of Education or Offices within it. NCEO Core Staff

assessment: Results of a comparative study (Technical Report 64). Minneapolis, MN: University of Minnesota, National Center on Educationa

Are we ready to track climate-driven shifts in marine species across international boundaries? - A global survey of scientific bottom trawl data

Marine biota are redistributing at a rapid pace in response to climate change and shifting seascapes. While changes in fish populations and community structure threaten the sustainability of fisheries, our capacity to adapt by tracking and projecting marine species remains a challenge due to data discontinuities in biological observations, lack of data availability, and mismatch between data and real species distributions. To assess the extent of this challenge, we review the global status and accessibility of ongoing scientific bottom trawl surveys. In total, we gathered metadata for 283,925 samples from 95 surveys conducted regularly from 2001 to 2019. We identified that 59% of the metadata collected are not publicly available, highlighting that the availability of data is the most important challenge to assess species redistributions under global climate change. Given that the primary purpose of surveys is to provide independent data to inform stock assessment of commercially important populations, we further highlight that single surveys do not cover the full range of the main commercial demersal fish species. An average of 18 surveys is needed to cover at least 50% of species ranges, demonstrating the importance of combining multiple surveys to evaluate species range shifts. We assess the potential for combining surveys to track transboundary species redistributions and show that differences in sampling schemes and inconsistency in sampling can be overcome with spatio-temporal modeling to follow species density redistributions. In light of our global assessment, we establish a framework for improving the management and conservation of transboundary and migrating marine demersal species. We provide directions to improve data availability and encourage countries to share survey data, to assess species vulnerabilities, and to support management adaptation in a time of climate-driven ocean changes.En prensa6,86

Addressing the inclusion of English language learners the educational accountability system:lessons learned from peer review.

University of Minnesota Ph.D. dissertation. January 2010. Major: Educational Policy and Administration. Advisor: R. Michael Paige, Ph.D., 1 computer file (PDF); xii, 157 pages, appendices A-C. Ill. (some col.)This study investigated the inclusion of English language learners (ELLs) in state standards and assessments, as measured by comments made by peer reviewers in the federal evaluation of states' standards and assessments. As required by the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), reauthorized in 2004 as No Child Left Behind (NCLB), states are required to develop challenging content standards in English language arts and mathematics, and to assess students on these standards. Nationwide, English language learners have been performing below proficient on these state tests. The goal of this study was to determine the elements of the standards and assessment system that peer reviewers thought could be addressed in order to improve the accessibility of these assessments for ELLs.This dissertation employed two research methods: a frequency and distribution analysis of the peer comments relevant to ELLs across the seven Critical Elements of the peer review, and a thematic analysis of the comments, using inductive methods to establish themes. The study found that comments relevant to assessing English language learners were present in all seven critical areas and in all states. All states had two or more critical elements with comments relevant to ELLs. Key themes from the qualitative analysis included accommodations, diverse stakeholders, reporting accuracy, inclusion, reporting for parents, migrant students, comparability of test forms, bias review, DIF analysis, and standards. States have begun to address the inclusion of ELLs in statewide standards and assessments; however, state agency personnel have more work to do in these areas before assessments can be seen to be fully accessible to ELLs.Christensen, Laurene L.. (2010). Addressing the inclusion of English language learners the educational accountability system:lessons learned from peer review.. Retrieved from the University Digital Conservancy, https://hdl.handle.net/11299/59146

Writing in the Contact Zone: Three Portraits of Reflexivity and Transformation

Culture is at the core of language teaching. Because classrooms are contact zones (Pratt 1991), teachers must have a well-developed sense of their own intercultural competence so that they may better facilitate the cross-cultural discovery inherent in language teaching. Teacher preparation programs need to provide opportunities for new teachers to increase their intercultural awareness. The purpose of this research was to qualitatively understand the experiences of pre-service teachers in a required culture-learning class at a large urban university. Specifically, the focus of this study was the completion of a mini-ethnography project designed to give the students a cross-cultural exchange. Since such contact zones can be the site of reflexivity and transformation, this study sought to understand the contexts in which reflexivity and transformation might occur, as well as how these changes might influence a person\u27s intercultural competence. This research used student writing as a primary source for illustrating change. Writing samples from all course assignments were collected from the class. Intercultural Development Inventory (IDI) Profiles were collected from three individuals who also agreed to extensive interviews. This data was used to create case study portraits of the class as well as the three individuals, illustrating a variety of experiences with the ethnography project. Change in intercultural competence was measured according to the Developmental Model of Intercultural Sensitivity (Bennett 1993) and the IDI. Each person had a markedly different experience with the project, and each person experienced some kind of intercultural change. Overall, the results suggest that ethnography is a useful classroom tool. When used at an appropriate stage of a student\u27s intercultural development, reflexivity and perspective transformation can occur, thus leading to intercultural competence

Science Assessments for Students with Disabilities in School Year 2006-2007: What We Know about Participation, Performance, and Accommodations (NCEO Synthesis Report)

