ethanporcaro/eric-fulltext-meta huggingface dataset:
Does the Precision and Stability of Value-Added Estimates of Teacher Performance Depend on the Types of Students They Serve? Working Paper #35
Author: Stacy, Brian
Date: 2013-09-00
Type: Reports - Evaluative
Subjects: Teacher Effectiveness,Teacher Competencies,Academic Achievement,Computation,Student Characteristics,Simulation,Educational Policy,High Stakes Tests,Correlation,Teacher Influence,Student Records,Scores,Mathematics Achievement,Grade 4,Grade 6,Racial Differences,Ethnic Groups,Socioeconomic Influences,Limited English Speaking,Teaching Experience,Regression (Statistics),Error of Measurement,Measurement Techniques,Item Response Theory,Class Size

This paper investigates how the precision and stability of a teacher's value-added estimate relates to the characteristics of the teacher's students. Using a large administrative data set and a variety of teacher value-added estimators, it finds that the stability over time of teacher value-added estimates can depend on the previous achievement level of a teacher's students. The differences are large in magnitude and statistically significant. The year-to-year stability level of teacher value-added estimates are typically 25% to more than 50% larger for teachers serving initially higher performing students compared to teachers with initially lower performing students. In addition, some differences are detected even when the number of student observations is artificially set to the same level and the data are pooled across two years to compute teacher value-added. Finally, the paper offers a policy simulation which demonstrates that teachers who face students with certain characteristics may be differentially likely to be the recipient of sanctions in a high stakes policy based on value-added estimates and more likely to see their estimates vary from year-to-year due to low stability.
World Class Standards for Preparing Teachers of Mathematics. Working Paper #37
Author: Schmidt, William
Date: 2013-10-00
Type: Reports - Evaluative
Subjects: Mathematics Education,Teacher Education Curriculum,Middle School Teachers,Elementary School Teachers,Learning Experience,Comparative Education,Comparative Analysis,Preservice Teachers,Preservice Teacher Education,Benchmarking,Outcomes of Education,Followup Studies,National Surveys,Teacher Employment,Pedagogical Content Knowledge,Teaching Skills,Readiness,Teacher Competencies,Foreign Countries

International comparatives studies in education provide a fresh perspective on K-12 education policy be enabling countries to learn from each other's approaches. The recently conducted Teacher Education and Development Study-Mathematics (TEDS-M) provided us with a world-wide lens to examine some of our practices related to the preparation of U.S. teachers of mathematics for elementary and middle school students. More specifically, by looking at the top performing teacher preparation programs internationally we found a comment set of learning experiences. These empirically derived standards can be used to examine the quality of the preparation of future U.S. teachers in various university and college programs. Analyses based on the TEDS and TEDS follow-up studies indicate considerable variation in the rigor of U.S. teacher preparation programs (especially for middle school), and that the coursework of future teachers can have a significant impact on their preparation to teach mathematics. [The work in this paper was jointly supported by the Center for the Study of Curriculum and the Education Policy Center.]
Implementing the Common Core State Standards for Mathematics: What We Know about Teachers of Mathematics in 41 States. Working Paper #33
Author: Cogan, Leland
Date: 2013-01-00
Type: Reports - Research
Subjects: State Standards,Mathematics Education,Mathematics Teachers,Teacher Competencies,Teacher Effectiveness,Online Surveys,Teacher Attitudes,Attitude Measures,Administrator Attitudes,Surveys,Elementary School Teachers,Secondary School Teachers,Textbooks,Academic Standards,Alignment (Education)

The adoption of the Common Core State Standards in Mathematics (CCSSM) by nearly every state represents an unprecedented opportunity to improve U.S. mathematics education and to strengthen the international competitiveness of the American labor force. The mere adoption of the Common Core, however, will amount to little if it is not implemented appropriately. Successful implementation will require coordinated efforts on the part of all education leaders: state education agencies, college/university faculty, school district administrators, curriculum specialists, and teachers. Teachers are particularly important as they operate in the critical arena where educational intentions are translated into learning opportunities and experiences for students. Teachers must digest what students are expected to learn as embodied in standards and in concert with the pedagogical material found in existing textbooks and craft appropriate learning experiences for their students. Indeed, the primary importance of other education leaders is in their support of the efforts of teachers in the classroom. The report also includes the Appendix: Average Percent of Teachers in Each of 40 States Indicating They Feel Well Prepared to Teach Topics.
Findings and Preliminary Recommendations from the Michigan State and Indiana University Research Study of Value-Added Models to Evaluate Teacher Performance
Author: Guarino, Cassandra M.
Date: 2013-12-20
Type: Reports - Research
Subjects: Teacher Evaluation,Teacher Effectiveness,Models,Program Descriptions,Program Development,Research Projects,Research Reports,Evaluation Methods,Evaluation Research,Accountability,Measurement Techniques,State Standards

