Discovering WHAT WORKS and Why Decide What Your Students Need and Look for Curricula with Focusa Proven Ontrack Record EVALUATION RESEARCH

A publication of WestEd / WINTER 2001

Discovering WHAT WORKS And Why Decide What Your Students Need and Look for Curricula With focusa Proven onTrack Record EVALUATION RESEARCH

With a myriad of daily responsibilities and so many curriculum programs “The first step for districts is to choose from, it is no wonder that principals and their instructional staff to say, ‘We want data.’ If struggle to identify the best programs to meet their students’ needs. But with stakes high, selecting the best possible program is today more important than enough districts were to ask ever. The key, says WestEd Evaluation Research Director Naida Tushnet, is for such information, the deciding what your students need and finding a program that fits. publishers would include it “How can an administrator know that a Tushnet and her staff recently completed textbook or program will meet his or her a four-year evaluation of the National or be forced to admit they criteria? Ask the program’s developer or Science Foundation’s (NSF’s) Instruc- publisher for impact data — information tional Materials Development (IMD) don’t have it.” that shows what students learned from Program, closely examining the develop- Naida Tushnet, the materials,” says Tushnet. Given each ment, dissemination, adoption, imple- WestEd Evaluation Research Director school’s priority to ensure that all its stu- mentation, and impact of 30 selected dents are learning, it is essential that products — mathematics and science schools and districts evaluate their stu- textbooks for elementary, middle, and dents’ progress, she adds. The most ef- high school students, and some supple- fective route is to incorporate evaluations mentary materials. In this study, evalua- into the district’s work. tors learned that many schools do not Improving education through research, ( continued on page 6 ) development, and service Page 2 E also committedtoworkingwith community-based Similarly, WestEd’s Evaluation Research program is improvement ofinstructionandlearning. tomakehow themostinformedchoicesfor are tomeetthoseneeds,andthendeciding available what theirstudentsneed,examining whatprograms Our workincludesassistingdistrictsasthey assess and thendeveloping steps toactonthatknowledge. gather andreportdataaboutstudentoutcomes— At WestEd, weare committedtohelpingschools understanding whichapproachesworkbest. Solid evaluation oftheavailable optionsiscriticalto — inapproach,curricula,textbooks, andpedagogy. students learnarefacedwithsomanyalternatives importantly, why. Educatorscharged withhelping It isourobligationtoknowwhatworks and,as materials weusetoteach. to makethewrong choiceswhenselecting the students shouldsucceedandthrive, wecannotafford desired result—whenstudentsdon’tlearn.Because We allsufferwhenclassroomeffortsdon’thave the W of R&D Alert elcome totheWinter2001 issue valuation forLearning FROM THECEO: . WestEd.org and allocationofresources. change theircurriculum,instruction,assessment, state’s Comprehensive AssessmentSystemresults to Massachusetts schoolsanddistrictsareusingtheir taken by Learning Innovations atWestEd —how Another articleexamines evaluation work under- learning. and development-based programs impactstudent instructional materialsandhow proven, research decision-makers shouldlookforwhenchoosing Program, theleadarticlediscusseswhateducation Foundation’s InstructionalMaterialsDevelopment recent examination oftheNationalScience Drawing from our Evaluation Research program’s could beimproved. do, whetheritwas implementedproperly, andhow it whether aprogramisdoingwhatitwas intendedto organizations, andotheragenciesunderstand commitment tohelpingschools,districts,community from thoseefforts.At thecore ofthiswork isa work inevaluation andsomeofthelessonslearned In thefollowing pages,we highlightouragency’s Partnership Program. now informingourstudyoftheCaliforniaAcademic tant findingsaboutwhatworks—thatare Partnerships Program, forexample, yieldedimpor- evaluation ofthefederally fundedEducational between educationandsocialserviceagencies.Our programs andorganizations,withpartnerships this issueof We hopeyouwillfindtheapproaches describedin out ofthatrelationship. when hiringanevaluator, andhow tomake themost curriculum programs effectively, whattolookfor tools andstandardsthatcanbeusedtoevaluate R&DAlert Chief Executive Officer, Glen H.Harvey helpfulinyour ownwork.

