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Eric.ed.gov – Relative Achievement Effects of Four Early Elementary School Math Curricula. NCEE Evaluation Brief. NCEE 2009-4075

eric.ed.gov har udgivet: Many U.S. children start school with weak math skills, and children from poor households lag behind those from affluent ones. These differences grow over time, resulting in substantial differences in math achievement by the time students reach grade 4. The federal Title I program provides financial assistance to schools with a high number or percentage of students from low-income households, to help all students meet state academic standards. Under the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act of 2001, these schools must make adequate yearly progress in meeting state-specific targets for proficiency in math and reading, with the goal of ensuring that all students are proficient in math and reading by 2014. To provide educators with information that may contribute to making adequate yearly progress, this large-scale national… Continue Reading

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Eric.ed.gov – Achievement Effects of Four Early Elementary School Math Curricula: Findings from First Graders in 39 Schools. NCEE 2009-4052

eric.ed.gov har udgivet: The purpose of this large-scale, national study is to determine whether some early elementary school math curricula are more effective than others at improving student math achievement, thereby providing educators with information that may be useful for making adequate yearly progress (AYP). This report presents results from the first cohort of first grade in 39 schools participating in the evaluation during the 2006-2007 school year, with the goal of determining the relative effects of different early elementary math curricula on student math achievement in disadvantaged schools. The report also examines whether curriculum effects differ for student subgroups in different instructional settings. A competitive process was used to select four curricula Investigations in Number, Data, and Space; Math Expressions; Saxon Math; and Scott Foresman-Addison Wesley Mathematics) that represent… Continue Reading

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Eric.ed.gov – The Adaptive Challenges of Curriculum Implementation: Insights for Educational Leaders Driving Standards-Based Reform

eric.ed.gov har udgivet: The ambitious goals of standards-based reform call for both technical and adaptive leadership to address problems of practice involving the technical and adaptive alignment of teachers’ instruction to the standards. Thus, standards-aligned curriculum implementation necessitates both types of strategies; otherwise, adaptive challenges will persist. In this study, we analyze case studies of four districts where new English Language Arts and math curricula were recently adopted to help align teachers’ practice with their state’s English Language Arts and math standards. We draw from interviews with district leaders, principals, instructional coaches, and teachers to illustrate how mostly technical strategies for curriculum implementation do little to address the adaptive challenges that prevent teachers from fundamentally shifting their practice to be more aligned to the standards and to meet the needs… Continue Reading

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Eric.ed.gov – The New Australian Curriculum, Teachers and Change Fatigue

eric.ed.gov har udgivet: A new national curriculum has recently been implemented across Australia. This paper reports on a case study of a regional Western Australia government school as they re-wrote and taught the phase one learning areas: maths, English, science and HASS. Results showed what it is like to work in an environment where continual change is not only expected, but also seen as best practice. Cynical, realistic and even enthusiastic teachers suffer change fatigue after years of rapid and continual curriculum change. The research traces back the reasons why teacher change fatigue might occur using Intuitive Inquiry (Anderson & Braud, 2011) as a hermeneutical process. It captures the reactions of teachers as they struggle to adapt to another top-down curriculum framework, badged as “continual school improvement.” It documents that… Continue Reading

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Eric.ed.gov – Integration of Engineering Design in Early Education: How to Achieve It

eric.ed.gov har udgivet: Young boys and girls make houses and beds from cloths and cartons for their dolls, erect shelters and fences for toy animals, build ramps and garages from blocks for toy cars, and lift objects using a rope and reel for having fun. Thanks to their experiences with such design-based games, children combine science with engineering and try to understand and explain the facts and happenings around them with their own information and explanations. In recent years, the literature heavily provided marked evidence that integration of engineering design into science and maths curricula from preschool up to the end of senior high school offers various learning opportunities. Despite bearing potentials for achieving objectives of preschool education, curriculum integration poses the question of ‘How to achieve the integration’ to… Continue Reading

