This annotated bibliography is reformatted and customized by the Center for Positive Practices. Some of the authors featured on this page include Sam Redding, Sharon Nelson-Barber, Pamela Burdman, Washington State Board for Community and Technical Colleges, Luke Duesbery, Jesse R. Sparks, Rebecca E. Wolfe, Marilyn Murphy, Cecilia Le, and Patricia Cahape Hammer.
(2015). Bilingual Education in English-Only: A Qualitative Case Study of Language Policy in Practice at Lincoln Elementary School, Mid-Western Educational Researcher. In this qualitative case study, we investigate teachers' appropriation of language policy at one urban elementary school in Illinois. Recognizing classroom teachers' central role in the education of English learners, we probe teachers' policy appropriation, or how bilingual educators take state-, district-, and school-level policies and corresponding programmatic requirements and utilize them in their own ways in classrooms in the midst of heightened accountability, including the shift to the Common Core Standards and other policy changes. Using ethnographic methods including participant observation, field notes, surveys, and interviews, we study the case of Abraham Lincoln School, which serves predominantly Latino students through both transitional and maintenance bilingual program models. Findings indicate the impacts of external demands on bilingual teachers' policy appropriation, as accountability to English-only tests shaped decisions in classroom practice. Results demonstrate that bilingual education is not consistently occurring in Lincoln classrooms, due to lack of clear expectations, multiple initiatives that take away from needed classroom instructional time, high-stakes and standardized tests given only in English, and varying challenges of students' Spanish proficiency due to the rush to mainstream. The significance of findings center on teachers' integral roles as policy makers in bilingual education, as they engage in daily decision making that directly impacts the education of English learners in Midwestern schools. [More] Descriptors: Bilingual Education, English Only Movement, Language Dominance, Language Planning
(2015). Degrees of Freedom: Diversifying Math Requirements for College Readiness and Graduation (Report 1 of a 3-Part Series), Policy Analysis for California Education, PACE. Since the mid-20th century, the standard U.S. high school and college math curriculum has been based on two years of algebra and a year of geometry, preparing students to take classes in pre-calculus followed by calculus. Students' math pursuits have been differentiated primarily by how far or how rapidly they proceed along a clearly defined trajectory that has changed little since then. Evolutions in various disciplines and in learning sciences are calling into question the relevance and utility of this trajectory as a requirement for all students. The emerging movement is toward differentiated "math pathways" with distinct trajectories tied to students' goals. Alternatives emphasizing statistics, modeling, computer science, and quantitative reasoning that are cropping up in high schools and colleges are beginning to challenge the dominance of the familiar math sequence. The drive toward acknowledging the importance of multiple domains within math is prompted largely by two developments: (1) technological tectonics; and (2) demand for deeper learning. Decisions about math requirements and expectations will have a major impact on the academic opportunities of millions of students nationally. This is the first report in "Degrees of Freedom," a series that explores the role of math as a gatekeeper in higher education. This report examines the move toward differentiated math pathways linked to students' academic majors, highlights some obstacles to implementing them, and discusses some principles for addressing those obstacles. [For part 2 of this series, see ED564295. For part 3 of this series, see ED564294.] [More] Descriptors: Mathematics Instruction, College Readiness, High School Students, Mathematics Curriculum
(2014). Educator Enhancement Academies Evaluation Study: Phase 1–Preparation of RESA-Based, Next Generation CSO Trainers, West Virginia Department of Education. This is the first of three evaluation reports on the effectiveness of a regional train-the-trainer strategy to support classroom implementation of the Next Generation Content Standards and Objectives (NxGen CSOs). This report focuses on six regional Educator Enhancement Academies (EEAs) hosted by the eight regional education service agencies (RESAs) in the spring of 2013. The EEAs prepared RESA-based NxGen trainers who would provide professional development for educators–primarily teachers–in schools across the state. Later phases of this study will examine the extensiveness and quality of training offered by the RESA-based NxGen trainers during the subsequent months (Phase 2), and the ultimate impacts of those training experiences on