ABSTRACT For several years, college-level remediation in English and mathematics has been of great concern for California community colleges and four-year colleges and universities. The cost of remediation has skyrocketed into the billions of dollars for postsecondary institutions. Placement tests are required for most students before they are permitted to enroll in any college courses. These placement tests determine in what English and/or math class students will begin their college experience. At issue is that many students who successfully complete high English in the 11th & 12 grades (earn an A or B) are placing into a remedial English class. In 2012, the California Community College Chancellor's Office (CCCCO) reported that over 70 percent of new college students were required to take a remedial English and/or math class. The same is occurring in the California State University (CSU) system. In 2012, 18,690 (33%) CSU first-time freshmen system-wide needed remediation in English. Because of the high rate of remediation among California students in postsecondary institutions, questions have been raised concerning the disconnect between high school English and math and college-level English and math. A mixed-method study will address grades and other variables as predictors of English placement into a community college English course and common language between Common Core State Standards and college-level English course content.

This study investigates the effects of implementing a remediation program in a high school Advanced Placement Calculus AB course on student class grades and success in passing the AP Calculus AB exam. A voluntary remediation program was designed to help students understand the key concepts and big ideas in beginning Calculus. Over a period of eight years the program was put into practice and data on student participation and achievement was collected. Students who participated in this program were given individualized recitation activities targeting their specific misunderstandings, and then given an opportunity to retest on chapter exams that they had taken prior to remediation. Students were able to improve their scores on the original chapter exams and their grade in the class by demonstrating a greater understanding of the material after participating in the remediation sessions. This process was repeated for all chapter exams given during the academic year. In this study, a data analysis comparing the percent gain, after remediation, in each student’s overall class grade to their AP Calculus AB exam scores was conducted. Additionally, AP Calculus AB exam scores of students enrolled in these classes were compared to AP Calculus AB exam scores globally both pre and post implementation of the remediation program. The results of this study demonstrate that there is a substantial positive correlation between student participation in the remediation program and greater success on the AP Calculus AB exam. The average AP Calculus AB score for the students enrolled in AP Calculus AB during the eight-year period of implementing the remediation program increased by over 9%.

Remediation has become a compensatory way for an increasing number of students to attend college. The problem addressed in this study was whether student intellectual strengths and learning style preferences were, in part, related to placement or enrollment in remediation courses. The purpose of this quantitative study was to assess whether a particular learning style or dominant intellectual strength was characteristic of freshmen enrolled in remediation courses compared to freshmen not enrolled in remediation courses. This study filled a gap in the literature as no studies have analyzed the combination of learning style preferences with dominant intellectual strengths in an American college population. Its theoretical foundations were Gardner's multiple intelligence theory and Kolb's experiential learning theory. A total of 84 participants completed a demographics survey, the Multiple Intelligence Profiling Questionnaire III, and the Learning Styles Inventory. Results from the Spearman Rho correlation indicated a significant negative correlation between logistic/mathematical intellectual strengths and enrollment in remediation. For learning style preferences, students enrolled in remediation courses were significantly more likely to identify as Assimilating learners. Students in remediation were also significantly more likely to identify as Accommodating learners in comparison to students not enrolled in remediation courses. These results suggest that the college curriculum and how it is taught could be altered to accommodate both students' strengths and strengthen weaknesses in order to facilitate higher levels of academic success, ultimately leading to higher graduation rates and better employment opportunities; these improvements might, in turn, facilitate positive changes for communities in South Florida.

Alkaline conditions induced by algae growth in wastewater stabilization ponds create deprotonated ammonium ions that result in ammonia gas (NH3) volatilization. If algae are utilized to remediate wastewater through uptake of phosphorus, the resulting nitrogen loss will hinder this process because algae generally require a stoichiometric molar ratio of N16P1. Lower ratios of N/P due to loss of ammonia gas will limit the growth and yield of algae, and therefore will reduce phosphorus removal from the water phase into the algae phase. In order to reduce nitrogen loss through volatilization, an ammonium selective zeolite, clinoptilolite, can be used to sequester nitrogen from the water phase as ammonium ion and in a form that is bioavailable for uptake and growth of algae. A novel algae biofilm rotating photo bioreactor (RPB) with clinoptilolite integrated to the outermost surface as the substratum for algae biofilm attachment and growth has been designed, constructed, and tested for ammonium capture and algae biomass production, with simultaneous removal of the algal nutrient phosphorus from water. The clinoptilolite‐based RPB (cRPB) provides algal biomass that can serve as feedstock for biofuel production through uptake of zeolite‐based nitrogen and water phase phosphorus.

