SEC & State/District Initiatives What are key questions for linking SEC to State initiatives & state-district partnerships In this portion of the presentation I will focus on the various ways in which states, districts and schools can utilize SEC data. Presented by John Smithson, WCER, University of Wisconsin-Madison

SEC & State/District Initiatives Content Analyses Alignment Analyses Meta-Evaluation of state-funded programs Focused Program Evaluation District/School Improvement Efforts/Effects Professional Development opportunities Support data-informed decision-making Inform curriculum delivery practices Support professional learning communities Teacher reflection and team dialogue There a many different ways in which states can make use of SEC data, the most common of which are listed here. The slides to follow provide some examples of these uses listed above.

Content Analyses: Instructional Targets The simplest way for a state to make use of SEC data is to conduct content analyses of state content standards, assessments, or both. This makes available to teachers a ‘target map’ of curriculum related content emphasized in the relevant document, providing teachers an easy to use graphical summary descriptions of content emphasized in key state documents. These content descriptions can be reported at both coarse grain (pictured) and fine grain (content area specific) levels of detail.

Alignment Analyses: Relationships Standards-based Alignment Relationships Intersection of what is taught with what is tested. Assessment Instruction Taught, tested, and in the standards Intersection of what is taught with what is in the standards Alignment analyses provide states with information about the relationship between key components of the standards-based system. SEC is the only data tool currently available that provides descriptive information about the relationship between each of the three components central to the standards-based approach. Standards Intersection of what is taught with what is in standards.

Alignment Analyses: Diagnostics The best know type of alignment analyses is that related to the relationship of state standardized assessments to state content standards. SEC alignment analysis procedures yield detailed information about standards and assessment alignment, that helps states examine both the strengths and weaknesses of their standards/assessment alignment results, to inform efforts to improve the alignment between assessments and standards, and/or to meet NCLB requirements for independent peer review of standards/assessment alignment. With many states now considering revision of either standards and assessments (or both), SEC data can provide valuable information to inform the revision process.

Evaluating Program Effects Using alignment as an outcome measure Alignment Index: Instruction to Standards Rx Group 0.23 Control Group 0.18 The SEC can also provide states a powerful tool for looking across state programs, providing a common metric for examining program effects across multiple programs and projects being implemented in the state. One key question that SEC helps to answer: Did teacher participation in this program appear to increase instructional alignment to state content standards, and if so, was this effect above and beyond the effects noted by other state programs. Time Time 0 Time N (Measuring change in alignment over time)

Professional Collegiality Instructional Strategies PD Experiences SEC Summary Measures Alignment Indices Content Marginals PD Characteristics Standards Influence Professional Collegiality Instructional Strategies PD Experiences Teacher Characteristics Similarly, states can examine program effects on a variety of measures available from SEC data. This can be done program by program, or where states have required SEC as part of program funding requirements, across many different programs being funded by the state.

District/School Improvement Not an Add-on: Measuring Effects Collect Baseline Information Inform Curriculum Decisions Track Change Over Time At the district and building level SEC can help administrators determine if local initiatives are having the desired impact on instruction and/or content coverage. SEC data also provides a snap-shot of “where we are now” as well as a means to track change over time.

Professional Development Opportunities Teacher Reflection Teacher Dialogue Perhaps the most (potentially) powerful impact of SEC data, is the opportunity it provides teachers to reflect on their own practice, engage in dialogue with their colleagues about curriculum issues, and provide data to inform curriculum decisions, whether made individually or as part of a professional learning community. Professional Learning Communities