Accelerate, Don’t Remediate

NAME: Halff, Allison

TOPIC: Educational Theory and Practice

CITATION

TNTP. (2021, May 23). Accelerate, don’t remediate: New evidence from elementary math classrooms. TNTP. https://tntp.org/publications/view/teacher-training-and-classroom-practice/accelerate-dont-remediate

SUMMARY

TNTP (formerly called The New Teacher Project) presents research from Zearn, an education technology company, whose math program is used in 25 percent of elementary schools. Researchers used data from the program to compare how students responded to remediation versus acceleration. Remediation is the practice of going back to previous years and covering all missing knowledge and material, before moving on to grade level work. Acceleration refers to the practice of beginning with grade level work and going back to fill in gaps, where necessary. researchers found that students performed much better in accelerated classrooms and learned more than peers who started at the same level but were given remedial instruction. Additionally, they found that these effects were particularly pronounced for low-income students and students of color, but that these populations were more likely to receive remediation than higher income, white students.

EVALUATION

The issue of filling in education gaps obviously has huge ramifications at this moment in time, as large numbers of students are likely to have knowledge gaps from their pandemic year of remote or hybrid learning. It feels a little counterintuitive to suggest that remediation is not helpful, so this data should help educators make better informed choices on how to account for learning gaps. Moving forward, while making plenty of space to mindfully return to previous years’ material will be the most beneficial way to help students remain or get on grade level. As with all instruction, this type of learning must be differentiated and tailored for each student, all of whom may have very different experiences and content mastery from the last year.

The Data to Support School Libraries is Compelling and Extensive

Solomon, Samantha

Lance, K. and Kachel, D. (2018). Why school librarians matter: What years of research tell us – kappanonline.org. [online] kappanonline.org. Available at: http://www.kappanonline.org/lance-kachel-school-librarians-matter-years-research/ [Accessed 26 Sep. 2018].

Summary: The article details data about the effect and effectiveness of school libraries collected since 1992, including data from more than 34 statewide studies where researchers have also controlled for school and community socioeconomic factors. In general, the data has consistently shown ” positive correlations between high-quality library programs and student achievement (Gretes, 2013; Scholastic, 2016)” and these gains are enhanced when all school stakeholders partner closely with the library.

Some of the data highlights include:

• In a Pennsylvania study (Lance & Schwarz, 2012), nearly 8% more students scored Advanced on the Pennsylvania System of School Assessment in reading in schools with a full-time, certified librarian than in schools without.
• Students with full-time librarians were almost three times more likely than those without librarians to have Advanced writing scores.
• The Pennsylvania study (Lance & Schwarz, 2012) found that while 1.6% fewer students tested at the Below Basic level in reading when they had full-time librarians than those who did not, the difference was even greater for Black students (5.5%), Latino students (5.2%), and students with disabilities (4.6%).
• Graduation rates and test scores in reading and math were significantly higher in schools with high-quality libraries and certified librarians, even after controlling for school size and poverty.

Evaluation: I was so attracted to this article because in my district, school libraries and school library staff are CONSTANTLY on the chopping block. Last year, organizing and advocating for students right to access school libraries and qualified staff basically felt like a second full time job, and we still on barely snuck through. The data presented in this article is clear and useful for other TLs who might find themselves advocating for their jobs.

"Why Kids Need Data Literacy, and How You Can Teach It"

Jessica Brooks

IL

Spina, C. (2017). Why Kids Need Data Literacy, and How You Can Teach It. School Library Journal (online). Retrieved 6/13/17 from http://www.slj.com/2017/06/technology/why-kids-need-data-literacy-and-how-you-can-teach-it/

This article from the School Library Journal (online) discusses the importance of teaching students data literacy, which means the questioning and evaluating of data and the sources that present data. Not only that, the author also offers many online sources that allow for teachers, teacher librarians, and students to incorporate data literacy into their research and learning.