ethanporcaro/eric-fulltext-meta huggingface dataset:
Toward a &quot;Common Definition of English Learner&quot;: Guidance for States and State Assessment Consortia in Defining and Addressing Policy and Technical Issues and Options
Author: Linquanti, Robert
Date: 2013-00-00
Type: Reports - Descriptive
Subjects: English Language Learners,Definitions,Consortia,Educational Legislation,Federal Aid,Federal Legislation,Federal Programs,Evidence Based Practice,Criteria,Educational Policy,Identification,Classification,Academic Standards,Language Tests,Elementary Secondary Education,Guidelines,Surveys

States participating in the four federally-funded assessment consortia are required to establish a &quot;common definition of English Learner.&quot; This includes the two Race to the Top academic assessment consortia and the two Enhanced Assessment Grant English language proficiency (ELP) assessment consortia. This paper provides guidance that consortium member states can use to move toward establishing a common English learner definition in ways that are theoretically-sound, evidence-based, pragmatic, and sensitive to the many policy, technical, and legal issues. Specifically, the paper briefly outlines central issues, and discusses policy and technical options, for defining English learners using a four-stage framework of key criteria and processes to: (1) Identify a student as a &quot;potential&quot; English learner; (2) Classify (confirm/disconfirm) a student as an English learner; (3) Establish an &quot;English-language proficient&quot; performance standard on the state/consortium ELP test against which to assess ELs' English-language proficiency; and (4) Reclassify a student to former-EL status through the use of multiple exit criteria. Appended are: (1) Common English language proficiency performance descriptors based on an amalgamation of descriptors from CA, AZ, TX, and the WIDA Consortium; and (2) Methods for Establishing an English Language Proficient Performance Standard
Massachusetts Charter Public Schools: Best Practices Using Data to Improve Student Achievement in Springfield. White Paper No. 142
Author: Candal, Cara Stillings
Date: 2016-03-00
Type: Reports - Evaluative
Subjects: Charter Schools,Public Schools,Best Practices,School Effectiveness,Data Collection,Information Utilization,Academic Achievement,Academic Persistence,Economically Disadvantaged,High Achievement,Expectation,Standardized Tests,Achievement Tests,Institutional Mission,Evidence Based Practice,Critical Thinking,Lifelong Learning,Educational Attitudes,Holistic Approach,Student Evaluation,Summative Evaluation,Feedback (Response),Performance Based Assessment,Parent Participation,Elementary Secondary Education

Recent studies continue to shine light on high-performing charter schools. While Boston-area charter schools--a concentrated group of high-performers--garner more attention than others, many excellent schools outside of Boston have been quietly chipping away at the achievement gap between advantaged and disadvantaged students. One of these schools is the SABIS International Charter School (SICS) in Springfield, MA, a school that has been named a &quot;top high school&quot;. What makes SICS a &quot;top school?&quot; It prepares students to persist in college and enables it students, the vast majority of whom are economically disadvantaged, to &quot;perform better than statistical expectations.&quot; That is, students at SICS not only outperform their peers in similar schools on standardized tests of achievement, they also embody the idea that &quot;demography is not destiny.&quot; Founded in 1995, SICS was among the first charter schools established in Massachusetts. It serves students in grades K-12 and has a clear, two-pronged mission. The first part of the mission is academic: to prepare students for success in college and to be critical thinkers who are intellectually engaged and excited about life-long learning. The second part of the SICS mission is to produce ethical, responsible &quot;citizens of the world&quot;; people who care about their community and are engaged with social issues. To understand how SICS students defy &quot;statistical expectations,&quot; it is necessary to understand the SABIS approach to curriculum, instruction, and assessment. This report provides their best practices by data-driven instruction, answers how they meet the demand for better school options, and offers recommendations for struggling schools.
Reprising the Home Language Survey: Summary of a National Working Session on Policies, Practices, and Tools for Identifying Potential English Learners
Author: Linquanti, Robert
Date: 2014-01-00
Type: Reports - Descriptive
Subjects: English Language Learners,Disability Identification,Educational Practices,Educational Policy,Educational Resources,National Surveys,Family Environment,Guidance Programs,Educational Objectives,Language Dominance,Questioning Techniques,Administrative Principles,Guidelines,Decision Making

