week 9 8013 discussion

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ANGEL RESPONSE 1

Ayres Capstone Rubrics and ChecklThe article selected for assessment is A Summative Program Evaluation of a Systematic Intervention on Student Achievement and AP Participation. In it, Ayres (2011) examines the cultural diversity in uniformity in advanced placement enrollment setting and how it affects minority students’ college attendance, as compared to European American students, engaging in complex, rigorous Advanced Placement coursework. Ayres used a sample district with 60% of minority, and 40% of European American students who were enrolled in school district-wide. However, 47.4% of minority students and 52.6% of European American students were enrolled in Advanced Placement classes. The Article sought to investigate academic achievement, Advanced Placement participation, Advanced Placement and score increase among minority students over the 4-year implementation of a curriculum by the district called springboard, introduced by the College Board. Research results concluded significant intervention effects on the minority groups reading scores and participation, positively impacting societal change.  

There are various ways in which the Ayres study meets the recommended checklists and procedures for conducting a quantitative study. The doctoral capstone identifies the relevant student learning objectives that are assessed by the capstone experience whereby. To meet this standard, Ayres identifies challenges leading to low minority participation in Advanced Placement programs through explicit evaluation criteria, recognizing lines, and regularly gathering evidence meeting the Rubrics and checklists guidelines (Jassim, 2017). The paper aligns the research problem with the research methodology ensuring, research goals are achieved. The project informed the students about the purpose and outcomes of the capstone project, they embraced and enjoyed the experience. Through, explicit evaluation criteria and, multiple hypotheses, Ayres operationalizes the research problem tracking Springboard's impact reading scores on the assessment, Advanced Placement participation rate, and Advanced Placement performance scores. These analyses were also used to examine, the global impact of the program across all students, calibrating those applying the evaluation criteria and routinely checking inter-rater reliability. The research used descriptive data to summarize and describe overall performance, and inferential data to test effects for the condition codes and minority/non-minority factors.

As a result, Ayres's research paper meets checklist and rubric standards through the methodologies employed, which yielded quality research results.  The research also meets checklist and rubrics criteria such as documentation of pertinent learning objectives to be evaluated by the capstone project, routine identification, and collection of evidence. It also spells out clear assessment criteria development, sample example identification of varying levels at each outcome, and notifying sample of the evaluation criteria.

 

References

Ayres, K. D. (2011). A summative program evaluation of a systemic intervention on student

achievement and AP participation (Doctoral dissertation, Walden University).

Jassim, R. (2017). A Simplified Approach to Link Course Learning Outcomes to Student

Outcomes in ABET Accreditation to Perform Program Assessment and

Improvement. Education Journal, 6(6), 196.

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RESPONSE 2

Rachael Stewart 

RE: Discussion - Week 9

COLLAPSE

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According to Daniel et al. (2017), the research methodology is important for clarifying the research inquiry and explaining why the inquiry is imperative.  It explains why a researcher would choose to complete a study in the way they do. The methodology portion of Ayres (2011) project study is incredibly well written and organized. It is easily understood and aligned to the purpose of the study. The introduction reinforces the research questions and purpose of the study while also explaining the organizational pattern.

Research Design and Approach

The research design and approach section of the project study meets all the needs of the rubric by first detailing the research design. Ayres (2011) chose to apply the deductive reasoning and underlying logic model of the Springboard curriculum to determine if the cited curriculum objectives were met. They then qualified the research design by providing a justification for the design method. Justification was provided through the research of Spaulding (2008, as cited in Ayres, 2011) by mentioning that evaluators use the quantitative summative-based research design to assess how programs are meeting designated objectives using data collection. The design was directly derived from the problem as the researcher was interested in determining how a specific curriculum was impacting the achievement and AP enrollment of minorities in a particular school district. The type of evaluation is listed as a quantitative summative-based program evaluation of curriculum objectives.

Setting and Sample

The criteria for the setting and sample section of the methodology were met according to the provided rubric. The setting for the project is described as a school district in southwest Florida with nine high schools and ten middle schools. As the purpose of the study is to specifically focus on the inclusion of minority students in the AP curriculum, Ayres (2011) clearly defines the percentages of students identified in the racial minority as well as participating in the ELL program. This meets the rubric requirement of describing the characteristics of the selected sample. Ayres (2011) chose to use a three-stage stratified random sampling of African American, Haitian Creole, Hispanic, and European American subgroups with both proportional and nonproportional elements. The G Power 3 Analyses was used to determine sample size to support internal statistical conclusion validity and the appropriate threshold of statistical power. The repeated measures ANOVA was used to calculate the statistical power to calculate for internal validity. This meets the rubric requirement of presenting the sample size and supporting by using a power analysis. There is no explanation of the recruitment of participants

Instrumentation and Materials

Ayres (2011) used data collection instruments for the project study that came from the FCAT and the AP Program scores from the Department of Education. This meets the rubric criteria of presenting a description, name, and type of tools for data collection. An explanation for the test was included with reasoning supporting their inclusion and relevancy to the research question. Additionally, the subsets for both tests were explained as there were only specific questions that were analyzed. Data is recorded is accompanying appendices per the rubric requirements.  

Data Collection and Analysis

Ayres (2011) used archival data for collection purposes. According to the rubric, students using archival data should explain the procedures for gaining access to the data which was done using an accompanying data use agreement form signed by the superintendent. The data collection process was detailed as well as the types of data collection needed to answer the specific research questions. The independent and dependent variables were clearly defined as treatment condition and minority status. Inferential data was explained by using repeated measure ANOVA to test the main effect for the condition codes. All of this together meets the requirements of the rubric.

Assumptions, Limitations, Scope and Delimitations

            The rubric requirements for assumptions and limitations were met as Ayres (2011) mentioned the assumptions that all teachers received professional development and used the Springboard curriculum with fidelity in the classroom. These assumptions were also perceived limitations of the study as they were not verified. Some limitations were partially controlled using the longitudinal panel research design. The scope of the study was clearly defined as one school district with the numbers of students reported. Delimitations were defined as the lack of individualized school data as the data was analyzed as a district on a wholistic scale. As this was an evaluation study, Ayres (2011) also explained the limitations of the evaluation successfully meeting all the requirements for the rubric.  

Protection of Participants’ Rights

Only deidentified archival student data was used (Ayres, 2011). A data use agreement form was obtained and signed by the district superintendent. All data collected was under the pretense that Ayres (2011) would maintain confidentiality, anonymity, and protection from harm. In addition, the study was approved through the IRB process to ensure no harm was done to any participants.  

References

Ayres, K. D. (2011). A summative program evaluation of a systemic intervention on student achievement and AP participation. Walden University ScholarWorks.  https://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1018&context=dilley

Daniel, B., Kumar, V., & Omar, N. (2017). Postgraduate conception of research methodology: Implications for learning and teaching. International Journal of Research & Method in Education, 41(2), 220–236. https://doi.org/10.1080/1743727x.2017.1283397

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