The information shared here features recent state activities that highlight the ongoing work in states focused on extended learning opportunities and other initiatives designed to support student achievement and educational attainment.
Family and Community Involvement Standards
The Kentucky Commissioner’s Parents Advisory Council (CPAC) issued the report, The Missing Piece of the Proficiency Puzzle to the state’s department of education. The report provides recommendations for involving families and communities in improving student achievement. It lists and describes six objectives with performance descriptors, which were developed in the Kentucky Family and Community Involvement Guide to Student Achievement. Objectives include
- Relationship-building: The school staff builds productive, personal relationships with parents of all their students
- Communications: Two-way information in many forms flows regularly between school staff and parents about students’ academic achievement and individual needs
- Decision-making: School staff encourages, supports, and expects parent to be involved in school improvement decisions and to monitor and assist school improvement
- Advocacy: For each student, the school staff identifies and supports a parent or another adult who take personal responsibility for understanding and speaking for each child’s learning needs
- Learning Opportunities: School staff ensures that families have multiple learning opportunities to understand how to support their children’s learning
- Community Partnerships: The school staff engages and partners with community members to plan and implement substantive work to improve student achievement
This report is available at: http://www.education.ky.gov/NR/rdonlyres/45597738-F31B-4333-9BB9-34255F02BC6D/0/PACtheMissingPiecev2.pdf
Working Together: School-Family-Community Partnerships, A Toolkit for New Mexico Communities
The New Mexico Public Education Department provides this resource to its educators and education partners. This toolkit, developed by New Mexico Highlands University’s Center for the Education and Study of Diverse Populations, is designed to support the development of school, family, and community partnerships. It contains free downloads of teacher, family, and professional development tools.
For more information, please visit: http://www.ped.state.nm.us/div/rural_ed/toolkit/index.html
Texas School Ready!
Early childhood education programs focused on increasing children’s school readiness can now apply for state certification as Texas School Ready! Criteria for certification is based on the Texas Early Education Model, TEEM School Readiness, an evidenced-based classroom program focused on increasing children’s school readiness through research-based curriculum, technology-driven progress monitoring, and teacher professional development with mentoring.
For more information, please visit this website from the University of Texas Health Science Center’s Children’s Learning Institute: http://www.childrenslearninginstitute.org/our-programs/program-overview/TX-school-ready/default.html
Massachusetts Department of Education increases the number of Expanding Learning Time (ELT) schools
Funded by $13 million in the state’s FY 08 budget, up from $6.5 million in the FY07 budget, the Massachusetts Expanding Learning Time (ELT) initiative provides the resources districts need to redesign their school day and/or school year to offer students more time in class and teachers more time for professional development. Qualifying districts proposed a plan to expand the hours and/or days of operation in their schools by at least 25 percent or 300 hours for all students.
In the second year of offering the grant, the state has awarded ten new schools the ELT grant, expanding the number of redesigned schools to nineteen. The participating schools that will be offering longer school days during the 2007-2008 school year include seven elementary schools, six middle schools, five K-8 schools and one high school. Eight of the nine participating districts are urban districts.
For more information, please visit:
http://news.bostonherald.com/localRegional/view.bg?articleid=1012313
The Tennessee Department of Education’s Evaluation of Supplemental Educational Services
The Tennessee Department of Education has recently posted its evaluation report of SES provider impact during the 2005-06 school year on its website. Along with the report is an evaluation guide and PowerPoint presentation. The PowerPoint presentation highlights components of the evaluation and key findings from the work of districts, local school educators and providers.
To access these resources, please visit: http://www.state.tn.us/education/fedprog/fpses.shtml
The Colorado State Department of Education’s 21st Century Community Learning Center - Evaluation Website
This website allows 21st CCLC grantees direct access the state’s Monitoring and Quality Improvement Tool. This self-assessment/monitoring tool assists grantees in applying common indicators to assess, plan, design and implement strategies for continuous program improvement in these areas
- 21st CCLC Grant Management and Sustainability
- Program Management
- Staffing and Professional Development
- Partnerships
- Center Operations
- Programming/Activities
- Health and Safety
- Evaluation/Measuring Outcomes
The website contains a resource bank that is continuously being updated for grantees to support them in their work to improve programs. Direct access to the Profile and Performance Information Collection System (PPICS) and information on state specific guidelines, information, and progress reporting on the federal program are also available. To access this website, please visit: http://www.cde.state.co.us/cdecomp/21stCCLC/21stEval.htm
Pennsylvania Value-Added Assessment System (PVASS)
The Pennsylvania Department of Education adopted a statewide approach to measure student progress and the value of schools and districts add to students’ educational experiences. Through this website, users may view an introductory DVD and obtain a complete list of resources and training materials. http://www.pde.state.pa.us/a_and_t/cwp/view.asp?a=108&Q=108916&a_and_tNav=|6429|&a_and_tNav=|
Tennessee’s Academic Vocabulary List
The Tennessee Department of Education encourages Supplemental Education Service (SES) providers to utilize this website to help guide and implement their instruction. The website provides vocabulary terms important to student understanding in the areas of reading/language arts, math, science, and social studies for grades K-8. http://jc-schools.net/tutorials/vocab/TN.html
Interim Report on California’s 21st Century High School After School Safety and Enrichment for Teens (ASSETS) Program
This statewide effort began in 2002. The program awards five one-year grants to programs that provide opportunities to underachieving high school-aged youth in the state. This report evaluates the program’s initial years of implementation.
This report is available at: http://www.wested.org/cs/we/view/rs/821
Texas 21st Century Community Learning Centers program and Southwest Education Development Laboratory (SEDL) Collaboration
The Texas 21st Century Community Learning Centers program and SEDL collaborated to implement a required professional development opportunity to each of the 144 grantees in the state. Approximately three hundred participants, 2 from each of the 144 grantees in Cycles 1, 2, 3, and 4, are participating in this training. This summary outlines the professional development training content and its components.
This report is available at: http://www.ccsso.org/content/pdfs/Texas_21st_CCLC_and_Southwest_Educ_Develp_Lab.pdf
Kentucky Individual Learning Plan Online System – Power Point Simulation
This easy to use online system maintains individualized student information housed in Kentucky’s state wide database. It enables students to save school documents, i.e. essays, presentations, references and to input information that assists with career planning and resume building. Parents, teachers, administrators can access student data to view detailed information on student progress. Administrators may tailor reports and make available websites and tools specific to school needs. Four security levels ensure student data is protected.
http://www.ccsso.org/content/PDFs/KentuckyILPPresentation.ppt
The Massachusetts Department of Education’s 21st Century Community Learning Centers program - Promising Practices website
This website contains Massachusetts 21st Century Community Learning Centers promising practices. It provides descriptive information such as, program learning outcomes, costs, strategies, and ongoing improvements to help guide and improve organizations working to meet the academic and social-emotional needs of youth.
http://www.doe.mass.edu/asost/practices/