Full Title: Number of students in AmeriCorps teacher classrooms with improved academic performance.
Definition of Key Terms
Students: the students completing the school year who are enrolled in the classes taught by teachers counted in Measure 13 and who are counted in measure ED2.
Improved academic performance: as measured by an improved demonstration of skill/knowledge at post-test as compared to pre-test (gain score) using a standardized instrument. Many standardized test instruments provide expected levels of improvement for particular starting points. Those would be the most appropriate improvement levels for programs to select. Programs may request a post-test only assessment option that would count as “improved” only those students who perform at grade level on the post-test. Only those programs that demonstrate they are serving below grade level students and that demonstrate a sufficient reason for not conducting a pre-test/post-test may request this option.
Standardized test/instrument: has been validated externally on a randomly-selected population of students; may be a state, standardized test or other standardized test.
How to Calculate Measure/Collect Data
Programs will report the number of students from Measure ED2 who:
(1) achieve the “gain” or amount of progress that was approved at grant award, and/or
(2) perform on grade level if the post-test only method is being used.
Amount of progress required: the amount of progress required to count as “improved academic performance” must be specified in the approved grant application. If the Program is using different tests for different groups of children, then different amounts of progress may be specified by test. Some tests may specify different amounts of progress based on the pre-test results.
Programs should select a standardized test that:
(1) measures the types of student skills/knowledge the program is trying to improve through its efforts,
(2) is appropriate for the grade level,
(3) has demonstrated validity or reliability for the population they are serving, and
(4) is compatible with and acceptable to the school where the program is providing services (different tests may be used at different schools).
Regarding the use of state standardized tests administered by the school:
These tests have the advantage of already being in place and having an infrastructure to support their use, and of course students would have taken these tests anyway. State standardized tests can only be used if they are administered near the end of the prior year and then again near the end of the current year (this will not be the case for all grade levels). Programs may request a post-test only assessment option that would count as "improved" only those students who perform at grade level on the post-test. Only those programs that demonstrate they are serving below grade level students and that demonstrate a sufficient reason for not conducting a pre-test/post-test may request this option.
Obtaining test scores from school systems:
For programs not themselves administering the test, the Program will need to have some form of agreement, such as an MOU (memorandum of understanding) with the school to ensure that data for the needed children can be secured. Data are needed on the group of children you are serving, but not on individual children. Requesting data in this way does not violate FERPA (the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act).
These data have the disadvantage that you will not be able to count children who were in a different school district in the year prior to service or transfer away from the school during the school year unless the two school systems are within the same state and efforts are made to match pre-service scores in one district with post-service scores in another. See the Resource Packet for a suggested method of requesting the data you need.
Regarding the use of other standardized tests: The test should be administered to the students participating in the program before they begin service and again near the end of the service delivery period. Some tests suggest measuring improvement at more points during the year. Programs should follow the instructions provided by the test they have selected.