Our Projects
Ad Hoc Research Support for a Texas School District
The Challenge
In 2020–21, a Texas school district with large enrollment, building its own research capacity, asked Gibson Consulting Group to serve as its research partner and to answer specific questions with data.
The state did not test students in Spring 2020, and many students did not test in Spring 2021, so district leaders could not take reported scores at face value when setting goals or judging their pandemic-era programs.
The district also wanted to know whether to create a department of research and evaluation, how to staff it, and what work it should do.
Our Support
Gibson produced technical reports, including a regression analysis of 2021 state test results, conducted a needs assessment for a new research department, and advised the district's research staff on other questions.
Test results analysis. For each school and grade, Gibson reported the share of enrolled students without scores, compared tested students with all enrolled students, and modeled best- and worst-case results.
Growth models. Regression models compared students' two-year growth with a pre-pandemic cohort and related growth to the share of the year each student spent in remote learning, adjusting for demographics and school.
Research department needs assessment. Gibson reviewed published research, analyzed staffing data for similarly sized Texas districts, and interviewed research staff in four districts and eight of the district's own leaders.
Gibson's project lead was Dr. David Osman.
Results
In 2021, two-year math growth in Grades 7 and 8 trailed that of a pre-pandemic cohort by 0.37 and 0.46 standard deviations of growth, after adjusting for demographics and school; the Grade 8 figure excluded students taking Algebra I, who are typically stronger in math.
With 13% of test results missing statewide in 2020–21, the report showed best- and worst-case results for the district and each school.
More time in remote learning was associated with lower math growth in Grades 5, 6, and 8; reading growth showed no such association.
The needs assessment recommended that the district eventually build a research department of three full-time staff, in line with similarly sized Texas districts.
It listed the department's priority roles, including formative evaluation of district initiatives, survey coordination, and data literacy support for school improvement plans.
For your district. A district deciding how to staff research and evaluation, or how to read test results with large gaps in participation, can use technical reports of this kind to set goals and direct resources.