ED MSP Library

California Mathematics & Science Partnership (CaMSP) Statewide Evaluation: Year Eleven Report, Cohort 10, Through September 30, 2015

Abstract

The California Mathematics and Science Partnership Program (CaMSP) was established through Title
II Part B of the Improving Teacher Quality Grant Programs of the No Child Left Behind (NCLB)
legislation, the 2001 reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA). CaMSP
is administered by the California Department of Education (CDE) Science Technology Engineering and
Mathematics (STEM) office.

The CaMSP program is designed to impact student learning in mathematics and science by enhancing
the content knowledge and teaching skills of classroom teachers through professional development
activities. Partnerships developed between high-need Local Education Agencies (LEAs), defined by 40%
or higher participation in the National School Lunch Program (NSLP), and the mathematics, science
and engineering faculty of Institutions of Higher Education (IHEs) are core to the improvement efforts
sought by the CaMSP program. County Offices of Education (COEs) and other organizations concerned
with mathematics and science education may also participate in partnerships. Individual partnerships
that are part of the CaMSP program are designed to serve as models that can be replicated in educational
practice to improve the mathematics and science achievement of California students.

Within the guidelines of CDE's request for applications, each funded partnership was developed to
meet local needs and take advantage of opportunities for collaboration with IHEs while at the same
time meeting statewide goals and operational principles. In their applications for funding, partnerships
determine the number of districts, schools and teachers targeted and must serve a cohort of a minimum
of 30 teachers for the duration of funding in order to maintain the CaMSP grant. Through a request
for application process that has evolved over time, CDE has funded partnerships under separate cohorts
based on available funding.

This evaluation report focuses on implementation during 2014-15 and includes qualitative data and
analysis of teacher content assessment and student outcome data collected from Cohort 10 partnerships.
For the STEM Office, the 20 partnerships funded under Cohort 10 represented a substantial shift
in focus of CaMSP to a STEM approach, where partnerships were directed to design professional
development models for grades K-12 that integrated the disciplines of science, technology, engineering,
and mathematics (STEM) through a variety of models for and approaches to professional development.
This report has been prepared by Public Works (PW), a nonprofit corporation based in Pasadena,
California, which was selected by CDE through request for proposal as the statewide evaluator. The
statewide evaluation incorporates both process measures focused on how the program is implemented
and outcome measures focused on the results of the program and interventions as designed by individual
partnerships funded by CaMSP. Using both qualitative and quantitative data collection methods, the
evaluation includes site visits, telephone interviews, observations of professional development, statewide
partner and teacher surveys, analysis of teacher demographic and participation data, and a student
outcome study designed to evaluate the effect of CaMSP on student achievement in mathematics and
science.

Under the statewide evaluation, CDE has incorporated the additional role of technical assistance to
partnerships and support of the local evaluation, a federally required component of the grant program.
For each partnership funded under the federal MSP program, a local evaluation must be conducted,
which includes annual and summative evaluation reports and the completion of an Annual Performance
Report (APR) online. Each partnership must also report on two Government Performance Reporting Act
or GPRA measures: (1) state assessment results for students of participating teachers, and (2) participating
teacher pre- and post- teacher content knowledge assessment results.

Under Cohort 10 and subsequent Cohort RFAs, CDE centralized implementation of the local evaluation
under PW to include all required elements and a customized local evaluation design to support
implementation and communication with partnership stakeholders at the local level. Under PW, local
evaluations were also designed to support partnership reporting at the state level.