Standardized tests are being administered to young children in greater numbers in recent years than ever before. Many more important educational decisions about children are being based on the results of these tests. This practice continues to escalate despite early childhood professional organizations' calls for a ban of standardized testing for children eight years of age and younger. Many early childhood educators have become dissatisfied with multiple-choice testing as a measure of student learning and are increasingly using various forms of alternative assessment to replace the more traditional testing formats. Teachers seem to be caught in the middle of the controversy between standardized testing and alternative assessment. This research examined what early childhood educators in one north Texas school district believe about assessment of young children and what assessment methods they report using in their classrooms, as well as factors which influence those beliefs and practices. The sample for this study was 84 teachers who taught prekindergarten through third grade. An eight-page questionnaire provided quantitative data and interviews and the researcher's journal provided qualitative data.

The purpose of this study was to determine if a significant difference exists in the TNReady scores of Tennessee students who attend a kindergarten through eighth grade school (K-8) as compared to students who attend a middle school (6-8 grades). The results of the 2018-2019 TNReady, the state adopted standardized achievement test for Tennessee, were used as the data for the study. The relationship between grade configuration and the percent of students who scored on track or mastered in English language arts and math was analyzed using an independent samples t-test. Further disaggregating by specific grade levels, grade configuration and TNReady achievement data was analyzed to note the impact in English language arts and math in each grade. When a significant difference was discovered, the data was further analyzed with an analysis of variance to determine if a significant difference existed in gender and grade configuration.

No description available.

National Kidney Disease Education Program has initiated a serum creatinine standardization program. Glomerular filtration rate (GFR) can be re-estimated from standardized serum creatinine measurements. How the standardized estimated GFR (eGFR) influences hypertension prevalence has not been evaluated. In this study, cross-sectional data from 21 205 participants aged 18 years in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 1999-2006 were analyzed. The differences between standardized and non-standardized eGFRs in the prevalence of hypertension and low eGFR were evaluated. Multiple logistic regression models were conducted to determine the association of standardized eGFR with hypertension prevalence. The prevalence of low eGFR estimated from standardized eGFR was higher than that from non-standardized eGFR (all P0.01), except for the 2005-2006 survey. The prevalence of hypertension under standardized eGFR was not significantly different from that under non-standardized eGFR in both groups of participants with eGFR60 and eGFR60 ml min 1 per 1.73 m 2. Adjusted for age, education, gender, race/ethnicity, smoking, serum cholesterol and diabetes mellitus, the participants with standardized eGFR60 ml min 1 per 1.73 m 2 had 56.1% more chance to be hypertensive patients than those with normal eGFR (P0.0001). The difference in the relationship to hypertension prevalence between standardized and non-standardized eGFR was not found significant.

In this study, the associations of socioeconomic variables with reading test scores in grade 4 (PIRLS) and with math and science test scores in grades 4 and 8 (TIMSS) were examined across 28 OECD countries. This study adds to the current knowledge base by integrating measures of income inequality, which have been used in a few studies involving test scores, with other socioeconomic variables of interest. Bivariate correlations show that certain socioeconomic measures have stronger relationships with test score inequality than with average test scores: income inequality, gender inequality, and adolescent fertility rates all have significant relationships with test score inequality in reading, math, and science. There are also strong intercorrelations among these three socioeconomic variables. Income inequality is significantly associated with average science test scores in grades 4 and 8, while adolescent fertility rates hold significant relationships with average math and science test scores in both grades. Intercorrelations among the variables show that people who live in a country with high income inequality, and are at the lower end of that country’s income distribution, struggle in ways that people in countries with low income inequality do not. Health insurance and access to health care, paid maternity leave, and preschool education are easier to obtain in countries with lower income inequality. Examination of individual countries gives additional insight into the important role of income inequality. Slovenia, for example, has a relatively low GDP per capita but enjoys good test scores, perhaps because of its low income inequality. Finland, another country with low income inequality, attains PIRLS and TIMSS test scores that are among the highest in the world, in part because of social services that have the effect of further reducing income inequality. The U.S. is something of a puzzle because it has relatively high scores despite substantial inequality. Based on the results of this study and other current research, it seems likely that the U.S. could reduce test score inequality by providing targeted supports to low-income families, effectively reducing income inequality. Such supports may include: 1) installing wraparound services within school settings for low-income families; and 2) substantially expanding preschool access, especially among 3-year-olds.

El siguiente proyecto de tesis se encuentra conformado por 4 capítulos. En el primer capítulo, se presenta el marco teórico investigado de fuentes con journals indexadas y respaldadas por autores especialistas con los temas de procesos, restricciones y herramientas Lean. En el segundo capítulo, se analiza el diagnóstico actual del caso de estudio del sector automotriz, mapeando sus procesos, analizando el Árbol de Problemas y evaluando sus causas raíz de la problemática principal. En el tercer capítulo, se muestra la propuesta de solución con respecto al diagnóstico que se realizó y al marco teórico investigado. Se aplicarán herramientas Lean, como el Value Stream Mapping, Operator Balance Chart (OBC), donde se calcularán los tiempos de ciclos, el takt time y serán evaluados con todas las áreas de trabajo, para así poder obtener un trabajo estandarizado. Por último, en el capítulo 4, se realizará una simulación para validar la propuesta y se mostrarán las conclusiones y recomendaciones, a partir de la propuesta de solución. / The following thesis project is made up of 4 chapters. In the first chapter, the researched theoretical framework of sources with indexed journals and supported by specialist authors with the topics of processes, restrictions and Lean tools is presented. In the second chapter, the current diagnosis of the case study of the automotive sector is analyzed, mapping its processes, analyzing the Problem Tree and evaluating its root causes of the main problem. In the third chapter, the proposed solution is shown with respect to the diagnosis that was made and the theoretical framework investigated. Lean tools will be applied, such as the Value Stream Mapping, Operator Balance Chart (OBC), where the cycle times will be calculated, the takt time and will be evaluated with all the work areas, in order to obtain a standardized work. Finally, in Chapter 4, a simulation will be carried out to validate the proposal and the conclusions and recommendations will be shown, based on the proposed solution. / Trabajo de Suficiencia Profesional

