High stakes testing in reading demands that educators are providing the appropriate instruction to ensure student’s success on state and national assessments. Causal comparative research was conducted to examine the research questions. 6 reading assessments were used for the study: (a) the 2007 administration of the fourth and eighth grade NAEP, (b) the 2006-2007 administration of the fourth and eighth grade MCT, and (c) the 2007-2008 administration of the fourth and eighth grade MCT2. Data were drawn from the Mississippi Department of Education’s website and from the National Assessment of Education Progress’ website. District level data were available for both Mississippi Curriculum Tests and state level data were available for the NAEP. Results revealed that there were statistically significant differences between achievement levels for fourth and eighth grade students on the MCT and MCT2. Comparison of the means for the two reading tests at the fourth and eighth grade level indicated that students scored statistically significant lower on the MCT2 than they did on the MCT. Results also revealed that there were higher percentages of fourth grade students scoring minimal on NAEP than on the MCT and MCT2. In the basic category, there were higher percentages of students scoring basic on the MCT2 and higher percentages of students scoring proficient and advanced on the MCT. Relying on the targeted percentage of students at the achievement levels of proficient and advanced, the percentages of students on the MCT and MCT2 exceeded NAEP levels. At the eighth grade level, there were higher percentages of students scoring minimal and basic on NAEP and higher percentages of students scoring proficient and advanced on the MCT. Relying on the targeted percentage of students at the achievement levels of proficient and advanced, the percentages of students on the MCT and MCT2 exceeded NAEP levels. Based on the above findings, the MCT2 is more aligned to NAEP, given that there were statistically significant differences between the MCT and MCT2. Further studies are needed in other subject areas to ensure state tests alignment with NAEP

Thesis advisor: Henry Braun / School reports mandated by NCLB demonstrated that AI/AN students have the lowest achievement among focal subgroups. What has not yet been investigated are the achievement differences among AI/AN students: public low density school students scored significantly higher than public high density school students who scored significantly higher than BIE school students on the NAEP 8th grade mathematics achievement test in 2009. The NIES data made it possible to reliably estimate and investigate these differences. Nine derived risk factors and seven risk indices were created using both NAEP and NIES student, teacher, and school questionnaire data. Chi-square and OLS regression analyses were performed to better understand the achievement patterns between states and across school density types within states. The final OLS regression models were more similar across states within school density types than across school density types within a state. Four out of the six final models captured the data well with the adjusted R-squared values ranging from 0.31-0.38 (the other two final models had adjusted R-squared values of 0.24 and 0.11). The results of the OLS regression models in five of the six strata showed that the NAEP Social/physical risk index was significantly associated with lower student achievement. The final model for the South Dakota BIE school students included completely different predictors than the final models for the other five strata, possibly related to the extreme poverty on the reservations in South Dakota. There was a discrepancy in most strata between the number of students labeled as being ELL and the number of students who stated they spoke a language other than English at home at least half of the time or more. These and other results suggest that schools should focus on forming stronger connections with the students’ families both because of language barriers and parents’ previous experiences in school. / Thesis (PhD) — Boston College, 2016. / Submitted to: Boston College. Lynch School of Education. / Discipline: Educational Research, Measurement and Evaluation.

The focus of the research was to examine the academic intervention program implemented to address academic concerns in the middle grades in one large urban school district in central Florida. Educational leaders at all levels are concerned with the choice of one in four students who make the decision to not complete high school coursework, leaving before earning a high school diploma. The researcher examined to what extent, if any, participation in the middle grades academic intervention program affected academic success in coursework and what difference, if any, there were between academic coursework grade point averages and at-risk eligibility factors, for levels of student participation in the academic intervention program. The at-risk eligibility factors for placement into this middle grades intervention program included prior year retention, prior year course failure(s), and prior year grade point average of 2.0 or below on a 4.0 scale. The school district of study provided each middle grades school with one teaching allocation to support the academic intervention program. Data from six of the 12 middle schools that tracked students in the academic intervention program for the 2013-2014 school year were retrieved from the school district central office. Interviews were conducted with all 12 academic intervention program supervising administrators to determine the delivery method provided for the program at each school. The study provides information on the effectiveness of the academic intervention program, implications for practice, and recommendations for future research.

