Bridging the Gap is a companion document to a series of three regional workshops, hosted by the Illinois Community College Board (ICCB), the Illinois Board of Higher Education (IBHE), and the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) and facilitated by the Educational Policy Improvement Center (EPIC).
Amy Scott discusses the differences between Smarter Balanced tests and the traditional standardized test, such as the use of open-ended questions over multiple choice. Scott suggests that such higher-quality assessment is worth the higher costs.
Written by EPIC Founder Dr. David Conley for the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO) in June 2014.
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.
In this preface to his book Engaging Students With Poverty in Mind, Eric Jensen gives a personal narrative of challenges met and struggles overcome, providing a first-person perspective on poverty that he uses to lend credibility to his claims.
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.
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?
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.
Robert Pondiscio sympathizes with teachers who dislike the Common Core State Standards, but argues that they are necessary and overall beneficial.
EPIC completed an alignment study on the Common Core State Standards. The study determines the extent of correspondence (alignment) between the exit level Common Core State Standards and each of five sets of existing standards.