A Title I elementary school in New York City faced a challenge in supporting students in Grade 3 to Grade 5 who did not meet state proficiency standards in mathematics. The student body of approximately 300 was 80% Black and Brown students, with 40% of students identified as English language learners or students with disabilities. The assistant…

Through a qualitative multiple case study, the researcher's goal in conducting this study was to investigate and understand the experiences of five upper elementary teachers in grades three through five who transitioned from traditional grading practices to standards-based grading (SBG) practices at one elementary school. Using Albert Bandura's…

Although controversial, perhaps no piece of legislation has the potential to transform India's future more than the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act (RTE). Upon the passage and enforcement of RTE in 2009, the Indian government instituted a series of wide-ranging reforms to India's education system. For example, the act…

Describes how the author, a fifth-grade teacher, found the desire, the inspiration, and continuing motivation and rewards to break out of her traditional teaching practices and implement the Reading Workshop in her class. (SR)

Describes the rationale for and the methods used in four case studies of mathematics teaching in California which are discussed in subsequent articles. The case studies were designed to elicit relationships between teachers' knowledge of mathematics and beliefs about the nature of mathematics teaching and learning and their mathematics…

To investigate the potential effects of the "Fourth Grade Reading Guarantee," an Ohio policy that mandates that students will not be promoted to grade 5 unless they reach a given score on the Ohio Proficiency Test (OPT) in reading at grade 4, a series of studies was performed in the 1998-1999 and 1999-2000 school years. The extent of…

This study explored the sensitivity of a multilevel approach in detecting outcomes of a hands-on science program, exploring whether the instruction of a hands-on unit had any impact on students' performance and whether the estimated magnitude of the impact was different according to the proximity of the assessments to the unit taught. Also studied…

Discusses teachers' knowledge and beliefs about mathematics and how mathematics is best taught and learned. Considers interrelationships between beliefs and teachers' classroom practices. Argues that instruction is shaped by teachers' knowledge and beliefs and that meaningful change in instruction will entail fundamental changes in what teachers…

This case study illustrates an important change in one fifth grade teacher's views about mathematics teaching that occurred over the course of a year as a result of California's movement to reform mathematics teaching. However, the change did not appear to be reflected in the teacher's classroom practices. (BB)

Educators' perceptions of the effects of state mandated testing on instructional practices and curricular decisions were studied. An ethnographic interview study was conducted with 30 fifth- and sixth-grade teachers and 12 principals from Illinois, New York, and Tennessee. Forty-one of the 42 respondents agreed to have their interviews audiotaped.…

This report describes Project CREEK (Community Resources Through Environmental Education for Kids), a collaborative 3-year project between the University of California at Davis, the University of Maryland, and a large, rural K-5 elementary school in central California, and a sister site near Baltimore. Specifically, this report examines changes in…

This paper critically examines the rhetoric of the effective schools and school-based management (SBM) models for educational reform as they relate to an ongoing schoolwide demonstration project to enhance children's motivation and learning. The demonstration project, also called "the coalition," was adopted at one elementary and one…

Investigates the validity and reliability of performance assessments using data from over 300 fifth and sixth graders. Results demonstrate the gap between the reality of measurement through performance assessments and the political rhetoric that would institute these assessments in a national examination system in the immediate future. (SLD)

Recent calls for reform in mathematics education suggest students must learn to recognize mathematical elements in situations, flexibly apply appropriate mathematical tools, and engage in mathematical reasoning. These things suggest teachers must make their students' thinking a prominent part of their classroom instruction; they must make their…

Describes the first administration of the California Learning Assessment System (CLAS) to fifth-grade students. Discusses the history of CLAS, types of questions employed, content coverage, methods of scoring, and reporting on tests results. Presents sample questions, student responses, and commentary on student performance. (CFR)