While there is ample research theorizing reasons for so-called "achievement gaps" between African American and White students on standardized tests, few studies explore African Americans' perceptions of the impact these tests have on overall education. Through interviews with six current students attending Hillsborough County public high schools, one recent graduate of a Hillsborough County high school, and two parents of students in Hillsborough County public schools, this research study probes participants' perceptions of the impact of the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test (FCAT) on their high school experiences. All participants in the study identified as African American or Black. Through archival research and participant observation with the Tampa Bay Academy of Hope (TBAH), a non-profit organization dedicated to developing leadership, behavioral, and academic skills for inner-city middle and high school students, this study also investigates the role of community-based organizations in facilitating the successful navigation of academic and bureaucratic challenges for African American students and parents in the quest for academic success at and beyond the high school level in Hillsborough County. The consequences of standardized testing in the Hillsborough County schools participants have attended reach beyond individuals' successful graduation, affecting course options, academic tracking, school structure, and school climate. Here I argue that standardized testing is another method of academic tracking, and school-wide penalties and rewards associated with disaggregated standardized test scores impact student and parent perceptions of school climate and school-family relationship.

The reauthorized No Child Left Behind requirement for annual state-mandated student examinations led some teachers to believe that they must teach solely for test preparation. This case study explored teachers' perceptions of preparing students for the state-mandated tests at an economically disadvantaged high school in the southeastern United States. Ten teachers were interviewed to understand their perceptions of 'teaching to the test,' feelings of pressure and stress, motivation to teach, and recommendations for integration of creative teaching strategies. The researcher collected demographic data, such as gender, grades taught, and subjects taught, and manually calculated frequencies and percentages. With an electronic software program for qualitative data management, the researcher analyzed the data manually by iterative review of the interview transcripts for codes and themes. Teachers' perceptions of standardized test preparation were both positive and negative. Preparation fostered discipline and content mastery but inhibited teacher creativity and stressed students. Teachers experienced pressure and stress with unhealthy physical reactions, lack of competence, and responsibility to students. Teachers' motivations were both positive and negative. Some experienced increased self-efficacy, and other experienced decreased motivation; commitment to students; and inadequate institutional support. Teachers recommended incorporation of creative teaching strategies and professional development (PD) programs. Findings led to a PD for addressing the problems and creative strategies (e.g., reciprocal teaching, graphic organizers). Findings may help teachers reduce negative feelings toward standardized test preparation and use innovative strategies for students' more effective learning.

According to the U.S Department of Education, co-teaching is an intervention used to give students with disabilities access to the general education curriculum while in the general education classroom. It's necessary to evaluate the effectiveness of co-teaching as it relates to academic performance. However, there has been a dearth of research on quantitative studies related to co-teaching and their results have been inconclusive. This quantitative study explored whether co-teaching has a positive effect on academic performance compared to collaborative teaching, and adds to the literature in this area that is considered current. On an annual basis from 2002 to 2011, junior and senior students from each school district in Georgia were given the GHSGT. Descriptive statistics were performed on the demographics of the respondents, including gender and ethnicity. The Mann-Whitney U Test was performed to evaluate if there were significant GHSGT mean scores differences between the co-teaching and collaborative class settings. Results indicated that students with disabilities performed better in the collaborative setting in math, English, and writing; and students in the co-teaching setting did not perform better than students in the non co-teaching setting in all subject areas. These results support that co-teaching is not meeting the needs of all students with disabilities (SWD) in this school district. Butts County education professionals may want to use this research to help guide them in designing a special education program that focuses on the needs of the SWD and how to meet those needs. This study contributes to positive social change because it supports previous research that concludes the needs of all SWD are not being met. More research still needs to be conducted to determine how to meet the needs of these students.

The number of standardized achievement tests that students in the United States are required to take has increased significantly during the past decade. Researchers have found that test anxiety is often a problem related to the increase in testing. This correlational study investigated the relationship between anxiety levels of 50 4th grade students and their standardized test scores. Test anxiety questionnaires and pulse rates were used as a measure of the anxiety level of each of the 4th grade students just before the standardized test was administered, and standardized test scores were used as a measure of academic performance. The data were analyzed using 2 separate Pearson correlations. The first determined the relationship between students' responses on a test anxiety questionnaire and their academic test scores; the second correlation determined the relationship between students' pulse rates and their test scores. The results indicated a significant relationship between the students' levels of test anxiety as measured by pulse rate and performance on the New York State Standardized Science test, but no significant relationship between students' levels of anxiety as measured by the questionnaire. The findings of this study are important to school administrators, teachers, and parents because they could illuminate how test anxiety may impair students' academic performance on standardized tests and thereby mask their true abilities. This study has important implications for positive social change by providing research-based findings that could lead to the development of test anxiety prevention strategies at the local site.