Next-Generation Data Importation: Flexibility for the Future of Your School

The Arizona Framework for Measuring Teacher Effectiveness, Colorado State Council for Educator Effectiveness, The Massachusetts Task Force on the Evaluation of Teachers and Administrators… that which we call “instructional effectiveness” (IE) by any other name would still require accurate student enrollment and demographic information. With apologies to William Shakespeare, widespread interest in measuring the effectiveness of teachers has spawned legislation in many states outlining assessment requirements to guide the evaluation process for effectiveness of instructors and school administrators.

The need to measure progress regularly lies at the heart of instructional effectiveness initiatives and the ability to achieve positive results. To do so, districts will need to ensure accountability for changes within the instructional improvement and instructional effectiveness system to match the student information system (SIS) regularly, throughout the annual assessment cycle. Many state education systems face the question of how to achieve measurable, positive IE results and it can be daunting. But never fear, the Galileo Data Import (GDI) module is here to help! GDI is time-tested, having imported in excess of one million student records since being introduced over ten years ago. In addition to student enrollment and demographic information, GDI can also be used to update Galileo K-12 Online with teacher information, class-level and student user accounts, and IE-relevant course information such as subject area and grade level.

As part of the Galileo K-12 Online Instructional Improvement and Instructional Effectiveness System, all client districts are availed of the GDI module. The purpose of GDI is to allow districts to update student enrollment and demographic information with the frequency needed to support classroom initiatives – whether monthly or daily updates, GDI can meet the need.

Major advantages of the GDI module include:

1. Cost: In the increasingly challenging financial climate many state education systems face questions about how to fund worthy initiatives like IE. Client districts are able to update student enrollment with the frequency necessary to ensure classroom success at no additional cost over the annual Galileo K-12 Online subscription rate.


2. Data Pre-Validation: To start each program year, every district in need of frequent data importation will go through a validation process to ensure the export format meets their needs and the requirements of the Galileo K-12 Online Instructional Improvement and Instructional Effectiveness System. Once this is complete, SIS export files generated using a consistent format are assured of uploading efficiently and without risk to existing Galileo data.


3. Extensibility: Unlike many data exchange frameworks, GDI is flexible enough to accommodate the changing needs of the district SIS and data storage needs – at any point in the program year. This includes changes such as altering the format of a particular field (e.g., class name) up to, and including, the addition of new data fields at any time.


• A key advantage of this flexibility with regards to IE is the ability to add course subject data to the Galileo K-12 Online Instructional Improvement and Instructional Effectiveness System. Whether the information is stored in your SIS or you export a list of courses and update the subject manually, accurate alignment of district courses to the subject being taught is possible with Galileo and GDI.


4. Automation: Many student information systems are capable of scripted export. Add to these a batch FTP transfer to ATI servers and the entire import process can be “hands free” for the district once the initial pre-validation is completed.

The measurement of IE and student growth present the opportunity to perform timely intervention and create dynamic, customized assessments. Continuous measurement, evaluation, and adaptation of the assessment system enable a district to enhance learning for all students. The GDI module sets the table with up-to-date, accurate student data. If you would you like to learn more about frequent updates through GDI, please refer to the K-12 Importation Instructions or contact your Field Services Coordinator at 877.358.7617.

Community Assessment and Item Banking Initiative

ATI is answering educators’ need for valid, reliable, and fair items and assessments for use in evaluating the instructional effectiveness of teachers in areas not tested on statewide assessments with the Community Assessment and Item Banking Initiative. The initiative provides a way for users to develop and to share within and across districts both assessment items and assessments. As part of the initiative, ATI is assisting in the preparation of educators to develop high-quality items and is providing services related to assessment development and data analysis. Participating districts and charters are provided access to a continually growing repository of shared, district-written, high-quality items and customized assessments in areas such as physical education, music, art, social studies and foreign languages.

It Takes a Village

As the newest member of ATI’s Field Services team, I’ve discovered that “It takes a village to raise a child” doesn’t apply exclusively to raising children. The team members from all departments, I have discovered, are truly committed to creating a village here at ATI to help Galileo users at all levels – clients, students, parents and co-workers. The scope of knowledge and expertise that I’ve encountered as I train to represent ATI to districts and charter school organizations is impressive, from the members of the Educational Management team, to the Professional Development and Field Services department members. I have been invited to participate in trainings, sales presentations, webinars and conferences. Without exception, every individual has been happy to help me understand the huge body of information available about education, assessments, psychometrics, instructional effectiveness and the entire Galileo Online system. These professionals are truly committed to ensuring that we all have access to the information and expertise to help us raise this and future generations, to help them all achieve at higher and higher levels, so they too, can continue to raise their children in a global village.

- Nancy Auslander
Field Services Coordinator

Clarifying the Role of Text Readability Scores in Benchmark and Formative Assessment

I want to take this opportunity to address some questions that have come up regarding readability metrics related to the texts appearing in Galileo K-12 Online assessments. One of the interesting aspects of readability metrics is the attempt to quantify, mathematically, the literary and informational expression found in text. These measures provide a handy guideline for determining if the structural complexity of a text is relevant to typical readers at a grade level. However, there are some limitations to the numerical categorization of text, which will be covered in this blog post.

First, it’s important to address the purpose of testing students using text-based items.

The ATI Assessment and Instructional Design team’s goal in developing the texts and items is to provide a basis for clear measurement of students’ abilities to comprehend and analyze text in a way that informs educators on each individual student’s progress toward standards mastery. To make sure that all students being assessed are challenged, the most effective strategy is to include texts and items of variable difficulty. This means that some items are achievable by all students, some by most students, and some only by students who are proficient in the expectations required to complete those tasks. Note that Common Core State Standards information recommends a broad text readability range in measuring performance on Common Core State Standards-aligned assessments.

All texts used in Galileo Online since 2002 have been analyzed using the Flesch-Kincaid Readability measure. 

The Flesch-Kincaid formula:

A Flesch-Kincaid score can be calculated manually or by utilizing the Microsoft Word Spelling and Grammar tool with the Readability option enabled to get the score. As can be seen in the formula, the number of syllables/words and words/sentences in an analyzed text are the key determiners of the grade level rating of a text.

Below is an example of the paragraph above, analyzed using Flesch-Kincaid, and then revised using an understanding of the nature of the formula.

