http://hdl.handle.net/2374.OX/2821 2013-05-20T11:29:39Z http://hdl.handle.net/2374.OX/108609 A Mixed Methods Comparison Study of Placement Strategies for College Mathematics Courses Ingalls, Victoria A. The purpose of this study was to better understand the mathematics placement process currently used at Tiffin University as well as to compare the respective accuracy and success rates of four different placement methods historically utilized by the college. Interviews with the mathematics department chair brought forth the expert judgment in making decisions based on multiple measures. Quantitatively, the math subscore of the American College Test, Course Placement System data, online placement testing, and expert teacher judgments of 1508 students were analyzed statistically. In short, although the accuracy rates of the methods varied within three course levels, the accuracy rate of the expert teacher was most often higher than the other methods. There was no pattern to the success rates. 2009-04-10T10:38:01Z http://hdl.handle.net/2374.OX/108608 Instituting a Value-Added Assessment System in Ohio: The Professional Development Implications from the Perspective of the District Value-Added Specialists Lloyd, James Louis Although much has been written about the various value-added models from a statistical point of view, there is a considerable lack of literature related to the professional development implications of value-added once a particular model has been chosen. This study illuminates and describes some of the professional development implications related to Ohio's scale up of its educational value-added assessment system from the perspective of those responsible for teaching its implications to others at the local level – the District Value-Added Specialists. Six research questions were explored using a survey instrument that was developed by the researcher. The results were reviewed and discussed. The practical implications of instituting a value-added assessment model include using value-added data with other forms of data in order to improve instructional practices. Suggestions were provided specific to Ohio's value-added scale-up and its impact on educators. 2009-04-10T10:37:48Z http://hdl.handle.net/2374.OX/108607 Connections between Ethical Leadership Behavior and Collective Efficacy Levels as Perceived by Teachers Bowers, Trent H. The purpose of this study was to investigate the possible connections between ethical leadership behavior and collective efficacy levels as perceived by teachers. Second, this study examined the possible links between teacher characteristics and perceptions of a supervisor's ethical leadership and a school's collective efficacy. This study used two questionnaires to collect data. The Ethical Leadership Scale was used to gather perceptions of ethical leadership behavior. Four weeks later, the Collective Efficacy Short Form was used to collect data on perceived staff efficacy. The sample was 209 educators who were taking graduate education courses at a comprehensive Midwestern university in summer 2008. The first research question dealt with discovering any connections between perceptions of ethical leadership and perceptions of collective teacher efficacy. The overall indication is that there is a strong correlation. The second research question investigated demographic characteristics that might help explain any connections. The one characteristic that was most likely to produce significantly different responses was whether the teacher taught in a regular public school, a charter school, or a private school. 2009-04-10T10:37:36Z http://hdl.handle.net/2374.OX/108606 An historical analysis of policy decisions and the fiscal equity of school funding in Ohio: 1980—2003 Hill, Frederick Robert, lll An ex-post facto approach was used to construct a history of Ohio school finance from 1980-2003 to show links between policy decisions and changes in the equity of the system. Through economic analysis, litigation analysis and review of literature, the effect of education funding policy changes in the state of Ohio between 1980 and 2003 were examined. The research began with determination of years of major policy changes and was followed by assembly of the database, including the Adjusted Current Expenditures (ACE) for school districts in the state of Ohio. Adjusted Current Expenditures (ACE) for each school district in each year was calculated using a formula similar to the formula used by Arbogast (2005). The measures of equity chosen were the Gini coefficient and the McLoone index. The Gini coefficient and the McLoone index values were analyzed to determine if the trends in those values changed between successive time periods of the four periods marked by FYs 1980-83, 1984-91, 1992-97, and 1998-2003. The analysis was conducted using multiple linear regression models. The findings suggest that the passage of the state income tax in 1983 increased equity levels, as measured by the McLoone index. In addition, in Period 3, the equity fund increased the equity trend, as measured by the Gini coefficient and, as measured by the McLoone index of per pupil spending for Ohio school districts. 2009-04-10T10:37:23Z