A Field-Based Introduction to Urban Education at the Middle School

Middle school teachers developed objectives and suggested activities for a pilot early field experience to introduce freshman teacher candidates to urban education at the middle school level. This paper presents these objectives and activities plus data about the effects of their use by 15 teachers and 22 freshmen; an additional 30 freshmen placed in a traditional (tutoring) early field experience formed a comparison group. Project freshmen demonstrated higher sense of personal teaching efficacy and flexibility among people in a multicultural setting. In their journals, project freshmen reported more awareness of the urban environment; however, comparison group freshmen were more likely to report a sense of accomplishment. The project experience seems to have provided a “big picture” introduction to urban education, while the traditional experience gave students a taste of success at one small teaching task

O uso de rubricas na educação básica: Revisão e recomendações

Esta revisão crítica de 17 estudos sobre o uso de rubricas e outros instrumentos referenciados por critérios na educação básica teve dois propósitos. O primeiro foi analisar estudos referentes somente ao ensino fundamental e médio, porque as análises anteriores eram muito voltadas para estudos relativos ao ensino superior. O segundo foi usar esses estudos como base para recomendações que possam ser úteis para os professores em sala de aula e para os formadores de professores e gestores escolares que trabalham com eles. Três recomendações para o uso de rubricas com alunos do ensino fundamental e médio resultaram da presente revisão: (1) garantir que as rubricas sejam de alta qualidade; (2) planejar atividades que envolvam ativamente os alunos com as rubricas; (3) usar rubricas para vincular a avaliação formativa com a atribuição de notas

Eight Essential Principles for Improving Grading

Done well, grading can play a key role in a balanced district assessment system

A Randomized, Controlled Trial of In-Home Drinking Water Intervention to Reduce Gastrointestinal Illness

Trials have provided conflicting estimates of the risk of gastrointestinal illness attributable to tap water. To estimate this risk in an Iowa community with a well-run water utility with microbiologically challenged source water, the authors of this 2000-2002 study randomly assigned blinded volunteers to use externally identical devices (active device: 227 households with 646 persons; sham device: 229 households with 650 persons) for 6 months (cycle A). Each group then switched to the opposite device for 6 months (cycle B). The active device contained a 1-microm absolute ceramic filter and used ultraviolet light. Episodes of highly credible gastrointestinal illness, a published measure of diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, and abdominal cramps, were recorded. Water usage was recorded with personal diaries and an electronic totalizer. The numbers of episodes in cycle A among the active and sham device groups were 707 and 672, respectively; in cycle B, the numbers of episodes were 516 and 476, respectively. In a log-linear generalized estimating equations model using intention-to-treat analysis, the relative rate of highly credible gastrointestinal illness (sham vs. active) for the entire trial was 0.98 (95% confidence interval: 0.86, 1.10). No reduction in gastrointestinal illness was detected after in-home use of a device designed to be highly effective in removing microorganisms from water

A Century of Grading Research: Meaning and Value in the Most Common Educational Measure

Grading refers to the symbols assigned to individual pieces of student work or to composite measures of student performance on report cards. This review of over 100 years of research on grading considers five types of studies: (a) early studies of the reliability of grades, (b) quantitative studies of the composition of K-12 report card grades, (c) survey and interview studies of teachers’ perceptions of grades, (d) studies of standards-based grading, and (e) grading in higher education. Early 20th century studies generally condemned teachers’ grades as unreliable. More recent studies of the relationships of grades to tested achievement and survey studies of teachers’ grading practices and beliefs suggest that grades assess a multidimensional construct containing both cognitive and non-cognitive factors reflecting what teachers value in student work. Implications for future research and for grading practices are discussed

Dynamics of cinacalcet use and biochemical control in hemodialysis patients: a retrospective New-user cohort design

