REL Pacific Efficacy and Implementation Evaluation of the Secondary Writing Toolkit
No material or nonsubstantive change to a currently approved collection
No
Regular
Approved without change
12/11/2024
11/26/2024
table that charts list comparision
Inventory as of this Action
Requested
Previously Approved
10/31/2026
10/31/2026
10/31/2026
1,372
0
1,705
199
0
416
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.
Literacy, including writing, is closely tied to student success throughout K-12 education, which impacts high school graduation (National Institute for Literacy, 2008; NCES, 2020) and ultimately, income beyond graduation (US Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2019). Despite the importance of writing to life and learning, teachers report that the training they receive on teaching writing, both prior to entering the field and while teaching, is minimal or insufficient (Graham, 2019). To address this problem, the REL PA toolkit development team is developing a Secondary Writing Toolkit to support teachers in implementing Hawaiâi evidence-based instructional strategies to improve writing among students in grades 6-8. The toolkit is based on the Teaching Secondary Students to Write Effectively WWC Practice Guide and is being developed in collaboration with district and school partners in Hawaiâi.
REL Pacific will design the Toolkit to help teachers improve their writing instruction so that students in Hawaiâi become stronger, more effective writers. The Toolkit uses Professional Learning Communities (PLCs) facilitated by one of the teachers in the school (peer facilitator) to help teachers learn new instructional skills. Teachers also have access to instructional resources as part of the Toolkit to support their use of evidence-based strategies in their classrooms.
This study is designed to measure the efficacy and implementation of the REL Pacific-developed toolkit designed to improve writing among students in grades 6-8. The toolkit evaluation team plans to conduct an independent evaluation using a school-level, cluster randomized controlled trial design to assess the efficacy of the school-based professional learning resources included in the toolkit. The evaluation will also assess how teachers and facilitators implement the toolkit to provide context for the efficacy findings and guidance to improve the toolkit and its future use. The evaluation will take place in 40 schools in Hawaiâi and focus on all students in grades 6-8. The toolkit evaluation will produce a report for district and school leaders who are considering strategies to improve writing among secondary students. The report will provide guidance on using the Toolkit professional development and resources to help teachers implement the Practice Guide (PG) recommendations.
This is a change request to: (1) move from a randomized controlled trial to an implementation study, decreasing our sample size by half and decreasing some of the data collection; (2) expand recruitment into California; (3) adjust incentive amounts and funds provided to schools; and (4) update the list of options in a drop-down menu. Please see the memo for more detail and justification.
US Code:
20 USC 9564
Name of Law: Education Sciences Reform Act (ESRA) of 2002, Part D, Section 174
This change requests that the study be moved from a randomized controlled trial to an implementation study, decreasing the sample size and decreasing some of the data collection, lowering the annual burden.
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;
If you are unable to certify compliance with any of these provisions, identify the item by leaving the box unchecked and explain the reason in the Supporting Statement.
OMB 83 C Form (Change Worksheet)_1850-0985.pdf
OMB1850-0985 Change Memo_RELPacific_Toolkit_eval.docx
REL Pacific Efficacy and Implementation Evaluation of the Secondary Writing Toolkit