The push for accountability in public schooling has extended to the measurement of teacher performance, accelerated by federal efforts through Race to the Top. Currently, a large number of states and districts across the country are computing measures of teacher performance based on the standardized test scores of their students and using them in combination with other indicators to help categorize teachers as effective or ineffective. With the implementation of the Common Core State Standards in a majority of states and the development of specific assessments that align with them, it is particularly urgent to open up the field right now to discuss and shed light on best practices in computing teacher performance measures. The market for new assessments coupled with derivative products that compute teacher effectiveness measures--each promoting a particular methodology--is becoming increasingly competitive. Policy makers must make informed decisions on which products and procedures they will use. A research team at Michigan State and Indiana Universities has contributed a number of key insights to the body of research on best practices in computing teacher performance measures and is in the process of disseminating its findings. This paper describes the project, its findings, and its preliminary recommendations for policy. Bios of principal investigators are appended.
Highlights of Conference on Using Student Test Scores to Measure Teacher Performance: The State of the Art in Research and Practice
Author: Guarino, Cassandra
Date: 2013-10-00
Type: Reports - Descriptive
Subjects: Scores,Outcome Measures,Student Records,Teacher Evaluation,Theory Practice Relationship,Standardized Tests,Best Practices,Achievement Gains,Academic Achievement,Consciousness Raising,Information Dissemination,Knowledge Management,Conferences (Gatherings),Evaluation Criteria,Measurement Objectives,Measurement Techniques,Elementary Secondary Education,State Standards

The push for accountability in public schooling has extended to the measurement of teacher performance, accelerated by federal efforts through Race to the Top. Currently, a large number of states and districts across the country are computing measures of teacher performance based on the standardized test scores of their students and using them to help categorize teachers as effective or ineffective. With the implementation of the Common Core State Standards in the majority of states and the development of specific sets of assessments that align with them, it is particularly urgent to open up the field right now to talk about the best way to compute teacher performance measures based on the evidence that has been compiled. On October 10-11, 2013, a conference took place that brought together more than 80 researchers, policy-makers, and practitioners from across the U.S. to discuss how to promote best practices in constructing and implementing value-added and growth measures of teacher performance. The primary goal of the conference was to make a positive impact on policy at a critical point in time, by: (1) raising awareness regarding the strengths and weaknesses of different methods of computing teacher performance measures; and (2) discussing how to disseminate this information in a way that will enable school systems to make informed choices as they implement teacher evaluation systems.
Virtual Schools in the U.S. 2013: Politics, Performance, Policy, and Research Evidence
Author: Miron, Gary
Date: 2013-05-00
Type: Reports - Evaluative
Subjects: Virtual Classrooms,Educational Policy,Politics of Education,Educational Finance,Governance,Educational Quality,Teacher Effectiveness,Educational Research,Enrollment,Student Characteristics,Teacher Student Ratio,Academic Achievement,Educational Indicators,Federal Programs,Graduation Rate,State Legislation,Educational Legislation,Elementary Secondary Education

This national study, which comprehensively reviews 311 virtual schools operating in the United States, finds serious and systemic problems with the nation's full-time cyber schools. Despite virtual schools' track record of students falling behind their peers academically or dropping-out at higher rates, states and districts continue to expand virtual schools and online offerings to students, at high cost to taxpayers. The advocates of full-time virtual schools are several years ahead of policymakers and researchers, and new opportunities are being developed and promoted largely by for-profit entities accountable to stockholders rather than to any public constituency. The report's authors conclude that continued rapid expansion of full-time cyber schools is unwise. More research is needed; and to enable such research, state oversight agencies need to require more, and better refined, data. Financial controls and funding unique to cyber schools need to be established. The following appendices are available for download: (1) Summaries of Enacted State Legislation Pertaining to Virtual Schools; (2) Numbers of Full-time Virtual Schools and the Students They Serve by State; (3) Demographic Characteristics of Students Enrolled in Full-Time Virtual Schools; and (4) State Performance Ratings, Adequate Yearly Progress Status, and Reasons for Not Meeting AYP. http://nepc.colorado.edu/publication/virtual-schools-annual-2013 (Each section contains a list of notes and references.)
K-12 International Education Regional Roundtables
Author: Ministry of Education (British Columbia)
Date: 2013-07-00
Type: Reports - Descriptive
Subjects: Foreign Countries,International Education,Educational Policy,Public Policy,Educational Benefits,Elementary Secondary Education,Focus Groups,Global Education,Foreign Students,Content Analysis,Enrollment,Quality Assurance,Educational Finance,Alignment (Education),Institutional Cooperation,Marketing,Recruitment,Study Abroad

