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Session Title: Three Perspectives on Using Evaluation for Alternative Teacher Preparation: Insights From the Evaluator, the Policymaker, and the Program Implementer

Panel Session 309 to be held in Edgar Allen Poe Room  on Thursday, November 8, 9:35 AM to 11:05 AM

Sponsored by the Cluster, Multi-site and Multi-level Evaluation TIG

Chair(s):

Edith payday loan  Stevens payday loan ,  Macro International Inc,  edith.s.stevens@orcmacro.com

Abstract: This panel will showcase how evaluation was used to influence state policy about alternative teacher preparation and to help design and implement sustainable models. The State of Maryland funded the pilot of eight alternative preparation programs. Each program is managed by a partnership between an institute of higher education and a local school system. The project evaluator, Macro International, collaborated with each partnership and the State to develop a reporting template to capture key inputs and outcomes from each program. Each program also conducted its own evaluation and provided data to the evaluator. Panelists will address the following: -How do you collect common data from uniquely structured programs? -How do you use evaluation findings to improve program design and implementation? -What does the data say about the strengths and weaknesses of alternative preparation programs? -How do we use what we learn to design future programs?

Using Evaluation for Alternative Teacher Preparation: The Evaluator's Perspective Edith payday loan  Stevens payday loan ,  Macro International Inc,  edith.s.stevens@orcmacro.com Macro International, Inc. is the external evaluator for the Maryland alternative teacher preparation pilot projects. A critical evaluation task was the collection and dissemination of project data. Macro collaborated with stakeholders to develop an electronic collection instrument to efficiently gather meaningful information from these diverse projects. Findings are shared periodically to inform program implementation. Additionally, at the end of the project, a summative report will be provided showcasing best practices across projects to help stakeholders determine next steps. Macro has been conducting evaluations in the education field for over a decade, particularly focusing on teacher preparation. Specific experience includes: technical assistance to the national Preparing Tomorrow's Teachers to Use Technology (PT3) office; evaluation of several teacher preparation programs funded by the US Department of Education, including a statewide PT3 project led by the Maryland State Department of Education; and evaluation of two mathematics teacher preparation programs in New York City.

Using Evaluation for Alternative Teacher Preparation: The Policymaker's Perspective Michelle payday loan  Dunkle payday loan ,  Maryland State Department of Education,  mdunkle@msde.state.md.us Alternative preparation programs play a critical role in addressing the teacher shortage in Maryland. Through the Transition-To-Teaching and Troops-To-Teachers federal grants, Maryland has been able to create new alternative preparation programs and strengthen existing initiatives. The Maryland project is guided by the principle that alternative preparation programs should rise to the level of State Approved Program status when states ensure high quality program performance just as they do for traditional programs. Maryland also seeks to promote greater recognition of these programs across the country. Maryland is currently piloting eight alternative preparation programs. Evaluation of these projects is imperative for two reasons: to help improve program implementation and to identify promising practices across programs to direct next steps for the state. Maryland also hopes that evaluation findings would promote dialogue among states and teacher education providers who seek to deepen conversations about alternative program quality.

Using Evaluation for Alternative Teacher Preparation: The Program Implementer’s Perspective Roger payday loan  Schulman payday loan ,  The Maryland Practitioner Teacher Program,  rschulman@tntp.org The Maryland Practitioner Teacher Program (MPTP) is a partnership between the Baltimore City Public School System (BCPSS) and The New Teacher Project (TNTP). The MPTP targets career changers and recent graduates to become teachers for hard-to-staff schools. As an alternative to traditional methods of teacher preparation, MPTP relies on an intensive pre-service training institute. Once participants began teaching they participate in a pedagogy-focused content seminar series to leverage their existing content knowledge and hone their skills in the design and delivery of high-quality, standards-based instruction. Project partners developed an internal evaluation plan to help them answer questions that are critical to determining the success of the program based on data collected on the following: participant satisfaction with the program, the effectiveness of the teachers who are placed in the classroom, and the retention rates of the new teachers. Partners believe that evaluation findings will be critically important because they will be used to make program adjustments.