Thesis (Ed. S.)--Miami University, Dept. of Educational Psychology, 2008. / Title from first page of PDF document. Includes bibliographical references (p. 22-23).

Thesis (Ed. D.)--Illinois State University, 2001. / Title from title page screen, viewed May 2, 2006. Dissertation Committee: Edward Hines (chair), Marcia Escott-Hickrod, James Palmer, William Paul Vogt. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 133-138) and abstract. Also available in print.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Alabama at Birmingham, 2007. / Description based on contents viewed June 25, 2007; title from title screen. Includes bibliographical references (p. 142-148).

In 2010, Oregon Department of Education (ODE) developed a set of rubrics designed to score a state required performance assessment targeting Science Inquiry (SI) and Engineering Design (ED) skills. During the development of the rubrics, ODE invited six panels of teachers to provide feedback on an early draft of the rubrics. This case study analyzed the teachers' feedback and the revisions of the rubrics to identify the types of feedback teachers offered and how ODE used that feedback to develop the rubrics. The results showed the teachers' feedback focused on defining the skills students were asked to demonstrate and distinguishing levels of student performance. There was clear evidence that the teachers' feedback had a substantial impact on the development of the rubrics. These results suggest that teachers can add substantial value during the development of a state issued assessment tool.

No description available.

Dissertation (PhD)--University of Stellenbosch, 2000. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: In terms of the latest education legislation, there is a shift of emphasis in the approach to teaching. In particular, there is a move from contents-based learning to outcomes-based learning. It has been shown that technical education is becoming more and more expensive. Manual skills and the teaching of these at school is therefore still of cardinal importance. In the technical school the learner receives specialised training. Following the successful completion of the Senior Certificate examinations, the learner receives a matric certificate. This certificate does not give an indication of specific skills, however. If the learner could receive some accreditation for the skills which he/she has already mastered, it would count in his/her favour. The purpose of this study is to investigate the degree to which the learner can transfer his/her acquired technical knowledge and skills to other training institutions or employers in the form of credits. In the first chapter, the historical background of an outcomes-based learning approach in South Africa, as well as the implications of legislation for technical high schools is researched. A number of necessary concepts are also explained in this chapter. In chapter two, the structure of a modular approach in technical education is looked at in more detail. Different types of modules, the advantages and disadvantages of a modular system, as well as different models for modular curriculum design is discussed. The already tested competence-based modular approach, as well as the newly proposed outcomes-based learning approach is discussed in detail in chapter three. Since it is the competence-based modular approach which is largely used in technical education, it is important to investiqate the shift to an outcomesbased approach in technical education. In the fourth chapter, specific modular points of intersection between the training of apprentices and secondary school education are looked at. The feasibility of acquiring credits in the technical high school is discussed on the basis of an empirical study in chapter five. The possible applications of the implementation of an outcomes-based learning approach in technical high schools are set out in chapter six and the findings of this research are summarised in chapter seven. The subject of this research is currently very topical and if the findings contained therein are applied in practice, many of the modern challenges faced by the education system could be addressed. Learners should receive education and training which prepare them practically for their roles as citizens, while also enabling them to enter the job market or create work for themselves. The importance of an education system which continually determines the needs of both the national and international markets, investigates technological and other relevant tendencies and develops current curriculums in such a way that learners will always