A Flesch-Kincaid score can be calculated manually or by utilizing the Microsoft Word Spelling and Grammar tool with the Readability option enabled to get the score. As can be seen in the formula, the number of syllables/words and words/sentences in an analyzed text are the key determiners of the grade level rating of a text. Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level as written: 14.3 (post high school)

A Flesch-Kincaid score can be calculated manually. It can also be found utilizing the Microsoft Word Spelling and Grammar tool. This is done with the Readability option enabled to get the score. The formula calculates the number of syllables/words and words/sentences in an analyzed text. These are the key determiners of the grade level rating of a text. Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level with sentences simplified: 8.1 (middle school)

A Flesch-Kincaid score can be found by hand. It can also be found using the MS Word Spelling and Grammar tool. This is done with the review option set to get the score. F.K. uses the number of syllables/words and words/sentences in a text. These are the key parts of the grade level rating of a text. Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level with sentences simplified and polysyllabic words reduced: 4.0 (elementary school)

As can be seen from the three examples above, the readability number, while useful, is simply an analysis of the structure of the passage, not the appropriateness of content. Edits made the text simpler for less-accomplished readers because they are more familiar with simpler sentences and words, but did not simplify the topic. Sometimes compound sentences and polysyllabic words are unavoidable, even at earlier grades. The presence of these complex sentences and more difficult words will affect the readability statistics of the text, but may or may not affect the students’ ability to comprehend the text. For example, longer words that the students are familiar with will not make the text more difficult to read even though the readability formula will interpret them that way. Awareness of these limitations makes this quantitative measure simply a guideline to avoid overly complex sentence structures and longer, unfamiliar words.

One question that is often asked is the meaning of the decimal points. A text with a score of 4.4 is not intended to be aligned to the fourth month of fourth grade, but simply to be  structurally more complex than a text with a score of 4.2.

In addition to Flesch-Kincaid readability measures, Galileo K-12 Online incorporates The Lexile® Framework for Reading developed by MetaMetrics® into our benchmark texts. The model used in Lexile measures has some similarity to Flesch-Kincaid. More information on the formula used to compute Lexile measures can be found at the MetaMetrics Web site.  While some grade-level equivalent information is identified, MetaMetrics has made the following statement on grade equivalence:

There is no direct correspondence between a specific Lexile measure and a specific grade level. Within any classroom or grade, there will be a range of readers and a range of reading materials. For example, in a fifth-grade classroom there will be some readers who are ahead of the typical reader (about 250L above) and some readers who are behind the typical reader (about 250L below). To say that some books are "just right" for fifth graders assumes that all fifth graders are reading at the same level. The Lexile® Framework for Reading is intended to match readers with texts at whatever level the reader is reading.

We all recognize that the quantitative structural scores of text are just one aspect of readability. The other aspect is the qualitative element of the topic and ideas presented therein. ATI’s content specialists and each district’s teachers choose topics and themes that are meaningful to the students. We encourage all of our district partners to engage in the assessment review process, which allows the replacement of items and texts to better serve the needs of each district’s students. ATI develops items aligned to texts to serve a broad range of student abilities, and is glad to work with our partners to make sure that the texts presented in the final version of custom assessments have the support of the educators who will use them to inform instruction.

Further questions on readability and text appropriateness? Please comment below.

Galileo Pre-K Online G3 Technology Assessment Scale and School Readiness

Technology and School Readiness

Technology has an ever present and evolving place in modern life. The expectations for technological competency are increasing steadily for adults and children alike. Children as young as elementary school age are being expected to use technology to complete assignments and assessments.

Prior to entering kindergarten, children should have some basic experience using technological devices. Some children may be exposed to these devices at home but for others, learning opportunities presented in preschool may be their only exposure to technology.

The Galileo G3 Technology Scale, released in the spring of 2013, was created in response to the needs of programs to track children’s progress towards technological competency.  ATI's early learning experts designed the Galileo G3 Technology Scale by consulting the most current research in preschoolers' use of technology and various state early learning standards for technology. This approach provides an assessment scale which offers comprehensive coverage of state standards for technology while supporting teachers in their provision of developmentally appropriate learning opportunities for children.

For more information about using the Galileo G3 Technology Scale, contact the ATI Pre-K Field Services Team at 800.367.4762.

ATI Common Core Webinar Recording

Thank you to all who participated in the ATI-hosted webinar, Galileo Innovations for Common Core Implementation. If you missed it, or to watch again, the webinar recording link is provided below.

Click here to view video

The webinar provided an overview of the current and upcoming innovations in Galileo K-12 Online designed to facilitate local assessment and curriculum implementation of Common Core State Standards (CCSS) in districts and charters. Galileo K-12 Online continues to evolve in response to client needs, changing federal and state requirements, ongoing research in educational assessment and instruction, and advances in technology. A major area of ongoing Galileo innovation is focused on CCSS and on supporting CCSS implementation.

Attend Complimentary Seminar on Educator Effectiveness Initiatives

Mark your calendars to attend the Arizona complimentary seminar: Building a Successful Local Educator Effectiveness Initiative with Technology and Research. Co-hosted by Creighton School District and ATI and will include a panel comprised of leadership staff from several Arizona districts and charters, December 3 at 8:30 a.m. MST. This seminar will focus on how Arizona districts and charters are using technology and research to address current and future challenges related to implementation of local educator effectiveness initiatives. The seminar will feature a panel discussion where panelists will share their challenges, solutions, and the next steps for moving forward. There will also be a discussion of measuring educator effectiveness with the Arizona College and Career Ready Standards and an overview of Galileo educator effectiveness technology.

Register today.
Learn more.

Galileo Assessments Appropriate for Use as Massachusetts District-Determined Measures

We are happy to announce that the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (ESE), in partnership with WestEd, identified Galileo K-12 Online assessments as appropriate for use as District-Determined Measures (DDMs). Read alignment specifications of Galileo assessments to the ESE criteria.

ESE states on its website that assessments selected as DDMs by WestEd are aligned with critical content identified in the Core Course Objectives and/or the appropriate Massachusetts Curriculum Framework¹. A key criterion of the Commonwealth's new educator evaluation system, DDMs provide districts an opportunity to broaden the range of knowledge and skills they assess and how they assess learning. Districts must identify or develop measures for assessing student learning for each educator evaluation.

Educators in Massachusetts, and nationwide, will need data from several measures of student learning in order to identify trends, patterns, and academic achievement under new educator evaluation initiatives. Galileo technology, in use by a diverse and growing number of districts and charter schools, provides educators the student growth data to address these requirements in preschool through high school.

Please do not hesitate to contact us with any questions or for more information.

¹Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. (2012). Massachusetts Model System for Educator Evaluation Part VII: Educator Impact on Student Learning using District-Determined Measures of Student Learning, Growth and Achievement. Malden, Massachusetts: Mitchell D. Chester, Ed.D. Retrieved from http://www.doe.mass.edu/edeval/model/PartVII.pdf
http://www.doe.mass.edu/edeval/model/PartVII.pdf

Upcoming Complimentary Common Core Webinar

Attend the Galileo Innovations for Common Core Implementation webinar and learn how the current and upcoming innovations in Galileo K-12 Online are designed to facilitate local assessment and curriculum implementation of Common Core State Standards (CCSS) in districts and charters.

Common Core Assessment Innovations – View examples of Galileo item types aligned with CCSS and of the type currently under development by PARCC and SBAC.

