Browsing by Subject "No Child Left Behind"
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Item Challenges to the implementation of scientifically based research in general and special education practice(2013-12) Bach, Mary Beth; Bryant, Diane PedrottyNo Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB) requires the use of scientifically based research (SBR) to guide the selection of appropriate educational interventions. Although NCLB does not stipulate the use of scientifically based research specific to special education, its provisions influence the education of all children. The implementation of scientifically based research is complex and relies on the knowledge and beliefs of practitioners in general and special education. In order to utilize scientifically based research, there is a need to know the level of knowledge and attitudes of practitioners relative to scientifically based research. This study examines the relationship between practitioners' beliefs and actions taken when implementing scientifically based research. The theoretical framework of Argyris and Schön (1974) provides a conceptual framework for the interpretation of the data. Connections between scientifically based research, school leadership, practitioners, and students, including those with disabilities, are also examined. Information and results extracted from survey responses of 403 middle school teachers from a large, urban school district in Texas shed light on how knowledge and beliefs can influence the understanding and the implementation of scientifically based interventions. The results indicate that teachers are somewhat knowledgeable about scientifically based research and interventions. However, their responses to three open-ended questions provide increased insight into their actual knowledge and understanding. The results indicate that initially teachers are in need of more knowledge about scientifically based research and what constitutes quality research. Their responses also indicate that teachers are lacking concise information that would help them understand what makes an effective scientifically based intervention. Teachers could through college or university classes be better prepared to use scientifically based interventions in the classroom. In the classroom, teachers need administrative support, continuous mentoring and coaching, and effective professional development in order to implement interventions with fidelity. Both general and special education teachers need increased knowledge to use scientifically based interventions effectively to increase student learning.Item Parental Perceptions of the Effects of the high-Stakes TAKS Test on the Home Lives of At-Risk Fifth Grade Students(2011-12-12) Westfall, Dawn; Mountain, Lee; Abrahamson, Richard; Craig, Cheryl; Horn, CatherineWestfall, Dawn. “Parental Perceptions of the Effects of the High-Stakes TAKS Test on the Home Lives of At-Risk Fifth Grade Students.” Doctor of Education Dissertation, December 2010. ABSTRACT In Texas, fifth grade students are required to pass both the reading and math sections of the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills, or TAKS test, in order to be promoted to the next grade level. The purpose of this study is to describe parents’ perceptions of the influence of the high-stakes TAKS test on the family lives of at-risk fifth grade students. Parents of students identified as at-risk for failure on the TAKS test by their schools were given a 12-item survey with three components: the effects of TAKS on the student and family, the effects of TAKS on how students spend time outside of school, and parent attitudes about TAKS as a fair measure of achievement. A series of three one-way ANOVAS was used, comparing each independent variable (family, time, and fairness) to a series of dependent variables (gender, race, and attendance at a Title I school) to look for variability between these groups in their attitudes towards the independent variables. The results indicated that many parents perceive that the TAKS affects their families by causing their child and other family members to express concerns about passing the test and by causing the parent to worry about how their child is reacting to the pressures of the test. Parents perceived that the TAKS test affects how much time students spend playing with friends as well as watching television or movies. Many parents did not agree that TAKS is a fair measure of student achievement for their child or other children. The ANOVAs indicated statistically significant findings among race groups and their scores on “family” and “fairness.” Asian/Pacific Islander parents indicated significantly less effect of TAKS on their student and family than did white parents. Asian/Pacific Islander parents also perceived TAKS as fairer measure of student achievement than did white parents. As well, Hispanic parents also perceived TAKS as a fairer measure of student achievement than did both white and Black/African American parents. Findings indicate that perhaps schools and teachers would be surprised to discover the amount of stress TAKS is causing families and students, particularly those at risk for failure as well as those groups that might not have previously been thought to “care” about school. The level of negativity caused by TAKS appears to be an undesirable unintended