Search Results: (16-30 of 512 records)
| Pub Number | Title |  Date |
|---|---|---|
| NCES 2022068 | 2021 NAEP School and Teacher Questionnaire Special Study
This report describes selected results from the 2021 NAEP School and Teacher Questionnaire Special Study conducted in March and April 2021. Results are based on a survey sample consisting of schools and teachers that serve fourth- and eighth-grade students, and are limited to states/jurisdictions and districts that agreed to participate in the study and met reporting standards. The report provides insight into some of the efforts schools and teachers made during a period of widespread academic disruption, including what support schools provided for distance learning; how schools and teachers supported students to address gaps in learning that may have occurred because of school closures; and how confident teachers were in facing the challenges of distance learning. |
12/1/2022 |
| REL 2023145 | Examining student group differences in Arkansas’ indicators of postsecondary readiness and success
Regional Educational Laboratory Southwest partnered with the Arkansas Department of Education (ADE) to examine Arkansas’s middle and high school indicators of postsecondary readiness and success, building on an earlier study of these indicators (Hester et al., 2021). Academic indicators include attaining proficiency on state achievement tests, grade point average, enrollment in advanced courses, and community service learning. Behavioral indicators include attendance, suspension, and expulsion. Using data on statewide grade 6 cohorts from 2008/09 and 2009/10, the study examined the percentages of students who attained the readiness and success indicators and the percentages of students who attained postsecondary readiness and success outcomes by gender, race/ethnicity, eligibility for the National School Lunch Program, English learner student status, disability status, age, and district locale. The study also examined whether the predictive accuracy, specificity, and strength of the indicators varied by these student groups. Three key findings emerged. First, the attainment of indicators of postsecondary readiness and success differed substantially for nearly all student groups, with the number of substantial differences on academic indicators exceeding those on behavioral indicators. The largest number of substantial differences in the attainment of academic indicators were between Black and White students, between students eligible and ineligible for the National School Lunch Program (an indicator of economic disadvantage), and between students who entered grade 6 before and after age 13. Second, attainment of postsecondary readiness and success outcomes varied substantially across student groups, with the largest differences between students with and without a disability. Third, predictive accuracy (the percentage of students with the same predicted and actual outcomes) and strength (the relative importance of a single indicator) were similar across student groups in most cases. Leaders at ADE and in Arkansas districts can use these findings to identify appropriate indicators of postsecondary readiness and success and to target supports toward student groups who most need them. These findings can help leaders identify and address disparities such as inequitable access to resources and supportive learning environments. |
11/21/2022 |
| REL 2023144 | English learner proficiency in Texas before and during the COVID-19 pandemic
This study examined levels of English proficiency before and during the COVID-19 pandemic among English learner students in grades 3–12 in Texas. In 2020/21, nearly 750,000 students in grades 3–12—approximately one in five Texas students—were English learner students. In accordance with Texas state law and the Every Student Succeeds Act, English proficiency is measured annually using a statewide assessment, the Texas English Language Proficiency Assessment System (TELPAS), which assesses English learner students’ listening, speaking, reading, and writing skills in English. This study focused on TELPAS scores among students who took the test in 2020/21 and compared those scores with a matched cohort of similar students from 2018/19. The study found that, despite missing data because of pandemic-related disruptions to testing, students who took the TELPAS were representative of the overall Texas English learner student population in the years prior to and during the pandemic. The study also found that rates of reclassification from an English learner student to an English proficient student declined between 2017/18 and 2020/21, and trends in the characteristics of reclassified students changed, with lower percentages of students in major urban areas, eligible for the National School Lunch Program, who spoke Spanish at home, and who identified as Hispanic reclassified in 2020/21 than in 2017/18. On average, during the pandemic, English learner students in elementary grades earned meaningfully lower scores on the listening, speaking, and reading domains of the TELPAS than similar students earned before the pandemic, particularly in speaking. The findings for secondary grades were mixed; middle school students earned lower scores in listening and high school students earned higher scores in speaking. Finally, the study did not find evidence that English learner student program models, such as dual-language immersion or content-based English as a second language, were meaningfully associated with English proficiency in 2020/21. Leaders at the Texas Education Agency and Texas school districts could consider focusing recovery resources on elementary schools and to some degree on middle schools and identifying and supporting evidence-based strategies to cultivate proficiency. The Texas Education Agency may consider studying the effect of program models on language proficiency and the relationship between reclassification, shifting English proficiency levels, and changing reclassification standards. |
11/3/2022 |
| REL 2023142 | An Examination of the Costs of Texas Community Colleges
