ethanporcaro/eric-fulltext-meta huggingface dataset:
Report to the Legislature on: Intervention and Targeted Assistance Efforts
Author: Massachusetts Department of Education
Date: 2008-02-00
Type: Legal/Legislative/Regulatory Materials
Subjects: Intervention,Accountability,Underachievement,Identification,Educational Improvement,State Programs,State Aid,Technical Assistance,Recognition (Achievement),Pilot Projects,Improvement Programs,Change Strategies,Educational Change,Research Reports,State Legislation,School Support,Benchmarking

The Massachusetts Department of Education's Accountability and Targeted Assistance (ATA) Center maintains and manages the state's School and District Accountability System. Results from the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System (MCAS) are used to identify public schools and districts that are likely to require state intervention in order to ensure improvements in student performance, and to identify schools with exemplary performance and improvement. Schools and districts that fail to meet State performance and improvement standards for four or more consecutive years are identified as Commonwealth Priority Schools and are provided with targeted assistance to support district-led improvement efforts. State intervention in underperforming schools and districts is a multi-step process described in this report. Schools exiting Commonwealth Priority School status as a result of sustained student performance gains will be eligible, for the first time this year, for &quot;Sustaining Success&quot; grants. Those schools showing significant improvement in their students' performance in Mathematics and English Language Arts are eligible for designation as Commonwealth Compass Schools. Several attachments are appended. [This report was funded by FY08 Budget Line Item 7061-9408.]
Report to the Legislature: Academic Support Programs. Line-item 7061-9404
Author: Massachusetts Department of Education
Date: 2008-02-00
Type: Legal/Legislative/Regulatory Materials
Subjects: Grants,Academic Support Services,Research Reports,State Legislation,Contracts,Eligibility,Data,Program Descriptions,State Programs,State Aid,Program Proposals

The Department is pleased to submit this &quot;Report to the Legislature: Academic Support Programs,&quot; pursuant to Chapter 61 of the Acts of 2007, line-item 7061-9404. This report provides information regarding Fiscal Year 2008 Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System (MCAS) support for the Classes of 2003-2012 funded through these line-items 7061-9404 and 7027-0019. The programs serving students through these line items are funded through five grant programs and one contract. This report includes information on the number of students eligible to participate in these programs. While the Department of Education has begun collecting data on all FY 08 MCAS support programs, data regarding actual participation numbers has not yet been received. The current indication of the number of students to be served by MCAS support programs is the number of proposed students by grantees that have been approved (as of January 2, 2008) to operate FY 08 programs. Chapter 61 of the Acts of 2007 MCAS academic support line-item is appended. (Contains 1 footnote.)
Report to the Legislature: School Leadership Academies Training Initiative. Line Item 7061-9411
Author: Nellhaus, Jeffrey
Date: 2008-02-00
Type: Legal/Legislative/Regulatory Materials
Subjects: Educational Change,Instructional Leadership,Principals,Leadership Training,Management Development,Program Effectiveness,Program Evaluation,Change Strategies,Personnel Management,Research Reports,State Legislation,Program Descriptions,Superintendents

The &quot;Report to the Legislature: School Leadership Academies Training Initiative&quot; is submitted pursuant to Chapter 61 of the Acts of 2007, line item 7061-941. In FY 08, the legislature appropriated $1 million to support the second year of a program to develop and implement School Leadership Academies for principals and superintendents to increase their capacity to provide effective instructional and educational leadership. This program was first funded for $1 million in FY 07. After many years of Education Reform initiatives, the Department of Education has seen strong evidence that a new kind of leadership for instruction is the key to successful school reform and significant improvements to teaching and learning statewide. Two years ago the Department of Education began to address in earnest the statewide need for recruiting, developing, and sustaining leaders to take Education Reform to the next level, and find ways to support all students to the highest level of achievement. Toward this end, and with support from the Massachusetts Legislature and the Wallace Foundation, the Department has been working with the Massachusetts Education Leadership Alliance to define what &quot;strong instructional leadership&quot; looks like; develop state performance standards to guide school leaders; provide training and support for current educational leaders to be successful; create the pre-service components to enable current and future leaders to meet the rigorous demands of educational leadership in the twenty-first century; and establish licensure requirements that link directly to professional administrator responsibilities and to training programs; expand on current recruitment and retention policies. Three appendices are included: (1) Chapter 61 of the Acts of 2007, Line Item 7016-9411; (2) List of Districts Participating in NISL Training; and (3) NISL Evaluation Executive Summary.
Report to the Legislature: After-School and Out-of-School Time Quality Grant Report. Line Item 7061-9611
Author: Nellhaus, Jeffrey
Date: 2008-02-00
Type: Legal/Legislative/Regulatory Materials
Subjects: Public Schools,Grants,After School Programs,Private Schools,State Legislation,Agency Cooperation,Community Programs,Disabilities,English (Second Language),Special Needs Students,Child Health,Enrichment Activities,Academically Gifted,Art Education,Educational Quality,Partnerships in Education

