UNC Wilmington and Measurement Incorporated Form Public/Private Partnership to Implement Reading Recovery National Grant
December 7, 2011
Wilmington, N.C. - Measurement Incorporated of Durham, North Carolina is supporting the University of North Carolina Wilmington's Watson School of Education in its effort to implement a national grant called i3 Reading Recovery: Scaling Up What Works.
Reading Recovery® is a highly effective, targeted approach to school reform focusing on first grade students experiencing difficulty learning to read and write, typically the lowest 20 percent of the class. The program calls for intensive, long-term professional development for teachers, preparing them for interventions with first graders that help them catch up with their peers and close the achievement gap. UNCW received a $56,000 federal Reading Recovery grant Oct. 1, 2011.
Under the leadership of Kenneth Teitelbaum, dean of the Watson School of Education, and Barbara Honchell, education faculty member and director of UNCW's Reading Recovery Program, seven teachers from Perquimans, Pasquotank and Chowan counties in rural northeastern North Carolina will initially participate in the program. The grant supports the cost of training Reading Recovery teachers and thus increases the opportunity for children to participate in one-on-one learning. However, the grant requires private matching funds of $600 per teacher to purchase books and other materials to be used directly by children.
Henry Scherich, president of Measurement Incorporated, has agreed to provide matching funds and related services through the company's tutoring division, Accelerated Achievement at Measurement Incorporated (AA@ MI). Scherich stated that, “Measurement Incorporated is committed to supporting substantive “child centered” education initiatives to improve student performance in our public schools.” The initiative is also being supported through gifts from several individual private donors.
Media contacts:
Dana Fischetti, media relations manager, UNC Wilmington, 910.508.3127 or fischettid@uncw.edu
Measurement Incorporated Selected by New York State to Evaluate the Statewide Implementation and Impact of School intervention Models for Persistently Lowest Achieving (PLA) Schools and Schools Under Registration Review (SURR)
September 2, 2011
Measurement Incorporated has been awarded a three-year contract to evaluate both the implementation and impact of school intervention models in PLA and SURR schools and interventions under the state’s Differentiated Accountability (DA) System. The evaluation is in conjunction with New York’s recent receipt of School Improvement Grant and Race to the Top funds, which have enabled the state to accelerate its reform strategy by introducing comprehensive interventions in low-performing schools capable of producing dramatic and rapid improvements. To fulfill the requirements of the evaluation, MI has assembled a multidisciplinary research team with solid knowledge of and experience with low-performing districts/schools. This team, led by Dr. Thomas Kelsh and Dr. Sara Lukose, will use a collaborative approach to complete the three required research tasks: (1) providing annual formative and summative assessments of the implementation and impact of the PLA/SURR and required DA interventions using a combination of qualitative and quantitative methodologies; (2) reporting the evaluation results and milestones through quarterly progress reports and face-to-face meetings with the Department of education; and (3) providing a three-year cumulative report of lessons learned and recommendations for sustainability, as well as a three-year trend analysis for all outcome measures. Collaborating on the project will be Dr. Susan Klaiber, former director of several national technical assistance centers focused on low performing schools and reading instruction.
For more information about how MI can assist your school or district with its evaluation needs, visit our Evaluation Services section.
Measurement Incorporated Receives New Contracts to Evaluate Teacher Incentive Fund (TIF) Grants in Maryland and Virginia
August 5, 2011
Measurement Incorporated recently received contracts to evaluate three Teacher Incentive Fund (TIF) grants located in Maryland and Virginia: (1) the Financial Incentive Rewards for Supervisors and Teachers (FIRST) Program, operated by Prince George’s County Public Schools, Maryland; (2) the Performance Outcomes with Effective Rewards (POWER) Program, administered by Washington County Public Schools, Maryland; and (3) the Schools for Excellence Program, operated by the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS), Virginia. The federal TIF program supports efforts to develop and implement performance-based teacher and principal compensation systems in high-need schools, with the goals of (a) improving student achievement; (b) increasing the number of effective teachers teaching poor, minority, and disadvantaged students in hard-to-staff subjects; and (c) creating sustainable performance-based compensation systems. Measurement Incorporated’s evaluation approach for the three TIF grants features formative and summative components, mixed-methods data collection procedures, and rigorous multi-level analyses to determine program impacts on student achievement and other important outcomes. The study team includes Dr. Thomas Kelsh, Dr. Shelly Menendez, and Dr. Marilyn Musumeci. Partnering on the NBPTS evaluation is MN Associates of Fairfax, Virginia.
