This descriptive report presents initial findings on the school readiness of young children, as reported by their parents, from the School Readiness Survey (PFI) of the 2007 National Household Education Surveys Program (NHES). It also incorporates basic demographic information about the population of children ages 3 to 6 who have not yet entered kindergarten, their parents'/guardians' characteristics, and the characteristics of the households in which they live.

Topics covered include the participation of young children in preschool or other types of center-based care or education arrangements; parental plans for kindergarten enrollment and parents' beliefs about what they think they should do to prepare their children for school; children’s developmental accomplishments and difficulties, including emerging literacy and numeracy skills; family activities with children in and outside of the home; and children’s television-viewing habits.

Full report:

http://nces.ed.gov/pubsearch/pubsinfo.asp?pubid=2008051

Recommendations for Assessing English Language Learners: English Language Proficiency Measures and Accommodation Uses

The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB, 2002) has had a great impact on states’ policies in assessing English language learner (ELL) students. The legislation requires states to develop or adopt sound assessments in order to validly measure the ELL students’ English language proficiency, as well as content knowledge and skills. While states have moved rapidly to meet these requirements, they face challenges to validate their current assessment and accountability systems for ELL students, partly due to the lack of resources. Considering the significant role of assessment in guiding decisions about organizations and individuals, validity is a paramount concern. In light of this, we reviewed the current literature and policy regarding ELL assessment in order to inform practitioners of the key issues to consider in their validation process. Drawn from our review of literature and practice, we developed a set of guidelines and recommendations for practitioners to use as a resource to improve their ELL assessment systems. The present report is the last component of the series, providing recommendations for state policy and practice in assessing ELL students. It also discusses areas for future research and development.

Full report:

http://www.cse.ucla.edu/products/summary.asp?report=737

Reviews of Educational Research

The National Center for Education Evaluation and Regional Assistance's What Works Clearinghouse (WWC), has released three new quick reviews. These reviews are designed to provide an objective assessment of the quality of research evidence from a research paper, article, or report whose public release is reported in a major national news source. Visit http://ies.ed.gov/ncee/wwc/publications/quickreviews/ for more information.

See WWC reviews on the following studies:

* Promoting Broad and Stable Improvements in Low-Income Children's Numerical Knowledge Through Playing Number Board Games

This study looked at whether playing number board games improved numeric skills of low-income preschoolers. Read the report at

http://ies.ed.gov/ncee/wwc/publications/quickreviews/boardgames/

* The Effect of Performance-Pay in Little Rock, Arkansas on Student Achievement

This study examined whether the Achievement Challenge Pilot Project, a performance-pay program for teachers, improved the academic achievement of elementary school students. Read the report at

http://ies.ed.gov/ncee/wwc/publications/quickreviews/littlerock/

* Paying for A's: An Early Exploration of Student Reward and Incentive Programs in Charter Schools

This study investigated whether offering student reward and incentive programs in charter schools affects academic achievement. Read the report at

http://ies.ed.gov/ncee/wwc/publications/quickreviews/payforas/

Charter School Performance in Los Angeles Unified School District: A District and Neighborhood Matched Comparison Analysis

This study examined whether Los Angeles charter schools have higher growth in student achievement than traditional public schools. Read the report at

http://ies.ed.gov/ncee/wwc/publications/quickreviews/charterschool/

Additional Reviews are here:

http://ies.ed.gov/ncee/wwc/Publications/quickreviews/

They include reviews of:

Board Games and Numeracy Skills Study (August 2008)

Student Incentives in Charter Schools Study (August 2008)

Arkansas Teacher Performance-Pay Study (August 2008)

Abstract Examples in Learning Math Study (July 2008)

Teach For America Study (July 2008)

Sixth Grade in Middle School Study (June 2008)

Texas Advanced Placement Incentive Program Study (June 2008)

After-School Study (May 2008)

The Reenrollment of High School Dropouts in a Large, Urban School District

This study follows a cohort of first-time 9th graders in one large urban school district, the San Bernardino (CA) Unified School District, from 2001/02 to 2005/06 and documents dropout, reenrollment, and graduation rates. For the one-third of dropouts who reenrolled in the district over that period, it reports course credit accrual and graduation outcomes as well as students’ reasons for dropping out, and the challenges districts face with reenrollment.

To view, download and print the report as a PDF file, please visit:

http://ies.ed.gov/ncee/edlabs/regions/west/pdf/REL_2008056.pdf

The Status of Large-Scale Assessment in the Pacific Region

This technical brief describes the large-scale assessment measures and practices used in the jurisdictions served by the Pacific Regional Educational Laboratory. The need for effective large-scale assessment was identified as a major priority for improving student achievement in the Pacific Region jurisdictions: American Samoa, Guam, Hawaii, the Republic of the Marshall Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia (Chuuk, Kosrae, Pohnpei, and Yap), the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, and the Republic of Palau.

