Findings from the Consortium for Policy Research in Education Support Pilot
Project Developed by The Grow Network/McGraw-Hill
NEW YORK, June 10 /PRNewswire/ -- Research has confirmed that an
initiative developed by The Grow Network/McGraw-Hill called the
Personalized Assessment Reporting System (PARS) motivates students and
provides educators with essential tools that help improve student
performance on retakes of the Ohio Graduation Tests (OGT). Passing the test
is an essential step to earning a high school diploma in Ohio.
PARS was developed on behalf of the Ohio Department of Education to
provide educators, students, and parents with personalized reports, both in
print and online, about student performance on the OGT. The reporting
system also offers online instructional resources and professional
development tools designed to help teachers address students' individual
academic needs.
Researchers from the Consortium for Policy Research in Education (CPRE)
conducted a scientifically-based evaluation of the first year of
implementation of the system. Among other findings, the CPRE study
reported: "Teachers thought the PARS reports could be useful in a number of
ways, namely informing their instructional decisions, facilitating
teacher-student communication around their OGT performance, expediting
school responsiveness to students who needed to retake the OGT, and
focusing school attention on students at risk of not graduating."
Specific quantitative findings included the following:
-- Students who failed the March 2006 Ohio Graduation Tests, prior to the
implementation of the pilot project, were up to four times more likely
to attempt at least one retake of the test if they attended a school
using the PARS resources.
-- Students in PARS districts scored significantly higher on retakes
compared to their counterparts in control districts. The largest
effects occurred in Science and Social Studies, where students in
treatment districts were 27% more likely to score proficient in Science
and 22% more likely to score proficient in Social Studies than were
students in control districts.
-- Findings of higher retake scores were particularly robust for
African-American students and students with limited English
proficiency.
-- African-American students were about 40% more likely to score
proficient on a retake of the OGT than their counterparts in control
districts.
-- The researchers also found an exceptionally large positive effect in
Writing for students with limited English proficiency (LEP). LEP
students were nearly four times more likely to score proficient in
Writing if they attended a school in a PARS district.
"This impartial and rigorous research study offers significant evidence
that providing students with clear, detailed information about their
assessment performance and personalized instructional materials can make a
real difference in their academic achievement," said Mark Malaspina,
president of The Grow Network. "The report also demonstrates that Grow's
approach of integrating reporting and instructional materials can be a
valuable resource and diagnostic tool for teachers who work with struggling
students."
The CPRE study included a random assignment of the PARS program to 30
out of 60 districts in Ohio, providing the basis for clear causal
connection between PARS' intervention efforts and student motivation and
improvement. CPRE researchers noted that "results from this randomized
field trial suggest that PARS has had many positive effects on student
motivation and OGT outcomes for many students . . . While PARS did not
appear to impact the OGT scores of students taking the test for the first
time, PARS did show positive impacts on the OGT scores and proficiency
rates for students retaking the OGT. Many teachers involved in tutoring
students who had failed the OGT were able to use PARS in meaningful ways to
guide their support for students."
Created in 1985, the Consortium for Policy Research in Education (CPRE)
unites researchers from seven of the nation's leading research institutions
-- the University of Pennsylvania, Teachers College Columbia University,
Harvard University, Stanford University, the University of Michigan, the
University of Wisconsin-Madison, and Northwestern University -- in an
effort to improve elementary and secondary education through practical
research. Visit http://www.cpre.org/ for more information about CPRE.
To read a copy of the full report, go to:
http://www.cpre.org/images/stories/cpre_pdfs/cpre%20ohio%20pars%20report.pdf
About The Grow Network/McGraw-Hill
Established in March 2000, The Grow Network/McGraw-Hill has become a
nationally recognized leader in educational assessment reporting. The Grow
Network/McGraw-Hill's innovative patent-pending system offers dynamic
reports and differentiated learning tools in print and online for families,
teachers, and educational leaders. The Grow Network/McGraw-Hill is part of
the Assessment and Reporting group of McGraw-Hill Education, a division of
The McGraw-Hill Companies (NYSE: MHP). McGraw-Hill Education is a leading
global provider of instructional, assessment and reference solutions that
empower professionals and students of all ages. Additional information is
available at http://info.grow.net/
Media Inquiries:
Kelley Carpenter
Director, Communications
McGraw-Hill Assessment and Reporting
831.393.7196
kelley_carpenter@mcgraw-hill.com
SOURCE The Grow Network/McGraw-Hill
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Related links:
http://info.grow.net
http://www.mheducation.com http://www.cpre.org
CONTACT:
Kelley Carpenter Director, Communications
McGraw-Hill Assessment and Reporting +1-831-393-7196
kelley_carpenter@mcgraw-hill.com
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