consequence of the assessment system, so educators may want to reconsider their policies and practices for TAKS-related parent engagement, homework, and test preparation.Item Principal Perceptions of School Capacity to Meet Requirements of No Child Left Behind(2013-07-30) Hull, Richard DonaldThe purpose of this study was to determine if significant differences existed in principals? perceptions of their school?s capacity to meet Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) requirements between principals whose schools failed to meet AYP requirements for one year compared to principals whose schools failed to meet AYP requirements for two to four consecutive years. Additionally, responses of the principals were analyzed based on the level of school, the location of the school, and if the school was or was not a Title I campus. A total of 2,040 schools met the criteria of the study and a finite population sampling method was utilized where the entire population of eligible principals was invited to participate in the study. A quantitative online survey was distributed to principals of eligible schools. A total of 183 principals responded, for a participation rate of nearly 10%. The study utilized two statistical methods for analyzing discrete data. Independent-t tests were conducted to determine if there were statistically significant differences in principals? perceptions of their school?s capacity between principals of schools that failed to meet AYP requirements for one year, and those that failed to meet AYP requirements for two to four consecutive years. It was found that there were not statistically significant differences in principals? perceptions of their school?s capacity. The second method of analyzing data was to conduct two-way ANOVAs to test for statistically significant differences in perceptions of principals based on level of school, type of school, and Title I status. It was found that there were not any statistically significant differences in principals? perceptions of their school?s capacity. The absence of statistically significant differences in principals? perceptions of their school?s capacity to meet AYP requirements regardless of the number of years the school missed the requirements, location of the school, type of school, or Title I status of the school could reasonably lead to the conclusion that capacity domains of schools fail to predict success of schools. This however, would contradict most literature that has previously been written about school capacity. Other more reasonable conclusions, as well as future research are presented in this study.Item School social workers’ perceptions of the impact of high-stakes accountability testing in schools(2011-08) Riordan, Christine Lagana; Franklin, Cynthia; Aguilar, Jemel; Harris, Mary Beth; Reyes, Pedro; Streeter, CalvinAfrican American and Hispanic students and students from families with lower income are particularly at-risk for differential academic achievement and dropout. When students underachieve at school or dropout, they often face severe consequences such as increased risk of incarceration and unemployment. School social workers strive to prevent poor academic achievement and the associated negative outcomes. In recent years, federal and state education policy has focused on reducing disparities in academic achievement through the creation of policies that use high-stakes testing requirements to hold schools accountable for student learning. Research studies on teacher perceptions of high-stakes testing indicate that it is having a negative impact on their job tasks and on school systems. However, there are few studies that examine school social worker perceptions about the impact of high-stakes testing. This study examines school social workers’ perceptions about high-stakes testing. Specifically, it assesses school social worker perceptions about the impact of high-stakes testing on school systems and how school ratings and student performance might influence these perceptions. It also examines school social workers’ perceptions about the impact of high-stakes testing on their abilities to perform their work tasks. The study sample is drawn from respondents to the Texas School Social Work Survey (n=177). Data were analyzed through secondary data analysis using factor analysis and structural equation modeling (SEM). Findings indicate that school social workers perceive high-stakes testing as having a largely negative impact on school systems and their job tasks. School social workers who predominantly worked with students from ethnic minority backgrounds were more likely to have negative opinions about the impact of high-stakes testing on their job tasks. School social workers from schools with lower school ratings and those who felt that the students on their caseload tended to struggle on high-stakes tests had more negative perceptions about the impact of high-stakes testing on school systems. Results indicate the need for school social workers to become more involved in education policy and macro practice, to connect their services to improved academic outcomes for students, and to find new ways to provide school social work services in the “age of accountability.”Item The No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB): A Texas economic analysis of accountability(2005-05) Dodds, Rae