Policymakers in Texas want to understand the funding levels necessary for community colleges to meet their promise of providing an affordable and accessible pathway to a postsecondary certificate or degree. Regional Educational Laboratory Southwest conducted this study to help leaders at the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board better understand the extent to which Texas community colleges have adequate funding for reaching the desired levels of student success, as measured by success points milestones used in the state’s performance-based funding system. The study involved three types of analyses: a needs analysis, an equity analysis, and a cost function analysis. The needs analysis found that community colleges with higher percentages of first-generation college students, students who are economically disadvantaged, students who are academically disadvantaged, students older than 24 years, and English learner students earn fewer success points milestones per full-time equivalent student. The equity analysis found that community colleges with higher percentages of students who are academically disadvantaged spent less per full-time equivalent student, suggesting that there may be resource inequities for these students. The cost function analysis found that spending was not high enough to cover the cost of providing an equal opportunity for first-generation college students, students who are economically disadvantaged, students older than 24 years, and English learner students to achieve the same level of outcomes as students without these needs. The findings from this study can inform Texas policymakers’ efforts to distribute funding for community colleges to support equitable opportunities for all students to succeed in college. |
10/26/2022 |
| REL 2023141 | Early Progress and Outcomes of a Grow Your Own Grant Program for High School Students and Paraprofessionals in Texas
The Texas Education Agency launched the Grow Your Own (GYO) grant program in 2018 to encourage districts to develop or expand existing high-quality education and training courses for high school students and to support district-employed paraprofessionals (including instructional aides and long-term substitute teachers) to pursue certifications that would allow them to enter full-time teaching roles. This study aimed to help state education leaders in Texas understand the progress of districts in implementing the GYO program and the early outcomes of participants. This study analyzed data from 2015/16 through 2020/21 for districts that received GYO funding in the first two grant cycles and districts in the same geographic locales within the same regions that did not receive GYO funding (comparison districts). The study found that the majority of districts awarded a GYO grant were in rural areas and small towns. GYO districts were more likely to have a smaller enrollment and had a higher average percentage of Hispanic students than comparison districts. The findings suggest that the program appeared to meet the Texas Education Agency’s goal of providing opportunities to students and paraprofessionals in rural and small school settings and students of color to participate in GYO activities. The study also found that the percentage of students completing education and training courses in GYO districts was low (about 10 percent) during the grant years, and the percentage was similar in comparison districts before and after the grant awards. A disproportionate share of students who completed education and training courses in GYO districts were female. Although it is too soon to tell whether the GYO program will, over time, increase the size and diversity of the state’s teacher pool, leaders at the Texas Education Agency can use these early findings to both understand the progress of districts in achieving the GYO grant program aims and help identify aspects of the program that might need further investigation. |
10/24/2022 |
| NCES 2023010 | NAEP Reading 2022 State and District Snapshot Reports
Each state/jurisdiction and district that participated in the NAEP 2022 reading assessment receives a one-page Snapshot report that presents key findings and trends in a condensed format. The reports in this series provide bulleted text describing overall student results, bar charts showing NAEP achievement levels for selected years in which the state or district participated, and tables displaying results by gender, race/ethnicity, and eligibility for free/reduced-price lunch. In addition, bulleted text describes the trends in average scale score gaps by gender, race/ethnicity, and eligibility for free/reduced-price lunch. Each state/jurisdiction Snapshot report includes a map comparing the 2022 average score to other states/jurisdictions; and each district Snapshot report includes a table comparing the 2022 average score to other participating districts. |
10/24/2022 |
| NCES 2023011 | NAEP Mathematics 2022 State and District Snapshot Reports
Each state/jurisdiction and district that participated in the NAEP 2022 mathematics assessment receives a one-page Snapshot report that presents key findings and trends in a condensed format. The reports in this series provide bulleted text describing overall student results, bar charts showing NAEP achievement levels for selected years in which the state or district participated, and tables displaying results by gender, race/ethnicity, and eligibility for free/reduced-price lunch. In addition, bulleted text describes the trends in average scale score gaps by gender, race/ethnicity, and eligibility for free/reduced-price lunch. Each state/jurisdiction Snapshot report includes a map comparing the 2022 average score to other states/jurisdictions; and each district Snapshot report includes a table comparing the 2022 average score to other participating districts. |
10/24/2022 |
| NCES 2022124 | 2022 NAEP Mathematics Assessment: Highlighted Results at Grades 4 and 8 for the Nation, States, and Districts
This report presents selected results from the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) 2022 mathematics assessment. The report includes national, state, and district results on the performance of fourth- and eighth-grade students. Results are presented in terms of average scores and as percentages of students performing at or above the three NAEP achievement levels: NAEP Basic, NAEP Proficient, and NAEP Advanced. In addition to overall scores, results are reported by race/ethnicity, gender, type of school, and other demographic groups. The report also provides information about student performance on sample questions as well as data related to teaching and learning during and after the pandemic. |
10/24/2022 |
| NCES 2022126 | 2022 NAEP Reading Assessment: Highlighted Results at Grades 4 and 8 for the Nation, States, and Districts
This report presents selected results from the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) 2022 reading assessment. The report includes national, state, and district results on the performance of fourth- and eighth-grade students. Results are presented in terms of average scores and as percentages of students performing at or above the three NAEP achievement levels: NAEP Basic, NAEP Proficient, and NAEP Advanced. In addition to overall scores, results are reported by race/ethnicity, gender, type of school, and other demographic groups. The report also provides information about student performance on sample questions as well as data related to teaching and learning during and after the pandemic. |