To view, download and print the report as a PDF file, please visit:

http://ies.ed.gov/ncee/edlabs/projects/project.asp?id=153

Report on Suspensions Recommends that Schools

Rethink Discipline Practices

A <a href=” http://www.ctkidslink.org/publications/edu08missingout.pdf”> report </a> by <a href=” http://www.ctkidslink.org”> Connecticut Voices for Children </a> a research-based child policy think tank, suggests that out-of-school suspensions may be overused and counterproductive.

The report finds that nearly two-thirds of suspensions were for relatively minor offenses, such as skipping school and showing disrespect. “Students who voluntarily skip school are being ‘punished’ by being involuntarily excluded from school through a suspension,” said Shelley Geballe, President of Connecticut Voices for Children. “This is counterproductive and compounds the damage to the children’s educational progress.”

• Students who are suspended are disproportionately those who need educational opportunities the most.

Students in districts with the lowest socioeconomic indicators were nearly four times as likely to be suspended as students in other school districts. Compared to white students, black students were more than four times as likely, and Hispanic students more than three times as likely, to be suspended. Special education students were more than twice as likely to be suspended than their peers. - more -

The report points to research on school discipline practices which indicates that overreliance on suspensions is not only ineffective, but can be counterproductive in terms of student behavior and educational outcomes.

In 2007, the Connecticut General Assembly passed a law requiring that suspensions be served in school, rather than out of school, unless the student “poses such a danger to persons or property or such a disruption of the educational process that the student shall be excluded from school.” The law was original scheduled to go into effect on July 1, 2008, but implementation was delayed until July 2009.

To move toward more effective disciplinary practices, Connecticut Voices for Children recommends that:

• There should be no further delays in implementation of the new law limiting out-ofschool suspensions.

• Funding should be provided to schools for preventive and alternative discipline programs to reduce the need for suspensions. Preventive discipline measures include programs that focus on positive reinforcement. Alternative punishments that to do not involve excluding children from schools include detentions and restitution (i.e., a student acts to repair the damage the student’s actions have caused through, for example, an apology or community service).

Connecticut Voices for Children (www.ctkidslink.org) is a research-based policy and advocacy organization that works to advance strategic public investment and wise public policies to benefit our state’s children, youth and families.

Full report:

http://www.ctkidslink.org/publications/edumissingoutrelease.pdf

Fourteen States Plan to Link End-of-Course Exams To High School Graduation by 2015

States Credit Greater Accountability and Alignment to Growing Trend;

Lack of Research Exists on Effectiveness

By 2012, 74 percent of the nation’s public school students in 26 states will be required to pass an exit exam to graduate, according to the report. In a shift from recent testing policy, however, more of these students will be required to take end-of-course exams as states move away from comprehensive and minimum competency tests, the report adds.

The report, State High School Exit Exams: A Move Toward End-of-Course Exams, examines the new developments in the implementation of state high school exit exams in the 26 states that currently implement or plan to implement these tests. The report specifically focuses on the states’ move away from minimum-competency and comprehensive exams toward end-of-course exams.

The states covered are: Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Mississippi, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, Washington

This report found that only one state (Washington) has added a state-mandated exit exam since 2007 and three more states (Arkansas, Maryland, and Oklahoma) will do so by 2012. The impact of exit exams is most striking for students of color. Today, 75 percent of students of color attend public schools in states that require exit exams to graduate; that percentage will rise to 84 percent by 2012.

The report also documents a growing trend by states to move toward end-of-course exams, which usually are standards-based and assess mastery of specific course content. In 2002, only two states used end-of-course exams. That number rose to four states in 2007-08. By 2015, 11 states will rely on end-of-course exams and three more will implement dual testing systems that include end-of-course exams. By contrast, minimum-competency tests, which generally focus on basic skills below the high school level, are becoming less common and will be phased out in all 26 states with exit exams by 2015. The 14 states that will use end-of-course exams by 2015 are: Arkansas, Indiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Mississippi, North Carolina, New Jersey, New York, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, and Washington.

In surveys and interviews conducted for the report, state education officials reported many reasons for adopting end-of-course exams. Almost all states that have adopted or are moving toward end-of-course exams reported that they are doing so to improve overall accountability, increase academic rigor, and to achieve alignment between state standards and curriculum.

