Education Commons^™

Preliminary Implementation Of Maine's Proficiency-Based Diploma Program, David L. Silvernail, Erika K. Stump Phd, Angela Atkinson Duina, Lori Moran Gunn

Proficiency-Based Education

The Joint Standing Committee on Education and Cultural Affairs of the Maine Legislature requested that the Maine Education Policy Research Institute (MEPRI) undertake a study designed to compile data on the preliminary development, costs, and impacts of standards-based school programs and to report back to the committee in 2013 on the progress Maine schools and school districts were making in transitioning to the new education system. To that end, MEPRI researchers and analysts have conducted a study of a select sample of Maine schools and school districts.

Spring 2013 Teacher Survey: Mepri/Mlti Middle And High School Technology Report, Caroline A. Pinkham, Amy F. Johnson Phd

Education Technology

In the spring of 2013, the Maine Education Policy Research Institute (MEPRI) at the University of Southern Maine administered the annual Statewide Maine Learning Technology Initiative (MLTI) teacher survey. In addition to gathering data on continuing trends of Maine teachers’ technology implementation, new goals were identified to respond to the Maine Department of Education (MDOE) preferred solution initiative in the spring of 2013. The MDOE opted to select a preferred solution which allowed schools the autonomy to choose from among four other approved bids. In anticipation that a number of schools would choose to provide an alternative technology solution to …

The Maine Schools Study: Phase Ii Report On Improving Maine Schools Preliminary Analysis Of Maine High Schools, David L. Silvernail Phd, Erika K. Stump Phd

School Improvement

At the request of the state legislature, the Maine Education Policy Research Institute (MEPRI) at University of Southern Maine (USM) has been conducting a study of public schools that have been identified as: (1) more efficient; and (2) improving. Over the past two years, MEPRI has developed a set of metrics for identifying schools whose students are beating the odds by performing significantly better on state assessments than is predicted from student and community characteristics, and to use this same metric to identifying improving schools, school that have a record of improvement. The goal of the two-phase study has been …

More Efficient Public Schools In Maine: Learning Communities Building The Foundation Of Intellectual Work, David L. Silvernail Phd, Erika K. Stump Phd, Richard E. Barnes, Kenneth E. Kunin, Sarah E. Wintle

School Improvement

This report describes the methodology used to identify Maine schools that were outperforming expectations and reports the results from conducting case studies of a representative sample of these and other Maine schools. Through these case studies, we were able to uncover what the schools were doing that set them apart from other schools and what other schools may wish to emulate as they work to build the foundation for improvement within their own schools.

The 2011-2012 Review Of Selected Components In The Essential Programs And Services Funding Formula, David L. Silvernail Phd, James E. Sloan, Amanda Bailey

School Funding - Essential Programs and Services (EPS)

No abstract provided.

Early Observations Of High School Deployment Of One-To-One Technology: A Qualitative Look At One-To-One Computing In Maine High Schools, Leanne C. Walker, Amy F. Johnson Phd, David L. Silvernail Phd

Education Technology

This research compared the experiences of one-to-one deployment of a small group of MLTI high schools with those of a small group of netbook high schools in the following areas:

General observations: What have been the benefits and challenges of launching a 1:1 program in high school? Has the type of device affected the experiences of schools (netbooks vs. MLTI MacBooks)?

Usage of 1:1 Devices: How do the experiences of the students and teachers compare in the two different programs? Are the less expensive netbook devices adequate for use in the classroom? Does the level of technology integration vary by …

More Efficient High Schools In Maine: Emerging Student‐Centered Learning Communities, David L. Silvernail Phd, Erika K. Stump Phd, Richard E. Barnes, Kenneth E. Kunin, Sarah E. Wintle

School Improvement

The Center for Education Policy, Applied Research, and Evaluation at the University of Southern Maine conducted a study in 2010-2011 of a sample of Maine high schools. Funded in part by the Nellie Mae Education Foundation, the study examined the degree to which these More Efficient high schools were also student-centered.

This report describes the methodology used to identify Maine schools that were outperforming expectations and reports the results from conducting case studies of a representative sample of these and other Maine schools. Through these case studies, we were able to uncover what the schools were doing that set them …

Increasing Maine’S High School Graduation Rate: Necessary But Not Sufficient, David L. Silvernail Phd, Leanne C. Walker, Ida A. Batista

Higher Education and College Readiness

This study was designed to determine how many Maine 9th graders graduate in four years proficient in reading and mathematics. Unfortunately the evidence reveals that the chances are not great. While more than eight of 10 Maine students graduate from high school in four years, only one in three graduates ready for work or college.

A Middle School One-To-One Laptop Program: The Maine Experience, David L. Silvernail Phd, Caroline A. Pinkham, Sarah E. Wintle, Leanne C. Walker, Courtney L. Bartlett

Education Technology

Over eight years ago, Maine embarked on a bold new initiative. Entitled the Maine Learning Technology Initiative (MLTI), this program funded by the State of Maine, provided all 7th and 8th grade students and their teachers with laptop computers, and provided schools and teachers with a wireless internet infrastructure, technical assistance, and professional development for integrating laptop technology into their curriculum and instruction.

The first full implementation of MLTI began in the Fall of the 2002-03 academic year. At the same time the Maine commissioner of education contracted with the Maine Education Policy Research Institute (MEPRI) to conduct the ongoing …

Analysis Of The Essential Programs And Services Systemwide Cost Components: System Administration Operations And Maintenance, David L. Silvernail Phd, James E. Sloan, Amanda Bailey

School Funding - Essential Programs and Services (EPS)

In the original work of the EPS task force, the members concluded that the actual expenditures for these two systemwide EPS components were adequate. Thus, they set the cost of the two components to be actual expenditures. Accordingly, expenditures for these two components have been inflated each year using a CPI, and these cost figures have been used in establishing yearly EPS allocations.