This document is the first in a series of working papers that elaborate on a framework of four key stages in moving toward a common definition of English learner (EL), as described in the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO) publication, &quot;Toward a &quot;Common Definition of English Learner&quot;: A Brief Defining Policy and Technical Issues and Opportunities for State Assessment Consortia&quot; (Linquanti &amp; Cook, 2013). It summarizes a national working session of state and consortium representatives, experts and stakeholders held on September 18, 2013 at the Washington, DC offices of CCSSO. Specifically, the working session deliberated on the CCSSO guidance document's first stage--identifying a student as a potential English learner--in order to build understanding and consensus among assessment consortia, participating states, and other stakeholders on key issues, and on strengthening related policies, practices, and tools. The authors planned and facilitated the working session under the auspices of the CCSSO English Language Learner Assessment Advisory Committee, which is funded by the Carnegie Corporation of New York, with in-kind support from the WIDA Consortium and Understanding Language Initiative of Stanford University. An appendix is included of participants and represented institutions who attended the National Working Session on Identifying Potential English learners. [See: Toward a &quot;Common Definition of English Learner&quot;: A Brief Defining Policy and Technical Issues and Opportunities for State Assessment Consortia at ED542705.]
Measuring Principal Performance: How Rigorous Are Commonly Used Principal Performance Assessment Instruments? A Quality School Leadership Issue Brief. Revised
Author: Condon, Christopher
Date: 2012-01-00
Type: Reports - Evaluative
Subjects: Principals,Administrator Effectiveness,Administrator Evaluation,School Effectiveness,Leadership Effectiveness,Evaluation Methods,Evaluation Criteria,Outcome Measures,Standards,Test Reliability,Test Validity,Questionnaires,Diagnostic Tests,Rating Scales,Profiles,Measurement Techniques

Assessing school principal performance is both necessary and challenging. During the past five years, many states have begun using validated measures in summative assessments of novice principal competency as a basis for certification decisions. Although standardized tests are used for certification purposes, other types of assessments are being used by school districts to ascertain principal performance and plan professional learning. This brief reports results of a scan of publicly available measures conducted by Learning Point Associates staff in 2009. The measures included in this review are expressly intended to evaluate principal performance and have varying degrees of publicly available evidence of psychometric testing. The review of this information is intended to inform decision makers' selection of job performance instruments used for hiring, performance assessment, and tenure decisions. This brief also addresses the importance of standards-based measures, the need for establishing reliability and validity, and the measures that are more widely accepted and psychometrically sound. A list of additional resources is included.
Strengthening Policies and Practices for the Initial Classification of English Learners: Insights from a National Working Session
Author: Cook, H. Gary
Date: 2015-01-00
Type: Reports - Descriptive
Subjects: Classification,English Language Learners,Educational Practices,Educational Policy,Definitions,Alignment (Education),Language Proficiency,Language Acquisition,Standard Setting,Evaluation Methods,Evaluation Criteria,Guidelines,Change Strategies,Disability Identification,State Standards

This report summarizes and further develops ideas discussed at a national working session held on May 23, 2014, to examine issues and options associated with initially classifying English learners (ELs). It is the third in a series of guidance papers intended to support states in large-scale assessment consortia that are expected to move toward a common definition of English learner as part of their assessment grant requirements. Linquanti &amp; Cook (2013) provide a framework (p.6) for this undertaking, delineated in four stages: (1) identifying potential ELs; (2) establishing initial EL classification; (3) defining an &quot;English proficient&quot; performance standard; and (4) reclassifying ELs. This report focuses specifically on Stage 2, establishing initial English learner classification. Appended are (1) Working Session Participants/Observers and Organizations Represented and (2) State EL Classification Assessments and Locus of Authority (as of May 2014, includes DC).
Facilitators of Change: OUP's Connections and Resources Continue to Transform and Empower Communities
Author: Department of Housing and Urban Development, Washington, DC. Office of
University Partnerships.
Date: 2013-02-00
Type: Reports - Descriptive
Subjects: School Community Relationship,Universities,Capacity Building,Technical Assistance,Service Learning,Volunteers,Citizen Participation,Community Development,Economic Development,Grants,Federal Aid

