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<p> In this study, the researcher investigated cultural sensitivity within the mandated English Language Arts Common Core exemplar fictional texts that &ldquo;serve as useful guideposts in helping educators select texts of similar complexity, quality and range&rdquo; (Common Core State Standards, n.d., p. 2) for kindergarten through fifth grade, for the state of Missouri. The researcher utilized a modified version of Frances Ann Day&rsquo;s children&rsquo;s literature evaluation framework, &ldquo;Evaluating Children&rsquo;s Books for Bias,&rdquo; an adaptation of the Council on Interracial Books for Children&rsquo;s, &ldquo;Guidelines for Selecting Bias-Free Textbooks and Storybooks,&rdquo; to test for cultural sensitivity within 50 of the 90 suggested fictional texts. Day&rsquo;s framework included investigating omission, illustrations, story lines, authenticity, relationships, depiction of heroes, self-image, author/illustrator background and perspective, language, and copyright date. From Day&rsquo;s work, the researcher created two separate frameworks, Literature Analysis Framework-First Round, and Literature Analysis Framework-Second Round. Literature Analysis Framework-First Round consisted of passage title, race of author, race of illustrator, copyright date, whether minority characters were present, the number of minority characters, and the number of Caucasian characters. Literature Analysis Framework-Second Round consisted of titles with minority characters, illustrations, relationships/heroes, language, and storyline.</p><p>

<p> Multiple-choice questions (MCQs) are widely used to measure student achievement in prelicensure nursing education. However, little is known regarding the use of recommended practices in test construction and administration. This study explored New York State (NYS) nurse educators&rsquo; self-reported testing practices, as related to nurse educator characteristics (educational preparation, age, years teaching nursing), and institutional characteristics (program type, program size, policies). It also described the prevalence of use of MCQs. </p><p> A 49-question online survey of testing practices and program characteristics was administered to 1559 nurse educators who taught in prelicensure nursing education programs in NYS. The response rate was 19 percent. </p><p> Sixty-five percent of the respondents indicated that at least 80% of the typical course grade was derived from testing; MCQs comprised a mean of 81% of the questions on a typical test. Testing constituted a greater proportion of course grades in associate degree programs (<i>p</i> &lt; 0.05). Nurse educators engaged in a mean of 7.3 of 12 recommended testing practices. Nurse educator characteristics and nursing education program characteristics did not affect use of recommended practices. Respondents in programs with written testing policies engaged in more recommended practices (<i>p </i> &lt; 0.05). Mentoring and professional development activities were the most important source of faculty learning about measurement of student achievement. </p><p> Because MCQ testing is so widely used, leaders in nursing education should ensure the existence of and adherence to written testing policies, and that educators are well prepared through mentoring and professional development to use tests to measure student achievement.</p><p>

<p> The purpose of this study was to explore the application of learning contracts in the process of preparing to take the AT BOC exam. The goal of this study was to investigate best practices to assist students in being successful when taking the BOC certification examination. Self-directed learning in medicine was an important skill in the ever-changing healthcare landscape. One self-directed learning tool, learning contracts, had been studied in other healthcare fields. However, little research had been conducted utilizing learning contracts in athletic training. In addition, providing students with a research based instrument that could be used to improve success on the BOC examination would positively impact the profession of athletic training. Therefore, a mixed methods research study was implemented to study the usefulness of learning contracts in the preparation for the BOC examination. The data produced in the study showed that athletic training students were self-directed learners and that learning contracts were a useful tool when preparing for the BOC examination. Along with the Self-Assessment Exams (SAEs) produced by BOC, Inc., learning contracts were shown to be useful in helping students diagnose learning needs as well as creating a plan to study. Based on the outcomes of this study the researcher recommends that athletic training students, and athletic training programs, implement the use of learning contracts when preparing for the BOC examination. The researcher also recommends that students strongly consider using SAEs to diagnose learning needs or gaps.</p><p>

<p> This study sought to fill the gap in the literature concerning intrinsic motivation in elementary students in Grades 4&ndash;6 by examining 155 elementary school students and in-depth interviews with three elementary grade teachers. This study used data collected from the self-report survey called the Children&rsquo;s Academic Intrinsic Motivation Inventory (CAIMI) and from three in-depth elementary school teacher interviews. The study sought to answer the following questions: Is there a difference in student intrinsic motivation levels based on grade level? Do elementary school males and females differ in his or her intrinsic motivation in Grades 4-6? Is there a difference in intrinsic motivation within the subject areas of reading, math, social studies and science? Is there a correlation between a child&rsquo;s intrinsic motivation level and his or her academic performance? What are examples of things that teachers do to promote intrinsic motivation in his or her students, and to what extent are they implemented? The findings of this study indicate that there is not a significant difference with the intrinsic motivation between the grade levels or between the genders. A student&rsquo;s intrinsic motivation within the subject areas of reading, math, and social studies was relatively the same, however, there was a significant statistical difference in science. There was a correlation between a student&rsquo;s intrinsic motivation level and his or her academic achievement in science. Lastly, based upon the data collected and the teachers&rsquo; interviews, four recommendations on how to foster intrinsic motivation in students in Grades 4&ndash;6 were made. Keywords: motivation, intrinsic motivation, extrinsic motivation, elementary, reading, math, science, and social studies.</p><p>