&quot;A Progress Report to the Legislature: After-School and Out-of-School Time Quality Grant&quot; is submitted pursuant to Chapter 61 of the Acts of 2007, line item 7061-9611. The Department is working to coordinate this state After School and Out-of-School Time (ASOST) grant program with other such programs in state organizations, such as the Departments of Early Education and Care and Public Health, and other organizations in the ASOST field, such as the Massachusetts Afterschool Partnership and the United Way. In FY 08 eligible applicants included public schools, non-public schools, and community-based organizations. To be eligible to apply, applicants needed to demonstrate that they were engaged in a partnership with a public school, non-public school, community-based organization, and/or an institution of higher education. While submission of a Letter of Intent to apply was optional, the Department received 128 such letters, totaling nearly $5.5M in requests. In the end, 148 proposals were received for consideration, requesting more than $7.7M; the budget appropriation is $2M. Staff members from the Department of Education, Department of Early Education and Care, and Massachusetts Afterschool Partnership read the proposals and considered them against the priorities and requirements established in the Request for Proposal. The review teams worked to identify high quality proposals that would reflect a diverse group of lead agents (public schools, non public schools, and community-based programs), broad representation across the regions of the Commonwealth, and an array of services and programs. On September 27, 2007, the Massachusetts Board of Education approved 48 grantees to receive the After-School and Out-of-School Time Quality Grant funds. In order to fund the 48 applications, most had their requested budgets reduced by a certain percentage. Appendix B provides a list of the grantees along with their partner organizations and the grant award. If more funds had been available, the Department would have recommended approving additional applications. Three appendices are included: (1) Guidelines for Quality Enhancements in After-School and Out-of-School Time Programs; (2) ASOST Grantees; and (3) Chapter 61 the Acts of 2007, line-item 7061-9611. (Contains 2 tables and 1 footnote.)
Connecting Activities: Making the Workplace a Learning Place. Education Research Brief
Author: Westrich, Keith
Date: 2008-03-00
Type: Reports - Research
Subjects: Dropout Prevention,Dropouts,At Risk Students,English (Second Language),Disabilities,Low Income Groups,Education Work Relationship,Work Experience Programs,Career Development,Relevance (Education),School Community Relationship,Student Motivation,Special Needs Students,Urban Schools,High School Students,Job Skills,Skill Development

Connecting Activities was launched more than ten years ago to expose students to the world of work and help them see the relationship between what they are learning in school and their career aspirations. By linking education to worksite learning experiences, Connecting Activities provides a real-world context for teaching a more relevant curriculum. Connecting Activities is integral to the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education's student support strategies related to dropout prevention and student engagement, particularly for those students who are at risk of not earning their Competency Determination. It also plays a key role in the Department's college and career readiness agenda. Connecting Activities serves students across the state, including students with disabilities, English language learners, and low-income students, particularly from urban high schools. When students recognize the connection between their schooling and the impact that it has on their success in the workforce, they tend to become more focused and engaged learners. Research on dropout prevention shows that one of the most common reasons that students give for leaving school is that their classes are not interesting and that access to more real-world learning opportunities would have improved their chances of graduating. (Contains 1 table, 2 figures and 12 footnotes.)
Grade Retention in Massachusetts Public Schools: 2004-05
Author: Massachusetts Department of Education
Date: 2006-06-00
Type: Numerical/Quantitative Data
Subjects: Public Schools,Grade Repetition,School Holding Power,Trend Analysis,Student Characteristics,Racial Differences,Age Differences,Limited English Speaking,Special Education,Socioeconomic Status,Immigrants,Charter Schools,Technical Education,Incidence,At Risk Students,Enrollment Trends,School Districts,Special Needs Students

