Exploring The Role Of Schema Development And Its Impact Within The Digital Vocabulary Application Quizlet

The purpose of this action research study was to ascertain the possible impact of using schema development strategies and the digital application Quizlet on student learning perspectives and achievement in a mid-level social studies classroom. U.S. schools are highly influenced by state standardized testing based on standards-driven curriculum that reinforces basic recall and recognition. School curriculum should be focused on higherlevel thinking skills such as critical thinking, social negotiation, and self-directed learning. The identified problem of practice of this study explored and described the use of technology at a basic level. Students are exploiting technology by copying and pasting information instead of constructing their own knowledge. Students are relying on rote memorization instead of using strategies that promote the construction of new schemata. The study was conducted in my seventh-grade iCivics classes in a large southeastern middle school through collaborative groups that fostered social negotiation. In the study, students constructed their own learning by using schema development strategies that would then be used when required to think critically on summative assessments. Specifically, students constructed their own learning using the teacher-modeled schemadeveloping strategies and used the flashcard-making application Quizlet as a note taking device to provide evidence of their newly acquired higher-level thinking. Students also used Quizlet as a formative tool to become self-directed learners. Students’ perspectives on the use of Quizlet and its impact on their academic success were also explored. Quantitative and Qualitative data were collected in the forms of a pilot study, informal interviews, pre- and posttest, pre- and post surveys, and summative test

Time to Act: An Agenda for Advancing Adolescent Literacy for College and Career Success

Presents a vision for literacy instruction from fourth through twelfth grade; examines the challenges; outlines the elements of success, including professional development and use of data; and lays out a national agenda for change based on case studies

Improving language-focused comprehension instruction in primary-grade classrooms:impacts of the Let’s Know! experimental curriculum

This quasi-experimental study was designed to test the impacts of a curriculum supplement, Let’s Know! on the quantity and quality of language-focused comprehension instruction in pre-Kindergarten to third grade classrooms. Sixty classrooms (12 per each of pre-K to grade 3) were enrolled in the study, with 40 teachers assigned to implement one of two versions of the experimental Let’s Know! curriculum and 20 assigned to a control condition, in which they maintained their typical language-arts curriculum. Classroom observations, 90 minutes in duration, were collected near the end of the first unit’s completion, about four to five weeks into the academic year. These observations were coded to examine impacts of Let’s Know! instruction on two outcomes: (a) teachers’ use of 18 language-focused comprehension supports, and (b) general classroom quality. Study results using quantile regression showed that Let’s Know! teachers used a significantly higher number of language-focused comprehension supports during Let’s Know! instruction compared to the control teachers during language-arts instruction; the same finding was also true for general classroom quality. Quantile regression results showed the greatest differentiation in instructional quality, when comparing experimental and control teachers, for teachers in the middle of the distribution of general classroom quality. Study findings highlight the value of language-focused curricula for heightening comprehension-specific supports in pre-K to grade 3 settings

An Illuminative Evaluation of Two Models of Reading Intervention Used in Middle Schools

Intervention research often investigates the curriculum or methods used to support learners, while less attention is given to the model of those interventions. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of two models of reading intervention, and to better understand how they are serving middle school students. Working from a critical pragmatic lens, I employed illuminative evaluation methods to investigate three research questions: (a) What are the demographic profiles of students enrolled in reading intervention in grades seven and eight; (b) What are the differences in gains for students enrolled in the traditional intervention and reading lab intervention classes; and (c) How do students perceive the value of inclusion in reading intervention courses in grades seven and eight? I used descriptive statistics to study the demographic make-up of students enrolled in each model. I investigated archival summary data from MAP Reading Conditional Growth Index scores, employing independent-samples t-tests and analyses of variance to compare student growth from fall to winter results. Using archival summary data from an end-of-year student perception survey, I analyzed data to identify patterns and differences in student responses. The results indicate students in this district’s reading intervention courses mirror those from other districts across the nation, where larger proportions of students of color, males, and students participating in the free and reduced meal plans are enrolled in reading intervention. Statistically significant differences were found on MAP fall to winter growth scores, with students in the reading labs achieving significantly below expected growth. No statistically significant differences were found in student responses to the end-of-year survey, though important student perceptions were revealed. The information from this study can inform decision-makers as they select an intervention model to employ. This study illuminates some of the iatrogenic outcomes of our current system for middle school reading intervention, and calls into question how we might develop better ways of supporting our below-grade level readers in middle schools

Evaluating Alternative Methodologies to Teaching Reading to Sixth-Grade Students and the Association with Student Achievement.

