The Longitudinal Evaluation of School Change and Performance (LESCP) in Title I Schools. Interim Report to Congress.

This interim report provides findings on Title I services and policies and on instructional practices and their impact on student performance over the first 2 years of the Longitudinal Evaluation of School Change and Performance (LESCP). The LESCP is being conducted in 71 elementary schools in 7 states and 18 school districts that moved early to implement standards, align assessments, and adopt other elements of reform policy. The study has already identified some teacher variables associated with different rates of growth in student performance in reading and mathematics in high-poverty Title I schools. The study has also identified variation across policy environments in teachers' views and the professional development they have experienced. In the future, the study will focus on other relationships among: (1) interventions intended to influence classroom practice; (2) actual practices reported by teachers; and (3) results for students. Results to date confirm that there are no simple answers, but this research will continue to consider Title I impact on educational reform and academic achievement. Two appendixes contain additional information on study methodology and a discussion of the relationship between student test score gains and teacher responses to survey items. (Contains 83 tables and 10 references.) (SLD) ******************************************************************************** Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made from the original document. ********************************************************************************