Monitoring, Evaluation, and Research

ISA’s MER SERVICES

ISA’s monitoring, evaluation, and research (MER) team collaborates with school and district leaders to help identify improvement needs and solve challenges at the classroom, school, and district levels.

We provide customized services for collecting practical data on and measuring progress and outcomes of school- and district-based improvement initiatives.

See below for three of the MER services that we offer:

School Climate Assessment

Positive school climates are associated with students’ social and emotional well-being and school success. Use ISA’s School Climate Assessment to help you build positive and more equitable and inclusive school climates.

Surveys. Our customizable school climate surveys help you better understand student, parent/guardian, and school staff experiences with school climate in key areas such as:

  • school and community connectedness
  • teaching and learning environment
  • positive relationships
  • safety
  • leadership
  • parent/guardian communication and engagement

    Reports: Our customizable reports provide easy-to-understand and actionable survey results. Work with our MER team to interpret your school climate survey findings for organizational and instructional decision making.

    Special Education Review

    ISA’s special education program review offers districts with services for assessing and identifying areas for improving meeting the needs of students with disabilities.

    Approach. ISA offers customized special education program reviews tailored to district needs and priorities. Example focus areas for special education program reviews include:

    • program compliance with state and federal laws and regulations
    • trends in student enrollment and performance outcomes
    • disproportionality in special education identification and placement
    • staffing and resources
    • IEP development processes
    • curriculum, instruction, and service delivery
    • parent communication engagement

    We use multiple sources and methods for data collection for our special education program review. These include:

    • document review
    • analysis of extant district and state data
    • school and district staff surveys and focus groups
    • parent surveys
    • classroom observations
    • reviews of sample de-identified IEPs

    Reporting. Our reports provide comprehensive findings and recommendations that are actionable, grounded in research and evidence-based practices, and aim to support districts in identifying improvement areas in their special education policies, processes, and practices.

    English Learner Review

    ISA’s English Learners program review provides districts with a comprehensive process for identifying both the strengths of and areas for improvement for meeting the needs of English Learners.

    Approach

    This review is tailored to district needs and priorities. Example scopes of our reviews include:

    • compliance with state and federal regulations
    • identification processes for English Learners
    • family communication and engagement
    • instructional and assessment practices
    • staffing and resources

    Methods

    We use multiple data sources and methods for collecting information on each districts’ services for English Learners. These include:

    • school and district staff surveys and focus groups
    • parent surveys
    • classroom observations

    School Climate Assessment

    Special Education Review

    English Learner Review

    The ISA MER team collaborated with a New Jersey district superintendent to develop surveys that addressed student, parent/guardian, and staff perceptions of school climate along the following five dimensions:

    • School and community connectedness
    • Learning mindsets and behaviors
    • Teaching and learning environments
    • Caring relationships
    • Safety and disciplinary environment

    For those attending the ISA MER session at NABSE, please click here for the handouts.

    Equity in High Schools

    ISA is ready to provide support.

    Listen to ISA President Stephanie Wood-Garnett explain why equity is a priority in our work and contact Abner Oakes, National Director of Outreach and Engagement, to learn more about how we can support your district.

    Contact Abner
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