Other articleshighlight WestEd students arelearning.” using thedatatoidentifygaps inwhattheir people across theboard, includingteachers, this kindofdata,”shesays. “Now we see like theassistantsuperintendentwholooked at time. “Inthepast,itusuallywas justsomebody were usingthetestresults, someforthefirst Abeille foundthatawiderange ofeducators say theresearch says yes.” constructively usingthedata?We’re pleasedto impact oneducationchanges?Were teachers that assumption.Was thetestinghaving an upon LearningInnovations atWestEd totest Forum onStandards-Based Reform. “We called and Executive Director ofHarvard’s Pew proven,” saysPaul Reville, MERRC Chairman have adiagnosticvalue, butitneededtobe “There was anassumptionthatMCAS would tion Associate, conductedthestudy. evaluation program, andNancy Hurley, Evalua- directs LearningInnovations’ research and resources. WestEd staffAnnAbeille, who instruction, assessment,andallocationof are usingMCAS results tochangecurriculum, (MERRC) todojustthat:findouthow schools setts EducationReform Review Commission Innovations atWestEd, hiredby theMassachu- supporters andcriticsalike. EnterLearning are andcanbeusedhasbecomevitaltoMCAS versy oropposition.Knowinghow testresults Such tests,ofcourse, are notwithoutcontro- graders —theclassof2003. requirement beginningwiththisyear’s 10th System (MCAS) testswillbeagraduation Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment for 4th,8th,and10th graders. Passing the 1990s launchedahigh-stakes state, theMassachusettslegislature intheearly L ooking toboostacademicperformanceinthe support reform Research shows how testresults can

testing program M 781.481.1101 ore-mail, For more information,contactAbeilleat they teach. that usingMCAS datahas than 70 percent oftheteacherssurveyed say classroom. Overall, Abeillenotesthatmore result: agreater emphasisonwritinginthe tional changeshave beenidentifiedaswell. One match thestateframeworks. Necessaryinstruc- evidence about where localcurriculadonot MCAS hasprovided schoolsanddistrictswith that wholeportionswere beingleftuntaught. aspects ofthecurriculumacrossgrades and discovered thatthey were teachingthesame through theiranalysisofMCAS results, eighth-grade scienceteachersinonedistrict, For example, agroup ofsixth-,seventh-, and Assessment ASSACHUSETTS COMPREHENSIVE [email protected]

influenced theway system

Page 3 Page 4 based socialservice. nizing programsinvolving everythingfromnationalschoolreformtocommunity- Jerry Hipps,allveteranevaluators,performdozensofanalyseseachyear, scruti- tor NaidaTushnet, SeniorProjectDirectorJordan Horowitz,andProjectDirector The searchforanswersoftenleadstoWestEd’s EvaluationResearchstaff. Direc- program, sometimesbythepeoplewhoarefundingit. tion arises:Howarethingsgoing?Sometimesitisaskedbythoserunningthe In theearlystagesofalmosteveryeducationandsocialserviceprogram,ques- about theirwork.

