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Session Title: Longitudinal Evaluation of a Professional Development Program: Lessons Learned
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Panel Session 245 to be held in Room 111 in the Convention Center on Thursday, Nov 6, 9:15 AM to 10:45 AM
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Sponsored by the Pre-K - 12 Educational Evaluation TIG
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| Chair(s): |
| Leigh D'Amico,
University of South Carolina,
kale_leigh@yahoo.com
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| Discussant(s):
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| Ching Ching Yap,
University of South Carolina,
ccyap@gwm.sc.edu
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| Abstract:
Stakeholders involved in the Teacher Quality Research (TQR) Project, an initiative of the South Carolina Department of Education, discuss opportunities and challenges in evaluating a school-based professional development program for teachers. Through TQR, trained coaches and facilitators serve as on-site leaders in the implementation of a 9-month curriculum designed to improve classroom assessment at low performing middle schools. Two panelists involved in the development and implementation of TQR provide their perspectives on the evaluation process and its usefulness in informing project delivery. Additional panelists and the moderator, who serve as evaluators of TQR, discuss the evolution of the evaluation plan including up-to-date initiatives and results. Evaluation methods include surveys, focus groups, and interviews to examine teachers' knowledge about classroom assessment and use of professional development strategies; observational techniques to evaluate fidelity of curriculum implementation by coaches and facilitators; and test data linked to participating teachers to explore student achievement impacts.
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Overview of a Longitudinal Evaluation of a Professional Development Program
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| Ching Ching Yap,
University of South Carolina,
ccyap@gwm.sc.edu
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Ching Ching Yap serves as a research assistant professor with the Office of Program Evaluation at the University of South Carolina and is the principal investigator for the evaluation portion of this project. She was involved in the development of the evaluation plan for this project and has been integral in its implementation. Functioning as the moderator of the panel, she will provide an overview of the original Teacher Quality Research (TQR) evaluation plan. She will introduce each panelist and provide that person's background and relevance to the TQR evaluation process.
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Perspectives from Implementers: How Evaluation Evolved and Shaped the Delivery of a Professional Development Program
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| Christina Schneider,
CTB McGraw-Hill,
christina_schneider@ctb.com
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| Dawn Mazzie,
South Carolina Department of Education,
dmazzie@ed.sc.gov
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Christina Schneider serves as the principal investigator of the Teacher Quality Research Project (TQR) through the South Carolina Department of Education. Christina was involved in the planning and development of the TQR project and oversees its overall functioning. She will discuss the impetus for this professional development project, the rationale for its approach, and the impact of evaluation findings on its continuous implementation. Dawn Mazzie serves as the grant director for TQR at the South Carolina Department of Education. Dawn has been with the program since its inception and provides oversight and direction to the middle schools involved in the program including principals, coaches, facilitators, and teacher participants. She will inform the discussion with her experiences as the grant director and her perceptions of the evaluation plan, its effectiveness, and results. She will also discuss next steps as the project wraps-up its initial 3-year implementation cycle.
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Perspectives from Evaluators: How Challenges and Opportunities Impacted the Evaluation of a Professional Development Program
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| Leigh D'Amico,
University of South Carolina,
kale_leigh@yahoo.com
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| Candace Thompson,
University of North Carolina Wilmington,
kulturalhybrid@yahoo.com
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Leigh D'Amico and Candace Thompson serve as evaluators of this project with the Office of Program Evaluation at the University of South Carolina. Leigh will discuss the evolving nature of the evaluation plan, which has sought to provide results on original areas of interest despite difficulties with data collection and capitalize on unforeseen opportunities that have arisen. She will also highlight some substantial evaluation endeavors undertaken in Year 3 of the project to evaluate obstacles that caused attrition and explore student achievement effects in more detail. Candace has a strong qualitative research background and assists in the analysis of focus groups, interviews, open-ended survey responses, and video-taped professional development sessions. Candace will discuss the opportunities and challenges of using differing research methods to evaluate portions of the professional development project.
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