Accountability for student learning outcomes is of importance to parents and school and district administrators, especially since the passage of The No Child Left Behind Act in 2001. The requirement for high-stakes testing to measure progress has fostered interest in ways to monitor student preparedness during the school year. This study used 2014 and 2015 test data from of 154 students from one elementary school to measure the correlation between individually administered Kaufman Test of Educational Achievement Brief Reading and DIBELS Next reading assessments and outcomes on the high-stakes Utah SAGE test. This correlational study used Pearson correlation coefficients to determine redundancy across the tests, and used multiple regression to assess how well scores on the KTEA and DIBELS Next tests predict students' subsequent scores on the SAGE test. Results indicate that DIBELS Next was a strong predictor of SAGE outcomes while KTEA Brief results were moderate predictors.

Taiwan English teachers in secondary schools are facing a new challenge of having to teach listening comprehension skills to their students. Many instructors are not equipped to deliver adequate listening instruction although listening comprehension has become a benchmark for senior high students aspiring to enter a tertiary institution and earn a college degree. Instructors, students, parents, administrators, and members of the Ministry of Education agree that there is a need to meet the demands of the National English Curriculum Standards. Weimar's approach of learner-centered teaching served as the conceptual foundation for this study since the focus was on ways teachers could work collaboratively to learn evidence-based strategies for teaching listening comprehension skills. Guided by 4 research questions, the study investigated the perspectives of 4 teacher-participants at a Northern District Senior High regarding the process of teaching listening comprehension. In this qualitative study, an inductive analysis was used to define themes and concepts to discern any patterns and relationships connected with the data collected: interviews, classroom observation and unobtrusive measures. The findings showed that teacher-led peer coaching, via collegial collaboration, led to the building of teaching communities and more effective use of evidence-based strategies for improving the teaching of listening comprehension. This improved teacher pedagogy may lead to a positive social change whereby teachers have skills for teaching listening comprehension and students are better prepared for further schooling. Components of the project also can be used by other school districts and educational organizations where the administration can use the model to further advance similar workforce capacity in teaching L2 learners listening instruction.

This qualitative case study addressed a suburban school district's placement of academically at-risk English language arts (ELA) 9th graders as the district transitions from the New Jersey Assessment of Skills and Knowledge (NJASK) to use of the unfamiliar and controversial Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC). Based on the theoretical frameworks of the zone of proximal development, cognitive apprenticeship, and Bandura's model of self-efficacy, the purpose was to understand the characteristics of struggling (labeled 'academic') ELA students, placement practices and perceptions of these practices, and placement improvements. A purposeful sample was recruited of 7 staff members involved with placement and instruction of academic ELA students in Grades 7-10 for individual interviews. Using thematic data analysis, 4 themes emerged pertaining to the characteristics of academic students, placement practices, the efficacy of assessments used for placement, and improvements. Additionally, content analysis of data on academic students' standardized test scores and grades, collected from district reports, and research on reading assessments were conducted. Findings indicated consensus on the students' characteristics, but no standard procedure for placing academic ELA freshmen. A multiple measure placement matrix was created and incorporated in a white paper for the district's stakeholders, including administrators, teachers, guidance counselors, and child study team members. The implications for positive social change include a better understanding of academic students, their placement, and the benefits of communication, uniform policy, and the use of multiple measures to improve future placement practices.