teachers' instructional practices and student performance (Phase 3). The six EEAs focused on the NxGen CSOs for elementary school (Grades 2-3), middle school (Grades 6-8), and high school (Grades 10-12). They had durations of 2 to 3 days. The WVDE supplied content expert trainers for four of the EEAs. Corwin Press provided trainers for the remaining two. In all, 953 participants were prepared to be RESA-based trainers on NxGen instructional shifts. Slightly more than a third attended Corwin-led with remainder attending WVDE-led EEAs. Attendance at the academies ranged from 140 to 215. All 55 counties were represented, and the largest group of attendees was regular education classroom teachers. An initial evaluation survey, the Event Survey, was conducted using two different methods. At WVDE-led academies, participants filled it out onsite either with paper and pencil copies or online. Participants at Corwin-led EEAs were contacted via e-mail and responded online. A second survey (Follow-up Survey) was administered to all 953 participants online in September 2013; it was intended to collect participants views, after they conducted their own training during the summer. The overall response rate for the EEA Event Survey was 78%. Response rates for the Corwin-led EEAs were considerably lower (54.4%) than for WVDE-led EEAs (89.6%), probably due to the challenges posed by the need to collecting data from them through e-mail communications during the summer months. Both groups were surveyed together in September for the EEA Follow-Up Survey; 62.9% responded overall, with WVDE-led EEA participants' response rate (61.6%) slightly exceeding Corwin's (56.4%). The following are appended: (1) Survey Instruments; (2) Demographic Information About Respondents; and (3) Results of EEA Event Survey and Follow-up Survey. [For phase two "Educator Enhancement Academies Evaluation Study: Phase 2. Teacher and Trainer Reports of NxGen Professional Development and Their Sense of Preparedness," see ED569929.] [More] Descriptors: Trainers, Program Effectiveness, Program Evaluation, Teacher Educator Education
(2015). National Leaders in Innovation. Washington's Community and Technical Colleges. Washington's community and technical colleges set a national example for innovative policies, practices and research for student success. Washington's community and technical college system ranks 12th in the nation for graduation rates, and 7th for certificates and degrees produced. Olympic College and Renton Technical College in March 2015 were named as part of the top 10 finalists for the prestigious Aspen Prize for Community College Excellence. Walla Walla Community College in 2013 was named the top community college in the nation by Aspen Institute, along with Santa Barbara City College in California. The Aspen Institute also named Columbia Basin, Skagit Valley, Walla Walla and Whatcom among the top 150 community colleges in the country in 2015. The Aspen Prize is awarded every two years. Washington's performance-based funding system, known as the "Student Achievement Initiative," awards colleges points and funding when students reach key academic milestones that lead to certificates and degrees. The milestone metrics have influenced performance funding models across the country and have been incorporated into national campaigns that promote accountability. The goal is to propel students to and through the "tipping point"–the level of education that means the difference between struggling in a low-wage job and having a career that leads to a better life. The State Board for Community and Technical Colleges' tipping point research has made national news in higher education circles. The National Governor's Association credits Washington with undertaking bold, comprehensive strategies to align postsecondary education with state economic goals, spotlighting the community and technical college system's Centers of Excellence. This document presents brief descriptions of various award winning programs in Washington State that are innovative and designed to assist students through a level of education that can promote accountability and contribute to student success. [More] Descriptors: Community Colleges, Technical Institutes, Educational Innovation, Recognition (Achievement)
(2012). Assessment for the Common Core Mathematics Standards, Journal of Mathematics Education at Teachers College. This article makes two simple observations about high-stakes assessments. The first is that, because mathematics is a very technical subject, an assessment item can be mathematically flawed regardless of how elementary it is. For this reason, every assessment project needs the active participation of high level mathematicians. A second point is that high-stakes assessments are inherently a very blunt instrument because they are incapable of accurately measuring the most important aspect of mathematics achievement: sustained sequential thinking. Because the general public and policymakers are not aware of this fact, they tend to read more into such assessment scores than such a limited instrument can deliver. If we want high-stakes assessments to have a positive influence on mathematics education, this article suggests that we should reorient our thinking about how much student achievement such assessments can reliably measure, which is "not very much." [More] Descriptors: Mathematics Education, High Stakes Tests, Student Evaluation, Scores
