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Eric.ed.gov – Testing the Test: A Study of PARCC Field Trials in Two School Districts. Policy Brief

eric.ed.gov har udgivet: The potential use of computer-based assessments has raised concerns from educators, policymakers, and parents about information technology infrastructure in school districts and the preparation of staff and students to use new technologies for assessment purposes, and the potential impact of testing activities on core school functions, particularly teaching and learning. This case study documents lessons learned in the district- or school-wide administration of computer-based student assessments in the Burlington and Revere School Districts during the spring 2014 Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC) field test. The case study focused on three research questions: (1) What was the preparation process for district- and school-wide implementation of an online student assessment, including decision making on scheduling, staffing, professional development, technology and hardware, and test materials… Continue Reading

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Eric.ed.gov – Calculating the Ability of Within-School Teacher Supply to Meet the Demands of New Requirements: The Example of the Michigan Merit Curriculum. REL Technical Brief. REL 2008-No. 005

eric.ed.gov har udgivet: Representatives from the Michigan Department of Education and the Center for Educational Performance and Information requested assistance in estimating Michigan’s capacity to adequately staff its high schools to meet the course requirements of the new Michigan Merit Curriculum. The study team devised a formula to estimate the number of additional full-time equivalent (FTE) teachers needed for each subject at each Michigan high school. The formula was calculated using Michigan-specific values for key variables. Such an analysis may be particularly useful when new graduation or course requirements are being planned. Schools can adjust the variables in the formula (such as class size and number of periods taught by each FTE teacher) to fit their own needs. Analysis of data for Michigan high schools identified a number of schools… Continue Reading

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Eric.ed.gov – Strategic Staffing? How Performance Pressures Affect the Distribution of Teachers within Schools and Resulting Student Achievement. CEPA Working Paper No. 15-15

eric.ed.gov har udgivet: School performance pressures apply disproportionately to tested grades and subjects. Using longitudinal administrative data and teacher survey data from a large urban school district, we examine schools’ responses to those pressures in assigning teachers to high-stakes and low-stakes classrooms. We find that teachers who produce greater student achievement gains in math and reading are more likely to be placed in a tested grade-subject combination in the following year and that the relationship between prior performance and assignment is stronger in schools where principals have more influence over assignments. This strategic response has the consequence of disadvantaging achievement in early grades, however, concentrating less effective teachers in K-2 classrooms, which in turn produces lower achievement for those students, as measured by low-stakes assessments, that may persist into tested… Continue Reading