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There were 42 Teach for America (TFA) members who had student schedules in both the October 2022 and February 2023 periods. Of those, 33 teachers instructed grades and subjects where students participated in the statewide assessment. The goal of this Research Brief is to estimate the instructional effectiveness of the TFA members in 2022-2023 as compared to that of other teachers in the District by examining how well students who were taught by TFA members performed academically compared to other Miami-Dade County Public Schools (M-DCPS) students.

M-DCPS had 21,354 graduates in the 2022-2023 academic year. Ninety two percent of students achieved a standard diploma (24 credits). Some students opted for an international curriculum pathway, with 846 (4%) attaining an Advanced International Certificate of Education (AICE) diploma, and 436 (2%) obtaining an International Baccalaureate (IB) diploma. An additional 468 (2%) students earned an Academically Challenging Curriculum to Enhance Learning (ACCEL) 18-credit diploma. Over a third of graduates (33%) earned the Superintendent's Diploma of Distinction for outstanding academics and community service. Florida's Scholar and Merit diploma designations were awarded to 4,656 (22%) graduates demonstrating academic strength and/or success in attaining career industry certifications. This year 3,601 (17%) students also earned the Florida Seal of Biliteracy, in Gold or Silver, demonstrating mastery of a foreign language.

This Research Brief summarizes the performance of Miami-Dade County Public Schools (MDCPS) students participating in the International Baccalaureate (IB) program. The IB program was offered at six M-DCPS high schools in 2022-2023. Over 3,200 assessments were completed by M-DCPS students in 30 subject areas in 2022-2023. The number of IB assessments completed in M-DCPS increased from 2021-2022 to 2022-2023. Overall, the percentage of IB assessments receiving passing scores decreased by six percentage points from 2021-2022 to 2022-2023. At the conclusion of the 2022-2023 school year, 84% of eligible M-DCPS students received IB diplomas.

This research brief summarizes the performance of Miami-Dade County Public Schools (MDCPS) students participating in the Cambridge Advanced International Certificate of Education (AICE) Program. Cambridge courses and examinations were offered at 18 MDCPS high schools in 2022-2023. For the 2022-2023 school year, Cambridge International returned to the non-adjusted, pre-pandemic grading standards for its exams. Over 16,700 examinations were completed by M-DCPS students in 35 subject areas in 2022-2023. The number of AICE exams completed in M-DCPS increased by 21% from 2021-2022 to 2022-2023. Overall, the percentage of AICE examinations receiving passing scores decreased by seven percentage points, from 73% in 2021-2022 to 66% in 2022-2023. From 2021-2022 to 2022-2023, the percentage of examinations receiving passing scores decreased for all groups of students, by 12 percentage points for White students, six percentage points for Hispanic students, nine percentage points for Black students, and by seven percentage points for students classified as "Other". At the conclusion of the 2022-2023 school year, 70% of eligible M-DCPS students received AICE diplomas, an eight percentage points decrease from 2021-2022.

M-DCPS had 20,833 graduates in the 2021-2022 academic year as of June 2022. Most students, 89%, achieved a standard diploma (24 credits). Some students chose an alternative curriculum where 857 (4%) achieved an Advanced International Certificate of Education (AICE) diploma and 454 (2%) achieved an International Baccalaureate (IB) diploma. An additional 364 (2%) students earned an Academically Challenging Curriculum to Enhance Learning (ACCEL) 18-credit diploma. Nearly a third of graduates earned the Superintendent's Diploma of Distinction for outstanding academics and community service. Florida's Scholar and Merit diploma designations were awarded to 5,797 (28%) graduates demonstrating academic strength and/or success in attaining career industry certifications. This year 2,986 (14%) students also earned the Florida Seal of Biliteracy, in Gold or Silver, demonstrating mastery of a foreign language. [For the previous report, "Summary of 2020-2021 Graduates by Diploma Type. Research Brief. Volume 2103," see ED618105.]

