Academic Achievement - A View from the Top. The Illinois Valedictorian Project.
description- – This research report examines 10-year results of the Illinois Valedictorian Project, a program that has followed 81 high-achieving high school valedictorians for 10 years following their high school graduation. It describes the study's sampling and study methods; presents the findings from the first 5 years and the status of the study group at 10-year followup; and considers academic, attitude, and career outcomes of the group as a whole and various subgroups. Among the report's findings was that the valedictorians were highly successful in their undergraduate study earning a mean grade point average of 3.6 on a 4-point scale and earning many scholastic honors. Of those completing graduate study, more than half were employed in science, math, engineering, and business careers. Other findings revealed that only one student of color completed graduate school, only women entered medical school, men outnumbered women in law school, and female valedictorians pursued PhD programs in a wider variety of fields than did male valedictorians. Black and Hispanic valedictorians achieved lower levels of education than the study group as a whole. About a quarter of the valedictorians are now at top professional levels for their age. The study shows a strong connection between top academic achievement in high school and similar achievement in college. Appendices provide details of the project's research methodology. Contains 29 references. A separately-published 4-page"Executive Summary"is appended. (GLR)
- – 1993-01-01
Years of Transition: Times for Change. A Review and Analysis of Pilot Projects
description- – In 1990, the Ontario (Canada) Ministry of Education implemented the Transition Years project, an initiative for restructuring middle-grades education. This document presents findings of a study that identified effective policies and practices used by the pilot schools. Data were derived from: (1) surveys completed by staffs in approximately 325 of the 396 pilot sites in English and French-language schools; (2) a survey of 3,557 students in the 325 schools; and (3) case studies of six participating schools. The educational change is analyzed according to the following dimensions--substance, context, purpose, process, and realities. Findings indicate that teachers were confused about the project's purpose and that sites had varying purposes of scope. Finally, a partnership is needed among teachers, students, and parents for successful implementation. Four figures are included. (LMI)
- – 1993-01-01
The Drama of Leadership.
description- – This book reviews recent developments in the study and theory of leadership and explores new applications. It examines the questions that structuration theory raises for leadership, explores the theory of charisma and critical theory as posing new challenges to the understanding of leadership, and describes the uses of postmodernist theory for a new theory of leadership--a theory informed by theories of drama. The book views leaders as active players in a drama of human survival and fulfillment in a world threatened by irrationality and uncertainty. The leader is viewed as playing the part of director, coach, script writer, player, and critic in the developmental dynamic of institutional life. Proposals for the continuing education of leaders are offered. Three tables, three figures, and an index are included. (LMI)
- – 1993-01-01
NAEP 1992--Reading Report Card for the Nation and the States: Data from the National and Trial State Assessments.
description- – The National Assessment of Educational Progress' (NAEP) 1992 reading assessment was administered to nationally representative samples of fourth-, eighth-, and twelfth-grade students attending public and private schools, and to state representative public-school samples of fourth graders in 43 jurisdictions. Nearly 140,000 students were assessed in all. Data were summarized on the NAEP reading proficiency scale ranging from 0 to 500, and results were reported according to three achievement levels at each grade--basic, proficient, and advanced. Major findings were that (1) 59% of the fourth graders, 69% of eighth graders, and 75% of twelfth graders reached the basic level or beyond; (2) 25%, 28%, and 37% of grade 4, 8, and 12 students met or exceeded the proficient level, respectively; (3) from 2% to 4% of students at any of the grade levels achieved the"advanced"performance level; (4) fourth graders within the basic level generally understood simple narratives; (5) eighth graders reading within the basic level demonstrated literal understanding of passages; (6) twelfth graders within the basic level were able to interpret aspects of the passages they read and make connections between their reading and their own knowledge; (7) students attending private schools had higher average reading proficiency than students at public schools; (8) considerable variation in performance existed within and across participating states; (9) females had higher average reading proficiency than males at all three grade levels; and (10) fourth graders appeared to be learning reading through varied instructional approaches. (Contains 67 tables and 9 figures of data; a detailed description of anchoring the achievement levels, an overview of procedures, state contextual background factors, and reading passages are attached.) (RS)
- – 1993-09-01
Executive Summary of the NAEP 1992 Reading Report Card for the Nation and the States. Data from the National and Trial State Assessments.