The purpose of this study was to determine if an association exists between reading methodologies and reading achievement as measured by the Tennessee Comprehensive Assessment Program (TCAP) for sixth-grade students. The four reading methodology groups were: developmental reading, literature-based reading, Accelerated Reader program, and Accelerated Reader program with vocabulary study. The sample included 236 students in one middle school located in Northeast Tennessee during the 2004-2005 school year. Comparisons were made using TCAP criterion-referenced test reading/language arts scores, TCAP proficiency levels for content, meaning, and vocabulary categories for 2005, and pretest and posttest scores on the student assessment of reading. Data were analyzed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS). The findings indicated significant differences in the reading methodology groups. The developmental group performed much lower than the other three groups. The literature-based group performed much higher than the other groups. Even when the analysis of the gain scores showed no statistical difference among groups, the literature-based group had the largest gain. The students in this study exceeded the state\u27s annual goal of scoring 80% proficient or higher. The literature-based group and both Accelerated Reader groups exceeded the goal by achieving 90% on proficiency levels, whereas the developmental group failed to meet the state\u27s goal in content and meaning but met the goal for vocabulary. Overall, the Accelerated Reader and Accelerated Reader with vocabulary groups were similar across all dependent variables

A Novel Approach to Fostering Next Generation Science Knowledge in Middle School Students: Introducing Double-Blinded Reviews in Classroom Formative Assessments.

Recent reform in K-12 science advocates for fostering a new type of integrated knowledge, where disciplinary ideas are learned through the practices of scientists and engineers. Moreover, when fostering this knowledge, the reform emphasizes the need to illuminate to students the practices of scientists and engineers and to promote learning by making learning relevant to students’ lives. This dissertation addresses the reform’s vision in the context of classroom formative assessments. An online assessment called the 4R Activity was designed and embedded in a middle school climate change curriculum. Similar to scientists and engineers, students in the 4R Activity built knowledge products by receiving and providing double-blinded reviews and using the reviews to revise their products. A mixed-methods approach was adopted to investigate: (a) students’ achievement outcomes before and after participating in the 4R Activity; (b) the quality of the products generated during the 4R Activity; and (c) students’ perspectives on different aspects of the 4R Activity. A fixed effects regression model was estimated to compare the achievement outcomes of the 4R Activity participants (N=173, intervention) to those who used a conventional formative assessment (N=226, control) within the same curriculum. The 4R Activity participants demonstrated achievement gains that were, on average, 2.2 times higher than that of the control group. Furthermore, in the 4R Activity the achievement gains were highest for traditionally underrepresented groups in the sciences (e.g., females, African Americans). Next, qualitative techniques were used to examine the patterns and characteristics of students’ artifacts (e.g., revised products, peer review) over three 4R Activity cycles. Findings revealed that over time students incorporated feedback to construct high quality knowledge products and provided comprehensive peer reviews. Twenty-two students’ perspectives on the 4R Activity were documented through semi-structured interviews. Students’ accounts revealed their awareness of connections between aspects of the 4R Activity and their interests (e.g., playing sports) as well as connections between the activity and the work of scientists and engineers. Together the studies showcase how a formative assessment resource can be used to promote learning, engage students in the practices of professionals and elicit students’ interests and experiences to inform further learning.PhDEducational StudiesUniversity of Michigan, Horace H. Rackham School of Graduate Studieshttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/120773/1/sania_1.pd

An Investigation of How Elementary School Teachers Make Data-Driven Instructional Decisions in Literacy