When a student enrolls in Miami-Dade County Public Schools (M-DCPS) for the first time, a Home Language Survey is completed by the student's parents/guardians. This survey inquires whether a student's first language was a language other than English, whether a student's primary language is a language other than English, and whether a language other than English is used at home. If at least one of the answers is Yes, the student is tested to determine his/her English proficiency. Based on the results of this assessment, the student is either classified as an English Language Learner (ELL) or deemed proficient in English. Depending on the English proficiency levels, ELL students are enrolled in specific ESOL courses tailored to meet students' language needs. English proficiency levels for ELL students in M-DCPS range from ESOL 1 (lowest) to ESOL 4 (highest). Students' English proficiency levels are reassessed annually, and the appropriate ESOL placement is determined based on the results of that testing. Currently, ACCESS for ELLs is used as the State-mandated English Language Proficiency test. ACCESS for ELLs stands for Assessing Comprehension and Communication in English State-to-State for English Language Learners. Once it is ascertained that a student has acquired English proficiency and satisfied the State requirements for exit from the ESOL program, the student exits the program and is re-classified as formerly ELL (ESOL level 5). In this report, the achievement of students in the ESOL program is disaggregated by grade and ESOL level. The academic achievement results of former ELL students disaggregated by the number of years since ESOL exit are included in this report. For comparison purposes, the performance of students who have never been classified as ELL is included in the report as well.

This Research Brief summarizes the performance of Miami-Dade County Public Schools (MDCPS) students participating in the Cambridge Advanced International Certificate of Education (AICE) Program. Cambridge courses and assessments were offered at 18 MDCPS high schools in 2021-2022. Over 13,700 assessments were completed by M-DCPS students in 34 subject areas in 2021-2022. The number of AICE assessments completed in M-DCPS increased by 1% from 2020-2021 to 2021-2022. Overall, the percentage of AICE assessments receiving passing scores decreased by eleven percentage points, from 84% in 2020-2021 to 73% in 2021-2022. From 2020-2021 to 2021-2022, the percentage of assessments receiving passing scores decreased by one percentage point for Hispanic and Black students, increased by two percentage points for White students, and remained stable for students classified as "Other". At the conclusion of the 2021-2022 school year, 78% of eligible M-DCPS students received AICE diplomas, an eleven-percentage points decrease from 2020-2021.

This Information Capsule utilized National Student Clearinghouse and Senior Exit Survey data to report on postsecondary plans and college enrollment of Miami-Dade Public Schools' graduates who were part of the 2016-2017 cohort. M-DCPS' four-year graduation rate for students enrolled for the first time in the fall of 2017 was 47%. This rate was in line with the national rate in 2015, as reported in the latest publication from the National Student Clearinghouse.

This Information Capsule utilized data from the Scoir platform to report on post-secondary plans and enrollment for the M-DCPS class of 2022. Approximately 95% of the high school seniors enrolled in traditional high schools had available data on the platform and of those, 90% indicated they had plans to attend college after graduating from high school. Students submitted applications to over 1,000 institutions and a total of 13,678 students indicated they were enrolling in an institution they had been accepted to. Most of the students enrolled in institutions in the state of Florida, with over 50% of them enrolling in Miami Dade College.

This Research Brief summarizes the performance of Miami-Dade County Public Schools (MDCPS) students participating in the International Baccalaureate (IB) program. The IB program was offered at six M-DCPS high schools in 2021-2022. Over 3,000 assessments were completed by M-DCPS students in 30 subject areas in 2021-2022. The number of IB assessments completed in M-DCPS increased from 2020-2021 to 2021-2022. The District's Hispanic students took 70% of all IB assessments in 2021-2022. Overall, the percentage of IB assessments receiving passing scores decreased by two percentage points from 2020-2021 to 2021-2022. At the conclusion of the 2021-2022 school year, 93% of eligible M-DCPS students received IB diplomas, the same percentage as in 2020-2021.

