We propose a new method for measuring teacher grading standards that is based on the Item Response Theory framework, and investigate the relationship between teacher grading standards and student learning in São Paulo State public schools in light of this new approach. We simulate a policy in which student achievement in a standardized examination (Saresp) is used as the passing grade criterion, setting a unique grading standard for each grade and subject that would substitute the current teacher-defined grading. We estimate the optimal standards that maximize student achievement under this policy, and compare them with the standards estimated for each individual teacher. Our estimates indicate that teachers currently apply standards that are, on average, more lenient than the optimal policy standards / Neste trabalho propomos um novo método para a medição do padrão de avaliação dos professores, fundamentado na Teoria de Resposta ao Item. Investigamos, com base no novo método, a relação entre o padrão de avaliação do professor e o aprendizado do aluno. Nós simulamos os potenciais resultados de uma política de aprovação de alunos baseada exclusivamente em um teste padronizado (Saresp), que implicaria em um padrão de avaliação único para cada série e disciplina, em substituição à política atual em que os professores são responsáveis pela definição sobre a aprovação de seus alunos. Estimamos os padrões de avaliação ótimos sob esta política, do ponto de vista da maximização do aprendizado dos alunos, e comparamos estes valores com os padrões de avaliação estimados para cada professor. Nossas estimativas indicam que os professores utilizam atualmente padrões de avaliação que são, em média, mais lenientes do que o padrão de avaliação ótimo estimado para a nova política

This study examines the relationships among student socioeconomic status, school district enrollment, minority enrollment, district expenditure per pupil, and the teaching experience of faculty as these variables influence the achievement scores of secondary students in Texas. Data from a total of 1,061 Texas school districts were used to determine the effects of the indicated district-level predictor variables on three criterion variables: reading, mathematics, and writing scores for the 11th-grade Texas Education Assessment of Minimum Skills (TEAMS). The study led to the following conclusions: 1. Low socioeconomic status of students in Texas, as in the rest of the United States, insures that test scores will be lower if all other variables are held constant. 2. Large minority populations are strong predictors of low test scores, especially in mathematics and reading. 3. Students in districts whose faculty had a high average of years of teaching experience also scored high in achievement tests, especially in mathematics and writing. 4. High average district expenditure per pupil predicts high test scores, especially in reading. 5. School district size or enrollment has low predictive value of test scores. Among several specific recommendations, this study advises that further study be done concerning the most effective ways to educate minority and socioeconomically disadvantaged student populations. The study also recommends that better ways be found to retain experienced teachers in the classroom, including monetary compensation, extra allowances for staff development, and additional resources. The study cautions against simply adding money to a district's budget to increase student achievement scores, asserting that districts should make thorough studies before higher expenditures per pupil are alone used to increase test scores.

This study sought to determine the ways in which Texas public school districts differ in their calculation of Grade Point Average/Rank in Class (GPA/RIC), how district size affects weighting practices, and the effect of non-uniform calculation of GPA/RIC on admissions to college. Descriptive and non-parametric analysis techniques were used.

Response time (RT) data are able to provide unique insight into both items and examinees regarding speededness and time-demand and should be incorporated into test development practice. To allow test developers to utilize RT information, item RT needs to be summarized into point estimate(PE)(s) that can be understood by content specialists and saved into the item pool. The recent expansion of online testing in K-12 achievement assessments brings opportunities and challenges for measurement experts to investigate and utilize RT information in a context different from that in the majority of literature, in which licensing and certification tests, graduate admission tests, and other applications that incorporate computer-adaptive testing. Using empirical data from four tests in two grade levels of a K-12 standardized achievement assessment, this study explored the empirical distributions of item RT and their fit to five probability distributions, the characteristics of four item RTPEs, and the relationships between item RTPEs and eight item attributes. Based on the principal findings across tests and grades, the empirical distributions of item RT presented widely variable shapes and did not fit any of the five proposed probability distributions; the 90th quantile showed its important capability of capturing and avoiding speededness issues; and the associations between item RTPEs and item attributes proved to be mixed. The generally idiosyncratic findings of this study call for a different perspective and approach to explore RT data and call for more empirical studies to enlighten test development practice in the K-12 standardized achievement assessment field.

