What's New for April 2012
REL Program Releases Reports on California’s Evaluation Practices and Oregon’s Math Requirements (April 27, 2012)
The REL program announces the release of two fast response reports. The first, How California's local education agencies evaluate teachers and principals, was written by the 2006-11 REL West at WestEd. This report summarizes the results of a statewide survey of teacher and principal evaluation practices across school districts and charter schools funded by districts in California.
The second report, Meeting Oregon’s new high school math graduation requirements: examining student enrollment and teacher availability, was produced by the 2006-11 REL Northwest at Education Northwest. The study was motivated by a 2005 Oregon law that requires students to take three years of mathematics courses at the algebra I level or above (advanced math), beginning with the Class of 2014. This study examines the percentage of Oregon students enrolled in high school–level math courses during 2006/07 and 2007/08 who would have been on track to graduate had the new mathematics requirements been in place. It also examines whether there would have been an adequate supply of teachers endorsed to teach advanced math in 2006/07 and 2007/08, had the new requirements been in place.
REL Program Releases Reports on Pre-Kindergarten Participation in West Virginia and Performance of Hispanic Students in Pennsylvania (April 26, 2012)
The REL program announces the release of two reports. The first, Prekindergarten participation rates in West Virginia, was produced by the 2006-11 REL Appalachia at CNA. This brief compares the shares of preK seats provided by public school systems and collaborative partners--federal or private--and analyzes participation based on socioeconomic and racial/ethnic subgroups and district characteristics. This report updates through 2010/11 a previous report that covered school years 2002/03–2006/07.
The second, Analyzing performance by Pennsylvania grade 8 Hispanic students on the 2007/08 state assessment, was produced by the 2006-11 REL Mid-Atlantic at Penn State University. The report compares performance of grade 8 Hispanic students on the Pennsylvania System of School Assessment (PSSA) English language arts and math tests with that of grade 8 White, Black, and other non-Hispanic students during school years 2002/03 and 2008/09. It also examines how grade 8 Hispanic students' performance varies by key student and school characteristics.
REL Program Releases Reports on Minnesota Science Achievement and On-Track Graduation Rates (April 25, 2012)
The 2006-11 REL Midwest at Learning Point Associates released two Issues and Answers reports. The first, Performance in science on the Minnesota Comprehensive Assessments (MCA)–Series II for students in grades 5 and 8, examined how grade 5 and grade 8 student achievement on the 2009/10 MCA–II science assessment differed by student and school characteristics (gender, eligibility for free or reduced-price lunch, special education status, race/ethnicity, and prior-year academic achievement). The study found that most of the variation in scores was associated with demographic differences among students rather than with differences between schools.
The second, Using the freshman on-track indicator to predict graduation in two urban districts in the Midwest Region, examines how well the freshman on-track indicator developed by the Consortium on Chicago School Research predicts on-time graduation in two urban districts in the Midwest Region. This indicator classifies students at the end of the first year of high school as on-track or off-track to graduate based on grade 9 course credits earned and failures.
REL Reports Describe Achievement of English Language Learner Students in the Mid-Atlantic Region (April 24, 2012)
This series of reports written by the 2006-11 REL Mid-Atlantic at Penn State University describe the enrollment and achievement trends of limited-English proficient (LEP) students in public schools between 2002/03 and 2008/09. They document achievement gaps between LEP and general education students in language arts and mathematics, as measured by state assessments administered in grades 3, 4, 8, and 11. REL Mid-Atlantic at Penn State produced studies for New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Delaware, and the District of Columbia.
REL Report Examines the Impact of Hybrid Algebra 1 Instruction on Student Achievement (April 4, 2012)
The 2006-11 Regional Educational Laboratory Appalachia at CNA conducted a rigorous evaluation of the Kentucky Virtual Schools hybrid algebra I curriculum. The curriculum combines traditional face-to-face instruction with an online program.
REL Report Examines the Impact on Student English Language Proficiency of Classroom Materials in Combination with Teacher Professional Development (April 3, 2012)
The 2006-11 Regional Educational Laboratory Central at McREL conducted a randomized controlled trial to examine the impact on student English language proficiency of the On Our Way to English (OWE) curriculum, offered in combination with the Responsive Instruction for Success in English (RISE) teacher professional development.