How Science Informs Reading Instruction

How Psychological Science Informs the Teaching of Reading (click here for full article) (click here to download a PDF of this article) By Keith Rayner, Barbara R. Foorman, Charles A. Perfetti, David Pesetsky, and Mark S. Seidenberg. Psychological Science in the Public Interest, Vol. 2, No. 2, November 2001   Briefing The greatest weakness of the public schools is their continuing ineffectiveness in reading instruction. During the course of children’s school careers, very many of their academic and … Read More

Meeting the Highly Qualified Teachers Challenge

(click here for full article) (Click here to download the PDF of this article) The Secretary’s Annual Report on Teacher Quality Office of Postsecondary Education Washington, DC: U. S. Department of Education, 2002   Briefing Meeting the Highly Qualified Teachers Challenge is a U. S. Department of Education (USDOE) report on the quality of America’s teacher training. Drawing upon the data compiled under Title II of the 1998 Higher Education Act, the report is a guide to the … Read More

Private Sector Alternatives for Preventing Reading Failure

Groff, P.  (1987).  Private sector alternatives for preventing reading failure, Washington, DC:  National Advisory Council on Educational Research and Improvement. Editor’s note:  Chapters IV-VI contain outdated names, addresses, and references, and therefore were omitted _________________ A directory of national organizations providing a rationale for their need;  An assessment of the professional training they provide for prospective or inservice teachers of reading By Patrick Groff, Professor of Education San Diego State University   I. Introduction The major purpose of … Read More

Bringing Evidence-Driven Progress to Education

posted in: Briefings & Reports |

Bringing Evidence-Driven Progress to Education: A Recommended Strategy for the U.S. Department of Education Report of the Coalition for Evidence-Based Policy (click here for full article) (Click here to download the PDF of this article) By J. E. Stone, Ed.D. College of Education East Tennessee State University   Briefing Weak research is a chronic problem in education. It has yielded schooling practices founded on little more than pet theories and idealistic causes. The enactment of the federal No … Read More

The Value-Added Achievement Gains of NBPTS

The Value-Added Achievement Gains of NBPTS-Certified Teachers in Tennessee: A Brief Report J. E. Stone, Ed.D. College of Education East Tennessee State University   Introduction The National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS) was established in 1987. Funded principally by the Carnegie Foundation, major teacher unions, and the U. S. Department of Education, its mission is to set advanced proficiency standards for teachers and to certify teachers who meet those standards. Teachers pay $2,300 to be evaluated by … Read More

Value-Added Achievement Gains of NBPTS

Value-Added Achievement Gains of NBPTS-Certified Teachers in Tennessee: A Brief Report (click here for full article) (click here to download a PDF of this article) By J. E. Stone, Ed.D. College of Education East Tennessee State University   Briefing The National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS) was established in 1987. Funded principally by the Carnegie Foundation, major teacher unions, and the U. S. Department of Education, its mission is to set advanced proficiency standards for teachers and … Read More

Reform of and by the System

Reform of and by the System: A Case Study of a State’s Effort at Curricular and Systemic Reform (click here for full article) (click here to download a PDF of this article) by Phillip A. Cusick, Michigan State University and Jennifer Borman, Brown University   Briefing It has oft been said that the road to hell is paved with good intentions, and such is surely the case with much education reform legislation. Dissatisfied with the quality of student … Read More

How Effective are the Teachers in Your School District?

In Tennessee and several other states, teacher effectiveness can be assessed on the basis of annual student achievement gains.  Although there are exceptions like the reports that were undertaken by the Los Angeles Times, value added data by levels of teacher performance within school districts is rarely available to the public.  That said, even district averages are of value in assessing the quality of teacher hiring, retention, and oversight  As can be seen in the charts below, there are substantial differences between … Read More

Effective and Ineffective New Teachers

How Effective are Tennessee’s Teacher Preparation Programs? Tennessee’s Value Added Assessment System has been in place since 1995. It enables users to estimate the success of teachers, schools, and districts in lifting student achievement and it does so in a way that permits statistically fair comparisons. Since 2007, the Tennessee Higher Education Commission has published a report card that uses the TVAAS data to estimate success of Tennessee’s teacher preparation programs in graduating “highly effective” new teachers. Highly … Read More

Glossary of Terms and Abbreviations

Glossary of Terms and Abbreviations Used in Tennessee’s Value-Added Assessment Reports   3-Year-Average NCE Gain The average academic gain of the most recent 3 years expressed as an NCE (normal curve equivalent) score. These scores represent the average number of NCE points by which a school exceeds or falls short of the student achievement growth that occurred statewide in 1998-the benchmark year, a.k.a., the Growth Standard. These are the scores on which the Value-Added Achievement Awards are based. … Read More

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