As California approaches a new system of academic standards, instruction, and assessment, it enters familiar territory. The use of multiple modes of assessment, tight alignment between assessments and expectations for student learning, and a focus on assessment for formative (as well as summative) purposes—all with an emphasis on students’ understanding ...
This research and policy brief was developed to help states consider options for assessing student learning growth for the majority of teachers who teach content not assessed through standardized tests. It provides information about options for states to explore as well as factors to consider when identifying and implementing measures. ...
The ability to read and understand basic texts is vital in modern society. A National Center for Education Statistics Data Point shows that one in five adults in the United States have low English literacy skills, meaning that they would have difficulty understanding, evaluating, using, or engaging with written texts. ...
In this Q&A, AIR's Bitnara Jasmine Park, Abigail Foley, and Rebecca Bates discuss the findings of the 2018 NAEP Oral Reading Fluency Study, which were released this year. They offer their insights into how policymakers, education leaders, and teacher preparation and professional learning programs can use the findings to strengthen ...
As the COVID-19 pandemic has challenged teachers to shift instruction to distance learning platforms, it also has exposed the need for professional learning opportunities to help teachers adapt to this “new normal.” Lynn Holdheide answered a few questions about how districts and schools can turn this crisis into an opportunity ...
This spotlight takes a look at the history of Title I, how the program has changed over time, and how it affects children, schools, families and education policy. Experts weigh in on the program's past and future in interviews, briefs, and blogs.
Lynn Holdheide, managing technical assistance consultant at AIR, and senior advisor and former director for the Center on Great Teachers and Leaders, explains how teacher preparation programs are responding to the coronavirus pandemic. She also shares some innovative ways that school districts and programs are preparing teachers during uncertain times. ...
Although teachers understand the critical importance of social-emotional learning for their students’ overall development, few educator evaluation systems explicitly address that type of learning. This brief identifies the instructional practices that promote student social-emotional learning, which in turn are critical for student academic learning; and showcases how three popular teacher ...
Student learning measures have rapidly become common in teacher evaluation systems across the United States. This report provides an overview of key findings from the nearly 20 studies of SLO measures that have been conducted to date, along with considerations for future research and for practice.
This Special Issues Brief, and related materials, from the Center on Great Teachers and Leaders aims to help state and regional staff engage districts to create coherence between the Common Core State Standards, teacher evaluation, and professional learning. The process of making meaning builds an understanding of the reforms and ...