Short comparative interrupted times series (CITS) designs are increasingly being used in education research to assess the effectiveness of school-level interventions. These designs can be implemented relatively inexpensively, often drawing on publicly available data on aggregate school performance. However, the validity of this approach hinges on…

This booklet has been developed in hopes that it may aid in keeping communication open and focused between families and schools. Building communication between parents and the school staff through letters offers a way of keeping records of ideas, concerns, and suggestions. This booklet provides general guidelines to writing letters as well as…

Special education, for students ages 3 to 21, is guided by federal and state requirements. The federal requirements are referred to as The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). The state requirements are referred to as the Ohio Operating Standards for the Education of Children with Disabilities (Ohio Operating Standards). The Ohio…

Special education, for students ages 3 to 21, is guided by federal and state requirements. The federal requirements are referred to as the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). IDEA protects the rights of students with disabilities and the rights of their parents. The state requirements are referred to as the Ohio Operating Standards…

This booklet has been developed in hopes that it may aid in keeping communication open and focused between families and schools. Building communication between parents and the school staff through letters offers a way of keeping records of ideas, concerns, and suggestions. This booklet provides general guidelines to writing letters as well as…

Over the past decade, Ohio has made important education policy advances, with a focus on student learning and achievement, standards, and accountability. Ohio is serious about its commitment to quality schools and honors this commitment by providing Local Education Agencies (LEAs) a research-based, transparent, fair teacher evaluation system…

The content of this guide was derived from ongoing work of a working group on growth models coordinated and facilitated by the SLDS Grant Program's State Support Team. The Statewide Longitudinal Data Systems (SLDS) Grant Program was asked by several states to review current growth models with the goal of determining the impact of different models…

Cities around the country are building systems that seek to make the most of public and private resources to provide widespread, high-quality, out-of-school time opportunities. Local officials are leading these efforts because participation in OST programs not only benefits young people but also the cities in which they live, with the potential to…

Value-added methods are tools that analysts have devised to help people understand the gains that students are or are not making while in school. This can be done in many ways, and different analysts and states have developed various approaches. Beginning in August 2008, Ohio's academic accountability system includes a value-added component that…

Rubrics are tools that formalize the process of evaluation by explicitly stating the criteria to be used for grading. Rubrics help students to evaluate the quality of their work as they progress through a class. They may be very helpful to Ohio adult educators in helping to evaluate the Uniform Portfolio that must be kept on every student within a…

This self-appraisal checklist is designed to help Ohio teachers and administrators improve elementary school English/language arts programs. The checklist is organized into seven major categories representing essential aspects of an elementary school English/language arts program: (1) philosophy, (2) organization and administration, (3) class…

This technical assistance manual is designed to provide Ohio school districts with resources and information to aid in the development of appropriate procedures to identify children who are gifted. It is organized to respond to questions that districts may have or need to answer regarding gifted identification and provides information and…

To comply with Ohio state standards, guidelines are provided for local school districts to organize a competency program. Five steps are outlined: (1) planning the program, including budgeting, scheduling, inservice training, coordinating advisory and working committees, and ensuring public awareness; (2) establishing competencies, by developing…

This guide has been developed to assist Ohio school districts in completing the requirements of Ohio legislation on the identification and services for children who are gifted. It includes instructions for developing and submitting a service plan for children who are gifted and a fiscal estimate of the plan. The guide corresponds with a Web site…

This is one of a series of implementation documents prepared in conjunction with the revised minimum standards adopted in 1983 by the Ohio State Board of Education. Its purpose is to provide guidelines for developing a local policy governing selection of instructional materials, including textbooks, equipment, the library collection, and…