Teaching and Learning Middle Grades Mathematics with Understanding

The Texas Assessment of Academic Skills (TAAS) has been used to document and track an achievement gap between white and minority students in Texas. Some educators have credited the TAAS with fueling a drive to close the achievement gap while others suggest that TAAS scores may be misleading because of factors such as score inflation and a possible ceiling effect. The purpose of this study was to analyze the gap in mathematics achievement for eighth grade students. The study compared TAAS and National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) test results to determine if the achievement gap between white, Hispanic, and African-American Students had narrowed between 1996 and 2000. Results indicate that TAAS mean scores increased significantly for all three ethnic groups between 1996 and 2000. Comparison of the TAAS test score frequency distributions for each ethnic group indicated that white students' scores shifted from the middle to the upper portion of the test score range while minority students' scores shifted from the lower to the middle and higher score range. Both white and minority students' TAAS test score distributions were significantly more negatively skewed in 2000 than in 1996. Comparisons between white and minority students' TAAS scores showed that white students had significantly higher scores than either Hispanic or African-American students in both 1996 and 2000. Comparison of mean score differences in 1996 and 2000 indicated that the achievement gap between white and minority students had narrowed. NAEP scores increased significantly from 1996 to 2000 for Hispanic students, but not for white or African-American students. However, test score distribution patterns showed small positive changes for all three ethnic groups. Comparisons between ethnic groups indicated that there were significant differences between white and minority students' scores in both 1996 and 2000. Comparison of mean score differences in 1996 and 2000 indicated that the achievement gap between Hispanic white students had narrowed slightly but that there was no change in the achievement gap between white and African-American students. Analysis of the TAAS test score distribution patterns indicated the likelihood that a ceiling effect had impacted students' scores. The evidence for a ceiling effect was strongest for white students. In 2000, 60.4% of white students had a TAAS score that fell in the top 10% of the score range. In contrast, there was no evidence of a ceiling effect for the NAEP. Mean score gains on the TAAS are only partially substantiated by the NAEP data. Furthermore, there is a very strong possibility that a ceiling effect artificially restricted the 2000 TAAS scores for white students and created the illusion that the achievement gap between minority and white students had been narrowed.

The Texas Education Agency (TEA) relied heavily on the test development process used for the Texas Assessment of Academic Skills (TAAS) in its defense presented during the GI Forum v. Texas Education Agency (1999) litigation. In this article, we present the Texas test development process. The process spans 3 years of assessment development that includes the 2 general areas of planning and maintenance activities. Each step of both the planning and maintenance stages is described in detail. In addition, each step of the process is either explicitly or implicitly linked to the Standards for Educational and Psychological Testing (American Educational Research Association, American Psychological Association, & National Council on Measurement in Education, 1985). The routine use of this process by TEA and its contractors (as well as the process itself) provided strong evidence of both content and curricular validity of the TAAS.

