DERDC Evaluations and Policy Studies
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- ItemEvaluation Results of the Delaware Challenge Grant Project Lead Education Agency: Capital School District(Delaware Education Research & Development Center, 1999-08) Giancola, Susan; Noble, Audrey J.; Ratkiewicz, Kevin J.
- ItemFindings of the 1999 Plain Language Field Test Inclusive Comprehensive Assessment System(Delaware Education Research & Development Center, 1999-11) Brown, Pamela
- ItemFindings of the 1999-2000 Screen Reading Field Test Inclusive Comprehensive Assessment System(Delaware Education Research & Development Center, 2000-03) Brown, Pamela; Augustine, AndrewThe purpose of this research study was to determine if assessment items administered using screen reading software measure student learning better than assessment items in a paper and pencil format. Using a computer to present a test orally controls for standardization of administration and allows each student to complete the assessment at his/her own pace.
- Item1999 Statewide Poll on the Condition of Education in Delaware(Delaware Education Research & Development Center, 2000-04) Brown, Pamela; Banicky, LisaEach year the Delaware Education Research and Development Center (R&D Center) of the University of Delaware conducts a telephone poll questioning citizens and educators on their impressions regarding the condition of education in Delaware. This report summarizes the results for the statewide poll conducted in the fall of 1999.
- ItemSynchronizing the Accountability Clocks: A Policy Study of Delaware's Student Accountability Plan(Delaware Education Research & Development Center, 2000-05) Noble, Audrey J.; Banicky, LisaThis policy study of Delaware’s student accountability initiative uncovers conflicting ideologies of those effecting, and those affected by, the state’s education reform efforts. These varied understandings of what systemic change involves, and consequently how long it should take, are weighty issues. They have driven, directly or indirectly, much of the state’s past, as well as its current policymaking: its laws, its regulations, and its local policies. This study explores these differing views and some of the policies and programs that have subsequently evolved. Most importantly, the study examines the path Delaware has taken over the past ten years as influenced by various interpretations of time and where the state is in its progress toward systemic education reform.
- ItemSummary of the Findings of the 1999-2000 Screen Reading Field Test Inclusive Comprehensive Assessment System(Delaware Education Research & Development Center, 2000-05) Brown, Pamela; Augustine, Andrew
- ItemNavigating Accountability: Delaware Schools' Response to the State's Student Accountability Plan(Delaware Education Research & Development Center, 2000-07) Noble, Audrey J.; Banicky, Lisa; Siach-Bar, YaronThis report represents the first year of a three-year case study that explores how schools and educators are responding to the Delaware Student Accountability Plan. It provides an insiders’ view of the accountability plan and uncovers schools’ reactions to highstakes accountability.
- ItemThe First-State Instructional Resource System for Teachers (First): A Web-Based Professional Development System(Delaware Education Research & Development Center, 2000-08) Brown, PamelaThis report is a summary of the evaluation findings of the First-State Instructional Resource System for Teachers (FIRST). FIRST is designed to be an innovation combining database and video technologies with best practices in professional development. The key components of this innovation include 1) a professional development module focused on building understanding of the "big ideas" as well as effective teaching and learning strategies focused on the conceptual content of the Delaware Content Standards, and 2) video taped vignettes of Delaware teachers engaged in high quality instructional practice appropriate for addressing these standards.
- ItemTransition Services Quality Management (TQM) Project Year Four Interim Evaluation(Delaware Education Research & Development Center, 2000-09) Brown, Pamela; Giancola, SusanThis interim evaluation examined how parents of children with disabilities view the progress and direction of the Transition Services Quality Management (TQM) initiative. Delaware’s TQM Project is a joint initiative co-sponsored by the Delaware Department of Education and the Delaware Division for Vocational Rehabilitation. The intent of the TQM Project is to enhance the provision of services to Delaware’s students with disabilities as they transition from secondary school into either the workforce or higher education.
