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Dr. William C. Bruce, Associate Dean
College of Education and Psychology
3900 University Boulevard
Science 229C
Tyler, Texas 75799

Phone: (903) 566-7048
wbruce@uttyler.edu
http://www.uttyler.edu/edu/cpdt/
http://www.uttyler.edu/c_i/bruce.htm
http://www.uttyler.edu/cpdt




Mirror, Mirror on the wall, should we care about test scores at all?

We all know that teaching should mirror much more than our focus on test scores.

Are test scores as important as they seem these days?

If you're looking for ways to bring your students' test scores up, the information in these files have helped many educators and those interested in education.

What do you think about tests?

What methods do you use to cause your students to score higher on tests?
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Effective Accountability


Much of the material in the Home Page of this blog, Test Scores, came from the document:
A Guide to Effective Accountability Reporting, Ellen Forte Fast, Rolf K. Blank, Abigail Potts, and Andra Williams (Council of Chief State School Officers, Washington, DC, with support from the U.S. Department of Education).

We made modifications to the original text for brevity. In the 2005 NCES document, the NCES (the National Center for Educational Statistics) guide, Forum Guide to Education Indicators, the authors also modified the document: A Guide to Effective Accountability Reporting.

NOTE: The Guide was developed through the National Cooperative Education Statistics System and funded by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) of the U.S. Department of Education.

To download the original document, visit:

http://www.ccsso.org/publications/details.cfm?PublicationID=56


Summary:

To assist state and local educators, the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO) developed the monograph, A Guide to Effective Accountability Reporting, through the Accountability Systems and Reporting State Collaborative on Assessment and Student Standards (ASR SCASS).

The original document, as stated in the guide description, is a resource for State Education Agencies (SEAs) and Local Education Agencies (LEAs) responsible for producing state, district, or school report cards of the type required under many state or district accountability systems, as well as under the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB). The original document, as stated in the guide, is not meant to present academic discussions about the nature of indicators and indicator systems, nor was it meant to cover the broad range of accountability issues in their entirety. Rather, it is meant to provide a resource for agencies and help practitioners as accountability reporting systems are tooled to meet NCLB requirements.

However, the NCES documents contain a wealth of information for all of us interested in education.

The NCES report explores why some schools may be better than others at helping students learn. It reviews 13 characteristics of schools, classrooms, and teachers that are most likely related to school quality and student learning. For each indicator, the report identifies where national data are currently available and reliable. It assesses the current status of our schools by examining and critiquing these national indicator data. The report is designed for policymakers, researchers, and others interested in assessing the strength of our schools. While it is relevant for those interested in standards or accountability, it is not about test scores and is not a guide for education reform.

Resources:

NCES Handbooks Online
U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Washington, DC

http://nces.ed.gov/programs/handbook/index.asp

The following free NCES Handbooks Online define standard education terms for students, staff, schools, LEAs, intermediate education agencies, and SEAs. They are intended to serve as reference documents for public and private organizations (including education institutions and early childhood centers), as well as education researchers and other users of education data. This web-based tool allows users to view and download Handbook information via an electronic table of contents, a drill-down finder, element-name and first-letter searches, and advanced query options.

Practical Problems in Educational Measurement

Author: Robert L. Ebel (1980)
DC Heath and Company: Lexington, MA

This document presents a brief introduction to the practical application of educational tests and measurement techniques. It addresses topics such as accountability, testing bias, grading, and standard tests.

Safety in Numbers: Collecting and Using Crime, Violence, and Discipline Incident Data to Make a Difference in Schools (NCES 2002–312).

National Forum on Education Statistics (2002) U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Washington, DC.

http://www.nces.ed.gov/forum/pub_2002312.asp

This resource is designed for use by school, district, and state staff to improve the effectiveness of their efforts to collect and use disciplinary incident data. It provides recommendations on what types of data to collect, why it is critical to collect such data, and how the data maybe used to improve school safety and answer policy questions relating to school improvement and the safety of students.

School District Demographics

Developed under the sponsorship of the U.S. Department of Education National Center for Education Statistics

http://nces.ed.gov/surveys/sdds/index.asp

The School District Demographics (SDD) is an electronic library containing social, economic and administrative data for each of the 15,274 public school districts in the United States. It contains the most comprehensive demographic database of the nation‘s children ever developed. The SDD enables users to: examine the demographics, operations, and finances of any school district; assess special needs of the children and households served; plan for growth or decline in student membership; compare characteristics of one school district to another; locate districts within a region with certain characteristics; draw a thematic map to examine geographic distributions; extract data that may be manipulated and used with other data; and use reference features as a handy electronic library.

More Related Resources, including web materials, available from the National Forum on Education Statistics, the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), and other organizations.

1. Accountability Mechanisms in Big City School Systems.
ERIC/CUE Digest No. 71.

http://www.ericdigests.org/pre-9220/big.htm

Accountability has always been a basic concept in public education, although ideas about how to accomplish it have changed. In recent years, the urgent need to improve big city schools has been a powerful incentive for the adoption of accountability systems. This digest explores the strengths and weaknesses of various accountability tools, the use and misuse of indicators, and ways to create genuine accountability at the school level.

