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La Rénovation Urbaine : une dialectique complexe entre renouvellement urbain et opération de renouveau de la vie sociale impose d’observer en quoi et comment le dispositif, engagé au titre de la politique de la ville, contribue à la transformation des rapports sociaux, recrée ou enrichit le lien social, et contribue à remédier au processus de marginalisation et de différenciation des populations. Inscrite dans le contexte socio historique des politiques publiques du logement, la mobilité résidentielle contrainte déclinée au titre de ces opérations, croise un phénomène spatial et un phénomène social, lesquels modifient l’environnement, bousculent les habitudes et déstabilisent certains fondamentaux du modèle de socialisation. Pour appréhender ces phénomènes déclinés au niveau de deux quartiers « qualifiés » au titre du dispositif national, l’étude réfère à l’interaction entre l’espace habité et l’individu-habitant doté de spécificités identitaire et interroge les transformations du rapport à l’espace de l’habitat impliquées par la mobilité.La qualification de l’attachement aux supports identitaires offerts par l’habitat articulé à ces changements a été observée dans sa dimension spatiale, axe relationnel essentialisé de la construction identitaire. L’analyse croisant apports conceptuels et investigations empiriques, accrédite l’hypothèse selon laquelle le processus identificatoire se manifeste plus en termes de tension entre une forme d’« assignation » résidentielle et la capacité à mettre en œuvre des stratégies d’investissement du nouveau lieu de vie, que comme un changement radical du rapport à l’espace, à soi et aux autres. A partir de ces conclusions assorties de précautions tenant au format et aux modalités de l’étude, il apparait que en termes d’enjeux identitaires et d’adoption ou de configuration de nouvelles normes sociales, la fonction de facteur de changement de la mobilité organisée par la Rénovation urbaine, conjugue, avec une intensité graduée, une logique d’acculturation dans l’espace, à une évolution culturelle dans le temps. / Urban Renovation: a complex dialectic between urban renewal and social renewal process require to observe and analyze in which and how the plan of actions engaged under the City Policy contributes to the transformation processing of social relations, recreates and enriches the social bond, and remedies to the marginalization process and people differenciation. Residential mobility "coercion" declined for these operations crosses a spatial phenomenon and a social phenomenon, which for people in social collective dwellings affected by these measures, jostle their habits, change some attributes of their environment and destabilize some fundamentals of socialization model.To apprehend these phenomena declined at two "qualified" areas under the national program of Urban Renovation, the study refers to the interaction between the living space and these occupants endowed with specific identity and questions relationship transformations with this space of the habitat to impose mobility. The attachment qualification to identity supports and references offered by the housing environment articulated in these changes was mainly observed in its spatial dimension, leading relational axis of the identity construction. The analysis crossing theoretical concepts and empirical investigations, accredits the hypothesis according to which the identificatory process occurs more in terms of tension between a form of residential assignment and the ability to implement strategies of investment of the new place of life, that as a radical change of the relationship in the space, in oneself and the others. Based on these findings accompanied by taking precautions with the study characteristics, the change factor function of the organized mobility by the Urban Renovation in terms of identity issues, and or adoption of new social standards configuration appears to share in a logic acculturation process in the space combined with a cultural change over time.

The purpose of this study was to identify perceptions of middle and high school principals in Virginia regarding high-stakes testing. Perceptions were assessed regarding unintended consequences impacting the principals' role and their alignment with professional and scholarly literature. There were 22 findings emerging from this study. One of the findings revealed that principals perceived the necessity of instructional leadership as opposed to simply acting as school managers. The findings also revealed that middle and high school principals strongly agreed that high-stakes testing resulted in a loss of instructional time and that there has been a narrowing of the curriculum; however there now was a clearer alignment of the written, taught, and tested curriculum. Additionally, the findings revealed that less than 50% of middle and high school principals believed that high-stakes testing had helped close the achievement gap between minority and majority students. One of the most prevalent findings focused on the stress exhibited by students, teachers and administrators, all due to high-stakes testing. One hundred and sixty-six Virginia middle and high school principals participated in this study. An electronic survey instrument was used to rate 31 statements derived from the scholarly literature regarding the unintended consequences and perceptions of high-stakes testing of middle and high school leaders in Virginia. / Ed. D.

The purpose of this study was to determine the factors that influenced students of one suburban Louisiana school district to leave school prior to obtaining a diploma. Qualitative methods were used to investigate the reasons that students gave for what influenced them in making their decision to leave school. Additionally, it was the intent of the study to determine if the Louisiana school accountability program had any influence on the students' decisions. Interviews were conducted with 11 students who dropped out of school in the 2003-2004 school year. With-in case and cross-case analyses were performed and themes were developed to illustrate the responses given by the participants during their interview. The data suggest students leave school because they face personal obstacles that they cannot overcome. Additionally, participants of this study cited a lack of alternative schooling and disappointment with the systems as other factors that influenced their decision to drop out of school. Furthermore, participants did not feel that school accountability had an influence on their decision to leave school.

