The purpose of this study was to analyze the effectiveness of scripted biology curriculum as a means of providing students with the information required to increase content knowledge, while comparing curriculum developed by the teacher that utilizesthe Understanding by Design (UbD) framework (Wiggins & McTighe, 2005). The study used a mixed…

Due to the increase of English Language Learners (ELLs) in the State of Texas, it is essential that educators are equipped with research-based strategies to ensure students' academic and linguistic growth. The objective of the study was to evaluate pre-service administrators' knowledge of the latest research-based learning strategies and…

House Bill (HB) 2237 (80th Legislature), Section 6: Adolescent Reading Assessment requires districts and public charter schools to administer the Texas Middle School Fluency Assessment (TMSFA) or some other state approved alternative assessment to students in grade seven who do not demonstrate reading proficiency on the grade six state reading…

Decision-making is essential for the work of teaching. Preservice teachers must learn to leverage knowledge about young readers' strengths, needs, and interests in order to plan and teach guided reading lessons skillfully. However, limited research examines preservice teachers' decision-making based on what they know about individual children. In…

This study examined the challenges that pre-service teachers faced when implementing inquiry and their perspective on how to overcome them. The data sample was 55 pre-service teachers (PSTs) enrolled into two sections of a science methods course in a private university in North Texas. The data sources consisted of inquiry-based lesson plans, PST…

In this study, we discussed the participating teachers' implementation and understanding of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) project based learning (PBL). A research team at a STEM center systematically offered professional development activities to 92 teachers in an urban school district in the southern U.S. To investigate…

Considerable research suggests that standardizing curricular materials can undermine teachers' ability to facilitate learning. Nonetheless, U.S. school districts' curriculum guides have become increasingly standardized, with teachers being required to follow predetermined pacing calendars indicating which standards to teach during specific months,…

The Texas Education Agency's (TEA) approved instrument for evaluating teachers, the Professional Development and Appraisal System (PDAS), was the primary instrument used by 86 percent of local education agencies (LEAs) in the state and has been in place since 1997. In acknowledging the vital roles teachers play in student achievement, and based on…

This section on personal development is one of three that comprise a program entitled Related Instruction for Cooperative Part-Time Training. (Other sections are Basic Life Skills and Job-Related Instruction.) It contains six instructional units. Each unit includes the following basic components: unit and specific objectives, notes to the…

This section on job-related instruction is one of three that comprise a program entitled Related Instruction for Cooperative Part-Time Training. (Other sections are Personal Development and Basic Life Skills.) It contains nine instructional units. Each unit includes the following basic components: unit and specific objectives, notes to the…

This section on basic life skills is one of three that comprise a program entitled Related Instruction for Cooperative Part-Time Training. (Other sections are Job Related Instruction and Personal Development.) It contains 10 instructional units. Each unit includes the following basic components: unit and specific objectives, notes to the…