Regional Educational Laboratory (REL) Southwest Write to Succeed Evaluation
New collection (Request for a new OMB Control Number)
No
Regular
Approved without change
03/25/2024
01/17/2024
table that charts list comparision
Inventory as of this Action
Requested
Previously Approved
03/31/2027
36 Months From Approved
2,453
0
0
366
0
0
0
0
0
The current authorization for the Regional Educational Laboratories (REL) program is under the Education Sciences Reform Act of 2002, Part D, Section 174, (20 U.S.C. 9564), administered by the Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences (IES), National Center for Education Evaluation and Regional Assistance (NCEE). The central mission and primary function of the RELs is to support applied research and provide technical assistance to state and local education agencies within their region (ESRA, Part D, section 174[f]). The REL program's goal is to partner with educators and policymakers to conduct work that is change-oriented and supports meaningful local, regional, or state decisions about education policies, programs, and practices to improve outcomes for students.
Supporting equitable educational opportunities and achievement for English learner students in New Mexico is a high priority for the New Mexico Public Education Department (NMPED, n.d., 2021). In light of analysis showing English learner students in the state have lower rates of English language arts (ELA) proficiency (Arellano et al., 2018), plus legal rulings in the state that English learner students' rights to a sufficient public education have been violated (NMPED, 2022a), NMPED created a strategic plan that includes supporting the whole child through literacy instruction that is culturally and linguistically responsive (NMPED, 2022b). Improving English learner students' English proficiency and the literacy skills of all students is a top priority of NMPED and the district and regional partners of REL Southwest. To address this problem, REL Southwest is implementing, refining, and building evidence for the Write to Succeed professional learning program. The core focus of the Write to Succeed program is scaffolded writing instruction that can support all students but with embedded opportunities to meet the language needs to English learner students. Prior to this study, the program will be further enhanced with supports for teacher collaboration and culturally and linguistically relevant instructional routines, as prior work with New Mexico partners has indicated these are two elements in need of further support.
This study is designed to measure the efficacy and implementation of the Write to Succeed. The evaluation team plans to conduct an independent evaluation using a school-level, cluster randomized control trial design to assess the programs impact on teachers' practices and beliefs and students' language and literacy outcomes. The evaluation will also assess the implementation of the program and how it may be effectively scaled. The evaluation will take place in 40 schools across an estimated 10 districts in New Mexico and will focus on teachers and students in Grade 4-8. The evaluation will produce a report and presentations to study participants, practitioners, policymakers, and researchers, and infographics and blog posts for a wider audience of educators and policymakers. These will be designed to inform district and school leaders and teachers about scaffolded writing practices that could be beneficial for English learner students and all students.
On behalf of this Federal agency, I certify that the collection of information encompassed by this request complies with 5 CFR 1320.9 and the related provisions of 5 CFR 1320.8(b)(3).
The following is a summary of the topics, regarding the proposed collection of information, that the certification covers:
(i) Why the information is being collected;
(ii) Use of information;
(iii) Burden estimate;
(iv) Nature of response (voluntary, required for a benefit, or mandatory);
(v) Nature and extent of confidentiality; and
(vi) Need to display currently valid OMB control number;
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