The problem of low achievement and failure of 8th-grade students to attain state proficiency level in science in a local school district was addressed in this case study. Data from 2012-2016 revealed that 93% of 8th-grade students in 2 suburban middle schools in the targeted state failed to meet science proficiency standards on the science Criterion-Referenced Competency Tests and the state's Milestone Assessments. The purpose of conducting this qualitative case study was to develop an understanding of teachers' perceptions regarding high failure rate of 8th-grade students to meet state mandated standards in science. Piaget's constructs of developmental and operational learning were used as the conceptual framework. Guiding questions were used to explore teacher perceptions of the challenges middle school students experience in learning science, as well as developmental and operational learning characteristics affecting science achievement. Data were collected from interviews with 12 middle school science teachers at the two schools. Data were analyzed using open coding and thematic analysis and were checked for accuracy through member checking. Common themes were behavioral issues, lack of concept application, lack of intellectual development, the need for relatable instructional strategies, and the need for teachers' professional development. A professional development program for teachers was constructed as a project to address each of these themes. The study may affect positive social change by providing teachers and stakeholders with a deeper understanding of student needs in science learning and improved instructional strategies for teachers to enhance students' science achievement.

No description available.

A mathematics achievement gap exists between 8th grade African American students and other ethnic groups. Guided by the conceptual framework of constructivism, the purpose of this case study was to examine 8, Grade 8 math teachers' perceptions of factors contributing to mathematical performance gap in their African American students and what instructional strategies can be used to help reduce the achievement gap in southwest Georgia. Data were obtained through interviews and classroom observations and were coded and analyzed using typological analysis, followed by inductive analysis. The results of the data revealed teachers perceived recruiting and retaining African American teachers and providing professional development on the various co-teaching strategies, could help lower the achievement gap between African American students and other ethnic groups in the area of mathematics. Based on the findings, a professional development plan was created which addressed co-teaching, aligning instruction to the needs of African American students' culture, and implementing different instructional strategies in the math classroom. The implementation of this project may contribute toward positive social change by helping teachers support 8th grade African American students' performance in mathematics thus improving math achievement.

Made available in DSpace on 2016-04-27T16:33:42Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Patricia Tanganelli Lara.pdf: 1122663 bytes, checksum: ab5640c7d3581b1be5a551e7af36eb14 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2008-08-29 / Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico / This study analizes the scolastic inclusion and exclusion of students in the 8th grade, verifying the reasons for which the students present scolastic success or weakness. The main objective of the research was to identify and characterize scolastic inclusion and exclusion of students at the end of the eight grade in relation to the organizational aspects of the school and the curiculum being used at the school, as seen through the work of the teachers, as well as in relation to the social and cultural characteristics of all the school employees. The main theoretical references for the present study were Bourdieu, in order to comprehend the meaning of the categories allotted by the teachers for the students and those excluded from the interior; Charlot, to clarify the relation to knowledge; and Lahire, to discuss the scholastic success amongst the lower-class population. To explain the processes of selection existent in the day to day school environment, Apple was consulted. The data collected refers to observation within the school, including the 8th grade students of a public school situated in the city of São Paulo em 2007; to the questionaires applied to and interviews with teachers and students throughout the time period; and to the analysis of documents related to the evaluations of the students when in the 8th grade and prior (when in the 4th grade), and other information from general evaluation tests, and from scolastic organization. The results indicate that the production of scholastic success or weakness was an institutional factor, including the actions of all school employees, be it by the classification used, be it by the maintenance of them throughout the years, be it by the institutions that decided the lives of the students, and be it by the actions of the team of directors in omitting many times the conditions or change in conditions needed for betterment and not providing substitution rather than suspension of so many classes, which only worsened the precariousness of the attention given. These actions within the school demonstrate strong traits of school culture, which proportions the scholastic inclusion or exclusion of students / Este estudo analisa a inclusão e a exclusão escolar de alunos no último ano do ciclo II, verificando por quais razões os alunos apresentam sucesso ou fracasso escolar. O objetivo central da pesquisa foi identificar e caracterizar a inclusão e a exclusão escolar de alunos do final do ciclo II em suas relações com aspectos da organização da escola e do currículo em ação na escola, por meio do trabalho dos professores, bem como das características sociais e culturais dos agentes da escola. Os principais referenciais teóricos do presente estudo foram Bourdieu, a fim de compreender o que significam as categorias do juízo professoral sobre os alunos e os excluídos do interior; Charlot, para esclarecer a relação com o saber; Lahire, para discutir o sucesso escolar nos meios populares. Para explicar os processos de rotulação existentes no cotidiano escolar, recorreu-se a Apple. Os dados coletados referemse à observação no interior da escola, inclusive nas turmas de 8ª série de uma escola pública municipal situada na cidade de São Paulo em 2007; a questionários e entrevistas ao longo do percurso para professores e alunos; a análise dos documentos relativos às avaliações dos alunos na 8ª série e prévia (4ª série), e outros advindos das provas de avaliação externa da escola, e da organização escolar. Os resultados indicaram que a produção do sucesso e do fracasso escolar foi uma questão institucional, perpassando a atuação de todos os agentes da escola, seja pelas classificações efetuadas, seja pela manutenção delas ao longo dos anos, seja pelos órgãos que decidiram a vida dos alunos ou, ainda, pela atuação da equipe dirigente, omissa muitas vezes em prover condições ou alterá-las para outra direção, ou mesmo providenciar substituições e não suspensão de tantas aulas, o que só agravou a precariedade do atendimento. Essas ações no interior da escola demonstram traços fortes da cultura escolar, que propiciam a inclusão ou a exclusão escolar de alunos