(2015). The Common Core Initiative, Education Outcomes, and American Indian/Alaska Native Students: Observations and Recommendations, Center on Standards and Assessments Implementation. This monograph explores the ways in which large-scale school reform efforts play out in American Indian/Alaska Native communities and schools, starting from a historical and cultural perspective, and focusing on the translation of research into concrete steps leading to American Indian/Alaska Native student academic success and personal well-being. [More] Descriptors: Common Core State Standards, Educational Change, Educational History, Cultural Influences
(2014). Science Education and Teacher Effectiveness: Implications of the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS): Q&A with Chris Wilson, Ph.D., and Jody Bintz, M.S. REL Mid-Atlantic Teacher Effectiveness Webinar Series. This webinar explored how the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) provide an instructional framework to support professional growth and inform teacher evaluation systems for science instruction. This Q&A addressed the questions participants had for Dr. Wilson and Jody Bintz following the webinar. The webinar recording and PowerPoint presentation are also available. [More] Descriptors: Science Education, Teacher Effectiveness, Academic Standards, Science Instruction
(2014). Assessing Written Communication in Higher Education: Review and Recommendations for Next-Generation Assessment. Research Report. ETS RR-14-37, ETS Research Report Series. Written communication is considered one of the most critical competencies for academic and career success, as evident in surveys of stakeholders from higher education and the workforce. Emphasis on writing skills suggests the need for next-generation assessments of writing proficiency to inform curricular and instructional improvement. This article presents a comprehensive review of definitions of writing proficiency from key higher education and workforce frameworks; the strengths and weaknesses of existing assessments; and challenges related to designing, implementing, and interpreting such assessments. Consistent with extant frameworks, we propose an operational definition including 4 strands of skills: (a) social and rhetorical knowledge, (b) domain knowledge and conceptual strategies, (c) language use and conventions, and (d) the writing process. Measuring these aspects of writing requires multiple assessment formats (including selected-response [SR] and constructed-response [CR] tasks) to balance construct coverage and test reliability. Next generation assessments should balance authenticity (e.g., realistic writing tasks) and psychometric quality (e.g., desirable measurement properties), while providing institutions and faculty with actionable data. The review and operational definition presented here should serve as an important resource for institutions that seek to either adopt or design an assessment of students' writing proficiency. [More] Descriptors: Higher Education, Writing Processes, Language Usage, Writing Skills
(2016). Handbook on Personalized Learning for States, Districts, and Schools, Center on Innovations in Learning, Temple University. The "Handbook on Innovations in Learning", published in 2014, responded to a call by the U.S. Department of Education (ED) to "leverage the innovation and ingenuity this nation is known for to create programs and projects that every school can implement to succeed." In December 2015, passage of the "Every Student Succeeds Act" (ESSA) presented new opportunities and greater flexibility in efforts to personalize learning for all children. This "Handbook on Personalized Learning for States, Districts, and Schools" provides insight and guidance on maximizing that new flexibility. This volume suggests how teachers can enhance personalized learning by cultivating relationships with students and their families to better understand a child's learning and motivation. Personalized learning also encourages the development of students' metacognitive, social, and emotional competencies, thereby fostering students' self-direction in their own education, one aimed at mastery of knowledge and skills and readiness for career and college. Chapters address topics across the landscape of personalized learning, including co-designing instruction and learning pathways with students; variation in the time, place, and pace of learning, including flipped and blended classrooms; and using technology to manage and analyze the