Summary of "Using Student Growth to Evaluate Educators of Students with Disabilities

Summary of
Author: Lynn Holdheide
Publisher:
Total Pages: 36
Release: 2012
Genre:
ISBN:
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With the current emphasis in educational policy on improving teacher effectiveness, states and school districts are quickly developing and implementing new models of teacher evaluation. However, few models address the unique challenges in accurately measuring achievement growth of students with disabilities (including those participating in general assessments or alternate assessments) and connecting that growth to teacher effects. To improve teacher practices and academic outcomes for students with disabilities, it is critical that we design evaluation systems that account for diverse teacher roles, student learning goals and trajectories, and assessment means (e.g., standardized, alternative, and formative). Unfortunately, little is known--in terms of research and practice--about whether student growth can be adequately measured for students with disabilities and appropriately attributed to teachers for the purpose of teacher evaluation. Therefore, it is crucial that the field come together to develop a strategic agenda that can be used to guide the development and/or the use of measures to assess student growth while also collecting research to validate state and school district efforts. In an effort to inform state and district practices, the National Comprehensive Center for Teacher Quality (TQ Center), the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO) Assessing Special Education Students State Collaborative on Assessment and Student Standards (ASES SCASS), and ETS collaboratively convened a two-day forum (September 26-27, 2011) for select stakeholders to discuss the challenges and help inform policy, practice, and research regarding the use of the growth of students with disabilities for measuring teacher effectiveness. The specific topics discussed included individual and school-level value-added models, student learning objectives (SLOs), classroom-based measures, and alternate assessments (descriptions are included later in the report). For each topic, this brief outlines the benefits, the challenges, state and district considerations, implementation implications, and needed research. Also included are the results of a survey conducted prior to the forum on state efforts and the available research. Appended are: (1) Participants; (2) Agenda; and (3) Available Research.

Inclusive Design

Inclusive Design
Author: Lynn Holdheide
Publisher:
Total Pages: 40
Release: 2013
Genre:
ISBN:
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This Special Issues Brief from the Center on Great Teachers and Leaders (GTL Center) offers recommendations for the design and implementation of educator evaluation systems that support the academic and social growth of students with disabilities. Teachers of students with disabilities work closely with specialized instructional support personnel to educate students with a range of needs across a wide variety of educational contexts. Because evaluative feedback on teacher performance is closely linked to student achievement, there is a critical need for states and districts to design evaluation models that can provide feedback specific to the diverse roles and responsibilities of personnel who work with students with disabilities. For states and districts grappling with the evaluation of personnel who support students with disabilities, this brief will help them do the following: (1) Contextualize the challenges of designing educator evaluation systems that recognize the unique roles, responsibilities, and instructional practices of personnel charged with supporting the academic and social growth of students with disabilities; (2) Implement eight key design considerations for educator evaluation systems that support teachers of students with disabilities through (a) measures of teaching practice and (b) measures of student growth. Each design consideration outlines potential action steps related to the state or district's implementation of the consideration; and (3) Connect theory to practice through seven case studies from states that are currently implementing featured design considerations. This brief is intended for district and state education agency policymakers and staff (including educator effectiveness leads), special education advocacy groups or professional organizations, and educator quality organizations. The considerations presented will be especially useful for stakeholder groups in the initial phases of designing an educator evaluation system or stakeholder groups in the process of revising or refining existing educator evaluation systems.

Learning disabilities screening and evaluation guide for low- and middle-income countries

Learning disabilities screening and evaluation guide for low- and middle-income countries
Author: Anne M. Hayes
Publisher: RTI Press
Total Pages: 50
Release: 2018-04-29
Genre: Education
ISBN:
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Learning disabilities are among the most common disabilities experienced in childhood and adulthood. Although identifying learning disabilities in a school setting is a complex process, it is particularly challenging in low- and middle-income countries that lack the appropriate resources, tools, and supports. This guide provides an introduction to learning disabilities and describes the processes and practices that are necessary for the identification process. It also describes a phased approach that countries can use to assess their current screening and evaluation services, as well as determine the steps needed to develop, strengthen, and build systems that support students with learning disabilities. This guide also provides intervention recommendations that teachers and school administrators can implement at each phase of system development. Although this guide primarily addresses learning disabilities, the practices, processes, and systems described may be also used to improve the identification of other disabilities commonly encountered in schools.