Abstract Background Cinacalcet is used to treat secondary hyperparathyroidism among hemodialysis patients. Large-scale epidemiologic studies describing patterns of cinacalcet use, effects on parathyroid hormone (PTH), calcium, and phosphorous levels, and predictors of discontinuation have not been previously reported. Methods This retrospective cohort study used a clinical database of a large U.S. dialysis provider (2007–2010) merged with administrative data from the United States Renal Data System. Among new users of cinacalcet with Medicare coverage, trends in PTH, calcium, and phosphorus were measured in 30-day intervals following cinacalcet initiation. Results Seventeen thousand seven hundred sixty-three eligible initiators contributed 111,047 30-day follow-up intervals. Of these, 56 % discontinued cinacalcet by month 4. Of those discontinuing, 76.3 % reinitiated. Mean values of PTH, calcium, and phosphorus decreased to recommended levels within 4 months following initiation. Proximal PTH levels <150 pg/mL were associated with discontinuation: HR = 1.23 (95 % CI: 1.12, 1.36), whereas low calcium (<7.5 mg/dL) was suggestive of an association, HR = 1.09 (95 % CI 0.91, 1.32). Being in the Part D gap period increased discontinuation risk: HR = 1.09 (95 % CI: 1.03, 1.16). Low-income subsidy status decreased discontinuation risk: HR = 0.77 (95 % CI 0.69, 0.86). Predictors of reinitiation included low-income subsidy, HR = 1.32 (95 % CI 1.22, 1.43); higher albumin level, HR = 1.23 (95 % CI 1.10, 1.36) and higher calcium level, HR = 1.26 (95 % CI 1.19, 1.33). Conclusions Substantial and expected declines in laboratory values occurred following cinacalcet initiation. Early discontinuation and reinitiation of cinacalcet were common and may have occurred for clinical and economic reasons

Factores que influyen en la elección de las carreras de pedagogía en Colombia

Resumen El presente trabajo tiene como objetivo identificar los factores que influyen sobre las motivaciones, la satisfacción y expectativas en torno al ejercicio profesional en estudiantes de las facultades de Educación y ciclos complementarios de Escuelas Normales Superiores (ENS) en Colombia, tomando caso de estudio la región Caribe de este país. Para ello, se aplicó un estudio de tipo cuantitativo, cuya muestra estuvo integrada por 805 estudiantes de programas afines a los antes mencionados, quienes estuvieron a cargo del diligenciamiento de una encuesta orientada a la medición de los factores que influyen en la elección de estos estudios, de acuerdo con la escala FIT-choice (Factors Influencing Teaching choice), desarrollado por Watt y Richardson (2007). Los resultados obtenidos no solo nos permiten establecer un perfil socioeducativo de los futuros maestros analizados en este trabajo; sino también, facilitan la identificación de los factores vinculados a los principales tipos de motivaciones que tienen mayor peso, al momento de elegir carreras relacionadas con la Pedagogía; siendo las motivaciones de tipo altruistas e intrínsecas las más valoradas por los estudiantes encuestados. Las motivaciones extrínsecas, relacionadas con el salario y la conciliación, por ejemplo, tuvieron una valoración menor, con la excepción del factor relacionado con la seguridad del trabajo. La satisfacción de la elección es elevada pese al bajo salario, la falta de estatus social y una alta disuasión social.This paper aims to identify the factors that influence motivation, satisfaction and expectations about the professional practices among students in education colleges and postsecondary education colleges in Colombia, studying the case of the Caribbean region, based on a quantitative study with 805 students linked with the programs mentioned above, who were in charge of measuring the factors that influence the selection of teaching careers, according to the FIT-choice scale (Factors Influencing Teaching choice), developed by Watt and Richardson (2007). Findings not only allow us to establish a socio-educational profile of future teachers analyzed in this work, but also help us to identify factors linked to the main types of motivations that mostly affect the choice of education careers. In this case, the altruistic and intrinsic motivations are the most valued by respondents, compared with extrinsic motivations, related to salary and time for family, for example, whose valuation was lower. Satisfaction with choice is well valued despite low salaries, lack of social status and high social dissuasion