From: Ann Brennan

By the end of the day the outcome of the Education "catch all" bill should be determined as the Senate Education Committee meets this morning to determine final amendments for the Senate bill vehicle (HB 367), and the House passed their version yesterday (SB 96). The bills differ , and the negotiations are continuing to determine which bill vehicle will be the final version. Both the Senate and House committees amended the education provisions to bills that had already passed the other chamber - that way only concurrence is necessary and can be accomplished before they adjourn the 2 year General Assembly session by the end of this week.

The following Gongwer excerpt provides a summary of the negotiations and this weeks activity so far, I will provide an update when the final bill is acted on:

"The Senate Education Committee on Wednesday made a move on education fix policies that might give some on Capitol Square déjà vu.
The panel amended into a House bill on prescription drug education (HB 367 ) a long and varied list of provisions originally found in a catch-all measure (HB 343 ) that makes tweaks to existing policies.
The grab-bag bill passed the House a week ago, but the education chairs in both chambers had said they were concerned about the Senate having enough time to debate the legislation before it adjourns for the year.
But the Senate Education Committee's move Wednesday is the same one made by the House Education Committee Tuesday. The lower chamber panel amended the bulk of HB343 into a Senate-passed bill (SB 96 ) to require students take a world history course. (See Gongwer Ohio Report, December 9, 2014)
The moves allow passage of the bills in their respective chambers - which the House did Wednesday - with only a concurrence vote required in the opposite one.
The House and Senate, however, have not identified the same list of provisions they think should be enacted. Whereas the House adopted an almost identical version of HB343 into its bill, the Senate's list is shorter.
The Senate also tacked on the graduation requirement for world history from Senate Bill 96, making its enactment more likely no matter which version becomes the final vehicle.
Sen. Peggy Lehner (R-Kettering) said, however, there is no reason to think the two chambers are not negotiating well on the issue, saying the committee actions are a matter of process.
"We didn't want to be appearing to reject anything, so we didn't want to take things out of (HB343), and also the timing of this was such that we didn't know when we'd get the bill over," she said in an interview. "Most of these items are items that have been long identified over the last couple months and we've been working on the amendments by themselves.
"Most of them appeared in 343 - not all of them - but most of them did, so we thought this was an easier, cleaner vehicle to use than try to amend a House bill."
Ms. Lehner said she is not sure why the House Education Committee felt the need to take a similar tack a day earlier.
"Maybe they felt they didn't have a final list of what we were putting in and were concerned that it wouldn't have enough of the things," she said. "I'm hoping when they see what we're actually putting in that they'll recognize that this is a good vehicle and they'll choose to just concur and we'll get this work done."
Sen. Lehner also said there is nothing in House Bill 343 that the Senate doesn't like, just some items it doesn't think are ready.
She specifically identified the House's language to change graduation requirements for chartered, nonpublic schools. Under the provision, private schools would not have to administer end-of-course exams, but their students would be required to take a college and career readiness assessment - such as the ACT or SAT - in lieu of the EOC.
"That discussion is still in process," Sen. Lehner said. "There's a committee that is working on that right now. We are far from completing the work on that committee, so we don't think we should be putting conclusions in a bill before the committee finishes their work or the legislature has a chance to debate that."
An amendment to the Senate bill instead sets up a pathway so if the legislature decides in the future that EOCs have to be taken in chartered, nonpublic schools, students who did not take them in ninth grade have a way to make up that grade, Sen. Lehner said.
It specifically allows the course grade for successfully completing the class to be used in lieu of an EOC exam, she said.
Current law says the private schools are exempt from EOC for 2014-15 except for voucher students. The exemption becomes permanent if the legislature fails to act on a policy specific to those schools.
"This is a very, very big issue," Sen. Lehner told the committee. "It's a big issue that concerns a lot of children in the state of Ohio. A diploma from high school is a key to work for many, many kids. To either make it unnecessarily difficult to earn a diploma or to make it too easy to earn a diploma so that it lacks all meaning undercuts the purpose of a high school diploma."
The chairwoman described the Senate's wish list of provisions "more than reasonable."
"I think it's well-vetted, thought through decisions on things and it's ready to go," she said. "It's ripe for lame-duck legislation."
Rep. Stebelton meanwhile said he thinks the Senate's move is "not a good idea" and has told them as much.
"We think...367 is pretty much a standalone bill being the teaching of the dangers of drugs, etc. We don't think it needs a lot of amendments," he said. "We did something yesterday to Senate Bill 96 to add the things in that we want, so we would prefer that they not do that."
When push comes to shove, Mr. Stebelton said he thinks the House could agree to the Senate's list of changes depending on the language. He said he is not sure the provisions are drafted exactly the same way across the two bills.
"I'd like to pass both of them, that way we get it done two ways," he said.
During its floor consideration in the House, the chamber amended the bill to require the State Board of Education to report the status of student achievement in American history and American government based on end-of-course exams. The requirement would start with data from the current school year.
The bill passed out of the chamber 75-8, prepping it for a Senate concurrence vote.
The Senate's omnibus amendment meanwhile includes a couple provisions that did not exist in House Bill 343 or the House amendment to Senate Bill 96. One would allow districts to choose which college and career readiness assessment to administer to 11th graders based on a list approved by the superintendent of public instruction and the chancellor.
Sen. Lehner said the Department of Education currently has identified only one exam for
that purpose. The language change would also require ODE to reimburse districts for whichever test they use.
On the issue of the Kindergarten Readiness Assessment, Sen. Lehner said the Senate language avoids what the House proposed in terms of letting teachers administer the test before the start of the school year. She said she has heard concern that the exam is meant to be done in a group setting.
The omnibus amendment would, however, remove the Sept. 30 deadline for the literacy component of the KRA to allow that part to happen anytime during the administration of the test, she said.
Another change would allow districts to contract with nurses employed through an educational service center to treat students with diabetes. Sen. Lehner said that group was inadvertently excluded from a list of those eligible for the task as included in a mid-biennial review bill (HB 487 ).
Also added to the measure is Rep. Robert Sprague's (R-Findlay) bill to require businesses to hold a terminal distributor license for the possession and distribution of Suboxone (HB 378 ). It had passed out of the House last week.
Testimony: Phil Hayes, vice president for the Columbus Education Association, spoke to the Kindergarten Readiness Assessment measure that allows the literacy portion of the test to be administered up until Nov. 1.
He said the exam is long and stressful for students. A lot of instructional time is lost at the start of the school year because of it.
Mr. Hayes asked that the House language to provide an optional early start to the test administration be included in the bill.
Sen. Lehner said she seriously considered the House amendment, but she has learned of issues with that approach, particularly because the latest version of the exam is new for teachers. There is also concern about the integrity of the test if administered one-on-one rather than in a group setting."

