Differences in Reading by the Economic Status of Texas Grade 4 Boys and Girls in Special Education: A Multiyear Statewide Investigation

In this investigation, the degree to which the economic status (i.e., Not Economically Disadvantaged, Economically Disadvantaged) of Texas Grade 4 boys and girls in special education was related to their reading performance was addressed. Archival data from the Texas Education Agency Public Education Information Management System were analyzed for 2014-2015, 2015-2016, 2016-2017, and 2017-2018 school years on the Texas state-mandated reading assessment for Grade 4 students. Inferential statistical analyses, conducted separately for boys and girls in special education, revealed that boys and girls in poverty had statistically significantly lower reading test scores than boys and girls who were not in poverty. Results in all four school years were consistent with the existing research literature in that poverty negatively affects reading performance. Implications for policy and practice were provided, as well as recommendations for future research.

Design for learning in the third space: opportunities and challenges

Many educational agents offer paths that allow school to turn itself into a ‘third space’. Caritas Ambrosiana, based on a ‘pedagogy of facts’, proposes interventions to promote soft skills in schools. This non-formal education agency committed Research Center about Media Education, Innovation and Technology (CREMIT) of Catholic University for a project to improve their school programme and training effectiveness. We chose the participatory action research paradigm to verify how to design an educational path by applying third-space principles in the school context and how digital media can be embedded into the practice to enable a more porous exchange of experiences and expertise between students, educators and the school curriculum. The accompanying plan was designed on the basis of the initial questionnaire data analysis: sociomateriality was the main focus because it was considered by Caritas educators as one of the least important elements to include in the design process. The second reason is the need to rethink on-site training formats to face the challenges of the Covid-19 emergency. As expected, after the training intervention, sociomateriality had a significant growth in the design practices. The other third-space pedagogy elements (peering, experiential orientation, motivation, pleasure of making together) are maintained and reinforced, thanks to digital literacy.

Policy and principal turnover: The impact of the Texas special education cap

Accountability policies in education play a significant role for the principals tasked with facilitating the implementation of these reforms at the school-level. While these policies are most often intended to improve student outcomes, this is not always the case. In some instances, these policies can prove detrimental to schools, yet principals are still responsible for compliance. In Texas, a federal investigation found the Texas Education Agency (TEA) was restricting access to special education services by incentivizing districts to enroll fewer than 8.5% of students, utilizing these numbers as a measure of district performance. The implementation of the “8.5% cap” in 2004 resulted in a sharp decline in special education enrollment. Employing a sample of all principals in Texas before and after the 2004 law, this paper examines how the 8.5% cap impacted school leader attrition during its implementation. Prior to the implementation of the cap in 2004, we find little association between the proportion of students receiving services and principal turnover. After its implementation however, we find that principals in schools enrolling more than 8.5% of students in special education had a .39 higher odds ratio of switching districts and a .14 higher odds ratio of exiting the profession. We conclude by highlighting the scarcity of school labor market research that accounts for state-level education policies and note that policy may be more associated with principal turnover than student characteristics themselves.

Guiding Principles for the Assessment of Arts Learning: A Discussion Draft Created by Delegates at the 10th World Summit on Arts Education October 11-15, 2021

From October 11-15, 2021, the World Alliance for Arts Education’s Executive Forum authorized the 10th World Summit on Arts Education to be hosted by the University of Florida and the State Education Agency Directors of Arts Education (SEADAE). During the 2021 Virtual World Summit, titled Arts Impact: Context Matters, over 200 delegates from twenty-six nations on all six continents gathered to network, share research, and examine the multiple and varied ways in which arts assessments are designed and implemented around the world. Throughout the Summit, multiple discussions by various groups of delegates resulted in rich sets of qualitative data that were analyzed and interpreted daily by the conference leaders and rapporteur. These analyses were used to modify and update the concepts and ideas found within the resulting "Guiding Principles for the Assessment of Arts Learning."