Made available in DSpace on 2016-04-27T16:33:03Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Praticas Reforco Recup Escola Fund Est Ciclo II SP.pdf: 17839696 bytes, checksum: ec36c9d3b2c55c9c00955a3e98e74271 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2005-02-25 / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior / The aim of this study is to contribute for the best knowledge of how public politics acts educational system. The main question that had to be answered was what schools had done to avoid the failure of the cycle regime with continuous progress, considering reinforcement and recuperation. In this sense, the practices adopted in reinforcement classes in cycle II schools 5th to 8th grade of São Paulo State public schools was studied. The search was made from 2003 2004 by means of documental analysis: educational lows from 60 s decade to the beginning of 2000 decade, schools papers, student and teacher papers. A series of observations was conducted during the reinforcement classes, interview with teachers and school staff also was made. The reinforcement process analyzed was focused on Portuguese language matter in 5th, 6th and 8th grades. The empiric data obtained for analysis was organized in three ways: selecting students for class s composition, learning process in the reinforcement class and evaluation process for pupils return to regular classes. This study was based in concepts proposed by Viñao Frago, Dominique Julia, Anne Marie Chartier, Gimeno Sacristan and Pérez Gómez that states the confirmed hipotesys in which educational system works with formal and bureacratic legal exigencys for reinforcement as well as recuperation but isn t free from teachers interference and from solutions like the statement of a recuperation week in the bimester end. Further more, it was also confirmed that the used practices for recuperation and reinforcement had only reproduce the established practices consolidated by the traditional school and teacher culture of learning, mainly due to the extensive use of training exercises as for 5th grade, that was in alphabetization stage, as for the other grades, using a variety of lecture texts, It was also observed that the concepts of reinforcement and recuperation isn t well understood in all levels of the educational hierarchy. / Este estudo teve como finalidade contribuir para a compreensão do modo pelo qual as políticas públicas se efetivam dentro da escola. A questão central orientadora do estudo foi a de saber como a escola vem operando no que diz respeito ao reforço e recuperação para evitar o fracasso no regime de ciclos com progressão continuada. Para tanto decidiu-se por um estudo das práticas em sala de reforço em escola de Ciclo II 5ª a 8ª séries na rede estadual paulista. A pesquisa foi realizada durante os anos de 2003 e 2004 utilizando-se pesquisa documental: legislação desde a década de 1960 até início da década de 2000, documentação da escola, dos alunos e professores. Foram realizadas observações nas aulas de reforço e entrevistas com professores e equipe técnica da escola, localizada em São Paulo. O processo de reforço analisado centrou-se em Português para 5ª, 7ª e 8ª séries. Os dados empíricos obtidos foram analisados organizando-se três chaves de análise: seleção de alunos para composição das classes, processo de ensino na sala de reforço e processo de avaliação e retorno para a classe regular. O estudo teve como referencial de análise conceitos de cultura escolar propostos por Viñao Frago e Dominique Julia, dispositivos escolares abordados por Anne Marie Chartier, atividades práticas e cultura conceituados por Gimeno Sacristan e Pérez Gómez. Tais conceitos levaram a estabelecer a hipótese, confirmada, de que as escolas, por um lado fazem um atendimento formal, burocrático das exigências legais quanto ao reforço e recuperação, mas que, por outro lado não é possível negar a interferência do professor nesse processo e em certas inovações que, nessa escola, se materializaram por providências para criação de uma semana pedagógica para os alunos com dificuldades ao final dos bimestres. Além disso, confirmou-se a hipótese de que as práticas utilizadas para recuperação e reforço reproduzem as práticas de aulas sedimentadas constituidoras da cultura da escola e dos professores, sobretudo por meio dos exercícios de treinamento, tanto para os alunos da 5ª série que estavam se alfabetizando como para os das demais séries com tipos de textos variados. Verificou-se, ainda, a incongruência dos conceitos de reforço e recuperação em diversificadas instâncias da rede escolar.