A report documenting the inclusion of students with disabilities in state science assessments in 2006-2007, the period just before the required implementation of statewide science assessments. The success of all students, including students with disabilities, on statewide assessments in mathematics and reading/English language arts has been examined closely, partly due to the role of these content areas in school accountability for the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) known as "No Child Left Behind" (NCLB). States also were expected to establish science content standards by 2005-2006, and to develop assessments in science by 2007-2008.The Center is supported through a Cooperative Agreement (#H326G050007) with the Research to Practice Division, Office of Special Education Programs, U.S. Department of Education. Additional support for targeted projects, including those on English language learners, is provided by other federal and state agencies. Opinions expressed herein do not necessarily reflect those of the U.S. Department of Education or Offices within it.Christensen, Laurene; Rogers, Christopher; Thurlow, Martha. (2010). Science Assessments for Students with Disabilities in School Year 2006-2007: What We Know about Participation, Performance, and Accommodations (NCEO Synthesis Report). Retrieved from the University Digital Conservancy, https://hdl.handle.net/11299/173832

An Analysis of Accommodations Issues from the Standards and Assessments Peer Review (NCEO Technical Report)

A report commissioned by the Accommodations Monitoring Study Group of the Assessing Special Education Students State Collaborative on Assessment and Student Standards. It is the second in a three-part series providing information to states about the monitoring of accommodations to address the question of how states meet the NCLB requirement to routinely monitor the extent to which test accommodations are consistent with those provided during instruction, specifically for students with IEPs. This technical report provides a comprehensive analysis of the peer review guidance information and the methodology used in the research, as well as summarizing themes found across multiple peer reviews of state assessment systems. The first report in the series is Hints and Tips for Addressing Accommodations Issues for Peer Review.The Center is supported through a Cooperative Agreement (#H326G050007) with the Research to Practice Division, Office of Special Education Programs, U.S. Department of Education. Additional support for targeted projects, including those on English language learners, is provided by other federal and state agencies. Opinions expressed herein do not necessarily reflect those of the U.S. Department of Education or Offices within it

2009 State Policies on Assessment Participation and Accommodations for Students with Disabilities (NCEO Synthesis Report)

A report updating information on the state policies on assessment participation and accommodations that NCEO has been tracking and analyzing since 1992. NCEO last reported this information on these policies in 2008 (based on 2007 data). Policies from all 50 states and the District of Columbia are included in the report. In addition, current state accommodations policies were analyzed by grade and content area.The Center is supported through a Cooperative Agreement (#H326G050007) with the Research to Practice Division, Office of Special Education Programs, U.S. Department of Education. Additional support for targeted projects, including those on English language learners, is provided by other federal and state agencies. Opinions expressed herein do not necessarily reflect those of the U.S. Department of Education or Offices within itThurlow, Martha; Scullin, Sarah; Braam, Maureen; Christensen, Laurene. (2011). 2009 State Policies on Assessment Participation and Accommodations for Students with Disabilities (NCEO Synthesis Report). Retrieved from the University Digital Conservancy, https://hdl.handle.net/11299/173802

Successfully Transitioning from the AA-MAS to the General Assessment (NCEO Policy Direction)

A report exploring how federal policy initiatives such as the flexibility waivers for accountability are requiring that states transition away from the use of an alternate assessment based on modified achievement standards (AA-MAS). It is expected that those students who had participated in that assessment will instead participate in the state's general assessment (or a Race-to-the-Top consortium assessment if the state belongs to one). It is important that this transition be successful. Much has been learned through the development of the AA-MAS and its implementation. These lessons learned form the basis for ensuring the successful transition from the AA-MAS to the general assessment. Indeed, the lessons learned from the AA-MAS provide important information for all states as they strive to ensure that their general assessments are appropriate for a broad range of students. This Policy Directions offers suggestions for strategies to move the students currently participating in the AA-MAS to the general assessment.The Center is supported through a Cooperative Agreement (#H326G110002) with the Research to Practice Division, Office of Special Education Programs, U.S. Department of Education. The contents of this Policy Directions do not necessarily represent the policy or opinions of the U.S. Department of Education or Offices within it. Readers should not assume endorsement by the federal government.Christensen, Laurene; Thurlow, Martha; Lazarus, Sheryl; Shyyan, Vitaliy. (2014). Successfully Transitioning from the AA-MAS to the General Assessment (NCEO Policy Direction). Retrieved from the University Digital Conservancy, https://hdl.handle.net/11299/174040

States' Alternate Assessments Based on Modified Achievement Standards (AA-MAS) in 2007 (NCEO Synthesis Report)

A report examining assessment and accommodations policies and practices in relation to students with disabilities.The Center is supported through a Cooperative Agreement (#H326G050007) with the Research to Practice Division, Office of Special Education Programs, U.S. Department of Education. Opinions expressed herein do not necessarily reflect those of the U.S. Department of Education or Offices within it