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The Center for Teacher Quality and Educational Leadership (CTQEL) is an outreach initiative of the Program for Research and Evaluation in Public Schools (PREPS), Darden College of Education, and Old Dominion University (ODU). The Center is sponsored by the Virginia General Assembly and has locations on the Old Dominion campus in Norfolk, Virginia as well as in the University's Peninsula Higher Education Center in neighboring Hampton. The Center represents a field of networked relationships, collaborative higher educations-K12 projects, programs, and emerging research related to "authentic" or transformative public education. Our Mission The Center will assist at-risk schools and school districts to create evidence-based cultures that meet the educational needs of all children and their general well-being supported by coherent district organizations. Additionally, the Center serves as an incubator, catalyst, mirror, and training ground for this field. Our Model Our focus is on student self-determination and teacher and administrator efficacy. Governor Kaine and Virginia State Superintendent Dr. Pat Wright have charged schools to move beyond the minimum competency level to advanced proficiency. We have developed and tested a model, Schools for the Future™, where higher quality learning flourishes in contexts that satisfy student needs for competence, autonomy, and relatedness. Students experience competence when challenged and given prompt and descriptive feedback. Students experience autonomy when they feel supported to explore, take initiative and develop and implement solutions for their problems. Students experience relatedness when they perceive others listening and responding to them. When these three needs are met, students are more intrinsically motivated and actively engaged in their learning. The Schools for the Future model PD intervention draws heavily on research conducted by ODU’s Dr. Jack Robinson and Dr. Steven Myran on Student Assessment for Learning™ (AFL). They were able to replicate findings described by Dr. Rick Stiggins in Assessment Manifesto, 2008. AFL is no longer just a good idea; it is now embedded in NCTM standards. NEA has written a book, Balanced Assessment, 2003. ETS is implementing AFL in schools across the nation. Yet in Virginia schools AFL is not the norm with Henrico County Schools being the exception. Most Virginia schools continue to rely heavily on summative assessment. Empirical research shows that strengthening the practice of formative assessment produces significant and often substantial learning gains, e.g., typical effect sizes of .04 to.07 (Black, Wiliam, Dylan, 1998). These effect sizes are larger than any known PD intervention. An effect size of 0.4 would mean that the average pupil involved in an innovation would record the same achievement as a pupil in the top 35% of those not so involved. An effect size gain of 0.7 in the recent international comparative studies in mathematics would have raised the score of a nation in the middle of the pack of 41 countries (e.g., the U.S.) to one of the top five. Many of these studies arrive at another important conclusion: that improved formative assessment helps low achievers more than other students and so reduces the range of achievement while raising achievement overall. A notable recent example is a study devoted entirely to low-achieving students and students with learning disabilities, which shows that frequent assessment feedback helps both groups enhance their learning (Black, Wiliam, Dylan, 1998). All such work involves new ways to enhance descriptive feedback between those taught and the teacher, ways that will require alteration of the relationship between the student and teacher and the content. Underlying the various approaches are assumptions about what makes for effective learning -- in particular the assumption that students have to be actively involved. For assessment to function formatively, the results have to be used to adjust teaching and learning; thus a significant aspect of the CTQEL PD intervention is the ways in which teachers make these adjustments. Documentation of Our Work CTQEL PD Intervention tutorials and videos of teacher use of the 3 competencies in core classrooms, alternative education classrooms, inclusion classrooms, and gifted classrooms are provided below:
Halifax County Public Schools: In the summer of 2008, Halifax and ODU opened discussion about how to improve mathematics instruction. A team of 6th grade teachers formed an action research team to investigate instructional practice and assessment. Assessment for Learning ™ (ETS, Stiggins, 2009) was selected to satisfy student needs for competence, autonomy, and relatedness. ODU developed and is testing a educators network to enable teachers to record their experiences, share with each other, and connect to ODU faculty who guide the action research team. On May 18, 2009, both partners agreed to sign a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) to implement a grade 4-8 vertical mathematics team program. In the winter of 2008, the district and ODU felt they were ready to expand their work by creating a grade 4-8 + STEM Academy vertical mathematics team. The idea is to prepare students for advanced mathematics and college. Parties engaged include ODU engineering and College of Education Occupational Technical Studies (OTS) Department. OTS is leading the College of Education STEM study. The parties will develop a program over 3 years to implement the vertical mathematics team. Northampton County Public Schools: In 2006, ODU joined with Northampton to develop assessment literacy and improve mathematics instruction. A $750,000 grant from VDOE was awarded to help the district retain special education teachers. In 2008, a U.S. Department of Education grant for $655,000 was awarded to ODU to build internal district capacity to recruit and retain school leaders. The overarching goal of the project will be to build internal district capacity that will allow NCPS to “grow their own” leaders within the context of the school culture being served. ODU was also helpful in establishing a educational foundation to support the district. The foundation ‘s priorities include developing a early childhood system, a school-based health center, and a parent university. Martinsville City Public Schools: In 2008 and early 