Predicting Reading Performance by Texas Student Demographics Characteristics: A Statewide Analysis

Analyzed in this research study was the degree to which demographic characteristics (i.e., economic status, ethnicity/race, English Language Learner status) of Grade 3 students in Texas schools was related to their reading achievement as assessed by the State of Texas Assessment of Academic Readiness (STAAR) Reading test. Archival data from the Texas Education Agency, Public Education Information Management System, were analyzed using a causal-comparative research design. Specifically examined was each of the variables listed above for 2015-2016, 2016-2017, 2017-2018, and 2018-2019 school years separately for boys and girls, followed by comparing these variables across the four school years. Statistically significant results were present in all four school years for boys and girls. In three of the four years analyzed regarding boys' performance, being Poor, Black, or Hispanic was indicative of not meeting the Meets Grade Level standard. In three of the four years investigated regarding girls' performance, being White or Asian was indicative of meeting the Meets Grade Level standard. Implications for policy and practice, as well as recommendations for future research, are provided.

MENGUNGKAP MAKNA PENILAIAN KINERJA APARATUR SIPIL NEGARA BADAN KEPEGAWAIAN DAN PENDIDIKAN PELATIHAN DAERAH KABUPATEN PASURUAN

Abstrak: Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengungkap makna Penilai Kinerja Aparatur Sipil Negara (ASN) di lingkungan Badan Kepegawaian dan Pendidikan Pelatihan Daerah (BKPPD) Kabupaten Pasuruan. Pendekatan Etnometodologi digunakan dalam penelitian ini karena merupakan ciri khas metode ini untuk melihat kegiatan rutin yang dilakukan setiap harinya. Analisis dilakukan sesuai dengan tahapan dalam etnometodologi, yaitu indeksikalitas, refleksifitas, dan aksi kontekstual. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa penilaian kinerja didasarkan pada beberapa kategori, yaitu sesuai Tugas Pokok dan Fungsi (TUPOKSI); kualitas hasil kerja; dan adanya komunikasi, kerjasama, dan koordinasi yang baik. Penilaian kinerja yang telah dilakukan ini mengandung makna adanya tenggang rasa, saling menghormati, dan gotong royong. Hasil penelitian ini diharapkan dapat menjadi bahan pertimbangan kepada pemerintah daerah terkait dengan penilaian kinerja yang harus dilakukan. Abstract: This study aims to reveal the meaning of the State Civil Apparatus Performance Appraiser (ASN) in the Regional Employment and Training Education Agency (BKPPD) Pasuruan Regency. The ethnomethodology approach is used in this study because it is the hallmark of this method to see the routine activities carried out every day. The analysis was carried out according to the stages in ethnomethodology, namely indexicality, reflexivity, and contextual action. The results showed that the performance appraisal was based on several categories, namely according to the Main Tasks and Functions (TUPOKSI); quality of work; and good communication, cooperation and coordination. This performance appraisal has the meaning of tolerance, mutual respect, and mutual cooperation. The results of this study are expected to be considered by the local government regarding the performance assessment that must be carried out.

Free Appropriate Public Education, the U.S. Supreme Court, and Developing and Implementing Individualized Education Programs

In 1975, the Education for All Handicapped Children Act (renamed the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act in 1990) established the essential obligation of special education law, which is to develop a student’s individualized special education program that enables them to receive a free appropriate public education (FAPE). FAPE was defined in the federal law as special education and related services that: (a) are provided at public expense, (b) meet the standards of the state education agency, (c) include preschool, elementary, or secondary education, and (d) are provided in conformity with a student’s individualized education program (IEP). Thus, the IEP is the blueprint of an individual student’s FAPE. The importance of FAPE has been shown in the number of disputes that have arisen over the issue. In fact 85% to 90% of all special education litigation involves disagreements over the FAPE that students receive. FAPE issues boil down to the process and content of a student’s IEP. In this article, we differentiate procedural (process) and substantive (content) violations and provide specific guidance on how to avoid both process and content errors when drafting and implementing students’ IEPs.