ITEST LRC Data Brief Volume 1, Issue 1This Data Brief provides a descriptive summary of project findings submitted to the Management Information System by ITEST projects active in 2011-2012.
Moderator: Alyssa Na'im
Presenters: Araceli Martinez Ortiz, Sustainable Future; Pam Van Dyck, Evaluation Resources; Karen Yanowitz, CSI; Angelique Tucker Blackmon, Try-IT
Presenter: Dan Damelin, RI-ITEST
Summary: This webinar explored types of embedded assessments, how to include them in computer-based activities, and a model system for collecting data for teachers, students, and researchers. Examples were primarily drawn from the Rhode Island ITEST project, but the systems in which materials are embedded could be used by other projects.
In addition to an NSF cross-program panel and keynote addresses, this Summit featured numerous breakout sessions hosted by ITEST project PIs and evaluators in 4 strands: Shaping educational pathways to STEM careers, Embedding research and assessment into project work, Evaluation, and Topics of general interest.
Embedding Research and Assessment into Project Work
This Summit's focus was on Using Evaluation-Research Methodology to Inform Workforce Development Strategies and Project Scale-Up. Several of the summit presentations and panels were archived.
See link to Summit highlights.
The first issue of the Insights and Innovations in STEM Learning series synthesizes learnings from a thematic analysis of ITEST projects’ reported outcomes, challenges, and innovations.
In this report, Inverness Research summarizes their findings based on evaluating the American Museum of Natural History (AMNH)'s high school program over 10 years. The report includes:A discussion of the theory of action and the rationale that underlies the AMNH youth programsA description of three of the programs that have been offered and the evolution in program design that has taken place over the yearsA description of the core common features of the programs
ITEST LRC Data Brief Volume 1, Issue 2This Data Brief explores findings reported in the 2011-2012 Management Information System (MIS). In this edition we focus on the topic of validated instruments, by analyzing information reported by the projects regarding their use of instruments to measure youth and teacher outcomes, their research questions and their evaluation questions. The MIS asked project Principal Investigators (PIs) whether or not they use externally developed and validated instruments to measure youth or teacher outcomes. For those projects using external instruments, the MIS
In today's world of high accountability, strong evidence on intended outcomes is key to building credibility and replicability of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) programs. This primer, for program directors/managers, educators and others responsible for developing and implementing STEM programs: Provides evaluation guidelines and resources for program leaders who are implementing STEM programs in schools and community-based organizations. Reduces "evaluation anxiety" for individuals who are not professional evaluators by providing guidelines for good evaluation
Multi-site evaluations are becoming increasingly common in federal funding portfolios. Although much thought has been given to multi-site evaluation, there has been little emphasis on how it might interact with participatory evaluation. Therefore, this paper reviews several National Science Foundation educational, multi-site evaluations for the purpose of examining the extent to which these evaluations are participatory. Based on this examination, the paper proposes a model for implementing multi-site, participatory evaluation.