For more information about how MI can assist your school or district with its evaluation needs, visit our Evaluation Services section.
Construction Begins for New Office and Retail Building in Downtown Durham
June 30, 2011
Measurement Durham LLC, a spin-off from Measurement Incorporated, announced today that it has formed Measurement Building LLC in order to construct and finance a new 74,000 square foot, Class A office and retail facility in Downtown Durham. “The Measurement Building” will be located at 404 Hunt Street, at the corner of Hunt and Morris Streets. This location is adjacent to the Durham Farmers Market and Durham Central Park and is one block south of the Historic Durham Athletic Park.
Construction will begin in July 2011 and completion is expected by July 2012. The building will be five stories tall with a red-brick exterior, five ground floor retail bays, and flexible office layouts.
Measurement Incorporated (MI), which owns and occupies several other facilities nearby, will be the major tenant, but approximately one half of the building will be leased to other tenants, including the award-winning Urban Planet Mobile. Negotiations are in progress with several other potential tenants.
"We are very pleased to facilitate MI’s continued investment in Downtown Durham," said Bryan Scherich, Director of Operations and Development for Measurement Durham LLC. MI moved its headquarters downtown in 1994 after purchasing and renovating the BC Remedy Building. It has since expanded into two other renovated, historic facilities within two blocks: the Brodie Duke Building and the Imperial Tobacco Building.
The Measurement Building will be the first building constructed as part of a larger development planned for the city block bordered by Hunt, Morris, and Corporation Streets and Durham Central Park. The development is being branded as Morris Ridge.
Capital Bank is providing financing for the Measurement Building. Choate Construction Company will be the general contractor. Other companies involved in the project are Hoke/New Vision Architects, Civil Consultants, and Comfort Engineers.
Standard Setting Book Receives High Praise
May 18, 2011
In a recent issue of Journal of Educational Measurement, Dr. Luz Bay gives a very favorable review of the book, praising it for its practical approach:
…authors Gregory J. Cizek and Michael B. Bunch intended to (a) provide readers with a brief solid foundation of the basic theory and logic underlying standard setting, and (b) then dive directly into a nuts-and-bolts survey of the current inventory of standard-setting methods (p. xi). They did just that, and much, much more.
Dr. Bay goes on to note:
The discussions of the methods are very thorough, each chapter presenting a historical perspective on the development of the method. Such historical discourse makes this more than a how-to book and a good reference for a serious student of standard setting.
Later, she points to the experience-based nature of the contents of the book:
…it is abundantly apparent that the authors know standard setting and themselves have implemented numerous standard-setting procedures using different methods for different types of assessment programs. When implementations are described they are not hypothetical but actual implementation on a real situation with real panelists, and the examples provided are not contrived but put together for actual use.
Dr. Bay has high praise not only for the book but for the website containing databases, sample forms, planning guides, and exercises. Readers are invited to visit the website to try out ideas and procedures described in the book or to obtain templates for their own standard-setting materials. The online content, as well as much of the content of the book, is based on numerous standard-setting activities Dr. Bunch and his staff have designed and carried out over the past 20 years at Measurement Incorporated.
Standard Setting is currently being used throughout the world and receiving favorable reviews from users. At a recent international seminar, Dr. Bunch elaborated on key technical and practical aspects of the book for enthusiastic users from five continents.
Link: http://sagepub.com/cizek
Measurement Incorporated Selected as Approved Evaluator for Philadelphia and Baltimore
Nov 22, 2010
To qualify, Measurement Incorporated had to demonstrate expertise in Experimental and Quasi-Experimental Design, Quantitative and Qualitative Methodology (survey design case studies, interviews, and classroom observation), Advanced Statistical Analyses, and User-friendly Reporting. Now, as an approved evaluator, MI can conduct formative and summative evaluations in wide ranging content areas including teacher quality, leadership/professional development, small learning communities, extended learning, health, special education, bilingual education, and content-related initiatives (literacy, STEM, social studies).
MI is also pre-qualified to perform evaluations for the New York City Department of Education and the Buffalo Public Schools.
Visit our Evaluation Services section, to learn how MI can assist your state, district, or school.