In this study I analyse the performance of a democratic decision-making rule: the weighted majority rule. It assigns to each voter a number of votes that is proportional to her stakes in the decision. It has been shown that, for collective decisions with two options, the weighted majority rule in combination with self-interested voters maximises the common good when the latter is understood in terms of either the sum-total or prioritarian sum of the voters’ well-being. The main result of my study is that this argument for the weighted majority rule — that it maximises the common good — can be improved along the following three main lines. (1) The argument can be adapted to other criteria of the common good, such as sufficientarian, maximin, leximin or non-welfarist criteria. I propose a generic argument for the collective optimality of the weighted majority rule that works for all of these criteria. (2) The assumption of self-interested voters can be relaxed. First, common-interest voters can be accommodated. Second, even if voters are less than fully competent in judging their self-interest or the common interest, the weighted majority rule is weakly collectively optimal, that is, it almost certainly maximises the common good given a large numbers of voters. Third, even for smaller groups of voters, the weighted majority rule still has some attractive features. (3) The scope of the argument can be extended to decisions with more than two options. I state the conditions under which the weighted majority rule maximises the common good even in multi-option contexts. I also analyse the possibility and the detrimental effects of strategic voting. Furthermore, I argue that self-interested voters have reason to accept the weighted majority rule.

This dissertation examines the life stories of Marsha Ethridge (all names are pseudonyms), a teacher who has taught for 46 years in one urban elementary school. The stories Marsha tells about her life are used as lenses to consider the following: (1) What influences most shaped Marsha’s practices and stories to live by as a teacher? (2) What has it been like for Marsha teaching reading in an urban elementary school for 46 years? and (3) What is the nature of caring in Marsha’s stories? The study draws on life story and portraiture methods. Data were collected over a period of three years and includes life story interviews, one focus group interview, observations, and artifacts. Through the process of constant comparative method, three themes emerged: literacy and accountability, teacher development and identity, and caring and connecting. The most salient theme was caring and connecting throughout Marsha’s stories, and it served as a unifying thread to pull her stories together. This study found that in Marsha’s first years of teaching there were few forms of accountability. She felt that this was the primary reason many of her sixth graders had made it through school without learning to read. In the following years she used a variety of measures for accountability, including high-stakes accountability, which caused her to experience increasing professional dissonance. The form of accountability she believed improved her teaching practices the most was accountability situated in the context of caring relationships and it led to hope for future success. Marsha experienced this face-to-face accountability in the teacher-initiated group she had been meeting with for 27 years. Research implications from this study include the need to further explore discourse in teacher-initiated groups over time and in different contexts, as well as consider how the relational dynamics and accountability within collaborative teacher groups contribute to teacher growth. Additionally, the analysis of Marsha’s life stories indicate a need for teachers, parents, researchers, and policy makers to lay aside discourse of blaming and shaming to create opportunities for extended conversations about alternatives to high-stakes accountability. / text

This dissertation evaluates disparate impact of test-based retention (TBR) policy on historically disadvantaged student groups in the State of Texas, and determines school characteristics that statistically predict retention and may contribute to disparate impact. The research literature on TBR is limited, as most grade retention research precedes the increase in use of TBR policy across the United States. Based on descriptive analysis, there were considerable increases in retention rates for low-income, African American, Latino, and English Language Learner (ELL) children compared to their less-disadvantaged counterparts, after TBR was implemented. Using multiple regression analysis, schools with higher percentages of low-income students, ELL students, beginning teachers, and higher percentages of low-income students in their school district were found to have higher retention rates while schools with higher percentages of White students, White teachers, and Latino teachers were found to have lower retention rates. Additionally, school retention rates were found to vary according to accountability rating. / text

Thesis (Ed. S.)--Miami University, Dept. of Educational Psychology, 2008. / Title from first page of PDF document. Includes bibliographical references (p. 22-23).

