Research

The Relationship between Curriculum-based Measures in Oral Reading Fluency and High-Stakes Tests for Seventh Grade Students

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between oral reading fluency and performance on a statewide reading achievement test for middle grades students. Participants in this study were 75 seventh grade students. One month before the students were administered the state test, each student read three probes from their current basal reader

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Examining Response to a One-to-One Computer Initiative: Student and Teacher Voices

The impact of a one-to-one computing initiative at a Midwestern urban middle school was examined through phenomenological research techniques focusing on the voices of eighth grade students and their teachers. Analysis of transcripts from pre- and post-implementation interviews of 47 students and eight teachers yielded patterns of responses to illuminate how one-to-one computing changed students’

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The Role of Sociability Self-Concept in the Relationship between Exposure to and Concern about Aggression in Middle School

This study examined middle grades students’ sociability self-concept and their perceptions about feeling safe at school. Participants’ (N = 420) exposure to school aggression and concern about the potential for violence at school were measured across four critical areas: fighting, bullying, stealing, and seeing weapons. Results indicated a limited exposure to school aggression for these young

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A Path Analysis of the Relationship Among Critical Motivational Variables and Achievement in Reform-Oriented Mathematics Curriculum

This study investigated the relationship among critical motivational variables and mathematics achievement as middle grades students engaged in a reform-oriented curriculum, Mathematics in Context. We tested 327 students in fifth, sixth, and seventh grade before and after two years of implementation. We performed a path analysis with subscales representing latent motivational variables and with achievement on

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Differentiation in Action: Developing a Logic Model for Responsive Teaching in an Urban Middle School

Research has suggested that differentiation is a responsive approach to teaching rather than a set of strategies. In this study, researchers generated a logic model to describe how members of a two-teacher team collaborated to differentiate instruction and to examine the learning connections that five seventh graders made in an integrated unit. Data from interviews,

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Effective Science Instruction: Impact on High-Stakes Assessment Performance

This longitudinal prospective cohort study was conducted to determine the impact of effective science instruction on performance on high-stakes high school graduation assessments in science. This study provides powerful findings to support authentic science teaching to enhance long-term retention of learning and performance on state-mandated assessments. Students experienced some combination of zero to three effective

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