More than 8 million of America's middle and high school students are struggling readers. Two-thirds of all eighth graders read below grade level, and the reading scores of high school students have not improved since 1974. Low literacy levels affect learning in all subject areas and impede student opportunity for future success. The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 and the accountability measures associated with the Act have heightened public awareness of the deficiency in adolescent literacy. School districts are choosing to respond in one of two ways. Some school districts are opting to invest in teacher-proof curricula that negate the effect of the teacher. Other districts are opting to invest in the professional development of their teachers. The goal of this study was to support district efforts to provide strategic professional development opportunities for teachers by investigating the effects of teacher efficacy for instructional strategies, classroom management and student engagement on ninth and tenth grade students' reading achievement. Teachers with high efficacy were hypothesized to impact students' reading gains positively. Student contextual variables of prior achievement, socioeconomic status, ethnicity and grade were controlled for in the study. The participants included 2,061 students in 23 classrooms taught by 110 teachers in two school districts on the west coast of Florida. The results indicated that there was no statistically significant relationship between teacher efficacy and student reading achievement gains. The only variables of statistical significance were race (white vs. Non-white) and grade. As more researchers use the findings and recommendations from this study to inform new investigations of the complex relationship between teacher efficacy and student achievement in reading, teacher educators, policymakers, teachers and administrators will be better informed as they continue to work towards improving the reading achievement scores of and narrowing the achievement gaps in adolescent literacy.

An increasing number of parents are opting-out their children from high-stakes. Accountability systems in education have used students' test scores to measure student learning, teacher effectiveness, and school district performance. Students who are opted-out of high-stakes tests are not being evaluated by the state tests, making their level of achievement or proficiency unknown by the state government. The purpose of this basic interpretive qualitative study was to gain an understanding of the various reasons, factors, experiences, and personal events that led parents to opt-out their children from at least one 3rd through 8th grade high-stakes test. Data were collected using a researcher-designed semi-structured interview protocol developed using ecological approaches to systems theories and critical pedagogy theories. The study was set in New York and 10 participants were interviewed, all from different rural or small suburban school districts throughout the state. Five themes and 12 subthemes emerged from first and second cycle coding. Key findings indicated that parents decided to opt-out their children from high-stakes tests because they felt high-stakes were inappropriate and unfair. Further, parents were dissatisfied with current high-stakes testing practices. Previous 3rd through 8th grade testing procedures that allowed teachers to make and grade the state tests were seen as acceptable. Parents indicated no issue with testing. However, from a social change perspective they felt the current system of high stakes testing was used improperly to rate students, teachers, programs, and school districts, and that testing should be used to drive instruction and help struggling students. This study is beneficial for school personnel and policy makers because it provides different ways to assess student achievement.

Researchers have documented that high expectations do not always result in higher achievement, but the reason for varying results has not been clearly understood. This correlational study was done to find out if the degree of presence of principal leadership characteristics can predict when high expectations are effective and when they are not. Expectancy and transformational leadership theories provided the framework for identifying 9 principal leadership characteristics that might influence student scores on Colorado statewide testing. Existing student testing data were considered the dependent variable, while survey data on the leadership behaviors of Colorado middle school principals were used for the independent variables. Data were tested using a correlational regression analysis. The transformational leadership independent variables of beneficial modeling, inspirational motivation, systems thinking, individualized consideration, and empowerment were each found to be significantly related to statewide test scores at the .05 level. The high expectations variable was not found to be significantly related to test scores by itself but was found to be significant (p = .016) when transformational leadership characteristics were also high. Principals who were perceived to provide teachers with the environment they needed to facilitate student achievement were correlated with higher test scores. Implications for social change include public policy makers' support for transformational educational leadership as a part of providing teachers with what they need in order to meet high expectations.