Naida Tushnet, Evaluation Resear R&D Alert R&D

ch Director invitedthethreeofthemtositforaninterview WestEd.org the range ofeffects. there is.And,depending onthedesiredoutcome, we lookat Weevaluate how wellprograms are operating, whatimpact equivalent insocialservices)butdonotaddress personnel. program optionsthatcanaffectclassroom practice(orthe Tushnet for example, personnelissues? how deeplydomostevaluations go?Dothey usuallyaddress, is: How are we doing?But,beyond addressing thatconcern, The firstquestionclientswant answered by anevaluation dent-teacher interaction oraprogram thatworks. to lookfor. We have learnedhow torecognizeahealthy stu- of different places,we have asenseofwhattoaskand Hipps the onlyway todoaproper evaluation. ing aspecificapproach appropriatetotheissueathandis cific method;rather, we bringatoolkittothejob. Identify- Then we askmore questions.We seldomenterwithaspe- tions andtrytofindoutwhateachclientwants tolearn. the issuesthatare importanttothem.We askalotofques- help ourclientsmove forward. Ourevaluations startfrom Tushnet What isyour basicapproach toevaluation? : Because ourstaffhave beeninmany schools,inlots : : Ourevaluations make recommendations about we The mostimportantissueforusishow can funding. We askaboutwhat’salready beenpro- component writtenaspart of theirproposal for Tushnet where doyou start? When youmeetapotentialclientforthefirsttime, schools, reform, andhow tohelp make thingswork. that mighthelpitsurvive orthrive. We know see ifitallworks togetherorifitlackssomething components ofaprogram, itsinfrastructure, and spective. Itisourjobtolookatthesituation, the tablethatmaynotbethere, oradifferentper- are lookingtousbringacertainknowledge to Horowitz or novel, thathasn’tbeentriedbefore? So, usuallyyou’re lookingatsomethingthat’snew make aprogram workproperly? What arethebarriers?needstobedone the bestway tooperate them.We often are asked: projects, andwe attempttolearnallwe canabout A lotofwhatwe evaluate are demonstration does ordoesn’twork. seeing ifaprogram isworking. We findoutwhy it way we doevaluation research. It’smorethanjust dress isquitevaried,butwhat ties ittogetheristhe Hipps : The numberofcontentareas wemightad- : Alotofprograms containanevaluation : Those requestingevaluations usually

Jerry Hipps,

Project Dir

ector

to act. early news isafriend.Itmeansthatthere istime thing isn’tworking usuallyisn’taproblem. Such Horowitz first glimmerofbadnews, we informtheclient. they are. That’snotaproductive approach. At the things wrong withaprogram toshowhow smart and actedon.Someevaluators like tolistallofthe offer theinformationinaway thatitcanbeheard of badnews. Whenthathappens,we attemptto Tushnet will helppeopleachieve theirobjectives. maintain objectivityandprovide thefeedbackthat that’s notwhatwe’re about.We work very hard to want someonetosay theirprogram isgreat,but Horowitz Do they fearbadnews? Do clientshopeyou willvalidate theirprograms? We trytomeetthatexpectation. theyM mightdothingsbetteron know if,afterourwork isdone, they willlearnhow What we oftenhearisthis:thattheclientwants to tions oftheevaluation process, whatitwilllooklike. posed. We asktheclienttodescribetheirexpecta- Jordan Hor Jordan : Sometimesthatmeansbeingthebearer : : Maybe alittleofboth.Someclientsjust

Having informationearlythatsome-

owitz,

Senior Pr Senior oject Dir oject

onday morning. ector

Page 5 S • • • • • • fits: needs andidentifyacurricular program that Here areafew tipsonhowtoassessyour prospect ofdeciding, itself, canbedaunting. consequences ofmakingapoorchoice, the Considering alltheavailable choicesandthe of selection? we select?How dowegoabouttheprocess Which curriculum ormodelprogram should