2. Facilities Information Management: A Guide for State and Local Education Agencies (NCES 2003–400) National Forum on Education Statistics (2003) U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Washington, DC

http://nces.ed.gov/forum/pub_2003400.asp

This guide provides a framework for identifying a basic set of school facilities data elements and definitions that will meet the information needs of school and community decision makers, school facility managers, and the general public. It presents recommendations for designing and maintaining an information system about the condition, design, use, management, and financing of elementary/ secondary education facilities. Commonly used measures, data elements, and a list of additional resources for the practitioner are also included.

3. Forum Guide to Building a Culture of Quality Data: A School and District Resource (NCES 2005–801) National Forum on Education Statistics (2005) U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Washington, DC

http://nces.ed.gov/forum/pub_2005801.asp

This guide asserts that good data, like good students, come from schools. While it is undeniably harder to teach a student than it is to collect statistics, certain procedures can help to achieve goals in both cases. Recently, there has been a growing awareness that effective teaching, efficient schools, and quality data are linked. The quality of information used to develop an instructional plan, run a school, plan a budget, or place a student in a class depends on the school data clerk, teacher, counselor, and/or school secretary who enter data into a computer. With that in mind, the focus of this report is on data entry—getting things right at the source.

4. Forum Guide to Protecting the Privacy of Student Information: State and Local Education Agencies (NCES 2004–330) National Forum on Education Statistics (2004) U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Washington, DC

http://nces.ed.gov/forum/pub_2004330.asp

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High Stakes Education Indicators

The advent of high stakes education indicators requires the generation of high quality indicator data. Thus, indicators should be:

* useful (i.e., relevant to the issues in question);

* valid (i.e., measure what they purport to measure);

* reliable (i.e., produce consistent measures over time);

* timely (i.e., available in time to inform decision-making); and

* cost-effective (i.e., produce information that is valuable enough to justify any collection burden).

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http://nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/about/


NAEP Overview

• Read an Introduction to NAEP, the new nontechnical brochure explaining the assessment.

• View FAQs about NAEP.

• Read about NAEP's policy on inclusion of special-needs students.

• Explore the NAEP Questions Tool for examples of the kinds of questions NAEP asks in its assessments.

• Visit Current Activities for the latest information about what is happening in NAEP.
• Examine the NAEP schedule of assessments.

• NAEP 2000 at a glance details operations essentials (size and scope) of the 2000 assessments.

• NAEP 2001 at a glance details operations essentials (size and scope) of the 2001 assessments.

• NAEP 2002 at a glance details operations essentials (size and scope) of the 2002 assessments.

• Read a short history of NAEP and NAGB (620K PDF).

• Read transcripts of previous online chats about NAEP findings.


What Is NAEP?

The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), also known as "the Nation's Report Card," is the only nationally representative and continuing assessment of what America's students know and can do in various subject areas. Since 1969, assessments have been conducted periodically in reading, mathematics, science, writing, U.S. history, civics, geography, and the arts.

Under the current structure, the Commissioner of Education Statistics, who heads the National Center for Education Statistics in the U.S. Department of Education, is responsible by law for carrying out the NAEP project. The National Assessment Governing Board (NAGB), appointed by the Secretary of Education but independent of the Department, sets policy for NAEP and is responsible for developing the framework and test specifications that serve as the blueprint for the assessments. NAGB is a bipartisan group whose members include governors, state legislators, local and state school officials, educators, business representatives, and members of the general public. Congress created the 26-member Governing Board in 1988.

NAEP does not provide scores for individual students or schools; instead, it offers results regarding subject-matter achievement, instructional experiences, and school environment for populations of students (e.g., fourth-graders) and groups within those populations (e.g., female students, Hispanic students). NAEP results are based on a sample of student populations of interest.

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http://nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/states/

State Profiles

The Nation's Report Card

State Profiles present key data about each state's student and school population and its NAEP testing history and results. The profiles provide easy access to all NAEP data for participating states and links to the most recent state report cards for all available subjects.

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http://nces.ed.gov/pubsearch/pubsinfo.asp?pubid=2005802

Title: Forum Guide to Education Indicators

Description:

The Forum Guide to Education Indicators provides encyclopedia-type entries for 44 commonly used education indicators. Each indicator entry contains a definition, recommended uses, usage caveats and cautions, related policy questions, data element components, a formula, commonly reported subgroups, and display suggestions. The document will help readers better understand how to appropriately develop, apply, and interpret commonly used education indicators.