description- – The National Assessment of Educational Progress' (NAEP) 1992 reading assessment was administered to nationally representative samples of fourth-, eighth-, and twelfth-grade students attending public and private schools, and to state representative public-school samples of fourth graders in 43 jurisdictions. Nearly 140,000 students were assessed in all. Data were summarized on the NAEP reading proficiency scale ranging from 0 to 500, and results were reported according to three achievement levels at each grade--basic, proficient, and advanced. Major findings were that: (1) 59% of the fourth graders, 69% of eighth graders, and 75% of twelfth graders reached the basic level or beyond; (2) 25%, 28%, and 37% of grades 4, 8, and 12 students met or exceeded the proficient level, respectively; (3) from 2% to 4% of students at any of the grade levels achieved the"advanced"performance level; (4) fourth graders within the basic level generally understood simple narratives; (5) eighth graders reading within the basic level demonstrated literal understanding of passages; (6) twelfth graders within the basic level were able to interpret aspects of the passages they read and make connections between their reading and their own knowledge; (7) students attending private schools had higher average reading proficiency than students at public schools; (8) considerable variation in performance existed within and across participating states; (9) females had higher average reading proficiency than males at all three grade levels; and (10) fourth graders appeared to be learning reading through varied instructional approaches. (Contains 19 tables and 3 figures of data.) (RS)
- – 1993-09-01
NAEP 1992 Mathematics Report Card for the Nation and the States.
description- – This report presents the mathematics assessment results from the 1992 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP). The assessment included nearly 250,000 fourth-, eighth-, and twelfth-grade students attending approximately 10,000 schools across the nation and the states. Students' performance is categorized into three achievement levels: Basic, Proficient, and Advanced. Among the major findings were that: (1) for the nation there were statistically significant increases in average mathematics proficiency in all grades and in both public and private schools from 1990 to 1992; (2) despite these positive findings, 60 percent of the students in grades 4, 8, and 12 were estimated to be at or above the Basic level on the 1992 mathematics assessment; (3) considerable variation in performance existed within and across states and territories; (4) increases in mathematics proficiency between 1990 and 1992 did little to alter the relative standings of the demographic groups; (5) gains were noted in the content areas of numbers and operations, measurement, geometry, data analysis, and algebra, and (6) one-fifth of the 4th graders, two-thirds of the 8th graders, and 90 percent of the 12th graders demonstrated ability in solving two-step problems involving multiplication and division. Chapter 1 contains overall achievement results for the states by grade and by state. Chapter 2 contains results for the nation and states by the demographic groups of race/ethnicity (White, Black, Hispanic, Asian/Pacific Islander, American Indian); gender; type of community (advantaged urban, disadvantaged urban, extreme rural, and other); parents' highest level of education; and type of school (public, Catholic, private). Chapter 3 contains national and state mathematical content areas of estimation, numbers and operations, measurement, geometry, statistics, algebra, and functions. The four appendices, one-third of the document, discuss NAEP's anchor-level results, the guidelines for sample participation, state contextual background factors, and an overview of the procedures used in the 1992 mathematics assessments. (MDH)
- – 1993-04-01
Mathematics Report Card for the Nation and the States, 1992. Executive Summary.
