EPIC engaged in a three-part research initiative, conducting an environmental scan to understand the current policy context of South Carolina and to identify “peer state” accountability models, designing and facilitating a series of regional meetings to elicit the values and priorities of stakeholders in the education system, and constructing an analytical framework based on findings from those stakeholder meetings.
In the winter and spring of 2012-2013 the Educational Policy Improvement Center (EPIC) partnered with representatives from the Office of Secondary/Postsecondary Transitions at Oregon Department of Education (ODE) and the Oregon Department of Community Colleges Workforce Development (CCWD) to guide secondary and postsecondary instructors in the development and implementation of formative performance assessments.
The white paper begins with a description of the CCSS and an assessment of their significance. A following analysis then explains why the CCSS, while necessary, are not sufficient as a platform for college success. A corresponding explanation of the DQP clarifies the prompts that led to its development, describes its structure, and offers some guidance for interpreting the outcomes that it defines.
The Educational Policy Improvement Center (EPIC) conducted an analysis of deeper learning skills on behalf of the Hewlett Foundation to create a crosswalk between the Deeper Learning Skills (DLS) and the Common Core State Standards (CCSS). The purpose of the crosswalk was to understand the ways in which strategies for deeper learning relate to the CCSS.
This report describes the Job Training Programs Curriculum Study (JTPCS), which was commissioned by the National Assessment Governing Board (Governing Board) to analyze the content of course materials from five job-training occupational areas and is part of a larger program of preparedness research projects that are being conducted for the Governing Board.
In November of 2012 and February of 2013, the Oregon Department of Education (ODE) held two workshops to conduct the English Language Proficiency Assessment (ELPA) performance standards verification using the bookmark procedure (Cizek & Bunch, 2007; Kane, 1994; Mitzel, Lewis, Patz, & Green, 2001). To set the bookmarks, ODE recruited a diverse set of participants from across the state.
This report describes the background, methods, and findings of a “deep dive” evaluation of Roadtrip Nation’s (RTN) high school program, the Roadtrip Nation Experience. The primary focus of the evaluation was RTN pilot implementation in three San Jose Unified School District PLUS Academies during the 2011–2012 academic year, supported by analysis of program curriculum and instructional materials.
California Diploma Project: Validity Study Technical Report. This validity study examines two research questions: How applicable are the Health Science and Medical Technology Standards to entry-level postsecondary courses and workforce expectations? How important are the Health Science and Medical Technology Standards to success in postsecondary courses and workforce expectations?
Alignment Study of the Health Sciences and Medical Technology Draft Standards and California’s Exit Level Common Core State Standards.
This alignment study examines two dimensions of alignment, looking at both content and cognitive complexity.
EPIC conducted an investigation of the Intersegmental Committee for the Academic Senates (ICAS) Statements of Competencies for Mathematics and Academic Literacy. The purpose of this work is to understand how the ICAS competencies relate to college and career readiness, as represented by the augmented Common Core State Standards (CCSS) adopted by the California State Board of Education (SBE) on August 2, 2010.