High-stakes state-mandated standardization is rapidly spreading throughout the U.S. Ms. McNeil examines the widely emulated accountability system in Texas and concludes that it has adverse effects on teaching and learning, stifles democratic discourse, and perpetuates inequities for minority students. THE ENDURING legacy of Ross Perot's school reforms in Texas is not merely the strengthening of bureaucratic controls at the expense of teaching and learning. It is also the legitimating of a language of accountability as the governing principle in public schools. Incipient in the Perot reforms was the shifting of control over public schooling away from 'the public' and away from the profession - and toward business-controlled management accountability systems. These systems use children's scores on standardized tests to measure the quality of the of teachers and principals, and they even use a school's aggregate student scores as data for the comparative ratings of schools. There have been several iterations of state testing and test-driven curricula implemented since the reforms first begun under the Perot legislation in Texas in the mid-1980s. The current Texas Assessment of Academic Skills (TAAS) is rarely referred to by its full name. It is known by its advocates in the state government and among the state's business leaders as 'the Texas Accountability System,' the reform that has 'shaped up' schools. It is touted as the system that holds 'teachers and principals accountable.' In many schools, tenure for principals has been replaced by contracts, with performance measured by a single indicator - the aggregation of student TAAS scores in the school. Publicity about the 'texas Accountability System,' centered on rising test scores, has generated copycat legislation in a number of states, where standardized testing of students is increasingly being used as the central mechanism for decisions about student learning, teacher and administrator practice, and even whole-school quality.1 Teachers know well that most reforms have a short life and that 'this too shall pass.' The specific rules and prescriptions enacted under the Perot reforms did, indeed, pass. But the institutionalizing of a shift in the locus of control over curriculum, teaching, and assessment, which began with the legislated reforms of the 1980s, has more than persisted. As a result, a very narrow set of numerical indicators (student scores on statewide tests) has become the only language of currency in education policy in the state. Principals report that there can be little discussion of children's development, of cultural relevance, of children's contributions to classroom knowledge and interactions, or of those engaging sidebar experiences at the margins of the official curriculum where children often do their best learning. According to urban principals, many have supervisors who tell them quite pointedly, Don't talk to me about anything else until the TAAS scores start to go up. Teachers also report that the margins - those spaces where even in highly prescriptive school settings they have always been able to really - are shrinking as the accountability system becomes increasingly stringent, with teacher and principal pay tied to student scores. Under the Perot reforms, teachers were still sometimes able to juggle the official, prescribed, and tested curriculum with what they wanted their students to learn.2 Even if they had to teach two contradictory lessons in order to ensure that students encountered the information (as well as the test-based facts), many teachers managed to do so in order that their students did not lose out on a chance for a real education. Under TAAS, there are fewer and fewer opportunities for authentic teaching. A continued legacy, then, of the Perot reforms is that the testing of students increasingly drives curriculum and compromises both teaching and the role of students in learning. …

Data were examined in this study from student records in a large North Texas urban school district who were taught with two different mathematics curricula to determine whether or not they had different effects on student achievement. One of the mathematics curricula, Everyday Mathematics, was developed upon national mathematic standards, written by the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics. The other mathematics curriculum was district-approved, using a textbook from a large publisher, with a more traditional approach. The students selected for the experimental group came from six schools that had implemented the Everyday Mathematics curriculum for the 1998-99 school year. An experimental group was formed from these students. Twelve schools with similar socioeconomic ratios, ethnic makeup and 1998 Iowa Test of Basic Skills mathematic score profiles were selected. A control group was formed from this population of students that was similar to the experimental group with the exception of having been taught using the district-approved mathematics curriculum. These two groups were very similar in socioeconomic, ethnic, gender, and grade level makeup. Most importantly, the experimental group and control group were almost identical (there was no statistically significant difference) in their 1998 Iowa Test of Basic Skills mathematics scores, a gauge used to demonstrate that prior mathematics ability was equal going into the 1998-99 school year. In the statistical analysis, almost all comparisons showed that the experimental group taught with the Everyday Mathematics curriculum had higher scores on the 1999 Texas Assessment of Academic Skills mathematics test. When compared to children with similar mathematics ability at the beginning of the 1998-99 school year, the students in this study who were taught using Everyday Mathematics showed greater achievement gains than students in classes that used the district-approved curriculum.

To present and compare socioeconomic status (SES) rankings of households using consumption and an asset-based index as two alternative measures of SES; and to compare and evaluate the performance of these two measures in multivariate analyses of the socioeconomic gradient in malaria prevalence. Data for the study come from a survey of 557 households in 25 study villages in Tanzania in 2004. Household SES was determined using consumption and an asset-based index calculated using Principal Components Analysis on a set of household variables. In multivariate analyses of malaria prevalence, we also used two other measures of disease prevalence: parasitaemia and self-report of malaria or fever in the 2 weeks before interview. Household rankings based on the two measures of SES differ substantially. In multivariate analyses, there was a statistically significant negative association between both measures of SES and parasitaemia but not between either measure of SES and self-reported malaria. Age of individual, use of a mosquito net, and wall construction were negatively and significantly associated with parasitaemia, whilst roof construction was positively associated with parasitaemia. Only age remained significant when malaria self-report was used as the measure of disease prevalence. An asset index is an effective alternative to consumption in measuring the socioeconomic gradient in malaria parasitaemia, but self-report may be an unreliable measure of malaria prevalence for this purpose.