 From: Ann Brennan

State Board Action: Related Service Staff and other staff added to ESP Rule

The State Board of Education approved an intent to adopt resolution yesterday regarding the revised Operating Standards, OAC rules 3301-35-01 to 3301-35-14.
Much of the 2-day State Board meeting was devoted to debate regarding the recently revised education service personnel rule (amendment just acted on yesterday and drafted late last week). OSPA found out about the revised rule last Thursday and submitted the attached questions and concerns to the State Board regarding it.

The Board adopted the revision with an amendment late yesterday after much debate from the Board members who were in favor of retaining the original “5 of 8” rule. Board member Rose Oakar offered an amendment that would have encouraged Boards of Education to employ 5 of the 8 ESP staff listed in the current rule, essentially encouraging the Boards to prioritize hiring these staff positions over the other expanded listing of ESP positions in this latest revision. The amendment failed.
The following is the adopted version of the rule, which is now part of the rule package going forward, which is expected to be adopted later this spring:

Rule 3301-35-01 (Definitions)

(B)(13) "Educational service personnel" are specially qualified individuals who possess the knowledge, skills and expertise to support the educational, instructional, health, mental health and college and career readiness needs for all students. All educational service personnel shall hold appropriate qualifications, including applicable special teaching certificates, multi-age licensure or specific licensure in the areas to which they are assigned.