As required by the statute, the System Administration and Operations and Maintenance EPS components were reviewed and updated in 2007-08. But these cost figures were revised as part of the school district reorganization law. The system administration …

Essential Programs And Services Review: The Special Education Funding Model, Walter J. Harris Phd, Ida A. Batista

School Funding - Essential Programs and Services (EPS)

The purpose of this document is to review the special education funding component of the Essential Programs and Services funding model. This component was first implemented in 2005 -2006 and first reviewed in 2007-08. In order to establish a context for this second review, the sections below include an overview of special education and funding in the U.S. and in Maine.

Analysis Of The Essential Programs And Services Limited English Proficiency (Lep) Cost Component, David L. Silvernail Phd, Ida A. Batista

School Funding - Essential Programs and Services (EPS)

The first scheduled review of the LEP component was conducted in 2007-08, with an additional review conducted in 2008-09, as requested by the Joint Standing Committee on Education and Cultural Services. This report describes the results of the regularly scheduled 2010-11 review.

Analysis Of The Essential Programs And Services Disadvantaged Youth Cost Component, David L. Silvernail Phd, James E. Sloan

School Funding - Essential Programs and Services (EPS)

Prior to implementation of EPS, Maine’s funding formula had little in terms of prescribed levels of adjustment to insure vertical equity. But beginning in 2005-06, three vertical equity adjustments were put into place (special needs, LEP, and Disadvantaged Youth), and provisions were included in the law for three year reviews of these adjustments. The Disadvantaged Youth adjustment was first reviewed in Fall 2008. This report describes the results from the second regularly scheduled review in 2010-2011.

The History And Developments Of Maine’S Essential Programs And Services Program, David L. Silvernail Phd

School Funding - Essential Programs and Services (EPS)

The goal of this report is to describe the history, development and current status of one of the key components of Maine’s school funding formula; that is, the Essential Programs and Services cost determination portion of the formula. This report describes the history and the development of the EPS cost determination portion of the formula, and describes how the costs are currently calculated. Descriptions of the second and third major changes in the school funding formula appear in separate materials which are being developed by the Maine Department of Education.

Authentic Assessment In Infant And Toddler Care Settings: Review Of Recent Research, Allyson Dean, Brenda Zollitsch Phd

Children, Youth, & Families

Authentic assessment provides an alternative approach to gathering child performance information and designing developmentally-appropriate curriculum for infants and toddlers. Conventional tests and assessment have been shown to lead to the mismeasurement of children through the use of norm-referenced testing practices (Bagnato, 2007). Additionally, many of these traditional testing practices have not been developed or validated for infants or toddlers and result in biased samples of a child’s functioning (i.e. results that differ from how a child actually behaves.) This policy brief describes what authentic assessment is, the role observation plays in authentic assessment, how information from observations is used to …

Adequacy-Based Funding For Small, Isolated Schools: An Approach For Maine, Debra M. Allen, James E. Sloan

School Funding - Essential Programs and Services (EPS)

No abstract provided.

The Relationship Between Maine School Administrative Unit Size, Costs, And Outcomes, David L. Silvernail Phd, James E. Sloan

School Funding - Essential Programs and Services (EPS)

No abstract provided.

The Maine Learning Technology Initiative: Teacher, Student, And School Perspectives, Mid-Year Evaluation Report, David L. Silvernail Phd, Walter J. Harris Phd, Dawn M.M. Lane, Janet C. Fairman Phd, Paula B. Gravelle, Lori Smith, Katherine I. Sargent, Walter Mcintire

Education Technology

This report presents some early evaluation evidence on the effectiveness and impact of the implementation of the Maine Learning Technology Initiative (MLTI). The goal of the Year One evaluation, which is being conducted by the Maine Education Policy Research Institute (MEPRI), is to provide policymakers and practitioners with information that will assist them in determining whether or not, and to what degree, the vision and goals of the MLTI are being achieved. The Year One design is focusing primarily on the students who entered seventh grade in September 2002, and their teachers and schools.

The MEPRI evaluation team has focused …

Essential Programs And Services: Equity And Adequacy In Funding To Improve Learning For All Children, Maine State Board Of Education

School Funding - Essential Programs and Services (EPS)

This report has been prepared at the request of the Maine State Legislature. It is an attempt to define and quantify the resources that are necessary for each child in Maine to meet the standards set by the Learning Results. The recommendations provide an adequate and equitable amount of resources. The committee has defined "essential programs" to be the eight content areas of the Learning Results. The essential services are all those resources that would be required for each child to meet the standards.

The services deemed necessary for all students to achieve the Learning Results standards are categorized as …

Financial Characteristics Of High And Low Performing Schools In A Predominantly Rural State, David L. Silvernail Phd

School Funding - Essential Programs and Services (EPS)

Do high performing schools use resources differently than low performing schools? What are the connections between K-12 school funding and academic performance? Today several states (e.g., Illinois, Minnesota, New Jersey, Ohio, Oregon, etc.) are exploring answers to these questions as they attempt to fund schools adequately and in more efficient ways. The research literature from early production function studies (e.g., Brown & Saks, 1975; Hanushak, 1979, 1989; Harnisch, 1987) provides some partial answers, but some of the most recent studies have unearthed some conflicting results (e.g., Baum, 1986; Hedges, Laine, & Greenwald, 1994; Monk, 1994; Wenglinsky, 1997). In addition, few …