TeachME Professional Development

Integrated Student Supports that Promote Student Achievement and Well-Being

Executive Summary-Introduction

1. Integrated student support initiatives, which offer specific services and resources to students and families in order to help build a foundation for academic success, connect struggling children with secure housing, medical care, food assistance, tutoring, and other critical supports.

A. True B. False

What Are Integrated Student Supports?

2. Core components of Integrated Student Support (ISS) models include needs assessment, coordinated student support, community partnerships, integration within schools, and:

A. A clear mission and policy statement B. Transition planning C. Data tracking D. Leadership and responsibility

Key Findings Explained

3. Within child development research and theory, the whole child model acknowledges the unique ways in which child‐, family‐, school‐, and community‐level factors contribute to each student’s academic success.

A. True B. False

Chapter 1: Introduction and Background

4. Research increasingly supports the premise that nonacademic factors in a young person’s life influence their ability to concentrate, learn, process information, and behave well in class, and in turn, these influence academic success and overall well‐being.

A. True B. False

Overview of Findings from the 2014 Making the Grade Report

5. Which of the following is NOT one of the final conclusions that was drawn from the 2014 Making the Grade Report?

A. There is emerging evidence that ISS models can contribute to student academic progress and available studies find a positive return on investment B. ISS is aligned with empirical research on the varied factors that promote educational success C. High‐quality implementation is essential to producing positive outcomes D. ISS is a strengths-based approach firmly grounded in human development research and literature

Updated Review of Research on Child Development

6. The social determinants of health, including economic policies and systems, development agendas, social norms, social policies and political system, are relevant for ISS work because understanding why some children or their families may have more health struggles can shed light on what resources are necessary to support them.

A. True B. False

7. In addition to social and emotional learning (SEL) skills, today’s children need to be adept in communication, negotiation, emotion management, and flexibility, which are referred to as subordinate skills.

A. True B. False

Chapter 2: Summary of 2014’s Making the Grade Report-Figure 2

8. The specific supports incorporated into ISS models include physical and mental health, in-school and expanded learning time, parent education and family counseling, social services for families in need, and:

A. School climate and effectiveness B. Social, cultural, and behavioral development C. Health and well-being promotion for school and support staff D. Resources for students, parents, and educators

9. Research examining factors that have the greatest influence on educational attainment and influence indicates:

A. Promising individual factors include student attendance and engagement, as well as student health and well‐being B. Key family factors contributing to educational achievement and attainment include parental expectations and parenting behaviors C. School factors that influence educational achievement include the socioeconomic status of the students who predominately attend the school, the quality of student/teacher relationships, school size, and a safe school climate D. All of the above

10. When assessing student outcomes from ISS model implementation, the most conclusive positive outcomes occurred in rates of school attendance.

A. True B. False

Chapter 3: Methodology Used to Review Outcomes Evaluations

11. The outcomes of interest when evaluating integrated student support studies include GPA, grade progression, math/ELA grades, test scores, and attendance.

A. True B. False

Chapter 4: Outcomes Evaluations

12. While the most recent evidence supports integrated student service models as promising interventions, a lack of consistency in measuring outcomes makes it a challenge to compare results across studies.

A. True B. False

13. When evaluating academic outcomes, math and ELA results were similar in that outcomes related to grades were prioritized over test scores, and most results were positive.

A. True B. False

Attendance

14. Each of the following is a correct statement about school attendance factors and research findings related to attendance EXCEPT:

A. Attendance is by far the most commonly included outcome across studies, likely because failing attendance is an early indicator of problems in school, at home, or both B. At the elementary school level, poor attendance can signify issues at home, with the family, or for the parents, as the latter ensure that young students regularly attend school and can set future standards for attendance C. In the higher grades, low attendance predicts lower performance and lower graduation rates, setting students on a long-term trajectory of lower income D. Findings clearly indicated that ISS programs benefited elementary school attendance more than high school attendance

Nonacademic Outcomes

15. Nonacademic outcomes need to be studied because ISS is based on the premise that improving nonacademic factors will ultimately lead to better academic outcomes, and because including these measures allows both researchers and educators to assess whether ISS services are producing changes in intermediate nonacademic outcomes.

A. True B. False

Simulating the Long-Term Impacts of ISS Programs

16. While there is currently a lack of evidence and understanding on the long‐term impacts of ISS programs, models like the Social Genome Model (SGM) are working to predict the potential future outcomes of ISS participants using the effects of these programs on student math scores, graduation rates, and:

A. College and career success B. Poverty and earning potential C. Teen pregnancy and male incarceration D. Behavioral health outcomes

Discussion

17. Overall, although the evidence continues to build and there are several indications of positive effects for ISS, the field continues to lack a set of findings across outcomes or outcome types that are:

A. Affirmative and decisive B. Hopeful and optimistic C. Favorable and opportune D. Consistent and conclusive

18. When comparing ISS results on grades and test scores, it is important to consider that changes in grades may occur more quickly because they are more subjective and reflective of student behavior than objective tests.

A. True B. False

Chapter 5: Implementation Evaluations

19. As part of the implementation evaluation process, summative evaluations were conducted to explore whether and how components of the model were implemented.

A. True B. False

20. The four pillars of success that were assessed to measure the fidelity of the Diplomas Now model included teacher teams and small learning communities, curriculum and instruction with professional development, tiered student supports, and:

A. A “can-do” culture and climate B. Manageable student to staff ratios C. Unified guidance and vision D. "Standards of the heart" incorporated into academic standards

Conclusions from Implementation Studies

21. Higher implementation scores and better outcomes for ISS initiatives may reflect buy‐in, willingness to problem‐solve because of a belief in the value of the program, strong leadership, or successful identification of an approach that works when fully implemented with quality.

A. True B. False

22. Implementation results indicate that in order to meet school needs effectively, consistency and rigorous adherence to the model components must be maintained.

A. True B. False

23. One evaluation limitation is that most studies relied on schools’ self‐reports indicating whether they were implementing certain components of the model, which is more a measure of whether administrators at each school think they are implementing such components than an outsider’s more objective assessment of quality.

A. True B. False

Community Partnerships

24. Schools who participate in community partnerships most frequently collaborate with community action agencies.

A. True B. False

25. One benefit of implementing ISS was a shift in school culture where when teachers knew they could rely on school leaders and personnel to share information, they were more watchful for changes in student behavior.

A. True B. False

Data Collection and Tracking

26. Although few schools collect data on students’ nonacademic outcomes, nor do they systematically assess the linkages between nonacademic supports and academic outcomes, the most likely nonacademic factor to be measured is:

A. Health and safety B. Chronic absenteeism C. Adverse punishment D. Bullying

Other Themes

27. The five emerging themes that were identified from conversations with school leaders and key personnel about ISS were the importance of having a unified school vision, hiring committed staff, distributing leadership responsibilities, being creative with funding, and:

A. Emphasizing inclusive, caring, and culturally responsive environments B. Utilizing data and resources C. Promoting collaboration and high expectations D. Considering the potential strengths and challenges of smaller communities

28. Even though rural communities may be at a disadvantage in their ability to form community partnerships, schools within rural districts may be able to work together and align services from kindergarten through 12th grade.

A. True B. False

Discussion and Next Steps

29. In conversations with principals, it was made clear that a full-time support staff member is needed to help make these models function effectively.

A. True B. False

Discussion

30. Experts contend that there is almost certainly a positive economic return from the investments made in ISS schools, as demonstrated by segmentation analyses within cost-benefit studies.

A. True B. False


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