1998 Florida Code
TITLE XVI EDUCATION
Chapter 231 Personnel Of School System  
231.65   Institute for Instructional Research and Practice and Student Educational Evaluation and Performance.

231.65  Institute for Instructional Research and Practice and Student Educational Evaluation and Performance.--

(1)  The Board of Regents is authorized and directed to establish an Institute for Instructional Research and Practice and Student Educational Evaluation and Performance. There shall be institute directors to direct the activities of the institute. The directors may be located at different universities in the state, and each director shall be appointed by the president of the university at which one or more of the functions of the institute are located. Each director shall be responsible for the following functions and related activities:

(a)  The director responsible for assembling and conducting research to validate subject area knowledge for instructional personnel shall accomplish the activities specified in paragraph (3)(a).

(b)  The director responsible for teacher effectiveness and practice research shall accomplish the activities specified in paragraphs (3)(b)-(d).

(c)  The director responsible for student educational evaluation and performance shall accomplish the activities specified in paragraphs (3)(e)-(i).

The research functions of the institute are to be implemented with the involvement of experts in evaluation and measurement.

(2)  The major purposes of the institute are to effect increases in student performance through the improved knowledge and performance of teachers and the instructional leadership of school administrators; to provide a knowledge base for evaluating and improving the programs of education and training in teacher education institutions; to gather data and information and conduct research designed to discover new and improved means of measuring student outcomes; to determine methods of student evaluation which are more accurate than those methods in present use; and to advance the state of the art in student testing and evaluation of student performance and to build a capability within the state for meeting the many measurement challenges which confront educators and policymakers.

(3)  In order to accomplish the purposes set forth in subsection (2), the instructional research and practice function shall meet the objectives set forth in paragraphs (a)-(d), and the student educational evaluation and performance research function shall meet the objectives set forth in paragraphs (e)-(i):

(a)  Assembling and conducting research to validate subject area knowledge for each teaching field. The accomplishment of this objective shall include, but not be limited to:

1.  Assembling subject area knowledge specific to teaching areas.

2.  Validating subject area knowledge through empirical research, professional practice, and the public school curriculum.

3.  Facilitating the development or validation of subject area examinations or other indicators.

(b)  Assembling teacher effectiveness research and conducting research. The accomplishment of this objective shall include, but not be limited to:

1.  Identifying concepts and indicators of teaching that are effective in developing higher mental processes and abstract forms of knowledge.

2.  Examining class organization and modes of learning to determine optimal factors.

3.  Identifying and examining the effects of school climate on student performance.

4.  Measuring the effectiveness of administrators in increasing teacher effectiveness through classroom observation and conferencing in cooperation with the Florida Council on Educational Management.

(c)  Developing and testing teacher evaluation systems. The accomplishment of this objective shall include, but not be limited to:

1.  Researching and developing criteria and standards for judging the value and accuracy of teacher evaluation systems.

2.  Conducting longitudinal research on the effect of teacher knowledge and performance on student achievement.

3.  Conducting longitudinal research using classroom observation data to measure the effects of teaching context on student performance.

(d)  Organizing and disseminating research and evaluation instruments as specified in this subsection and training university trainers to improve programs of teacher education. The accomplishment of this objective shall include, but not be limited to:

1.  Developing and organizing a knowledge base for evaluating and improving the programs for education of teachers in the state.

2.  Assessing the effects of research on preservice and inservice teacher education programs.

3.  Developing training manuals and materials based on research data and testing their effectiveness in the education of teachers and in changing administrator and teacher practices.

(e)  Improving diagnosis related to student performance evaluation. The accomplishment of this objective shall lead to improvements in the current methods of utilizing performance evaluation to diagnose student educational deficiencies and to prescribe remedial alternatives and initiatives to decrease those deficiencies.

(f)  Developing student performance statistical studies. The institute shall cooperate with Department of Education representatives in identifying statistical analyses useful in documenting the technical quality of the student performance testing and evaluation programs; understanding the relationship of student test and evaluation results to other indicators of educational quality and educational progress; and developing a better understanding of the limitations of currently used tests and evaluation procedures as measures of student intellectual development. The institute shall encourage graduate students and scholars to capitalize upon the wealth of available data to conduct further research.

(g)  Increasing utilization of available data on student performance and evaluation. The institute shall cooperate with department representatives in developing strategies to increase utilization of student performance data by individuals, public schools, institutions of higher education, and elected officials, including the encouragement of greater use of student test results for research. However, it also shall include use of the data by students who wish to improve their individual test performance; by schools, colleges, and universities which wish to improve the quality of their programs; and by elected officials who wish to use data properly to determine resource needs of the educational system.

(h)  Developing alternative student evaluation strategies. The institute shall cooperate with department representatives in the development of alternative strategies for the testing and evaluating of students, including the development of methods of assessment using strategies other than multiple-choice questions or tailored testing techniques using item response theory. The intent of such efforts shall be to create student assessment techniques which are more efficient and accurate.

(i)  Conducting or directing pilot projects for the purpose of field testing alternative student performance evaluation strategies, examining the relationship between effective teaching techniques and student achievement, and gathering additional research data.

(4)  The institute shall provide for activities to achieve the following objectives in the areas of teacher performance, subject area evaluation, and student performance evaluation, as specified in subsection (3):

(a)  Responding to invitations to bid. Future test and evaluation projects shall be written as invitations to bid. These invitations to bid shall be discussed in advance by Department of Education representatives and institute representatives to determine if the institute has the capability to perform the tasks.

(b)  Promoting training and assistance. It shall be the responsibility of the institute to encourage other institutions to respond to invitations to bid when appropriate and to provide advice. The institute may form a consortium of school districts or universities to assist the department on a particular project.

(c)  Improving data collection methods. The institute shall cooperate with department representatives in advancing the state of the art in the collection of testing and evaluation data from universities, schools, districts, and individuals. The intent of such efforts shall be to minimize the paperwork burden placed on schools, institutions, and individuals by the testing and evaluation programs and to discover ways in which their programs can be made more efficient.

(d)  Developing long-range evaluation plans. The institute shall provide leadership for long-range performance and evaluation instruments designed to improve the quality of the state testing and evaluation programs. The institute shall confer with the department to identify areas in which changes might be made and the particular changes which should be considered.

(5)  The institute is authorized and encouraged to enter into regional or national consortia related to the purposes of this section. Further, the institute is authorized and encouraged to enter into agreements with state, regional, or national centers and other postsecondary institutions established for the purpose of gathering data and information, and conducting research designed to discover new and improved means of measuring student and teacher outcomes in kindergarten through postsecondary education.

History.--s. 105, ch. 84-336.