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tandfonline.com – Preschool/Kindergarten teachers’ conceptions of standardised testing

tandfonline.com har udgivet en rapport under søgningen “Teacher Education Mathematics”: ABSTRACT ABSTRACT Standardised tests play an important role in early childhood (EC) education in many countries. Although teachers’ conceptions largely determine whether and how these instruments are used, research on this topic is scarce. As a result, factors that influence conceptions of standardised testing have remained largely unexplored. To examine teachers’ conceptions of standardised testing and aspects that may influence these conceptions, Brown’s CoA-III-A questionnaire was distributed to 97 EC educators. Based on their responses, a selection of six preschool/kindergarten teachers participated in a series of semi-structured interviews. Analyses of the questionnaire and the interviews indicated that the teachers did not see these tests solely as instruments for accountability or improvement. While some perceived the test as pleasant confirmation, others… Continue Reading

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tandfonline.com – The ambiguous influence of high-stakes testing on science teaching in Sweden

tandfonline.com har udgivet en rapport under søgningen “Teacher Education Mathematics”: ABSTRACT ABSTRACT Tests convey messages about what to teach and how to assess. Both of these dimensions may either broaden or become more uniform and narrow as a consequence of high-stakes testing. This study aimed to investigate how Swedish science teachers were influenced by national, high-stakes testing in science, specifically focusing on instances where teachers’ pedagogical practices were broadened and/or narrowed. The research design is qualitative thematic analysis of focus group data, from group discussions with Swedish science teachers. The total sample consists of six teachers, who participated in 12 focus group discussion during three consecutive years. Findings suggest that the national tests influence teachers’ pedagogical practice by being used as a substitute for the national curriculum. Since the teachers… Continue Reading

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tandfonline.com – Empirical Considerations on Intelligence Testing and Models of Intelligence: Updates for Educational Measurement Professionals

tandfonline.com har udgivet en rapport under søgningen “Teacher Education Mathematics”: ABSTRACT ABSTRACT This brief article introduces the topic of intelligence as highly appropriate for educational measurement professionals. It describes some of the uses of intelligence tests both historically and currently. It argues why knowledge of intelligence theory and intelligence testing is important for educational measurement professionals. The articles that follow in this special issue will provide readers with considerable information about the history of intelligence theory and testing, and especially of the Cattell-Horn-Carroll (CHC) model of testing and its implementation. The following articles will also provide a well-reasoned approach to the way science should work in evaluating tests and the models on which they are based. Link til kilde

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tandfonline.com – Iterative Design and Pilot Testing of the Developing Talkers Tiered Academic Language Curriculum for Pre-Kindergarten and Kindergarten

tandfonline.com har udgivet en rapport under søgningen “Teacher Education Mathematics”: Abstract Abstract Curricula are one of the most widely used educational inputs, yet few are developed and evaluated scientifically with a dearth of programs targeting academic language. This manuscript describes an iterative approach to the development of a tiered academic language curriculum supplement for prekindergarten (pre-K) and kindergarten (K) students. A series of four studies were conducted to iteratively design the curriculum following a framework for developing research-based curriculum; however, we modified the framework to focus on efficiently preparing a curriculum for large-scale use by teachers with diverse competency levels. Findings from the first three iterative design studies include the benefit of overdevelopment to retain only the strongest content and the need to consider both beginner and more advanced teachers… Continue Reading

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Eric.ed.gov – Building Academic Skills in Context: Testing the Value of Enhanced Math Learning in CTE. Pilot Study

eric.ed.gov har udgivet: This report describes the conduct and outcomes of an experimental pilot study conducted in Spring 2004 to develop and test a model that aimed to enhance career and technical education (CTE) instruction with the mathematics already embedded in the curricula of six occupational areas. Although present in the CTE curriculum, math is largely implicit to both teachers and students. The impetus for the study is that many high school students, particularly those in enrolled in CTE courses, do not have the math skills necessary for today’s jobs or college entrance requirements. This research project was aimed at using an authentic context for teaching math skills. Preparation for the study began in the summer of 2003 with the nationwide recruitment of teacher-participants. CTE teachers who were interested in… Continue Reading

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Eric.ed.gov – Testing Instrumentation Validity for Measuring Teachers’ Attitudes toward Manipulative Use in the Elementary Classroom

eric.ed.gov har udgivet: In this study a survey instrument was developed to test elementary teachers’ attitudes towards incorporating manipulatives in their math lessons frequently. Though the benefits of using math manipulatives has been reported, there seems to be a disconnect between the benefits of manipulative use and the number of teachers integrating them in their lessons on a daily basis. In this study a total of 22 regular education teachers in kindergarten through sixth grade and five learning support teachers in grades first through sixth from a rural elementary school were given a survey instrument to test its validity and reveal some trends in teachers’ views on manipulative use as well as possible causation for their views. Findings from the study show that though many teachers feel comfortable using and… Continue Reading

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Eric.ed.gov – Building Academic Skills in Context: Testing the Value of Enhanced Math Learning in CTE

eric.ed.gov har udgivet: An experimental study tested a model for enhancing mathematics instruction in five high school career and technical education (CTE) programs (agriculture, auto technology, business/marketing, health, and information technology). The model consisted of a pedagogy and intense teacher professional development. Volunteer CTE teachers were randomly assigned to an experimental (n = 57) or control (n = 74) group. The experimental teachers worked with math teachers in communities of practice to develop CTE instructional activities that integrated more mathematics into the occupational curriculum. After 1 year of the math-enhanced CTE lessons averaging 10% of class time, students in the experimental classrooms performed significantly better on 2 tests of math ability-the TerraNova and ACCUPLACER[R]-without any negative impact on measures of occupational/technical knowledge. (Contains 23 tables, 5 figures, and 11 appendices.)… Continue Reading

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tandfonline.com – Technologies and infrastructure: costs and obstacles in developing large-scale computer–based testing

tandfonline.com har udgivet en rapport under søgningen “Teacher Education Mathematics”: ABSTRACT ABSTRACT This paper identifies important technological, financial, and equity challenges to the development and implementation of online or onscreen educational testing. The insights are based on the author’s experiences in New Zealand of being the senior project manager for the Assessment Tools for Teaching and Learning (asTTle) computer-based standardised testing system. The system was funded by the government for formative educational purposes and is delivered to schools for free. The issues faced in the project that need to be considered in any new online testing system include: clarity about the purpose of the testing system, the importance of knowing the current technology conditions, the challenges of working within the dynamic and changing world of technology, the need to assure… Continue Reading

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tandfonline.com – Testing the effectiveness of classroom formative assessment in Dutch primary mathematics education

tandfonline.com har udgivet en rapport under søgningen “Teacher Education Mathematics”: ABSTRACT ABSTRACT Classroom formative assessment (CFA) is considered to be a fundamental part of effective teaching, as it is presumed to enhance student performance. However, there is only limited empirical evidence to support this notion. In this effect study, a quasi-experiment was conducted to compare 2 conditions. In the treatment condition, 17 teachers implemented a CFA model containing both daily and weekly goal-directed instruction, assessment, and immediate instructional feedback for students who needed additional support. In the control condition, 17 teachers implemented a modification to their usual practice. They assessed their students’ mastery of learning goals on the basis of half-yearly mathematics tests, and prepared weekly pre-teaching sessions for groups of low-achieving students. The posttests showed no significant differences in… Continue Reading