Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Match evaluation'

Mathematics is an indispensable skill. Mathematical reasoning occurs when a person is taught the basic foundations during the elementary school years. With the pressures following implementation of Common Core State Standards and Race to the Top, school districts are tried not only to raise their state test scores, but also to prepare, strengthen, and empower educators to feel confident in their ability to instruct mathematics effectively. The Singapore approach to teaching math was the innovative program that created higher math scores in school districts in the United States. The country of Singapore, after developing this approach became the world’s leader in math scores. As more school districts attempt to use a Singapore math-type approach, the secrets of success for its implementation are important. Math in Focus is the authentic Singapore curriculum. This study attempted to document which aspects that encompassed implementing this new program worked most effectively by utilizing a mixed-method approach. This study documented and analyzed professional development training and collaborative teacher planning. The teachers in this study had five professional development workshops and met weekly for collaboration. Additionally, state testing scores were analyzed for the academic school years 2011–2012, 2012–2013, and 2013–2014.

The number of students of community college students in need of remedial math courses continues to increase each year; however, the success and retention rate for student enrolled in remedial math courses remains extremely low. The purpose of this study was to examine factors students characterize as impeding their ability to successfully complete their remedial math courses. Using a mixed method analysis, individual interviews and surveys were utilized to investigate this issue. Eight semi-structured interviews were conducted with EOPS students who had attempted algebra (Math 020) more than once, but were not enrolled in an algebra (Math 020) course in spring 2013. Based on their perceptions, seven categories of barriers emerged. The seven categories were then used as a means for developing a survey instrument for phase Il of this study. The surveys were administered to 208 students who enrolled in algebra (Math 020) during the spring 2013 semester. The impetus behind the surveys was to examine if the general population of algebra (Math 020) students had the same perceptions of the factors that impede their ability to be successful in their remedial math classes. Data were examined to investigate if there were any correlations or significance among any of the perceived factors. Although interviewees and survey participants indicated they had similar beliefs in regards to factors they perceived impeded their ability to succeed in their remedial math sequences, no correlations or significance was found among any of the data examined.

The number of older adults facing food insecurity is on the rise. As an attempt to reduce food insecurity at a policy level, nutrition incentive programs such as Market Match have been available within the community at participating Farmers Markets. An ecological framework was used in this study to assess the impact of Market Match on intrapersonal, interpersonal, community and policy factors that contribute to food insecurity for older adults. The aim of this study was to evaluate the overall impact of Market Match among older adults by measuring participants’ Market Match satisfaction through feasibility and accessibility. Findings from this study suggests programs such as Market Match may be beneficial in reducing food insecurity among older adults.

Community colleges across the nation are under increasing pressure to find ways to improve the rate of which students, placed in remediation, complete college-level coursework. The attrition of students placed into the lowest levels of developmental mathematics has been a challenge for many colleges to overcome. Research has well recorded the lack of progress of students placed three to four levels below a transfer-level course. Yet, few studies have compared the outcome of similar students in accelerated programs designed to shorten the pathways through remediation. This study focused on students placed in the lowest levels of remediation at two colleges offering consecutive sequences of course-redesign and compression models of acceleration. Using multivariate analyses, the comparative effect on completion rates of students accelerated through two different developmental math acceleration programs from two different colleges within a four year period (2013–2017) were examined. Moreover, this study used student background characteristics, math placement and math acceleration model to predict developmental and college level math course completion using logistic regression analysis.

The results of this study suggest students placed in developmental mathematics who are in an accelerated pathway have decreased time to complete remediation and a transfer-level math course. Findings indicate course-redesign acceleration model yielded more statistically significant improvements in transfer-level math and developmental math completion rates for first-generation students, as well as students placed in both low-level and mid-level remediation. The compression model of acceleration showed significant improvement in completion rates for students placed in mid-level remediation yet results were mixed for students placed in low-level remediation. Students in consecutive acceleration courses were most likely to complete a transfer-level math course, and historically underrepresented minority students were more likely to complete remediation, under certain circumstances, in the compression acceleration model.

These findings inform the college administrators on the potential of sequential accelerated programs. The implications of these results contribute to redesigning academic programs and support current developmental policy reforms. Community colleges are encouraged to consider the recommendations in this study, such as integrating course redesign in California Assembly Bill 705 and California Community College Guided Pathways, to help non-traditional students who are most often placed into the lowest levels of remediation.

