ethanporcaro/eric-fulltext-meta huggingface dataset:
Testing the Importance of Individual Growth Curves in Predicting Performance on a High-Stakes Reading Comprehension Test in Florida. REL 2014-006
Author: Petscher, Yaacov
Date: 2014-01-00
Type: Reports - Research
Subjects: Response to Intervention,Achievement Gains,High Stakes Tests,Prediction,Accountability,Elementary School Students,Secondary School Students,Reading Comprehension,Reading Achievement,Inferences,Computation,Scores,Least Squares Statistics,Regression (Statistics),Correlation,Reading Ability,Age Differences,Progress Monitoring,Benchmarking,Comparative Analysis,Data Analysis,Student Characteristics,Bayesian Statistics,State Standards

Districts and schools use progress monitoring to assess student progress, to identify students who fail to respond to intervention, and to further adapt instruction to student needs. Researchers and practitioners often use progress monitoring data to estimate student achievement growth (slope) and evaluate changes in performance over time for individual students and groups of students. Monitoring student progress is central to accountability systems in general and is useful for measuring how well students respond to instruction or intervention. Progress monitoring entails tracking individual growth across the academic year. Thus, it is important to understand why individual students differ on an outcome beyond what can be known by accounting for performance on a status assessment. This study examines the relations among descriptive measures of growth (simple difference and average difference) and inferential measures (ordinary least squares and empirical Bayes) for students in grades 3-10 and considers how well such measures statistically explain differences in end-of-year reading comprehension after controlling for student performance on a mid-year status assessment. The study also looks at how the results change when controlling for initial (fall) and final (spring) status and when the relations among individual growth curves, status, and end-of-year reading comprehension performance depend on end-of-year reading comprehension performance. Four appendices present: (1) Unstandardized regression coefficients for each model by grade and controlling for status; (2) Unstandardized multiple quantile regression process plots centering time at the initial (fall) status on the Florida Assessments for Instruction in Reading; (3) Unstandardized multiple quantile regression process plots centering time at the midyear (winter) status on the Florida Assessments for Instruction in Reading; and (4) Unstandardized multiple quantile regression process plots centering time at the final (spring) status on the Florida Assessments for Instruction in Reading. (Contains 9 notes, 28 figures, and 22 tables.) [For the summary of this report, see ED544677.]
Equitable Resources in Low Income Schools: Teacher Equity and the Federal Title I Comparability Requirement
Author: Luebchow, Lindsey
Date: 2009-06-00
Type: Reports - Evaluative
Subjects: Low Income Groups,Disadvantaged Schools,Educational Resources,Federal Regulation,Educational Legislation,Policy Analysis,Performance Factors,Resource Allocation,Educational Finance,Case Studies,Teacher Student Ratio,Teacher Salaries,Educational Equity (Finance),School District Spending,Compliance (Legal),Teacher Qualifications

This issue brief details shortcomings of the current Title I comparability provision and provides recommendations for how to improve it. The paper includes a detailed examination of the inequities within school districts, the loopholes in the law that allow these inequities, the repercussions of unequal distribution of resources, and recommendations for how to make school resources within districts more equitable. (Contains 4 tables, 1 footnote, and 45 endnotes.)
Summary of Research on the Effectiveness of Math Professional Development Approaches. REL 2014-010
Author: Gersten, Russell
Date: 2014-01-00
Type: Reports - Research
Subjects: Elementary School Teachers,Secondary School Teachers,Professional Development,Mathematics Instruction,Mathematics Teachers,Mathematics Achievement,Teacher Competencies,Teacher Improvement,Program Effectiveness,Workshops,Correlation,Achievement Gains,Mathematics Skills,Summer Programs,Mathematical Concepts,Communities of Practice,Mathematical Logic,Thinking Skills,Knowledge Base for Teaching,Literature Reviews,Coaching (Performance)