2009 Martinsville and ODU opened discussions on forming a partnership. In May 2009, the parties agreed to sign a MOA that would develop action research teams of 26 grade 5 and 6 teachers. In a one year pilot, the partnership will develop and test the ODU Schools for the Future professional development intervention, examine scaling models for expanding the intervention, and build the internal capacity of teachers to use Assessment for Learning competencies. Bryan Elementary School, Hampton City Schools: CTQEL is in the early stages of developing a partnership with Bryan Elementary School to:1) bring research-based, powerful pedagogy into classrooms in meaningful ways and, 2) learn how to effectively integrate such pedagogy in the entire school system. This collaboration between Bryan Elementary, Willard Model Elementary and CTQEL will combine design-based research and action research approaches to increase the agency of students in their educational careers. The Center will facilitate this interaction by facilitating Willard's lateral development with Bryan using Assessment for Learning in daily practice in the classroom. Norfolk Public Schools: In 2006, Dr Jack Robinson and Dr. Steven Myran opened a line of research on student assessment for learning in Willard Model Elementary School. A ODU Research Foundation grant enabled Dr. Robinson to conduct a graduate course for 61 Norfolk teachers to advanced assessment for learning practice. Today, Willard Model School is assisting CTQEL to bring Hampton’s Byran Elementary into assessment for learning. ODU also was awarded a SCHEV in 2008 grant to work with all 9 Norfolk Middle schools to improve mathematics instruction. Newport News Public Schools: Beginning in 2007, CTQEL in partnership with Norfolk State University, George Mason University and the University of Maryland, organized a school counselors project to fully implement the American School Counseling Association and Virginia School Counseling Association model. Faculty from ODU and Norfolk State University are assigned to the 6 high school action research teams to help investigate issues that support and block ASCA model implementation. CTQEL has also provided 5 doctoral students to assist the action research teams gather and analyze data. Doctoral student Rebekah Fariss presented the project to the Virginia General Assembly on February 10th, 2009. ODU and Newport News Public Schools have also developed an aspiring leader program that has been funded at $100,000 each year since 2006. Advanced leadership instruction has also been provided to all 215 district formal instructional and non instructional leaders. Monroe Elementary School, Norfolk Public Schools: CTQEL is sponsoring a song writing action research project at Monroe Elementary School in Norfolk Public Schools. Tina Micula, Artist-In-Residence, is training teachers to use song writing to address children’s long term memory. The research project uses song writing to enhance instruction as defined by the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM). A summer program was conducted in 2008 and in school year 2009-2010, grades 3-5 students are writing and performing their songs. On February 25th, 2009, students performed their songs at a PTA function celebrating Black History Month. On April 3, 2009 the Monroe Elementary School grade 2 children performed for the CTQEL Advisory Council. Our best news is that ODU and Monroe are applying for a Save Our History grant. The project , known simply as “17” will enable 60 some grade 5 children to write songs about the Norfolk “17” and their journey during a period in the 50s and 60s known as massive resistance. Norfolk Public Schools gifted their Norfolk 17 records to ODU library. The children will work in the library with the original documents and will work with members of the Norfolk 17. The children will record their songs on CD and perform in the community and at Crispus Attucks theater in 2010. College Park Elementary School, Virginia Beach: CTQEL is also sponsoring a song writing action research project at College Park Elementary School in Virginia Beach. Tina Micula, Artist-In-Residence, is working with grade 2 teachers and children to write songs aligned with SOLs, in this case “multiple perspectives” to deepen children’s relatedness to mathematics. On June 10, 2008, students performed their work at Beth Shalom Temple Senior Home as a culmination exercise and community exhibition. Tallwood High School - Global Studies & World Languages Academy, Virginia Beach: CTQEL is currently exploring a Global Studies initiative with Virginia Beach City Schools. The parties are in the early stages of planning to expand Chinese language studies, global studies programming, and student and faculty exchange with China’s Minzu University. In the spring of 2009 ODU opened discussion with China’s Minzu University in Beijing to partner on a Confucius Institute grant from the Chinese Ministry of Education. CTQEL research scientist Dr. Zhongtang Ren is the lead investigator. On May 18, he led a ooVoo video conferencing session with MUC officials. All agreed to join together to submit a grant to the Chinese Embassy and then on to the Chinese Ministry of Education. If approved ODU would establish a Confucius Institute to support Chinese language instruction on campus and in K12 partner schools such as Virginia Beach. Publications White Paper: Designing & Implementing Schools of the Future White Paper: Action Research Framework White Paper: Changing Lives One Child at a Time Henrico County Schools Balanced Assessment Instructional Framework Editorial: The Limits of Change CTQEL Webinar: Principal Leadership Program CTQEL - Newport News Public Schools Counseling Collaboration Research Archive: Preparing Leaders for Rural Schools: Practice and Policy Considerations Research Archive: Go Ahead, Teach to the Test! Research Archive: Increasing Student Success Through Instruction for Self-Determination Research Archive: A Call for the Development of Balanced Assessment Systems Research Archive: Leadership for Learning: A Theory of Action for Urban School Districts Research Archive: Mentored Learning to Teach According to Standards-Based Reform: A Critical Review Research Archive: How to Manage Urban School Districts Research Archive: Inside the Black Box: Raising Standards Through Classroom Assessment
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