(a) Educational service personnel that support educational, instructional and college and career readiness programs include, but are not limited to: elementary fine arts, music, and physical education teachers, librarian or media specialists, school counselors and reading intervention specialists;

(b) Educational service personnel that support the learning needs of the special needs student population include, but are not limited to: gifted intervention specialists, adapted physical education teacher, audiologist, interpreter, speech-language pathologists, physical and occupational therapists and English as a second language specialist;

(c) Educational service personnel that support the health and mental health of the student population include, but are not limited to: the school nurse, social worker, school psychologist, and school resource officer.

Rule 3301-35-05 (Faculty and Staff Focus)

(A)(3) The local board of education shall be responsible for the scope and type of educational services in the district. The district shall employ educational service personnel to enhance the learning opportunities of all students. Educational service personnel assigned to elementary fine arts, music and physical education shall hold the special teaching certificate or multi-age license in the subject to which they are assigned.

Referral to Accountability Committee

The State Board of Education directs the Accountability Committee to develop a method to report education service personnel on the report card for each area defined in rule 3301-35-01(B)(13). This method shall specify how the data will be reported annually by school, district, and state, including the total number of educational service personnel and the number per 1000 students or less. The Accountability Committee shall direct the Ohio Department of Education to report this data on the report card as soon as it can be implemented, but no later than the 2015-2016 report card.

End of Rule

NOTE: When I was notified that school psychologists were added to this ESP rule, along with all related services staff, I contacted the two Board members, Ron Ruddick and Mike Collins who were working on the compromise language to express OSPA’s concerns and to ask questions regarding how this new rule aligns with Ohio’s special education rules, that define related services, as well as contain caseload ratios. Mr. Collins indicated that there is no intent to have this rule negatively impact or change the special education rules. The ODE lawyers in the final draft will likely cite the related rules and law. I will suggest they do so in follow-up comments. Also, note the new accountability language will be valuable data to report, and OSPA supports this addition.

House Education Committee added major provisions from HB 343 to SB 96:

Late yesterday the House Education Committee added the major provisions from HB 343 into SB 96, a Senate passed bill adding World History to the high school graduation requirements. SB 96 will now be the vehicle for the education “clean-up” bill, as Senate Education Committee chair Peggy Lehner has worked with the House Education chair, Stebleton on these provisions. Since the Senate has already passed SB 96 is can move e out of both the Senate and House by the end of this week – this General Assembly will adjourn this week, and the new General Assembly will begin in January 2015.

I will report the final versions of SB 96 later this week or nearly next week, after the LSC analysis is written.






















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From: Ann Brennan 

Important update, note the action on HB 343 and the State Board of Education meets today and tomorrow and will be adopting an intent to adopt resolution for the revised Operating Standards, including the controversial ESP rule replacement.

Ohio Alliance for Arts Education
Arts on Line Education Update
Joan Platz
December 8, 2014

1) Ohio News

•130th General Assembly: The House and Senate have scheduled committee hearings and sessions this week.

•This Week at the Statehouse:

-The House Education Committee, chaired by Representative Stebelton, will meet on December 9, 2014 at 9:00 AM in Hearing Room 121. The committee will receive testimony on the following bills:
-HB473 (Hayes) Education-Student Expression Forum: Requires school districts, community schools, STEM schools, and college-preparatory boarding schools to establish a limited public forum for student expression. First hearing, sponsor testimony.
-HB520 (Carney/Patterson) Community Schools-Auditing Requirements: Regarding audit and record-keeping requirements for community school sponsors and operators. First Hearing, sponsor testimony.
-SB96 (LaRose) High School Social Studies Curriculum: Requires one unit of world history in the high school social studies curriculum. Second Hearing. A vote is possible.
SB84 (Kearney) Ohio Poet Laureate: Creates the position of Ohio Poet Laureate. First Hearing, all testimony, a vote is possible.