description- – This document presents the executive summary of the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) 1992 mathematics assessment. It included nearly 250,000 fourth, eighth, and twelfth grade students attending approximately 10,000 schools across the United States. The results from the assessment indicate that student performance is improving nationally and in some states, but a considerable challenge remains. Proportions of students at the higher achievement levels continue to be low, particularly for those subpopulations of students historically considered to be"at risk."Major findings include: (1) for the United States there were statistically significant increases in average mathematics proficiency between 1990 and 1992 for fourth, eighth, and twelfth grade students; (2) just over 60% of the students in grades 4, 8, and 12 were estimated to be at or above the basic level on the assessment; (3) within and across participating states and territories there was considerable variation in performance; (4) the increases in mathematics proficiency between 1990 and 1992 did little to alter the relative standings of the demographic groups; and (5) a number of gains were noted for the United States as a whole, and the states in the mathematics content areas assessed. (JRH)
- – 1993-04-01
NAEP Primer
description- – This guide to the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) is designed to help the secondary data analyst use the NAEP and to introduce some of the sophisticated technology used by the NAEP. The NAEP has been gathering information on American students since 1969. It samples populations that consist of all students in U.S. schools, both public and private, at grades 4, 8, and 12, as well as ages 9, 13, and 17. NAEP data are designed for measuring trends in student performance over time and for cross-sectional analyses of the correlates of performance. Since the introduction of the Trial State Assessments in 1990, the NAEP has also been used to compare the performances of students in participating states. All data collected by the NAEP are available for the secondary user. This primer, which assumes that the user has a working knowledge of the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences, gets the user started on the simplified database and introduces a few special features of the NAEP. The examples use a set of 1,000 eighth graders assessed in mathematics. These mini-files are used to illustrate several basic NAEP analyses. Five appendixes present file layouts and variable information, as well as a guide to using the attached primer computer disk. (Contains 28 figures, 2 tables, and 46 references.) (SLD)
- – Test Use
- – 1995-01-01
Effective Schools in Mathematics: Perspectives from the NAEP 1992 Assessment. Research and Development Report.
description- – This research report provides information about the school context for learning mathematics and highlights some factors that National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) analyses have found to be associated with effective schooling. Approximately 26,000 4th, 8th, and 12th graders in 1,500 public and private schools participated in the national assessment of mathematics. Data reported from questionnaire responses of students and school principals relate to school socioeconomic and demographic characteristics, student absenteeism, students changing schools, school problems and climate, high schools where students are college bound, impetuses for curriculum and instructional change, home support for academic achievement, mathematics classroom instruction, tracking, and course taking in grades 8 and 12. The most effective schools had students who watched less television, changed schools less often, were subject to only a moderate amount of testing in their mathematics classes (weekly to monthly), took more advanced courses, had positive attitudes toward academics, had fewer problems in the schools, and did mathematics and used calculators more frequently. The effectiveness of private schools was similar to that of public schools in which students, teachers, and parents have positive attitudes toward academics, and where few problems exist. At grades 4 and 8, a more stable student body with students who changed schools fewer times was associated with higher school effectiveness. In summary, students' home background and school socioeconomic indicators were powerful influences on academic achievement in mathematics. (MKR)
- – Students
- – 1994-10-01
America's Mathematics Problem: Raising Student Achievement. A Synthesis of Findings from NAEP's 1992 Mathematics Assessment.
description- – This booklet summarizes findings from data on mathematics achievement gathered on the 1992 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) for grades 4, 8, and 12. Approximately 26,000 4th, 8th, and 12th graders in 1,500 public and private schools participated in the national assessment. Information included in the report are: trends in achievement between 1990 and 1992, distribution of overall mathematics proficiency organized by state for grades 4, 8, and 12, performance on and examples of constructed-response questions, national results for demographic subgroups on two regular constructed-response tasks and an extended-response task, example of an extended-response task with scoring guide and sample responses, the school context for learning mathematics, trends and trouble spots in mathematics instruction, school effectiveness, background questionnaires, and procedures and methods. Findings for the performance of students on extended constructed-response questions include: (1) Approximately one-third to two-thirds of the students provided incorrect responses; (2) Substantial percentages of students left their papers blank; (3) Most students who did seem to understand the problems had difficulty explaining their work; and (4) From 1 to 16 percent of the students provided extended responses to each one of the tasks. On regular constructed-response questions, the average percentage correct by grade level was 42% for grade 4, 53% for grade 8, and 40% for grade 12. (MKR)
- – 1994-10-01
NAEP Trends in Academic Progress. Achievement of U.S. Students in Science, 1969 to 1992--Mathematics, 1973 to 1992--Reading, 1971 to 1992--Writing, 1984 to 1992. Report in Brief.
