Alpha Plus Educational Systems

ALPHA PLUS MODEL OF SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT

FMosrc19 Since 1990, when the Oklahoma Legislature created the state’s first academic standards and mandated a new type of state tests, the Alpha Plus team of educators has been developing tools to help students reach higher expectations.

Alpha Plus uses scientifically based methods to help low-performing schools achieve high progress, and customizes services to meet the needs of rural, suburban and urban schools.

EVIDENCE OF EFFECTIVENESS

While a majority of schools served by Alpha Plus start out as low-performing, schools that use Alpha Plus tools with fidelity outperformed Oklahoma’s average proficiency rates on state tests at Grades 3-8 every year.

2023 ALPHA PLUS HONOR ROLL

Congratulations to the students, parents, educators, administrators, and board members of these Alpha Plus Partner Schools! Among 90 sites using the Alpha Plus Model of School Improvement with fidelity in the 2022-23 school year , these schools earned an A or B on the Oklahoma School Report Cards (OSRC) for 2023. (Please click on the image for an enlargement.)

SOURCE: OSRC A-F letter grades downloaded from the Okla. State Dept. of Education at https://oklaschools.com/state/. Accessed April 12, 2024. For Alpha Plus Honor Roll of previous years, go to https://www.alphaplus.org.

When schools using Alpha Plus tools get great results, we are the first to share to news media, Facebook, Twitter, and on our website.

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Each year, we help more schools improve. Then we celebrate with them and help them share the good news!

This is how Alpha Plus has inspired results for nearly 30 years - by giving the credit to teachers and school teams. And, schools always exceed our expectations and state averages.

Oklahoma Edge, the state's plan for compliance with the federal Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), states that "a robust assessment system is tied closely to students’ learning and teachers’ instructional practices by valuing and promoting local, classroom based formative assessments that help make student learning visible.

At the same time, that system should provide a strong summative assessment program that fits as a component within a multifaceted state, district and school accountability system." [Page 48-49, Oklahoma ESSA Consolidated State Plan, July 2018]

Alpha Plus Online is precisely that type of system. New grade-level reports developed over last several years help teachers pinpoint students' learning gaps in alignment with the OAS.

Moreover, Alpha Plus Data-Driven Professional Development helps schools identified for Comprehensive Support and Improvement to meet state and federal mandates.

Evidence-Based Practices studies from the USDE's What Works Clearinghouse that correlate to the Alpha Plus Model of School Improvement materials and services include:

"Using Student Achievement Data to Support Instructional Decision Making" at https://ies.ed.gov/ncee/wwc/PracticeGuide/12
"Turning Around Chronically Low-Performing Schools" at https://ies.ed.gov/ncee/wwc/PracticeGuide/7;
and "ACT/SAT Test Preparation and Coaching Programs" at https://ies.ed.gov/ncee/wwc/Docs/InterventionReports/wwc_act_sat_100416.pdf.

Report Card grades of Alpha Plus Partner Schools show a higher percentage of As, Bs, and Cs along with fewer Ds and Fs than the state average. Alpha Plus Partner Schools’ demographics are similar to the state average though the 21,111 students using Alpha Plus assessments last year had slightly higher poverty and disabilities than the state average.