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Eric.ed.gov – Remodeling Science Education

eric.ed.gov har udgivet: Radical reform in science and mathematics education is needed to prepare citizens for challenges of the emerging knowledge-based global economy. We consider definite proposals to establish: (1) “Standards of science and math literacy” for all students. (2) “Integration of the science curriculum” with structure of matter, energy, models and modeling as unifying themes. (3) Pedagogy promoting “scientific inquiry” and argumentation. (4) Sustained “professional development” and support for teachers. (5) “Institutional support from local universities” for continuous upgrades in curriculum and teaching practices. Physics plays a central role in all these reforms. Link til kilde

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Eric.ed.gov – Achievement Effects of Four Early Elementary School Math Curricula: Findings for First and Second Graders. NCEE 2011-4001

eric.ed.gov har udgivet: National achievement data show that elementary school students in the United States, particularly those from low socioeconomic backgrounds, have weak math skills (National Center for Education Statistics 2009). In fact, data show that, even before they enter elementary school, children from disadvantaged backgrounds are behind their more advantaged peers in basic competencies such as number-line ordering and magnitude comparison (Rathburn and West 2004). Furthermore, after a year of kindergarten, disadvantaged students still have less extensive knowledge of mathematics than their more affluent peers (Denton and West 2002). This study examines whether some early elementary school math curricula are more effective than others at improving student math achievement in disadvantaged schools. A small number of curricula, which are based on different approaches for developing student math skills, dominate… Continue Reading

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Eric.ed.gov – Preparing Prekindergartners with Math Readiness Skills: The Effect of Children’s Talk, Focus, and Engagement on Math Achievement

eric.ed.gov har udgivet: The “Building Blocks PreK Math Curriculum” (Clements & Sarama, 2007) was designed to facilitate children’s engagement in math and talk about math. Much research investigates the effect of curriculum on classrooms or teacher practices. This study used a mediational model to look at a curriculum’s effect on children’s achievement gain, operating through specific child behaviors in the classroom. Specifically, this study looked at how a math curriculum affected children’s focus in math alone or in all learning activities (math, literacy, science, social-studies, and other), talking during math-related activities or in all learning activities, and engagement during math or during all learning activities. Additionally, this study examined how those child behaviors predicted children’s math achievement gain. It is hypothesized in the existing literature that much of the variability… Continue Reading

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Eric.ed.gov – Developing and Refining Lessons: Planning Learning and Formative Assessment for Math College and Career Ready Standards. From the College and Career Ready Standards to Teaching and Learning in the Classroom: A Series of Resources for Teachers

eric.ed.gov har udgivet: This resource is part of a series produced by the Center for Standards and Assessment Implementation (CSAI) to assist teachers and those who support teachers to plan teaching and learning from College and Career Ready Standards (CCRS) for all students, including students with disabilities, English learners, academically at-risk students, students living in extreme poverty, and gifted/talented students. The series of resources addresses key shifts in learning and teaching represented in the CCRS. This resource uses the Common Core State Standards (CCSS; National Governors Association Center for Best Practices, Council of Chief State School Officers, 2010) as an example of CCRS. The processes described in this resource are applicable to all States’ CCRS, including the CCSS. The content of this resource is drawn from leading theory and research… Continue Reading

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Eric.ed.gov – Improving Mathematics Learning by Integrating Curricular Activities with Innovative and Developmentally Appropriate Digital Apps: Findings from the Next Generation Preschool Math Evaluation

eric.ed.gov har udgivet: This paper describes findings from a blocked randomized design (BRD) field study conducted to examine the “Next Generation Preschool Math” (NGPM) program’s implementation in preschool classrooms and promise in improving young children’s mathematic learning. NGPM integrates traditional preschool activities with developmentally appropriate technology to support teaching and learning. During development, an evidence-based curriculum design framework and iterative development processes were employed (i.e. design-based research). Research questions guiding this research include: (1) Does experiencing NGPM impact young children’s mastery of subitizing and equipartitioning?; (2) Can the NGPM units feasibly be implemented in preschool classrooms?; (3) Does experiencing the NGPM unit 1 impact young children’s mastery of subitizing?; (4) Does experiencing the NGPM unit 2 impact young children’s mastery of equipartitioning?; and (5) Does experiencing the NGPM intervention improve… Continue Reading