M-DCPS had 21,638 graduates in the 2020-2021 academic year. Most students, 92%, achieved a standard diploma (24 credits). Some students chose an alternative curriculum where 854 (4%) achieved an Advanced International Certificate of Education (AICE) diploma and 447 (2%) achieved an International Baccalaureate (IB) diploma. An additional 384 (2%) students earned an Academically Challenging Curriculum to Enhance Learning (ACCEL) 18-credit diploma. Over a quarter of graduates (29%) earned the Superintendent's Diploma of Distinction for outstanding academics and community service. Florida's Scholar and Merit diploma designations were awarded to 6,632 (31%) graduates demonstrating academic strength and career industry certification. Over 3,125 (14%) students also earned the Florida Seal of Biliteracy, in Gold or Silver, demonstrating mastery of a foreign language. The rate of Gold State-level designations in Biliteracy increased from the 2018-2019 academic year, while Silver designations decreased.

This is the 2020-2021 annual report on the academic progress of English language learners in Miami-Dade County Public Schools. This report addresses the following three areas: (1) Demographic characteristics of students classified as English Language Learners (ELL); (2) English language acquisition results of ELL students on the State's English Language Proficiency assessment known as ACCESS for ELLs; and (3) Academic achievement results of students in the English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) program and those who exited the ESOL program on the Florida Standards Assessments (FSA) and End-of-Course (EOC) assessments. [For the 2019-2020 report, see ED618087.]

This Research Brief summarizes the performance of Miami-Dade County Public Schools (MDCPS) students participating in the Cambridge Advanced International Certificate of Education (AICE) Program. Cambridge courses and assessments were offered at 16 MDCPS high schools in 2020-2021. Over 13,600 assessments were completed by M-DCPS students in 34 subject areas in 2020-2021. The number of AICE assessments completed in M-DCPS increased by 4% from 2019-2020 to 2020-2021. The District's Hispanic students completed 80% of all AICE assessments in 2020-2021. Overall, the percentage of AICE assessments receiving passing scores increased by two percentage points, from 82% in 2019-2020 to 84% in 2020-2021. From 2019-2020 to 2020-2021, the percentage of AICE assessments receiving passing scores increased by one percentage point for White and Hispanic students and by four percentage points for Black students. At the conclusion of the 2020-2021 school year, 90% of eligible M-DCPS students received AICE diplomas, an increase of two percentage points from 2019-2020.

This Research Brief summarizes the performance of Miami-Dade County Public Schools (MDCPS) students participating in the International Baccalaureate (IB) program. The IB program was offered at six M-DCPS high schools in 2020-2021. Over 2,900 assessments were completed by M-DCPS students in 29 subject areas in 2020-2021. The number of IB assessments completed in M-DCPS increased slightly from 2019-2020 to 2020-2021. Overall, the percentage of IB assessments receiving passing scores increased by two percentage points from 2019-2020 to 2020-2021. At the conclusion of the 2020-2021 school year, 93% of eligible M-DCPS students received IB diplomas, an increase of five percentage points from 2019-2020.

This Information Capsule utilized National Student Clearinghouse and Senior Exit Survey data to report on the post-secondary plans and college enrollment of Miami-Dade Public Schools' graduates who were part of the 2015-2016 cohort. M-DCPS' four-year graduation rate for students enrolled for the first time in the Fall of 2016 was 47%. This rate was almost two percentage points higher than the national rate in 2014, as reported in the latest publication from the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center.

The COVID-19 pandemic led to school closures nationwide and disruptions in learning. School districts are trying to understand the impact that these disruptions had on student learning and achievement and develop strategies to recover from a possible learning loss. Given the unprecedented nature of this pandemic, little data and research is available. Researchers resorted to study other types of school closures or out-of-school periods, such as summer vacation, to attempt to understand the impact of this event. Recent research suggests that the pandemic did not affect all students equally and that it contributed to increasing the already existing achievement gaps. Research suggests that learning acceleration is an appropriate strategy to help recover from the learning loss.