abstract: Given the political and public demands for accountability, using the voices of students from the frontlines, this study investigated student perceptions of New Mexico's high-stakes testing program taking public schools in the right direction. Did the students perceive the program having an impact on retention, drop outs, or graduation requirements? What were the perceptions of Navajo students in Navajo reservation schools as to the impact of high-stakes testing on their emotional, physical, social, and academic well-being? The specific tests examined were the New Mexico High School Competency Exam (NMHSCE) and the New Mexico Standard Based Assessment (SBA/ High School Graduation Assessment) on Native American students. Based on interviews published by the Daily Times of Farmington, New Mexico, our local newspaper, some of the students reported that the testing program was not taking schools in the right direction, that the test was used improperly, and that the one-time test scores were not an accurate assessment of students learning. In addition, they were cited on negative and positive effects on the curriculum, teaching and learning, and student and teacher motivation. Based on the survey results, the students' positive and negative concerns and praises of high-stakes testing were categorized into themes. The positive effects cited included the fact that the testing held students, educators, and parents accountable for their actions. The students were not opposed to accountability, but rather, opposed to the manner in which it was currently implemented. Several implications of these findings were examined: (a) requirements to pass the New Mexico High School Competency Exam; (b) what high stakes testing meant for the emotional well-being of the students; (c) the impact of sanctions under New Mexico's high-stakes testing proficiency; and (d) the effects of high-stakes tests on students' perceptions, experiences and attitudes. Student voices are not commonly heard in meetings and discussions about K-12 education policy. Yet, the adults who control policy could learn much from listening to what students have to say about their experiences. / Dissertation/Thesis / Ed.D. Educational Administration and Supervision 2012

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento CientÃfico e TecnolÃgico / As estacas prÃ-fabricadas sÃo uma alternativa de fundaÃÃo indicada em situaÃÃes em que a vizinhanÃa nÃo apresenta restriÃÃes quanto a vibraÃÃes decorrentes de sua execuÃÃo. AlÃm disso, perfis de solos com baixa capacidade de suporte superficialmente e que se estende a maiores profundidades tambÃm apontam para a possibilidade de escolha dessa alternativa. Nestes casos, alÃm de outros, fundaÃÃes em estacas prÃ-fabricadas de concreto podem proporcionar fundaÃÃes tecnicamente possÃveis e economicamente mais atraente. Nesta dissertaÃÃo, à feito uma anÃlise da aplicabilidade dos principais mÃtodos de previsÃo de capacidade de carga e recalque de estacas prÃ-moldadas de concreto armado em perfis de solos granulares tÃpico dos encontrados comumente em Fortaleza. O objetivo deste trabalho à avaliar se previsÃes realizadas por mÃtodos semi-empÃricos de capacidade de carga e de recalque, realizados a partir de sondagens à percussÃo (SPT) e em perfis de solos granulares, sÃo concordantes tendo como referÃncia resultados de 7 provas de cargas estÃticas realizadas. AlÃm disso, pretende-se ainda avaliar se, provas de cargas interrompidas prematuramente sÃo capazes de serem extrapoladas de forma a proporcionar previsÃes da carga de ruptura concordantes. Para isso foram realizadas sondagens a percussÃo (SPT) e provas de cargas em alguns locais situados em Fortaleza. A seguir foram estimados os valores da capacidade de carga e do recalque de cada estaca ensaiada nas provas de carga, e para a carga de trabalho, atravÃs de mÃtodos semi-empÃricos, utilizando valores do Ãndice resistÃncia de sondagens à percussÃo (NSPT) corrigidos, e nÃo corrigidos, a partir da estimativa da eficiÃncia das sondagens utilizadas. As previsÃes realizadas a partir dos valores do Ãndice resistÃncia (NSPT) corrigidos proporcionaram estimativas da capacidade de carga e do recalque das estacas avaliadas mais concordantes. Os mÃtodos semi-empÃricos que apresentaram uma maior concordÃncia nas previsÃes das capacidades de carga foram o Aoki e Velloso (1975) e o Decourt e Quaresma (1982). Os mÃtodos semi-empÃricos que apresentaram uma maior concordÃncia nas previsÃes de recalque foram Bowles (1979) e Poulos & Davis (1980). / Prefabricated piles are a foundation of alternative indicated in situations where the neighborhood has no restrictions on the vibrations resulting from its implementation. In addition, soil profiles with low carrying capacity and surface extending deeper also indicate the choice of this alternative. In these cases and others, foundations Precast piles of concrete foundations can provide technically feasible and economically attractive. In this dissertation, it is made an analysis of the applicability of the main load capacity forecasting methods and repression of precast piles of reinforced concrete in typical granular soil profiles of commonly found in Fortaleza. The objective of this study is to evaluate whether predictions made by semi-empirical methods of load capacity and repression, carried out from polls to percussion (SPT) and granular soil profiles are consistent with reference to results of 7 load tests still performed. Furthermore, even if you want to evaluate whether evidence interrupted prematurely loads are able to be extrapolated to provide consistent breaking load forecasts. For that they were conducted polls percussion (SPT) and evidence of loads in some places situated in Fortaleza. The following were estimated values ​​of load capacity and settlement of each tested stake in load tests, and the workload, through semi-empirical methods, using values ​​of resistance index surveys to percussion (NSPT) corrected, and uncorrected, from the estimation of efficiency of used soundings. The predictions made from the values ​​of the resistance index (NSPT) provided fixed load capacity of estimates and the settlement of the piles evaluated more consistent. The semi-empirical methods that presented a greater agreement on forecasts of load capacities were Aoki and Velloso (1975) and Decourt and Lent (1982). The semi-empirical methods that showed a higher agreement in settlement predictions were Bowles (1979) and Poulos & Davis (1980).