Page 6 accepted innovation is working. guide indetermininghowwell thenewly Use studentassessmentsasyour base products are included inthetotalpackage? specific services, trainingmaterials, and Be clearwhatyou are getting. What one ofthem. commitment —andinvestment —inany a smallscalebefore makingamajor out thosejudgedtobemostpromising on for meetingyour goals orstandards, try If several programs offer genuinepotential texts orprograms. — certainly nofewer thanthreedifferent many optionsasyouhave timetoconsider parents/legal guardiansaswell. Compareas teachers, butcommunities, businesses, and not onlyschooldistrictadministratorsand Form aselectioncommitteethatincludes disaggregated bykey demographicfactors using thematerials.Requestimpactdata evidence thatstudentshave learnedby program, askthecurriculumdevelopers for When consideringaspecifictextor those goalsorstandards. dards. Beginyoursearch forcurriculawith in order tomeetorexceedstatestan- Be clearwhatyour studentsneedtolearn really doesthejob electing acurriculum that . ( continuedfrom page1) On theotherhand,large districtsare betterpositionedto districts may have aharder timeconductingsuchanexperiment. requires majoreffortonthepartofadistrictandthatlarger Tushnet acknowledges thattryingoutprograms onapilotbasis from testingthreeprograms before makingachoice. evaluators foundthatthecityofKalamazoo, Michiganbenefited on asmallscalebefore fullycommitting.IntheNSFstudy, Another valuable stepcanbetryingoutoneorafew programs would includeitorbeforced toadmitthey don’thave it.” enough districtswere toaskforsuchinformation,thepublishers Tushnet. “Thefirststepfordistrictsistosay, ‘We wantdata.’ If evaluation oflearningisshort-changedinsomeways,” says “One ofthethingswe foundinthe NSF studyisthattheactual in thecontext oftheirschoolsandstudents. important fordistrictstoevaluate theeffectivenessofmaterials available. Evenincaseswhensuchevidence isoffered, itisstill learning usingtheresulting research-based materialsoftenisnot learning principlesandtechnologies.Butevaluation ofstudent Programs oftenare developed basedonresearch abouteffective specific areas identifiedascriticalby individualstatesordistricts. applied across thecountry,rather thanfocusingdeeplyon broader range ofstudents,products touchonmany standards their products are asthey develop them.Inanefforttoreacha many largecurriculumpublishersdonotevaluate how effective Why insistonstudentoutcomedata?Because, sheexplains, are importantstepstoward findinganeffective program. evidence ofstudentachievement from publishers,saysTushnet, availability ofafew different texts tocompare, andinsistingon Forming asmallcurriculumselectioncommittee, ensuring choosing materialsandprograms. engage inmuch,ifany, oftheirown comparative research when the evaluation. In somecases,evaluators helptheirclientsclarifythe goals of at thecore ofhow WestEd evaluators conducteachevaluation. appropriate toolstomeetthoseneeds.Thisapproach, shesays, is particular studentsandteachersneed,thenseeking the Tushnet stresses thevalue ofdistrictsknowing whattheir schools anddistrictstodoso. lishers togatherstudentdataonlearning,itisalsoimportant for benefiting