This study used a systematic process modeled after the What Works Clearinghouse (WWC) study review process to answer the question: What does the causal research say are effective math professional development interventions for K-12 teachers aimed at improving student achievement? The study identified and screened 910 research studies in a comprehensive literature search for effectiveness studies of math professional development approaches. (See appendix A for details of the search, screening, and
review process.) Of these 910 studies, 643 examined professional development approaches related to math in grades K-12 and were conducted in the United States. Of the 643 studies, 32 focused primarily on math professional development provided to teachers and used a research design for examining effectiveness (see appendix B for a list of the 32 studies). Five of those were determined to have met WWC evidence standards (version 2.1) either with or without reservations (appendix C). And of those five, only two found positive effects on students' math proficiency. Thus, there is very limited causal evidence to guide districts and schools in selecting a math professional development approach or to support developers' claims about their approaches. The limited research on effectiveness means that schools and districts cannot use evidence of effectiveness alone to narrow their choice. Instead, they must use their best judgment until more causal evidence becomes available. (Contains 6 notes, 6 tables, and 1 figure.)
Education Reform Starts Early: Lessons from New Jersey's PreK-3rd Reform Efforts
Author: Mead, Sara
Date: 2009-12-00
Type: Reports - Evaluative
Subjects: Early Childhood Education,Preschool Education,Primary Education,Educational Change,Educational Finance,Court Litigation,Emergent Literacy,Finance Reform,Educational Equity (Finance),Educational Quality,State Legislation,School Districts

This report seeks to describe how New Jersey became a national leader in early education and PreK-3rd, identify its successes and challenges, draw lessons from its experience for policymakers in other states and nationally, and provide recommendations for New Jersey policymakers to translate progress to date into sustained, large scale learning gains. (Contains 1 table and 72 endnotes.)
Advance Appropriations: A Needless and Confusing Education Budget Technique. Federal Education Budget Project
Author: Delisle, Jason
Date: 2007-11-29
Type: Reports - Evaluative
Subjects: Educational Finance,Federal Aid,Financial Support,Budgeting,Grants,Federal Legislation,Educational Legislation,Finance Reform

This report argues that advance appropriations serve no functional purpose for schools, but they create a loss of transparency, comparability, and simplicity in federal education budgeting. It allocates spending before future budgets have been established. The approach was originally used to skirt spending limits and budget procedures in place from 1991 to 2002. These spending limits and procedures have expired, and Congress continues to advance appropriate education funding. This report provides a full discussion of why advance appropriations came to be, how they are used today, and what steps Congress can take to eliminate them. When Congress began providing advance appropriations, it bought itself a way around annual budget spending caps. The price for this gain is now being paid through the complex, multiple year appropriations process that exists for a subset of education programs--a process that clouds the debate about federal education funding. The report concludes by saying that advance appropriations provide no practical benefit to schools over regular appropriations, and since spending caps are no longer in place, the practice should therefore be abolished. (Contains 5 figures and 27 endnotes.)
Massachusetts Case Study: Building a Student-Level Longitudinal Data System
Author: Kugle, Cherry
Date: 2007-11-00
Type: Reports - Evaluative
Subjects: Longitudinal Studies,Case Studies,Management Information Systems,Student Records,Program Implementation,Performance Factors,Costs,Change Strategies,Formative Evaluation,Progress Monitoring,Database Management Systems,Information Management,Systems Development

The Data Quality Campaign (DQC) is a national, collaborative effort to encourage and support state policymakers to improve the collection, availability and use of high-quality education data and to implement state longitudinal data systems to improve student achievement. The campaign aims to provide tools and resources that will assist state development of quality longitudinal data systems, while also providing a national forum for reducing duplication of effort and promoting greater coordination and consensus among the organizations focusing on improving data quality, access and use. To help states learn from one another, DQC staff visited state education agencies which are engaged in different stages of development of their longitudinal data systems. In 2006, staff visited Florida, Utah, Virginia and Wisconsin; 2007 meetings were held in Massachusetts and South Carolina. The DQC will continue to highlight specific state efforts to develop and  use longitudinal data systems, and will conduct additional case studies in 2008. As of the 2007 Data Quality Campaign (DQC) annual survey of state longitudinal data systems, Massachusetts has implemented eight out of ten essential elements. The only elements the state has not implemented include the ability to connect teacher and student data together and a system to track which courses students take along with their completion status (e.g., grade or pass/fail status) in those classes.
Cloud Computing. Technology Briefing. Number 1
Author: Alberta Education
Date: 2013-05-01
Type: Reports - Descriptive
Subjects: Internet,Educational Technology,Computer Uses in Education,Shared Resources and Services,Computer Software,Educational Practices,Comparative Analysis,Costs,Technology Planning,Technology Integration,Risk,Decision Making,Information Security,Foreign Countries

