<p> This research study compared the three commonly used norm-referenced assessments (Northwest Evaluation Assessment, STAR Enterprise, and AIMSweb) to the Minnesota Comprehensive Assessment. The basic question was which one of the three assessments provided the best predictive validity scores to the Minnesota Comprehensive Assessment. Yearly scores from three years were gathered to evaluate which one of the three assessments had a stronger correlation score to the MCA. The study was confined to using 4^th grade scores from three different schools located on a Native American reservation. Each school used one of the three common standardized reference assessments, and each school administered the MCA in the spring using winter scores. These scores were used to evaluate whether a student is on track to reach proficiency on the MCA. Findings showed that two of the three assessments had strong correlation scores. NWEA-MAP and STAR Enterprise had the strongest correlation. Further findings showed that STAR Enterprise had the strongest correlation score with a caveat that this is a new assessment and needs more research. Findings from this study allow schools to use two of the assessments with confidence that it is giving them quality scores.</p>

The essence of an examination is stated to be measurement and the thesis analyses the measurements given by some examinations. The methods of scoring examination marks and the application of them are outlined. (i) Factor Analysis of Marks with different Types of Scoring. The marks of two university examinations for eight consecutive years are analysed. In the case of one examination, the instructions given to the examiners demand that the marks should approximately fit a normal distribution curve. The other examination papers are marked without restrictions. In this section an endeavour has been made to determine whether the instructions to fit the marks to a normal distribution curve affect the factors obtained by analysis. (ii) Analysis of Variance of Two Sets of Scores for Some. Examination Candidates The college assessment and the examiner's mark for one subject in a university examination are analysed to test the significance of the difference between the variances of the two sets of scores. The revising examiner has marked independently some of the border-line cases together with some of the poorest and best papers picked at random. The significance of the difference between the variances of these re-markings and the original marks is also tested.(iii) Correlations between Persons. The marks of an examination for entrance to secondary schools are analysed. In this case the same candidates are examined in both 1937 and 1938. One purpose of this analysis is to determine the change if any, in the factor saturations for the set of persons after the lapse of a year, using Burt's method. The second aim is to try out another method which has recently been evolved and to test the agreement of the results obtained by this method with those obtained by using Burt's method. Results and Conclusions The main conclusions are:- (i) According to the data used in this research, fitting the score-scatter to a normal distribution curve does not influence the resulting factors. Some interesting facts concerning the individual examinations are revealed. (ii) In many cases the difference between the college assessment and the examiner's marks is significant. There is evidence that there is no difference in the average mark assigned by the first and revising examiners, and that the marks do bear some relation to the ability of the individual concerned.( iii) There is reasonable agreement in the first factor saturation of the marks of both years but there are differences in value and sign in the second and third factor saturations. The other method used gives results which agree to the degree of accuracy used.

<p> A common goal among nurse educators is to adequately prepare graduates to be competent, caring professionals who deliver the highest standard of care. For the nursing school graduate, the first step to attaining this goal is success on the NCLEX-RN. Nurse educators are constantly seeking new strategies to help better prepare graduates for first time NCLEX-RN success. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between student access to computer-adaptive quizzing software program during the final semester of a baccalaureate nursing program and first time NCLEX-RN success. </p><p> Employing the principles of retrieval practice theory, computer-adaptive quizzing is a strategy used in nursing education to allow students to study, evaluate, remediate, and reevaluate mastery of nursing concepts. Computer-adaptive quizzing was developed using the foundational principles of computer-adaptive testing and item response theory, which have been utilized in education, psychology, and computer science for many years. </p><p> A retrospective, descriptive correlational design was used to compare NCLEX-RN outcomes of one cohort of students who did not have access to the computer-adaptive quizzing software (<i>n</i>=99) and one cohort who did have access (<i>n</i>=96). The computer-adaptive quizzing software program that was used in this study was PassPoint^&reg;, a product of Wolters Kluwer Health. There were no statistically significant differences between the two cohorts related to age, gender, race, pre-nursing science GPA, nursing GPA, nursing course failures, and if other degrees were held. There were no major course changes or revisions over the four semesters of the study other than the implementation of the PassPoint adaptive quizzing software. Chi-square analysis suggested that there was an association between having access to and using the software and NCLEX-RN success (<i>p</i>&lt; .001; <i>df</i>=1) with 16.16% of those not having access being unsuccessful on the NCLEX-RN compared to 1.05% of those with access being unsuccessful. Logistic regression showed the predictive model significantly predicted that 18% of the variability of NCLEX-RN success could be linked with usage of the adaptive quizzing software.</p>

