MATHEMATICS AND SCIENCE PARTNERSHIP PROGRAM EVALUATION-Online Seminar Meeting

Featuring Dr. Jonathan Brendefur and Dr. Michelle Carney

Title: Selecting Valid and Reliable Instruments for Science and Mathematics Content Knowledge

Tuesday, June 18, 2013

12:00 – 1:30 p.m. (MDT)

To Register for Seminar

The seminar is being designed to strengthen MSP project evaluation by familiarizing MSP Project Directors and Evaluators with valid and reliable instruments for measuring science and mathematics content knowledge and processes for validating their own instruments.

MATHEMATICS AND SCIENCE PARTNERSHIP PROGRAM EVALUATION-Online Seminar Meeting

Featuring Researcher and Author Dr. Daniel Heck, Horizon Research, Inc. (HRI)

Title:   Evaluation Designs and Standards of Evidence

Tuesday, April 23, 2013

9:00 a.m. – 10:30 a.m. Mountain Time
10:00 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. Central Time

To view recorded webinar

webinar PowerPoint slides

Participants will participate in an interactive session designed to assist MSP projects with information on how to strengthen evaluation designs by attending to standards of evidence for empirical research (Heck and Minner, 2010). People can participate in the discussion using a chat function to ask and get answers to questions. This seminar, the first in a series of five to be held in 2013 for MSP project evaluation, will familiarize MSP project evaluators and directors with important considerations in the evaluation design process, including questions they can ask themselves in reviewing and revising their own MSP project evaluation design. The event will focus on recommendations from the Technical Report: Standards of Evidence for Empirical Research, Math and Science Partnership Knowledge Management and Dissemination (Heck and Minner, 2010), a seminal work on developing rigorous evaluations based on reflective questions and design considerations.

Click to download Technical Report: Standards of Evidence for Empirical Research, Math and Science Partnership Knowledge Management and Dissemination

A Guide for Reporting on Rigorous Evaluations for the US Department of Education Mathematics and Science Partnerships (MSP)

Research Alliance Information Flyer

A research alliance is a group of regional stakeholders who share a specific education concern. The stakeholders agree to work together to learn more about the concern to be able to make sound decisions to improve education outcomes.

College math, science, and engineering departments are partnering with high-need school districts across the Central Region. These Mathematics and Science Partnerships (MSPs) are designed to improve student achievement in math and science throughout the U.S. In our primarily rural, sparsely populated states, many teachers are isolated from their peers, and often can’t get the professional development they need. For these teachers, an MSP can be a lifeline. But in a time of shrinking education budgets, how can states and districts best design MSPs for low cost and maximum impact?

REL Central is forming a research alliance to improve math and science education, through:

Researching the impacts of current MSP partnerships

Investigating professional development models and practices to improve mathematics teaching and learning

Examining common tools and indicators to help schools and districts identify the best way to help their students in mathematics

Interested in this project, and want to know more? Contact us at relcentral@marzanoresearch.org.

REL Central has proposed a descriptive study for 2012 which is focused on examining ways in which mathematics and science partnerships (MSPs) support closing achievement gaps in mathematics in the REL Central region.   The initial study will examine the ways in which MSPs focused on mathematics are evaluating changes in teacher and student learning outcomes to identify ways to enhance the rigor of evaluation processes and measures.  Results from this study will be summarized in a report that will provide information to the region about implementation and evaluation of MSP projects and progress toward measuring their influence on closing achievement gaps.

MSP Research Alliance – Research Questions Which professional development models and approaches are used in MSP mathematics projects in the Central Region? What types of evaluation designs, measures, and analysis methods have been used to evaluate MSP mathematics projects in the Central Region? To what extent are evaluation activities aligned with project goals and outcomes? Which evaluation tools and approaches are used effectively in MSP mathematics projects and how can they be applied across MSP mathematics projects in the Central Region?

Resources

• Technical Report: Standards of Evidence for Empirical Research, Math and Science Partnership Knowledge Management and Dissemination
• Middle school mathematics professional development impact study: Findings after the second year of implementation
• Mathematics and Science Partnerships Program Highlights, Analytic and Technical Support for Mathematics and Science Partnerships
• Improving mathematical problem solving in grades 4 through 8: A practice guide
• Classroom Assessment for Student Learning: The impact on elementary school mathematics in the Central Region.
• CCSSR: A New Model for the Role of Research in Supporting Urban School Reform
• Assisting students struggling with mathematics: Response to Intervention (RtI) for elementary and middle schools

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Research Alliance Information Flyer
REL Central Contact
John T. Sutton, Ph.D.
Senior Research Associate
sutton@rmcdenver.com
1-800-922-3636