Is Kindergarten Ability Group Placement Biased? New Data, New Methods, New Answers

Half of kindergarten teachers split children into higher and lower ability groups for reading or math. In national data, we predicted kindergarten ability group placement using linear and ordinal logistic regression with classroom fixed effects. In fall, test scores were the best predictors of group placement, but there was bias favoring girls, high-SES (socioeconomic status) children, and Asian Americans, who received higher placements than their scores alone would predict. Net of SES, there was no bias against placing black children in higher groups. By spring, one third of kindergartners moved groups, and high-SES children moved up more than their score gains alone would predict. Teacher-reported behaviors (e.g., attentiveness, approaches to learning) helped explain girls’ higher placements, but did little to explain the higher placements of Asian American and high-SES children.

Emerging ASL Distinctions in Sign-Speech Bilinguals' Signs and Co-speech Gestures in Placement Descriptions

Previous work on placement expressions (e.g., “she put the cup on the table”) has demonstrated cross-linguistic differences in the specificity of placement expressions in the native language (L1), with some languages preferring more general, widely applicable expressions and others preferring more specific expressions based on more fine-grained distinctions. Research on second language (L2) acquisition of an additional spoken language has shown that learning the appropriate L2 placement distinctions poses a challenge for adult learners whose L2 semantic representations can be non-target like and have fuzzy boundaries. Unknown is whether similar effects apply to learners acquiring a L2 in a different sensory-motor modality, e.g., hearing learners of a sign language. Placement verbs in signed languages tend to be highly iconic and to exhibit transparent semantic boundaries. This may facilitate acquisition of signed placement verbs. In addition, little is known about how exposure to different semantic boundaries in placement events in a typologically different language affects lexical semantic meaning in the L1. In this study, we examined placement event descriptions (in American Sign Language (ASL) and English) in hearing L2 learners of ASL who were native speakers of English. L2 signers' ASL placement descriptions looked similar to those of two Deaf, native ASL signer controls, suggesting that the iconicity and transparency of placement distinctions in the visual modality may facilitate L2 acquisition. Nevertheless, L2 signers used a wider range of handshapes in ASL and used them less appropriately, indicating that fuzzy semantic boundaries occur in cross-modal L2 acquisition as well. In addition, while the L2 signers' English verbal expressions were not different from those of a non-signing control group, placement distinctions expressed in co-speech gesture were marginally more ASL-like for L2 signers, suggesting that exposure to different semantic boundaries can cause changes to how placement is conceptualized in the L1 as well.

Mitochondrial Phylogenomics of Tenthredinidae (Hymenoptera: Tenthredinoidea) Supports the Monophyly of Megabelesesinae as a Subfamily

Tenthredinidae represents one of the external feeders of the most diverse superfamily, Tenthredinoidea, with diverse host plant utilization. In this study, four complete mitochondrial genomes (mitogenomes), those of Cladiucha punctata, Cladiucha magnoliae, Megabeleses magnoliae, and Megabeleses liriodendrovorax, are newly sequenced and comparatively analyzed with previously reported tenthredinid mitogenomes. The close investigation of mitogenomes and the phylogeny of Tenthredinidae leads us to the following conclusions: The subfamilial relationships and phylogenetic placements within Tenthredinidae are mostly found to be similar to the previously suggested phylogenies. However, the present phylogeny supports the monophyly of Megabelesesinae as a subfamily, with the sister-group placement of Cladiucha and Megabeleses outside of Allantinae. The occurrence of the same type of tRNA rearrangements (MQI and ANS1ERF) in the mitogenomes of Megabelesesinae species and the presence of apomorphic morphological characters also provide robust evidence for this new subfamily. The divergence and diversification times of the subfamilies appear to be directly related to colonization of the flowering plants following the Early Cretaceous. The origin time and diversification patterns of Megabelesesinae were also well matched with the divergence times of their host plants from Magnoliaceae.