The purpose of this mixed methods phenomenological study was to explore the data-driven instructional decisions that elementary teachers make in literacy. Educators have moved towards a culture of being data-driven, and have declared data use in schools to be significant to school improvement and accountability. Yet, as school districts make great strides in creating a culture of data-driven decision making – collecting, analyzing and interpreting data – little is known about how individual teachers make sense of data and how they use the data to inform instruction. To explore the data-driven instructional decisions made by classroom teachers using literacy assessment data, multiple measures including a web-based survey, stratified random sampling for structured interviews, and videotaping of grade level data team meetings were utilized to investigate areas that influence data-driven instructional decision making: teachers\u27 experience, knowledge and beliefs about literacy and literacy assessments most useful to teachers. This study also explored how teachers determine interventions for a group of students and individual students, whether data-driven decision making differences exist between K-2 (primary) and 3-5 (upper) teachers, and types of data-driven decision-making models used when analyzing literacy data. The findings of this study demonstrated that teachers shared common beliefs about the role of data in teaching, placed more value in common formative assessments, and identified strategies for student intervention based on their perceptions of the data. While findings of this study also demonstrated the need for teachers to want to align curriculum, instruction, and assessments, findings also indicated that teachers still perceived standardized testing items as important. Furthermore, key finding demonstrated that teachers\u27 knowledge of assessment and literacy do influence decision making, and that while data-driven differences do exist among K-2 (primary) and 3-5 (upper) teachers, teachers employed the use of data-driven decision making models or behaviors that included transforming data into actionable knowledge to improve student learning and instructional decision making. The findings from this study contributed to the literature on teachers\u27 instructional decision making and data-driven decision making. Recommendations for future practice include supporting data use in schools by building teacher capacity in assessment and data analysis. The findings of this study will have implications for districts and schools using student assessment information to inform instruction in order to better serve students at every level

Teachers valuation and implementation of formative assessment strategies in elementary science classrooms.

Formative assessment is frequently used by educators, but when asked to define, responses tend to vary widely. In essence, formative assessment is when teachers and students engage in instructional conversations discussing content information and gathering data about present levels of understanding. This feedback exchanged between teachers and students about knowledge gained is a critical element that provides structure and support to move student learning forward. For teachers who effectively use formative assessment strategies, it is the responsive element of adjusting lesson plans, instruction and assessments to give students multiple avenues to develop deeper understanding and to address student learning needs. For students it is the clarification provided by the teacher to link what was known, to what is known to achieve desired learning. In this study elementary teachers in one school district were surveyed by means of a questionnaire to ascertain their perspectives on value and implementation of formative assessment. Four teachers were selected for intensive observations of science lessons utilizing what each perceived to be formative assessment strategies. This study used a mixed methods approach to analyze data from three sources: a questionnaire, classroom observations and teacher interviews. Factor analysis and confirmatory structural equation modeling were used to determine the validity of the questionnaire about teacher\u27s beliefs and use of formative assessment strategies; SEM also provided underlying structural relationships of formative assessment strategies. Teachers\u27 value of formative assessment strategies strongly correlated with their reported use of same strategies. Regression analysis determined no significant correlation between years of experience and use of formative assessment. Interview analysis of case studies indicated that those who had a more student-focused or constructivist approach to science teaching, were more likely to effectively use a wider variety of formative assessment strategies in their instruction; conversely, teacher-focused instructors used fewer formative assessment strategies and did not exemplify those characteristics a constructivist philosophy. A Teacher Profile has been proposed which categorizes teaching behaviors that are more consistent with who embodies the knowledge, beliefs and dispositions about effective formative assessment. This profile has suggested uses for university teacher educators, education administrators, professional development trainers, and professional learning communities

The Independent Reading Level Assessment and Its Impact on Third Grade Reading Achievement

This study focuses on the developmental reading taxonomy known as the Independent Reading Level Assessment (IRLA). The purposes of the study were to analyze the inclusion and timing of the elements required for learning to read, and to discover whether the use of the IRLA impacted results on summative third grade assessments (Smarter Balanced Assessments). A taxonomic structure was used to examine the content validity study of the IRLA. Findings were that while the developmental progressions were accurate and the elements were inclusive, the areas of executive functioning, phonological awareness, and vocabulary could be strengthened, and that spelling could be more pronounced to strengthen decoding and encoding of language. ANOVA analysis of standardized test scores in 49 IRLA schools over four years showed no statistically significant change. The wide range of scores from year one to year four indicated potential issues with implementation of the IRLA. This study yielded two conclusions: (1) the elements and timing for teaching reading as presented in the IRLA largely match the research base; 2) no evidence through standardized test scores of the impact of the IRLA was found