Education Commons^™

Making A Tough Choice: Teacher Target-Setting And Student Achievement In A Teacher Performance System Using Student Learning Objectives, Allison Atteberry, Sarah E. Lacour

Educational Policy Studies and Evaluation Faculty Publications

The use of student learning objectives (SLOs) as part of teacher performance systems has gained traction quickly in the United States, yet little is known about how teachers select specific students’ learning goals. When teachers are evaluated—and sometimes compensated—based on whether their students meet the very objectives the teachers set at the start of the year, there may be an incentive to set low targets. SLO systems rely on teachers’ willingness and ability to set appropriately ambitious SLOs. We describe teachers’ SLO target-setting behavior in one school-district. We document the accuracy/ambitiousness of targets and find that teachers regularly set targets …

Chart A Clear Course: Evaluation Is Key To Building Better, More Relevant Learning, Chase Nordengren, Thomas R. Guskey

Educational, School, and Counseling Psychology Faculty Publications

When we engage in professional learning, we do it for one big reason: to get better at supporting students. Rigorous and thoughtful program evaluations can provide the critical connection between well-designed programs or initiatives and continuous improvement that builds essential knowledge and skills for educators. Evaluation helps us examine what has been accomplished in a professional learning initiative and identify course corrections that can help the initiative improve.

Teacher Characteristics On Student Achievement: An Examination Of High Schools In Ohio, Angela H. Rockstroh

MPA/MPP/MPFM Capstone Projects

Teachers are the most important school-based factor in affecting student achievement levels. Knowing what teacher characteristics influence student achievement and whether or not schools in different locations have dissimilar student achievement levels will help administrators prioritize who to hire, retain, and assign to classes. The purpose of this paper is to answer two questions. The first question is whether teacher characteristics are related to student achievement; the second is whether there are differences in student achievement based on school location. A review of teacher quality, teacher incentives, teacher background, the ability of a school to attract teachers, and differences in …

The Effect Of The Appalachian Math And Science Partnership On Student Achievement, Betsy Evans

MPA/MPP/MPFM Capstone Projects

Students in the schools of Central Appalachia continuously score lower in mathematics and science at all K-12 levels than their state’s average scores. This education achievement gap is currently being addressed by the Appalachian Math and Science Partnership (AMSP). The AMSP is a professional development program whose goal is to increase the academic achievement of students in mathematics and science by enhancing the content knowledge and teaching skills of classroom teachers. There is a growing body of research that shows improving teacher knowledge and teaching skills is essential to raising student achievement.

The purpose of this study is to determine …

The Appalachian Rural Systemic Initiative: Improving Science And Mathematics Student Achievement In Economically Disadvantaged Rural Counties In Central Appalachia Through A School-Based, Teacher Partner Approach, Stephen A. Henderson, Wimberly C. Royster

Mathematics Faculty Publications

This article was written in response to "Top-Down, Routinized Reform in Low-income, Rural Schools: NSF's Appalachian Rural Systemic Initiative, by Robert Bickel, Terry Tomaskek, and Teresa Hardman Eagle which was published in the Education Policy Analysis Archives as Number 12 of Volume 8 on February 21, 2000.