Common Core Curricular Innovations – Discover how new Galileo technology can be used to develop and implement Common Core curricula and differentiated instruction. Dialogic technology makes it possible to deliver synchronous and asynchronous instructional communication between a teacher and either an individual student or a group of students.

Common Core Psychometric Analysis Innovations – Learn how ATI psychometric research accommodates the introduction of new item types and new scoring paradigms for Common Core assessments.

Learn more
Register
Date: Wednesday, November 13
Time: 1:00 - 1:45 p.m. EST
This webinar is complimentary.
Presenters:
Jason Feld, ATI Vice President Corporate Projects
Kerridan Kawecki, ATI Professional Development Director

Webinar: Galileo Innovations for Common Core Implementation

Galileo K-12 Online continues to evolve in response to client needs, changing federal and state requirements, ongoing research in educational assessment and instruction, and advances in technology. A major area of ongoing Galileo innovation is focused on Common Core State Standards (CCSS) and on supporting CCSS implementation.

Attend the Galileo Innovations for Common Core Implementation webinar and learn how the current and upcoming innovations in Galileo K-12 Online are designed to facilitate local assessment and curriculum implementation of CCSS in districts and charters.

Learn more
Register
Date: Wednesday, November 13
Time: 11:00 - 11:45 a.m. MST
This webinar is complimentary.
Presenters:
Jason Feld, ATI Vice President Corporate Projects
Kerridan Kawecki, ATI Professional Development Director

Mobile Devices and Galileo Online

With the advent of mobile computing in the classroom, ATI’s list of supported mobile devices has expanded. The new system requirements, located here for K-12 and here for Pre-K, provide a list of Galileo features that are supported on low-cost devices built on operating systems including Google Android, Apple iOS, Google Chrome, and Microsoft Windows.

One Test, Many Uses

“Help! I’m stuck between my administrators who want to use the December benchmark as a predictive and my teachers who want to use the December benchmark as a summative semester final. What can I do?” 

One single benchmark, if created appropriately, can serve both purposes. 

How? 

Every state is required to have a list of standards students at each grade level need to master. It is the district’s responsibility to make sure that every child masters these standards by the end of the school year. In order to ensure this goal is achieved, many districts provide pacing guides to teachers in order to keep both teachers and students on pace to master all standards by the end of the year. These pacing guides identify which standards are supposed to be taught at what point during the year. The benchmark assessments are then created based on the district pacing guide. 

The ideal benchmark assessment should be between 35-50 items long and have no more than five items on one specific standard. Using the standards taught during the first half of the year can provide both a reliable predictor of students’ progress towards mastery of the state standards and a valid summative assessment for what students were taught in the classroom. The question then becomes how do teachers take the results of these benchmark assessments and translate them into grades?

The answer to this question depends on the district’s method for grading students. The easiest and most straightforward method is a standards-based grading system. This method of grading provides information as to whether a student has mastered a standard or skill or where he or she is at in developing the skill. Information on standards mastery can be obtained using the Galileo® K-12 Online Intervention Report.

Using benchmark assessments for a more traditional method for grading, (e.g., providing a letter grade for students based on percentages) may need more thought. In order to provide accurate ability estimates for students at all ranges of ability, it is important that there is a range of difficulties on the items and that even the student at the highest academic levels needs to be challenged. As a result, sometimes the raw scores do not represent the level of growth and success students have actually demonstrated. One example is an assessment where the average raw score percentage was 46 percent, yet students demonstrated an average growth of 20 points on their Developmental Level scores (DL). Teachers and districts can use Galileo’s benchmark data  when assigning traditional grades. One suggestion to assign grades is to generate a classroom Benchmark Results report.  The report provides information for each student’s risk assessment. By providing a grade (e.g., A for On Course, B for Low Risk, C for Moderate Risk, and D or F for High Risk), valid and reliable student data may be converted into a traditional grading system.

- Karyn White, M.A.
Educational Management Services Director

New ATI Home Page

You may have noticed a few changes to ATI’s home page. These updates are to make the things you need most, easily accessible.  But don’t worry – everything that once lived on the home page is still available. The K-12 Spotlight and Pre-K Spotlight are just a click away - now found on the K-12 and Pre-K landing pages, and the ATI Education Newsfeed is available on the ATI News page. 

Quick links to the ATI Townhall Blog and Galileo Overview registration are still found at the top of the webpage, but with a new design. You’ll also find ATI’s new Facebook page and ATI YouTube channel quick links there. Check them out and be sure to “like” us  on Facebook!

Galileo® Professional Development

ATI offers a variety of on-site professional development sessions for Galileo K-12 Online and Galileo Pre-K Online users. The sessions are designed to assist educators in implementing the systems’ tools and technology throughout the school year.

Galileo trainers can help you discover new strategies and approaches to:
K-12
• building your local Common-Core-aligned curricula using ATI Unit and Instructional Dialog technology.
• implementing multiple levels of differentiated instruction to promote learning for all students.
• monitoring the effects of your district's or school's approaches to differentiated instruction.    

Pre-K
• providing the background needed to implement Galileo technology to new users, future trainers, and administrators.
• empowering supervisors, administrators, and trainers with expertise to lead their program in the Early Intervention Cycle.

Schedule an on-site professional development session today.
Contact a Professional Development staff member at 1.800.367.4762 or at ProfessionalDevelopment@ati-online.com for additional information, pricing, and to reserve a date.

Depth of Knowledge

Depth of knowledge, or DOK, evaluates the alignment between the depth or complexity of cognitive processing required for a student to complete an assessment task and how well that assessment task aligns with the cognitive complexity expressed in the standards being assessed.

The concept of DOK, developed by Norman Webb, breaks down into four levels - explained in the table that follows.

ATI offers a number of ways to measure the achievement of complex skills aligned to Common Core State Standards using Galileo K-12 Online assessment solutions. Items involving analysis and reasoning (available now in the ATI item banks) measure student capabilities and comprehension beyond factual recall. Assessments can be integrated into the instructional process and thereby expanded to cover student performance occurring over time periods that extend beyond the limited time periods allotted for selected-response tests.

Frequently Asked Questions: ATI and Common Core State Standards

Text reference: Are state-level standards and assessments aligned? Wisconsin Center for Education Research Highlights Fall 1999: 1-3.

Galileo® K-12 Online Dashboards offer Actionable Information for both Administrators and Teachers All in One Location

To help administrators with the new challenges of elevating student achievement, ATI offers the easy-to-use administrator view Dashboard within Galileo K-12 Online. This Dashboard ensures that curriculum and interventions are effectively implemented by providing, all in one place, actionable information linked to the attainment of staff goals for effective instruction and student goals for growth.

Progress management also becomes much easier when using the Dashboards. Administrators can build and administer proficiency rating scales and monitor staff observations, ensuring proficiency ratings are completed as scheduled. This information can also be used to plan staff professional development. Read more about the Dashboards.