Coaching as a form of professional development has been widely adopted by school districts throughout the country. Research has found coaching to have a significant impact on teacher practices; however, the evidence on the effect of coaching on student performance varies. Researchers have explored specific features that are associated with successful coaching programs, such as coach-teacher ratio, dosage, coach qualifications, and coaching activities; however, evidence regarding the impact of these features on student achievement has been inconclusive.

This is the 2019-2020 annual report on the academic progress of English language learners in Miami-Dade County Public Schools. This report addresses the following two areas: (1) Demographic characteristics of students classified as English Language Learners (ELL); and (2) English language acquisition results of ELL students on the English Language Proficiency assessments known as ACCESS for ELLs. Each of these two areas is described in a separate section of the report. In previous years, annual ELL reports also included a section on academic achievement results of students in the English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) program and those who exited the ESOL program on the Florida Standards Assessments (FSA), and End-of-Course (EOC) assessments. However, the Spring 2020 State assessment has been cancelled because of the closure of schools due to the COVID-19 pandemic. [For the 2018-2019 report, see ED618088.]

This research brief summarizes the performance of Miami-Dade County Public Schools (MDCPS) students participating in the Cambridge Advanced International Certificate of Education (AICE) Program. Cambridge courses and assessments were offered at 15 MDCPS high schools in 2019-2020. Over 13,100 assessments were completed by M-DCPS students in 31 subject areas in 2019-2020. The number of AICE assessments completed in M-DCPS increased by 11% from 2018-2019 to 2019-2020. Overall, the percentage of AICE assessments receiving passing scores increased by 13 percentage points, from 69% in 2018- 2019 to 82% in 2019-2020. From 2018-2019 to 2019-2020, the percentage of AICE assessments receiving passing scores increased for all groups of students: by 11 percentage points for White and Hispanic students, by 32 percentage points for Black students, and by nine percentage points for students classified as "Other". At the conclusion of the 2019-2020 school year, 88% of eligible M-DCPS students received AICE diplomas, a 17-percentage point increase from 2018-2019.

This Research Brief summarizes the performance of Miami-Dade County Public Schools (MDCPS) students participating in the International Baccalaureate (IB) program. The IB program was offered at six M-DCPS high schools in 2019-2020. Over 2,900 assessments were completed by M-DCPS students in 28 subject areas in 2019-2020. The number of IB assessments completed in M-DCPS decreased by six percent from 2018-2019 to 2019-2020. Overall, the percentage of IB assessments receiving passing scores increased by 11 percentage points from 2018-2019 to 2019-2020. At the conclusion of the 2019-2020 school year, 88% of eligible M-DCPS students received IB diplomas, an increase of 14 percentage points from 2018-2019.

As the state and city begin to reopen following the COVID-19 pandemic, Miami-Dade County Public Schools (M-DCPS) conducted an online Districtwide survey of parents of students who currently attend and who plan to attend M-DCPS during the 2020-2021 school year. The Reopening of Schools Parent Survey gathered information from parents regarding their preferences and attitudes toward the reopening of schools. Over 100,000 respondents completed the survey, representing over 155,000 students who will be attending M-DCPS in 2020-2021. Results from the survey indicate a nearly equal preference for the three attendance options presented to the parents (physical, distance learning, or combination). The strongest contributor to attendance preference was anticipated parental work arrangement. Moreover, parents indicated a clear preference for their children attending school all days of the week in shifts or on alternate days. These results continue to hold even when considering grade level and other students characteristics such as ESE, ELL, and gifted. Most parents agreed with a series of preventative measures M-DCPS is considering for physical attendance including temperature checks, washing hands, wearing face masks, eating meals in classrooms, and one-way movement in school buildings; less support was found for the elimination of outdoor recess. While attitudes and preferences might change as more sectors of the country begin to reopen and other developments with COVID-19 occur, the overwhelming response to this survey provided a large representative sample that is similar to the District as a whole. Survey results revealed an understanding of parent choices, including their desire to have the same option for all children in the household regardless of grade level and having their options closely tied to their work arrangement.

