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The BERC Group is an independent evaluation, research, and consulting firm focused on putting research into practice. Our mission is to skillfully gather, analyze, and use data to inform, inspire, and improve all learning organizations.

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Reports

The BERC Group's work is research-based. Research fuels their work and their work enhances their research.

The Essence of College Readiness
College and Career Ready

Today’s high school graduates must possess the skills and knowledge to adapt rapidly to the ever-changing landscape of a knowledge-based economy. According to the Education Commission of the States (2005), students now need at least two years of post-secondary education to be successful in a workforce that requires advanced skills. Thus, for today’s students, there is little difference in being “workforce ready” versus “college ready.”  Although the skill set of today’s graduates has changed, today’s high schools still look much as they did at the beginning of the 20th century when students were being prepared to work in an industrial economy. Simultaneously, governmental and public expectations have raised to ensure that all students have access to rigorous and demanding educations. Thus, in the 21st century, college preparation is a necessity for all high school students to be prepared for life in today’s “Knowledge Economy.”

STAR Protocol Report
A Classroom Observation Tool

This draft study describes the development of the STAR Classroom Observation Protocol and presents results from classroom observations over the last six years. Research shows that the elements of current Washington State Education Reform efforts call for reliable and valid instruments that measure Powerful Teaching and Learning (PTL) in schools. As such, a conceptual framework was identified based largely on the foundational components of the Teaching Attributes Observation Protocol (TAOP), other similar measurements, and an extensive literature review. As a result, The BERC Group developed the STAR Protocol to measure Powerful Teaching and Learning in classrooms and schools. The protocol is divided into five Essential Components: Skills, Knowledge, Thinking, Application, and Relationships. Three Indicators are organized around each Essential Component, comprising a total of fifteen Indicators. 

Navigation 101 Program Evaluation
Year Three Report

The purpose of this Year Three report is to provide summative feedback to personnel at the Office 
of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) regarding evidence of implementation and impact of 
Navigation 101 in Washington State. The report is also designed to provide formative feedback to 
assist in ongoing program development.  
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Assessment of Progress in MERIT Schools
Synthesis Report

In 2010, in an effort to improve education and educational opportunities across the nation, the federal government provided funding for School Improvement Grants (SIG) to support the lowest performing schools and districts.  
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District Improvement Assistance Plus
Year Three Synthesis Report

The purpose of this report is to provide information about the extent to which school district personnel have made progress toward District Improvement Assistance Plus (DIA Plus) grant goals and objectives over the last three years.  
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High School Reform Initiative
Year Three Synthesis Report

The purpose of this report is to provide summative feedback to personnel at the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) regarding high school reform in Washington State. This is considered an end-of-initiative report on OSPI’s High School Reform Initiative (HSRI).  
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School Improvement Assistance Program
Cohort 1 Evaluation Report

The purpose of this report is to provide summative feedback to personnel at the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction about the assistance provided to schools in Cohort 1 of the School Improvement Assistance Program (SIAP). Although summative in nature about the effects on Cohort I schools, the report is also designed to provide formative feedback to assist in the ongoing development of the assistance program, which is now in its fourth cohort.
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Microsoft Math Partnership
Three Year Study

The purpose of these reports is to provide information about the Microsoft Math Partnership (MMP) and the extent to which participating districts have made progress towards grant goals and objectives over each year.    

Washington State Leadership Academy
Year 1 Annual Report

The purpose of this annual report is to provide formative feedback about the development and implementation of the Washington State Leadership Academy (WSLA). This report contains information about Year 1, the pilot phase of the program.  
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Washington State Board of Education
2008 Graduate Follow-up Study

Students who are ready for college level work are more successful in college than those who are not. However, many students enrolling in college nationally and in Washington State are not ready to take college level course work.  
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Community Partnership Report
A Research Review

Seattle Public Schools and The BERC Group partnered to disseminate surveys and conduct focus groups to identify ways to improve partnerships between schools and community organizations. This report summarizes findings from focus groups conducted with the Community of Thinkers, Teaching Artists, and Teachers and from the Community Organization and School Surveys.  
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Seattle Arts Stakeholder Engagement Report
A Research Review

The Seattle K-12 Arts Learning Collaborative initiated a community and youth needs assessment that endeavors to capture the perspectives and desires of community members and youth with respect to the development of a comprehensive, sequential arts education for all students in the district. Seattle Public Schools and The BERC Group partnered to disseminate surveys and to conduct focus groups to provide community members an opportunity to share their perspectives. 
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College Success Foundation
Achievers Scholars 10-Year Follow-up Study

The purpose of this report is to provide a summative evaluation of the impact of the College Success Foundation’s (CSF) implementation of the Washington State Achievers program on participants and on participating high schools. Grant funding for new scholarships and support programs in the Achievers high schools concluded in 2010 after 10 years, when the last scholarship recipients graduated from high school and entered into college.  
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