Anne; McComb, Robert P.; Steinmeier, Thomas L.; Curry, Evans W.In Economic Dimensions in Education, O'Donoghue stated, "Education, in common with all other activities which use scarce resources, must be analyzed and placed in the overall perspective of a community’s limited resources on one hand, and its diversity of aspirations on the other. To do this satisfactorily it is necessary to possess adequate information on educational methods, and the costs associated with these, and also to have an adequate formulation of educational objectives" (1971, p.216). The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB) has explicitly and clearly prepared the objectives of education, but the methods of education and the costs of achieving those goals remain unseen. This investigation seeks to answer those two remaining questions. The educational methods shall be answered with an educational production function, and a rough direct cost estimate, if plausible, shall be derived from such function.Item The no child left behind act(NCLB): a Texas economic analysis of accountability(Texas Tech University, 2005-05) Dodds, Rae Anne; McComb, Robert P.; Steinmeier, Thomas L.; Curry, Evans W.In Economic Dimensions in Education, O’Donoghue stated, “Education, in common with all other activities which use scarce resources, must be analyzed and placed in the overall perspective of a community’s limited resources on one hand, and its diversity of aspirations on the other. To do this satisfactorily it is necessary to possess adequate information on educational methods, and the costs associated with these, and also to have an adequate formulation of educational objectives” (1971, p.216). The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB) has explicitly and clearly prepared the objectives of education, but the methods of education and the costs of achieving those goals remain unseen. This investigation seeks to answer those two remaining questions. The educational methods shall be answered with an educational production function, and a rough direct cost estimate, if plausible, shall be derived from such function.Item Using sand tray with at-risk students to impact school success(Texas Tech University, 2007-12) Nelson-Ray, Pamela; Bradley, Loretta J.; Hendricks, Bret; Parr, Gerald; Olivarez, ArturoFew school counseling interventions have been proven to increase achievement on the high-stakes tests that are required to meet accountability standards set by the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001, and virtually no quantitative studies evaluating a sand tray intervention in the school setting have been conducted. This study was conducted to fill this gap in the school counseling outcomes research by implementing a sand tray intervention in the school setting with the intent of impacting at-risk junior high students' academic achievement, school satisfaction, behavior, and attendance rate. One hundred 8th-grade students were divided into 3 groups; 47 were in a sand tray intervention, 26 were in a mathematics art group, and 27 were in a control group. The sand tray group received a 10-week sand tray intervention based on Lowenfeld's World Technique and Kalff's Sandplay. The math art group received a 10-week intervention based on mathematics art projects. The school counselor implemented both interventions. The control group received no treatment. This study used a quasi-experimental randomized pretest-posttest design. MANCOVA was used to test for significant differences between measures for academic achievement, school satisfaction, and behavior, while ANCOVA was used to test for significant differences in attendance rates. The Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills (TAKS): Grades 7 and 8 Mathematics and Reading and Semester I and II grade point average (GPA) were used to measure academic achievement; Goodenow's Psychological Sense of School Membership (PSSM) was used to measure the change in students' sense of school satisfaction and belonging; Reynolds' and Kamphaus' Behavior Assessment System for Children–Second Edition Teacher Rating Scale–Adolescent (BASC–2 TRS–A) was used to measure teachers' perceptions of students' behaviors; and, Semester I and II attendance rates were calculated. Results of the study indicated significant differences on the TAKS: Mathematics scale scores and the PSSM scores for both the sand tray and mathematics art groups. Although positive change did occur, no significant differences were found for GPA, TAKS: Reading, behavior, or the attendance rate. The results of this study provide scientifically based research that adds to the body of school counseling outcomes research that both the American School Counselor Association and NCLB Act has recommended in order to validate school counseling programs that impact student achievement. Further, since two interventions yielded significant results, this study lends credence to previous findings that common factors between counseling interventions are the effective ingredients for successful therapeutic intervention. This study also provides a guideline for implementing a sand tray intervention at the classroom level with the intent of narrowing the achievement gap between students. A comparison of results of this study with previous research, recommendations for future research, and implications for practice are provided.