Using Data for Continuous Improvement in Educator Preparation provides case studies that illuminate and contextualize the ways in which educator preparation programs determine the data they need to improve, collect data, analyze data, share data with stakeholders, and close the loop by making focused improvements based on the data. Educator preparation programs operate in a wide range of contexts that have different requirements (e.g., state-mandated measures), different affordances, and different needs. This text focuses on not only the stories of how data is collected, analyzed, and used for improvement, but also on how stakeholders are impacted by the continuous improvement process. In the editors’ work with accreditation and educator preparation program evaluation, they noticed a variety of approaches to collecting, analyzing, and using data for program improvement. Often this intense work with data goes unnoticed and unappreciated because it is done in the service of accreditation that, once completed, does not reach an audience outside of the institution and the accreditation agency. Using Data for Continuous Improvement in Educator Preparation solves this problem by shedding light on this important work. This volume inaugurates the AAQEP Program Evaluation in Education Series. Perfect for courses such as: Methods of Program Evaluation; Teacher Education; Improvement Science

This book addresses the issue of data use in educator preparation programs towards continuous programmatic improvement. With an aim to increase the rigor in both research and practice in educational administration and teacher education, this volume will analyze the longstanding quality concerns about teacher and leadership preparation and standards for programs and educators, as well as controversies concerning national accreditation and federal efforts to mandate program reporting data. By exploring the policies and practices that influence departments of education, this volume examines the increasing pressures to improve institutional functioning, within a complex system of university, state, and national structures and organizations.

This volume provides a synthesis of protocols, and strategies to support assessment leaders in effectively using data for educator preparation program improvement. Data-informed decision-making has become increasingly important in quality assurance for both internal and external audiences, yet there are scant resources to guide those charged with managing the development and application of data for monitoring and improving the quality of their programs. Until this work, there has been little explication of how assessment directors working in educator preparation should conceptualize, organize, and implement best practices in data collection, analysis, interpretation, and sharing. As state and national expectations for evidence of quality are growing, it is essential to chronicle the collective wisdom of assessment leaders in education preparation in one manuscript. For both novice and experienced assessment directors, this volume offers insightful perspectives and excellent strategies to facilitate the journey from complying with external expectations to strategically using data and evidence to achieve goals, leveraging assessment to achieve socially just outcomes, involving multiple voices and interpreters, and opening windows to further inquiry. The editors have gathered experts in all phases of the assessment process and organized their work in an easy-to-follow manner. This work provides both conceptual underpinnings of educator preparation quality assurance as well as practical lessons learned that will support the transformation of an assessment professional into an assessment leader. ENSORSEMENTS "Finally, a book that shows what we can learn from accreditation, collectively. The strength of the volume lies in the concrete examples of evaluation and improvement that are woven throughout the chapters. Effectively Using Data for Educator Preparation Improvement is a welcome addition to the small but growing body of useful literature related to quality assurance work in the field." Mark LaCelle-Peterson, Ed.D. President and CEO Association for Advancing Quality in Educator Preparation "The volume Effectively Using Data for Educator Preparation Program Improvement provides many examples of how providers collect data and evidence to establish or enhance quality assurance. The publication will be of value to any provider seeking to enhance quality and improve their programs. The publication is particularly timely given many state efforts to increase enrollments and diversity which have resulted in lowered standards. Having measures and evidence of quality provide a necessary counter balance to these efforts." Christopher Koch, Ed.D. President Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation "Effectively Using Data for Educator Preparation Program Improvement assists educators in data-informed research and practice to improve programs, diversify the profession, and ensure that our teacher candidates are “profession-ready.” Written predominantly for the assessment director—or leaders as the editors posit, this volume goes beyond that goal to add a valuable resource for all of us who care about the field of educator preparation. I highly recommend this book to the field as we work together to elevate the teaching profession." Lynn M. Gangone, Ed.D. President & CEO American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education

For educator preparation programs (EPPs) to produce effective teachers, they must engage in a process of continuous improvement using timely, high-quality information about the performance of their respective graduates in the classroom as measured by student outcomes. While states have the capacity to provide this information through their comprehensive and secure longitudinal data systems, this critical feedback loop between states and EPPs often does not exist. As of 2014, only 22 states reported sharing feedback annually with in-state EPPs. Therefore, EPPs in most states lack the information needed to understand outcomes and improve program practice, and no EPPs are able to collect information on graduates who are employed out of state. Three barriers prevent effective EPP use of state data for continuous improvement: (1) The data-use culture focuses on compliance rather than continuous improvement; (2) States are not sharing the right data with EPPs; and (3) EPPs lack the capacity and culture necessary to use data to improve their practice. Despite the policy challenges, there are bright spots in this work. Over the last three years, the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) has implemented a number of policies meant to encourage continuous improvement in EPPs and provide targeted technical support. These policies along with additional recommendations for collaboration between state departments of education and EPPs are described in this report.

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 teachers’ knowledge, foster collaboration, identify obstacles to change, and enhance school culture and climate. This revised and expanded edition captures the learning that has emerged in integrating the Data Wise process into school practice and brings the book up-to-date with recent developments in education and technology including: The shift to the Common Core State Standards. New material on the “ACE Habits of Mind”: practices that prioritize Action, Collaboration, and Evidence as part of transforming school culture. A new chapter on “How We Improve,” based on experiences implementing Data Wise and to address two common questions: “Where do I start?” and “How long will it take?” Other revisions take into account changes in the roles of school data teams and instructional leadership teams in guiding the inquiry process. The authors have also updated exhibits, examples, and terminology throughout and have added new protocols and resources.

Data literacy has become an essential skill set for teachers as education becomes more of an evidence-based profession. Teachers in all stages of professional growth need to learn how to use data effectively and responsibly to inform their teaching practices. This groundbreaking resource describes data literacy for teaching, emphasizing the important relationship between data knowledge and skills and disciplinary and pedagogical content knowledge. Case studies of emerging programs in schools of education are used to illustrate the key components needed to integrate data-driven decisionmaking into the teaching curricula. The book offers a clear path for change while also addressing the inherent complexities associated with change. Data Literacy for Educators provides concrete strategies for schools of education, professional developers, and school districts.

5 PERCEPTIONS; Changing Perceptions; Assessing Perceptions; Questionnaires; Designing Questionnaires: Begin With the End in Mind; Data Collection Considerations; Our Example Schools; Study Questions for Perceptions; Summary; 6 STUDENT LEARNING; Ways to Measure Student Learning; Grades; Analyzing the Results, Descriptively; Analyzing the Results, Inferentially; Measurement Error; Looking Across Student Learning Measures; Other Common Testing Terms; Our Example Schools; Study Questions for Student Learning; Summary; 7 SCHOOL PROCESSES; School Level Processes; Classroom Level Processes.