ABB Power Grids Grid Integration, PGGI, deliver substations to external customers, the performed work is done in project form and all the projects are being tracked by several Key Performance Indicators, KPI. In this Thesis work one KPI will be investigated, which is OTD. The OTD is in form of 17 standardized milestones that are set from ABB to support the PGGI-project’s on-time-delivery. The problem that shall be investigated is the downward trend discovered regarding the OTD for the 17 milestones. This downward trend means that the PGGI-project’s ability to deliver on time is decreasing. To take on the problem a status analysis to achieve a picture of the current situation regarding the 17 milestones was done, the current situation is called As-Is. An analyze of the targeted situation regarding the milestones was also performed, which is called To-Be. When these two were made an analysis between them was also done. The result from this was that a gap between the As-Is and the To-Be situation exists. The reasons for this gap are; deficiencies in knowledge and lack of understanding regarding OTD, reporting, and unreliable data regarding the 17 milestones. Thereafter a roadmap was developed to suggest how the notified gap between As-Is and To-Be situation can be reduced and possibly be eliminated. This roadmap contains 7 improvement suggestion and an implementation plan for how some of the suggestions is recommended to be managed. This goes out to the company to perspicuous illustrate the shown gap and how to minimize it. Lean philosophy and Statistical Process Control laid as foundation for the developed improvement suggestions. An implementation of the roadmap as a template for the improvement suggestions that were developed are therefore suggested as further work. / ABB Power Grids Grid Integration, PGGI, levererar transformatorstationer till externa kunder, arbetet som utförs är i projektform. Alla projekt följs upp via nyckeltal, nyckeltalet OTD som ska undersökas i detta examensarbete är i form av 17 stycken standardiserade milstolpar satta från ABB för att stötta PGGI-projektens leveranssäkerhet. Problemet som ska redas ut är den nedåtgående trenden som upptäckts i leveranssäkerheten hos de 17 milstolparna. För att ta an detta gjordes en nulägesbeskrivning samt en börlägesbeskrivning, detta visade ett gap i arbetssättet gällande de 17 milstolparna. En analys av gapet mellan nuläge och börläge genomfördes, i analysen upptäcktes brister i kunskap, förståelse, rapportering samt opålitlig data gällande de 17 milstolparna. Därefter utvecklades en plan för att föreslå hur gapet mellan börläge och nuläge ska minska för att sedan elimineras. Lean filosofi, Lean verktyg samt Statistisk Process Styrning låg som grund för de framtagna förbättringsförslagen. Den framtagna planen är tänkt att användas som grund för vidare arbete med förbättringsförslagen som tagits fram.

<p><p><strong>SAMMANFATTNING</strong></p><p><strong>Syfte. </strong>Utvärdera omvårdnadsdokumentationens kvalité och omfattning i elektronisk patientjournal på kirurgisk vårdavdelning. <strong>Metod.</strong> De senaste 60 journalerna från två kirurgiska vårdavdelningar valdes ut genom bekvämt urval. Varje journal lästes och bedömdes av båda författarna. Varje steg i omvårdnadsprocessen utvärderades efter granskningsmall och bedömdes som fullständig, för omfattande eller ofullständig. <strong>Resultat.</strong> Standardvårdplan användes i alla granskade journaler. Antalet steg i omvårdnadsprocessen som fanns dokumenterade varierade mellan fem och nio. Anamnes, status och effekter av åtgärder fanns beskrivna i majoriteten av journalerna. I samtliga journaler fanns utförda åtgärder dokumenterade. Omvårdnadsepikris fanns i större delen av njurtransplantationsjournalerna, men inte alls i struma/hyperparatyroidism (HPT)-journalerna. Majoriteten av uppdaterade status bedömdes som ofullständiga.<strong> </strong>Sexton av struma/HPT-journalerna innehöll inte anteckningar i rapportbladet. Av dem som hade rapportbladsanteckningar bedömdes majoriteten vara för omfattande. Samtliga njurtransplantationsjournaler hade för omfattande anteckningar i rapportbladet. Ingen av journalerna hade en individuell vårdplan. <strong>Slutsats.</strong> Omvårdnadsdokumentationen i den elektroniska patientjournalen bedömdes som ofullständig då det inte gick att få en tydlig bild av patientens omvårdnadsproblem och omvårdnadsbehov. Kvalitén på dokumentationen behöver förbättras. Detta kan ske genom att minska dokumentationen i rapportbladet och istället använda standardvårdplan och uppdaterat status i större omfattning. Fortsatt utbildning och återkoppling krävs för att förbättra dokumentationen.</p></p> / <p><strong>ABSTRACT</strong></p><p><p><strong>Aim. </strong>To evaluate the quality and extent of the nursing documentation in electronic health record on surgical ward. <strong>Method. </strong>The latest 60 health records from two surgical wards were selected by convenience sample. Both authors read each health record. Every step of the nursing process was evaluated with a nursing documentation audit and was classified as complete, too extensive or incomplete. <strong>Results. </strong>Standardized care plan was used in all electronic health records. Numbers of steps documented in the nursing process were five to nine. Nursing history, status and outcome were documented in most health records. Done interventions were documented in all health records. Goiter/hyperparathyroidism (HPT)-records had no nursing discharge note, while the kidney transplantation-records had one in almost every health record. Majority of updated statuses were evaluated as incomplete. Sixteen of the goiter/HPT-records had no notes of occasional matters, all kidney transplantation-records had too extensive notes. No individualized care plan was found. <strong>Conclusion. </strong>The total nursing documentation in the electronic health records were evaluated as incomplete. The quality of documentation needs to be improved. This can be achieved by less documentation of occasional matters, using the standardized care plan, updating status more often and further education and feedback.</p></p>

Thesis (doctoral)--Universiẗat Köln, 2004. / Includes bibliographical references (p. xxv-xxxvii).