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Eric.ed.gov – Giving a Little Help to Girls? Evidence on Grade Discrimination and Its Effect on Students’ Achievement. CEP Discussion Paper No. 1341

eric.ed.gov har udgivet: This paper tests if gender-discrimination in grading affects pupils’ achievements and course choices. I use a unique dataset containing grades given by teachers, scores obtained anonymously by pupils at different ages, and their course choice during high school. Based on double-differences, the identification of the gender bias in grades suggests that girls benefit from a substantive positive discrimination in math but not in French. This bias is not explained by girls’ better behavior and only marginally by their lower initial achievement. I then use the heterogeneity in teachers’ discriminatory behavior to show that classes in which teachers present a high degree of discrimination in favor of girls are also classes in which girls tend to progress significantly more than boys, during the school year but also during… Continue Reading

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Eric.ed.gov – Using the Scientific Method to Engage Mathematical Modeling: An Investigation of pi

eric.ed.gov har udgivet: The purpose of this paper is to explain how to use the scientific method as the framework to introduce mathematical model. Two interdisciplinary activities, targeted for students in grade 6 or grade 7, are explained to show the application of the scientific method while building a mathematical model to investigate the relationship between the circumferences and the diameter of circular objects. In the first activity, a research question is pursued as it relates to the stated hypothesis. In the second activity, the same research question is retained; however, the use of exploration helps to build the hypothesis. The activities serve as examples to show how middle school math teachers may use scientific inquiry to motive students’ understanding of mathematical models as well as engage in science beyond… Continue Reading

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Eric.ed.gov – Do School Districts Get What They Pay for? Predicting Teacher Effectiveness by College Selectivity, Experience, Etc. Program on Education Policy and Governance Working Papers Series. PEPG 10-08

eric.ed.gov har udgivet: Holding a college major in education is not correlated with effectiveness in elementary and middle school classrooms, regardless of the university at which the major was earned. Teachers do become more effective with a few years of teaching experience, but (except in elementary reading) no gains–and some declines–in effectiveness appear in the second decade after a teacher has begun teaching. These and other results are obtained from estimations using value-added models that control for student characteristics as well as school and (where appropriate teacher) fixed effects that estimate teacher effectiveness in reading and math for Florida students in 4th through 8th grades for six school years, 2001-02 through 2006-07. The findings suggest that teacher selection and compensation policies are in need of revision. (Contains 2 figures, 11… Continue Reading

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Eric.ed.gov – The New NGSS Classroom: A Curriculum Framework for Project-Based Science Learning

eric.ed.gov har udgivet: As schools work to implement the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS), a team at Stanford University found that project-based learning is an effective framework for engaging students. The team used project-based learning, group activities, and performance-based assessments to design an effective, engaging curriculum. Over a three-year period, the team conducted research which showed that the curriculum led to gains in both student engagement and learning outcomes (as measured by the Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium’s math and English language arts tests, the California English Language Development Test, and a science pre- and post-assessment). The team contends that these gains were supported by a curriculum and professional development package that led to changes in teachers’ instructional practices. It highlights five things to look for when evaluating NGSS instructional materials… Continue Reading

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Eric.ed.gov – Washington Comprehensive Assessment Program. Report to the Legislature

eric.ed.gov har udgivet: The Washington Comprehensive Assessment Program (WCAP) is a maturing and stable program. In 2016-17 it included: (1) Smarter Balanced Assessments (SBA) in English Language Arts (ELA) and math for students in grades 3-8 and high school; (2) Measurements of Student Progress (MSP) in science for grades 5 and 8; (3) End-of-Course exams in math and biology; and (4) Specialized testing for English proficiency, alternate achievement standards, and graduation alternatives. Spring 2017 represented the third year of Smarter Balanced testing. In spring 2017, a total of 580,276 students took the ELA tests and 558,631 students took the math tests. Students with significant cognitive challenges can take an alternate assessment, the Washington Access to Instruction and Measurement (WA-AIM). In spring 2017, about 6,000 students took the WA-AIM. Washington is… Continue Reading