description- – Since its inception in 1969, the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) has been regularly assessing the nation's students in public and private schools, serving as a barometer of educational attainment. This report in brief is excerpted from"NAEP 1992 Trends in Academic Progress,"which presents trend data in science, mathematics, reading, and writing. Approximately 31,000 students were involved in NAEP's 1992 trend assessments. Student performance is characterized at five levels along the proficiency scales, and percentages of students reaching each level are presented. For reading and writing, results are also presented for individual tasks. In general, trends in science and mathematics show noteworthy improvements since 1983, while trends for reading show slow declines for the same period. Writing performance has been relatively stable for grades 11 and 4, with a recent improvement for grade 8 that awaits support in subsequent years. Eleven tables and four figures present trend data in brief form. (SLD)
- – 1994-07-01
Portraits of Success: Resources Supporting Bilingual Learners
description- – The lives of accomplished bilingual adults who were educated in Massachusetts schools are reviewed to analyze the role of transitional bilingual education (TBE) in their lives. The 12 adults interviewed, chosen not as a representative sample, but because they have succeeded in life, attended bilingual education in Massachusetts, generally in urban areas, at elementary or secondary levels. All have gone on to successful careers, and all are fully bilingual. Two case studies, that of a Chinese-American student who entered the bilingual program in second grade and that of a student from the Dominican Republic who entered bilingual education in high school, are presented in detail. Factors that made a difference in the elementary education of bilingual students were found to be: (1) native language development; (2) native language use in content areas; (3) intensive English instruction; (4) participation in accelerated programs; (5) qualified bilingual teachers; and (6) supportive peers. At the secondary level, similar factors, as well as activities supporting college preparation, were found. One figure and one table illustrate the discussion. (Contains 13 references.) (SLD)
- – 1994-01-01
Mathematics Achievement in the Middle School Years. IEA's Third International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS).
description- – The Third International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) is the largest and most ambitious study undertaken by the International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement. Forty-five countries collected data in more than 30 languages. Five grade levels were tested in the two subject areas, so that more than half a million students were tested around the world. This report addresses middle-school mathematics achievement (grades seven and eight) in six content areas: (1) fractions and number sense; (2) measurement; (3) proportionality; (4) data representation, analysis, and probability; (5) geometry; and (6) algebra. Results cover 41 countries with complete data collection. Singapore was the top-performing country at both grade levels, with Korea, Japan, and Hong Kong also performing very well. There were large differences in average achievement between top performers and bottom performing nations. Gender differences in mathematics achievement were small or nearly nonexistent in most countries, but when they did appear, they favored boys. In nearly every country there was a strong positive relationship between student enjoyment of mathematics and higher achievement. Home factors were strongly related to mathematics achievement in every participating country, but relationships between instructional variables and achievement were less clear. In every country, the pattern was for the eighth grade student whose parents had more education to also have higher achievement in mathematics. The amount of television viewing was negatively associated with mathematics achievement. The document's introduction provides information on each country's characteristics including demographics, public expenditures on education, organization of educational system. Chapters address: (1) International Student Achievement in Mathematics; (2) Average Achievement; (3) Performance on Items within Each Mathematics Content Area; (4) Students Backgrounds and Attitudes towards Mathematics; and (5) Teachers and Instruction. Appendixes include: Overview of TIMSS Procedures; Test-Curriculum Matching Analysis; Selected Mathematics Achievement Eighth-Grade Results for the Philippines, Denmark, Sweden, and German-Speaking Switzerland; and Percentiles and Standard Deviations of Mathematics Achievement. (SLD)
- – 1996-01-01
The Multicultural Middle College High School: An Attempt at Creating an Innovative Bilingual High School