Miami-Dade County Public Schools (M-DCPS) began the development and planning of various models for the reopening of schools in 2020-2021 following school closures and distance learning due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Reopening of Schools Teacher Survey was developed and distributed to MDCPS instructional personnel. The survey asked various questions regarding the respondents' preferences and attitudes toward the reopening of schools. A total of 18,622 respondents completed the survey out of the 19,250 instructional personnel who were sent the invitation to participate. Results from the survey indicate that the majority of respondents have no impediments for returning to work either virtually or physically. Overall, the survey showed teachers' willingness to get back to work and their inclination toward a physical or combination of physical and virtual delivery of instruction. Differences in preference for returning to work were found when examining this preference by grade level grouping. Survey respondents in the Elementary, K-8, and Other grade level groupings believe students would benefit the most from attending school all days of the week in shifts should the school buildings reopen. On the other hand, those in Middle and Senior High school grade level grouping believe students would benefit the most from attending on alternate days. Most teachers agreed with a series of preventative measures M-DCPS is considering for physical attendance including temperature checks, washing hands, wearing face masks, and one-way movement in school buildings; less support was found for eating meals in classrooms. The Reopening of Schools Teacher Survey gathered valuable input needed by M-DCPS leadership. It provides a better understanding of the teachers' opinions and feedback regarding the reopening of the schools that can be utilized in the planning for the 2020-2021 school year.

This Research Brief describes a model developed as an alternative method for making ESOL exit decisions in 2019-2020. Given the cancellation of the 2019-2020 Statewide student assessment, FSA ELA results which are used as one of the two major components for making ESOL exit decisions will not be available, and an alternative method is needed. This Research Brief describes the development of such a method and assesses its potential effect. The results show that the model can be used for making ESOL exit decisions in 2019-2020 and that these decisions would be conservative: it is unlikely that a student would be exited from ESOL prematurely by using the proposed model.

This report examines one component of the current school accountability system--learning gains. We find that learning gain percentages are affected by a variety of factors including starting achievement level, socioeconomic status, and English language learner status when the current definition of learning gains is used. Hence, we propose a new methodology for defining learning gains in terms of scale score increase targets. Under this new definition, students who are behind their peers in academic achievement will be required to demonstrate higher scale increases to meet the target for learning gains. We find that the proposed definition of learning gains reduces the variability in percentages of students making such gains depending on their initial achievement results. In addition, it reduces the gap between the learning gain percentages for certain accountability subgroups.

Delaying school start times may help in alleviating some of the negative effects of the lack of sleep among adolescents. There appears to be a consensus among various researchers that later school start times are associated with an increase in total sleep time in adolescents, although some researchers find that such an effect might be fleeting. In addition, later school start times are associated with better behavioral health, decreased tardiness, and a decreased rate of vehicle crashes for school-aged drivers. Findings on the effects of delayed school start times on student academic performance appear to be inconsistent.

This study found that as early as the beginning of kindergarten and before any formal schooling began for most students, the achievement gap already existed. It was mostly related to students' poverty, ELL status, and SWD status, as well as to schools' having larger proportions of economically disadvantaged students. Students from poor families (as measured by the FRL eligibility), English language learners, and students with disabilities were academically substantially behind their demographically similar peers in both reading and mathematics. Students enrolling in schools with a higher concentration of FRL students were also behind their demographically similar students attending schools with smaller poverty rates; that was true for both academic subjects. Minority students were behind their demographically similar peers in mathematics, but not in reading. During the first four academic years reading and mathematics learning occurred at equitable rates across all Elementary and K-8 schools. On the other hand, learning rates were related to student characteristics. ELL and Formerly ELL students showed substantially greater learning rates in both reading and mathematics than their demographically similar peers leading to a reduction in an achievement gap between ELL and non-ELL students. On the other hand, economically disadvantaged students and students with disabilities demonstrated substantially smaller annual learning rates in both academic disciplines than their peers leading to an increase in achievement gaps. Minority students demonstrated smaller annual rates of academic growth: Black/African American students -- in both reading and mathematics, while Hispanic students -- in reading but not in mathematics. Again, these smaller rates of academic growth only exacerbated achievement gaps.

