Examples of REL-NEI Work on Student Success Indicators

1. Examples of REL-NEI Work on Student Success Indicators Julie Reed Kochanek NCES Summer Forum PPI Standing Committee July 10, 2012

2. REL-NEI Serves the Northeastand Islands Region • Connecticut • Maine • Massachusetts • New Hampshire • New York • Puerto Rico • Rhode Island • US Virgin Islands • Vermont

3. Core Priorities andRelated Research Alliances

4. Research Alliance Composition

5. REL-NEI Vision of the Work Flow

6. Northeast College and Career Readiness Alliance (NCCRA) • Barbara Beaudin, CT DOE • Keith Westrich, MA DESE • Paul Leather, NH DOE • Anita Murphy, NYSED • Larry Paska, NYSED • Andrea Casteneda, RIDE • Sharon Lee, RIDE • Rosemary Burns, RIDE • John Fischer, VT DOE • Deborah Friedman, Maine DOE • David Ruff, Great Schools Partnership • Ira Rubenzahl, Springfield Technical CC, MA • Dana Brown, Malden High School, MA • Nancy Hoffman, Jobs for the Future • Nick Donohoe, NMEF • Beth Miller, NMEF • Linda Noonan, Massachusetts Business Alliance for Education

7. NCCRA Agenda Goal: To provide research to support the work of seven northeastern states to assess and enhance secondary school initiatives designed to increase graduation rates and ensure students’ readiness for college-level work and the workforce. Topics: • Multiple measures of student learning • Proficiency-based graduation requirements Examples of questions: • What are definitions of proficiency-based graduation and/or standards-based education? • What are district-level policies or practices related to proficiency-based graduation requirements?

8. NCCRA Year 1 Work • Multiple convenings to build relationships • Research Agenda Workshop • Bridge Event to share current research on definitions of college readiness from K12 perspective and PSE perspective • Data Catalog Project to explore district level data on multiple measures of student learning • Data Alignment Workshop to begin work on common definitions and standards for data elements on performance-based assessments 

9. Early Childhood Education Alliance (ECEA) • Sherri Killins, MA Dept of Early Education and Care • Michele Palermo, RIDE • Ruth Gallucci, RIDE • Patricia Ewen, NH DOE • Janine Blatt, Maine DOE • Jaci Holmes, Maine DOE • Kristopher Michaud, Maine HHS • Sheryl Peavey, Maine HHS • Harriet Feldlaufer, CT DOE • M. Manuela Fonseca, VT DOE

10. ECEA Agenda Goal: To bring together early childhood stakeholders in the region to create a shared research agenda that will ultimately improve the lives of young children (birth through age 8). The ECEA will specifically focus on issues around early childhood assessment systems in Year 1. This focus will include issues related to kindergarten entry assessments, the use and alignment of assessment data, and the elements of comprehensive systems. Topic: Standards, Assessments and Instructional Practices Examples of Questions: • Is there a relationship between teachers’ implementation of early learning standards and their skills at evaluating student learning in early childhood education? • What percent of the expected growth trajectories in reading, mathematics, social skills, and problem behaviors from preschool to grade 3 can be attributable to students’ ECE experiences?

11. ECEA Year 1 Work • Form a long-term research agenda identifying ways in which REL-NEI can support and expand current research efforts. • Conduct a descriptive study in which ECEA will examine how states, districts, and schools use kindergarten readiness assessments to inform educational decision-making. • Inventory data within district to gauge the feasibility of the growth trajectory study. • Participate in a Data Alignment Workshop series to begin the work of creating common data element definitions for assessments and instructional practices. • Prep for Year 2 survey design work on teacher perceptions of state standards and their own assessment and instructional practices

12. Urban School Improvement Alliance (USIA) • Katherine Theriault, SIG Coordinator, Portland, ME • Marco Andrade, Director of Research, Planning & Accountability, Providence, RI • Brandan Keaveny, Director of Accountability, Rochester, NY • David Perda, Chief Research & Accountability Officer, Worcester, MA • David Weinberger, Executive Director of Student Information, Assessment & Reporting, Yonkers, NY • Ethan Cancell, Associate Director of Assessment, Data Analysis, Research & Evaluation, Brockton, MA • Paul Schlichtman, Coordinator of Research, Testing & Assessment, Lowell, MA • Catherine McCaslin, Director of Research, Assessment & Student Information, New Haven, CT • Susan Yom, Director of Research, Assessment & Accountability, New Rochelle, NY

13. USIA Agenda Goal: Build capacity to use and access data to address questions around how to improve low-performing schools. Topics: • Low performing schools • Data use Examples of Questions: • What organizational, social, and instructional practices are associated with school performance on student outcomes? • How to create a culture of data use in districts?

14. USIA Year 1 Work • A workshop with a facilitated discussion on developing a coherent research agenda that will result in 3–5 year agenda. • The development of a process and materials to support individual member organizations’ work with external researchers. • The development of teacher and administrator surveys to capture the social, organizational, and instructional characteristics of schools. • An inventory of data across districts and a gap analysis to gauge the feasibility and structure of studies that address the alliance research agenda in future years.

15. Contact Us • REL-NEI Director: Jill Weber – jweber@edc.org • Director of Research: Julie Kochanek – jkochanek@ edc.org • REL Northeast and Islands Website relnei.org