This article provides an overview of the legal claims made by plaintiffs challenging the State’s required passage of the Texas Assessment of Academic Skills (TAAS) exit-level test for graduation in GI Forum et al. v. Texas Education Agency et al . The plaintiffs filed their case alleging that the State’s graduation requirement violated minority students’ equal protection and due process rights as well as Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Equal Educational Opportunity Act. Part 1 of the article summarizes the plaintiffs’ initial complaint and the effect of the court’s pretrial orders on the plaintiffs’ ability to introduce crucial expert evidence to support a pattern of discriminatory State educational policies. Part 2 of the article describes the role of the expert testimony provided at trial for the plaintiffs’ claims and also provides lessons for future litigation.

This study was conducted to examine the characteristics of middle schools in which Latino students from low-income families made substantial achievement gains. Nine schools in Texas were selected where Latino students had shown strong gains in the Texas Assessment of Academic Skills. Data from onsite interviews, focus groups, and documents were reviewed for evidence of 57 characteristics of effective schools. As expected, schools were characterized by strong leadership; a clear focus on achievement; positive climate, including supportive relationships among students and teachers; and good communications with parents. Surprisingly little attention was paid to providing culturally relevant curriculum or bilingual instruction. The schools generally exhibited a strong coherence, marked by articulation of common goals and a strong sense of guiding purpose, shared norms, consistent messages, and consistency of beliefs and practices. The schools could be further improved by drawing more explicitly on the cultural knowledge of home and community.

Living donor kidney transplant (LDKT) is an effective treatment for kidney disease but is underutilized compared to other treatment options. Understanding factors that influence LDKT decision-making has potential to enhance intervention effectiveness and increase pursuit of living transplant. The Transtheoretical Model (TTM) is one model of behavior change that has been applied to transplant decision-making in kidney disease populations. TTM constructs in this area have some empirical support, but evidence suggests that aspects of socioeconomic status also impact the decision to pursue LDKT. The purpose of this study was to test a cross-sectional model of readiness for pursuing LDKT that was theoretically based in the TTM. Key socioeconomic status (SES) variables were incorporated into the model of TTM change constructs in an effort to study a wider range of variables that may improve understanding of LDKT decision-making. Data were utilized from the completed baseline sample of Your Path to Transplant, a longitudinal randomized control trial that aimed to enhance decision-making to pursue kidney transplant by delivering TTM Stage-matched expert system coach-delivered feedback (N = 799 ESRD patients). Prior to model testing, multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA), analysis of variance (ANOVA), and chi-square tests were performed to examine relationships within TTM constructs (Stage of Change, Decisional Balance, and Self-Efficacy for pursuing LDKT) and between TTM constructs and five socioeconomic variables. Results revealed significant relationships between TTM variables, but no significant relationships were observed between TTM and SES variables. Analyses between SES variables revealed significant relationships with small effect sizes. Stepwise binary logistic regression was performed to test two models of readiness for pursuing LDKT (Stage of Change: Pre-Action Stages or Action). The replicated TTM model demonstrated expected relationships between independent and dependent TTM constructs. Decisional Balance and Self-Efficacy were related to Stage of Change, and later Stages exhibited significantly greater Self-Efficacy and Pros for pursuing LDKT and significantly lower Cons (χ 2 (3) = 20.83, p < .001, R2 = .047, 95% CI [.01, .08]). In the full model, no statistically significant relationships were observed between TTM constructs and SES variables. Findings from this study support the successful replication of TTM constructs in a large and diverse sample of ESRD patients. The replicated model demonstrated key differences in perceptions and motivations between patients who were in Action compared to Pre-Action Stages. However, this study was unable to detect significant improvement in model fit with the addition of SES variables. Future research