- ItemCertificates of Educational Attainment for In-School Youth: Acceptability and Feasibility(Delaware Education Research & Development Center, 2000-09) Eisenman, Laura; Brown, Pamela; Minor, MichaelTying academic diplomas to high stakes assessments raises concerns that some high school students who do not perform well on standards-based tests may leave school without academic credentials, or they may choose to drop out rather than receive only a certificate of attendance. Local educators proposed addressing these concerns by capitalizing on the potential overlap between K-12 and adult education academic standards. It was hoped that by using an established adult education certification process (CEAs) to document students' increasing academic skills at multiple points in their high school careers, students might be more motivated to stay in school and continue to pursue a diploma. Because little was known about the potential benefits and consequences of instituting such a use of CEAs within the current K-12 system of standards and accountability assessment, this study addressed two major questions. 1)Did students, parents, teachers, and school administrators consider CEAs to be an acceptable method for documenting student achievement and progress on the Delaware Content Standards? 2)How feasible was it for school staff to gather and evaluate CEA assessment materials? the concept of CEAs for in-school youth generated positive comments from Students, parents, teachers and administrators. However, participants identified problems with feasibility and raised concerns about implementation contexts and target groups.
- ItemEvaluation Results of the Delaware Challenge Grant Project Lead Education Agency: Capital School District(Delaware Education Research & Development Center, 2000-10) Giancola, SusanIn 1995, the U.S. Department of Education awarded a five-year Technology Innovation Challenge Grant (TICG) to the Capital School District in Dover, Delaware. This report details evaluation findings from the five years of Delaware’s TICG implementation. The Delaware Challenge project targets elementary school students and employs Lightspan educational software in the classroom on desktop computers and at home on Sony Playstations. The primary focus of this five-year evaluation is to provide information regarding how well the project has met its primary goals: 1. generating more time for learning; 2. increasing parent involvement in their child's education; 3. providing professional development for teachers and other school staff; 4. providing equitable access to technology and the information infrastructure; and 5. improving student learning.
- ItemTransition Services Quality Management (TQM) Project Year Four Evaluation(Delaware Education Research & Development Center, 2000-10) Brown, Pamela; Giancola, SusanThis evaluation examined how parents of children with disabilities and educators view the progress and direction of the Transition Services Quality Management (TQM) initiative. Delaware’s TQM Project is a joint initiative co-sponsored by the Delaware Department of Education and the Delaware Division for Vocational Rehabilitation. It is important to note when reviewing the results that almost half of the parents reported not being involved at all with transition services planning over the past four years. The intent of the TQM Project is to enhance the provision of services to Delaware’s students with disabilities as they transition from secondary school into either the workforce or higher education.
- ItemPutting the "Student" Back in Student Accountability: A Longitudinal Study of the Impact of the Delaware Student Accountability Plan on Delaware Students(Delaware Education Research & Development Center, 2000-11) Banicky, LisaThe goal of this study is to monitor the impact of Delaware’s Student Accountability Plan on students in Delaware. Students enrolled in 3rd or 6th grade during the 1997-98 school year were selected as cohorts and followed over a three year period (1997-2000). Based on the recommendations of several national educational organizations and existing research, several issues were examined in light of the accountability plan.
- Item2000 Statewide Public Poll on the Condition of Education in Delaware(Delaware Education Research & Development Center, 2001-05) Brown, PamelaEach year the Delaware Education Research and Development Center (R&D Center) of the University of Delaware conducts a telephone poll questioning citizens and educators on their impressions regarding the condition of education in Delaware. This report summarizes the results for the statewide public poll conducted in the fall/winter of 2000.
