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The Blending Assessment with Instruction Program model was developed at the University of Kansas. The model was first applied in the development and validation of online resources in mathematics for grades three through high school. This paper describes the development and validation processes and introduces a prototype of an online tutorial designed to meet the needs of struggling learners such as students with disabilities. This prototype will be field-tested in Singapore and the US. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The United States is experiencing a decline in science-related careers. Research suggests that attrition during college and post-graduate study accounts for the loss of talented students to other fields. The present study examines the pathways of baccalaureate recipients in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics fields after graduation. This preliminary study is the first step of a larger research agenda to study school to work transition of a cohort of Florida four-year college graduates. This analysis allows us to better understand demographic and academic factors associated with persistence in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics careers post graduation. The examination of the school to work transition into STEM careers will provide higher education institutions and educational policy makers with the insight on how to attract and maintain STEM talent within the U.S., especially for underrepresented populations, like women and minorities. This study finds that women and men earn graduate degrees at the same rate, but women earn more non-STEM degrees. Engineering majors obtain their higher degrees more efficiently than students in Biology, Chemistry/Physics, Mathematics, and Computer Science. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Over the last three decades, American high school students' course-taking patterns have rapidly intensified. This paper investigates the consequences of academic intensification for social stratification in American high schools. We examine cross-cohort changes in math course completion using representative data from high school graduates in 1982, 1992, and 2004. We find, for example, that the proportion of graduates who completed pre-Calculus or Calculus increased by more than three times between 1982 and 2004. We then estimate changes in race, class, gender, and skills-based inequality in access to advanced math courses across these three cohorts. Although inequalities in access to Geometry, Algebra II, and Trigonometry have narrowed considerably, we find that inequalities in access to Calculus remain pronounced. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The United States is failing to develop the math and science interests of our youth. As a result, we face a crucial shortage of workers in the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) areas. Through vocational anticipatory socialization (VAS) adolescents develop interest in various vocations and, in general, learn about the world of work (Jablin 1987; 2001). In this research, we investigate academic and related career interests arguing that by the time students are in high school, a large number have already chosen not to pursue math or science, effectively eliminating their chances of entering STEM-based careers. Qualitative data from 38 adolescent focus groups (241 students) point to factors influencing their interest in math and science subjects and related careers. The resulting model depicts gender, cultural/socioeconomic, experiential, and personal factors (self-efficacy, exposure, resilience), and importantly, the sources and significance of VAS messages, toward the development of academic-career pursuits. ..PAT.-Unpublished Manuscript [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Science performance of U.S. students lags behind that of students in other industrialized nations (OECD, 2006), and U.S. citizens are choosing higher education and careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) fields at a declining rate (NSF, 2005). This study examines how schemas function in math and science learning, and in vocational anticipatory socialization (VAS) to explain how students develop interests in math- and science-related careers by guiding their interpretation of the personal relevance of concepts (McVee, Dunsmore & Gavelek, 2005). I explore communication factors involved in provoking and maintaining student interest in pursuing STEM careers. Findings suggest that adolescents want to know whether and how math and science concepts and classes will be useful to them in the future (e.g. in a career). However, absent in classroom lessons are the connections of math and science subjects to related career paths, a potential contributor to developing STEM career interest. ..PAT.-Unpublished Manuscript [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

People often express the belief that Chinese students are not as creative as American students. This belief seems to arise from a number of observations including a heavy reliance on standardized testing, a relative lack of focus on subjects outside of the sciences and mathematics, and an emphasis on order, hierarchy and the collective mind in Chinese schools and society. Surprisingly, very little scientific research has been conducted on intercultural comparisons of creativity or, more specifically, on the creativity of Chinese vs. American students. This study collected drawings of "aliens" from 5th graders in five rural and city schools in the United States and mainland China. The drawings were rated along multiple dimensions of creativity. Students from the United States achieved significantly higher overall creativity scores. The findings support theories of creativity that emphasize the role of the social environment in developing individual and societal levels of creativity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]