-The Senate Education Committee, chaired by Senator Lehner, will meet on December 10, 2014 at 10:00 AM in the Senate Finance Hearing Room. The committee will consider the following bills:
-HB113 (Antonio) High School Physical Education: Specifies that school districts and chartered nonpublic schools may excuse from high school physical education students who participate in a school-sponsored athletic club. A vote is possible.
-HB178 (Phillips) School Safety Drills: Amends the laws regarding school safety drills. A vote is possible.
-HB367 (Driehaus/Sprague) Opioid Abuse Prevention Instruction: Requires the health curriculum of each school district to include instruction in prescription opioid abuse prevention. A vote is possible.

The Senate Education Committee also has scheduled an “if needed” meeting for December 11, 2014.

•Changes at the Statehouse: Senator Shirley Smith (21st Senate District) resigned on December 3, 2014 from the Ohio Senate as of November 30, 2014. According to the Northeast Ohio Media Group she stated in her resignation letter that she was resigning because of a change in the Ohio Public Employees Retirement System, which requires her to retire earlier than she planned to qualify for health care benefits.

See “Cleveland Sen. Shirley Smith resigns Senate seat” by Jackie Borchardt, Northeast Ohio Media Group, December 3, 2014 at
http://www.cleveland.com/open/index.ssf/2014/12/cleveland_sen_shirley_smith_re.html.

Representative Peter Beck (54th House District) resigned from the Ohio House on December 1, 2014. Representative Beck did not run for re-election in November, and is under indictment on securities fraud allegations.

Niraj Antani, who was elected to represent the 42nd House District in November 2014, was sworn into office last week. The seat has been vacant since the death of Representative Terry Blair in June 2014.

•Update on the Community Connectors Program: The Ohio Department of Education announced last week that applications were being accepted for the $10 million Community Connectors grant program. Applications will be accepted through February 20, 2015. The program links students in eligible schools with mentorship programs developed through partnerships in the community. The maximum award is $650,000 with the state matching $3 for every $1 spent. The ODE will be sponsoring three regional meetings and a statewide webinar next week for schools, non profits, and businesses interested in applying for the grants.

Information about the regional meetings is available at http://www.communityconnectors.ohio.gov/.

2) Legislative Update:

•Governor’s Office: Governor Kasich signed into law on December 2, 2014 SB69 (Beagle), which establishes the Course and Program Sharing Network to be administered by the chancellor of the Board of Regents.

•Ohio House: The Ohio House passed on December 4, 2014 the following bills:
-HB454 (Gonzales) Concealed Carry-School Safety Zone. The bill clarifies the authority of a concealed handgun licensee to possess a handgun in a school safety zone. The vote was 79-2.
-HB343 (Stebelton) Educational Programs: includes a number of requested changes in education law, and allows school districts to administer an end of course exam in biology in addition to one in physical sciences to meet the high school graduation requirement. The House Rules and Reference Committee amended the bill last week to remove a controversial section that would have repealed the minimum teacher salary schedule from statute. The bill also clarifies the licensing requirements for Teach for America; adjusts special education performance measures; requires the State Board of Education to develop by June 30 a “model disciplinary policy”; and makes changes in the laws regarding truancy. The bill passed by a vote of 84-2.
-HB460 (Brenner/Driehaus) School Restructuring: Authorizes school districts and community schools to initiate a community learning process to assist and guide school restructuring. This bipartisan-sponsored bill is modeled after Oyler Community Learning Center and other schools in Cincinnati. These schools provide non-educational services, such as a dental and mental health clinic, through public-private or public-public partnerships at the schools. The bill limits the community learning centers to high schools in 15 percent of the lowest performing schools. The bill passed by a vote of 85-3.

•House Education Committee: The House Education Committee, chaired by Representative Stebelton, reported-out two bills last week: HB303 (Hayes) Student Religious Expression and HB304 (Hayes) regarding student access to public school facilities.