A Summary of Models and Standards-Based Applications for Grade-to-Grade Growth on Statewide Assessments and Implications for Students with Disabilities. Research Report. ETS RR-10-14

A Summary of Models and Standards-Based Applications for Grade-to-Grade Growth on Statewide Assessments and Implications for Students with Disabilities. Research Report. ETS RR-10-14
Author: Heather M. Buzick
Publisher:
Total Pages: 37
Release: 2010
Genre:
ISBN:
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Recently growth-based approaches to accountability have received considerable attention because they have the potential to reward schools and teachers for improving student performance over time by measuring the progress of students at all levels of the performance spectrum (including those who have not yet reached proficiency on state accountability assessments). While the use of growth in accountability holds promise for students with disabilities, measuring changes over time in their academic performance is complex. This paper summarizes models and approaches that use individual student test scores from multiple years for 3 different purposes: determination of adequate yearly progress under the federal accountability system, research on individual growth trajectories, and evaluation of the contribution of teachers and schools to student learning. Practical challenges in measuring and modeling growth for students with disabilities are then discussed. Finally, 3 areas in need of research on the measurement of growth from large-scale annual accountability assessments are identified and described: testing accommodations, test difficulty, and understanding the longitudinal characteristics of the population of students with disabilities. (Contains 4 tables, 1 figure and 4 notes.).

Developing and Selecting Assessments of Student Growth for Use in Teacher Evaluation Systems

Developing and Selecting Assessments of Student Growth for Use in Teacher Evaluation Systems
Author: Joan L. Herman
Publisher:
Total Pages: 8
Release: 2011
Genre:
ISBN:
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States and districts across the country are grappling with how to incorporate assessments of student learning into their teacher evaluation systems. Sophisticated statistical models have been proposed to estimate the relative value individual teachers add to their students' assessment performance (hence the term teacher "value-added" measures). The strengths and limitations of these statistical models, as well as the value-added measures they produce, have been widely debated. Little attention, however, has been devoted to the quality of the student assessments that these models use to estimate student growth, which is fundamental to the trustworthiness of any teacher value-added measure. Assessments that nominally address the subject or grade level that educators teach do not necessarily suffice for the purposes of measuring growth and calculating the value that teachers contribute to that growth. In fact, student growth scores require at least two assessments of student learning--one near the beginning of the school year or the end of the prior year and another at the end of the current school year. Carefully designed and validated assessments are needed to provide trustworthy evidence of teacher quality. Herein lies the purpose of this brief: to provide guidance to states and districts as they develop and/or select and refine assessments of student growth so that the assessments can well serve teacher evaluation purposes. This brief identifies an extensive set of propositions, claims, and evidence sources that are important to the validity argument and which justify the use of student growth assessments as part of teacher evaluation. (Contains 1 footnote, 1 figure, and 1 table.) [For the extended version of this document, "Guidance for Developing and Selecting Assessments of Student Growth for Use in Teacher Evaluation Systems (Extended Version)", see ED524088.].

Assessing Students with Special Needs to Produce Quality Outcomes

Assessing Students with Special Needs to Produce Quality Outcomes
Author: Carol A. Layton
Publisher: Prentice Hall
Total Pages: 260
Release: 2008
Genre: Education
ISBN:
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Assessing Students with Special Needs to Produce Quality Outcomes promotes outcome-based evaluation to guide the Multidisciplinary Team (MDT) in selecting appropriate Individualized Education Program (IEP) goals, classroom modifications and accommodations, as well as optimal instructional strategies. It advances the development of assessment-based IEPs to enable the MDT to pinpoint and address specific needs to improve student outcomes. Obtaining data from a variety of perspectives and settings improves the opportunity for identifying overall competencies and needs in preparation for higher functioning in all settings. Assessing Students with Special Needs to Produce Quality Outcomes presents an integrated look at a variety of assessment methods in an easy to read book. FEATURES: Recommends student-centered, strength-based assessment techniques by providing reality-based stories to aid the reader in understanding how the tools of formal, informal, and authentic assessment merge to provide a more complete understanding of the student. Provides special features for linking IEP development and daily instruction to highlight the fundamental relationship between assessment and the IEP. Emphasizes the growing role of technology in the assessment process as identified by IDEA 2004 to utilize assistive technology in evaluation and instruction. Includes innovative, research-based techniques not extensively explored in other assessment textbooks. Explains the impact of cultural diversity on assessment issues and provides specific recommendations for addressing nondiscriminatory, culturally-sensitive evaluation to prepare the reader to meet the needs of a diverse society. Proposes authentic strategies to increase parent, teacher and student participation in the IEP process as mandated by IDEA 2004.