- ItemTIMSS-R 1999: An Analysis of the Delaware Science Coalition Data(Delaware Education Research & Development Center, 2001-05-29) Cwikla, JulieThe Third International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) was conducted in 1995 and was the most comprehensive international study of student performance and schools ever conducted examining fourth, eighth, and twelfth grades. Classroom video data were also collected in Germany, Japan, and the United States. The TIMSS-R conducted in 1999 collected only data for eighth grade students and their schools. This provides longitudinal data for the students in fourth grade in 1995 and eighth grade in 1999. In addition to student performance data in mathematics and science, the study also collected survey data from the students, teachers, and administrators, to provide a context for students’ performance. The survey questions addressed issues ranging from curriculum content and instructional practice to beliefs about learning and issues of school climate. This report provides the data analysis completed with a grant from the Delaware Foundation for Science and Mathematics Education. Six research questions were explored: 1. How does Delaware’s student performance compare with other various States and consortia in mathematics and science, in the specific content strands, and on individual assessment items? 2. How is student performance on the TIMSS-R related to performance on the DSTP across students’ ethnicity? 3. How do Delaware students’ beliefs about their education and out of class activities compare with other States and consortia? 4. How do Delaware students describe their classroom experience? 5. How do Delaware teachers compare with other States and consortia? 6. How do teachers and students describe what goes on in their classroom?
- ItemDetours on the Road to Reform: When Standards Take a Back Seat to Testing(Delaware Education Research & Development Center, 2001-07) Banicky, Lisa; Noble, Audrey J.The research that informs this report indicates that, in Delaware, the standards have indeed been overshadowed by accountability and that several “detours on the road to reform” have resulted in a system that is measurement-driven as opposed to standardsbased. By placing our major findings in a context that includes comparisons to the ideals posited by standards-based reform more generally and Delaware’s New Directions initiative more specifically, we illustrate how disconnects between the ideals and current realities manifest themselves in Delaware schools and classrooms.
- ItemProject Safe Pathways: Interim Evaluation Report, Year 2(Delaware Education Research & Development Center, 2001-10) Ackerman, Cheryl M.; Robinson, Ophelia; Benkstein, PollyThis evaluation report, prepared by the Delaware Education Research and Development Center, includes an accounting of the second year of Project S.A.F.E. Pathways implementation. Information related to student achievement, student behavioral indices, technology literacy, and program satisfaction is discussed. The results of this evaluation indicate that parents and students are both satisfied with the program. In most instances student attitudes and behaviors are positive, with the exception of the middle/high school students, and school attendance and suspension rates. While DSTP scores do not reflect improvement for program participants, Lightspan assessments clearly show improvement for elementary students in math and reading.
- ItemProject C.H.A.N.C.E.: Interim Evaluation Report, Year 2(Delaware Education Research & Development Center, 2001-11) Ackerman, Cheryl M.; Robinson, Ophelia; Benkstein, Polly; Giancola, SusanThis evaluation report, prepared by the Delaware Education Research and Development Center, includes an accounting of the second year of Project C.H.A.N.C.E. implementation. Information related to student achievement, student behavioral indices, technology literacy, and program satisfaction is discussed. The evaluation results indicate that the Project C.H.A.N.C.E. program is well thought of by students and parents, and that teachers are seeing an improvement in some classroom behaviors for students participating in the program. Based on comparisons of participants and non-participants, impact on reading and writing performance was not seen during year two of implementation. However, district test scores and grades indicate improvement throughout the academic year. To look more closely at program impact, it would be appropriate to focus on students who have participated in the program since its inception.
- ItemAwareness To Action: Recognizing and Addressing the Achievement Gaps in Delaware Schools(Delaware Education Research & Development Center, 2002) Banicky, LisaThis report represents an attempt to create a common understanding of the challenge facing many of the schools in Delaware with respect to the achievement gap separating minority and low income student performance from that of other students. It contains a school-by-school description of achievement gaps in the areas of reading and mathematics as measured by the Delaware Student Testing Program (DSTP). The hope is that the information provided in this report will promote an active dialogue that translates into the dissemination of concrete strategies for closing existing gaps and increasing the academic performance of all students in Delaware schools.
- ItemFocusing on Student Outcomes: A Longitudinal Study of Delaware's Student Accountability Plan(Delaware Education Research & Development Center, 2002-01) Banicky, LisaThis report represents the second in a series of annual reports designed to monitor the impact of Delaware’s Student Accountability Plan on students.