from achosen program. Whileitiscriticalforpub- administrators shouldevaluate whethertheirstudents are Finally, says Tushnet,inspiteofheavy testinginschools, demand —andreceive —impact datafromcurriculumdevelopers. WestEd.org Tushnet andher staff: potential evaluator, of courtesy customers shouldhave forany Here aresomesuggestedqueries what’s neededandrequired.” page, thateveryone understands that everyone isonthesame feel and confident comfortable Research program. “You should Director for WestEd’s Evaluation tainty,” says Naida Tushnet, any areasofconcernoruncer- “Don’t signacontractifthere are ask questions. evaluator, itisalways prudent to when choosingaprogram As withpurchasing anything, and otherschoolprograms, WestEd’s Evalua- In additiontotheirwork evaluating curricula field-based observation. case studies,surveys, experimental design,and of questionsthey are answering, evaluators use ing themostappropriate methodforthekinds of experts inthecontentareaathand.Choos- theory andalways work withanadvisorypanel from sociology, psychology, andorganizational Program, WestEd evaluators employ methods When conductingevaluations suchastheIMD client needs.” that clientshave. Ourwork isrespondingto latter, we are generating answerstoquestions pure research fromevaluation research. Inthe says. “Answering theirneedsdistinguishes “We thinktheclient’squestionsarekey,” she country. thoughtful evaluations willincrease across the Tushnet ishopefulthattheprevalence of Q uestions toaskwhenchoosingaprogram evaluator • • • • • • • • • • • • • another project? May Iseeacopy you’ve ofafinalevaluationreport writtenfor Do you forpublicationinjournals? writearticles What journalsdoyou read? professional organizationsdoyou belong? Do you belongtoany professional organizations?Ifyes, towhich How wereyou trainedinevaluation research? human subjectscommittees? What isyour experiencewithinstitutionalreview boards and/or How do you maintainquality control over theevaluation tasks? How many otherprojects areyou currentlyevaluating? How do you coordinate thework ofyour assistants? Do you work aloneordoyou have assistants? community and/or businessleaders. Describe your previous work withschoolsand/or schooldistricts, and Describe your previous evaluation workwiththisclientpopulation. Haveyou ever worked onaprojectfundedbythisfundingagency? or visitwww.WestEd.org/er/ 562.799.5118, ore-mail, tion Research program, contactTushnetat For moreinformationaboutWestEd’s Evalua- Unified SchoolDistrict’safter-schoolprograms. Centers inOakland,andtheLosAngeles Together, 21 Orange County’sFamilies andChildren ship Program. Alsoongoingare evaluations of evaluation oftheCaliforniaAcademic Partner- That knowledge isnowinformingthegroup’s goals. relationships astotheirshared activitiesand at leastasmuchattentiontotheirinternal that successful,cross-agency partnershipspay important findings,chiefamongthemthefact Their work inthisarea hasyieldedmany among educationandsocialserviceagencies. programs andofpartnershipsorcollaborations for theirevaluations ofcommunity-based tion Research staffare nationallyacknowledged st CenturyCommunityLearning [email protected] ,