Made available in DSpace on 2016-04-27T16:57:23Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Natalia Coelho Soares.pdf: 1911222 bytes, checksum: 49a1ece22c9ff2a82a16d9ff71201d25 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2012-12-10 / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior / This research aimed to investigate whether and how eighth-grade middle school students who have difficulty in solving mathematical operations with natural numbers deepen their knowledge in this field when they have the opportunity to work with technological tools that are not frequently used in classroom. Data collection was based on twelve semi-structured interviews, which were done according to André (2008) concept of study of case. The students conceptions about solving mathematical operations with natural numbers were analyzed based mainly on the APOS theory. It was concluded that by introducing technological tools that are not frequently used in classroom, such as abacus and printing calculator, the students were allowed to deepen their knowledge about natural numbers and, consequently, reframe their conceptions about it / Este trabalho apresenta uma pesquisa de mestrado que teve o objetivo de investigar se e como, alunos do 8º ano do ensino fundamental, que apresentam dificuldades na resolução de atividades matemáticas que envolvem operações com os números naturais, aprofundam seus conhecimentos, quando lhes é dada a oportunidade do uso de tecnologias não usuais em sala de aula. Para a coleta de dados, foram realizadas doze entrevistas semiestruturadas que caracterizaram o estudo de caso, conforme definido por André (2008). As análises das concepções construídas pelos sujeitos basearam-se sobretudo na teoria APOS. Concluiu-se que a introdução das tecnologias não usuais, como o ábaco e, principalmente, a calculadora com impressora possibilitaram o aprofundamento e a consequente ressignificação das concepções dos sujeitos sobre as operações dos números naturais

Made available in DSpace on 2016-04-27T16:58:14Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Paulo Ramos Vasconcelos.pdf: 7144639 bytes, checksum: c4b5702ae8b69946853295f69e698368 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2007-05-14 / Secretaria da Educação do Estado de São Paulo / The purpose of this dissertation was to investigate the development of reading, comprehension of tables and graphs and the concept of arithmetic mean with students from 8th grade, in order to offer relevant data to answer the following research question: What are the effects from the point of view of application and development that a teaching intervention by a non traditional approach turned to the solving of problem-situations involving statistical contents to the statistical literacy of students from 8th grade? For such, a research of intervening character was developed with students from 8th grade of a school from the State public network of São Paulo, constituted of two moments: the first was composed of two phases in the first one the diagnostic-instrument was applied: pre-test; in the second one, the diagnostic-instrument post-test, based on the contents proposed by the Parâmetros Curriculares Nacionais. At the second moment, a teaching intervention was applied based on a sequence of activities involving problem-situations related to problems that are inserted in the daily life of students. The results observed considered the student s comprehension as for reading and comprehension of graphs and tables as: localization of maximum/minimum points, intervals of increase / decrease, the building of column, line graphs, etc.; conceptualization of measures of central tendency, inference and estimative degree based on the data from the graphs. It was concluded that the teaching intervention based on a non-traditional approach contributed to the teaching-learning of statistical concepts, broadening the student s knowledge about the content block of Information Treatment . It was observed that the group of problem-situations proposed enabled the perception of operative invariants linked to the concepts and to the group of significants constituting, thus, a conceptual field / O objetivo desta dissertação foi investigar o desenvolvimento da leitura e interpretação de tabelas e gráficos e o conceito de média aritmética com alunos da 8ª série do Ensino Fundamental, a fim de oferecer subsídios relevantes, para responder à seguinte questão de pesquisa: Quais são os efeitos do ponto de vista da aplicação e desenvolvimento que uma intervenção de ensino proporciona por meio de uma abordagem não tradicional voltada à resolução de situações-problema que envolvem conteúdos estatísticos para o letramento estatístico de alunos da 8ª série do Ensino Fundamental? Para tanto, foi desenvolvida uma pesquisa de caráter intervencionista com alunos da 8ª série do Ensino Fundamental de uma escola da rede pública estadual de São Paulo, constituída de dois momentos: o primeiro compôs-se de duas fases na primeira foi aplicado o instrumento-diagnóstico: pré-teste; na segunda, o instrumento-diagnóstico pós-teste, com base nos conteúdos propostos pelos Parâmetros Curriculares Nacionais. No segundo momento, foi aplicada uma intervenção de ensino com base em uma seqüência de atividades envolvendo situações-problema relacionadas a problemas que estão inseridos no cotidiano dos alunos. Os resultados observados consideraram a compreensão do aluno quanto à leitura e a interpretação de gráficos e tabela como: localização de pontos de máximo/mínimo, intervalos de crescimento/decrescimento, a construção de gráficos de colunas, gráficos linhas, etc; conceitualização das medidas de tendência central, grau de inferência e estimativa com base nos dados dos gráficos. Conclui-se que a intervenção de ensino apoiada em uma abordagem não tradicional contribuiu para o ensino-aprendizagem de conceitos estatísticos, ampliando o conhecimento do aluno sobre o bloco de conteúdo Tratamento da Informação . Observou-se que o conjunto de situações-problema propostas possibilitou a percepção dos invariantes operatórios associados aos conceitos e ao conjunto de significantes, desse modo, constituindo um campo conceitual