This guide is designed to help teachers and administrators use data to continuously improve equity in schools. Educators can also use data to engage students, parents/guardians, the community, and others who want to make positive changes in schools to increase equity. The purposes of the guide are to: (1) Introduce MAEC's Equity Audit Tools as a…

This guide for district and school leaders shows how to recognize opportunities to embed randomized controlled trials (RCTs) into planned policies or programs. Opportunistic RCTs can generate strong evidence for informing education decisions--with minimal added cost and disruption. The guide also outlines the key steps to conduct RCTs and responds…

This policy report provides a guide and framework to early childhood policymakers considering formative assessment. The report defines formative assessment and outlines its process and application in the context of early childhood. The substance of this document is the issues for consideration in the implementation of the formative assessment…

The purpose of this document is to support States in writing the narrative for Phase I of the State Systemic Improvement Plan (SSIP). It provides an outline for States to use in organizing their narrative content to ensure that all required components are addressed. The outline includes considerations on information States might include in their…

Homelessness is a serious and growing issue. Evaluations of systemic-level changes are needed to determine progress in reducing or ending homelessness. The report card methodology is one means of systems-level assessment. Rather than solely establishing an enumeration, homelessness report cards can capture pertinent information about structural…

"Data Wise: A Step-by-Step Guide to Using Assessment Results to Improve Teaching and Learning" presents a clear and carefully tested blueprint for school leaders. It shows how examining test scores and other classroom data can become a catalyst for important schoolwide conversations that will enhance schools' abilities to capture…

This "What Works Clearinghouse Procedures and Standards Handbook (Version 3.0)" provides a detailed description of the standards and procedures of the What Works Clearinghouse (WWC). The remaining chapters of this Handbook are organized to take the reader through the basic steps that the WWC uses to develop a review protocol, identify…

This worksheet from the National Dropout Prevention Center for Students with Disabilities (NDPC-SD) is an optional tool to help schools organize multiple years of student and program data for the purpose of identifying school-completion needs that can be addressed through the implementation of research-based interventions. It is designed for use…

"Building Institutional Capacity for Data-Informed Decision Making" is the third installment of the Cutting Edge series, which aims to help colleges engage faculty, scale successful interventions, and create a strong culture of evidence through use of data to strengthen their institutional change and student success efforts. Though the…

A module is presented which instructs the reader in the following activities: (1) identification of a researchable problem, (2) preparation of a research proposal, (3) selection of appropriate research tools and methods, (4) identification of different kinds of variables in research, (5) preparation of a research report, (6) drawing of conclusions…

This manual is a beginning guide to program evaluation. Designed for program evaluators who have little or no previous experience in manipulating data, this guide is designed to demonstrate how to evaluate different aspects of a vocational rehabilitation program--and use those findings for program improvement. The use of averages, percentages, and…

An outcome of a study of adult basic education programs initiated three years ago by the Columbia University Center of Adult Education, the evaluation guide with its step-by-step instructions can be used for both formative and summative evaluations of adult basic education programs. Background research involved in this publication included direct…

Methodology for input evaluation, as defined by Daniel L. Stufflebeam, is relatively nonexistent. Advocate teams have recently become a popular means of generating and assessing alternative strategies for a set of objectives. This study was undertaken to develop and evaluate methodology for advocate team use in input evaluation. Steps taken…

Describes a process for evaluating career education activities. Discusses the selection of the evaluation sample, selection and development of instruments, data reduction and analysis, comparison standards, and preparation of an evaluation handbook. (JOW)

The needs assessment process is broken down into nine steps: (1) identifying community leaders; (2) defining assessment terms; (3) developing areas of concern; (4) conducting the assessment; (5) data analysis; (6) prioritizing; (7) analysis of probable success in meeting needs; (8) planning the program; and (9) evaluation. Surveys are discussed,…