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Descriptors:
Academic Achievement; Science Achievement; Learner Engagement; Grade 8; Predictor Variables; Teacher Certification; Science Instruction; Hierarchical Linear Modeling; Enrichment Activities; Remedial Programs; Data Analysis; Socioeconomic Status

Abstract:
This study examined the individual, class, and school level variability of the students' science achievement. It was hypothesized that there are school or teacher effects which contribute toward explaining achievement differences, besides the student level differences. Owing to the nested structure of the data in Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study, we used the Hierarchical Linear Modeling methodology. Besides the significant effect of engagement, the teachers' teaching certification in science and the topic coverage were both significant factors as were the effect of school SES and availability of remedial and enrichment programs in science. The study makes a contribution to a better understanding of the opportunity to learn variables at classroom and school level in students' science achievement. Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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High Stakes Tests; Program Effectiveness; Performance Tests; Performance Based Assessment; Teacher Education Programs; Program Evaluation; Summative Evaluation; Teacher Certification; Accountability; Curriculum Development; Goal Orientation; Alignment (Education)

Abstract:
Dilemmas abound in the design, implementation, analysis, and interpretation of the outcomes of a summative performance assessment of teaching when used for licensing, for individual and program evaluation, and for accountability purposes. In this article, we explore the impact of the Performance Assessment for California Teachers (PACT) on the Stanford Teacher Education Program (STEP). Specifically, we explore ways in which this high-stakes assessment influences programmatic priorities and drives structural and curricular decisions that might or might not be at odds with the conceptual frame and stated mission of the program. We highlight two thorny dilemmas that have challenged our program in the implementation of the PACT Teaching Event--a high-stakes performance assessment for teachers--and our attempts to manage these dilemmas "satisficingly." (Contains 3 footnotes.) Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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Descriptors:
National Standards; Physical Education; Teacher Certification; Communities of Practice; Elementary Secondary Education; Educational Theories; Physical Education Teachers; Learning Processes; Epistemology; Teacher Effectiveness; Self Efficacy; Group Dynamics; Educational Practices

Abstract:
The National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS) was created in 1987 with the purpose of establishing standards for instruction for K-12 teachers within the U.S. The NBPTS was tasked with identifying and certifying teachers who met their standards. In the current article, we theorize on the potential avenues by which the NBPTS is currently establishing a Community of Practice (CoP) through its certification process. We examine pertinent literature and the certification process to support our theorization. In order to achieve this aim, Complexity Theory and Communities of Practice Theory serve as a lens for the explanation of CoPs among National Board Certification Candidates. (Contains 2 figures.) Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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Descriptors:
Interaction; Foreign Countries; Correlation; Science Teachers; Teacher Characteristics; Teacher Behavior; Statistical Analysis; Teaching Experience; Gender Differences; Check Lists; Teacher Certification; Statistical Significance; Teacher Effectiveness; Case Studies; Public School Teachers; Public Schools; High Schools; Science Instruction; Measures (Individuals)

Abstract:
The major purpose of this study was to find out if there is any influence of teachers' characteristics on science teacher's classroom behaviours and determine the kind of relationship between teachers' characteristics and classroom behaviours. To guide this study, five research questions and hypotheses were raised, stated, answered, and tested at the significance level of 0.05. The design of case study is using an observational schedule called SCIC (science classroom interaction categories). The sample of the study consisted of 150 science teachers drawn from the 25 local government areas in Delta State. The data collected were analyzed with t-test, ANOVA (analysis of variance), and Pearson product moment correlation. The major findings of the study indicated: a significant difference in classroom behaviour scores among teachers with 0-5, 6-10, and 11 and above years of experience and a perfect correlation between years of experience and classroom behaviour; a significant higher classroom behaviour scores of male teachers over the females; a significant higher classroom behaviour scores of B.Sc. (Ed.) certificate holders over those with NCE (Nigeria Certificate of Education) and B.Sc. certificates; and a non-significant correlation between type of certificates and classroom behaviours. It was concluded that the five key behaviours studied remain the skeleton for effective science teaching and learning. An appendix contains a checklist for SCIC (Science classroom interaction categories). (Contains 12 tables.) Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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Descriptors:
State Standards; Outcomes of Education; Teaching Methods; Teacher Characteristics; Observation; Professional Development; Educational Change; Teacher Evaluation; Elementary Secondary Education; Educational Objectives; Student Surveys; Academic Standards; Alignment (Education); Curriculum Design; Models; Educational Policy; Problem Solving; Mathematics Achievement; Reading Achievement; Writing Achievement; Teacher Education; Teacher Certification

Abstract:
The Common Core State Standards Initiative, in its aim to align diverse state curricula and improve educational outcomes, calls for K-12 teachers in the United States to engage all students in mathematical problem solving along with reading and writing complex text through the use of rigorous academic content. Until recently, most teacher evaluation systems in this country did not measure or promote the ability of teachers to practice in these ways. This report discusses efforts to develop and implement Common Core standards and assessments in the 45 states and the District of Columbia that are initiative members, and outlines how past attempts to enact standards-based reform have been impeded by limitations in teacher evaluation. It also draws on the notion of "standard of care," from the field of medicine, to note that advances in the understanding of subject matter, pedagogy, how students learn, and technology call for teachers to continually acquire new knowledge and to refine their instructional practices by participating in comprehensive professional development on a regular basis. Several new approaches to evaluating teachers hold promise for promoting the type of ongoing teacher learning and changes in instruction that would be associated with a professional standard of care in K-12 teaching. These approaches include classroom observation protocols, student surveys, value-added models, and teacher performance assessments. This report details these approaches and explains their potential to strongly support the enactment of the Common Core standards and assessments. At the same time, it also considers a number of challenges connected with implementing each of these. The approaches to teacher evaluation presented here, when combined with comprehensive professional development for teachers and school leaders and changes in the organization and capacities of school districts, have the potential to support the types of teacher knowledge acquisition and changes in instructional practices called for by the Common Core standards and assessments. (Contains 59 endnotes.) Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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Descriptors:
Student Attitudes; Teacher Certification; Classroom Environment; Grade 8; Science Achievement; Science Instruction; Secondary School Teachers; Teacher Effectiveness; Grade 10; Science Teachers; Comparative Analysis; Student Evaluation of Teacher Performance; Matched Groups; Statistical Analysis

