This article provides an illustration of how multilevel modelling, which is the standard method for assessing the "school effect" in school effectiveness research, can be combined with the regression-discontinuity approach. While multilevel modelling yields only estimates of relative school effects (differences between schools), the…

PreK-12 teachers in an urban school district enrolled in a course designed to examine the complexities of teaching in urban schools. This course was part of a grant aimed at increasing math and science achievement of their students. Teachers critically examined local and national policies and conditions that added to the complexities of their…

The present study used data from the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) 2003 to look at the trend in instructional strategies in science teaching and its effect on the science achievement. Based on the analysis, the strategies used by most science teachers were demonstration, practical work and the lecture method. Among…

In the West, science is assumed to be an integral part of Western culture. What interests Western educators and policy makers is achievement in science, particularly the comparative achievement in science among students of different Western nations plus Japan. Americans are constantly asking whether or not our students know as much science as…

This study examined several aspects of elementary science students' achievement, attitudes, and journal writing in conjunction with an Alabama Hands-on Activity Science Program (HASP) grant utilizing the Full Option Science System (FOSS) kit. The sample of 56 fourth grade students in two classes was administered a 15-item pretest and post-test.…

A major difficulty in trying to improve the level of achievement in public schools in the United States is that there is little consensus on the nature of the causes or the solution to the current educational problems. The variety and range of proposed solutions have grown as the inability of schools to restore science achievement has become more…

In recent years, great interest has been generated in the determinants of science achievement. This study examines some of the postulated determinants of science achievement at the elementary level. The determinants examined are gender, parental occupation, socio-economic status, school gender, and school type. The 977 students who served as…

Information about the diploma examinations in Mathematics 30, Biology 30, Chemistry 30, and Physics 30 that will be administered during January, June, and August, 1987, is provided in this bulletin. Topics explained include: (1) general format of the examination (stating the content, emphasis, and time allotments for the examinations); (2)…

A study involving 907 students and 14 teachers at South Carolina public schools investigated the link between teacher-student cognitive style matches and mismatches and science achievement in grades 7 and 8. The students included 426 males and 481 females, 404 seventh graders and 503 eighth graders, and 569 caucasian and 335 black students; three…

Students' abstract reasoning abilities can differ from one society to another. Students' profiles play significant roles in these differences. The aim of the study is to determine the relationship between middle school students' cognitive development levels and their profiles (age, gender, and science achievement) using the Science Cognitive…

The headline was dramatic enough to cause a ripple in the reading public. "Students who use computers a lot at school have worse maths and reading performance," noted the BBC news article, citing a 2004 study by Ludger Woessmann and Thomas Fuchs (Fuchs and Woessman, 2004). It was not long before the blogosphere took notice. Taking the…

Teacher-developed tests can be more valid and reliable than standardized tests or state-mandated tests in evaluating student achievement in science. Many teachers, however, are not acquainted with the standards to use in test writing. The National Research Council has released "Classroom Assessment and the National Education Standards," a…

This report presents the results of a study conducted during the 1995-1996 school year to evaluate the educational progress of 12th grade students taking advanced biology, chemistry, and physics courses. The study was conducted by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) in association with the National Assessment of Educational…

This practicum reports on a project designed to improve middle school students' science scores. The project used three general strategies to improve science learning: (1) the inclusion of multiple hands-on activities and techniques in the science classroom; (2) the implementation of portfolio assessment; and (3) the inclusion of a Multiple…

In response to the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB), "Systems for State Science Assessment" explores the ideas and tools that are needed to assess science learning at the state level. This book provides a detailed examination of K-12 science assessment: looking specifically at what should be measured and how to measure it. Along…