A Straightforward Guide to Teacher Merit Pay

A Straightforward Guide to Teacher Merit Pay
Author: Gary W. Ritter
Publisher: Corwin Press
Total Pages: 137
Release: 2013-05-01
Genre: Education
ISBN: 1483307573
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Reward your best teachers for the great work they do! Is your school system considering teacher merit pay? Now is the time to know the potential pitfalls and learn from the experiences of other districts. Respected experts Ritter and Barnett provide a step-by-step approach to merit pay that draws on best practices from effective, successful programs. You’ll find: A user-friendly summary of existing merit pay programs and their strengths and weaknesses Six essential principles for designing a program that supports teacher professional development, schoolwide progress, and student achievement How-to’s and tools for every phase of program development, including collaborating with teachers to create balanced assessment tools

Large-scale Testing of Students With Disabilities

Large-scale Testing of Students With Disabilities
Author: Gerald Tindal
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 71
Release: 2018-12-07
Genre: Education
ISBN: 1135066566
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Large Scale Testing of Students With Disabilities addresses three issues: accommodations, modifications, and reporting of outcomes. The purpose is not to present an exhaustive summary of the research in these areas but to focus attention on how the issues are considered and empirically validated. The research summarized in this issue should serve as a model for state departments to consider in adoption of policy, either as findings upon which to inform policy or as a method to adopt in generating findings themselves. The studies reflect critical methodologies that are either experimental in design or use extant data sets as well as present a theoretical framework in how to interpret empirical results.

The RTI Approach to Evaluating Learning Disabilities

The RTI Approach to Evaluating Learning Disabilities
Author: Joseph F. Kovaleski
Publisher: Guilford Publications
Total Pages: 225
Release: 2013-08-15
Genre: Psychology
ISBN: 1462511546
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This book presents clear-cut procedures for using response to intervention (RTI) to determine a K-12 student's eligibility for special education under the designation of specific learning disabilities (SLD). Comprehensive guidelines are provided for gathering student data in the course of interventions and ruling out causes other than SLD for academic problems. Special features include case examples, tips for creating individualized education plans based on RTI data, and frequently asked questions. With a convenient large-size format and lay-flat binding, the book features useful reproducible tools. Purchasers also get access to a Web page where they can download and print the reproducible materials. This book is in The Guilford Practical Intervention in the Schools Series.

Is Value-Added Accurate for Teachers of Students with Disabilities?

Is Value-Added Accurate for Teachers of Students with Disabilities?
Author: Daniel F. McCaffrey
Publisher:
Total Pages: 12
Release: 2014
Genre:
ISBN:
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Under laws providing for equal access to quality education, most American students with disabilities are taught largely in general education classrooms. And along with all other students, they are included in standards-based reforms--policies that hold their schools and teachers accountable for what they do or do not learn. In more and more cases, policies require that a teacher be judged partly by his value-added--a measure of what he contributes to student learning as determined by student scores on standardized tests. States and districts, of course, want to make sure they have accurate measures of these contributions. But students with disabilities pose several challenges for calculating value-added. They tend to score low--often very low--on regular state assessments, and most receive accommodations, such as extra time. The result can be scores that are unreliable or not comparable to those of other students or across years. In other cases, students with disabilities have test scores that cannot be used to calculate value-added because they take alternative assessments. At the same time, many students with disabilities are taught by multiple teachers; they may be taught by two teachers in the same classroom or by different teachers in separate general and special education classrooms. Students with disabilities also often receive help from aides and special services. Disentangling the contribution of each teacher from these other factors may be difficult. In this brief, the authors discuss the challenges of using value-added to evaluate teachers of students with disabilities. They consider the limited empirical research on the potential for systematic errors in value-added for these teachers, either because the models do not adequately account for the likely achievement growth of their students, or because they do not account for teachers being more or less effective for students with disabilities than they are for other students. They also consider the comparability of value-added for special education teachers and the value-added for other teachers.