<p> The call for the reform of public education in the United States of America has come from stakeholders of all kinds. This study compares two seemingly opposing approaches to the reform of public education. The bureaucratic approach is represented by the mass adoption of the Common Core State Standards (CCSS). The grassroots approach is represented by the International Society for Technology in Education Standards for Students (ISTE Standards-S). It was important to identify and analyze an instructional practice with enough potential rigor to meet the demands of both the CCSS and the ISTE Standards-S. The study analyzed the potential ability of Project-based learning (PBL) to meet the needs of both approaches. From the varied literature on PBL, six "Common Components" were identified and rewritten as standards using the revised Bloom's taxonomy. Once the Standards of PBL were written, all three sets of standards were quantified using a combination of the revised Bloom's Taxonomy and Gallia's Synonyms List. Following quantification of the standards, they were compared using a single factor ANOVA to determine if there was a difference between the cognitive processing levels of each set of standards. The cognitive processing levels of the Standards of PBL were found to be significantly higher than that of the CCSS. However, no significant difference was found between the Standards of PBL and the ISTE Standards-S. These findings support the claim that using the Standards of PBL in the classroom will meet the cognitive processing demands of the CCSS. The results of this study will allow teachers in Common Core states to utilize the instructional strategy of PBL as a means for meeting the cognitive processing needs of the CCSS.</p>

<p> In the USA, the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 resulted in requirements placed on school districts to show student achievement in mathematics, based on measured adequate yearly progress. This caused school districts to search for standards-based programs that improve mathematics learning. A quantitative multi-year study was used to compare the state-assessed achievement levels of 1,695 fifth-grade Midwestern children in the state of Missouri, who learned mathematics from two different curriculum-delivery programs, <i>EveryDay </i> Mathematics and <i>EnVision</i> Mathematics. A 2 by 2 by 8 research design was used through the choice of two elementary schools using <i>EveryDay</i> Mathematics and two different elementary schools using <i>EnVision</i> Mathematics, across an eight-year timeline. The dependent variable was represented by the students' scores on the mathematics portion of the standardized required state test, the Missouri Assessment Program. Student scores from 2006-2013 were collected for the four public schools in the St. Louis Metropolitan area. The schools chosen were matched to control for socio-economic level, ethnicity mix, departmentalization of content areas, extent of teacher experience, and class sizes. The four schools represented two school districts. Each district uniformly used one of the mathematics programs examined in this study, over the eight years. Results of this study could not show that either mathematics program was significantly better, as measured by student test scores on mathematics topics. Unfortunately, results also showed no overall increase in mathematics learning at these four schools over the eight year period. The study concluded that curriculum materials choice, alone, is not sufficient to insure increased fifth-grade student learning of mathematics. Variables such as the extent of teacher professional development, teacher specialization, and curriculum launch practices at schools were discussed as possible influences on the results of the study. </p>

<p>Attempting to discover the utility of the Semantic Differential in determining learner needs and preferences at the outset of a 9-week beginner art-appreciation class, the researcher surveyed her students&rsquo; affective responses to 30 portraits. Over a one-year period, thirty-two at-risk young adults completed the survey using 16 bi-polar adjective pairs (good: bad | beautiful: ugly, etc.) to indicate how they felt about each portrait. The respondents had one minute to rate each portrait or thirty minutes total. Supported by research on the cross-cultural validity of the survey tool, the universal relevance of portraiture alongside curriculum, cognitive and visual culture theory, the student responses reveal that (1) the survey mechanism itself is useful to the art educator; and (2) there is a wealth of information on student preferences in terms of style, media, and subject. </p><p> Responses to the portraits reveal near total engagement with the process as well as interesting patterns and divergences: in one example, two portraits created 1,000 years apart were ranked &ldquo;positively&rdquo; by all respondents. Other examples reveal a complexity of responses across media and style as well as race, gender and age of subject. </p><p> While it has yet to be demonstrated whether the survey results can be generalizable across a population of similarly-situated individuals, the researcher believes the real value may lie in the survey&rsquo;s use in creating a dialogue based on immediate information about student preferences; where, within a community, students can mine the degree to which they have been influenced by their material culture. The dialogue will serve as a safe jumping off point to explore their identity and their role in society through discussion, art production and interpretation. </p>

<p> This qualitative dissertation explored how high school students with significant cognitive disabilities in the moderate to severe category may receive an appropriate, standards-based education according to federal and state legislation given that they require fundamental living skills as well. It examined the ways their academic and functional learning requirements may be fulfilled through the development and implementation of a comprehensive curriculum consisting of adapted Common Core State Standards, life skills, and community-based instruction. It discussed the concept that students with cognitive disabilities require learning opportunities across a variety of settings, consistent with ecological development theory.</p><p> The study posed two key questions: How can high school students with significant cognitive disabilities access the Common Core State Standards in ELA, math, and science through a life-skills oriented, community-based curriculum? How do special education teachers perceive a curriculum emphasizing the integration of life skills and Common Core standards in ELA, math, and science? A research-based thematic curriculum was generated and field-tested on 7 educators of high school and middle school students with moderate to severe disabilities to obtain their perceptions of its feasibility and utility. The educators completed an initial background survey and then examined a voice-over PowerPoint curriculum sample using a curriculum evaluation form to guide their review. Educators were subsequently interviewed to determine their perceptions and check for alignment with previous responses.</p><p> Participants generally believed that students with significant cognitive disabilities could meaningfully access adapted versions of the Common Core based on students' level of ability and the provision of necessary supports. Key implications were derived from the findings. Teachers may need to engage in additional training and collaboration to generate customized curricula or modify existing programs to bring about student success. Special education teachers require the support of general education colleagues and local administration to enable the development or implementation of a comprehensively appropriate curriculum for the target population. More research is necessary to determine other ways the Common Core can be adapted for a greater range of ability levels to ensure success for all.</p>

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Indiana University, Dept. of Instructional Technology, 2007. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 68-09, Section: A, page: 3716. Adviser: Curtis J. Bonk. Title from dissertation home page (viewed May 5, 2008).

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Indiana University, Dept. of Curriculum and Instruction, 2007. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 68-07, Section: A, page: 2789. Adviser: Terrence C. Mason. Title from dissertation home page (viewed Apr. 15, 2008).

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Indiana University, Dept. of Instructional Systems Technology, 2008. / Adviser: Elizabeth Boling.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Indiana University, Dept. of Curriculum and Instruction, School of Education, 2007. / Title from PDF t.p. (viewed on May 7, 2009). Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 69-07, Section: A, page: 2585. Adviser: David Flinders.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Indiana University, Dept. of Curriculum and Instruction, Mathmatics Education, 2008. / Title from PDF t.p. (viewed on May 13, 2009). Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 69-08, Section: A, page: 3074. Adviser: Frank K. Lester.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 2008. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 69-05, Section: A, page: 1693. Adviser: Debra Bragg. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 148-155) Available on microfilm from Pro Quest Information and Learning.