This Information Capsule answers the most frequently asked questions about Miami-Dade County Public Schools' (M-DCPS) academic performance during the 2018-2019 school year. M-DCPS earned a District Performance Grade of "A" in 2019. The percentage of M-DCPS schools earning a School Performance Grade of "A" remained stable from 2018 to 2019. No traditional M-DCPS school or charter school received a grade of "F." From 2018 to 2019, M-DCPS students' performance on the Florida Standards Assessments (FSA) English Language Arts (ELA) and Mathematics improved at the majority of grade levels tested. Performance on the FCAT 2.0 Science decreased at both grade levels tested. Across all grade levels, the percentage of first-time test takers scoring at the higher Achievement Levels increased on the two FSA End-of-Course (EOC) assessments (Algebra 1 and Geometry) from 2018 to 2019. Similarly, the percentage of first-time test takers scoring at the higher Achievement Levels increased on the three Next Generation Sunshine State Standards (NGSSS) EOC assessments (Biology 1, Civics, and U.S. History). From 2018 to 2019, the District made progress reducing the achievement gap between Black and White students and between Hispanic and White students at selected grade levels on the FSA and FCAT 2.0 assessments. The gap between Black and White students and between Hispanic and White students was also reduced on two of the three NGSSS EOC exams (U.S History and Civics) for all grades and on Biology 1 for grade 10.

Miami-Dade County Public Schools had 23,062 graduates in the 2018-2019 academic year. Most students, 90%, achieved a standard diploma (24 credits). Some students chose an alternative curriculum where 506 (2%) achieved an Advanced International Certificate of Education (AICE) diploma and 368 (2%) achieved an International Baccalaureate (IB). An additional 445 (2%) students earned an Academically Challenging Curriculum to Enhance Learning (ACCEL) 18 credit diploma. Over a quarter of graduates (27%) earned the Superintendent's Diploma of Distinction for outstanding academics and community service. Florida's Scholar and Merit diploma designations were awarded to 7,870 (34%) graduates demonstrating academic strength and career industry certification. Over 3,200 (14%) students also earned the Florida Seal of Biliteracy, in Gold or Silver, demonstrating mastery of a foreign language. The rates of both of these State level designations increased from the 2017-2018 academic year.

This Research Brief summarizes the performance of Miami-Dade County Public Schools (MDCPS) students participating in the International Baccalaureate (IB) program. The IB program was offered at six M-DCPS high schools in 2018-2019. Over 3,000 examinations were taken by M-DCPS students in 26 subject areas in 2018-2019. The number of IB examinations taken in M-DCPS increased by one percent from 2017-2018 to 2018-2019. The District's Hispanic students took 68% of all IB examinations in 2018-2019. Overall, the percentage of IB examinations receiving passing scores decreased by one percentage point from 2017-2018 to 2018-2019. At the conclusion of the 2018-2019 school year, 74% of eligible M-DCPS students received IB diplomas, a decrease of three percentage points from 2017-2018.

This Research Brief summarizes the performance of Miami-Dade County Public Schools (MDCPS) students participating in the Cambridge Advanced International Certificate of Education (AICE) Program. Cambridge courses and examinations were offered at 14 MDCPS high schools in 2018-2019. Over 11,800 examinations were taken by M-DCPS students in 32 subject areas in 2018-2019. The number of AICE examinations taken in MDCPS increased by 12% from 2017-2018 to 2018-2019.The District's Hispanic students took 82% of all AICE examinations in 2018-2019. Overall, the percentage of AICE examinations receiving passing scores decreased by two percentage points, from 71% in 2018-2019 to 69% in 2018-2019. From 2017-2018 to 2018-2019, the percentage of AICE examinations receiving passing scores decreased slightly for all groups of students: by 2 percentage points for White students, by 1 percentage points for Hispanic students, by 4 percentage points for Black students, and by three percentage points for students classified as "Other". At the conclusion of the 2018-2019 school year, 78% of eligible M-DCPS students received AICE diplomas, a two percentage points increase from 2017-2018.