Cloud computing is Internet-based computing in which shared resources, 
software and information are delivered as a service that computers or 
mobile devices can access on demand. Cloud computing is already used 
extensively in education. Free or low-cost cloud-based services are used 
daily by learners and educators to support learning, social interaction, 
content creation, publishing and collaboration. Examples of cloud-based 
services include Google Apps, YouTube, Twitter and Dropbox. While cloud computing has many benefits, it also involves risks, and has privacy and security implications. School authority leaders have an important role to play in making decisions about cloud-based services and in developing guidelines for use. School authority leaders, educators, IT leaders, legal counsel and FOIP coordinators should work together to balance value and risks. This briefing provides an overview of cloud computing and explains how it differs from on-premise computing and third-party hosting arrangements. It includes some key questions to consider when making decisions about cloud computing. (Contains 3 footnotes.)
Are Social Networking Websites Educational? Information Capsule. Volume 0909
Author: Blazer, Christie
Date: 2009-10-00
Type: Reports - Descriptive
Subjects: Web Sites,Social Networks,Information Technology,Internet,Technology Integration,School Districts,Public Schools,Computer Uses in Education,Computer Security,Privacy,Safety

More and more school districts across the country are joining social networking sites, such as Facebook and MySpace. This Information Capsule discusses the frequency with which school districts are using social networking sites, how districts are using the sites, and potential drawbacks associated with their use. Issues for districts to consider before joining social networking sites are summarized. Social networking within Miami-Dade County Public Schools is also discussed.
Improving Accommodations Outcomes: Monitoring Instructional and 
Assessment Accommodations for Students with Disabilities
Author: Christensen, Laurene L.
Date: 2009-06-00
Type: Reports - Evaluative
Subjects: Instructional Effectiveness,Instructional Improvement,Academic Accommodations (Disabilities),Guidance Programs,Program Evaluation,Evaluation Methods,Special Needs Students,Federal Regulation,Inclusion,Accountability,Documentation,Case Studies,Quality Assurance,Check Lists,Disabilities,Progress Monitoring,Individualized Education Programs

This document presents a five-step process for schools, districts, and states to use in monitoring accommodations for instruction and assessment. This document was designed to be a companion to the &quot;Council of Chief State School Officers' Accommodations Manual: How to  Select, Administer, and Evaluate Use of Accommodations for Instruction and Assessment of Students with Disabilities&quot; (2005). The guidance in this manual applies to students with disabilities who participate in large-scale assessments and the instruction they receive. The five steps are: (1) Know the Rules and Regulations for Accommodations; (2) Document Decisions about Accommodations; (3) Document the Use of Accommodations; (4) Review Accommodations Decisions and Use; and (5) Evaluate and Report on Accommodations. Each step provides monitoring questions to ask, current examples from states, samples of forms that might be used, a checklist for evaluating your state's activities for each step, and space for action planning and questions. The following are appended: (1) IEP Forms; (2) Student Demographic Forms; (3) Certification Forms; (4) On-Site Monitoring Forms; and (5) Glossary of Accommodations Monitoring Terms. (Contains 33 tables. Invidual sections contain lists of resources.) [This project was commissioned by the State Collaborative on Assessment and Student Standards (SCASS) Assessing Special Education Students (ASES) consortium. The project was completed with partial support between the University of Minnesota, National Center on Educational Outcomes and the Research to Practice Division, Office of Special Education Programs, U.S. Department of Education.]
Response to Intervention. Information Capsule. Volume 0913
Author: Blazer, Christie
Date: 2010-02-00
Type: Reports - Descriptive
Subjects: Response to Intervention,Early Intervention,Disability Identification,Program Descriptions,Program Design,Program Implementation,Cost Effectiveness,Special Education,Referral,Case Studies,Integrated Activities,Academic Achievement,Outcomes of Education,Program Effectiveness

Response to Intervention (RtI) is a process that addresses both the identification of learning disabilities and the design of early intervention and instruction. RtI provides a framework upon which to structure high quality instruction for all students and a means by which to identify those in need of more intensive intervention. The process is characterized by the provision of increasingly intensive instruction matched to student needs and monitoring of student progress to determine if further intervention or referral for special education services is needed. This Information Capsule reviews key steps in the RtI process, components of quality RtI programs, and costs associated with RtI implementation. Research conducted on the impact of RtI on student outcomes and special education referrals is also summarized. Finally, a brief description of Miami-Dade County Public Schools' RtI efforts is provided.
A Practitioner&apos;s Introduction to Equating with Primers on Classical Test Theory and Item Response Theory
Author: Ryan, Joseph
Date: 2009-06-00
Type: Guides - Non-Classroom
Subjects: Equated Scores,Test Theory,Item Response Theory,Educational Assessment,Test Validity