Page 7 R R Evaluating NSFeducationefforts

Page 8 policy andpractice.For ex- findings have informedNSF tion. Asaresult, WestEd’s opment tograduate educa- from K-12 curriculumdevel- NSF atalllevels ofeducation, ducts program evaluations for tific workforce. WestEd con- versity ofthenation’sscien- ensuring thequalityanddi- have theoverarching goalof and programs, allofwhich Foundation (NSF)projects evaluating NationalScience Since 1994,WestEd hasbeen esource CAPP isaprogram oftheCSU, (CSU) Chancellor’soffice, California StateUniversity college. Administered by the more studentsare prepared for academic programs sothat schools, CAPP helpsimprove cation institutionsandpublic between Californiahigheredu- to changethat.Apartnership nership Program (CAPP) aims The CaliforniaAcademic Part- ing collegeseemsoutofreach. vantaged backgrounds, attend- For many children fromdisad- Helping studentsgo tocollege [email protected] 562.799.5106 ore-mail, Sharon Goldsmithat Senior Research Associate more information,contact jors succeedinmath.For sisting non-mathematicsma- innovative approachestoas- dition, WestEd hasidentified dents canbeaccepted.Inad- that agreater variety ofstu- search Fellowship Program so applying fortheGraduate Re- eligibility criteriaforthose ample, NSFhasrevised the WestEd.org programs intendedtohelptar- evaluated theeffectiveness of vices. Specifically, WestEd has ment, andotherstudentser- struction, professional develop- changes incurriculumandin- ers todeterminenecessary makers andprogram develop- WestEd works withpolicy- principal evaluator forCAPP, community collegesystems.As University ofCalifornia,and [email protected] tor NaidaTushnetat562.799.5118 ore-mail, contact Evaluation Research Program Direc- ent, systemwide way. For moreinformation, beef updisseminationactivitiesinacoher- Early indicationssuggestagreater needto observations inthewestern United States. through multiplefocusgroups andclassroom pact onstudentlearning.WestEd isdoingthis nation ofmaterialsanddeterminingtheirim- they arefocusedon increasing thedissemi- ity oftheIMDcurriculummaterials.Now, Evaluators already have determinedthequal- mining how well thateffortisworking. Evaluation Research program isnow deter- structional toolsandtechniques.WestEd’s the qualityofscienceeducationthrough in- opment (IMD)program, designedtoimprove creation oftheInstructionalMaterialsDevel- spurred theNationalScienceFoundation’s among elementaryandhighschoolstudents Enduring concernsaboutscienceliteracy Looking atscienceeducation [email protected] 562.799.5122 ore-mail, Director Jordan Horowitz at mation, contactSeniorProject geted schools.For moreinfor- ating suchreform inthetar- struction, WestEd isnow evalu- to supportstandards-based in- standards andCAPP’s efforts creasing statewide focuson lies prepare forcollege. Within- geted studentsandtheirfami- s full advantage ofcurrent research onteachingandlearning? instill thenecessaryknowledge? Andhow canwe ensure thatpracticingteacherstake how canwebestprepare futureteachers ofmathematicsandsciencetobeable tion, affectingboththeirscholasticpathandthecareer choicesthey latermake. But N MAC-MTL staff says Raizen, NCISE’sDirector. internal evaluation activitiesofMAC-MTL, NCISE’s rolewillbetocomplementandinform sional development. mathematics teacherpreparation andprofes- activity isthedevelopment ofmodelsfor ics educationresearchers. Arelated center lum developers, policy leaders,andmathemat- prepared forjobsas teachereducators,curricu- and postdoctoral program toproduce specialists MAC-MTL isdesigninganinnovative doctoral next wave ofmathematicsandscienceexperts. NCISE Research Associate, istoproducethe The ideabehindMAC-MTL, says Huntley, Pennsylvania. partners from Maryland,Delaware, and research universitiesandthree school-system MTL). Itisaconsortiumformedby three Mathematics Teaching andLearning(MAC- of thosecenters—theMid-Atlantic Centerfor Science Education(NCISE)areevaluating one WestEd’s NationalCenterforImproving Mary AnnHuntleyandSentaRaizen of — kindergartenthrough college. ematics, science, andtechnologyeducation emerging andongoingissuesinmath- recently fundedtwo centerstoaddress tional ScienceFoundation (NSF) mathematics andscience. TheNa- furthering teachers’development in One way istocreate centersdevoted to involved atthe ground level.” says Raizen, “and we’re excited aboutbeing “This five-year project isjustgettingstarted,” write evaluation reports. mented, designrelevant datacollection,and whose operation andimpactshouldbedocu- ow more thanever, mathematicsandscienceare criticaltoourstudents’educa-