•Ohio Senate: The Ohio Senate referred to the Senate Education Committee, chaired by Senator Lehner the following bills last week:
-HB343 (Stebelton) Educational Programs, includes a number of requested changes in statutes for K-12 education, and allows school districts to use an end of course exam in biology in addition to one in physical sciences to meet the high school graduation requirement.
-HB460 (Brenner/Driehaus) School Restructuring, authorizes school districts and community schools to initiate a community learning process to assist and guide school restructuring.
-HB228 (Brenner/Gonzales) Limits on Student Testing.

•Senate Education Committee: The Senate Education Committee, chaired by Senator Lehner, reported-out on December 2, 2014 SB266 (Skindell/Lehner) Public Schools-Behavior Intervention, regarding the use of seclusion and physical restraint on students, and positive behavior intervention supports in public schools.

3) State Board of Education Meeting: The State Board of Education, Debe Terhar president, will meet on December 8 & 9, 2014 at the Ohio Department of Education Conference Center, 25 South Front Street, Columbus, Ohio. The Board has a full agenda, which includes the evaluation of the State Superintendent of Public Instruction; presentations by the Achievement Committee, chaired by C. Todd Jones; meetings of the Achievement, Capacity, Graduation Requirements, and Legislative and Budget committees; and voting on the report and recommendations of the Superintendent of Public Instruction.

This will be the last State Board meeting for President Debe Terhar, and board members Debbie Cain, and Brad Lamb. The terms of Tess Elshoff, Cathye Flory, Joe Farmer, and Tom Gunlock also end on December 31, 2014, but they can be reappointed by Governor Kasich.

The 2015 - 2016 State Board will include three newly elected members: Pat Bruns (District 4); Roslyn Painter-Goffi (District 5); and Robert Hagen (District 8).

Returning to the State Board next year are also elected members: Ann Jacobs (District 1); Kathleen McGervey (District 2); A.J. Wagner (District 3); Mike Collins (District 6); Sarah Fowler (District 7); Stephanie Dodd (District 9); Ron Rudduck (District 10); and Mary Rose Oakar (District 11).

Appointed members returning next year to complete their terms include C. Todd Jones, Mark A. Smith, Rebecca Vazquez-Skillings, and Melanie P. Bolender.

There are eight “intent to adopt” resolutions on the Board’s agenda this month, including one to approve the revisions to Operating Standards for Ohio Schools and Districts for Kindergarten through Twelfth Grade, Rules 3301-35-01 through 3301-35-10. The Operating Standards Committee, chaired by Ron Rudduck, met for 15 months and revised the operating standard rules as required by five-year-review law. The committee approved the revised standards at their meeting in November by a 4 to 3 vote, and also presented the revised standards to the full Board.

The standards include a controversial provision eliminating the requirement that boards of education employ five full time equivalent educational service personnel for every 1000 students in five of eight areas: counselor, library media specialist, school nurse, visiting teacher, social worker, and elementary art, music, and physical education. The Board is expected to consider amendments to the resolution on this provision and others.

A complete list of resolutions that the State Board will consider during their business meeting follows:

#2 Resolution of intent to adopt Rule 3301-19-01, 02, 03 of the Administrative Code regarding expenditure flow reports.
#3 Resolution of intent to adopt Rule 3301-24-10 of the Administrative Code entitled Alternative Pathway to Professional Principal Licensure for the New Leaders for Ohio Schools Pilot Program.
#4 Resolution of intent to adopt Rule 3301-24-23 and -24 of the Administrative Code entitled Resident Educator License Renewal and Alternative Resident Educator License Renewal.
#5 Resolution of intent to adopt new Rules 3301-24-25 and -26 of the Administrative Code entitled Senior Professional Educator License Renewal and Lead Professional Educator License Renewal.
#6 Resolution of intent to adopt Rule 3301-61-02, -03, and 3301-61-16 of the Administrative Code regarding career technical education programs.
#7 Resolution of intent to adopt Rule 3301-91-02 and 03 and to rescind Rule 3301-91-05 of the Administrative Code regarding standards for school lunch and breakfast programs.
#8 Resolution of intent to adopt Rule 3301-102-08 of the Administrative Code entitled standards for measuring sponsor compliance with applicable laws and rules.
#19 Resolution to adopt Rule 3301-5-01 of the Administrative Code entitled school emergency management plan.
#20 Resolution to adopt Rule 3301-16-04 of the Administrative Code entitled graduation requirements transition.
#21 Resolution to adopt Rules 3301-45-01 to 3301-45-06 of the Administrative Code regarding the administration of programs for adults seeking to achieve a high school diploma.
#22 Resolution to confirm the Eastern Local School District Board of Education’s determination of impractical transportation of certain students attending St. Michael School, Ripley, Brown County, Ohio.
#23 Resolution to adopt passing scores for the resident educator summative assessment (RESA) for the Ohio resident educator program.
#24 Resolution charging the Ohio Department of Education to draft rules for the implementation of a new recognition program for high school accomplishments.
#25 Resolution to designate the job skills assessment for students to demonstrate workforce readiness and employability for the purpose of high school graduation.
#26 Resolution to designate selected science and social studies International Baccalaureate Exams as substitutes for the state’s physical science, American history, and American government end of course exams.
#27 Resolution to adopt measures of satisfactory achievement and progress for student subgroups.
#28 Resolution of intent to rescind and adopt Rules 3301-35-01 to 3301-35-10 of the Administrative Code and to rescind Rules 3301-35-11 to 3301-35-14 of the Administrative Code regarding the Operating Standards for Ohio School Districts and Elementary and Secondary Schools.

4) Fix the Opportunity Gap: An editorial in the Akron Beacon Journal on December 6, 2014 calls on Governor Kasich and state lawmakers to close the “opportunity gap” between school districts in Ohio in the next state budget. The editorial cites an article in the Columbus Dispatch about an analysis of school district course offerings in the state. The analysis, which is available on the Dispatch web site, shows that 85 percent of poor rural districts have fewer courses than the state average compared to 18 percent of wealthier school districts. The analysis also shows that of the school districts offering fewer than 150 courses, “53 percent make a greater-than average effort to fund their schools.”

Not only do the students miss out on opportunities, because of the lack of resources at their school district, but the editorial notes that the “state suffers by failing to develop the pool of talent here.” The state is not meeting its constitutional obligation to provide a “thorough and efficient” education, the editorial goes on to say, and little has been achieved since the DeRolph Supreme Court decisions, which found that over-reliance on local funding was “driving the problems of inadequacy and inequity.”

See “An opportunity gap in Ohio public schools: The course offerings in wealthy suburban districts far outpace those in poor rural areas”, Akron Beacon Journal, December 6, 2014, at http://akronbeaconjournal.oh.newsmemory.com

See “Rural kids get fewer AP classes” by Catherine Candisky and Jim Siegel, Columbus Dispatch, November 30, 2014
at “http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/local/2014/11/30/rural-kids-get-fewer-ap-classes.html

The Columbus Dispatch has developed a data base that compares the number of high school course offerings that school districts offer, including courses in the arts. The data base is at
http://www.dispatch.com/content/pages/data/school-education/high-school-courses/index.html

5) NASSP Requests Comments of Proposed VAM Position: The National Association of Secondary School Principals’ Board of Directors (NASSP) has posted on its website a statement about the purpose of Value Added Measures (VAMs) for a 60-day comment period. After the 60 days, the NASSP intends to adopt the Statement at its February 2015 meeting.

The NASSP statement includes research, guiding principles, and recommendations for using VAM from student test scores to evaluate and make key personnel decisions about classroom teachers.

The statement states that the “NASSP supports recommendations for the use of “multiple measures” to evaluate teachers as indicated in the 2014 “Standards for Educational and Psychological Testing” measurement standards released by leading professional organizations in the area of educational measurement, including the American Educational Research Association (AERA), American Psychological Association (APA), and National Council on Measurement in Education (NCME).”