This report is the third retention report published by the Massachusetts Department of Education (MADOE) to provide districts and the public general information on student retention in Massachusetts. Retention is defined as repeating a grade--students are retained when they are required to repeat the grade in which they were enrolled in the previous year. For the 2004-05 school year, retained students were reported to be enrolled in the same grade as they were in during the 2003-04 school year. In this report, retention data are reported as both a number and a rate (the number of students retained divided by the enrollment). In the 2004-05 school year, Massachusetts public schools retained 22,834 students out of a total of 882,956 students enrolled in grades 1-12 only, equivalent to a statewide retention rate of 2.6 percent. Students are not retained in kindergarten. The report summarizes various state-level data pertaining to students retained in the 2004-05 school year including analyses by demographics, program areas and MCAS performance. Each section contains a brief summary of the statistics and includes graphs and tables detailing the data where appropriate. In addition, there are two appendices at the end of the report: (1) District Retention Rates by Grade Level; and (2) District Retention Rates by Race/Ethnicity Categories. (Contains 25 tables, 4 figures and 5 footnotes.)
EFF HOT Topics: Strategies and Tools for Teaching with EFF. Volume 3, Number 1, Fall 2003
Author: Potts, Meta, Ed.
Date: 2003-00-00
Type: Collected Works - Serial
Subjects: Family Literacy,Reading Instruction,Teaching Methods,Literacy Education,Educational Research,Academic Standards,Adult Education,Reading Comprehension,Reading Strategies,Knowledge Level,Reading Skills,Phonemic Awareness,Alphabets,Vocabulary Development,Reading Fluency,English (Second Language),Cognitive Processes,Syntax,Learning Processes,Planning,Learning Activities,Diaries,Student Evaluation,Evaluation Methods

"EFF HOT (Highlights on Teaching Topics) Topics" is a publication of the EFF (Equipped for the Future) Center for Training and Technical Assistance. Each issue concentrates on a specific topic, highlighting examples of actual practice and offering strategies and tools for using EFF in the classroom. In this issue, "HOT Topics" focuses on the EFF Standard "Read With Understanding" and research-based instructional practices that will help students reach their goals. Many articles in this issue are based on work carried out as part of the EFF Reading Project, a two-year partnership between the National Institute for Literacy and the National Center for Family Literacy integrating research on the teaching of reading into EFF's purposeful and contextual approach to instruction. This issue contains: (1) Up Close and Personal (Amy R. Trawick); (2) Learning to Read in English (Marilyn Gillespie); (3) Teaching/Learning Toolkit; (4) Using the EFF Teaching and Learning Cycle to Plan Reading Instruction; (5) The RWU [Read With Understanding] Diary: A Tool for Reflection and Assessment; (6) RWU Assessment Prototype; (7) Family and Child Education (FACE) Programs Participate With Purpose in the RWU Project; and (8) Online Resources. Individual articles contain references.
EFF Voice. Volume 3, Number 1, Spring 2003
Author: National Institute for Literacy
Date: 2003-00-00
Type: Collected Works - Serial
Subjects: Private Sector,Performance Based Assessment,Performance Tests,Workplace Literacy,Labor Force Development,Clothing,Spanish Speaking,Health Services,Standards,Retailing,Adult Education,Guidelines,Teaching Methods,Cooperation,Employment Potential,Education Work Relationship,Partnerships in Education,Credentials,Job Skills,Skill Development,Program Descriptions

