Solving Unintended Consequences in Educational Performance Measurement

Date and Time: March 31, 2010 5:30PM - 8PM

Speaker: Riley Rice

See below for presentation abstract.

Location: Sinbad's Restaurant / Pier 2 San Francisco, CA 94111 / (415) 781-2555

Admission: Members $15, Student and Un-employed $12, Non-Members: $18.5, Fellows and past leaders Invited.

Food and Beverage: Onion Rings, Rotelli Italian Pasta w/Chicken, Italian Meatballs, Fried Calamari Tempura, Julienne Vegetable & Dip, Chips & Salsa, Cheeses, Crackers & Grapes, Garlic Cheese Bread, WATER - Please note Cash Bar for Alcohol, Soda or coffee

The cost of parking is $4 per car.  Location is steps away from Embarcadero BART / Muni mass transit.

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Solving Unintended Consequences in Educational Performance Measurement

Performance measurement and accountability are now critical requirements in education, and are original aspects of the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) program. These principles are integrated into the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), which provides emergency relief funding provided under President Obama's economic recovery plan, distributed April 1, 2009. But unintended consequences subvert even competent attempts at measurement. Most are motivated by hidden factors. Many people mistrust measurement precisely because they have seen it happen or fear what may happen. This paper presents an experienced and qualified view of what can go wrong, what goes wrong in NCLB "on the ground", why it goes wrong, how to avoid unintended consequences and how to design or implement measurement systems of education performance to achieve only desired outcomes. It shows how to find the "sweet spot" in performance measurement.

Riley Rice has spent more than 23 years in process measurement in the real world of business, chiefly software engineering and IT. These years followed over 12 years in cross-cultural training, youth work and public speaking. Shortly after the nation instituted the NCLB program, this analyst taught secondary school mathematics in the public schools for two years, and went through formal teacher credential training. He has seen two of his children through the public school system in two states, one in Special Education and the other in Honors and Advanced Placement. Combined with his B.S. in Psychology and M.S. in Computer Science, this background contributed to a valuable, interdisciplinary perspective on the problem and solutions involved in performance measurement in education.