The statement includes the following recommendations:
-Successful teacher evaluation systems should employ “multiple classroom observations across the year by expert evaluators looking to multiple sources of data, and they provide meaningful feedback to teachers.”
-Districts and States should encourage the use of Peer Assistance and Review (PAR) programs. These programs provide expert mentor teachers to support novice teachers and struggling veteran teachers, and have been proven to be an effective system for improving instruction.
-States and Districts should allow teacher-constructed portfolios of student learning to be used as a part of teacher evaluation systems. The portfolios been used in a number of jurisdictions successfully.
-VAMs should be used by principals to measure school improvement and to determine the effectiveness of programs and instructional methods.
-VAMs should be used by principals to target professional development initiatives.
-VAMs should not to be used to make key personnel decisions about individual teachers.
-States and Districts should provide ongoing training for Principals in the appropriate use student data and VAMs.
-States and Districts should make student data and VAMs available to principals at a time when decisions about school programs are being made.
-States and Districts should provide resources and time principals need in order to make the best use of data.

See the statement at http://www.nassp.org/Content.aspx?topic=Value_Added_Measures_in_Teacher_Evaluation

FYI ARTS

•NEA Announces First Round of 2015 Grants: The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), Jane Chu chairman, announced the agency’s first fiscal year 2015 grant awards on December 2, 2014. The grants, totaling $29.1 million, are awarded in three categories: Art Works, Challenge America, and NEA Literature Fellowships in Creative Writing. The awards support the arts and creativity to improve lives and communities in the United States.

-Art Works Grants: The Art Works grants support the creation of works and presentation of both new and existing works, lifelong learning in the arts, and public engagement with the arts through 13 arts disciplines or fields. The NEA will award 917 grants totaling $26,571,000 in this area.

A new Art Works funding priority called collective impact “will focus on collaborative, systematic approaches that involve entire schools, school districts, and/or states,” in communities. Seven projects will be funded through the collective impact initiative totaling $495,000. These grants will provide opportunities to an estimated 750,000 students.

The NEA also supports innovative projects that integrate the arts, science, and technology through several NEA disciplines.

-Literature Fellowships in Creative Writing Grants: NEA will award thirty-six poets Literature Fellowships in Creative Writing grants of $25,000. The grants can be used for research, travel, and career advancement.

-Challenge America Grants: The Challenge America grants total $1.63 million for 163 projects in 44 states. These are matching grants of $10,000 to support projects that provide opportunities in the arts for underserved populations.

Ohio will receive 23 grants totaling $552,000. The recipients include the following:
-Mary Biddinger - Creative Writing Fellowship Poetry
-Art Opportunity, Inc. Cincinnati
-Cincinnati Ballet
-Cincinnati Opera Association
-Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park
-Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra
-Kennedy Heights Art Center, Cincinnati
-Taft Museum of Art, Cincinnati
-Cleveland International Film Festival, Inc.
-Cleveland Modern Dance Association
-Cleveland Museum of Art
-Cleveland Public Theatre, Inc.
-Cuyahoga Community College Foundation
-Musical Arts Association, Cleveland
-SPACES, Cleveland
-Zygot Press, Inc., Cleveland, OH
-Ballet Metropolitan, Columbus
-Wexner Center Foundation, Columbus
-Central Ohio Symphony, Delaware
-Kenyon Review, Gambier, OH
-Natalie Shapero, Creative Writing Fellowship in Poetry
-Newark Midland Theatre Association, Newark, OH
-Wassenberg Art Center Association, Van Wert, OH.

To learn more about these projects see http://arts.gov/sites/default/files/Fall_2014_Grant_List_by_State_FINAL.pdf
To learn more about the NEA grants see http://arts.gov/news/2014/national-endowment-arts-awards-29-million-arts-projects

From: Ann Brennan 

Important update, note the action on HB 343 and the State Board of Education meets today and tomorrow and will be adopting an intent to adopt resolution for the revised Operating Standards, including the controversial ESP rule replacement.