Orientador: Luiz Carlos de Almeida / Dissertação (mestrado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Faculdade de Engenharia Elétrica e de Computação / Made available in DSpace on 2018-08-18T06:15:44Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Buttignol_ThomazEduardoTeixeira_M.pdf: 9356935 bytes, checksum: 186affc587f929edbd476743336f3706 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2011 / Resumo: O presente trabalho faz uma análise numérica do comportamento estrutural de blocos sobre duas e três estacas e está dividido em duas partes. Na primeira parte é realizada uma comparação entre os resultados das análises numéricas e de modelos experimentais de outros autores. A simulação numérica é desenvolvida com o emprego do programa computacional baseado em Elementos Finitos ATENA 3D. Na segunda parte são feitas variações nos modelos experimentais originais para verificação de possíveis modificações no fluxo de tensões no concreto e nas armaduras, na capacidade portante e rigidez da peça, e, na aderência e ancoragem das barras de aço. O objetivo é corroborar os resultados de estudos recentes na área que vem convergindo para uma teoria comum que melhor representa o comportamento estrutural de blocos sobre estacas. Os resultados da comparação numérica com a experimental demonstram a complexidade e a dificuldade de reprodução de todas as variáveis envolvidas nos ensaios em laboratório de modelos em tamanho real ou reduzido. Os modelos numéricos de blocos sobre duas e três estacas apresentaram uma boa aproximação e comprovaram os resultados obtidos por outros autores, por exemplo, a dispensa da necessidade de utilização de ganchos de ancoragem e a predominância de uma ruína frágil através da ruptura do concreto e fendilhamento do bloco / Abstract: This study develops a numerical analysis of the behavior of pile caps with two and three piles and is divided in two parts. The first one presents a comparison between the results of a numerical analysis and the experimental behavior of pile caps. The numerical analysis is executed with Finite Element software ATENA 3D. In the second part, variations are applied to the original experimental model in order to verify modifications on the stress field in concrete and steel; on the load-bearing capacity and stiffness of the structure and on the anchorage and adherence of the ties. The main objective is to confirm the results and conclusions of recent studies that converge to a common theory, more suitable to pile caps. The results of the comparison between numerical and experimental results demonstrate the complexity and difficulty to recreate all the variables that have an impact on the experimental tests. Numerical models of pile caps with two and three piles have demonstrated a good approximation. The behavior of the numerical models reasserts the results of other authors, for example, the needlessness of anchorage hooks and the prevalence of a brittle mode of failure with concrete crushing and shearing / Mestrado / Estruturas / Mestre em Engenharia Civil