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SHARED ACCOUNTABILITY > ABOUT US > PROGRAM EVALUATION > CURRENT PROJECTS
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DSA is conducting an evaluation of the A&S PGS, a comprehensive system for attracting, recruiting, mentoring, developing, evaluating, and recognizing school-based and central services administrators. The evaluation strategies include interviews with a sample of stakeholders, a survey of all school-based and central services administrators, and review of documents pertaining to the evaluation process. An advisory group assists DSA staff in refining data collection instruments to be relevant to the target population, and accessing stakeholders for data collection activities. For additional information, contact Suzanne Merchlinsky.
The Collaborative Action Process (CAP) is a schoolwide, problem solving process focusing on prevention, intervention, and collaboration that serves the needs of the school community. Currently, 61 schools are implementing CAP. Initially, the evaluation will focus on the extent of CAP's implementation, the fidelity of implementation, and the factors that influence the fidelity of implementation. Data collection activities for spring 2007 include interviews with principals, surveys of all CAP team members and teachers, and examination of school documents related to CAP. CAP's impact on students and schools will also be studied. For additional information, contact Elizabeth Cooper-Martin.
At the beginning of the 2002-2003 school year, supplemental ESOL teachers were assigned to Title I schools based on the number of beginning ESOL students in each school. This additional staffing allows beginning ESOL students to receive additional support. To be consistent with Goal 2 of MCPS strategic plan-to provide effective instructional programs-this staffing model continues to be studied to determine the extent to which it improves students' academic outcomes. The goals of the study are to assess how the program is being implemented, assess extent to which the project is impacting ESOL students' progress toward English language proficiency, and achievement of ESOL students in mathematics and reading, and identify areas needing improvement. Data collection activities include Web-based ESOL services log, and survey of administrators, ESOL and classroom teachers. A stakeholder advisory group provides input into the development of the evaluation tools and ensures that the evaluation is relevant to the needs of MCPS. For additional information, please contact Nyambura Susan Maina.
MCPS began implementing a standards-based grading and reporting policy during the 2005-2006 school year. All schools are implementing procedures for reteaching and reassessing students, reporting the academic meaning of the grade, and assigning and grading homework. Staff from the Department of Shared Accountability (DSA) is conducting an evaluation to determine the extent and consistency of implementation across and within schools. Evaluation activities include document reviews, stakeholder interviews, and surveys to school staff, parents, and secondary students. A stakeholder advisory group provides input into the development of the evaluation tools, guidance in collecting data from relevant stakeholders-especially those who might be under-represented in data collection activities. The inclusion of the stakeholder groups has promoted the utilization of evaluation findings. For additional information, please contact Kecia Addison-Scott, (elementary school evaluation) or Suzanne Merchlinsky (secondary school evaluation).
DSA is conducting an evaluation to assess the pilot implementation of High School Plus (HSP) during the 2006-2007 school year and examine student outcomes. Beginning in the fall of 2006, HSP is being piloted in the following four high schools: Wheaton, Einstein, Rockville, and Kennedy. HSP is targeted for students who have failed required courses related to the High School Assessments (HSA), failed courses required for graduation, or those who have failed the HSA, but have passed the corresponding course. The goal of this program is for students to master course content. For additional information, please contact Kecia Addison-Scott
All Title I schools are staffed with .5 Full Time Equivalent (FTE) math content coaches positions beginning 2003-2004 school year. The purpose of the math content coach position is to positively impact student achievement in mathematics through support, training, coaching, and mentoring which builds school and teacher capacity to increase achievement in mathematics. The evaluation of the math content coach initiative is both an implementation and outcome study. The goal of the study is to examine how schools use the positions, measure progress toward program goals, and identify areas needing improvement. In addition, the impact of the position on teacher capacity to provide a rigorous curriculum in mathematics and on mathematics achievement of all students will be assessed. Ongoing data collection activities include a Web-based math content coach monthly logs and survey of math content coaches and classroom teachers. For additional information, please contact Nyambura Susan Maina.