Online Availability:

* Download, view and print the report as a PDF file.
PDF File (1,028KB)

Cover Date: July 2005

Web Release: July 22, 2005

Print Release: August 1, 2005

Publication #: (NFES 2005802)

Authors: Education Indicators Task Force

Type of Product: Handbook

Survey/Program Areas: National Forum on Education Statistics (NFES)

Keywords: Achievement (student)

* Advanced Placement

* Assessment

* Completion rates (high school)

* Dropout rates (high school)

* Education indicators

* Educational attainment


* Educational goals

* Educational research

* Graduation rates, high school

Questions:

For questions about the content of this product, please contact Ghedam Bairu.

http://nces.ed.gov/pubsearch/pubsinfo.asp?pubid=2005802


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The Dimensional Thinker, ISBN 0970480105


From: The Dimensional Thinker, William C. Bruce and Jean K. Bruce:

Improving Constructivism Communication:

The uncertainty of a new or an unexplored way of behaving in a classroom registers, in a cynical student's mind, as a threat. Most often the positive qualities of constructivism quickly win student endorsement. If, however, you find more than the usual classroom mischief, try the following tips:

• Talk with your student. Never talk at your student.

• If your student persistently shows difficulty with her newly found classroom freedom, speak (1) with calm tact (2) non-aggressively abouther opportunities (instead of class tasks) (3) about accountability as a class member.

• Consider what your student says to you; show your eagerness to understand her opinions. Never automatically reject your student’s emotions or commentary. If you find yourself unable to respond immediately to your student, show gratitude for her question or request; then, let your student know that you want to find more time to listen. It’s a good idea, in most cases, to ask your student to remind you to return to her concern when time permits. A friendly voice says that you care.

• Nonverbal responses count! Dagger stares bring more hostility and dissension than you might imagine. Honest compliments, however, work.

• If your enthusiasm, compliments, play time, games, award charts, star stickers, happy face seals, fun projects, timeouts, and other motivational tools bring zero positive results and your student’s behavior continues to disrupt and polarize, try saying something similar to the following: “I want to help. We can figure how to work this out. First, I’d like for you to demonstrate to me that you’ll give me the same consideration and respect I give you. Let’s find agreement. Let’s explore our options.” Be careful to use unbiased, suitable words that fit your student’s comprehension level and sensitivity.

• In a constructivist class, naturally, cooperation gained by corporal punishment never answers the unruly or stubborn student. Yet, put a ceiling on student behavior that is unwelcome. Your student will respond favorably when you aid her in articulating feelings or opinions to fit the situation. Ask your student to try these strategies next: (1) think about her actions or reactions (2) write about the actions or reactions, list self-control plans (3) talk about skills for conduct, or better ways to express feelings.

• A vicarious style of communication often answers the problem situation with adolescents. Adolescents like to talk about issues by talking around the issues. Your adolescent student often extends interests (albeit she may try to hide it), if you speak to her as if you are talking about her favorite musical group, or movie; if this conversation style feels uncomfortable to you, try other confidence-building approaches.

• Use comparisons and authentic stories about something you relate to that could be bugging your student. Your adolescent student may adopt a different persona each day; she experiments with personal concepts by emulating dialogues from (1) rap lyrics (2) movie stars (3) T.V. heroines and heroes (4) wrestlers. Your student projects attitudes other than her own personality. Use these invented attributes or eccentricities to your advantage and to your student’s advantage. Talk to your student (in an up-beat manner) about how to appraise the alternatives a favorite character, possibly, would select. Despite how muddled your student’s answers sound, ask your student to write four alternatives, analyze them, and evaluate how the alternatives could work or fail. When your student's point of view becomes acceptable, let her know that you wish to weigh her views because of the accountable road she has taken. Impractical or farfetched alternatives prompt you to ask your student to write and reevaluate, focusing on what type of results she might see regarding her chosen alternatives. Your student soon writes worthy alternatives. Ask your student to write the worthy alternatives as a Promissory Note, with the date. Your student places the Promissory Note in the front of her notebook; the two of you sign the Promissory Note. You both assure each other to honor the new alternatives. You both set a review date.

• If reward methods seem useless, if every effort you make collapses, including cutting privileges (such as computer time), think about calling for outside help, perhaps, a guidance counselor, your student’s parents, the principal. Eliminate all threats. Talk the situation over with your student.

• Remember your nonverbals. Approval acts in impressive ways, intensifying the building on ideas, as opposed to ripping weak ideas apart, tearing self-confidence down.

• When students verbalize their perceptions equitably, as constructivism encourages, it motivates students to find additional ways for practical expression; thus, constructivism prevents, ultimately, frustration and unwarranted caution.
How do you reach your student, to commit to problem-solve, using her productive mind? How do you reach your student, to commit to problem-solve, using her most constructive ideas when less than $2.00 daily feeds half of humankind?


How do you get your student to see (on TV?) the gap between rich and poor and, care about the suffering of others and the environment? From cave child to new wave child, a student builds mind muscle when she pulls together her own history and creative output. Your student builds more than mind muscle when she figures out how to improve or understand whatever she resolves to understand or improve.




To support Mindtronics in your classroom, visit our favorite bookstore, amazon.com. Thank you for buying our books. ___jean and bill bruce







Home Page: Test Scores


Copyright 2005. jean and bill bruce, Recommended books of Professor W.C. Bruce

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