learning process. The chapters include Action Principles to guide states, districts, and schools in personalizing learning. The "Handbook" is presented in five parts. Part 1: Personal Competencies as Propellants of Learning, contains the following: (1) Competencies and Personalized Learning (Sam Redding); (2) Converging Qualities of Personal Competencies (T. V. Joe Layng); and (3) Proceed with Caution: Measuring that "Something Other" in Students (Allison Crean Davis). Part 2: Students at the Center of Personalized Learning, contains: (1) Co-designing Instruction with Students (Melinda S. Sota); (2) Flipped Learning as a Path to Personalization (Melinda S. Sota); (3) Empowering Students as Partners in Learning (Kathleen Dempsey, Andrea D. Beesley, Tedra Fazendeiro Clark, and Anne Tweed; and (4) Homeschooling: The Ultimate Personalized Environment (William Jeynes). Part 3: Teaching and Technology in Support of Personalized Learning, contains: (1) Personalizing Curriculum: Curriculum Curation and Creation (Karen L. Mahon); (2) Choose Your Level: Using Games and Gamification to Create Personalized Instruction (Karl M. Kapp); (3) Personalizing Learning through Precision Measurement (Janet S. Twyman); and (4) Using Learning Analytics in Personalized Learning (Ryan Baker). Part 4: The Personalized Learning Community: Teachers, Students, and Families, contains: (1) Preparing Educators to Engage Parents and Families (Erin McNamara Horvat); (2) Relationships in Personalized Learning: Teacher, Student, and Family (Patricia A. Edwards); (3) Teacher-Student Relationships and Personalized Learning: Implications of Person and Contextual Variables (Ronald D. Taylor and Azeb Gebre); and (4) Personalizing Professional Development for Teachers (Catherine C. Schifter). Part 5: Descriptive Studies of Specific Instructional Applications, includes: (1) Using Universal Design for Learning to Personalize an Evidence-Based Practice for Students with Disabilities (Sara Cothren Cook, Kavita Rao, and Brian G. Cook); (2) Next-Generation Teachers in Linguistically Diverse Classrooms (Tamara Sniad); (3) On Personalized Learning in the Context of the Common Core Literacy Standards: A Sociocultural Perspective (Frank J. Sullivan, Jr.); and (4) Social Studies and Personalized Learning: Emerging Promising Practices From the Field (Christine Woyshner). A section about the authors is included. Individual chapters contain references. [For the "Handbook on Innovations in Learning," see ED558056. Also see: "Connect: Making Learning Personal" Issue 7 at ED568179; Issue 8 at ED568180; and Issue 9 at ED568181 ] [More] Descriptors: Guides, Individualized Instruction, Minimum Competencies, Individual Characteristics
(2015). Effects of an Elementary Language Arts Unit on Critical Thinking, Reading, and Writing, Journal of Education and Practice. Teaching young students to think critically has always been important, however, as the United States transitions to a national set of learning standards which emphasizes higher-order thinking, it becomes essential. In this quasi-experimental study we evaluate the effects of exposure to the Journeys and Destinations (J&D) unit from the William and Mary language arts curriculum on students' critical thinking, reading, and writing in general education classrooms. The unit uses advanced-reading-level literature to teach the concept of change, critical reasoning, and advanced language arts skills. Students from nine fourth and fifth grade classrooms participated in the study; three used the William and Mary language arts model, while six were asked to use their normal language arts approach. At the beginning and end of the semester students were assessed with the Bracken Test of Critical Thinking, a test of syntactic reading fluency, and a curriculum-based measure of writing. Classroom observations were used to monitor the approaches being used and assess fidelity of implementation. Results indicated that students exposed to the J&D unit grew significantly in the area of critical thinking, while the comparison group did not. Both groups grew significantly in reading, and neither group experienced gains in writing. Results are discussed in the context of professional development needs, and the move to a national curriculum focused on developing critical thinking skills in all students. [More] Descriptors: Elementary School Students, Grade 4, Grade 5, Language Arts