To help teachers provide instruction aligned with local curriculum and deliver differentiated instruction, ATI offers the staff view Dashboard for teachers within Galileo. This Dashboard provides, all in one place, actionable information to teachers to meet the needs of individual students and groups of students with similar learning needs. The Dashboard is convenient and easy to use, plus it links to the attainment of valued instructional goals.

Teachers can quickly view all kinds of events, from upcoming to recently accomplished, such as local curriculum units and assessment schedules. They can even examine unit content and create, schedule, and implement online or offline lessons and assignments all aligned to unit standards. Read more about the staff view Dashboard.

New: Webisodes

In our conversations with users, we have learned that schools have a growing interest in digital professional development opportunities for teachers seeking to increase student engagement and achievement. We are developing educational K-12 webisodes that emphasize the integration of technology and teaching strategies relevant to Common-Core- and/or new-science-standards-curricula and to the goal of increasing student involvement in the learning process.

ATI and the New K-12 Science Standards, the first-released webisode, introduces a discussion centering on the new K-12 science standards’ emphasis on modeling throughout the performance expectations. These models are expected to explain, explore, and predict scientific phenomena. The webisode also shares modeling resources available through ATI’s dialogic technology.

View the webisode now

Text in the Common Core State Standards

A primary expectation of the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) for English Language Arts is for students to be comfortable analyzing complex texts. CCSS defines text complexity in both quantitative (e.g., Flesch-Kincaid and Lexile® measures) and qualitative (e.g., sophistication of ideas, assumption of prior knowledge) terms. The standards documents offer a guide for evaluating text rigor and complexity as well as lists of sample texts that meet the requirements (http://www.corestandards.org/ELA-Literacy).  Embedded in the CCSS are requirements for types of texts as well, including “multiple accounts of the same event,” “modern works of fiction,” “seminal U.S. texts,” and “foundational works of American literature.” ATI’s ELA writers have expanded our text offerings to support assessment of the new standards.

In elementary school, we have added challenging nonfiction texts with higher Flesch-Kincaid and Lexile® measures, such as “The Ice Woman: Louise Boyd’s Arctic Adventures,” and “Up, Up, and Away: The Story of Helium.” Our new texts include newspaper articles, letters, and first-person accounts of festivals, neighborhood gardens, and carnivals. We’ve written contrasting biographies of famous and important writers. To our rich set of folktales and cultural myths, we’ve added contemporary fiction featuring modern-day children with contemporary concerns, as well as excerpts from classic children’s books like The Secret Garden and Little Women.

High school CCSS emphasize classic American literature and historical documents. We’ve recently added poems by Emily Dickinson, as well as several short stories by Kate Chopin. Our banks now include presidential speeches, including inaugural addresses by FDR, Lincoln, and Washington, as well as excerpts from The Federalist Papers and Common Sense.

Eleanor Gallagher
English Language Arts Content Coordinator

ATI has You Covered with Comprehensive Assessment Options

Whether you need a benchmark or a computerized adaptive test, Galileo® K-12 Online has you covered with its full range of assessment options. As an all-in-one instructional improvement and instructional effectiveness system, Galileo offers a comprehensive assessment system including not only benchmark and computer adaptive tests but also formative, screening and placement tests, plus interim and final course examinations, pretests and posttests, early literacy benchmarks, and instruments documenting instructional effectiveness. Additionally, ATI item banks are aligned with both Common Core and state standards and now contain selected-response, constructed-response, and technology-enhanced item types reflective of planned consortium assessment approaches.

Learn more

2013 Technical Manual for Galileo® Pre-K Online

ATI is pleased to announce that the technical manual for Galileo Pre-K Online was recently revised and published. This technical manual provides an overview of the theoretical background and research underlying the ongoing development of Galileo Pre-K Online from ATI. This document also describes the technical and psychometric properties of Galileo Pre-K Online and the recently revised Galileo G3 assessment scales for infancy to 5 years. Galileo’s approach to assessment is examined as well as how Galileo uses standards-aligned path-referenced scales based on Item Response Theory (IRT) to support users in measuring children’s development while documenting standards mastery. The technical manual addresses how the Galileo assessment scale content is aligned with federal and state standards, and summarizes the research evidence supporting the validity of the content comprising the scales. Detailed information regarding psychometric analyses of the Galileo G3 assessment scales for birth to 5 years is also made available to the reader.

To access the 2013 technical manual for Galileo Pre-K Online, click here.

Actionable Dashboard Reporting

Data supporting district transition to Common Core State Standards and new instructional effectiveness responsibilities is quickly accessible through actionable Dashboard reporting technology within Galileo® K-12 Online. Reliable and valid assessment results from district-wide benchmark, instructional effectiveness pretests and posttests, end-of-course, computer adaptive, formative, and an array of other Galileo assessments are rapidly available to teachers, administrators, specialists, and parents. Report data details student mastery of standards, next steps to design instruction to promote learning along with continuous tracking of student progress and forecasting of student performance throughout the year. Learn more.

Galileo K-12 Online from Assessment Technology Incorporated is a comprehensive all in one, standards based instructional improvement and instructional effectiveness system, providing assessment and instructional tools supporting local initiatives to enhance learning. 

New Galileo Item Types

Galileo® K-12 Online item banks currently contain over 110,000 items in math, reading, science, and writing aligned to Common Core State Standards (CCSS) and Next Generation Science Standards* (NGSS) as well as to state standards used to transition to CCSS. Item types include traditional selected-response, constructed-response, and technology-enhanced items supporting transition to CCSS and NGSS and reflecting released plans for Partnership for Assessment of Readiness of College and Careers (PARCC) and Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium (SBAC) assessments.

CCSS and NGSS differ from earlier state standards in a variety of ways that directly affect the development of items and assessments reflecting the new standards. First, the new standards promote the integration of assessment and instruction. Second, the new standards emphasize the development of higher order thinking skills reflecting high Depth of Knowledge (DOK) levels. Third, the new standards replace the heavy reliance on selected-response items characteristic of earlier assessments with a more balanced approach involving selected-response items, technology-enhanced items, and constructed-response items. Finally, the new standards have introduced changes in the assessment process (e.g., the introduction of computerized adaptive tests as the format for SBAC assessments).

ATI has implemented a plan to respond to these new requirements including the following elements: 1) developing online Instructional Dialogs supporting the integration of assessment and instruction, 2) developing new content in the form of selected-response, constructed-response, and technology-enhanced items assessing the higher order thinking skills emphasized in the new standards, 3) introducing a multi-stage Computerized Adaptive Testing option, and 4) designing professional development offerings to assist districts/charter schools to make the transition to CCSS and NGSS.

These innovations will assist districts and charter schools in transitioning instruction and assessment to align with the new standards. These innovations will also ultimately assist districts and charter schools in elevating student achievement by providing students with the opportunity to master the content addressed in the new standards as well as to practice the online test-taking skills required for success in the next generation of statewide assessments created by PARCC and SBAC.

