schools stated in the Common Core State Standards Initiative (CCSS, 2010 Appendix A, p. 60) is the understanding of the Complex Number system, performing arithmetic operations with complex numbers, representing complex numbers and their operations on the complex plane, and using complex numbers in polynomial identities and equations. In this thesis, we trace back the history of complex numbers and formulate a set of problems based on the history. The thesis gives a description of the Common Core standards and goals. The exercises based on the history of complex numbers are shown to be in accordance with the Common Core standards. The different approaches to teaching complex numbers are described with examples. Their merits and shortfalls are discussed from a teachers mathematical perspective. A list of Guidelines on teaching complex numbers for high school teachers is given in the last chapter of this thesis.

The purpose of this research was to study my effectiveness as a high school physics teacher using a traditional approach to instruction compared to a Modeling approach. The study was conducted at a high school near Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Both groups consisted of 1 section of honors physics and 1 section of regular physics each. Conceptual understanding and problems solving gains were measured using pre/post Force Concept Inventory (FCI) and the Mechanics Baseline Test (MBT) results, respectively. Students level of science reasoning was also measured at the beginning of the school year only, using the Classroom Test of Scientific Reasoning (CTSR). The Modeling instruction group had significantly higher conceptual learning normalized gains as compared to the traditional instruction group. The data show no significant difference in the normalized gains in problem solving ability measured by the MBT. A gender bias was seen, with males having higher gains than females. The data showed that honors students had higher normalized learning gains compared to regular students. Students having higher scientific reasoning scores outperformed their peers in conceptual understanding and problem solving.

Different interactive engagements strategies have given students more hands-on involvement in the classroom and helped increase conceptual learning in physics. The purpose of this study was to test the effect of predicting motion graphs by utilizing motion analysis software. Two groups of high school students followed a modified version of Sokoloff and Thorntons seven step ILD process. One group was taught by making predictions. A second group was taught by watching demonstrations. To test for differences in the two groups understanding of kinematic graphs, pre and posttest where taken using the FMCE and Tug-K. The results of both the FMCE and Tug-K showed little to no gains from either the control group or treatment group. Modifying the ILD process and not allowing students the time to discuss their reasoning with other students seemed to be a major factor in the low scores. Although the results of my study are inconclusive compared to other research, there are many immeasurable findings that can help in developing future classroom activities.

ABSTRACT The purpose of this thesis is to provide the needed instructional materials to those who are teaching a Precalculus course following Algebra I, Geometry, and Algebra II. The recent adoption of the Common Core State Standards in Mathematics (CCSSM) has left many teachers scrambling to find instructional materials that meet the graduation requirement as well as insuring that our students are college and career ready when they leave high school. Furthermore, the College Boards Advanced Placement (AP) Calculus curriculum is generally accepted as the model for a twenty-first century calculus course serving as prerequisite for STEM related fields of study at the college level. The path now needs to be set for a new precalculus course to align the AP goals and objectives with the CCSSM. For the 2014-2015 school year, high schools must offer AP courses in all four core content areas, math, ELA, science, and social studies (www.louisianabelieves.com). However, for students to be adequately prepared for AP Calculus there must be an effective precalculus course available to be taken first. This thesis, High School 4th Mathematics: Precalculus for AP Calculus, is written specifically with the goal of meeting this requirement. In Appendix C of this thesis, high school mathematics teachers are provided with comprehensive lecture notes that contain lesson plans and student activities that are aligned with AP Calculus ready, the CCSSM, and the Common Core State (+) Standards in Mathematics (CCS(+)SM). Each section of the lecture notes consists of a lesson plan that begins with a comprehensive overview of the major concepts, a list of the related CCSSM, a set of section learning objectives, lecture notes, and a variety of lesson activities that support the Common Core State Content Standards as well as Mathematical Practice Standards (MPS). Even though Appendix C can be used by any Precalculus teacher as a resource, it is designed specifically to go along with the textbook, Precalculus 8th Edition, written by Demana, Waits, Foley, and Kennedy, the textbook which will be used in 2014-2015 by Southeastern Louisiana University for its Dual Enrollment Precalculus course, Math 165.

As states across the nation began to transition to the Common Core State Standards (CCSS), new curriculums and supplemental resources were and are still being developed to guide and support the teachers and students. Pearson Education, the publisher of many mathematics textbooks, as well as the online program MyMathLab (MML), has been successfully providing meaningful, lasting mathematics learning materials for many years. Online learning programs, including MML, are used in thousands of middle school, high school, and college-level mathematics courses. However, these products were developed long before the adoption of the CCSS by 43 states, so they are not aligned with the rigorous vertical structure, level of fluency, and conceptual understanding required by the CCSS and by the new national testing consortia Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC) and Smarter Balance. The purpose of this master thesis is to show that it is entirely within reach to fully utilize/align the MML platform with CCSS-based curricula like the EngageNY (Eureka Math) curriculum. As a proof of concept, the materials in Appendix A demonstrate how one can utilize MML to deliver lesson components, homework, mid-module assessments, and end-of-module assessments from the EngageNY mathematics curriculum. Using Modules 1 and 2 from the 7th grade EngageNY pre-algebra course, the created materials shown in Appendix A include examples, exercises, and problem sets from two lessons, as well as three different versions of all Module 1 and 2 exit tickets and assessments, and a Module 3 sprint. The MML platform documented in Appendix A is by no means a final product. Its sole purpose is to show that an MML platform to accompany the EngageNY mathematics curriculum can be developed effectively in a reasonable amount of time and with limited resources. Clearly, aside from legal issues that would have to be addressed, some editing and polishing would need to be done before piloting the MML platform in a real classroom, but the foundation is set with the work done in this thesis.