The report notes that major challenges still exist around the adoption and implementation of end-of-course exams, such as managing the tight timelines required to develop multiple exams or figuring out how to get exam results back to school districts quickly. Other challenges reported include addressing concerns about the length and frequency of testing and offering remediation for students who do not pass the exams.

Administrators and officials say that another advantage of end-of-course exams is that they can use the results to make more informed decisions about how to deliver interventions to students and improve professional development for teachers. At the same time, most reported that they do not use the end-of-course exams – or exit exams in general – to ensure college- and work readiness.

Several lessons learned about end-of-course exams are outlined in the report. For example, both state education officials and district administrators stressed the importance of implementing end-of-course exams over time. They also encourage the inclusion of teachers and other stakeholders in the adoption process, starting with solid academic standards, and offering training and professional development to prepare for end-of-course exams.

The report also examined the legal challenges to exit exams in Arizona and California. These types of challenges, among other things, have prompted many states to expand their alternative paths to graduation. All of the 23 states that currently have state-mandated exit exams offer alternative measures for students with disabilities, but only three offer such measures specifically for English language learners. When asked for the percentages of students completing high school using alternative measures, only about half of the states reported they track and collect this data, making it difficult to know how many students are actually affected by alternative measures.

State High School Exit Exams: A Move Toward End-of-Course Exams and individual state profiles are available online at http://www.cep-dc.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=document_ext.showDocumentByID&nodeID=1&DocumentID=244

College Readiness Stable for 2008 U.S. High School Grads Even as Number of Students Taking ACT^® Test Climbs to New Heights

College readiness levels remained largely steady among U.S. high school graduates in 2008 even as a rapidly expanding base of students took the ACT^® college admission and placement exam.

The percentages of ACT-tested 2008 high school graduates who met or surpassed ACT’s College Readiness Benchmarks in math (43%), reading (53%), and science (28%) were unchanged compared to last year and were either the same or higher than they were in 2004 to 2006. The proportion of 2008 graduates who met the benchmark in English (68%) dropped by one percentage point compared to the last two years but was equal to the percentages in 2004 and 2005.

Overall, 22 percent of graduates met or surpassed ACT’s College Readiness Benchmarks in all four subject areas, down by one percentage point compared to 2007, but up by one percentage point compared to the three previous years.

The relative stability in college readiness this year occurred as the base of ACT-tested students expanded substantially. The total number of test-takers grew by 9 percent compared to last year, including the addition of thousands of Michigan students—many of whom may not have been planning to attend college—who took the ACT last year as part of the state’s new assessment program for 11th graders.

ACT’s College Readiness Benchmarks are scores on the four individual subject tests (English, mathematics, reading, and science) that indicate whether students are ready to succeed (highly likely to earn a “C” or higher) in specific first-year, credit-bearing college courses in those subject areas. These indicators are more informative and important measures of college readiness than average scores because they provide more detailed information.

Pool of Test-Takers Expanding; Increase in Statewide Testing

A record 1.42 million members of the U.S. high school graduating class of 2008 took the ACT. This is a 9 percent increase from last year and a 21 percent increase compared to 2004. These test-takers represent 43 percent of all high school graduates nationally, up from 42 percent in 2007 and 40 percent in 2006. The number of ACT-tested graduates has increased in 11 of the past 12 years, including the last four years in a row.

The 2008 test-takers included nearly all graduates in three states: Colorado, Illinois and—for the first time—Michigan. These states administer the ACT to all 11th graders as part of their statewide assessment programs. Colorado and Illinois began administering the ACT to all public high school juniors in 2001, while Michigan started in the spring of 2007.

Michigan graduates accounted for more than a third of the increase in ACT-tested students this year compared to last. Much of the remaining increase in test-takers came from states along the East and West Coasts, where participation has been surging in recent years. Many of these states—including New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Delaware, California, and Oregon—saw double-digit percent increases in the number of graduates taking the ACT.

Average ACT Score Down From Last Year, Equal to 2006 Results

The national average ACT composite score for 2008 graduates was 21.1, down from 21.2 last year. When the pool of ACT test-takers expands as it has this year, likely becoming more diverse in terms of academic preparation, it is not unusual for average scores to drop. Nevertheless, the national average score this year was equal to the 2006 average and higher than the 2004 and 2005 averages of 20.9.

Prior to this year, scores had been trending gradually upward over the past several years, with last year’s average score being the highest ever recorded. The test is scored on a scale of 1 to 36, with 36 being the highest possible score.

The average score on the ACT Mathematics Test this year was unchanged at 21.0. Average scores on the ACT English Test (20.6) and Reading Test (21.4) each dropped by one-tenth of a point from last year, while the average score on the ACT Science Test (20.8) went down by two-tenths of a point.