Equating is an essential tool in educational assessment due the critical role it plays in several key areas: establishing validity across forms and years; fairness; test security; and, increasingly, continuity in programs that release items or require ongoing development. Although the practice of equating is rooted in long standing practices that go back many decades, one of the
driving forces behind this handbook has been the notion that a great deal of information about equating is unfamiliar to or not easily accessed by practitioners. This information appears in scholarly texts, professional journals, and other publications. It derives from the accumulated experiences of people who are trained and experienced in measurement and have highly technical understandings of the issues; however, even when expert consultants advise policymakers on equating-related matters, communicating the substantive significance of the technical concepts in a user-friendly manner is a challenge. Thus the primary aim of this handbook is to provide an abbreviated conceptual background of key concepts and describe some common equating issues. It also attempts to guide readers to taking the first steps toward viable solutions. This handbook is not an attempt to gather or present a collection of mathematical equations, charts, graphs, or statistical formulae as part of any technical analysis. In fact, the use of equations to explain concepts has been deliberately minimized and avoided whenever possible. The handbook&apos;s secondary aim is to provide state-level measurement professionals with a useful resource for communicating the rationale for equating decisions to policymakers and other stakeholders. This handbook can begin to bridge the gaps between various perspectives as they relate to equating by describing situations where psychometric and policy matters might interact. As such, it may be a starting point or guide for formulating solutions that are practical, feasible, and technically sound. (Individual chapters contain figures and endnotes.) [This report was prepared for the Technical Issues in Large-Scale Assessment (TILSA) and the State Collaborative on Assessment and Student Standards (SCASS) of the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO).]
Lessons Learned: Implementing and Improving Comprehensive and
Balanced Learning and Assessment Systems in High School--A Report for State Education Leaders. Final Report from the Delaware Enhanced Assessment Grant
Author: Rindone, Douglas
Date: 2009-03-00
Type: Reports - Evaluative
Subjects: High Schools,Formative Evaluation,Student Evaluation,Program Implementation,Professional Development,Capacity Building,Communities of Practice,Secondary School Teachers,State Departments of Education,School Districts,Teaching Methods,Information Dissemination,Sustainability

The Delaware Enhanced Assessment Grant (DE EAG) project was funded by the U.S. Department of Education in 2006 as an initiative to assist 10 state departments of education (SDE) teams, and local school district and high school teams, in implementing a comprehensive and balanced learning and assessment system (CBAS) with a strong emphasis on a formative classroom assessment component. Along with the states, project partners included the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO), Educational Testing Service, Edvantia, Inc., and the Center for Policy Research in Education (CPRE). Results of the project provide an empirically-tested &quot;road map&quot; for states, districts, and schools, particularly high schools, in the implementation of formative classroom assessment that aligns with other components of the state's learning and assessment system. As the DE EAG prime contractor, the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO) conducted a &quot;lessons learned&quot; survey of the participating states to provide project leaders and the federal government with increased understanding of the issues associated with providing large scale professional development and dissemination. This document provides a synopsis of current state status relative to each project goal and summarizes some of the implementation lessons learned by state participants. (Contains 4 tables.)
Transforming Education: Delivering on Our Promise to Every Child. CCSSO Strategic Initiatives Discussion Document
Author: Council of Chief State School Officers
Date: 2009-03-00
Type: Reports - Descriptive
Subjects: Academic Standards,Educational Assessment,Accountability,Faculty Development,Database Management Systems,Career Readiness,College Readiness,Educational Quality,Individualized Instruction,Alignment (Education),Educational Innovation,Cooperation,Student Attitudes,Expectation,Data

It is imperative that to transform the national education agenda so that each and every child may succeed. Members, thought partners, and staff of CCSSO, have worked in collaboration to identify four areas of focus that will lead the systems change necessary for a true transformation of teaching and learning. Those areas are Next Generation Learning; Standards, Assessment, and Accountability; System of Educator Development; and Comprehensive Data Systems. After receiving feedback on initial white papers in each of the four areas back in November 2008, CCSSO presents this discussion document. The main purpose and intention of this document is to fuel discussion, establish a rationale for why CCSSO has chosen these four areas of work, highlight the connections among the areas, and outline next steps. The content contained in this document will be used to shape and inform CCSSO&apos;s specific programmatic work, advocacy agenda, fundraising efforts, and other communications materials. Contents include: (1) Introductory Letter from CCSSO Leadership; (2) Next Generation Learning (Linda Pittenger); (3) Standards, Assessment, and Accountability (John Tanner); (4) Creating a System of Educator Development (Kathleen Paliokas); and (5) Comprehensive Data Systems (Christopher Lohse). (Individual chapters contain footnotes, references, and tables.)