A retrospective observational study. The aim of this study was to compare postoperative outcomes following cervical fusion based on socioeconomic status (SES) variables including race, education, net worth, and homeownership status. Previous studies have demonstrated the effects of patient race and income on outcomes following cervical fusion procedures. However, no study to date has comprehensively examined the impact of multiple SES variables. We hypothesized that race, education, net worth, and homeownership influence important outcomes following cervical fusion. Optum's de-identified Clinformatics Data Mart (CDM) database was queried for patients undergoing first-time inpatient cervical fusion from 2003 to 2021. Patient demographics, SES variables, and the Charlson comorbidity index were obtained. Primary outcomes were hospital length of stay and 30-day rates of reoperation, readmission, and postoperative complications. Secondary outcomes included postoperative emergency room visits, discharge status, and total hospital charges. A total of 111,914 patients underwent cervical spinal fusion from 2003 to 2021. Multivariate analysis revealed that after controlling for age, sex, and Charlson comorbidity index, Black race was associated with a higher rate of 30-day readmissions [odds ratio (OR): 1.11, 95% CI: 1.03-1.20]. Lower net worth (vs. >$500K) and renting (vs. owning a home) were significantly associated with both higher rates of 30-day readmissions (OR: 1.29, 95% CI: 1.17-1.41; OR: 1.34, 95% CI: 1.22-1.49), and emergency room visits (OR: 1.29, 95% CI: 1.18-1.42; OR: 1.11, 95% CI: 1.00-1.23). Lower net worth (vs. >$500K) was also associated with increased complications (OR: 1.22, 95% CI: 1.14-1.31). Socioeconomic variables, including patient race, education, and net worth, influence postoperative metrics in cervical spinal fusion surgery. Future studies should focus on developing and implementing targeted interventions based on patient SES to reduce disparity.

Altus’ review of the literature (Science, 1966) on the relation of birth order to eminence, intelligence, college attendance and other social parameters was generally consistent in finding first-borns to be over-represented. Complementary evidence at the lower end of the intellectual continuum following an extensive review of the men­tal deficiency literature appeared non-existent. To partially fill this lacuna, an effort was made to provide evidence concerning the rela­tion between ordinal position of birth and mental deficiency. Data were obtained for 4,398 institutionalized retardates. First-borns with siblings were compared with later borns on the variables of family size, sex, ethnicity, intelligence, and socioeconomic status, yielding significant differences between observed and expected fre­quency distributions on groupings of family size, intelligence, and father’s educational level. Only-children were studied separately; the distribution being significantly different from expectation on the variables of ethnicity, intelligence, and father’s educational attain­ment. Two methodological issues relevant to birth order studies are considered and implications are discussed in terms of family interaction patterns.

The world is changing so fast, and therefore education needs to adapt to the challenges of times. In order to update the content of school education in the Republic of Kazakhstan modern trends are going to be used. These trends contain pedagogical methods that can be used to preserve and even increase internal motivation, as active learning. Active learning method is an treatment where students participate or interact with the learning process, as opposed to passively taking in the information.The goal of this study is to identify the impact of active learning method on 10th grade students’ attitude towards mathematics of the students the second semester of the school year 2019-2020. More specifically, it attempted to determine and compare the attitude toward mathematics of students’ exposure to active learning and traditional teaching strategy. The Likert scale used to evaluate the attitude of students toward mathematics. Mean, Cronbach value, T-test were the statistical tools used in anatomizing and interpreting the research data. The discovering showed that the students in the active learning group had auspicious attitude than students in the conventional teaching group. According to the findings after research, we saw the direct relation between attitude and active learning. It is concluded that the students’ attitude toward mathematics was better by using active learning strategy. It is recommended that mathematics teacher should use active learning strategy in order to improve the attitude toward mathematics of the students.Keywords: attitude, mathematics, active learning

Decreased overall survival in black patients with HPV-associated oropharyngeal cancer.

Network range in personal networks

Relationships among smoking status, ethnicity, socioeconomic indicators, and lifestyle variables in a biracial sample of women

The high-stakes exams are administered to the candidates to determine their placement into university programs. One of the variables that can influence the performance of high-stake exams is test anxiety. The current study aimed to examine the associations between the cognitive and affective components of test anxiety with the performance of the high-stakes exam (University Entrance Exam [UEE}) in low-achiever, mid-achiever, and high-achiever groups after controlling for gender. The study participants were 264 12th-grade students from schools representing low-, mid-, and high-achievement groups. The findings showed that the cognitive and affective components of test anxiety did not account significantly for the variance of test performance on the UEE controlling for gender in the three groups. However, test anxiety's cognitive and emotional components had negative significant but weak relationships with test performance in only the high-achiever group. Appropriate implications for practitioners, policymakers, and researchers are discussed.