Read more here

*Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) is a registered trademark of Achieve. Neither Achieve nor the lead states and partners that developed the NGSS was involved in the production of, and does not endorse, this product.

Learning On-Demand for Galileo K-12 Online Users

The ATI Professional Development Department offers Galileo K-12 Online users Learning On-Demand sessions to assist educators in becoming proficient users of Galileo technology with the goal of enhancing student learning. Learning On-Demand recorded and online live sessions are complimentary.

Recorded Learning On-Demand sessions for Galileo users are available now in the Professional Development Forum. Live Learning On-Demand sessions for Galileo users offer multiple dates and times for ease and flexibility.

Recorded Learning On-Demand sessions for Galileo users available now in the Professional Development Forum
To inquire about how to access the Professional Development Forum, if not already registered, contact the ATI Professional Development Department at ProfessionalDevelopment@ati-online.com. 

• Implementing Assessments: This session provides participants with an overview of the assessment planning process, and walks participants through the process of completing the Assessment Planner, setting staff to review the generated assessment, and the process of completing a test review.
• Data Importation for New Users: This session walks participants new to Galileo or new to their position through the process of importing district/charter school data (schools, courses, classes, students, and teachers) into the Galileo K-12 Online environment.

Live Learning On-Demand sessions for Galileo users
To register, contact ATI Professional Development at ProfessionalDevelopment@ati-online.com. A sampling of sessions follows. For all sessions, dates, and times available: Click here.

• Student Enrollment: This session walks participants through manually adding, enrolling and dropping students into the Galileo system. Special emphasis is placed on when to manually handle student enrollment and when to rely on rostering via the data import.
• Giving a Test Online: This session shows participants where to access the ATI Online Test Administration Manual and discusses the tasks that should be completed prior to online test administration (e.g., checking your class roster, obtaining student logins). The K-12 Student-Parent Center is accessed, and participants are provided with troubleshooting tips for online testing. Users are also shown how to monitor students' progress as they complete online assessments.
• Building a Test Using Teacher-Created Test Items: This session walks participants through creating a test using Galileo's Test Builder tool. This session focuses on building a test by writing selected-response, true/false, yes/no, and short answer items. All subject area educators can benefit from this test building method.
• Accessing Professional Development Resources:  In this session participants learn the purpose of the Galileo Professional Development Forum, how to register for the Forum, navigate the Forum, access Forum resources, and post a question to the Galileo community. Also addressed are the additional resources available within Galileo, such as the Help Files, test administration manuals, and technical documentation.

ATI and Intellectual Property Protection

The United States Patent and Trademark Office defines Intellectual Property (IP) as Creations of the mind - creative works or ideas embodied in a form that can be shared or can enable others to recreate, emulate, or manufacture them. There are four ways to protect intellectual property – patents, trademarks, copyrights or trade secrets.  The protection of intellectual property is intended to promote innovation.  ATI views the process of acquiring protection for intellectual property as part of the innovative process.  Accordingly, it plays a key role in the way in which ATI creates and manages technological innovation.

 

While a number of works generated at ATI are copyrighted and important terms, such as Galileo, are protected by trademark, ATI pays special attention to patentable material for important reasons. First and foremost, patentability is core to the ATI mission of creating technology to promote learning discussed in more detail in our June 10 post.

 

Footers within Galileo Online applications state: "Protected by U.S. Patents 6,322,366; 6,468,085; 7,065,516 and others pending." The three currently applicable patents are just one portion of ATI's patent portfolio. These three patents cover the base "Instructional Management System," "Scale Builder and Method" and "Data Checker Apparatus and Method" respectively. One additional, recently granted patent is for a uniquely Pre-K product (Storyteller) that may influence future K-12 product development. However, multiple new applications make up the remainder of the ATI IP portfolio.

 

Patents pending include:

• "Integrated Assessment System for Standards-Based Assessment":  ATI's innovative approach to standards-based testing.
• "Item Banking System for Standards-Based Assessment":  A unique aspect of all ATI work is the creation of an item banking system capable of rapidly mapping items to new standards sets through the use of item specifications.
• "Online Instructional Dialogs" and "Online Instructional Dialog Books":  Dialogic technology allows for rapid curriculum development and deployment at the district/charter school level.  Compilation of newly developed curricula into dialog books will support instruction under Common Core State Standards.
• "Instructional Effectiveness (IE) Assessment":  Methods and software tools created by ATI will effectively support educator effectiveness initiatives.

 

Utility (“of use”) patents are one facet of the patent process utilized by ATI; however, another area of IP protection is the concept of design patents. As part of the Instructional Effectiveness Assessment System, ATI has patents pending for design aspects of the "IE Score Compiler."  This is a unique method of assisting client districts to determine and graphically represent components used to determine educator effectiveness including state test scores, standards-aligned formative tests, administrator evaluations, or other district-defined measurements.
 

ATI client districts and charter schools benefit from IP protection in a number of ways:  First, ATI’s commitment to continuous innovation produces continuous technological development essential to keep pace with rapid changes in education.  Second, since the management of innovation is built into the development process, innovations can be implemented with minimal disruption to ongoing use of ATI applications.  Third, protection of intellectual property ensures that we are able to focus resources on innovation rather than infringement defense practices, keeping Galileo costs low.   If you have any questions about ATI’s IP portfolio, feel free to contact us.

The Solution to One Administrative Nightmare

The new state laws requiring school districts to rate their teachers have inspired many of the districts I work with to take a hard look at new methods for gathering data and come up with new and creative methods for complying with these laws. Although many of these plans are effective once implemented, the district administrators are faced with the tasks of complex calculations and added paperwork in order to rate each district staff member. At times, this added load becomes a lot for even the most organized administrators to handle.

Here is an example of the kind of challenge faced by a district evaluating the effectiveness of  a 4th grade teacher.
                           
Districts often base teacher evaluations on a point system. In our example, we assume that the maximum teacher evaluation score is 1000 points. We then divide ranges of points into evaluation categories as follows:

• 750-1000              Highly Effective
• 500-750                Effective
• 250-500                Developing
• 000-250                Ineffective

Teachers earn their points based on the following criteria. The teacher rating scale (observation rubric) is worth 100 points. State test growth percentile is worth 100 points. ATI Galileo DL scores or other district determined student growth measures are also factored into the teacher score. In order to get the teacher rating, the administrator multiplies the total points the teacher earned on the rating scale by 5. Then the administrator adds up the state test growth percentiles in math, reading, and science. The administrator then computes the average DL score changes on all benchmarks and adds the DL score changes to the total score. The teacher is then rated based on predetermined categories listed above. 

Ask yourself how long will it take the administrator to be able to evaluate, calculate, and determine the appropriate rating for all of the teachers being evaluated. 
             