British Columbia's Government, through its Jobs Plan and International Education Strategy, has recognized the increasing importance of international education to the province's education system and economy. The Ministry of Education also recognized the expertise that school districts and schools have developed in this sector and the excellent work that has contributed to British Columbia's enviable reputation and international market-share. With continued growth in the size and complexity of the sector, there was a need to create the right types of policies and regulations that would mitigate risk without impeding the sector's entrepreneurialism. Therefore, in order to seek broad sector input into proposed future policy directions for onshore K-12 International Education programs, the Ministry held five regional roundtables during March and April of 2013. The regional roundtables targeted the participation of individuals with a role in the administration and/or oversight of K-12 international education. This paper attempts to identify themes that are sometimes mutually exclusive and capture the breadth of responses by forum participants with the goal to represent the big picture and avoid overemphasizing what appear to be singularly unique or outlying statements. This paper also offers a number of observations and questions to help bring clarity to some issues where appropriate. To that end, the synthesis captures the responses that were provided and organized them into dominant themes. The paper includes recommendations and the appendix: Distributed Materials.
Understanding the Student Experience in High School: Differences by School Value-Added Rankings
Author: Cannata, Marisa
Date: 2013-04-00
Type: Reports - Research
Subjects: Student Experience,High School Students,Value Added Models,School Effectiveness,Urban Schools,High Schools,Grade 10

Research on school reform and implementation has found that past efforts to scale up interventions in schools often results in little change in the core work of teaching and learning (Elmore, 1996). That is, there are often few changes in the work students do with teachers. Thus it is important for researchers and school reformers to know how students experience the school. Learning about the student experience is particularly important given the Center's emphasis on essential components of effective schools such as personalized learning connections, quality of instruction, and culture of learning. This paper uses data collected from shadowing high school students for a full day. The overarching research question guiding this paper is: What is the student experience in high schools and how does it vary by school effectiveness? Data come from the National Center on Scaling Up Effective Schools intensive case study research in eight high schools across two large urban districts in Florida and Texas.
Reaching for Rigor: Identifying Practices of Effective High Schools. Research Report
Author: Cannata, Marisa
Date: 2013-10-00
Type: Reports - Research
Subjects: High Schools,Educational Quality,School Effectiveness,Institutional Characteristics,Urban Schools,Low Income Groups,Minority Group Students,English Language Learners,Best Practices,Educational Practices,Academic Achievement,Teacher Effectiveness,Student Surveys,Teacher Surveys,School Districts,Student Centered Learning,Alignment (Education),Curriculum,Learner Engagement,Educational Environment,School Community Relationship,Accountability,Performance,Data Analysis,Intervention,Advanced Courses,Coding,School Policy,Focus Groups,Interviews,Observation,Grade 9,Grade 10,English Instruction,Mathematics Instruction,Science Instruction,Student Responsibility,Student Attitudes,Scores,Student Promotion,Statistical Analysis,Qualitative Research

What distinguishes high schools that &quot;beat the odds&quot; for students from traditionally lower-performing groups from schools that struggle to improve the achievement and graduation rates of these student populations? What types of programs, practices, and processes support better than expected outcomes for students at risk of failure? How can districts identify, adapt, and scale up these practices to their less effective high schools? These are the questions that the National Center on Scaling Up Effective Schools (NCSU) is addressing. NCSU--a collaborative partnership between research universities, developers, and two large urban districts--is a five-year project funded by the Institute of Education Sciences in the U.S. Department of Education. NCSU focuses on identifying the combination of essential components and the programs, practices, processes, and policies that explain why some high schools in large urban districts are particularly effective at serving low-income students, minority students, and English language learners. NCSU then works collaboratively with the districts to develop processes to share and implement these practices in less effective high schools. This report presents findings from the first phase of this work--the identification of practices that distinguish higher and lower value-added high schools in one of NCSU's partner districts, the Fort Worth Independent School District (FWISD). The findings from this report will be used to define a &quot;design challenge&quot; that will guide a collaborative design process that will develop an innovation to be implemented in the district. Through analyses, the practice of increasing student ownership and responsibility for their academic success emerged as a distinguishing feature of schools with higher value-added student achievement over those with lower value-added achievement. The following are appended: (1) Data and Methods; (2) Quality of Classroom Instruction Report; (3) Fort Worth Student Shadowing Report; (4) Student Survey Data; (5) Teacher Survey Data; and (6) District Perspectives on High School Effectiveness. [For the technical report, &quot;Measuring School Effectiveness: Technical Report on the 2011 Value-Added Model. Technical Report,&quot; see ED561265.]
Improving the Quality of and Access to Federally Funded, Digital Out of School Time Tutoring
Author: Burch, Patricia
Date: 2013-00-00
Type: Reports - Research
Subjects: Electronic Learning,Technology Uses in Education,Tutoring,After School Programs,Educational Technology,Urban Schools,Correlation,Academic Achievement,Qualitative Research,Educational Environment,Program Effectiveness,Access to Computers,Role,Curriculum,Statistical Analysis,School Districts,Disadvantaged Youth,Longitudinal Studies,Mixed Methods Research,Quasiexperimental Design