be competitive cannot be emphasised enough. An outcomes-based approach places much less emphasis on content-based syllabuses and merely exposes learners to balanced learning programmes in which the acquisition of relevant knowledge, skills, attitudes and values carries equal weight. Because of the changes in education and training, the teaching approach in the technical high school is extremely important. To some degree, technical education is already specialised education. Although learning takes place at school, the acquired knowledge is not currently transferable to other training institutions in the form of credits. This situation is contradictory to the National Qualifications Framework, in which an outcomes-based approach to education is proposed. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Volgens die nuutste onderwyswetgewing is daar in die onderwys 'n klemverskuiwing ten opsigte van onderrigbenadering. Daar word vanaf 'n inhoudsgerigte na 'n uitkomsgebaseerde onderrigbenadering beweeg. Afdoende bewyse bestaan dat tegniese opleiding al hoe duurder raak. Die noodsaaklikheid van die ontwikkeling van handvaardighede daarin op skool is daarom steeds van kardinale belang. In die tegniese skoolontvang die leerder bepaalde gespesialiseerde opleiding. Na die suksesvolle aflegging van die Senior Sertifikaateksamen, ontvang die leerder 'n matrieksertifikaat. Hierdie sertifikaat dui egter nie spesifieke bevoegdhede aan nie. Indien die leerder krediet sou kon ontvang vir die bevoegdhede wat hy/sy reeds suksesvol bemeester het, sou dit in sy/haar guns tel. Die doel van hierdie studie is 'n ondersoek na die mate waarin die leerder sy/haar verworwe tegniese kennis en vaardighede na ander opleidingsinstansies of werkverskaffers kan oordra in die vorm van krediete. In die eerste hoofstuk word die historiese agtergrond van 'n uitkomsgebaseerde onderrigbenadering in Suid-Afrika nagevors, asook die implikasies van wetgewing vir tegniese hoërskole nagegaan. Bepaalde tersaaklike begrippe word ook in hierdie hoofstuk verduidelik. In hoofstuk twee word die struktuur van 'n modulêre benadering binne tegniese onderwys van nader beskou. Verskillende soorte modules, die voor- en nadele van 'n modulêre stelsel, asook verskeie modelle vir 'n modulêre kurrikulumontwerp, word bespreek. Die reeds beproefde bevoegdheidsgebaseerde modulêre benadering asook die nuutvoorgestelde uitkomsgebaseerde onderrigbenadering, word breedvoerig in hoofstuk drie bespreek. Aangesien hoofsaaklik die bevoegdheidsgebaseerde modulêre benadering in tegniese onderwys toegepas word, is dit belangrik om die noodsaaklikheid van 'n klemverskuiwing na 'n uitkomsgebaseerde benadering in tegniese onderwys te ondersoek. In die vierde hoofstuk word daar spesifiek gekyk na bepaalde modulêre raakpunte tussen vakleerlingopleiding en sekondêreskoolopleiding. Die haalbaarheid van kredietverwerwing in die tegniese hoërskool word in hoofstuk vyf na aanleiding van 'n empiriese ondersoek bespreek. Die toepassingsmoontlikhede vir die implementering van 'n uitkomsgebaseerde onderrigbenadering in die tegniese hoërskool word daarna in hoofstuk ses uiteengesit en die bevindinge van die navorsing in hoofstuk sewe saamgevat. Die onderwerp van hierdie navorsing is tans baie aktueel en indien die bevindinge daarin vervat in die praktyk toegepas sou word, sal heelwat van die moderne uitdagings wat aan die onderwys gestel word, aangespreek word. Leerders behoort onderwys en opleiding te ontvang wat hulle prakties op hul rolle as landsburgers voorberei en hulle ook bekwaam maak om tot die arbeidsmark toe te tree of vir hulleself werk te skep. Die belangrikheid van 'n onderrigstelsel wat voortdurend behoeftes in nasionale en internasionale markte bepaal, tegnologiese en ander relevante tendense naspeur en huidige kurrikulums só ontwikkel dat leerders altyd kompeterend is, kan nie genoeg beklemtoon word nie. 'n Uitkomsgebaseerde benadering plaas minder klem op inhoudsgebaseerde sillabusse en stel leerders bloot aan gebalanseerde leerprogramme waarin die verwerwing van relevante kennis, vaardighede, houdings en waardes ewe veel gewig dra. As gevolg van die klemverskuiwings in onderwys en opleiding is die leerbenadering wat in die tegniese hoërskool gevolg word van kardinale belang. Tegniese onderrig is in 'n sekere mate reeds gespesialiseerde onderrig. Alhoewel leer op skool plaasgevind het, is die verworwe kennis tans nie oordraagbaar na ander opleidingsinstansies in die vorm van krediete vir die leerders nie. Hierdie situasie is in stryd met die bedoeling van die Nasionale Kwalifikasieraamwerk wat 'n uitkomsgebaseerde onderwysbenadering voorstaan