(2012). Flexibility Principle 2: State-Developed Differentiated Recognition, Accountability, and Support. Within the US Department of Education's new flexibility initiative, there are three key and fundamental areas of focus, each referred to as a "principle." The second of these is that State Education Agencies (SEAs) must develop and implement differentiated recognition, accountability, and support to assure that all students are taught by effective teachers and receive an education that will allow them to be successful in college and/or careers. This document identifies resources that focus on state-developed differentiated recognition, accountability, and support for local schools as they pertain to English learner students (ELs). There were four specific focus areas identified for inclusion within this principle: (1) Differentiated accountability; (2) School-level interventions; (3) Instructional programs aligned with state academic content standards and ELP standards; and (4) Building local and state capacity (includes achievement gap reduction). This document identifies resources that address these four focus areas for all students, with a focus on ELs. It identifies resources produced by nationally-known organizations, federally-funded centers, research centers, and similar entities. Each of these resources reports on research, evaluations, best practices, and/or theory for this principle. Links to electronic versions of the documents are provided when available. This bibliography annotates the identified documents that focus on ELs. In them, ELs are specifically mentioned (using one of several terms) or are mentioned as a specific subgroup within Title I. Several of the citations are for websites; in these cases, there may be several subpages or documents identified on the website that are of interest–these "subdocuments" are all listed within the one website, and are not broken out as separate resources. All links were active as of January 2, 2012. [For "Flexibility Principle 1: College- and Career-Ready Expectations for All Students," see ED564258. For "Flexibility Principle 3: Supporting Effective Instruction and Leadership," see ED564257.] [More] Descriptors: Recognition (Achievement), Accountability, Educational Principles, Educational Resources
(2014). Digital Badges for Teacher Mastery: An Exploratory Study of a Competency-Based Professional Development Badge System. CCT Reports, Center for Children and Technology, Education Development Center, Inc. This study contributes knowledge about how a digital badge system integrated into an online, subject-matter-specific, and competency-based professional development (PD) program affected teachers' experiences with and perceptions of the program activities. The report presents findings from a one-year exploratory study of an online PD program, and accompanying digital badge system, called "Who Built America Badges: Common Core Professional Development from the American Social History Project." The American Social History Project (ASHP), a well-established history and social studies professional development provider in New York City, created the system to make its PD program available to a national audience of middle and high school teachers. The program's main goal is to help teachers develop new instructional routines that build students' reading and writing practices that are specific to the domain of history, as well as their historical reasoning skills. The "WBA" program accommodates teachers' immediate practical needs for classroom-ready materials, while promoting long-term development of instructional practices that align to ASHP's vision of a master history teacher's practices. The following are appended: (1) Builder Badge Criteria; (2) Teacher Profile Page Screenshot; (3) Submission Form Example; and (4) Interview Protocol. [More] Descriptors: Recognition (Achievement), Information Storage, Online Courses, Faculty Development
(2014). The Past and the Promise: Today's Competency Education Movement. Students at the Center: Competency Education Research Series, Jobs For the Future. Competency education is attracting significant interest as a promising way to help meet our national priority of ensuring that all young people are ready for college and careers. In competency-based schools, students advance at different rates, based on their ability to demonstrate mastery of learning objectives. Teachers provide customized supports to help propel everyone to proficiency. This is the first paper in Students at the Center's new Competency Education Research Series. It lays a foundation for assessing the potential of competency-based models, grounded in an exploration of the outcomes from previous like-minded efforts. Recent research and theory from the learning sciences shows that a personalized approach to competency education may help better prepare all students from all backgrounds for deeper learning and for life after graduation. New information technologies are making it feasible to try these strategies on a large scale. Putting in place an equitable system necessitates navigating the many–but far from insurmountable–political and implementation challenges facing personalized competency education. [More] Descriptors: Competency Based Education, Individualized Instruction, High Schools, Career Readiness