Because digital tutoring is rapidly expanding, more rigorous, independent evaluations of their effectiveness is critical to inform federal, state, and local policy decisions that influence their role and application of technology in educating underserved students. The in-depth observations and vignettes in this paper illustrate the challenges in documenting and measuring technology use and its impact in out-of-school time (OST) tutoring interventions on student learning. Currently, the limited, self-generated information that is disseminated by providers to parents and students does not usefully guide parent and student choices of OST tutoring providers. This paper generates important and generalizable insights on the nature of digital OST instruction, including what constitutes and contributes to high-quality OST tutoring in digital contexts. The longitudinal mixed-method design used in this study integrates rigorous, quasi-experimental analysis of OST tutoring program impacts on student achievement with an in-depth, comprehensive examination of the intervention--provider instructional practice in different program models and settings, the nature and quality of tutoring provided, and district-level program administration--in and across six large, urban school districts. Findings show that digital tutoring is, on average, negatively correlated with student performance in mathematics and reading (i.e., when comparing students served by digital vs. non-digital providers). Coupled with in-depth qualitative research into the nature of the instructional setting in digital OST, the factors impacting the design of the instructional setting, and its impact on student learning, researchers identify several characteristics or conditions that they hypothesize are likely to determine digital tutoring effectiveness: access (including hardware and software), the role of the tutor, and the nature of curriculum and assessment.
An Analysis of the Licensure Requirements That Pertain to Data Literacy: An Interim Report, Revised
Author: WestEd
Date: 2013-10-08
Type: Reports - Research
Subjects: Data,Decision Making,Information Literacy,Teacher Certification,State Standards,Information Utilization,Information Skills

This report documents the work of one component of a larger research effort. The objective of the project is to understand what schools of education are doing to prepare teachers to use data in their practice. The issue is multifaceted, complex, and systemic. Schools of education do not act alone to suddenly introduce courses on data-driven decision making into their curricula because they have a whim to do so or because policymakers say that data literacy among educators is important. Schools of education must come to realize on their own that building the human capacity to use data among their teacher candidates is a response to needs from the field, stimulated in part by policymakers' rhetoric that education must become an evidence-based field. The study, of which this report is a part, contains three distinct, but interconnected components that, in combination, provide a depiction of the landscape of teacher preparation and data literacy. The components include a survey to schools of education, a review of selected syllabi, and an analysis of state licensure documents and requirements. This document focuses on the licensure component. This report is formally about the examination of state licensure requirements for teacher candidates. This examination provides only part of the needed information by which to understand, interpret, and draw conclusions about such documentation. The requirements must necessarily be placed within the context of data literacy and the skills that comprise that construct. Therefore, to contextualize the current findings, this document reports on a prior study that provides findings about what experts in the field of data-driven decision making report as key skills and knowledge. Placing the expert findings side-by-side with the licensure requirements enables us to identify commonalities, differences, and gaps. The report describes both projects' methods and analytic approaches, and aligns the two studies to examine trends and differences. The following are appended: (1) General Characteristics by State; (2) List of Skills and Knowledge from Experts' Definitions; (3) Number of Skills Per State; (4) Number of States Per Skill; (5) Number of States Per Outcome; and (6) Alignment Matrix. [For &quot;An Analysis of the Survey of Schools of Education on Use of Data in Their Teacher Preparation Programs: An Interim Report,&quot; see ED568599. For &quot;Analysis of Syllabi Intending to Prepare Teachers to Be Data Literate: An Interim Report,&quot; see ED568598.]