description- – Research on bilingual education has suggested three areas as critical for quality bilingual education: (1) school climate and organization; (2) curriculum content and delivery; and (3) instructional strategies. These three areas form a framework that was used to evaluate the Multicultural Middle College High School (MMCHS), an alternative bilingual high school created by a group of teachers from the Boston (Massachusetts) public schools. An analysis of school organization, curriculum, staff, classroom instruction, student population, and home-school relationships shows how the school succeeds in providing quality bilingual education. The MMCHS opened in 1993 with 82 bilingual and mainstream students, 4 bilingual teachers, and 1 special education teacher as an outgrowth of a"school within a school"program for bilingual and mainstream students that had operated in a high school since 1990. The program was housed in a community college, but was the satellite of a high school. Because the conditions of a quality bilingual education focus on characteristics of the different components of a program, it provides a thorough but flexible model of evaluation. Had the MMCHS been evaluated with the simple criteria of language instruction or adherence to an established model of bilingual education, it would not have been evaluated as favorably. Using the scrutiny of the conditions, which adds an extensive focus on characteristics of good education, the results were more positive. There was a strong basis of quality education in the program, which could be transformed into quality bilingual education by implementing the recommendations from the evaluation. These included the fostering of more positive attitudes towards the cultures and native languages of the bilingual students (mostly, but not exclusively Spanish speaking), fostering positive attitudes toward U. S. culture, suggestions for increased parent participation, and specific suggestions for the improvement of curriculum and instructional strategies. (Contains 2 tables and 53 references.) (SLD)
- – 1996-01-01
Third International Mathematics and Science Study: Quality Assurance in Data Collection.
description- – The Third International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) is the most ambitious study conducted by the International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement to date. TIMSS developed and administered tests and questionnaires in three student populations to study achievement in participating countries and the factors associated with high achievement. Contributions to this volume describe the main elements of the effort to assure the quality of TIMSS data, focusing on such issues as the translation of the achievement tests from English into the 30 other languages of the study, sampling from the 45 participating countries, and reliability questions. The following chapters are included: (1)"Translation, Verification"(Ina V. S. Mullis, Dana L. Kelly, and Kathleen Haley); (2)"Sampling"(Pierre Foy, Michael O. Martin, and Dana L. Kelly); (3)"Monitoring the TIMSS Data Collection"(Michael O. Martin, Craig D. Hoyle, and Kelvin D. Gregory); (4)"Observing the TIMSS Test Administration"(Michael O. Martin, Craig D. Hoyle, and Kelvin D. Gregory); (5)"Quality Control Steps for Free-Response Scoring"(Ina V. S. Mullis and Teresa A. Smith); and (6)"Data Consistency Checking across Countries"(Heiko Jungclaus and Michael Bruneforth). Nine appendixes present supplemental information about study methodology. (Contains 1 figure, 28 tables, and 3 appendix tables.) (SLD)
- – 1996-01-01
Texas' Alliance Schools: Developing Strategies of Social Capitalization in Schools and Communities. Final Deliverable for OERI. Prepublication Draft.
description- – The transformation of education and the formation of social capital in Texas has been brought about by local organizations of the Texas Industrial Areas Foundation, or the Texas IAF. The organizations have operated in innercity neighborhoods to develop mutually reinforcing matrices of school improvement and community uplift. By 1992 Texas IAF organizations had developed a partnership with the Texas Education Agency to create a network of 20"Alliance Schools."This paper describes the manner in which Texas IAF organizations built social capital in the Alliance Schools and their surrounding communities in one city in Texas. The paper first briefly describes the purpose, internal structure, and methods of community organization of the Texas IAF. The next section describes the Texas IAF's politics of education in San Antonio, the city in which IAF organizations have most transformed both the power structure of the city and the operating processes of the public schools. The next section critiques the Texas IAF's school work and suggests ways in which that work can inform and enrich social capital theory. The paper sketches out a vision and practice of citizenship organization that can counteract America's declining social capital through tenacious forms of neighborhood and school improvement in the nation's central cities. (19 footnotes.) (LMI)
- – 1996-01-01
Conversations in Excellence: Integrating Mission.