Abstract:
No previous research has employed learning environments criteria in evaluating the effectiveness of the system of teacher certification sponsored by the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards. Because the litmus test of any professional development effort is the extent of the changes in teaching behaviours in participating teachers' classrooms, our study drew on the field of learning environments in evaluating the effectiveness of National Board Certified (NBC) teachers in terms of their students' perceptions of their classroom environments. A sample of 443 students in 21 Grade 8 and 10 science classes taught by NBC teachers in South Florida was compared with a matched group of 484 students in 17 classes taught by non-NBC teachers in terms of classroom environment (as assessed by the What Is Happening In this Class?) and students' attitudes and achievement. Statistically significant differences (with small to medium effect sizes ranging from 0.14 to 0.35 standard deviations) were found in favour of NBC teachers for numerous classroom and environment scales (Teacher Support, Involvement, Task Orientation, Investigation and Cooperation) and for student attitudes. Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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Descriptors:
Communities of Practice; Interpersonal Relationship; Educational Cooperation; Educational Change; Science Education; Teacher Education Programs; Masters Programs; Teacher Certification; Program Development

Abstract:
I narrate a process of transformation, a professional and personal journey framed by an experience that captured my attention shaping my interpretation and reflections. From a critical complexity framework I discuss the emergence of a learning community from the cooperation among individuals of diverse social and cultural worlds sharing the need to change a traditional professional development program structure and develop a new science education Masters Degree/Certification program. I zoom into the continual redefinition of the community, its evolution and complex interrelations among its participants and the emergence of a learning community as a boundary space having an emancipatory role and allowing growth and learning. I analyze the dialectical relationship between agents' behavior either impeding growth or having an emancipatory function of a mindful Relational Act in a complex adaptive system framework. Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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Descriptors:
Academic Achievement; Mathematics Achievement; Educational Strategies; Teaching Methods; Kindergarten; Teacher Certification; Teacher Characteristics; Mathematics Instruction; Inferences; Grade 1; Instructional Effectiveness; Longitudinal Studies; Elementary School Students; Models; Methods Courses; Graduate Study; Manipulative Materials; Worksheets; Problem Solving; Textbooks; Predictor Variables

Abstract:
This study investigates the impact of teacher characteristics and instructional strategies on the mathematics achievement of students in kindergarten and first grade and tackles the question of how best to use longitudinal survey data to elicit causal inference in the face of potential threats to validity due to nonrandom assignment to treatment. We develop a step-by-step approach to selecting a modeling and estimation strategy and find that teacher certification and courses in methods of teaching mathematics have a slightly negative effect on student achievement in kindergarten, whereas postgraduate education has a positive effect in first grade. Various teaching modalities, such as working with counting manipulatives, using math worksheets, and completing problems on the chalkboard, have positive effects on achievement in kindergarten, and pedagogical practices relating to explaining problem solving and working on problems from textbooks have positive effects on achievement in first grade. We show that the conclusions drawn depend on the estimation and modeling choices made and that several prior studies of teacher effects using longitudinal survey data likely neglected important features needed to establish causal inference. (Contains 6 tables, 1 figure, and 20 footnotes.) Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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Descriptors:
Program Effectiveness; Preschool Children; Kindergarten; Preschool Education; Elementary School Students; Achievement Gap; Disadvantaged Youth; School Districts; Public Schools; Program Improvement; Educational Quality; Program Implementation; Low Income Groups; Teacher Certification; Longitudinal Studies; Partnerships in Education; Followup Studies; Language Arts; Literacy; Mathematics Achievement; Reading Achievement; Science Achievement

Abstract:
New Jersey's Abbott Preschool program is of broad national and international interest because the Abbott program provides a model for building a high-quality system of universal pre-K through public-private partnerships that transform the existing system. The program offers high-quality pre-K to all children in 31 New Jersey communities with high levels of poverty and about a quarter of the state's children. The Abbott Preschool Program Longitudinal Effects Study (APPLES) assesses the impact of this pre-K program on children's learning and development based on a cohort of children who completed their 4-year-old year in 2004-05. APPLES previously estimated the impacts of Abbott pre-K at kindergarten entry and second grade follow-up. The 4th and 5th grade APPLES follow-up finds that Abbott preschool programs increased achievement in Language Arts and Literacy, Math, and Science. The authors' estimates indicate that two-years of pre-K beginning at age 3 had larger persistent effects on achievement than did one year of pre-K. (Contains 2 figures and 6 tables.) Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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Descriptors:
Physical Education; Teacher Certification; Physical Education Teachers; Standards; Reflective Teaching; Faculty Development; Professional Recognition; Teacher Attitudes; Administrator Attitudes

Abstract:
National Board Certification (NBC) is a voluntary advanced certification process designed to recognize effective and accomplished teachers who meet high standards related to what they are able to achieve with students in the classroom. Research has indicated that physical education teachers who have gained this certification are more reflective, more focused on student learning, and more respected by other teachers and administrators. The purpose of this article is to present five benefits of achieving NBC, as well as suggestions for professional development activities that physical education teachers can replicate in order to enjoy professional benefits, even without NBC. Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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