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Eric.ed.gov – The Impact of the Great Recession on Student Achievement: Evidence from Population Data. CEPA Working Paper No. 17-09

eric.ed.gov har udgivet: The Great Recession was the most severe economic downturn in the United States since the Great Depression. Using newly available population-level achievement data from the Stanford Education Data Archive (SEDA), we estimate the impact of the Great Recession on the math and English language arts (ELA) achievement of all grade 3-8 students in the United States. Employing a difference-in-differences strategy that leverages both cross-district variation in the economic shock of the recession and within-district, cross-cohort variation in school-age years of exposure to the recession, we find that the onset of the Great Recession significantly reduced student math and ELA achievement. Moreover, the recessionary effect on student achievement was concentrated among school districts serving more economically disadvantaged and minority students, indicating that the adverse effects of the recession… Continue Reading

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Eric.ed.gov – A Research of the Effect of Attitude, Achievement, and Gender on Mathematic Education

eric.ed.gov har udgivet: Recent studies in math education focus on differences between behaviors and performances of male and female students. In this study, achievement and attitudes of middle school students to math were described in terms of gender and grade differences. The aim of this study is to determine whether any differences exist between female and male students’ attitudes and successes of middle school toward mathematics. This research was designed as a descriptive research. Students (6th, 7th, and 8th grades) were registered to “Attitude Survey toward Mathematics.” This survey is consisted of two parts. In the first part, there are demographic questions. The second part is 5-Likert type survey which is intended to learn students’ attitudes toward mathematics. Secondly, in order to determine students’ achievements from mathematics, their grades and… Continue Reading

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Eric.ed.gov – The Effects of “Math Pathways and Pitfalls” on Students’ Mathematics Achievement: National Science Foundation Final Report

eric.ed.gov har udgivet: This study was designed to assess the impact of “Mathematics Pathways and Pitfalls” (“MPP”) on the mathematics that second-, fourth-, and sixth-grade students learn. The specific research questions that were addressed are: (a) What is the impact of “MPP” on students’ knowledge of the mathematics topics addressed, compared to that of students using the regular math curriculum? and (b) How equitable is the impact of “MPP” on students’ mathematics knowledge across levels of English language proficiency and entering mathematics ability? A cluster-randomized experimental design was implemented in five school districts. In the first year of the study, second-, fourth-, and sixth-grade teachers were randomly assigned within their school districts to either an experimental or a control group. The experimental group teachers were taught how to implement “MPP”… Continue Reading

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Eric.ed.gov – Uses of Mathematics Textbooks for Grade (4-8) as per Basic Concepts and Questions Levels in TIMSS Test: A Study Conducted in Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Schools

eric.ed.gov har udgivet: This study tried to explore the degree of representation of math textbooks for grades (4-8) in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia concerning the key concepts, shape, and levels of questions used in the TIMSS test. The study population of this study includes both students and teachers from fourth grade to eighth grade. The goal of this study was associated with six key concepts including numbers and their operations, algebra, geometry, measurement, statistics and probability, and a pro-rata. The researcher analyzed the questions and exercises used in the math textbooks to identify their effectiveness and efficiency. In addition, the researcher also calculated the percentages, the levels, and the shape for each key concept. The results of the study were organized in frequency tables. In the light of those… Continue Reading

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Eric.ed.gov – Toward Social Justice: The Characteristics of an Effective Mathematics Intervention Program for Urban Middle School Students

eric.ed.gov har udgivet: This two-part investigation (a) assessed the impact of the Jaime Escalante Math Program (JEMP), a structured summer mathematics intervention program, on the math achievement of urban middle school students, (b) identified the characteristics of the program that the administrators and teachers perceived to contribute to student achievement, and (c) compared the JEMP characteristics to those found in the literature on effective mathematics intervention programs. A mixed methods approach included analysis of two years of student math assessment data, administrator interviews, and teacher surveys. Quantitative findings indicate that student participants in the JEMP achieved significant growth in mathematics on two measures. Additionally, effective program elements are revealed in the qualitative data including specific classroom instructional strategies used in the JEMP. The results of this study will assist educators… Continue Reading