identify projectactivities

It willhelp [email protected] Huntley at202.467.0652or e-mail, For more information,contactRaizen or relate tothereal world ofclassroom teaching. components oftheteacherpreparation program also willexamine how thecourses andother how thesecoursesmight beimproved. NCISE math facultyandby educationfaculty—and courses —boththosetaughtby scienceand and instructionalmethodsusedinpreservice Among theissuesbeingaddressed:content districts. interact withmostofthestate’s501 school science teacherscertifiedinPennsylvania, and roughly onethird ofthemathematicsand tion. Theseuniversitiesandcollegesprepare Pennsylvania StateSystemofHigher Educa- tion programs inthe14campusesof made inthescienceandmathematicsprepara- NCISE evaluators willlookatthechanges reform teacherpreparation nationwide. is oneinaseriesofprojects NSFhasfundedto Excellence inTeacher Preparation (CETP-PA) five-year Pennsylvania Collaborative for education inscienceandmathematics.The funded project designedtoimprove teacher NCISE alsohasbeenasked toevaluate anNSF- NCISE evaluates two cutting-edgeprojects or [email protected]

Page 9 193 pagesPrice:$8Order #:EVAL-00-01 of thisreport. dissemination, adoption,implementation,andimpactare alldiscussedwithinthepages materials inscience, mathematics,andtechnologyeducation.Materialsdevelopment, developers andpublishers,othersinterestedindeveloping andusinghigh-quality student understandingofmathematicsby integratingthesubjectmatterintoother ics reform. Thereport concludesthatmostoftheseprojectsimproved undergraduate 29 pagesPrice:$4Order #:EVAL-00-02 disciplines andincorporating otherdisciplinaryperspectivesintomathematicsteaching. Page 10 A Resources following services: ematics. Specifically, MMAPoffersthe ditional approaches toteachingmath- bytra- needs ofstudentsunderserved classroom asitmeetsthelearning inthe mense potentialoftechnology Stanford University, theim- MMAPtaps on Learninginconjunctionwith Created attheInstituteforResearch inmathematics. demic performance tohelpimproveefforts studentaca- Program, boostingouragency’s further WestEd’s ScienceandMathematics Project (MMAP)hasrecently joined School Maththrough Applications The nationalaward-winning Middle- ward-Winning Math TeamJoins WestEdward-Winning This reportoffersinsighttotheNationalScienceFoundation, National ScienceFoundation, 2000 Rosenblum Johnston, AlinaMartinez,MarlaNierenberg, &Sheila Welsh, NancyBrigham,ElizabethCooley, JeanneElliot,Karen Naida C.Tushnet,MaryAnnMillsap,Noraini Abdullah- Development Program Science Foundation’s InstructionalMaterials Final Report ontheEvaluation oftheNational pected toserve asnationalmodelsforundergraduate mathemat- ings ofseven NationalScienceFoundation-funded projects ex- dergraduate education,thisfinalreport summarizesthefind- A must-read formathematicsfacultymembersanddeansofun- National ScienceFoundation, 2000 Gamse, Marc Moss,&SheilaRosenblum Naida C.Tushnet,MaryAnnMillsap,JeanneElliot,Beth Throughout theCurriculum:FinalReport Mathematical SciencesandTheirApplications EVALUATION RESEARCH 510.302.4280 ore-mail, For more informationabout MMAP, contactProject Director ShelleyGoldmanat mmap.wested.org/webmath/ Proportions teachers furtherdevelop theirunderstanding oftheconceptstheyteach. ment otherprofessional development programs. This five-week credit coursehelps WebMath to adopt.For more information, visithttp://primes.wested.org/ skills andgaininsightintotheinnovative teachingmethodsthatschoolsare beginning Primes Workshops “promising” or “exemplary.” Formore information, visithttp://mmap.wested.org/ Pathways isoneofonlyseven tobesingledoutas educationprograms inthecountry the U.S. ofEducation. Department Inwinningthetechnologyineducationdesignation, woncoveted thehighly “promising” designationfrom Panelsappointedby two Expert and Geometry, anMMAP-developed middleschoolmathematicscurriculum thathas Pathways CurriculumSupportCenter WestEd.org is WebMath’s firstcourseoffering. For more information, visithttp://

offers onlinemathematicsinstructionforoffers middle schoolteacherstocomple- are intendedtobuildparents’ confidenceabouttheirownmath [email protected] helpsteachersusePathways to Algebra systemic programs, andmore. teacher research, studentresearch, grams forteacherdevelopment, profiling techniquescanimprove pro- dreds tomillionsofdollars.These tion programs thatcostfrom hun- of mathematicsandscienceeduca- used toevaluate andimprove dozens draw upon current research andwere The evaluation toolsinthisbook Corwin Press, Inc., 1999 Senta A.Raizen Horsley & Susan Loucks- Bourexis, with Patricia Joyce Kaser& Mathematics Science and Quality in Program Enhancing 224 pagesPrice:$24.95Order #:L-9827 BrushUpon WHAT’S NEW, all ofthestakeholdersinaschoolcommunity. responsibility forschoolimprovement is Dialogues provide arealsenseofwhatcanhappenwhen large.Examples from schoolsthatuseAccountability ships amongparents,educators,andthecommunityat standards-based reforms andstrengthentherelation- Accountability Dialoguespropel effortstoimplement nia schoolsanddistricts,thebookalsodescribeshow sessment Collaborative(WAC) inworking withCalifor- Developed from theexperienceofWestEd’s Western As- Price: $24.95Order#:WAC-01-03 Complete set(bookandvideo) 10-minute videoPrice:$14.95Order#:WAC-01-02 71 pagesPrice:$13.95Order #:WAC-01-01 strengthen theirowncommunityanditswork. plore thepotentialofAccountability Dialoguesto ent andfacultygroups,thisvideocanhelpaschoolex- countability Dialoguesare takingplace. Usedwithpar- Ac-A companionvideotapevisitsthreeschoolswhere