(2015). Educator Enhancement Academies Evaluation Study: Phase 2. Teacher and Trainer Reports of NxGen Professional Development and Their Sense of Preparedness, West Virginia Department of Education. As the final stage of West Virginia's rollout of the Next Generation Content Standards and Objectives (NxGen CSOs), the regional education service agencies (RESAs) conducted six train-the-trainer events in the spring of 2013 to prepare educators–mostly teachers–to provide professional development back in their home schools and districts. These events, called Educator Enhancement Academies (EEAs), lasted two or three days depending on which RESA conducted them, and targeted teachers in grade levels that had not yet received professional development in the NxGen CSOs, that is, Grades 2-3, 6-8, and 10-12. The first phase of this study looked at how well prepared those trainers were at the end of their EEA experience by asking them about their experiences during the training and after they, themselves, conducted training sessions during the summer of 2013. This study further examines the experience of those same participants in providing their own training, as well as what additional professional development they received from the RESAs. It also asks about the experience of the end-user teachers who received professional development from the EEA-trained teachers and other sources in the targeted grade levels during the 2013-2014 school year. The following research questions were presented: (1) To what extent did participants in the EEAs follow up with their own training?; (2) What challenges did EEA participants encounter and what supports did they indicate they needed going forward?; (3) What follow-up did RESAs provide after the initial EEA training;?; (4) What was the NxGen PD experience of end-user teachers and EEA teacher trainers during the course of the 2013-2014 school year?; (5) What were the outcomes of 2013-2014 professional development experiences in terms of teachers' overall sense of preparedness to teach to the NxGen CSOs and perceived impacts of those experiences on knowledge, practice, and beliefs?; and (6) What training-related factors may have been at work to produce these outcomes? The authors examined three populations in this phase of the Educator Enhancement Academies (EEA) study: (a) 953 teachers, district office staff, and others who received training at the RESA-sponsored EEAs to become teacher trainers; (b) professional development directors or executive directors from the eight RESAs; and (c) general and special education teachers involved in teaching English/language arts (ELA) and mathematics across the state in Grades 2-3, 6-8, and 10-12. For all groups, they surveyed the full population. Of the 953 EEA participants, 599 responded to the Follow-up EEA Participant Survey, for a 63% response rate. Of the 4,686 ELA and math teachers in the targeted grades, participants returned 1,662 usable responses to the NxGen Standards Professional Learning Survey, for a 25% response rate. Although this is a lower response rate than typically is seen–probably due to testing and other pressures on teachers during the April-May survey period–the total number of responses fell only slightly short of our calculated target sample size (1,740). PD directors or executive directors responded to the interview protocol for all eight RESAs. Tables Displaying Results are appended. [For phase one "Educator Enhancement Academies Evaluation Study: Phase 1–Preparation of RESA-Based, Next Generation CSO Trainers," see ED569928.] [More] Descriptors: Education Service Centers, Faculty Development, Program Effectiveness, Program Evaluation
(2015). Federal Overreach and Common Core. White Paper No. 133, Pioneer Institute for Public Policy Research. This report provides the historical background and interpretive analysis needed to understand controversies surrounding Common Core and its associated tests. In this report, Williamson M. Evers presents a revised and expanded version of his expert report for "Jindal v. United States Department of Education et al.," No. 14-CV- 534 (M.D. La), that includes the following four points: (1) That longstanding federal statutes contain prohibitions on the federal government in general–and the U.S Department of Education in particular–from directing or controlling curriculum; (2) That Common Core in combination with its associated tests are components of curriculum and put the country on the path to a national curriculum; (3) That, notwithstanding the role of the state officials and others in the creation of Common Core and its tests, the federal government and its Department of Education got the states to adhere to the Common Core and its associate tests and are enforcing against the states policies aimed at keeping in place these national standards and national tests (or their federally-approved equivalents); and (4) That, although the Common Core and its tests are defended as needed for school-improvement purposes, there is an alternative approach to school improvement that is consistent with the Constitution and federal statutes. [More] Descriptors: Federal Regulation, Common Core State Standards, Compliance (Legal), Educational History