<p> Research has shown that the working environment of physical education influences teacher motivation. Identifying the characteristics of teachers&rsquo; working environment may contribute to developing a productive and motivating working environment for physical education teachers. </p><p> The first part of this dissertation study was focused on developing and validating an instrument that measures physical education teachers&rsquo; job demands/resources perception on five theorized dimensions: organizational resources, physical resources, cognitive demands, physical demands, and emotional demands. The content validity was achieved through expert evaluation of the consistency between the items and the dimensions they represent. The evaluation rendered an average consistency rating of 3.6 on a 5 point scale. The construct validity and reliability were determined with a physical education teacher sample (n=193). Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) established a five-dimension construct structure matching the theoretical construct with factor loadings ranging from .57 to .85. The intraclass correlational coefficients ranged from .75 to .80 for job resources and from .80 to .83 for job demands, respectively. The inter-scale correlational coefficients ranged from .14 to .25, showing both convergent and divergent validity. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) confirmed the construct structure found in the EFA with high dimensional factor loadings ranging from .47 to .81 for job resources scale and from .51 to .86 for job demands scale. The model fit tests produced acceptable indices including the RMSEA &lt; .05. It is concluded that the instrument met the required psychometric standards to be useful to measure physical education teachers&rsquo; perception of their working environment. </p><p> The second part of the study was to determine the extent to which the perceived job demands and resources influence physical education teachers&rsquo; motivation regulatory processes and motivation. An <i>a priori</i> model was proposed for testing based on the integration of the Self-Determination Theory (SDT) and Job Demands-Resources Model. Certified physical education teachers in two southeastern states (n=193) provided self-reported data on perceived job demands and resources in the working environment, motivation regulatory processes, and motivation to teach. Structural equation modeling analysis revealed that increasing job demands in working environment enabled the teachers to adopt more autonomous regulatory processes, such as integrated regulation (&gamma; = .20) but not more controlling regulatory processes, such as external regulation (&gamma; = -.16) and introjected regulation (&gamma; = -.22). The findings of the study provide empirical evidence that relate perceptions of working environment to physical education teachers&rsquo; motivation to teach.</p>

<p> This quantitative, ex post facto study examined the impact a districtwide high school one-to-one mobile technology initiative had on the number of 10^th grade students in the Forney Independent School District (ISD) (Texas) who passed their standardized TAKS tests during the 2010 academic year. The research study used annual public Forney ISD (Texas) data obtained from the Texas Education Agency (TEA) website. The study compared the 2009 academic year when 10^th grade students (n=520) did not have one-to-one mobile technology and the 2010 academic year when 10^th grade students (n=530) were able to use one-to-one mobile technology as their personal school and home device. Findings from the study determined if there was a statistically significant relationship between one-to-one mobile technology and the number of 10^th grade students who passed their standardized TAKS tests during the 2010 academic year. With a chi-square critical value of 3.84 the results of the study showed a statistically significant relationship between the number of 10^th grade students who passed their TAKS tests in 2010 with one-to-one mobile technology. In 2010, the number of 10^th grade students who passed the English Language Arts test increased by 5% (92% to 97%) with a chi-square statistic of 12.86. The number of students who passed the Math test increased by 18% (65% to 83%) with a chi-square statistic of 44.39. The number of students who passed the Science test increased by 12% (70% to 82%) with a chi-square statistic of 21.04. The number of students who passed the Social Studies test increased by 6% (90% to 96%) with a chi-square statistic of 14.79. The number of 10^th grade students who passed all of their TAKS tests increased by 18% (57% to 75%) with a chi-square statistic of 38.67. The theoretical framework was constructed by the dual coding theory of Alan Pavio and the multiple intelligence theory of Howard Gardner.</p>

