Staying Power: English Language Arts Achievement after Installation of an Educator Effectiveness System

As long-term effects of educational programs cannot be sufficiently addressed by evaluators during short duration implementation grants, researchers become responsible for investigating sustainability of effects and addressing concerns of policy makers and grant funding agencies. This study examines the impact of the TAP System for Teacher and Student Advancement on the percentage of students passing Indiana's English/language arts achievement test after grant-funded implementation. The study uses a school-level, quasi-experimental design. Propensity score matching generates a comparison group and regression models are then run, controlling for school fixed effects. The results show that schools who sustained the TAP System significantly outperform matched comparison schools in the first post-grant year and the improved performance persists through the third year. Key Words evaluation; sustainable implementation; sustaining improved outcomes; English / language arts achievement; TAP System for Teacher and Student Advancement; long-term effects; school reform