description- – In 1995 Catholic educators established Selected Programs for Improving Catholic Education (SPICE). The program is a form of action research that identifies, validates, and systematically diffuses elementary and secondary school programs that work. This handbook is the first volume in a series of annual National Catholic Educational Association publications that disseminate the findings of SPICE. Following chapter 1,"The Call for Collaboration,"by Joseph M. O'Keefe, S.J., chapter 2 provides a history of SPICE and an overview of its process and plans for the future. Chapter 3 presents the seven 1996 SPICE schools and their programs, outlining their focus, goals, activities, and plans for implementation. Chapter 4 discusses the call to collaboration by recounting Boston College's experience in on-campus interprofessional development and partnerships with local schools. The fifth chapter describes Catholicism's teachings about the unequaled importance of children. Chapter 6 explores the nature of rigidity and offers four requirements for successful change. References accompany the chapters. (LMI)
- – 1997-01-01
Science Achievement in the Middle School Years. IEA's Third International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS).
description- – The Third International Mathematics and Science Study is the largest and most ambitious study ever undertaken by the International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement. Forty-five countries collected data in more than 30 languages. Five grade levels were tested in the two subject areas. This report describes the science achievement of seventh and eighth graders, emphasizing the results from the eighth-grade assessment. Results are presented for the 41 countries that completed all the steps necessary to appear in this report. Singapore was the top performing country at both grade levels, with Colombia, Kuwait, and South Africa performing at the lowest levels. Perhaps the most striking finding was the large difference in average achievement between the top-performing and bottom-performing countries. Results provided a chain of overlapping countries, with most countries having an average achievement similar to that of a cluster of others, but with large differences between the top and bottom of the chain. In most countries and internationally, boys outperformed girls at both grade levels. The majority of eighth graders in nearly every country indicated that they liked science, but not all students had positive feelings about the subject. Home factors were strongly related to achievement in every participating country, but relationships between science achievement and instructional practices were less clear within and across countries. Six appendixes present information on study methodology and selected achievement results for some countries. (Contains 61 tables, 23 appendix tables, 19 figures, and 1 appendix figure.) (SLD)
- – 1996-11-01
Attaining Excellence: TIMSS as a Starting Point To Examine Mathematics Assessments. An In-Depth Look at Geometry and Algebra.
description- – This report is incorporated into"Attaining Excellence: A TIMSS Resource Kit."Released in Fall 1997, the TIMSS resource kit was developed for educators and those interested in using TIMSS data to improve teaching, curricula, and student achievement in state and local communities. This module presents information about the grade 8 mathematics assessments conducted by the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) and the Third International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS). The first section of the mathematics assessment module compares the frameworks underlying the NAEP and TIMSS grade 8 mathematics assessments and the distributions of test questions across content areas, focusing on the areas of geometry and algebra. The second and third sections of the module describe the geometry and algebra portions of the assessments in detail using actual test questions (often called"items") from the NAEP and TIMSS assessments to illustrate how areas of the frameworks became operationalized into test questions. Assessment results are provided for the geometry and algebra questions to give some perspective on U.S. performance in these two mathematics content areas. (Contains 14 references.) (ASK)
- – 1996-06-01
Conversations in Excellence: Providing for the Diverse Needs of Youth and Their Families.
description- – This is the second volume of a planned three-volume set that presents Selected Programs for Improving Catholic Education (SPICE). SPICE was created to help Catholic-school leaders replicate partnerships that meet the needs of youth and their families. The book opens with an overview of the social conditions that currently affect young people and form the context in which Catholic schools exists. The next chapter describes 11 award-winning SPICE programs. Six programs are school-based initiatives that meet the diverse learning needs of students; three programs meet the psychosocial needs of students and their families; and two programs provide for the diverse needs of inner-city youth and their families. The next two chapters offer insights into pedagogical approaches that meet the varied learning needs of students. Chapters 5 and 6 explore evolving models of collaboration on a broad national scale, focusing on collaborative efforts among school, family, and community and standards of practice of community-based educational collaborations. Chapter 7 looks at ways to optimize linkages with other ministries, whereas the remaining chapters treat special issues such as health-care needs, teaching from an English or British perspective, providing for the diverse needs of children, and leadership for solidarity. Many chapters contain references. (RJM)
- – 1998-01-01
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