This issue of &quot;EFF Voice&quot; was assembled by the staff to share with their readers some of the ways their partners are using Equipped for the Future (EFF) to help adults build the skills they need to be successful in the workforce today. Readers will learn about how states like New Jersey are using EFF to craft a common vision and a common set of results for the state's workforce development system; how states like Texas have integrated EFF into their Request for Proposals (RFPs) for state-funded workplace literacy programs; how business organizations like the National Retail Federation use EFF to prepare prospective retail workers to meet the Customer Service standards developed by the Sales and Service Voluntary Partnership. Readers will also see how EFF is helping programs like Canton City Schools in Ohio prepare mothers who are on welfare to make the transition to the workforce for the first time, and programs like Anamarc in El Paso, Texas prepare dislocated garment workers whose first language is Spanish to build the skills they need to find new jobs in the growing health care sector. Readers will hear moving stories of individual transformation; and they will learn about the amazing results of Washington's Families That Work/Work First program--results they attribute to EFF. This issue contains the following articles: (1) Building and Certifying Work Readiness; (2) Who Will be First Hired and Last Fired?; (3) New Jersey Uses EFF to Structure Its Workforce Development System; (4) Combining Work and Education: It Doesn't Have to Be a Case of Either/Or; (5) From Role Map to Standards to Performance Assessment; (6) Linking to Private Sector Partners: EFF and Retail Sales; (7) EFF Effectively Links Education and Training; and (8) On-Line Resources.
Fast Facts: Recent Statistics from the Library Research Service, Numbers 266-282. January-December, 2009
Author: Colorado Department of Education, Colorado State Library
Date: 2009-00-00
Type: Collected Works - Serial
Subjects: Library Research,User Satisfaction (Information),Outcomes of Education,Public Libraries,Academic Libraries,Databases,Librarians,Library Services,Salaries,Costs,Library Materials,Correctional Institutions,Library Administration,Masters Degrees,Library Education,Student Attitudes,Web Sites,Satisfaction,Career Development,Labor Market

Issues 266 through 282 of &quot;Fast Facts&quot; from the Library Research Service present data collected from libraries in Colorado and throughout the nation. Topics addressed in these &quot;Fast Facts&quot; from 2009 include interlibrary loan in academic libraries, public librarian salaries, book, newspaper, and periodical prices from 2004 to 2010, and results from the Value of the MLIS Degree survey. Also addressed in these brief reports are librarianship in Colorado's Department of Corrections, the return on investment for Colorado libraries, an evaluation of Colorado's LibraryJobline.org, challenged materials in Colorado's public libraries in 2008, and the use of statewide databases in Colorado. The following &quot;Fast Facts&quot; titles from 2009 are included in this document: (1) Interlibrary Loan Among Academic Libraries--Ups and Downs in Colorado (Jamie Archuleta); (2) Colorado Public Librarian Salaries Keeping Pace with National Averages (Briana Hovendick); (3) Book, Newspaper, and Periodical Prices, 2004-2010 (Sean Lamborne); (4) Is it Worth It? The Perceived Value of an MLIS Degree (Nicolle Steffen and Zeth Lietzau); (5) In Your Own Words: The Value of an MLIS (Jamie Archuleta, Briana Hovendick, and Sean Lamborne); (6) What I Learned About the Value of an MLIS Degree: An LIS Student's Perspective (Briana Hovendick); (7) Out for Life: Restorative Librarianship in the Colorado Department of Corrections (Zeth Lietzau); (8) Colorado Libraries Return on Investment: 5 to 1 (Briana Hovendick); (9) Patrons Continue to Love CTBL Service (Jamie Archuleta); (10) Library Jobs in Colorado--What Does LibraryJobline.org Tell Us? (Jamie Archuleta); (11) User Satisfaction with AskColorado Continues (Briana Hovendick); (12) Libraries and Librarians Feeling the Effects of Economic Slowdown (Briana Hovendick); (13) Challenged Materials in Colorado Public Libraries, 2008 (Jamie Daisey); (14) &quot;ASK&quot;--A National Campaign for Reference? (Sean Lamborne); (15) Web 2.0 and Colorado's PubLietzau); (16) State's Collaborative Environment Fosters Interlibrary Loan in Colorado (Jamie Daisey); and (17) Use of Statewide Databases Skyrockets in 2009: Library Patrons Benefit from Additional Databases and Training (Briana Hovendick and Nicolle Steffen). Individual &quot;Fast Facts&quot; contain charts, graphs, tables and references. [For &quot;Fast Facts: Recent Statistics from the Library Research Service, No. 256-265, February-November 2008,&quot; see ED503941.
Dropouts in Massachusetts Public Schools: 2003-04
Author: Massachusetts Department of Education
Date: 2005-10-00
Type: Numerical/Quantitative Data
Subjects: Federal Legislation,Public Schools,Special Needs Students,Special Education,English (Second Language),Dropout Programs,Dropout Rate,Dropout Prevention,Dropouts,Trend Analysis,School Districts,High School Students,Secondary School Students,Racial Differences,Gender Differences,Age Differences,Attendance Patterns,Grade Repetition,Socioeconomic Status,Immigrants,Migrants,Charter Schools,Vocational Education,Technical Education