10/24/2022 |
| NCES 2022049 | U.S. Technical Report and User Guide for the 2019 Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS)
The U.S. TIMSS 2019 Technical Report and User’s Guide provides an overview of the design and implementation of TIMSS 2019 in the United States and includes guidance for researchers using the U.S. datasets. This information is meant to supplement the IEA’s TIMSS 2019 Technical Report and TIMSS 2019 User Guide by describing those aspects of TIMSS 2019 that are unique to the United States including information on merging the U.S. public- and restricted-use student, teacher, and school data files with the U.S. data files in the international database. |
10/17/2022 |
| REL 2023139 | Practical Measurement for Continuous Improvement in the Classroom: A Toolkit for Educators
This toolkit is designed to guide educators in developing and improving practical measurement instruments for use in networked improvement communities (NICs) and other education contexts in which principles of continuous improvement are applied. Continuous improvement includes distinct repeating processes: understanding the problem, identifying specific targets for improvement, determining the change to introduce, implementing the change, and evaluating if and how the change led to improvements. This toolkit is intended for a team of educators who have already identified specific student learning needs and strategies to improve instruction to address those needs and are ready to test these strategies using continuous improvement processes. The toolkit aims to help the team with the final step in the cycle, which includes collecting data to measure implementation of changes and intended outcomes and using those data to inform future action. Measures for continuous improvement should be closely aligned to student learning goals and implementation of instructional strategies driving the continuous improvement effort, and they should be practical to use in a classroom setting. A team of educators can use this toolkit to proceed through a series of steps to identify what to measure, consider existing instruments, draft instruments, evaluate and refine instruments, plan data collection routines, and plan for data discussions to interpret the data and inform action. Regional Educational Laboratory (REL) Southwest developed the resources in the toolkit in partnership with the Oklahoma State Department of Education team working with the Oklahoma Excel NICs. |
10/11/2022 |
| NCES 2023004 | Program for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC) County-level Estimation for Age and Education Groups Methodology Report
This is the third methodology report on Program for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC) Small Area Estimation (SAE) published by the National Center for Education Statistics in PIAAC Cycle I. The first report was written to describe the methodology used for the purpose of creating model-based estimates of average scores and high, middle, and low proficiency levels of adult skills for all states and counties in the U.S. The second report described the statistical models to produce the same types of estimates for state-level age and education groups. This report describes the methodology used to produce the county-level estimates by age and education groups. |
9/26/2022 |
| REL 2022138 | Effects of Reclassifying English Learner Students on Student Achievement in New Mexico
This study examined how attaining English proficiency and being reclassified as fluent English proficient affected achievement in English language arts and math in the first year after student reclassification in grades 3–8 in New Mexico. State policy in New Mexico bases student reclassification decisions on whether students attain a minimum overall English language proficiency level score of 5.0 on the ACCESS for ELLs (ACCESS) assessment. The study focused on achievement among English learner students in 2014/15–2018/19, a time when the ACCESS underwent a standards setting process to better align its language proficiency scoring scale with the expectations of college- and career-ready standards. After the standards setting, a smaller percentage of English learner students in New Mexico attained English proficiency and were reclassified each year. At the same time, students who scored near the English proficiency level required for reclassification performed above the statewide average in English language arts and math and were more likely to meet state content proficiency standards. However, the study found no effects of reclassification on student achievement either before or after the ACCESS standards setting. In addition, the study found no effect of reclassification on next-year English language arts and math achievement among most groups of students with different characteristics and among most districts in the study. Leaders at the New Mexico Public Education Department could use the findings of this study to consider maintaining the current reclassification threshold. In addition, the state and its districts might want to identify opportunities to strengthen the supports provided to English learner students. This could begin by collecting more systematic information on the education services and supports that English learner students receive leading up to and after they attain English proficiency. |
9/1/2022 |
| NCES 2022050 | Program for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC)
State-level Estimation for Age and Education Groups Methodology Report
This is the second methodology report on Program for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC) Small Area Estimation (SAE) published by the National Center for Education Statistics in PIAAC Cycle I. The first report was written to describe the methodology used for the purpose of creating model-based estimates of average scores and high, middle, and low proficiency levels of adult skills for all states and counties in the U.S. This report further describes the statistical models to produce the same types of estimates for state-level age and education groups. |
6/17/2022 |
| NCES 2022144 | Condition of Education 2022
The Condition of Education 2022 is a congressionally mandated annual report summarizing the latest data from NCES and other sources on education in the United States. This report is designed to help policymakers and the public monitor educational progress. |
5/31/2022 |
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