published_or_final_version / Education / Master / Master of Education

This study was an exploration of the relationship between classroom discourse and a high-stakes, standardized test, the Secondary Entrance Assessment (SEA), administered to students in Trinidad in their final elementary school year ("Standard 5"), with scores used to determine placement into secondary school. Classroom discourse was measured as represented in the oral and written language modeled to students by teachers and textbooks, and compared to the written language expectations implicit in the instructions and items on the SEA. Students' SEA scores were analyzed in relation to their teachers' language to determine if achievement was related to exposure to local/non-standard features of Trinidadian English. One outcome of this analysis was the creation of a survey developed to measure teachers' propensity for speaking Trini (Creole/dialect) or Trinidadian Academic English (standard English) in class by having them respond to audio clips. The survey was found to have acceptable reliability and concurrent validity. For the oral language investigation, 13 teachers were recorded as they led their class in one lesson, and an index of Trini usage (number of Trini utterances per 100 words) was calculated for each teacher. This index was used in an HLM model to determine if teachers' language was a predictor of their students' SEA scores. The distribution of the Trini index was positively skewed, M=1.1 and SD=1.25, indicating low usage of Trini. Trini usage was not found to be a significant predictor of students' 2008 SEA scores, but was found to be a significant predictor of the variation in SEA scores when these were aggregated by class. Similarly, there were few instances of Trini features in the examined textbooks. However, on the SEA, the only influence of Trini was the presence of dialect options used as distractors on two "fill in the blank" items, suggesting a mismatch between the features used in instructional language and the language expectations on the exam. In general, the low exposure to local features did not account for students' achievement on the SEA, but was positively related to the consistency of scores within a class. / text

The primary purpose of this study was to capture Natural Science teachers’ perceptions of the national standardised achievement tests (SATs), with a view to illuminating whether or not they were able to interpret and use the SATs reports to inform their practice and for improvement purposes as envisaged in the standardised tests’ objectives. It further sought to investigate how the grade 7 Natural Science teachers were teaching the subject matter, with a view to understanding the performance of learners as illustrated in the 2010 SATs results. The study mainly used qualitative methods such as observations, interviews and document analysis. These were complemented by quantitative methods through the use of the questionnaires, which were used to capture the general perceptions and experiences of Natural Science teachers. Thirty-five questionnaires were sent out and ten responses were received. Quantitative data from the questionnaires were analysed by tabulation to ascertain the frequencies of responses regarding teachers’ perceptions and experiences of SATs, as indicated in different scales per indicator. Furthermore, data generated through video-taped lessons, analysis of learners’ written notes, interviews and open-ended questions from the questionnaires were inductively analyzed. The findings of the study revealed that teachers had positive perceptions towards the ideals of SATs. However, their use of the SATs reports in their teaching was inconclusive. The study also revealed that there were no policy imperatives on SATs, in particular, to guide their use in schools. It was also found that teachers were not teaching the syllabus competencies fully and their Natural Science content knowledge was inadequate. The principal recommendation is that teachers need to acquaint themselves sufficiently with the SATs reports to enable them to use the reports for their intended purposes. Furthermore, teachers need to engage in continuous professional development programmes to improve their Natural Science content knowledge, especially with regard to making information in the textbooks accessible to learners in terms of addressing competencies in the syllabus. Finally, there is a need for policy intervention from the Ministry of Education in Namibia so that the existing tensions between policy formulation and implementation are addressed.

The Texas Assessment of Basic Skills (TABS) student competency testing program was instituted in Texas in 1980. This study determined the impact that test has had on the curricula of participating districts as was perceived by superintendents. A survey instrument was developed, validated, and tested for reliability and was then presented to a random sample of superintendents in five size categories.