Test-Taking Pool Will Expand Further Next Year

The pool of ACT-tested students will grow even broader next year, when, for the first time, nearly all graduates in both Kentucky and Wyoming will be included. Both states began administering the ACT to their 11th grade public school students as part of statewide assessment programs this past spring, bringing to five the total number of states providing the ACT to all students. (In Wyoming, students have the option of taking either the ACT or ACT’s WorkKeys^® exams, which measure workforce-related skills.)

An increasing number of school districts in other states around the country are also implementing initiatives designed to provide the ACT to all of their 11th graders as a measure of college readiness and as a part of their efforts to increase both college preparation and college-going rates.

ACT’s research shows that students who are ready for college are more likely to stay in school and graduate. When college readiness improves, retention and completion rates increase.

Colorado and Illinois, after beginning statewide ACT testing of 11th graders in 2001, each saw their average state ACT scores drop initially, as did Michigan this year. However, each has seen steady and significant score increases in the subsequent years: Colorado’s average ACT composite score rose from 20.1 in 2002 to 20.5 this year, while Illinois’ average score improved from 20.1 in 2002 to 20.7 this year. Statewide administration of the ACT has contributed to improvements in students’ college preparation and readiness, identification of college-ready students, college enrollment and retention levels, and college graduation rates in both states.

Greater Diversity in Test-Taking Population

As the pool of ACT-tested students has expanded over the past several years, it has also become more diverse and reflective of the U.S. population. African American and Hispanic students now account for 21 percent of the total tested population, up from 18 percent in 2004. The number of 2008 African American test-takers increased by 17 percent compared to last year, while the number of Hispanic test-takers increased by 23 percent. Caucasian students, who represented 67 percent of the testing pool in 2004, now make up 63 percent of the total.

The average ACT composite score for Hispanic students remained stable this year at 18.7, despite the rising number of test-takers. The average score for African American students dropped one-tenth of a point, from 17.0 in 2007 to 16.9 this year.

Among other ethnic/racial groups, Asian American students again earned the highest average composite score at 22.9 (up 0.3 point from 2007), followed by Caucasian students at 22.1 (unchanged) and American Indian/Alaska Native students at 19.0 (up 0.1 point).

Course-Taking Key to Preparation for Success

ACT score results again demonstrate the importance of taking challenging courses in preparation for success after high school. ACT-tested graduates who took the recommended core college-preparatory curriculum in high school—four years of English and three years each of math, science and social studies—were substantially more likely to be ready for college-level coursework than those who took less than the core curriculum.

For example, 50 percent of graduates who took the core curriculum met or surpassed ACT’s College Readiness Benchmark in math, compared to only 29 percent of those who took less than the core. And nearly twice as many “core” students as “non-core” students (27% to 14%, respectively) met all four College Readiness Benchmarks.

Although the benefits of taking the recommended core curriculum are well researched and documented, three in ten ACT-tested graduates still reported taking less than this core curriculum in high school.

At the same time, the data show that taking the core curriculum, in and of itself, is no guarantee of college readiness. Of the 2008 graduates who took the minimum core curriculum in English, for example, only two-thirds (68%) met ACT’s College Readiness Benchmark in English. And only 14 percent of grads who took the minimum core coursework in math—Algebra I & II and geometry—met the math benchmark.

UNC study: Two-thirds of severe sports injuries to female students due to cheerleading

A new report on severe sporting injuries among high school and college athletes shows cheerleading appears to account for a larger proportion of all such injuries than previously thought.

The latest annual report from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill-based National Center for Catastrophic Sports Injury Research shows high school cheerleading accounted for 65.1 percent of all catastrophic sports injuries among high school females over the past 25 years.

Previously, the figure was believed to be 55 percent, but new data included in this year's survey indicates that the true number of cheerleading injuries appears to be higher.

The story is the same for college participants as well. At that level, the new data shows cheerleading accounted for 66.7 percent of all female sports catastrophic injuries, compared to past estimates of 59.4 percent.

The difference is due to a new partnership between the UNC center and the National Cheer Safety Foundation, a California-based not-for-profit body created to promote safety in the sport and collect data on injuries, which provided the center with previously unreported data. The addition of new information compiled by the foundation saw the inclusion of an additional 30 injury records from high schoolers and college students. Beforehand, the number of direct catastrophic injuries in all sports totaled 112.

The center's director, Frederick O. Mueller, Ph.D., professor of exercise and sports science in UNC's College of Arts and Sciences, who has authored the report since it was first published in 1982, said catastrophic injuries to female athletes have increased over the years.

