R. Brian Cobb

Transition planning/coordinating interventions for youth with disabilities: a systematic review

The relationship between transition planning/coordinating interventions and transition outcomes for secondary-aged youth with disabilities was explored in this systematic review. A total of 31 studies intervening with 859 youth with a wide variety of disabilities were reviewed. Using the transition intervention framework of Kohler and Field (2003) the findings of this review support the efficacy of student-focused planning and student-development interventions in improving the transition-related outcomes for youth with disabilities. There were not an adequate number of studies meeting minimal standards of methodological adequacy to assess the efficacy of family involvement, collaborative service delivery, and program structure interventions. Implications for practice are suggested as well as directions to the reader to locate more detailed descriptions of how several interventions associated with student-focused planning and some areas of student development might be acquired and implemented in secondary educational environments.

Comparing Longitudinal Academic Achievement of Full-Day and Half-Day Kindergarten Students

ABSTRACT The authors compared the achievement of children who were enrolled in full-day kindergarten (FDK) to a matched sample of students who were enrolled in half-day kindergarten (HDK) on mathematics and reading achievement in Grades 2, 3, and 4, several years after they left kindergarten. Results showed that FDK students demonstrated significantly higher achievement at the end of kindergarten than did their HDK counterparts, but that advantage disappeared quickly by the end of first grade. Interpretations and implications are given for that finding.

The Effects of Block Scheduling on High School Academic Achievement

The effect of block scheduling on high school student achievement in mathematics and reading was investigated in this study through the use of an ex postfacto, longitudinal research design. Specifically, student scores from 9thand 11th-grade standardized tests were matched and sorted by junior high and high school attended. Outcome measures consisted of Levels tests and ACT exams in mathematics and reading. Statistical analyses of student gain scores included main effects of scheduling type, gender, and ethnicity as well as interaction effects for these independent variables. Results indicate that students in 4 X 4 block scheduling had greater gain scores in reading and mathematics than did students in both traditional scheduling and A/B block scheduling.

Preparing School-Based Employment Specialists

A rationale is presented for the development of specialized personnel preparation programs to train secondary special educators as employment training specialists. A philosophical and theoretical base for this position is outlined, along with the roles and responsibilities these individuals will need to assume in their schools and communities. Finally, details are provided of a graduate-level program at the University of Vermont to train employment training specialists.

An Examination of Colorado's Teacher Licensure Testing.

Abstract Under the Educator Licensing Act passed by the Colorado General Assembly in 1991, the professional standards that must be acquired by Colorado teachers, administrators, and support personnel were redefined. Accompanying those standards was a change in the assessment process used to certify the educators—from the California Achievement Test (1998) to the PLACE (Program for Licensing Assessments for Colorado Educators; National Evaluation Systems, Inc., 1998) tests. Findings are reported from a validity analysis of 7 iterations of those tests, which occurred 3 times each year (October 1994–October 1996, inclusive), from 5 of the 17 Colorado teacher training institutions that prepare teachers. Results are generally favorable and are reported in terms of policy decisions on a variety of issues.

An organizational model to distinguish between and integrate research and evaluation activities in a theory based evaluation.

Theory-based evaluation (TBE) is an evaluation method that shows how a program will work under certain conditions and has been supported as a viable, evidence-based option in cases where randomized trials or high-quality quasi-experiments are not feasible. Despite the models widely accepted theoretical appeal there are few examples of its well-implemented use, probably due to time and money limitations necessary for planning and a confusion over the definitions between research and evaluation functions and roles. In this paper, we describe the development of a theory-based evaluation design in a Math and Science Partnership (MSP) research project funded by the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF). Through this work we developed an organizational model distinguishing between and integrating evaluation and research functions, explicating personnel roles and responsibilities, and highlighting connections between research and evaluation work. Although the research and evaluation components operated on independent budgeting, staffing, and implementation activities, we were able to combine datasets across activities to allow us to assess the integrity of the program theory, not just the hypothesized connections within it. This model has since been used for proposal development and has been invaluable as it creates a research and evaluation plan that is seamless from the beginning.