This paper reports on two upper primary teachers' use of particular scaffolding practices, individual discussion and the use of manipulatives. The cognitive and affective impact on four low-attaining students in these classes is described. The teachers and students were observed during eight to ten sequential tasks. "Scaffolding…

Standardised testing has received a lot of political and public attention recently in Australia. This paper describes the sense-making of Year 3 students as they interpret items from the 2008 NAPLAN. Results show that student performance changed dramatically when the terminology of an item was modified and subsequently were not a true indication…

Tracking is the process of sorting students into different curriculum tracks, such as academic, general or vocational, based on student's abilities, interests, and needs. Ability grouping pertains to academic subjects and is the process of placing students with similar skills and abilities into levels, such as an honors level course or a regular…

This paper presents an updated WWC (What Works Clearinghouse) Quick Review of the Report "The Milwaukee Parental Choice Program Longitudinal Educational Growth Study Third Year Report". The study examined whether students in Milwaukee who use a voucher to attend private school have greater mathematics and reading achievement than…

This study investigates the successes of the charter and district sectors in eliminating bad schools via dramatic turnarounds in performance and/or shutdowns. It identified 2,025 low-performing charter and district schools across ten states, each of which is home to a sizable number of charter schools. These particular schools were tracked from…

This study investigates the predictive validity of students' levels of critical thinking disposition, as measured by the California Measure of Mental Motivation (CM3; Giancarlo, Blohm, & Urdan, 2004) for students' math achievement, as measured by the Mathematics assessment included in the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test (FCAT). The CM3…

The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) is a continuing and nationally representative assessment of what this nation's students know and can do. NAEP has often been called the "gold standard" of assessments because it is developed using the best thinking of assessment and content specialists, education experts, and…

This Brief is intended to provide descriptive statistics about various aspects of algebra enrollment in the eighth grade. The first analyses describe who is taking algebra in the eighth grade; findings compare eighth-grade course enrollment percentages for students with different demographic, family, geographic, and school characteristics (table…

In adult education, algebraic thinking can be a sense-making tool that introduces coherence among mathematical concepts for those who previously have had trouble learning math. Further, a modeling approach to algebra connects mathematics and the real world, demonstrating the usefulness of math to those who have seen it as just an academic…

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…

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…

Despite a quarter-century of reform, US schools serving students in poverty continue to lag far behind other schools. There are proven programs, but these are not widely used. This large-scale experiment evaluated a district-level reform model created by the Center for DataDriven Reform in Education (CDDRE). The CDDRE model provided consultation…

Wake County Public School System (WCPSS) students continue to fare well on the SAT test as compared with students in the state and nation. While there was a decline in average test scores in 2009-10 as compared with the prior year, the posted scores continue a trend of measurable improvement over time. Over the past 20 years, the average SAT…

A total of 761 students (58.1% female) from selected fifth- and sixth-grade mathematics classrooms in Alabama were examined to investigate the relationships between individual learner variables (gender, ethnicity, socioeconomic status [SES]) and mathematics performance. Specifically, this portion of the study examined individual learner variables…

Looping, a school structure where students remain with one group of teachers for two or more school years, is used by middle schools to meet the diverse needs of young adolescents. However, little research exists on how looping effects the academic performance of students. This study was designed to determine if looping influenced middle school…