Measurement Incorporated Named as Approved Statewide Vendor for School Improvement Services in Arizona and Massachusetts
Nov 12, 2010
Measurement Incorporated has won contracts from the states of Arizona and Massachusetts to serve as an approved vendor for a range of school improvement services in local school districts. In Arizona, MI is pre-qualified to help persistently low-achieving schools and districts with the six areas that compose the state’s Turnaround Framework:
- School and district leadership
- Curriculum, instruction, and professional development
- District and school assessment systems
- Culture, climate, and communication
- Resources management
- Comprehensive planning
In Massachusetts, MI is pre-qualified to provide research and evaluation services, as well as conditions for school effectiveness (CSE) services. The research and evaluation award allows MI to conduct statewide and locally based studies in leadership, family-school relationships, professional development, effective instruction, and students’ social, emotional and health needs. Through the CSE award, MI is certified to offer technical assistance in those areas — such as workshops, in-depth consultation, best practice searches, resources and guides. Among the workshops and consultation services MI is uniquely positioned to provide are:
- Recruiting and selecting high-quality principals
- Conducting an effective principal classroom walk-through
- Creating logic models
- Developing strategic planning models
- Building and maintaining school-community partnerships
- Selecting and implementing proven parent engagement programs
- Using a professional learning communities model
- Using leadership and accountability to prevent school bullying
Visit our Evaluation Services section, to learn how MI can assist your state, district, or school.
Measurement Incorporated Awarded Contract as Statewide Evaluator for New York State Math and Science Partnership Program
Oct 26, 2010
The Mathematics and Science Partnership (MSP) program is designed to improve the academic achievement of students in mathematics and science by enhancing the content knowledge and teaching skills of classroom teachers. Partnerships between high-need school districts and the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) faculty in institutions of higher education are at the core of these improvement efforts. MSP partnerships are required to conduct evaluations of their project activities annually, and report their findings to the U.S. Department of Education (ED). In the summer of 2010, Measurement Incorporated (MI) was awarded a 31/2 year contract by the New York State Education Department (NYSED) to help local partnerships meet these evaluation responsibilities.
Beginning in the fall, MI will design and implement a comprehensive set of technical assistance services to assist MSP partnerships in developing rigorous evaluation plans that meet ED’s and NYSED’s requirements. We will provide ongoing assistance through face-to-face meetings, telephone, email, and virtual contact to assist projects with data collection and reporting. A key component of our strategy will be a web-based reporting system, which will convert the state’s existing system to an online platform. The online system will reduce duplication of information, speed up the reporting process, and make data more available for MSP grantees' own use.
Visit our Evaluation Services section, to learn how MI can assist your state, district, or school.
MI Presents at Federal Summit on Bullying Prevention
Sept 22, 2010
Measurement Incorporated Senior Researcher Jim Dillon served on the Governance Panel at the Federal Summit on Bullying Prevention held this August in Washington, D.C. As a panel participant, Jim spoke about the role of leadership in preventing bullying, offering the insights he gained as a long-time school principal. The 2-day summit was the U.S. Department of Education’s first high-level meeting on bullying prevention. It was put together through the leadership of the federal Education Department and the Health Resources and Services Administration.
MI Expands Certification and Licensure Expertise with Acquisition
July 1, 2010
Measurement Incorporated (MI) announces the acquisition of Measurement Research Associates,
Inc. (MRA), a Chicago, IL company specializing in providing quality and personalized psychometric
services to certification and licensure boards and associations. This acquisition expands MI’s
professional staff and adds nearly twenty certification and licensure programs to those already
managed by MI.
Read more in the press release.
Central Park area bustling with activity, development
June 4, 2010
The Morris Ridge development by Measurement Durham LLC is gearing up to become a central attraction and residential hotspot of the revitalized Central Park area. With a full array of amenities and its north-of-downtown location within walking distance of the farmers’ market and park, Morris Ridge is expected to be very appealing to potential buyers.
Read the full story at The Herald-Sun.
MI Celebrates 30 Years
May 17, 2010
On March 14, Measurement Incorporated marked its 30th anniversary in the field of education and assessment. The company is planning a large celebration for its employees and associates at the Durham Athletic Park on June 11, 2010.
Measurement Inc. Kicks Off Office Condo Project
May 10, 2010
Measurement Durham LLC, a subsidiary spin-off of Measurement Incorporated, is planning a kick-off event to introduce the Morris Ridge mixed-use project. The project will be completed in two phases with the first consisting of 12,200 square feet of office space and 25 condominiums. Read more about the project in the News and Observer.
By Any Measurement, A Go-getter
May 2, 2010
Measurement Incorporated and Measurement Durham LLC is a perfect marriage between business and community. The two companies have a common element for success—Dr. Henry Scherich. His vision and efforts toward Durham’s revitalization are beginning to bear fruit. Read the full story in the News and Observer.