In a time of declining federal funding, partnerships that can leverage resources to accomplish complementary goals are vital to creating and maintaining successful communities. HUD's Office of University Partnerships (OUP) has fostered these partnerships by investing funds in institutions of higher education (IHEs), which use these grants to secure additional funding and tackle difficult community and economic development issues. OUP also funds IHE research and service learning that empowers future leaders. This recently released report, highlights successful partnerships and outcomes that OUP grants have made possible. The report also discusses how OUP will improve efficiency in communicating with grantees and continue to be a valuable resource for IHEs and communities despite funding reductions. Throughout OUP's 18 years of service, it has been honored to lead the way in HUD's ongoing efforts to galvanize durable, effective campus-community partnerships. By solidifying community connections to institutions best able to anchor them against the tumult of challenging times, the Office has helped facilitate significant and measurable improvements in the lives of thousands of Americans, including many residing in some of the most vulnerable and overlooked locations.
Building Resiliency: The Role of Anchor Institutions in Sustaining Community Economic Development
Author: Department of Housing and Urban Development, Washington, DC. Office of
University Partnerships.
Date: 2013-02-00
Type: Reports - Evaluative
Subjects: Economic Development,Public Sector,Private Sector,Higher Education,Colleges,Partnerships in Education,Resilience (Psychology),School Community Relationship,Sustainability,Urban Planning,Learner Engagement,Community Involvement,Service Learning

These days, the federal government is keenly interested in how to encourage the process of developing resiliency in the struggle to revitalize decayed urban communities. The White House, through the Strong Cities, Strong Communities (SC2) initiative, is also seeking to create cross-agency collaborations &quot;to strengthen neighborhoods, towns, cities, and regions around the country by enhancing the capacity of local governments to develop and execute their economic vision and strategies, providing necessary technical assistance and access to federal agency expertise, and creating new public and private sector partnerships.&quot; The term anchor institution refers to long-standing and deeply rooted community organizations that often are the largest contributors to their communities' continued economic stability and strength. Any large enterprise or organization--hospitals, churches, nonprofits, housing cooperatives--that brings together economic and financial assets, human resources, and physical structures, and has an established presence in the community can act as an anchor institution. Institutions of higher education (IHEs) are especially well-placed to lead in communities and develop partnerships with other anchor institutions, for many reasons. IHEs are deeply rooted into their communities and can contribute to a sense of neighborhood identity. The symbiotic relationship that IHEs share with their communities gives ample incentive for them to invest in improvements from which both parties will inevitably benefit. This publication analyzes the positive impact that institutions of higher education can have in stabilizing and improving the nation's struggling communities.
Investing in the Future of Urban Scholarship: OUP's Doctoral Dissertation Research Grant Program
Author: Department of Housing and Urban Development, Washington, DC. Office of
University Partnerships.
Date: 2013-02-00
Type: Reports - Evaluative
Subjects: Scholarship,Grants,Doctoral Dissertations,Urban Planning,Partnerships in Education,Economic Development,Community Development,Investment,Federal Government,Public Agencies,Housing,Homeless People