<p> This study was a documentation and assessment of Beta Academy Alternative School&rsquo;s (pseudonym) transition to a newly introduced educational model/ leadership paradigm and examination of student educational outcomes, resulting from the leadership change. As a first year administrator, the researcher undertook the task of transforming an underperforming alternative education program by targeting areas of identified deficiency and/or concern (graduation rates, attendance, and discipline).</p><p> In this study, the researcher executed a mixed-method evaluation of the new educational model in an effort to determine contributions to success, potential barriers to change, and the characteristics associated with both, as well as the quantitative analysis that would support or not support the researcher&rsquo;s hypotheses.</p><p> The first goal of the study stated that following the implementation of the new model for alternative education, building discipline referrals would decrease by 10% per semester, as compared to previous referral data. The results indicated a 280% decrease in student referrals, thus illustrating a dramatic and statistically significant decrease.</p><p> The second goal indicated that graduation rates would increase or would stay the same, within 2% of previous rates (percentage of total seniors), as compared to the previous year&rsquo;s results and following implementation of the new educational and leadership paradigms. A <i>z</i>-test for difference in proportion tested a change in graduation rates of less than 1%, thus, supporting the graduation rates goal.</p><p> The last goal outlined in the study stated that following the implementation of the new model for alternative education, building attendance would increase by 30% per semester, as determined by ADA hours and compared to previous attendance data. Upon calculation, it was determined that there was an increase in attendance of 36.2% providing statistical support that the increase in attendance was significant, as well as met the outlined goal for attendance improvement. </p><p> The qualitative component of the study used responses to a questionnaire analysis to gauge stakeholder involvement and perceptions associated with the new educational model. The feedback was positive and indicated the measured criteria to be impactful and effective in the areas of fidelity, implementation, development, and attainment of desired goals. </p>

<p> The purpose of this quantitative study was to investigate teachers&rsquo; implementation levels of best practices in reading. This study examined the frequency of instructional reading strategies serving as predictors of student success in the End of Course Assessments (ECA) for Algebra I and English Grade 10. This study reviewed current literature to determine the depth of the problem and to study effective research strategies in order to provide a better understanding of the secondary reading issue. The study also reviewed the specific reading strategies in Indiana high schools in relationship to results of Algebra I and English Grade 10 of ECA in lowest poverty schools and highest poverty schools in Indiana. </p><p> A Qualtrics survey was constructed and emailed to teacher participants. The electronic survey was separated into two sections with the first asking information about the school and the teacher, and the second asking the teachers to respond to the frequency with which the strategies of vocabulary, summarization, prior knowledge, fluency, and visualization were emphasized in classes. Each strategy included four questions for a total of 20 questions. A total of 66 teachers responded to the survey; 29 teachers from low-poverty level shcools and 37 teachers from high-poverty levels schools. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and multiple regressions.</p><p> Multiple regressions were used to address the four research questions that were used to structure the research for this study. The predictor variables do explain a significant amount of variance within the Algebra 1 ECA scores. This was determined as the significance value was lower than the given alpha level (.05) with F (5, 23) = 2.66, p = .049. ANOVA results for all predictor variables in Algebra I ECA did not reveal that the use of reading strategies is related to the success of passing the Algebra I For low-poverty level schools. The multiple regressions conducted did not prove that frequency of research-based instructional reading strategies taught in high schools served as a predictor of standardized testing performance in English 10 ECA for low-poverty schools or high-poverty schools. </p><p> This study provided information as to the selection of reading strategies as they contribute to students&rsquo; ability to pass the ECA. This was significant because it did not suggest the importance of instructional reading programs and strategies in high school. The study, through quantitative data, did not prove whether the use of reading programs and strategies will improve the students passing scores in the ECA. The study provide a better understanding why some students get through their early years of school only, to get to high school and have a difficult time with reading and become one of the numbers of students who drop out.</p>

