edTPA: The New Standard for Teacher Certification?

There have been rumblings for the last couple of years about a new “bar-exam” for teachers entering the teaching profession, which this blog has discussed here and here and here. The organization that is spearheading one of the chief candidates to fill the void of more rigorous teacher licensing tests is the edTPA. The edTPA Read more about edTPA: The New Standard for Teacher Certification?[…]

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Building a Technology Infrastructure for Student Learning Objectives

As schools open for the 2013-2014 school year, one of the new acronyms on the lips of many education professionals is SLO. SLOs, or Student Learning Objectives, are an alternative to standardized testing that can demonstrate student, as well as teacher, growth and progress. SLOs have been mandated in many states and districts in order Read more about Building a Technology Infrastructure for Student Learning Objectives[…]

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Montgomery County (MD) Measuring ‘Hope’ to Help Improve Academic Success

Montgomery County Public Schools, MD, will greet its students this fall with a survey that asks them questions, not about academics, but about “hope, engagement and well-being.” MCPS is teaming up with Gallup, the polling giant, to conduct this survey, which they also conducted last year. For three years of work that includes working with Read more about Montgomery County (MD) Measuring ‘Hope’ to Help Improve Academic Success[…]

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How should student content mastery be judged?

The Alliance for Excellent Education suggests that New Hampshire’s shift from “seat time” measures of student proficiency to “competency-based learning” measures is one that other states would do well to follow. As this blog wrote about previously, the Carnegie Unit, or credit hour, has long been the measure by which students were judged before they Read more about How should student content mastery be judged?[…]

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Unlocking Student Effort

TNTP, a national nonprofit organization working to ensure that all students get excellent teachers, recently released a first-of-its-kind resource on effective teaching written by and for practicing teachers. The resource, Unlocking Student Effort , is a paper that includes five essays written by the winners of TNTP’s 2012 Fishman Prize for Superlative Classroom Practice, a Read more about Unlocking Student Effort[…]

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Dear Data, Please Make Yourself More Useful

In a recent commentary piece for Education Week, Brad C. Phillips and Jay J. Pfieffer reflect on data and how it is (mis)used in education.  “Factions are setting up camp at two extremes: one for those who believe data is the Holy Grail, and the other for those who shun it,” they write.  Phillips and Read more about Dear Data, Please Make Yourself More Useful[…]

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Student Motivation: An Overlooked Piece of School Reform

The Center on Education Policy at George Washington University has released a series of papers examining the role of student motivation in current reform efforts.  The summary paper, Student Motivation: An Overlooked Piece of School Reform, pulls together the research from six background papers, each addressing different aspect of student motivation. Each report in the Read more about Student Motivation: An Overlooked Piece of School Reform[…]

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Shared Vision for the Next Generation of Teaching

U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan joined seven fellow national education leaders last month in signing a shared vision for the future of the teaching profession during the opening 2012 Labor Management Conference in Cincinnati. “Lessons and best practices from talented teachers is the driving force behind this shared vision for transforming the teaching profession,” Read more about Shared Vision for the Next Generation of Teaching[…]

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The Condition of Education 2012

The National Center for Education Statistics released The Condition of Education 2012 last week, an annual publication mandated by Congress.  The report summarizes important developments and trends in education using the latest available data. The report presents 49 indicators on the status and condition of education. The indicators are grouped under three main areas: (1) Read more about The Condition of Education 2012[…]

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Improving Mathematical Problem Solving in Grades 4 Through 8

The What Works Clearinghouse has released a new guide focused on improving math skills in students in the middle grades.  The What Works Clearinghouse (WWC), part of the Institute of Education Sciences (IES), functions as a central repository for education research on “what works” in education. Periodically, IES releases a “practice guide” based on the Read more about Improving Mathematical Problem Solving in Grades 4 Through 8[…]

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Special Education Approaches Go Mainstream

Instructional approaches usually associated with special education are gaining traction as states and districts are faced with implementing the Common Core State Standards (CCSS), reports Education Week. Two strategies, universal design for learning (UDL) and response to intervention (RTI), have been frequently cited in NCLB waiver requests for CCSS implementation in the section about how Read more about Special Education Approaches Go Mainstream[…]

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Chicago’s Teacher Incentive Program: Final Report

Mathematica Policy Research has released its final report on the Chicago Teacher Advancement Program (TAP), and found that the program did not do exactly as intended.  TAP aimed to improve schools by increasing teacher quality, and provided multiple opportunities for professional development, school leadership positions, structured feedback, and mentoring. Overall, the program appears to have Read more about Chicago’s Teacher Incentive Program: Final Report[…]

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Do High School Teachers Matter?

A new working paper by C. Kirabo Jackson, Assistant Professor at Northwestern, takes a closer look at value-added measures and their application to high school teachers.  Jackson notes that there is ample research at the elementary level detailing the importance of individual teachers on student outcomes in reading and math, but there isn’t much supporting Read more about Do High School Teachers Matter?[…]

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What Studies Say About Teacher Effectiveness

The National Education Writers Association (EWA) has released a research brief on teacher effectiveness.  Organized around several prevailing questions about teacher effectiveness, the brief seeks to synthesize the available research to help leaders make informed decisions as they develop teacher evaluation systems.  The brief reviews over 40 specific research studies or syntheses and interviews with Read more about What Studies Say About Teacher Effectiveness[…]

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Assessing Teacher Prep Based on Student Achievement

The Center for Education Data & Research (CEDR) has released a study that examines teacher preparation programs in Washington State, in an effort to determine a link between program efficacy and teacher effectiveness.  Comparing data between teacher’s initial endorsements and student achievement on state math and reading tests, the study found that teacher prep programs Read more about Assessing Teacher Prep Based on Student Achievement[…]

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NISL Executive Development Program Shows Promise

Old Dominion University and Johns Hopkins University recently released a study of the National Institute of School Leadership’s (NISL’s) Executive Development Program (EDP), a program established to provide professional development to school leaders to improve school performance.  The primary goal of the program is to ensure that school leaders have the knowledge, skills, and tools Read more about NISL Executive Development Program Shows Promise[…]

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