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E E M R E N T AW ARD shared among WestEd’s Resource Catalog www.WestEd.org/pub/docs/81 The catalogisalsoavailable at WestEd /730HarrisonStreetSanFrancisco,CA /94107-1242. (1-877) 4WestEd; orwrite: For afree copy, call415.565.3000ortoll-free, HOT, e-mail, Senior Research Associate, at510.302.4273 or [email protected]; Director Shelley Goldmanat510.302.4280 ore-mail, To order, visithttp://mmap.wested.org/ orcontactProject cepts andskills. together togainabetterunderstandingofmathematicalcon- how mathskillsareapplicabletothereal worldandwork school studentsforalgebraandgeometry. Studentsdiscover This comprehensive two-year curriculumpreparesmiddle singled outas“promising” or“exemplary.” is oneofonlyseven educationprograms inthecountrytobe winning thetechnologyineducationdesignation,Pathways Panels appointedby theU.S.DepartmentofEducation.In the highlycoveted “promising” designationfrom two Expert WestEd staff,Pathways toAlgebraandGeometryhaswon A middleschoolmathematicscurriculumdeveloped by Voyager ExpandedLearning,2000 in conjunctionwithStanfordUniversity Co-developed withtheInstituteforResearch onLearning Pathways toAlgebra andGeometry 31 pagesPrice: $20 that helpusersfollowalongwiththegrant application. dian andAlaskaNativestudents.Thetoolkitincludestips [email protected] / and USEFUL

orcontactJenniferKnudsen,WestEd Order #:LCD-00-01 and opportunitiesforAmericanIn- provide soundeducationprograms Indian andAlaska Native tribes help localeducationagenciesand age. Thesefederal formulagrants Formula Grant applicationpack- funded TitleIXIndianEducation grantees completethefederally new applicantsandcontinuing This toolkitisdesignedtohelpboth Floyd Beller, 2001 Education Toolkit Title IXIndian

Page 11 R&D Alert covers issues affecting schools in WestEd’s four-state region — Arizona, California, n this Issue Nevada, and Utah — and nationwide. I Massachusetts Comprehen- Your letters are welcomed. Please send comments to Colleen Montoya, WestEd, 3 sive Assessment System 4665 Lampson Avenue, Los Alamitos, CA 90720-5139; fax, 562.799.5138; or e-mail, [email protected]

Helping Clients Chief Executive Officer Contributors Graphic Designer 4 Achieve Results Glen Harvey Glen Harvey Christian Holden Scott Lafee Director, Office of Policy Photographs by: Kate Rix Improving Science & Communications Gabriel Koneta and Math Education Max McConkey Copy Editors Picturequest 9 Rosemary De La Torre Nita Winter R&D Alert Editor Tracy Landauer Nimfa Rueda Award-Winning Math Colleen Montoya 10 Team Joins WestEd WestEd is a nonprofit research, development, and service agency that works with education and Evaluation Research other communities to promote excellence, achieve equity, and improve learning for children, youth, 10 Resources and adults. Drawing on the best knowledge from research and practice, our agency collaborates with practitioners, policymakers, and others, addressing critical education and other human service issues. WestEd, with initiatives throughout the United States and abroad, is one of the nation’s designated Regional Educational Laboratories — originally created by Congress in 1966 — serv- ing the states of Arizona, California, Nevada, and Utah. With headquarters in San Francisco, WestEd has offices across the United States.

For more information about WestEd, visit our Web site: WestEd.org/; call 415.565.3000 or, toll- free, (1.877) 4-WestEd; or write:WestEd / 730 Harrison Street / San Francisco, CA 94107-1242

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