Curriculum Associates' i-Ready is an adaptive diagnostic and individualized instructional tool that has been used in M-DCPS in the last few years. In addition, Curriculum Associates provides the District with results of their predictive model, which uses the students' outcomes on the Fall and Winter i-Ready diagnostic testing as well as the schoolwide percentages of students scoring proficient on the previous year's Florida Standards Assessments (FSA) in English Language Arts (ELA) and Mathematics to estimate the individual student probabilities scoring at every achievement level on the subsequent FSA ELA and Mathematics grades 3-8. Predictive Capability of i-Ready was first examined in June 2017 and described in the corresponding Research Brief. This Research Brief examines 2018-2019 i-Ready prediction data and their relationship with the 2018-2019 FSA outcomes in ELA and Mathematics. [For the corresponding Research Brief, "Exploring the i-Ready Predictive Capability," see ED598679.]

This is the 2018-2019 annual report on the academic progress of English language learners in Miami-Dade County Public Schools. This report addresses the following three areas: (1) Demographic characteristics of students classified as English Language Learners (ELL); (2) English language acquisition results of ELL students on the English Language Proficiency assessments known as ACCESS for ELLs; and (3) Academic achievement results of students in the English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) program and those who exited the ESOL program on the Florida Standards Assessments (FSA) and End-of-Course (EOC) assessments. [For the 2017-2018 report, see ED618086.]

This Information Capsule reviews the research conducted on elementary level grade retention. Research findings on the effect of retention on elementary students' outcomes are inconsistent. One widely accepted conclusion is that when retention occurs, it should be accompanied by additional interventions designed to increase students' academic achievement and foster their social-emotional development. Other key research findings include: (1) Retained students are more likely to be from minority backgrounds and low-income households; (2) Retention has a temporary positive impact on student achievement; (3) No definitive conclusions have been reached on how retention affects students' academic achievement in the long-term. Most older studies found that retention had a negative impact on student's long-term achievement, but several recent studies that used more sophisticated methodologies concluded that retention had no effect, and may actually have had a positive effect, on students' future achievement; (4) Studies conducted on the impact of elementary school retention on students' high school dropout rates have reported mixed findings; (5) Research on the impact of retention on students' social and emotional adjustment has produced conflicting results; (6) Studies suggest that elementary students with the lowest levels of academic achievement and the poorest learning-related (self-regulatory) skills may have the most to gain by repeating a grade, both academically and socially; (7) Some researchers have concluded that retention is more effective at the earliest grade levels, but others maintain that retention is harmful at all grade levels; and (8) When retention is being considered for struggling elementary school students, researchers recommend that school staff implement several strategies, such as basing retention decisions on multiple criteria, using new instructional strategies and materials during the retention year, and providing students with supplemental academic and social-emotional interventions.

M-DCPS had 23,764 graduates in the 2017-2018 academic year. Most students, 91%, achieved a standard diploma (24 credits). Some students choose an alternative curriculum where 443 (2%) achieved an Advanced International Certificate of Education (AICE) diploma and 400 (2%) achieved an International Baccalaureate (IB). An additional 461 (2%) students earned an Academically Challenging Curriculum to Enhance Learning (ACCEL) 18 credit diploma. Over a quarter of graduates (27%) earned the Superintendent's Diploma of Distinction for outstanding academic year's rate (25%). Florida's Scholar and Merit diploma designations were awarded to 6,972 (29%) graduates demonstrating academic strength and career industry certification. Over 2,700 (12%) students also earned the Florida Seal of Biliteracy, in Gold or Silver, demonstrating mastery of a foreign language. The rates of both of these State level designations increased from the 2016-2017 academic year. [To view "Summary of 2016-2017 Graduates by Diploma Type," see ED587682.]

Researchers have found that middle school students undergo developmental changes that require unique educational structures and support. As a result, experts have suggested a number of specific strategies for organizing middle schools in order to best meet students' needs. This Information Capsule summarizes middle school redesign initiatives that are underway across the United States. A summary of research-based best practices in middle school redesign is also provided.