Magister Educationis - MEd / Algebraic graphs are a difficult topic for most secondary school mathematics learners. My experience as a Mathematics teacher in the Further Education and Training Phase (FET) is that learners solve problems involving graphs with difficulty. Consequently, the purpose of this research was to investigate learners’ ways of working with algebraic graphs in high-stakes examinations including their errors and misconceptions in this respect. The investigation carried out to identify learners’ errors and misconceptions is based on the analysis of 444 scripts from the 2012 grade 12 final Mathematics examination. More specifically, the study aimed to investigate the ways learners used to solve questions related to graphs in this examination. The focus of the study was the algebraic graphs tested in Paper 1 of the National Senior Certificate (NSC) examination with an emphasis on the identification of errors exhibited in the learners’ scripts. The study adopted a qualitative approach using documentary analysis methodology. As data, the study used the scripts of the final grade 12 Mathematics examinations of schools participating in a project for the improvement of Mathematics based at the University of the Western Cape (UWC). The analysis of learners’ scripts reveals that learners make many errors when they work with algebraic graphs. These errors that have been found in this investigation were coordinate, intercept, domain and range, asymptote, identification, drawing and function errors. Additional errors which were identified are transformation and inverse errors.

This ethnographic study examines the relationship between teachers’ literacy teaching practices and the pressures created from large-scale reform and high-stakes testing. The participants were staff members at one elementary school that primarily serves Latino students, with a history of low-test scores. Primarily drawing on field notes of classroom observations and meetings as well as interview transcripts, this study demonstrates how testing infiltrated literacy teaching at the school and classroom level. Organizational decisions were made to support test preparation in 3rd-5th grades, but resulted in uneven support for teachers and students in the form of monetary resources and how support staff were used. In terms of bilingual education, informed decisions determined students’ language of instruction and testing, but otherwise received little attention. At the classroom level, test preparation infused daily literacy instruction despite a general consensus among teachers that teaching to the test was against their own beliefs. The subsequent literacy teaching practices resulted in narrow definitions of literacy reduced to disconnected skills in isolation without clear connections to meaningful uses of literacy. The ways in which test preparation affected the classroom life could be seen in the ways teachers organized their class schedules to accommodate test preparation, the specific strategies test-taking strategies they taught, and the use of assessments to track student progress and make instructional decisions. While teaching to the test presented challenges for their beliefs, a minority of teachers found ways to make their practices as theoretically defensible as possible while still supporting students with test preparation, such as through the use of high quality children’s literature. Some teachers also participated in conferences and organizations outside of the school as a way of extending their teaching and the curriculum. The findings from this study expand on what we know about teachers’ response to reform and testing because of their ability to respond with agency in a context that otherwise positions them as less-than-professionals. These teachers offer a heartening example of what we really need—proactive decision makers in the classroom who can navigate the demands of working in a high-stakes testing culture while still promoting quality literacy instruction. / text

Texas has one of the highest populations of English Language Learners (ELLs) in the U.S., with a complex system for their placement, education, and assessment. Spanish speaking, Hispanic ELLs represent a large proportion of this population. The long-term academic achievement of these ELLs identified in elementary is not well known, especially under the policy changes of No Child Left Behind. Using Hierarchical Linear Modeling, this study compares student achievement, as measured by high-stakes testing, of Hispanic ELLs enrolled in Bilingual Education, English as a Second Language, and their non-ELL, demographically similar peers. Data will be examined at four time points spanning 3rd-9th grade, to suggest implications of Texas educational policy on student achievement. / text

High-stakes testing is used for the purposes of providing results that have important consequences such as certifications, licensing, or credentialing. The purpose of this study was to examine aspects of an exam recently written by flight paramedics for recertification and make recommendations for development of future exams. In 2008, an unexpectedly high failure led to revisions in the exam development process for flight paramedics. Using principles of classical test theory and generalizability theory, I examined the decision consistency and dependability of the examination and found the decision consistency for dichotomous items to be within acceptable limits, yet the dependability was low. Discrimination was strong at the cut-score. An in-depth look into the process used to set the exam, as well as the psychometric properties of the exam and the items have led to recommendations that will contribute to future development of dependable exams in the industry that result in more valid interpretations with respect to paramedic competence. / Thesis (Master, Education) -- Queen's University, 2012-09-06 22:41:41.552

Studies have consistently shown that teachers’ ratings of behavior were predictive of academic difficulties. While research has clearly indicated that behavior has a reciprocal relationship with academic achievement, there is a scarcity of research on the relationship between outcomes on high stakes tests and student behavior. Early identification of children at risk for academic difficulties is vital for successful intervention and remediation. Therefore, this researcher investigated use of a brief behavior screener as a predictor of students at risk for failing a high stakes test. Results from the Behavior Assessment System for Children–Teacher Rating Scale–Child Screener (BASC-TRS-C Screener) provided an assessment of behavior. Georgia’s Criterion Referenced Test – Reading and Math scores provided achievement in reading and math. An analysis of data on 636 second through fifth grade participants revealed a significant inverse relationship between teacher ratings of student behavior and achievement. Thirteen of the fifteen models suggested that teachers’ ratings of behavior indicated with greater accuracy students at risk for academic difficulties than did the model without the behavior ratings. While two models were not significant, they clearly suggested an inverse relationship between behavior and achievement. Logistic Regression analyses suggested that the BASC-TRS-C Screener predicted with 90% accuracy the pass fail classification group associated with the score. The odds ratio suggested that with each point decrease on the BASC-TRS-C Screener score, (in which high scores equal greater behavior concerns) the chances of passing the Criterion Referenced Competency Test reading high stakes test increased by 5%. In the area of math, the odds of passing increased by 6% with each point decrease on the BASC-TRS-C Screener. Other findings suggested that minorities have a significantly greater risk (p < .05) of failing the Criterion Reference Competency Test in the areas of reading, math, or both reading and math than do their same age peers.

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