"A major factor in this increase has been the change in cheerleading activity, which now involves gymnastic-type stunts," Mueller said. "If these cheerleading activities are not taught by a competent coach and keep increasing in difficulty, catastrophic injuries will continue to be a part of cheerleading."

Between 1982 and 2007, there were 103 fatal, disabling or serious injuries recorded among female high school athletes, with the vast majority (67) occurring in cheerleading. No other sports registered double-figure tallies; gymnastics (9) and track (7) had the 2nd and 3rd highest totals, respectively.

Among college athletes, there have been 39 such injuries: 26 in cheerleading, followed by three in field hockey and two each in lacrosse and gymnastics.

In 2007, two catastrophic injuries to female high school cheerleaders were reported, down from 10 in the previous season, and the lowest number since 2001. However, there were three catastrophic injuries to college-level participants, up from one in 2006.

Mueller said catastrophic sporting injuries may never be totally eliminated, but collecting and constantly analyzing reliable injury data can help reduce them dramatically.

According to the report, almost 95,200 female students take part in high school cheerleading annually, along with about 2,150 males. College participation numbers are hard to find since cheerleading is not an NCAA sport. The report also notes that according to the NCAA Insurance program, 25 percent of money spent on student athlete injuries in 2005 resulted from cheerleading.

The report is available online at: http://www.unc.edu/depts/nccsi/AllSport.htm.

Many 'Failing' Schools Aren't Failing When Measured on Impact Rather Than Achievement

Up to three-quarters of U.S. schools deemed failing based on achievement test scores would receive passing grades if evaluated using a less biased measure, a new study suggests.

Ohio State University researchers developed a new method of measuring school quality based on schools' actual impact on learning - how much faster students learned during the academic year than during summer vacation when they weren't in class.

Using this impact measure, about three-quarters of the schools now rated as "failing" because of low test scores no longer would be considered substandard.

That means that in these schools mislabeled as failing, students may have low achievement scores, but they are learning at a reasonable rate and they are learning substantially faster during the school year than they are during summer vacation.

"Our impact measure more accurately gauges what is going on in the classroom, which is the way schools really should be evaluated if we're trying to determine their effectiveness," said Douglas Downey, co-author of the study and professor of sociology at Ohio State University.

Downey conducted the study with Paul von Hippel, a research statistician, and Melanie Hughes, a doctoral student, both in sociology at Ohio State. Their findings appear in the current issue of the journal Sociology of Education.

Currently, most people believe that it is obvious which schools are the best - the ones with the highest achievement scores. But using achievement scores to measure school quality assumes that all schools have students with equivalent backgrounds and opportunities that will give them equal opportunities to succeed in school. And that's obviously not true, von Hippel said.

Students from disadvantaged backgrounds often face a variety of problems at home; for example, their parents often talk and read to them less, and they are less likely to get eyeglasses for nearsightedness. The result is that they are already behind other children before they even begin school.

"The way most states rank schools is extremely distorted," von Hippel said. "We can't evaluate schools assuming that they all serve similar kinds of children."

The results suggest that states may have to reconsider how they evaluate schools under the federal No Child Left Behind Act, which emphasizes holding schools accountable for student achievement.

The study used data from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study, a national survey conducted by the U.S. Department of Education. The analysis focused on 4,217 children in 287 schools.

The survey measured children's math and reading scores on four occasions: the beginning and end of their kindergarten year, and the beginning and end of first grade.

By comparing test scores at the end of kindergarten and the beginning of first grade, the researchers could measure learning rates during summer vacation.

Comparing test scores from the beginning and end of first grade allowed the researchers to see how much children learn during the school year.

They then were able to calculate how much faster students learned during the first-grade school year compared to when they were on summer vacation. This was the "impact" score that showed how much schools were actually helping students learn.

"If we evaluate schools that way, things change quite a bit as far as which ones we would identify as failing," Downey said.

If failing schools are defined as those in the bottom 20 percent of achievement scores, about three-quarters of these schools are no longer failing when ranked on the impact measure.

"It suggests that many schools serving disadvantaged kids are doing a good job with children who face a lot of challenges," Downey said. It also means that many teachers in these schools should be lauded for the impact they are having - and not criticized because their students are not passing the achievement tests.

The study also found that about 17 percent of schools that are not failing when rated by achievement test scores turn out to be failing when ranked on impact.

"These schools may be serving children from advantaged backgrounds who do well on achievement tests, but the learning rate for their students isn't dramatically faster when they are in school versus when they are not. In other words, these schools are not having much positive impact," according to Downey.