Literacy is a growing national concern, resulting in federal legislation (e.g., No Child Left Behind Act) instituting higher accountability for states and schools with regard to reading instruction and remediation. As a result, Floridas statewide measure of achievement, the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test (FCAT) is now tied to retention decisions in third grade as part of the new pupil progression plan in the state. In its first year of implementation (2003), 23% of third-grade students failed the FCAT and over 28,000 were retained. Research has consistently shown retention to be a negative experience for children; even when academic gains are made, within two to three years, their achievement is equal to or lower than that of both same-grade and same-age regularly promoted students. However, these findings cannot be generalized to the current student progression plan in Florida, which mandates specific remediation activities during the retention year. Therefore, holding negative beliefs about grade retention in Florida is premature as no research exists to date evaluating the outcomes of the plan. The present study examined the student progression plan in Florida at it relates to high-stakes testing and mandated third-grade retention. More specifically, this study examined the relationship between the effects of retention and various student demographic characteristics (e.g., gender, SES, race/ethnicity), as well as the future performance on the FCAT-Reading of low-performing students who were promoted through good cause exemptions. Descriptive analyses revealed that of 20,617 third-grade retainees, 38% again scored at Level 1 in 2004. In addition, future success of retainees was significantly associated with gender, race, and SES. With regard to students who were promoted due to a good cause exemption, findings indicated that a higher percentage of those who demonstrated reading proficiency through an alternative procedure (65%) achieved success in fourth grade compared to those who did not demonstrate proficiency (23%). This study contributes to the literature by examining the outcomes of grade retention within a context of high-stakes testing and mandated remediation activities. Implications for future research include controlling for the quality of interventions and identifying strategies that target specific populations of at-risk students.

No description available.

Eutrophication is a global problem affecting many inland and estuarine waters. Many wetlands on the Swan Coast Plain, in Western Australia, have undergone increasing nutrient enrichment since European settlement of the region in the 1850’s. Problems such as algal blooms and nuisance swarms of non-biting midges (Diptera; Chironomidae) are the consequence of nutrient enrichment in many of these wetlands. The restoration of these degraded wetlands, especially with respect to reducing nutrient enrichment, requires a range of comprehensive and effective techniques including catchment management, diversion or treatment of surface inputs and treatment of enriched sediments. Nitrogen and phosphorus, especially phosphorus, are not the only factors controlling algal biomass in water bodies, but they are the only elements that can be removed efficiently and economically. Internal P cycling from wetland sediments can initiate and sustain eutrophication and related algal blooms and nuisance midge problems even after external sources are diverted or reduced. The aim of this study was to identify an effective material to reduce sediment phosphorus release and thereby the phosphorus concentration of the water column. It was also important to determine the impact of the selected amendment material on phytoplankton and larval midge (chironomid) communities. A range of experiments at increasing scales, from bench-top, to microcosm to outdoor mesocosm experiments were designed to test three hypotheses: 1) Materials which have a high P sorption capacity, over a wide range of P solution concentrations, and low P release rate, are potentially suitable agents to reduce P in wetlands with enriched sediments by inactivating sediment P; 2) A reduction in the abundance of cyanobacteria caused by increasing the N:P ratio of an aquatic ecosystem results in a reduction in the density of nuisance species of Chironomidae. 3) Successful amendment of enriched sediments reduces P in the water column thereby reducing the total phytoplankton biomass and the related density of nuisance species of Chironomidae. The adsorption and desorption experiments were carried out under a range of pH values and P concentrations, with a number of materials including fly ash, red mud, precipitated calcium carbonate, crushed limestone and lime to determine the maximum adsorption capacity and affinity of these materials. A rang of P concentrations (0-1000 µg/L) simulated the P concentration of the water column in a range of wetlands of differing trophic status. Poor fits to the Langmuir equation occurred with both red mud and fly ash due to their high P content. A good fit occurred with lime, with a high P removal rate (90%-96%) over the same range. Fly ash and red mud were eliminated from further investigation due to the possibility that they might release phosphorus rather than absorb when P concentrations in surrounding environment were less than 300 µg/L or 200 µg/L respectively (concentrations which can occur in eutrophic systems). Among the three lime-based, redox-insensitive materials tested in the second mesocosm experiments, precipitated calcium carbonate (PCC) possessed the highest maximum adsorption capacity and lowest desorption rate under a range of pH values (6.2, 7.2 and 10) and P concentrations (0-12 000 µg/L), followed by crushed limestone and lime. The different maximum absorption capacities of the three materials appears to be mainly attributed to their particle size (surface area). Lime was chosen as the amendment material for further investigation because it was the only one of the three available in sufficient quantities within the timeframe of this study. Microcosm experiments showed that lime was effective in reducing sediment P release from intact sediment cores, and the ratio of TN:TP in the treatment cores increased over time compared to the control cores (in which TN: TP decreased slightly). In the first mesocosm experiment a significantly higher density of larval midges was found in the treatments than in the controls. The treatments were aimed to increase N:P ratio in the systems to reduce cyanobacteria and, subsequently, larval midge densities. However even though cyanobacteria were eliminated from the treatments, the nitrogen addition appeared to result in higher phytoplankton biomass overall, which fuelled an increase in larval midge densities. In the second mesocosm experiment, the addition of lime to enriched sediments resulted in a reduction in P in the water column. This reduction was accompanied by a reduction in total phytoplankton biomass, the absence of cyanobacteria, and a less abundant and more species - diverse chironomid fauna in the treatment mesocosms. Sediment P fractionation undertaken for both the microcosm and mesocosm experiments showed that most of the phosphorus adsorbed by lime was in the labile fraction (NH3Cl extractable P and NaOH extractable P). Phosphorus in the HCl extractable fraction was also found to be higher in the treatments due to the presence of inert mineral P in the lime than the formation of new hydroxyapatite from adsorbed P. The two mesocosm experiments suggested that larval midges were non-selective feeders, responding to total phytoplankton biomass, rather than the presence of cyanobacteria. Dissolved oxygen and predation also influenced larval midge densities. In summary, although lime appeared to be a useful material for reducing P release from enriched sediments under controlled laboratory conditions, the effect under field conditions was not as definitive. Further work is required to more fully determine the conditions under which sediment remediation may be used as a means of controlling sediment P release and associated high densities of larval chironomids.