When the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) established the Office of University Partnerships (OUP) in 1994, it decided that one of the new office's goals would be to &quot;create the next generation of urban scholars and encourage them to focus their work on housing and community development policy.&quot; HUD already had a long history, through its Office of Policy Development and Research (PD&amp;R), of seeking out reliable and objective data and analysis to inform its key policy decisions. Aligning one of OUP's goals with this mission would allow HUD a more active role in increasing the number of housing and community development specialists who would continue to perform this valuable and innovative research. To this end, OUP launched the Doctoral Dissertation Research Grant (DDRG) program as one of its two original funding opportunities. The program's purpose was twofold: (1) Enable doctoral candidates to complete their research and dissertations on policy-relevant housing and urban development issues; and (2) Fund research studies that may impact federal problem solving and policy making and that are relevant to HUD's policy priorities and annual goals and objectives. This publication analyzes some of the many positive impacts that Doctoral Dissertation Research Grant recipients continue to make in the housing- and urban development-related fields of research. Highlighted are some of the sectors in which these grantees are making the greatest contributions, along with showcasing a sample of the work being done by this dedicated group of grantees. &quot;DDRG Grantees, 1994-2011&quot; is appended.
Classroom Observations from Phase 2 of the Pennsylvania Teacher Evaluation Pilot: Assessing Internal Consistency, Score Variation, and Relationships with Value Added. Final Report
Author: Walsh, Elias
Date: 2013-05-31
Type: Reports - Research
Subjects: Teacher Evaluation,Scores,Scoring Rubrics,Value Added Models,Reliability,Teacher Effectiveness,Pilot Projects,Differences,School Districts,Academic Achievement,Achievement Gains,Standardized Tests,Principals,Correlation,Teacher Characteristics,Cohort Analysis,Elementary School Teachers,Middle School Teachers

This report presents findings from Phase 2 of a three-year teacher evaluation pilot conducted by the Pennsylvania Department of Education. Principals evaluated the teaching practices of teachers using The Framework for Teaching, a rubric that includes 22 components grouped into four broad teaching practice domains: (1) planning and preparation, (2) classroom environment, (3) instruction, and (4) professional responsibilities. Although principals did not typically use all 22 components, the report's findings suggest the fairness of overall scores might not be compromised substantially by principals using different sets of components. Also, across nearly all components, teachers with higher scores on the rubric tended to make larger contributions to student achievement than did teachers with lower scores, as measured by value added. The report's findings suggest that the rubric measures aspects of teachers' practices related to growth in student achievement on standardized assessments. Four appendixes are included: (1) Data Sources and Sample Characteristics; (2) Technical Features of the Teacher VAMs [value-added models]; (3) Technical Results from Value-Added Analyses; and (4) Relationships between Rubric Scores and Value Added for VAMs Based on Different Cohorts of Students.
Teaching and Learning International Survey (TALIS) 2013: U.S. Technical Report. NCES 2015-010
Author: Strizek, Gregory A.
Date: 2014-12-00
Type: Reports - Research
Subjects: Learning,Instruction,Research Design,Program Implementation,Sampling,Test Construction,Participant Characteristics,Teacher Characteristics,Institutional Characteristics,Data Collection,Teacher Participation,School Involvement,Response Rates (Questionnaires),Data Processing,Weighted Scores,Information Sources,Access to Information,Data Analysis,Performance Factors,Tables (Data),Questionnaires,Measurement Objectives,Eligibility,Foreign Countries,Surveys,Statistical Analysis,Regression (Statistics)

