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7 Issues of Equity and Adequacy
Pages 136-145

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From page 136...
... make this goal a priority, especially for students who historically have not received adequate encouragement and opportunity to pursue science -- women, students of color, students with disabilities, and students with limited English language proficiency, 136
From page 137...
... Of primary concern is the scarcity of highly qualified science teachers (see for example, National Commission on Mathematics and Science Teaching for the 21st Century, 2000)
From page 138...
... can be confounded with differences in access to curriculum, instruction, and resources. Performance differences from school to school may be confounded with differences in the quality of education, such as the number of advanced course offerings and the quality of educators (American Educational Research Association, American Psychological Association, and National Council on Measurement in Education, 1999)
From page 139...
... First, states and their test developers should make clear which inferences are to be based on test results. Clear specification of the target skills evaluated and of the ancillary skills required to demonstrate proficiency on the target skills can improve decision making about accommodations.
From page 140...
... Third, states and their test developers should include samples of students with disabilities and English language learners during the field testing of assessment tasks. Field testing provides critical information about the performance of assessment tasks, and inclusion of students from these groups will help identify problems during the earliest stages of test development.
From page 141...
... Highlighting Existing Equity and Adequacy Issues A widespread finding of low science proficiency could indicate that students in a state have not received an adequate level of instruction in science. Such a revelation could have important implications for school finance, as 21 state constitutions have explicit language requiring that states provide for "adequate" levels of school funding.
From page 142...
... A finding of widespread low performance on science assessments could raise constitutional concerns, because definitions of adequate school funding have historically been based on reading and mathematics performance levels, not science ones. Therefore, disappointing science assessment results could indicate that a higher level of school spending is necessary to ensure that the resources allotted for science education are adequate.
From page 143...
... The burden of this reduced average level of teacher quality is likely to be borne primarily, if not exclusively, by schools and districts serving minority and economically disadvantaged students. Teachers in schools serving more advantaged populations could be expected to face lower accountability pressure, and these teachers would be less likely to leave science teaching as a result of new science assessments.
From page 144...
... States have many policy options at their disposal for helping to ensure that all students have access to high-quality science teachers. Possible options include targeted bonuses for qualified science teachers to teach or remain in schools serving underserved student populations.
From page 145...
... Question 7-3: Does the state's science assessment system include alternative assessments that can be used to assess the science achievement of students with significant cognitive disabilities? Resources Question 7-4: Has the state set aside resources for making improvements in its science education system to remedy the inequities or inadequacies that may be revealed by assessment and evaluation data?


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