The answer to this question is likely to be a long time even in a relatively small district. ATI has a simple, efficient and accurate solution to this challenge. It is a score compiler. The compiler will take data from various sources and calculate a rating for each teacher. ATI enters staff rating scales including  (evaluation rubrics) into Galileo. Administers then can electronically complete scoring observations online. For example, scoring may occur during a scheduled teacher observation. The results of the evaluation are calculated immediately and pulled into the compiler. State test data can be uploaded into Galileo and pulled into the compiler. Finally, ATI pre/posttest data provides information about whether each teacher and/or school has met expected growth, not met expected growth, or exceeded expected growth. This data is also retrieved and placed into the compiler. All of the information as well as any other required information (e.g., other assessment data, surveys, informal observation, school-wide data) is then compiled to provide a rating for each staff member without the administrator needing to complete any of the calculations.

Webinar Recording: Galileo® K-12 Online and Insight 360™: Bridging student learning, assessment, instruction, and reporting

If you missed the ATI and eInstruction June 18 webinar, Bridging student learning, assessment, instruction, and reporting - don’t worry. The webinar was recorded and is available at the following link.

Click here to watch video.


The webinar recording illustrates how the integration of Galileo K-12 Online and Insight 360 can help school districts and educators implement a seamless and flexible approach to assessing student learning and providing differentiated, interactive instruction aimed at increasing student achievement and mastery of standards. Educators can easily develop and integrate locally designed instructional improvement and instructional effectiveness initiatives within one complete system. The integration also allows for evaluating student performance quickly and effectively in real-time and over a period of weeks or months with longitudinal reporting and analysis. Users further benefit from the ATI and eInstruction integration because teachers are afforded an at-your-fingertips approach to assessment, instruction, and reporting from a number of mobile and web-enabled devices.

Galileo K-12 Online is a Common Core State Standards aligned and research-supported system that includes a completely integrated array of customizable and comprehensive benchmark, formative, computer adaptive, pre-post, and end-of-course assessment tools. Also included are interactive web-based Instructional Dialogs and dialogic curriculum technology for use across any subject area. Real-time Dashboard reporting tools are also included and provide actionable data to all stakeholders to inform educational decision-making. ATI K-12 item banks currently contain over 120,000 items aligned to Common Core State Standards. ATI item banks  cover content areas ranging from math (including trigonometry), reading/English language arts, science (including biology and chemistry), and writing to art, music, foreign language, and career and technical education, to name a few.

Insight 360 is an all-in-one classroom instruction system that facilitates and simplifies instructional content planning and delivery and real-time assessment. The powerful, easy-to-use software enables educators to boost student engagement and gain immediate results on comprehension through formative and summative assessment using a variety of mobile devices such as eInstruction student response pads (clickers), smartphones, tablets, and the iPad®.

This integration makes it possible to use assessment information to guide classroom instruction, enrichment, intervention, and professional development in alignment with the goals of Common Core State Standards and educator effectiveness initiatives.

Check out other events, seminars, and webinars on the ATI Events page by clicking here. Contact your ATI Field Services Coordinator at 877.442.5453 for more information.

Webinar Recording: Galileo® Pre-K Online Innovations Supporting School Readiness in Head Start

If you were unable to attend the Galileo Pre-K Online webinar on June 11, Galileo Pre-K Online Innovations Supporting School Readiness in Head Start, you can watch it now via the following link.

Click here to watch video

The webinar illustrated the new, innovative, and research-based tools in Galileo Pre-K Online that can assist educators in meeting Head Start Program Performance Standards and the Head Start Child Development and Early Learning Framework requirements for establishing school readiness goals and implementing plans to support the success of programs, children, and families in achieving those goals. Head Start defines school readiness as children possessing the skills, knowledge, and attitudes necessary for success in school and for later learning and life. The Head Start approach to school readiness is designed to ensure that children are ready for school, families are ready to support their children's learning, and schools are ready for children.

Check out other events, seminars, and webinars on the ATI Events page by clicking here. Contact your ATI Field Services Coordinator at 877.442.5453 for more information.

ATI: Creating, Distributing, and Supporting Technology to Promote Learning

Since 1986 ATI has made it our mission to support educators through the use of research-based, innovative technology. For those of you who have wondered how ATI continues this mission year-after-year, please take a moment to browse our goals. As you will see, we take our opportunity to support today’s educators very seriously. Thank you for your interest in our company and services.

ATI Goals

• To continue an unwavering track record of technological innovations that began in 1986 and that supports educational initiatives.
• To sustain evolving, comprehensive educational technology that provides a single place to access curriculum, assessment, reporting, monitoring, and instructional effectiveness measurement tools. 
• To create web-based technology and provide electronic services that: assist teachers and administrators in managing learning effectively. 
• assist learners in acquiring new knowledge and skills. 
• assist educators in the delivery of curriculum aligned to academic standards and learner needs. 
• provide customized assessments aligned to standards to inform instruction and document learning outcomes. 
• provide curriculum tools and resources to support stakeholder efforts in providing standards-based educational opportunities. 
• provide rapid and flexible access to data used to document learning outcomes and to inform educational policy.
• collect data as part of a locally-designed instructional-effectiveness initiative that can be used both to inform  instructional and professional development decisions made throughout the course of the year and to identify proficiency levels of teachers and administrators at the end of the year.     
• To advance the state of knowledge through research and development designed to improve assessment and instructional technology aimed at promoting learning.
• To provide scalable training paradigms making it possible for educational groups of any size to learn to use technology to promote learning. 
• To provide state-of-the-art technical support when and how educators need it, across platforms and across the country. 
• To provide responsive service when and how educators need it so that users receive maximum benefit from the electronic services provided by ATI. 
• To promote the establishment of partnerships among teachers, parents, administrators, practitioners, and policy makers dedicated to improving the quality of education. 
• To provide professional growth opportunities for individuals utilizing technology and for our staff that will enhance their ability to make significant contributions to the improvement of education.

Webinar, June 18: Galileo® K-12 Online and Insight 360™: Bridging student learning, assessment, instruction, and reporting

Galileo K-12 Online and Insight 360: Bridging student learning, assessment, instruction, and reporting
Hosted by Assessment Technology Incorporated (ATI) and eInstruction
Time: 10:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m. MST / 1:00 p.m. - 2:00 p.m. EDT
The webinar is complimentary.

ATI and eInstruction have teamed up to offer an innovative, technologically advanced partnership that transforms the classroom into a dynamic, 21st century learning environment. This solution builds on the combined strengths of Galileo K-12 Online and Insight 360 in ways that further empower teachers as educators and students as learners with quick and easy access to actionable data, powerful reporting, and innovative instruction.

This integration makes it possible to use assessment information to guide classroom instruction, enrichment, intervention, and professional development in alignment with the goals of Common Core State Standards and educator effectiveness initiatives.

