{dsDepts::name}
{dsPages::page}
{dsSites::groupname}
{dsUrls::link}
FY2010 SCHOOL GRADES


Dean Stecker, Director, Department of Research and Evaluation

Dean Stecker

Director of Research and Evaluation

Division of Performance Accountability


Il faut cultiver notre jardin!

 



Message from the Director

FY2010 has been highly demanding for the Department of Research and Evaluation. The following FY2010 goals
highlight the complexity of the challenges we face this year, but which we have no doubt will be met.

    Meeting the Increased Need for Research and Evaluation Generated Reports, Analyses, and Evaluations
The District’s quest to dramatically improve student achievement has resulted in a significant increase in ad hoc research requests for the Department to complete, as many as 100 such requests in the past year alone. These tasks vary from analyzing acceleration in AP participation to determining yearly growth in the graduation rate.
    Aligning Student Performance to National and International Standards
The Superintendent has stated on several occasions that he expects the District to become the best in the Nation. To that end, the Department is perfecting the methodology to align the State’s FCAT Assessment Program results with the NAEP (National Assessment of Educational Progress) and TIMSS (Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study) sore scales.
    Collaborating with the Educational Data Warehouse (EDW) Department to Create New Applications for the District, School, and Teacher Levels
The SDPBC is widely recognized at the State and National levels as having one of the premier EDWs in North America. Research and Evaluation is proud of its role in helping the District achieve this distinction. This year, in cooperation with the EDW, we are developing the following EDW applications:
  • Using the PSAT to predict the probability of success in Advanced Placement classes,
  • Graphing Adequate Yearly Progress in the Federal No Child Left Behind regulations,
  • Calculating Low, Middle, and High student performance on FCAT and Diagnostic tests,
  • Establishing the Proportion of A Year’s Growth made by various groups of District students in reading and in mathematics,
  • Revising the Key Results Scorecard to reflect new FY2010 FDOE high school grading rules.

    Collaborating with the Department of Assessment to Streamline and Automate Assessment Creation
The Department of Assessment has been charged with taking a lead role replacing all current Diagnostic tests in Reading, Mathematics, and Science with an entirely new set of assessments to be rolled out in the fall of FY2011. To assist in this endeavor, our Department’s programmers are creating application software for the development and storage of items that will allow for automated assembly of tests as well as producing answer keys and data needed to score the tests and, subsequently, report the results in the EDW.
    Developing an Efficient and Accurate Methodology for Measuring District Academic Change
The Department is charged with developing appropriate statistical methods to reliably measure student gains from the fall to mid year in advance of the spring FCAT.
    Providing the Children’s Services Council with the Data to Make Effective Data Driven Decisions
In FY2002 the SDPBC and Children’s Services Council established a partnership in which, in return for funding a specialist’s position within the Department of Research and Evaluation, the Department would dedicate that specialist to the compilation and delivery of data to the CSC, both at the aggregate and individual student levels and conduct other analyses and evaluations as required by the CSC. This year, to strengthen this already healthy partnership, the Department and CSC staff members are conducting ongoing, face to face meetings to pinpoint CSC analysis data needs.
    Redesigning the Research and Evaluation Website
The Department’s Website, the repository of years of research reports, papers, evaluations and related data, is frequently visited by community members, media, university scholars, and personnel from district, state and federal educational agencies. This year, the Department has taken advantage of the District’s effort to redesign its own website, by actively participating in District level web design decisions. We are doing this to maximize the ability of our users to navigate though our site efficiently and productively.
    Streamlining the Research Proposal Process
Each year the Department receives and processes numerous requests to conduct research within the SDPPC by doctoral students, educational program publishers, university professors, and State and Federal agencies. Over the last few years the number of requests has continuously increased.  To better meet the growing demand for Department assistance yet provide assurances that potential researchers employ ethical and rigorous research methods, and that the well being of our students and staff is protected, the Department has adopted the Microsoft SharePoint© web-based application to better track requests as well as monitor the impact of requests on schools.

Close all panels

Image1

 


The Department of Research
and Evaluation    


  • Establishes and clarifies instructional targets for the District, schools, teachers, and students in order to maximize return on investment;

  • Ensures assessments are accurate and can be used to predict FCAT performance;

  • Conducts program evaluations to determine the District’s return on its investment regarding the increase of student achievement;

  • Assists District and school-based personnel interpret data and reports;

  • Reviews requests by individuals and educational agencies to conduct research within the District.



 
Other Division Websites

Quick Links