This paper draws on mathematics achievement data from Milwaukee middle school students to illustrate the value-added approach to estimating school performance. Value-added indicators differ from traditional attainment indicators such as average test scores in that they are designed to capture the contribution of schools to growth in student…

This study addresses three questions: First, considering the full group of students and the special education subgroup, what is the likely effect of minimum cell size and confidence interval size on school-level Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) determinations? Second, what effects do the changing minimum cell sizes have on inclusion of special…

There is a widespread view in the research and policy communities that the quality of mathematics and science instruction offered to students in the United States is low (Business-Higher Education Forum, 2005; Gonzales et al., 2004; National Commission on Mathematics and Science Teaching for the 21st Century, 2000; National Research Council, 2000,…

This 4-year study examined implementation of the Baltimore Curriculum Project (BCP) in six Baltimore City public schools. BCP used a combination of direct instruction (DI) and core knowledge as its reform curriculum. Each school was demographically matched with a similar, within-district school. Two cohorts of students were followed throughout the…

The use of curriculum based assessment (CBA) to ensure learning disabled and low achieving students adequate educational opportunity remains the focus in this direct and comprehensive third edition. The additions to this edition are in the way of providing detail and explanation in the context of current and emerging issues in educational…

Good questions, effectively delivered are a key feature of learning and teaching. QUILT is a research-based, field-tested professional development program designed to assist teachers in developing and implementing effective questioning skills to facilitate student learning. The QUILT framework presents classroom questioning as a five-stage…

This paper investigates the values implied in the mathematics instruction of an elementary school teacher in charge of fifth and sixth grade. The major research methods were classroom observation and interview. The research results discovered that the foremost mathematics pedagogical value of the teacher in this case study was "a good…

As part of an ESRC-funded longitudinal study, "Student Experiences of University Mathematics," we followed a cohort of undergraduate mathematics students at two traditional universities with high ratings for research and teaching. This report centres on interpretations of successful students' engagement with their course as gleaned from in-depth…

School administrators in a small suburban school district in Southeastern Pennsylvania were concerned about grade inflation at the elementary and secondary levels. Specifically, they wanted to know if students in grades 5, 8, and 11 who scored at the basic or below basic performance level on the 2003-2004 Pennsylvania System of School Assessment…

The purpose of this study was to determine the effectiveness of computer-assisted instruction (CAI) versus traditional lecture-type instruction on triangles. Two quasi experiments were conducted in six 6th grade classes with a total of 108 students respectively. The students in the control groups were taught the concepts of triangles in their…

This paper describes basic facts regarding the black-white test score gap over the first four years of school. Black children enter school substantially behind their white counterparts in reading and math, but including a small number of covariates erases the gap. Over the first four years of school, however, blacks lose substantial ground…

The purpose of this E.D. TAB is to introduce new NCES survey data through the presentation of selected descriptive information. The E.D. TAB is purely descriptive in nature. Readers are cautioned not to draw causal inferences based solely on the bivariate results presented in this E.D. TAB. It is important to note that many of the variables…

In a three-year study, RAND researchers examined the relationship between reform-oriented instruction and student performance in mathematics and science. At the end of the study, students who had been exposed to more reform-oriented teaching performed better in both math and science than those who had experienced less, but the differences in…

This paper is about improving mathematics achievement among the lowest attaining students in some mainstream secondary school through focusing on thinking in ordinary lessons. The research is funded by the Esmee Fairbairn Foundation (grant numbers 01-1415 & 02-1424) and involves three academics and nine teacher-researchers. A research perspective…

Debate is well under way regarding the efficacy of the "No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act," including whether this bundle of federal rules and resources is prompting gains in student achievement. Spirited conversation will intensify as the Congress discusses how to adjust and reauthorize this ambitious set of school reforms. Both state and…