Learn more
Register

Complimentary webinar: Galileo Pre-K Online Innovations Supporting School Readiness in Head Start

Head Start defines school readiness as children possessing the skills, knowledge, and attitudes necessary for success in school and for later learning and life. The Head Start approach to school readiness is designed to ensure that children are ready for school, families are ready to support their children's learning, and schools are ready for children. This complimentary webinar, hosted by Assessment Technology Incorporated, will illustrate new, innovative and research-based tools in Galileo Pre-K Online. These advances are designed to support the efforts of Head Start educators to meet Head Start Program Performance Standards and the Head Start Child Development and Early Learning Framework requirements for establishing school readiness goals and implementing plans to support the success of programs, children and families in achieving those goals.

Date: June 11, 2013
Time: 9:00 a.m. - 10:00 a.m. MST / Noon - 1:00 p.m. EDT
Presenters:
Jason K. Feld, ATI Vice President Corporate Projects
Michelle C. Larson, ATI Preschool Special Projects Coordinator

Learn more and register.
For more information, click to view Galileo Pre-K Online website.

Community Assessment and Item Banking Initiative Professional Development Offerings

The Community Assessment and Item Banking (CAIB) Initiative provides a way for users to develop and to share both assessment items and assessments for use in evaluating student capabilities in areas not tested on statewide assessments. As part of the initiative, ATI is offering professional development to prepare educators for developing high-quality items and is providing services related to assessment development and data analysis. Participating districts are provided access to a continually growing repository of shared, district-written, high-quality items and customized assessments in areas not currently addressed on statewide tests.

CAIB Professional Development Modules:
Professional development supporting the CAIB initiative consists of a series of three modules that guide districts through the process of developing high-quality assessment items and assessments. The first module introduces participants to the Galileo item writing and review tools and guides districts through the process of writing items for their own use. The second module takes participants through a guided review of the items they have written. Participants in this training refine their review skills and help contribute vetted items to the shared Community Item Bank. Module Three is offered online and on an ongoing basis to district staff members who have completed the first two modules and as the district wishes to refine and expand on the items available for district and community use.

To schedule a professional development session:
On-site (Modules One and Two) and webinar instruction (Module Three) is arranged through the ATI Professional Development Department. Up to 40 participants may take part in on-site sessions held at a district-provided computer lab. Sessions are booked on a first-come, first-served basis. Contact a Professional Development staff member at 1.877.442.5453 or at ProfessionalDevelopment@ati-online.com for additional information, pricing, and to reserve a date.

For more information:
View Professional Development Community Assessment and Item Baking Initiative

Mathematics Content for Common Core State Standards

Traditional expectations for students studying geometry frequently take forms such as:  "What is the perimeter?"; "Which angles are congruent?"; "Find the volume." While proficiency with procedural skills retains its importance in the Common Core standards for mathematics, understanding of procedures involved in calculations has acquired increased importance. In the introduction to the Common Core State Standards for Mathematics we read:

Mathematical understanding and procedural skill are equally important, and both are assessable using mathematical tasks of sufficient richness.

One hallmark of mathematical understanding is the ability to justify, in a way appropriate to the student’s mathematical maturity, why a particular mathematical statement is true or where a mathematical rule comes from.

Although the new emphasis on understanding is evident throughout the Common Core standards, in some cases it is particularly prominent. We find good examples in two related high school geometry standards G-GMD.1 and G-GMD.2. These standards direct students to an understanding of the volume formulas that they have learned to recite, write, and apply. Mastery of these standards requires students to be familiar with Cavalieri's principle.

Mathematicians have used Cavalieri’s principle (not necessarily under this name) for thousands of years. It finds its way to school as an essential element of high school geometry only now. ATI believes that Instructional Dialogs can aid both students and teachers (and even parents) in working with Cavalieri’s Principle. To this end, we have developed two dialogs devoted to this fundamental concept.  One is a teacher version, which contains supplemental notes and insights to prepare teachers for content delivery. The other is a teacher-student version, containing the same instructional content but designed for use with groups of (or individual) students. These dialogs were carefully crafted to build upon geometric concepts students are already expected to understand, and the questions posed are articulated to assess understanding of Cavalieri’s principle as well as the ability to apply it.

These published dialogs are introductory in nature. In the near future, ATI plans to publish related dialogs to address the role of Cavalieri’s principle in explaining or proving volume formulas.

We are pleased to present these tools, and trust they will prove useful in teaching a potentially-challenging topic.

Need Assistance?

ATI provides various avenues for our users to get help within Galileo® K-12 and Galileo® Pre-K.

Help Icon
ATI has recently introduced widget technology within the Galileo K-12 environment. Widgets display information graphically, such as charts or tables, and invite you to act upon the presented data in various ways, such as quickly drilling down into further information or completing information in a form. When you click the Help icon located within a widget, a reference guide opens in a new window. The guide walks you through utilization of that widget.

Help Menu
From every page within the Galileo application, you can access the Help link on the gold menu bar in the header. Galileo’s Help menu provides users with step-by-step directions on using Galileo.

Within the Galileo Pre-K environment, additional resources are available to support teachers and program staff in using the Galileo Pre-K Online Curriculum. Resources in the Help menu include:

• Galileo Pre-K Online Curriculum Guidebook, a comprehensive resource for teachers.
• Galileo Pre-K Online Curriculum Materials List, including a checklist for classroom materials recommended for use with the Galileo G3 classroom activities.
• Galileo Pre-K Online Curriculum Storybook List, a list of storybooks recommended for use in the Galileo G3 classroom activities, including recommendations for Spanish and bilingual storybooks.
• Galileo Pre-K Online Curriculum Creating and Using Interest Centers handout, to guide teachers as they create interest centers in their classroom.
• Galileo G3 Assessment Scale Alignment with the Head Start Child Development and Early Learning Framework and Galileo G3 Assessment Scales Alignment with Your State document (as of today there are 37 state alignments plus the Common Core alignment for Math and English/Language Arts.

Tech Support
The Tech Support page may be accessed from every page within the Galileo application; you just need to click the Tech Support link on the gold menu bar in the header. On this page there is additional supporting documentation as well as a Technical Support phone number and electronic form. The form can be completed if the issue is not urgent; ATI personnel will contact you within a business day.

Within the Galileo environment, additional resources are available to support teachers and administrative staff in using the Galileo. Resources in the Tech Support menu include:

• Galileo Pre-K and Galileo K-12: Startup Support Kit
• Galileo K12:  Building Reliable and Valid Benchmarks,  Online Test Administration Manual for District-Wide Assessments,  and Offline Test Administration Manual for District-Wide Assessments

Forum
The Professional Development Forum provides all Galileo users the opportunity to share their experiences, ask questions, and obtain professional development assistance (training manuals, quick reference guides, and videos) from experts at ATI. This is an electronic, user-driven discussion board. Registration is free and only takes a minute. The forum creates an online community for educators, where ideas can be shared and support can be found. The Forum may be accessed from every page within the Galileo application; you just need to click the Forum link on the gold menu bar in the header.