<p> The Student Growth Objectives are assessments created locally or by commercial educational organizations. The students&rsquo; scores from the Student Growth Objectives are included in teacher summative evaluation as one of the measures of teacher&rsquo;s effectiveness. The Danielson Model for Teaching and Learning supports the idea that assessment literate teachers are highly effective. The purpose of this quantitative causal-comparative study was to identify New Jersey teachers&rsquo; competence in student educational assessments. Prizovskaya measured teachers&rsquo; assessment literacy level between different groups based on subject taught, years of experience, school assignment and educational degree attained. The data collection occurred via e-mail. Seven hundred ninety eight teachers received an Assessment Literacy Inventory survey developed by Mertler and Campbell. Eighty-two teachers fully completed the survey (N=82). The inferential analysis included an independent-sample t test, One-Way Analyses of Variances test, a post hoc, Tukey test and Welch and Brown-Forsythe tests. The results of this study indicated teachers&rsquo; overall score of 51% on entire instrument. The highest overall score of 61% was for Standard 1, Choosing Appropriate Assessment Methods (M = 0.61, SD = 0.23). The lowest overall score of 39% (M = 0.39 and SD = 0.24) was for Standard 2, Developing Appropriate Assessment Methods. The conclusion of this study was that New Jersey teachers demonstrated a low level of competence in student educational assessments. In general, the teacher assessment literacy did not improve during the last two decades. Keywords: assessment literacy, teacher evaluation, student assessment, effective teaching</p><p>

<p> The purpose of this study was to determine if students in identified Illinois high schools who were a part of a one-to-one (1:1) laptop program achieved higher results on the computer-based Partnership for the Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC) assessment than students in identified Illinois high schools that did not participate in a laptop program. In addition, gaps between males, females, large high schools, and small high schools were analyzed to discern if laptop programs possibly helped close achievement disparities. This study used a quantitative, non-experimental design that focused on a causal-comparative analysis of archival data from the 2014-15 school year. Participants were students in identified Illinois high schools who were administered the English/language arts and math components of the computer-based PARRC assessment. Results showed no statistical significance in English/language arts achievement scores between students who participated in a 1:1 laptop program and those that did not participate in a 1:1 laptop program. As for the math portion of the PARCC, there was a statistical significance as students that did not participate in 1:1 laptop programs scored higher than students that participated in 1:1 laptop programs in all areas except for students in small high schools. Students in small high schools that participated in 1:1 laptop programs scored significantly higher than their counterparts that did not participate in 1:1 laptop programs. The findings from this study indicated that 1:1 laptop programs may not increase student achievement on computer-based assessments.</p><p>

<p> Few studies have focused on middle school students&rsquo; academic achievement and overall performances (Flowers, 2003; Leithwood &amp; Jantzi, 2006). Delaware Comprehensive Assessment system (DCAS) used by school officials recognized an emerging trend in which a large percentage of students&rsquo; academic performances consistently declined over a period of three years. Indications point to standardized test scores lower on each grade level. Students&rsquo; assessment scores were sixty-six percent lower on the State&rsquo;s DCAS assessment tests in math for sixth, seventh and eighth grades. Fifty-seven percent of the students on the same grade level scored &ldquo;below standard&rdquo; in Reading.</p><p> The method of this research study is a quantitative multiple regression design seeking to find the relationship between the seven dimensions of distributed leadership and students&rsquo; achievement scores in Reading and Math. Results from the four schools showed a high statistical significance of correlational scores between distributed leadership practices and student assessment scores. </p><p> Implications of the study will allow transferability for stakeholders to generalize how to apply distributed leadership practices and improve student assessment scores. Findings from this research will fill gaps in the literature. </p><p>

<p> This Institutional Ethnography presents research gathered through interviews with administrators, teachers and students involved in the giving, taking and using of reading assessments to place students in junior high reading intervention. A strong commitment to standardized testing in America and a belief in literacy as the most important skill to be learned in schools has led to an increased focus in literacy assessment and intervention. In analysis of interviews with over 55 individuals impacted by testing in one district, conversations reveal the role that power plays in the ongoing high stakes assessing of readers and the placement of them in classes meant to "fix" their "deficiencies". Findings reveal that these fixes often do more harm than good creating stigma and lost opportunities for students, extra stress for teachers and a disconnect between belief and practice. Radical rethinking how we value and assess all learners in school could lead to better outcomes for individuals, schools and society.</p><p>

<p> This study followed mindset changes in elementary teachers as they transitioned from traditional grading to standards based grading during the earliest stages of the change process. A pre- and post-survey of mindsets of participants, individual interviews, and a focus group interview were conducted. While the results of the pre- and post-survey did not reveal a significant mindset shift, interviews with participants revealed the role of hands-on professional development and interaction with instructional coaches in transitioning teachers to standards based grading and were accompanied by participant examples of shifts in mindsets. Future research recommendations include following this change process through the entire implementation phase, a study of parents&rsquo; understanding of standards based grading, a review of other factors that contribute to a shift from a fixed mindset to a growth mindset, and finally, analyzing the unleashing phase of change to determine if it creates change initiatives beyond standards based grading.</p><p>