PENGARUH PELATIHAN, PENEMPATAN DAN KINERJA KELOMPOK PAKAR SECARA PARSIAL DAN SECARA SIMULTAN TERHADAP CAPACITY BUILDING DPRD OGAN KOMERING ILIR

<p class="Default"><em>The purpose of the research is specifically to obtain the results of the analysis of the influence of training variables, placement, expert group performance on the capacity building of DPRD partially or simultaneously. The research method uses descriptive and verification surveys, field data collection using questionnaire, interview and documentation techniques. This research is associative research, where in this study there are variables that are related and can affect other variables. The study population was 85 employees at the OKI DPRD Secretariat, taken as a sample of 71 employees. Processing data using SPSS 23 analysis tools.</em><em> </em><em>Testing the data using the t test, that training affects capacity building with t count 5.009&gt; t table 1.993, there is an influence of placement on capacity building, with 3,883&gt; t table 1,993, performance affects capacity building with t count of 2,149&gt; t table 1,993 and training, placement and performance affect capacity building with F count 10,980&gt; F table 2,683</em><em>. </em><em>The red thread of research is that Expert Group Training, Expert group Placement, Expert group performance has a positive and significant effect on the capacity building of Ogan Komering Ilir District DPRD both partially and simultaneously. Strategies to increase DPRD capacity building can be done by providing training before expert group placements on DPRD equipment.</em></p><p class="Default"><em> </em></p><p class="Default"><strong><em>Keywords</em></strong><strong><em>:</em></strong><em> training, placement, performance and capacity building</em></p>

Fuel cell evaluation of anion exchange membranes based on poly(phenylene oxide) with different cationic group placement

Comparison of four poly(phenylene oxide) membranes in an AEMFC and the correlation between performance, ionic conductivity and water flux properties.

Student–Teacher Ethno-Racial Matching and Reading Ability Group Placement in Early Grades

This article investigates the relationship between student–teacher ethno-racial matching and students’ placement in reading ability groups in kindergarten and first grades in the United States. Multilevel regression analysis of a nationally representative sample of students shows that Latino/a first graders are more likely to be placed in higher ability groups when assigned to Latino/a teachers. Furthermore, teachers’ perception of students’ learning behavior, a variable that has been linked to teacher–student racial congruence in the literature, has a strong positive effect on ability group placement in kindergarten and first grades. These findings have implications for minority teacher recruitment policies in school districts.

Chinese species of Pediobius Walker (Hymenoptera: Eulophidae)

The Chinese species of Pediobius Walker, 1846 are treated in this paper, resulting in 34 species, of which 5 are newly described: P. bisulcatus Cao & Zhu sp. n., P. elongatus Cao & Zhu sp. n., P.petiolapilus Cao & Zhu sp. n., P. prominentis Cao & Zhu, sp. n., and P. tortricida Cao & Zhu, sp. n. Nine species are also newly recorded from China: P. anomalus (Gahan, 1920), P. bethylicidus Kerrich, 1973, P. bruchicida (Rondani, 1872), P. cassidae Erdös, 1958, P. claviger (Thomson, 1878), P. erionotae Kerrich, 1973, P. phragmitis Bouček, 1965, P. saulius (Walker, 1839), and P. tetratomus (Thomson, 1878). Four new synonyms are proposed: P. illiberidis Liao, 1987 under P. pyrgo (Walker, 1839) syn. n., P. planiceps Sheng & Kamijo, 1992 under P. inexpectatus Kerrich, 1973 syn. n., P. sinensis Sheng & Wang, 1994 under P. facialis (Giraud, 1863) syn. n., and P. songshaominus Liao, 1987 under P. yunanensis Liao, 1987 syn. n. The species-group concept is used to compare similar species, of which eight are recognized in China including two newly recognized groups: the cassidae-group and the crassicornis-group. One species complex, the P. eubius complex, is also recognized. An updated checklist of the Chinese species of Pediobius is provided, with species-group placement. New host records for Pediobius species from China are summarized in a table and valid species possibly present in China but not included in this study in another table. A key to all known females and males of Chinese Pediobius is also provided.