<p> The current study seeks to validate a second-order, multifaceted model of engagement that contains a behavioral, an emotional, and a cognitive subtype as proposed by Fredericks, Blumenfeld, and Paris&rsquo; (2004), while also incorporating literature on student interactions. The second-order, 12-factor model proposed and tested for its validity partitioned engagement into the second-order constructs of academic and social engagement and examined each of the three engagement subtypes in relation to the interactions that students experience with their course material, with their classmates, and with their instructors/teaching assistants. Since the proposed model did not meet accepted standards of fit, the dataset was randomly split into two approximately equal halves and a follow-up exploratory factor analysis (EFA) was conducted on the first half of the dataset, which yielded a second-order, five-factor solution. The second-order academic engagement constructs that emerged from the EFA consisted of students&rsquo; behavioral, emotional, and cognitive engagement with their course material. In addition, two first-order factors emerged from the EFA, consisting of students&rsquo; emotional and cognitive engagement with their fellow students or classmates. </p><p> These constructs and relationships were consistent with the theory that drove the original proposed model, but differed slightly in their composition and relationship with one another. After establishing this empirical model through EFA procedures, the model was cross-validated on the second-half of the randomly split dataset and examined for invariance across students enrolled in online courses and students enrolled in traditional, in-person college courses, as well students from ethnically and economically diverse backgrounds. Latent mean comparisons revealed differences in levels of academic and social engagement between these three groups of students, suggesting that students enrolled in online courses and students from African-American and Latino/a ethnicities were slightly more academically engaged than their counterparts. However, students enrolled in online courses scored much lower than students enrolled in face-to-face courses on the social engagement measures, while students from African-American and Latino/a ethnic groups scored higher on the social engagement measures than did students from Asian and Caucasian ethnicities. Interestingly, no differences emerged between groups of students from lower and higher economic backgrounds.</p>

<p> Educational leaders are tasked with finding the best practices for motivating students and accurately reporting progress (Popham, 2011). Additionally, the alignment of curriculum, assessment, and pedagogy can facilitate changes in education (Klenowski &amp; Wyatt-Smith, 2014). Therefore, as districts align curriculum to assessment standards, students&rsquo; scores on assessments should increase (Squires, 2012). The purpose of this study was to determine if a correlation exists between Missouri English II end-of-course (EOC) exam scores and student grade-point averages (GPAs) earned in English II. Moreover, data were examined to determine if a correlation exists among student gender, Missouri English II EOC scores, and student GPAs earned in the course. Additionally, perceptions from high school principals concerning grades, standardized assessments, and gender bias were analyzed. Seven southwest Missouri schools from the same conference were chosen to participate. Schools submitted secondary data including gender, Missouri English II end-of-course exam scores, and GPAs earned in the English II course. Additionally, secondary principals from participating districts were asked to complete a survey. The study revealed a positive correlation between Missouri English II EOC exam scores and GPAs. Furthermore, the study showed a higher percentage of females than males earning a 3.0 or higher average GPA in English II. However, despite the correlation of EOC scores and GPAs, the majority of principals surveyed disagreed standardized tests are an accurate representation of students&rsquo; subject knowledge. Likewise, a majority of principals surveyed expressed course grades are free of gender bias and the best practice for accurately reporting student progress.</p><p>

<p> Special education students with many different disabilities are taught in today&rsquo;s classrooms, and since the passing of the No Child Left Behind Act in 2001, they are required to take the same standardized assessments as their regular education peers (Resmovits, 2013). Within this study, data were analyzed to determine the perceptions of two groups, which included third-grade regular education teachers and special education teachers of special education students who took the same standardized assessments as their regular education peers. In addition, data were also examined to determine if there was a relationship between how teachers from the two groups responded to survey statements and how students actually scored on the Missouri Assessment Program (MAP) for the years 2012-2014. Finally, data were analyzed to determine the perceptions of the two groups on the use of special education students&rsquo; assessment results for teacher evaluations. Sixty-three (<i>N</i> = 63) teachers, 30 regular and 33 special education teachers, from the Southwest Missouri region participated in completing a survey. Results indicated teachers in both groups negatively viewed the idea of special education students taking the same standardized assessments, with or without accommodations, as their non-disabled peers. In addition, a statistical relationship was found between the regular education teachers&rsquo; perceptions and special education students&rsquo; MAP scores in the area of communication arts (2013, 2014), and a statistical relationship was found between special education teachers&rsquo; perceptions and special education students&rsquo; MAP scores in the area of communication arts (2012) and math (2013). Finally, the data showed teachers in both groups negatively viewed the idea that special education students&rsquo; MAP scores should be used in teacher evaluations.</p>