During the 2007–2008 school year, the reform focused on five Phase I middle schools. OSA conducted a comprehensive multi-method evaluation of the reform in those five schools. Three deliverables resulted from the Phase I evaluation: an evaluation brief on the implementation of Lights, Camera, Literacy! (LCL!) as a summer course, and midyear and final reports summarizing implementation for all recommended actions that were undertaken in Phase I schools in 2007–2008. In 2008-2009, the implementation evaluation focuses on six Phase II middle schools, emphasizing key themes of the reform including rigorous instruction and questioning, providing feedback to students, student engagement, use of classroom technology, equitable classroom practices, and the adolescent learner. For additional information, please contact Rachel Hickson.
Reading First is a grant-funded program designed to ensure all children read by the end of Grade 3. Reading First requires changes in curriculum, staffing, assessment procedures, and professional development. The goal of the evaluation is to describe how well these changes were made and whether they are associated with student achievement. Four MCPS schools were selected to implement Reading First in Grades K-3 and four as comparison schools. These schools have high proportions of students receiving FARMS assistance and/or performing below grade level in reading. The Reading First schools were Highland, Rosemont, Summit Hall, and Wheaton Woods and the comparison schools were Glen Haven, Kemp Mill, Twinbrook, and Weller Road. The evaluation addresses the next questions: 1) To what extent was the Reading First program implemented in schools as designed? 2) To what extent is the Reading First program perceived to be effective by teachers, Reading First coaches, principals, and parents/guardians? 3) How are the students performing in reading in participating schools and how does this performance vary by student subgroups, such as ethnicity, receipt of ESOL, FARMS, and special education services? 4) How effective is Reading First in improving reading achievement at participating schools?
The goal of the Reading Recovery is to reduce the number of first grade students who have extreme difficulty learning to read and write and to reduce the cost of these learners to educational systems. The objective of this evaluation is to examine longitudinal data on Reading Recovery children during and beyond the first-grade year using district and state tests given to all children in Grades 1, 2, and 3. These data will be examined in two groups; a) Children who successfully complete Reading Recovery and b) random sample of their grade level peers. The study will seek to determine if the children's achievement approximates that of their peers. In addition, the study will compare the progress of various student subgroups to determine the degree that Reading Recovery closes the achievement gap. The measures used to gauge this will be the Grade 1 MCPSAP, second grade TerraNova Second Edition (TN/2), and third grade MSA and MAP-R scores. For additional information, please contact Nyambura Susan Maina.
The SSPGS is a collaborative process that promotes workforce excellence by applying a core competency model to encourage personal and systemic growth on performance through continuous improvement. Supporting services includes all employees within MCPS who are not administrators or teacher/specialists. The evaluation of the SSPGS will examine the extent to which the SSPGS has been implemented consistently and as intended, the impact of the SSPGS on supporting services employees, and revisions that should be made to currently implemented components or considered when implementing new components. For additional information, contact Rachel Hickson.
The ELO SAIL Program provides summer learning services to all students from Title I schools. Twenty-three schools receive Title I funds for high percentage of students who qualify for the FARMS Program during 2007-2008. The evaluation gathers information related to satisfaction of stakeholders and program fidelity through surveys as well as classroom observations. A focus of the evaluation is to examine whether the summer program is effective in alleviating summer learning loss in reading and math. The academic outcomes are measured on standardized and local assessments and pre-and post-math assessments especially developed for the summer program. The assessments will be administered in spring and fall of 2007.
All MCPS Title I schools are required to staff a .5 FTE GT teacher, who works in collaboration with school administrators, staff, and parents to identify and provide accelerated and enriched curriculum to gifted and talented students and students with emerging potential. The evaluation looks at the extent to which the GT initiative is implemented as designed through data collected with instruments of School Action Plan of GT Initiative, GT Teacher Contact log, Teacher Training Inventory, and Student Service Grid. The impacts of the GT initiative on student academic performance over standardized and local assessments will also be evaluated. For more information, contact Helen Y. Wang.
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August 27, 2008 | Maintained by
DSA
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