DEPARTMENT: Pre-K 4 SA
DEPARTMENT HEAD: Kathy Bruck, CEO
SUBJECT:
Year 2 work plan for independent evaluation
SUMMARY:
Staff briefing and possible Board action to approve the Pre-K 4 SA independent evaluation Year 2 work plan for Edvance Research and the National Institute for Early Education Research (NIEER) [Lauren Decker, Senior Researcher I, Edvance Research, Inc.]
BACKGROUND INFORMATION:
During the October 7, 2014 Board meeting, Lauren Decker, Senior Researcher I from Edvance Research, Inc. presented to the Board a potential Year 2 work plan for the eight-year independent evaluation of Pre-K 4 SA.
On July 16, 2013, the Board approved for Pre-K 4 SA to contract with Edvance Research in partnership with the National Institution of Early Education Research (NIEER) based on a Request for Proposals requesting an independent program evaluator. This approval authorized Pre-K 4 SA to initiate a contract with an initial five-year term, and one three-year renewal option. The independent evaluation activities that Edvance Research will conduct during Year 2 of the contract will be briefly discussed along with deliverables and timelines.
Program Assessment
The purpose of the program assessment in Year 2 is to evaluate Pre-K 4 SA through investigations including both current Pre-K 4 SA children (Cohort 2) and former Pre-K 4 SA children (Cohort 1) who are now in kindergarten as well as provide results-based recommendations for continued program development and improvement through five tasks:
· Fidelity of implementation measure - evaluate how well Pre-K 4 SA accomplished its goals in Year 2
· Cohort 2 teacher-student interaction descriptive analysis - evaluate classroom quality
· Cohort 2 parent engagement descriptive analysis - analyze success of parent engagement as define by participation and potentially parent responses
· Cohort 2 comparison of kindergarten readiness scores with a nationally normed sample of children - track progression of students throughout the school year from baseline in the fall to completion in the late spring
· Cohort 1 matched comparison group using district collected student data for the kindergarten year
Benefits of the program assessment are applicable to Pre-K 4 SA, participating school districts, and San Antonio as a whole.
· Pre-K 4 SA - understand how Pre-K 4 SA is utilizing resources to achieve outcomes, how children are scoring on the Gold assessment in comparison to a normed sample, understand to what extent the program is being implemented as intended
· Participating Districts - assist districts with understanding effectiveness of student preparation for kindergarten by the end of the pre-K year as well as potential for sustained effects by the end of kindergarten
· San Antonio - explain use of sales tax, document progression for stakeholders, provide research based recommendations that can be used to guide direction of the program, and validate proper implementation
ISSUE:
This item will include a staff briefing, Board discussion, and possible approval of the adoption of the Year 2 work plan for Edvance Research, Inc.
RECOMMENDATION:
Staff recommends for the Board to approve the Year 2 work plan for the independent evaluation of the eight-year independent evaluation of Pre-K 4 SA by Edvance Research, Inc. and the National Institute for Early Education Research (NIEER).