The purpose of this study is to determine the reading and math outcomes of randomly selected majority culture students participating in an elective, parent choice, full academic content area Spanish Immersion Program kindergarten through fifth-grade compared to randomly selected same school control majority culture students participating in a traditional academic content area English only program kindergarten through fifth-grade. Study results indicate that posttest ending third-grade NWEA MAP-Reading Test Scores M = 196.02 (SD = 46.18) compared to post-posttest ending fifth-grade NWEA MAP-Reading Test Scores M = 227.07 (SD = 9.58) following kindergarten through fifth-grade participation in an elective, parent choice, full academic content area Spanish Immersion Program was statistically significantly different rejecting the null hypothesis in the direction of improved NWEA MAP-Reading Test Scores where dependent t(39) = 4.05, p < .001 (two-tailed), ES = 1.11. Furthermore, posttest ending third-grade NWEA MAP-Math Test Scores M = 197.42 (SD = 46.22) compared to post-posttest ending fifth-grade NWEA MAP-Math Test Scores M = 238.72 (SD = 14.70) following kindergarten through fifth-grade participation in an elective, parent choice, full academic content area Spanish Immersion Program was statistically significantly different rejecting the null hypothesis in the direction of improved NWEA MAP-Math Test Scores where dependent t(39) = 4.99, p < .0001 (two-tailed), ES = 1.35. Students who participated in a traditional standard of care academic content area English only program serving as a control group also made statistically significant reading and math gains over time. Between group post-posttest ending fifth-grade NWEA MAP-Reading Test Scores for students in an elective, parent choice, full academic content area Spanish Immersion Program compared to post-posttest ending fifth-grade NWEA MAP-Reading Test Scores for students in a traditional standard of care academic content area English only program were statistically significantly different rejecting the null hypothesis in the direction of greater post-posttest NWEA MAP-Reading Test Scores for students in an elective, parent choice, full academic content area Spanish Immersion Program where independent t(78) = 3.22, p < .01 (two-tailed), ES = 0.73. However, the null hypothesis was not rejected for the between group post-posttest NWEA MAP-Math Test Scores comparison indicating statistical equipoise where independent t(78) = 1.63, p = .107 (two-tailed), ES = 0.40. It is clear from the study results that students participating in the programs of this research are making significant academic progress as measured by norm-referenced reading and math test results over time, third-grade to fifth-grade. It is also remarkable that students who are learning basic skills at the elementary level in a second language, Spanish, are doing so at an observed above grade level pace suggesting that they will be ready for middle school English and math coursework with an advanced promise of success in future second language, Spanish, coursework as well.

Although Kreyol is the language spoken and understood by the majority of Haitians, French is the language used as the medium for instruction. The use of a foreign language as a means for students to acquire literacy is a practice that has led to an ineffective educational system in Haiti. The aim of the quasi-experimental research study is to study the effects of using Kreyol versus French as the instructional method in math and science classes. Participants were selected from a target population of 246 girls enrolled at Institution X, a private school in the Ouest Department. Students from this institution are part of the 29% of people who attend secondary schools in Haiti. The 139 students that were part of the sample were randomly divided into two groups per class (standard and Kreyol condition) and were given a pre-test followed by a lesson then a post-test. Students in the standard group were taught in French and those in experimental group in Kreyol. Data gathered from the intervention were analyzed and results indicated that pre-test scores of French condition and Kreyol condition groups were normally distributed. When ANCOVA was used as one of the data analysis tools, because it French conditions for pre-test values and allows for observation of post-test scores, results yielded confirmed a significant difference between the French condition and Kreyol condition groups. The results from this quasi-experimental study provided data that aligned with the literature review and demonstrated that there was in fact a significant difference in performance when Kreyol was used as a medium for instruction instead of French. The results further provide statistical data confirming the important role that Kreyol should play in the improvement of the Haitian education system.

Improving academic achievement for students of color has long been the subject of debate among advocates of education reform (Anyon, 2013; Breitborde & Swiniarski, 2006; Payne, 2008). Some scholars have advocated for the Montessori method as an alternative educational approach to address some chronic problems in public education (Lillard, 2005; Murray, 2011, 2015; Torrance, 2012). Montessori programs are expanding in public schools (National Center for Montessori in the Public Sector, 2014c) at a time when the American public school population is more racially diverse than ever before (Maxwell, 2014). A review of the literature reflects a lack of consensus about the efficacy of Montessori elementary instruction for students of color in general, and lack of attention to outcomes for African American students specifically (Dawson, 1987; Dohrmann, Nishisda, Gartner, Lipsky, & Grimm, 2007; Lopata, Wallace, & Finn, 2005; Mallet & Schroeder, 2015). The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of reading and math instruction for third grade African American students in public Montessori, traditional, and other school choice settings, using end-of-grade standardized test scores from a large, urban district in North Carolina. Stratified sampling was used to select demographically similar traditional and magnet schools for comparison. Group mean reading and math test scores were compared using factorial MANCOVA and MANOVA procedures. African American students at grade three were found to perform at significantly higher levels in both reading and math in public Montessori schools than in traditional schools. No statistically significant difference was found in math achievement between African American third grade students in public Montessori and other magnet programs, although the Montessori group did achieve at significantly higher levels in reading. This suggests that the Montessori method can be an effective pedagogy for African American students, particularly in reading. Based on these results, recommendations are provided for policy, practice, and future research.