White Papers

• The Nonnegotiable Attributes of Effective Feedback - Solution Tree
• A Practical Guide to “Evidence-Based” under ESSA - Curriculum Associates
• What Does Evidence-Based Really Mean Under ESSA? - Lexia Learning
• Getting Real About Career Readiness - America Achieves
• Identify What’s Most Important to Teach - Marzano Research
• The EdTech Efficacy Handbook - DreamBox
• ESSA: An Opportunity for American Educators - Solution Tree
• The New Mindframe on Assessment - Corwin
• Guide to Choosing Digital Content and Curriculum - Dreambox

The Nonnegotiable Attributes of Effective Feedback

Sponsor: Solution Tree Posted: August 15, 2018

Feedback is complicated. Strategies are not transferable to every context; nuance and contextual sensitivity matter most, since strategies can have a varying degree of success from classroom to classroom. This whitepaper identifies the key attributes of effective feedback to help educators to grow and to allow students to concentrate on what comes next so they continue to learn and improve.

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A Practical Guide to “Evidence-Based” under ESSA

Sponsor: Curriculum Associates Posted: August 1, 2018

The Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) recognizes the importance of “evidence-based” research and efficacy to improve student outcomes. Understanding not only the technicalities of what the law deems evidence-based, but also what questions to ask when evaluating a solution will help districts find the products and programs that best fit their needs. This whitepaper provides practical guidance on:
• How the new legislation defines “evidence-based”
• Five important questions to ask when evaluating evidence-based interventions under ESSA
• How to cut through research jargon and answer the question, “Does this intervention truly help students?”

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What Does Evidence-Based Really Mean Under ESSA?

Sponsor: Lexia Learning Posted: August 1, 2018

ESSA prompts schools to use evidence-based interventions with students, particularly if those students qualify for Title 1 funding. While NCLB asked that schools use "scientifically based" interventions, ESSA has taken it a step further by encouraging schools and districts to put money and effort into programs and strategies that are backed by actual evidence, not just theory. Read "Understanding ESSA: What Does Evidence-Based Really Mean?" to learn what exactly "evidence-based" and "proven" results mean when it comes to ESSA.

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Getting Real About Career Readiness

Sponsor: America Achieves Posted: July 17, 2018

What do students need to know and be able to do to be successful in 21st century careers and life? Getting Real about Career Readiness: A Focus on Cross-Sector Competencies is the first in a series of multi-media white papers from America Achieves Educator Networks on promising education practices for preparing students for the changing world of work.

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Identify What’s Most Important to Teach

Sponsor: Marzano Research Posted: July 3, 2018

Feel like there’s never enough time to teach all of the content in your standards documents? To help, our experts have identified the critical concepts for ELA, mathematics, and science. Get started by downloading our free white paper, The Critical Concepts.

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The EdTech Efficacy Handbook

Sponsor: DreamBox Posted: July 1, 2018

If your district or school is in the market for education technology programs, it’s essential to find and validate evidence of efficacy before you adopt and purchase. Third-party studies are essential, as is research conducted internally by school districts. In this guide for district leaders and educators, we’ll explain why you should insist on both—and show you where to find evidence-based information on solutions that truly move the needle and improve outcomes.

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ESSA: An Opportunity for American Educators

Sponsor: Solution Tree Posted: April 18, 2018

The Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) provides an opportunity for increased student achievement across the United States by allowing states a greater degree of freedom and control over public K-12 education. To take advantage of this opportunity, states must abandon the thinking that led to the failure of previous reforms such as No Child Left Behind and instead embrace a new mindset about the most promising strategies for improving schools. That new mindset must include supporting teacher collaboration, establishing clarity of purpose, providing ongoing feedback, creating conditions that allow educators to succeed, and sustaining improvement through the PLC process.

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The New Mindframe on Assessment

Sponsor: Corwin Posted: March 22, 2018

John Hattie’s new mindframes for Visible Learning research identifies “Assessment shows me my effect” as a shift in thinking about the value of classroom assessment. The new mindframe suggests that when thinking about assessment, including formative assessments, as a reflection of a teacher’s effort more than the students’ it turns assessment into a positive force for designing instruction. This experience is described by one school district who implemented the Common Formative Assessments 2.0 process as they dived deeper into their implementation of Visible Learning.

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Guide to Choosing Digital Content and Curriculum

Sponsor: Dreambox Posted: January 1, 2018

This resource is designed to address the challenges of moving from a print-based to a digital-based curriculum to help districts effectively make the transition. Through providing effective practices and resources for districts, this guide will allow you to plan for success, understand your digital and curriculum options, and implement your program with fidelity. Download this guide to help inform your digital content and curriculum strategy.

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