E-Mail
You may always contact ATI via e-mail and ATI personnel will contact you within a business day (or even sooner!)

General questions may be directed to support@ati-online.com.

Questions specifically on professional development opportunities can be directed to professionaldevelopment@ati-online.com.

For users who may have data import and/or export questions e-mail galileodataimport@ati-onine.com. 

Phone
You may always contact ATI during regular business hours at 877.358.7616 in the Mountain Standard time zone.

Professional Development Opportunities

ATI’s Professional Development team offers both onsite and online professional development sessions. Professional development session participants receive materials detailing all topics covered in the session. To learn more about the K-12 professional development opportunities, visit http://www.ati-online.com/galileoK12/K12ProfessionalDevelopment.html; Pre-K professional opportunities can be found at http://www.ati-online.com/galileoPreschool/PreProfessionalDevelopment.html. You may also e-mail professionaldevelopment@ati-online.com or call 800.367.4762.

ATI Releases Research Brief: Categorical Growth Analysis – A Method Involving the Repeated-Measure T-Test

ATI releases a research brief summarizing current research on Categorical Growth Analysis, a statistical method involving the repeated-measure t-test written by Sarah Callahan, Ph.D., Research Scientist with ATI.

As part of the growing implementation of instructional effectiveness initiatives, districts and schools have expressed a need for information about the growth of students for which each teacher and principal is responsible. To be useful, student growth must be estimated based on valid, reliable student assessments and categorized via robust statistical approaches. Via the Galileo® K-12 Online Instructional Improvement and Instructional Effectiveness System (IIIES), ATI provides districts/schools with a wide variety of valid, reliable assessments including instructional effectiveness (IE) pretests and posttests as well as integrated statistical approaches designed to provide districts/schools with precise information about student growth.

This research brief describes and illustrates the underlying method for one of the statistical approaches developed by ATI to provide information about student growth, Categorical Growth Analysis. Categorical Growth Analysis enables educators to evaluate growth throughout the year. Information about student growth can be accessed along with information about student achievement in Galileo reports and used to guide professional development, student intervention, and other activities. Categorical Growth Analysis supports a fair, constructive approach to educator evaluation that evaluates educators against a defensible standard while providing every educator with the opportunity to succeed. This brief also summarizes the results of a simulation study evaluating the appropriateness of the method underlying Categorical Growth Analysis for a wide range of possible datasets.

Read the full Research Brief.

ATI will be Exhibiting at the National Head Start Association Conference

ATI will be attending the upcoming National Head Start Association Conference, April 28 through May 2, in National Harbor, Maryland. During the event, ATI will be at Exhibit #321 demonstrating the new features within Galileo Pre-K Online, including:

G3 Technology Scale
School Readiness Scales and reporting tools
Pre-K Parent Center expanded activities for families
Pre-K Parent Center Activity Report
Coming soon: Outcomes Analysis Report

NHSA 40th Annual National Training Conference
Hosted by National Head Start Association (NHSA)
Date: April 28 – May 2
Location: Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center, National Harbor, Maryland
Conference Info

New Challenges and Solutions Related to Evaluating Educator Effectiveness

Evaluating educator effectiveness has become a major concern across the nation. The fundamental premise underlying this concern is that good teaching and effective educational management carried out in a supportive learning environment ought to produce enhanced learning. The linking of educator evaluation to student learning has changed the nature of educator evaluation in significant ways. The stakes associated with the evaluation process have been raised. Educator evaluation has become more formalized, subjected to greater scrutiny, and extensively controlled by state law. The inclusion of student data has increased the complexity of the evaluation process. Whereas in the past educator evaluation was limited in the main to informal observations, now in many states results of student assessments involving dozens of subjects are becoming or are being considered for inclusion as a required component of the evaluation process. Additional complexity stems from the need to consider multiple data sources for multiple classes of educators in the evaluation initiative. Finally, in order to realize the goal of improving learning through effective instruction, there is a need for dynamic evaluation systems that continually examine the relationships among ratings of educator effectiveness, professional development offerings based on those ratings and measures of student progress. For the past few years, ATI has been working closely with local education agencies to meet the challenges of evaluating educator effectiveness. As a result of this work, ATI has developed a comprehensive Instructional Effectiveness Assessment System.

The system is designed to address several key questions requiring action on the part of local education agencies in order to implement an effective, locally designed educator effectiveness system. These include:

• How do we effectively link educator performance to student learning outcomes? 
• How do we weight and compile multiple data sources for different educators to produce an overall proficiency score? 
• How do we ensure that student performance data is reliable, valid, and useful for measuring growth? 
• How do we ensure that teacher performance data is reliable, valid, and useful for guiding professional development and practice? 
• How do we obtain actionable data throughout the year to inform decision-making?

To address these key questions, the Galileo comprehensive Instructional Effectiveness Assessment System has evolved in ways that now provide local education agencies with:

• Reliable and valid educator rating scales aligned to the Interstate Teacher Assessment and Support Consortium (INTASC) Model Core Teaching Standards, the Interstate School Leaders Licensure Consortium (ISLLC) Educational Leadership Policy Standards, and Common Core State Standards (CCSS).
• Reliable and valid measures of student progress in state-tested subjects;
• Reliable and valid measures of student progress non-state-tested subjects;
• An Evaluation Score Compiler that weights and automatically combines educator effectiveness indicators into a single score. 

Moreover, Galileo uses Item Response Theory (IRT) techniques to validate teacher performance scales and student assessment scales to produce a Proficiency Scale Score and Achievement/Growth Scores, respectively. IRT provides a continuous interval scale score to measure changes in proficiency and student growth over time. And IRT produces indicators of measurement precision including item difficulty, item discrimination and reliability.

If you would like to learn more about the ways in which we are supporting locally designed educator effectiveness initiatives contact us via email or at 877.442.5453 for more information. Also, watch for summer training opportunities that focus on educator effectiveness. Click here to access all current events, seminars, and webinars.

Implementing a Comprehensive Instructional Effectiveness Assessment System

If you missed ATI’s March 26 webinar, Implementing a Comprehensive Instructional Effectiveness Assessment System - don’t worry. The webinar was recorded and the recording is available at the following link.

Click here to watch video.
Click here to access other webinar presentation summary documents.

Linking educator effectiveness to student learning has changed the nature of educator evaluation in significant ways. The fundamental premise underlying this linkage is that good teaching and effective educational management carried out in a supportive learning environment ought to produce enhanced learning. For the past few years, ATI has been working closely with Local Education Agencies to meet the challenges of including student learning in the evaluation of educator effectiveness. As a result of this work, ATI has developed a Comprehensive Instructional Effectiveness Assessment System.

Watch for summer training opportunities that focus on educator effectiveness. Click here to access all current events, seminars, and webinars. Contact your ATI Field Services Coordinator by email or at 877.442.5453 for more information.