This Research Brief summarizes the performance of Miami-Dade County Public Schools (MDCPS) students participating in the International Baccalaureate (IB) program. The IB program was offered at six M-DCPS high schools in 2017-2018. Over 3,000 examinations were taken by M-DCPS students in 27 subject areas in 2017-2018. The number of IB examinations taken in M-DCPS decreased by eight percentage points from 2016-2017 to 2017-2018. The District's Hispanic students took 68% of all IB examinations in 2017-2018. From 2016-2017 to 2017-2018, the percentage of examinations taken by Hispanic and Black students increased, the percentage of examinations taken by White students decreased, and the percentage of examinations taken by students classified as "Other" (Alaskan Native, American Indian, Asian, Pacific Islander, and Multiracial categories) remained stable. Overall, the percentage of IB examinations receiving passing scores remained stable at 80% from 2016-2017 to 2017-2018. At the conclusion of the 2017-2018 school year, 77% of eligible MDCPS students received IB diplomas, an increase of six percentage points from 2016-2017.

This Research Brief summarizes the performance of Miami-Dade County Public Schools (MDCPS) students participating in the Cambridge Advanced International Certificate of Education (AICE) Program. Cambridge courses and examinations were offered at 14 MDCPS high schools in 2017-2018. Over 10,500 examinations were taken by M-DCPS students in 28 subject areas in 2017-2018. The number of AICE examinations taken in MDCPS increased by 12% from 2016-2017 to 2017-2018. The District's Hispanic students took 79% of all AICE examinations in 2017-2018. Overall, the percentage of AICE examinations receiving passing scores increased by four percentage points, from 67% in 2016-2017 to 71% in 2017-2018. From 2016-2017 to 2017-2018, the percentage of AICE examinations receiving passing scores increased for all groups of students: by 7 percentage points for White students, by 4 percentage points for Hispanic students and students classified as "Other," and by 2 percentage points for Black students. At the conclusion of the 2017-2018 school year, 76% of eligible M-DCPS students received AICE diplomas, a two percentage point decrease from 2016-2017.

This Information Capsule provides an overview of the Summer Youth Internship Program (SYIP) for Miami-Dade County Public School students sponsored by Miami-Dade County, The Children's Trust, Career Source of South Florida, Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines, JPMorgan Chase, and the Foundation for New Education Initiatives. The SYIP is a five-week paid summer internship that has been offered to M-DCPS high school students since 2015. The program provides students with real-life experience in a practical setting and the opportunity to interact with professionals in the community. To date, over 500 companies have participated, and 5,679 students have successfully completed the program. M-DCPS, alongside the other partners, will continue to provide students with this opportunity during the 2019 school year.

This Information Capsule reviews the research conducted on outcomes associated with placing students with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) in inclusive classrooms. Key findings include: (1) studies comparing the academic and social outcomes of students with ASD placed in inclusive versus segregated special education classrooms have produced mixed results; (2) research conducted on the impact of inclusive classrooms on nondisabled students' academic and social outcomes has produced inconsistent findings; (3) inclusion works for some but not all students with ASD; (4) physical integration of students with ASD and nondisabled students in inclusive classrooms alone may not be enough to produce positive outcomes; and (5) the biggest challenge is providing teachers with enough training and support.

This is the 2017-2018 annual report on the academic progress of English language learners in Miami-Dade County Public Schools. This report is the first annual report designed to satisfy the requirements of the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) that was signed into law in 2015. School year 2017-2018 was the first year in which state and local educational agencies were required to implement the provisions of that law. This report addresses the following three areas: (1) Demographic characteristics of students classified as English Language Learners (ELL); (2) English language acquisition results of ELL students on the English Language Proficiency assessments known as ACCESS for ELLs 2.0; and (3) Academic achievement results of students in the English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) program and those who exited the ESOL program on the Florida Standards Assessments (FSA), and End-of-Course (EOC) assessments. [For the 2016-2017 report, see ED618085.]