Thesis (M.S. in environmental Science)--Washington State University, December 2007. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 27).

This study attempts to establish the cross-currents of African American literary traditions and an emerging African American graphic novel aesthetic. A close analysis of the visuality foreground in the visual/textual space of the graphic novel will provide insight into how the form of the graphic novel reconciles and revises more traditional textual literary elements. Such motifs and tropes as the visuality of slave portraiture, Gates’ trope of the talking book, and the paradox of invisibility/visibility within African American creative registers will be used to highlight the creative tradition inaugurated by the African American graphic novel. Each of these elements generally associated with African American textual production, become central thematic concerns with the graphic work of artists such as Ho Che Anderson, Kyle Baker, Dwayne McDuffie, Roland Laird, Taneshia Laird, and Elihu Bey. From the historical biography of Anderson’s King and Baker’s Nat Turner, to the broad history of Laird, Laird, and Bey’s Still I Rise, and finally within the traditional superhero graphic novel of Dwayne McDuffie’s Icon, a definite tradition of African American graphic novels emerge. Understanding how these graphic novels associate themselves with, and ultimately revise, the literary aesthetics of African American texts makes possible the fuller examination of African American graphic novels as a specialized literary tradition.

The purpose of this study was two-fold. First the researcher set out to determine if phonemic awareness skills improved for first grade students of teachers who used the Lindamood Phoneme Sequencing Program (LiPS; Lindamood & Lindamood, 1998). Second, an attempt was made to determine if there was a relationship between reading improvement in decoding and teacher level variables (i.e., perception of their knowledge of the LiPS program (Lindamood & Lindamood, 1998), and relevant demographic variables).<p>Students scores based on the Learning Disabilities Working Committee Kindergarten screening tool (LDWC, 2005) were compared to their respective scores on the Learning Disabilities Working Committee Grade One screening tool (LDWC, 2002). Comparison of progress for all students were evaluated as well as assessment of progress for students deemed at risk (below the 25th percentile) of reading failure compared to those not at risk (above the 25th percentile). Teachers perceptions of the critical elements of the LiPS program (Lindamood & Lindamood, 1998) and demographic information were collected. The teacher level variables gathered from this survey (i.e., teaching experience, formal training, knowledge, or skill level in program delivery) were correlated to students scores on the screening tools.<p>Results revealed that teacher demographics, such as teaching experience, specialized training, and intensity of instructional approach are related to student reading achievement in decoding; however, no clearly defined relationship was found between teachers perceptions of the LiPS program (Lindamood & Lindamood, 1998) and student achievement. Paired-sample t-tests were also used to determine if statistically significant differences existed between the means of phonemic identity, phonemic blending, and letter/sound identification between Kindergarten and Grade One. Even though statistically significant results were noted, consideration of the actual change in mean scores and effect size suggested if a practical significance existed. Results indicated that gains were made by students in phonemic awareness and letter/sound correspondence; however, greater gains were noted for students deemed at-risk whose teachers used the LiPS program (Lindamood & Lindamood, 1998).