Classroom productivity index

• US 20040157201A1
• Filed: 02/07/2003
• Published: 08/12/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 02/07/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: John Hollingsworth, Sylvia Ybarra
• Original Assignee: John Hollingsworth, Sylvia Ybarra
• Inventors: Hollingsworth, John, Ybarra, Sylvia
• Granted Patent: US 7,131,842 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 434/350
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 7/00 Electrically-operated teaching apparatus or devices working with questions and answers mechanically operated G09B3/00; computing arrangements G06F

Abstract

Disclosed is a system and method for evaluating educational effectiveness and establishing an index for comparison. The index is called the Classroom Productivity Index and is determined from four factors multiplied together. Two of the factors come from a Curriculum Calibration of student assignments process: (1) Alignment to Standards and (2) Breadth of Coverage. The two other factors come from a School Wide Instructional Practices Summary (classroom observations) process: (3) Time on Task, and (4) Instructional Effectiveness. The Index is used to quantifiably measure the educational institution'"'"'s overall effectiveness and to identify areas for improvement in the school'"'"'s instructional processes that will result in improved student learning and improved student achievement on state assessments. A repeat determination of the Classroom Productivity Index at a future time can measure a school'"'"'s progress, or lack of progress, in improving its educational processes. The usefulness of the Index is based on the premise that improved teaching results in improved student learning.

Claims

1. A method for generating an index for use in evaluating the effectiveness of an educational institution comprising the steps of:

a. collecting work from students at the institution;

b. analyzing the collected student work to determine its alignment to standards as a percentage;

c. analyzing the collected student work to determine its breadth of coverage as a percentage;

d. observing the classroom teaching of students at the institution;

e. analyzing the observed teaching to determine the percentage of time on task;

f. analyzing the observed teaching to determine instructional effectiveness as a percentage; and

g. multiplying together the four percentages of alignment to standards, breadth of coverage, time on task and instructional effectiveness to produce an index value.

2. The method of claim 1 including the additional step of:

h. comparing the produced index value to a norm for evaluation purposes.

3. The method of claim 2 including the additional step of:

i. reporting the four percentages and the index value to the educational institution.

4. The method of claim 3 including the additional step of:

j. developing strategies for improving any of the four percentages.

5. The method of claim 3 including the additional steps of:

j. performing a curriculum calibration of the collected student work;

k. preparing a school wide instructional practices summary of the classroom observations; and

l. reporting the results of the curriculum calibration and school wide instructional practices summary to the educational institution.

6. The method of claim 5 including the additional step of:

m. developing strategies for improvement.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the alignment to standards is determined as a percentage of assignments given to students that are on grade level.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein the breadth of coverage is determined as a percentage of coverage of each content strand as compared to the percentage of questions per content strand tested on state assessments.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein the instructional effectiveness is determined as a percentage of teacher time using explicit direct instruction.

10. The method of claim 8 wherein the classroom observation is performed by specially trained observers who record student and teacher behaviors for long periods of time.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein each classroom observation takes place for at least one hour.

12. The method of claim 1 wherein different weights are given to each of the four percentages based on their relative importance.