The &quot;Dropouts in Massachusetts Public Schools&quot; report is an annual report created by the Massachusetts Department of Education (MADOE) to provide districts and the public general information on dropouts in Massachusetts. The intention of this report was not to draw conclusions or make recommendations on the current state of dropouts in the state. Instead, the MADOE created this report to provide district staff and other education leaders dropout data, which may be used to strengthen dropout prevention programs in Massachusetts. Although Massachusetts collects data on dropouts in grades six through twelve, this report focuses on dropouts in grades nine through twelve. Data for grades six through eight are available from the MADOE. Appendices include: (1) Annual Dropout Rates by District and School; (2) Annual Dropout Rates by District, Grade, Gender, and Race/Ethnicity; and (3) Projected Four-Year Dropout Rates by District. (Contains 25 tables and 25 figures.)
Grade Retention in Massachusetts Public Schools: 2003-04
Author: Massachusetts Department of Education
Date: 2005-04-00
Type: Numerical/Quantitative Data
Subjects: Ethnicity,Grade Repetition,Limited English Speaking,Racial Differences,Gender Differences,Low Income Groups,At Risk Students,Special Needs Students,Scores,Age Differences,Special Education,Disabilities,School Districts,White Students,African American Students,Asian American Students,American Indians,Hispanic American Students

Retention is defined as when a student is required to repeat the grade in which they were enrolled the previous year. This report provides important information on statewide student grade retention statistics, including retention data by grade level, race/ethnicity, gender, in special education status, limited English proficiency status, and low-income and Title I status. Additionally, the report provides a comparison of retention data and MCAS (Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System) scores. Overall, the majority (about 94 percent) of retained students with a MCAS performance level for both school years received either the same or higher performance level in 2004. About 6 percent of retained students with a MCAS performance level for both school years received a lower performance level in 2004 than 2003. Appended to this report are: (1) district retention rates by grade level; and (2) district retention rates by race/ethnicity categories. (Contains 19 tables and 14 figures.)
Technology in Massachusetts Schools. An Annual Report Based on Data Submitted by Districts
Author: Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education
Date: 2009-04-00
Type: Guides - Non-Classroom
Subjects: Electronic Learning,Technology Planning,Elementary Secondary Education,Technology Integration,School Districts,Guidelines,Educational Technology,Program Implementation,Institutional Mission,Program Budgeting,Technical Support,Distance Education,Access to Computers,Program Effectiveness,Educational Policy,Educational Finance,School Statistics,Technology Uses in Education,Internet,Professional Development,Technological Literacy,Federal Programs,State Programs

The &quot;Local Technology Plan Guidelines&quot; serve as the basis for the Department's annual technology data collection. This report takes a look at the data submitted by 344 school districts, examining the progress Massachusetts school districts are making in meeting the recommended guidelines. In doing so, it will gauge the degree to which local schools are ready to use technology to enhance teaching and learning. District leaders can use this information, along with their local technology data, to help identify areas where they are falling behind and where the infusion of technology stimulus funds is likely to have the greatest impact. Because the report focuses on districts' technology readiness relative to the &quot;Local Technology Plan Guidelines&quot;, its organization follows the five areas covered by the guidelines: (1) Clear Vision and Implementation Strategies; (2) Technology Integration and Literacy; (3) Technology Professional Development; (4) Accessibility of Technology; and (5) E-Learning and Communications. Local Technology Plan Guidelines is appended. (Contains 25 footnotes.)