Educational Expansions ( EE ) Research Projects

1. Educational Expansions (EE )Research Projects Teachers for a New Era

2. Overview Teacher Education Program CT-Specific Considerations ERGs/DERGs SSPs CMT-4 (including what is new this year) Educational Expansions Purpose The Team Rationale Research Question, Design, Variable, Instrumentation Our Districts and Codebook Influence on Vertical Scale (and updates in assessment program) Data Cleansing – Demographic N’s and %’s

3. Our Teacher Education Program Integrated Bachelors/Masters (IB/M) Program Entering students in the Junior year Exiting with a Masters Special feature - Students participate in 1,200 hours in Clinics, Student Teaching, and Internship Teacher Certification Program for College Graduates (TCPCG) Program Masters level students Training for Secondary Education Special feature - Shortages areas (Mathematics, Science, Special Education) is a focus

4. CT: ERGs/DRGs Groups of districts with similar background characteristics. To assist in reporting and analyzing school district data. 9 groups at the district level.SES: median family income, % of parents with a college degree/ holding jobs in selected occupations Need: % of children living in families with a single parent, the % of receive free or reduced-price meals, % speak a language other than English at home Enrollment a minor factor in the analysis.

5. CT: Strategic School Profiles • Community Data • DRG • Student Enrollment • Grade Range • Indicator of Educational Need • School District Diversity • Student Performance • Resources and Expenditures • Special Education • Improvement Plans and Activities

6. The Connecticut Mastery Test • Mathematics • Reading Reading Comprehension Degrees of Reading Power (DRP) • Writing Direct Assessment of Writing Editing and Revising • Science

7. Assessment Options for Students with Disabilities Skills Checklist CMT MAS

8. Assessment Options for Students with Disabilities CMT SKILLS CHECKLIST Alternate assessment based on alternate achievement standards Skills Checklist 1% Alternate assessment based on Modified Assessment System. CMT MAS CMT MAS 2%

9. Educational Expansions Purpose Examine the patterns of Connecticut’s grade 3-8 pupils of graduates of our Teaching Education Program as part of our Neag Assessment Plan through our Teachers for a New Era project.

10. TNE Design Designed to improve teacher quality by reforming outstanding teacher preparation programs • Emphasize to preservice teachers by demonstrating student achievement through evidence. • Integrate faculty from the liberal arts and sciences, enriching general and subject matter knowledge. • Support extended to beginning teachers from their universities.

11. Educational Expansions Reason for Importance The study is designed to provide evidence on the value of teacher preparation in promoting pupil learning and relates to all tenants of the TNE initiative. Research questions addressed by EE are important for TNE, teacher education programs, and local and state policy makers.

12. Who is on the EE Research Team? Assessment Committee Leadership Committee

13. Educational Expansions Overarching Research Question To what degree are there significant differences for pupil learning gains in the classrooms instructed by Neag prepared teachers in comparison to those in classrooms instructed by non-Neag prepared teachers on the Connecticut Mastery Test – 4th Generation (CMT-4) in reading, mathematics and writing (and science) from grades 3-8?

14. Educational Expansions Research Design Longitudinal research design incorporating CMT-4 from Spring 2006, 2007, 2008 (and 2009) following both teachers AND pupils Starting in 2009-2010, we will have a statewide database warehouse to use

15. Educational Expansions Variables Independent variable: Group membership (Neag vs. Non-Neag trained teachers) Dependent variables: Connecticut Mastery Test – 4th Generation (CMT-4) pupil scores (i.e., reading, mathematics, writing; and science as available); operationalized as the vertical scale in the respective subject areas and the classification group (e.g., basic, proficiency, goal) so we have interval and ordinal examinations of the data Various pupil moderator variables

16. Educational Expansions Instrumentation Since 1994, the CMT has been administrated throughout Connecticut’s public schools. With the passage of No Child Left Behind Act of 2001, the CMT-4 was expanded to incorporated grades 3-8 and was implemented for the first time in the spring for the 2005-2006 year. In February 2007, the Connecticut Mastery Test Technical Report was produced. This 118-page document summarizes item development, reliability, validity, efforts to reduce bias, and special needs (e.g., special education and English Language Learners). In January of 2008/2009, the CSDE released information on value added scales which is now under study.

17. Our Districts Participating in Educational Expansions Pete DRG I Barb DRG H Pat DRG B Ron DRG I Walt DRG H Faith DRG C Mike DRG B Total Records: Approximately 110,000 Currently: 75,397

18. Educational Expansions Codebook Variables • Student ID • Teacher Info • Student Gender • Student Race/Ethnicity • Free/Reduced Lunch • ELL • Special Ed. • Date of Birth • Year of Birth • Month of Birth • District ID • School ID • Grade Level • Math Raw Score • Math Strand • Math Scale Score • Math Level • DRP Score • Reading Comprehension (RC) Raw Score • RC Strand • RC Mastery • Reading Scale Score • Reading Level • Writing DAW Raw Score • Writing ER Raw Score • Writing Strand • Writing Mastery • Writing Scale Score • Writing Level • Science Total • Science Strand • Science: Content • Science: Inquiry • Science Scale Score • Value Added Reading Score • Value Added Math Score • Days in Attendance • Days in Absence • Enrollment Dates • Hours in Special Ed. • Type of Special Ed. Placement • Walt’s Vertical Scale: Reading • Walt’s Vertical Scale: Math • Faith’s Cognat • Faith’s Physical Fitness

19. Assessment Programs:Vertical Scales • The purpose of vertical scales • How the scales were developed • Description of the vertical scales • How the scales can be used at the district and state levels • Trend results: 2006-2007 • Assumption that learning is continuous • Developers to create a scale score over several grades

20. CMT Vertical Scale Descriptors:Mathematics

21. Average CMT Mathematics Achievement Growth: 2006-2007

22. CMT Vertical Scale Descriptors:Reading

23. Average CMT Reading Achievement Growth: 2006-2007

24. Educational Expansions (EE )Research Projects Teachers for a New Era