This technical report is designed to provide researchers with an overview of the design and implementation of the Teaching and Learning International Survey (TALIS) 2013. This information is meant to supplement that presented in OECD publications by describing those aspects of TALIS 2013 that are unique to the United States. Chapter 2 provides information about sampling requirements and sampling in the United States. Chapter 3 provides information on instrument development. Chapter 4 describes the details of how schools and teachers were recruited, and Chapter 5 describes field operations used for collecting data. Chapter 6 describes participation rates at the school and teacher level. Chapter 6 also includes nonresponse bias analysis (NRBA) results for unit-level and item-level response rates (details of the NRBA are provided in appendix E). Chapter 7 describes international activities related to data processing, and weighting. Chapter 8 describes the data available from both international and U.S. sources. Chapter 9 discusses some special issues involved in analyzing the TALIS 2013 U.S. data because of response rates below the international TALIS standards (as described in chapter 6) and also includes selected data tables from the international TALIS report. In addition, the technical report includes all recruitment materials used during the conduct of the study, the U.S. versions of the TALIS questionnaires, and a complete list of all adaptations made to the questionnaires. The following are appended: (1) Recruitment Materials; (2) Agencies Endorsing TALIS 2013; (3) U.S. Questionnaires; (4) TALIS 2013 Questionnaire Adaptations; and (5) Nonresponse Bias Analysis. [This report was prepared in part with Strategic Analytics, Inc.]
Student Learning Objectives as Measures of Educator Effectiveness: The Basics
Author: Lachlan-Haché, Lisa
Date: 2012-11-00
Type: Tests/Questionnaires
Subjects: Student Educational Objectives,Teacher Effectiveness,Teacher Evaluation,Feedback (Response),Outcome Measures,Evaluation Criteria,Evaluation Methods,Achievement Gains,Achievement Rating,Scoring Formulas,Summative Evaluation,Educational Practices,Fundamental Concepts

AIR is working with states and districts across the country to improve teacher evaluation and feedback. Our work is focused on designing systems of educator evaluation and compensation that incorporate multiple measures of performance and, in particular, measures of student growth. In this work, student learning objectives (SLOs) have emerged as a novel approach to measuring student growth, particularly for the majority of educators not covered by a state standardized assessment (Prince et al., 2009). In this paper, we offer some ideas for states and districts that are considering the use of SLOs to measure student growth, including a basic description of SLOs, highlights of the SLO development process, and a discussion of their function within the evaluation cycle. The following are appended: (1) SLO Examples; (2) Austin Independent School District SLO Timeline; (3) Georgia Department of Education Data Source Guidance for Determining Growth Targets; (4) Sample Template for the Analysis of Student Data; (5) Student Learning Objective (SLO) Template Checklist; (6) End-of-Year Reflection for Educators; and (7) Additional Resources for SLO Examples, Checklists, and Timelines.
Teacher Questionnaire: Schools and Staffing Survey. 2011-12 School Year. SASS-4A
Author: National Center for Education Statistics (ED)
Date: 2012-00-00
Type: Tests/Questionnaires
Subjects: Questionnaires,Teacher Surveys,School Surveys,Elementary Secondary Education,School Statistics,Teacher Supply and Demand,Teacher Characteristics,Administrator Characteristics,Educational Environment,Teacher Attitudes,Administrator Attitudes,Compensation (Remuneration),Teacher Recruitment,Student Characteristics,Teacher Background,Specialization,Teaching Load,Work Environment,National Surveys

The Schools and Staffing Survey (SASS) is a system of related questionnaires that provide descriptive data on the context of elementary and secondary education and policymakers a variety of statistics on the condition of education in the United States. The SASS system covers a wide range of topics from teacher demand, teacher and principal characteristics, general conditions in schools, principals' and teachers' perceptions of school climate and problems in their schools, teacher compensation, district hiring and retention practices, to basic characteristics of the student population. The purpose of this survey is to obtain information about teachers, such as professional background, teaching field, workload, and opinions about working conditions.
Wisconsin Public Schools at a Glance
Author: Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction
Date: 2014-12-00
Type: Reports - Descriptive
Subjects: Public Schools,School Statistics,Employees,Students,Attendance,Graduation Rate,Academic Achievement,Educational Finance

&quot;Wisconsin Public Schools at a Glance&quot; provides in a single page document statistical information on the following topics: (1) Total number of public schools (2014-15); (2) Staff (2013-14); (3) Students (2013-14);(4) Report Cards (2013-14); (5) Attendance and Graduation (2012-13); (6) Student Performance (2013-14); and (7) School Funding.