Joan Platz
December 8, 2014

1) Ohio News

•130th General Assembly: The House and Senate have scheduled committee hearings and sessions this week.

•This Week at the Statehouse:

-The House Education Committee, chaired by Representative Stebelton, will meet on December 9, 2014 at 9:00 AM in Hearing Room 121. The committee will receive testimony on the following bills:
-HB473 (Hayes) Education-Student Expression Forum: Requires school districts, community schools, STEM schools, and college-preparatory boarding schools to establish a limited public forum for student expression. First hearing, sponsor testimony.
-HB520 (Carney/Patterson) Community Schools-Auditing Requirements: Regarding audit and record-keeping requirements for community school sponsors and operators. First Hearing, sponsor testimony.
-SB96 (LaRose) High School Social Studies Curriculum: Requires one unit of world history in the high school social studies curriculum. Second Hearing. A vote is possible.
SB84 (Kearney) Ohio Poet Laureate: Creates the position of Ohio Poet Laureate. First Hearing, all testimony, a vote is possible.

-The Senate Education Committee, chaired by Senator Lehner, will meet on December 10, 2014 at 10:00 AM in the Senate Finance Hearing Room. The committee will consider the following bills:
-HB113 (Antonio) High School Physical Education: Specifies that school districts and chartered nonpublic schools may excuse from high school physical education students who participate in a school-sponsored athletic club. A vote is possible.
-HB178 (Phillips) School Safety Drills: Amends the laws regarding school safety drills. A vote is possible.
-HB367 (Driehaus/Sprague) Opioid Abuse Prevention Instruction: Requires the health curriculum of each school district to include instruction in prescription opioid abuse prevention. A vote is possible.

The Senate Education Committee also has scheduled an “if needed” meeting for December 11, 2014.

•Changes at the Statehouse: Senator Shirley Smith (21st Senate District) resigned on December 3, 2014 from the Ohio Senate as of November 30, 2014. According to the Northeast Ohio Media Group she stated in her resignation letter that she was resigning because of a change in the Ohio Public Employees Retirement System, which requires her to retire earlier than she planned to qualify for health care benefits.

See “Cleveland Sen. Shirley Smith resigns Senate seat” by Jackie Borchardt, Northeast Ohio Media Group, December 3, 2014 at
http://www.cleveland.com/open/index.ssf/2014/12/cleveland_sen_shirley_smith_re.html.

Representative Peter Beck (54th House District) resigned from the Ohio House on December 1, 2014. Representative Beck did not run for re-election in November, and is under indictment on securities fraud allegations.

Niraj Antani, who was elected to represent the 42nd House District in November 2014, was sworn into office last week. The seat has been vacant since the death of Representative Terry Blair in June 2014.

•Update on the Community Connectors Program: The Ohio Department of Education announced last week that applications were being accepted for the $10 million Community Connectors grant program. Applications will be accepted through February 20, 2015. The program links students in eligible schools with mentorship programs developed through partnerships in the community. The maximum award is $650,000 with the state matching $3 for every $1 spent. The ODE will be sponsoring three regional meetings and a statewide webinar next week for schools, non profits, and businesses interested in applying for the grants.

Information about the regional meetings is available at http://www.communityconnectors.ohio.gov/.

2) Legislative Update:

•Governor’s Office: Governor Kasich signed into law on December 2, 2014 SB69 (Beagle), which establishes the Course and Program Sharing Network to be administered by the chancellor of the Board of Regents.

•Ohio House: The Ohio House passed on December 4, 2014 the following bills:
-HB454 (Gonzales) Concealed Carry-School Safety Zone. The bill clarifies the authority of a concealed handgun licensee to possess a handgun in a school safety zone. The vote was 79-2.
-HB343 (Stebelton) Educational Programs: includes a number of requested changes in education law, and allows school districts to administer an end of course exam in biology in addition to one in physical sciences to meet the high school graduation requirement. The House Rules and Reference Committee amended the bill last week to remove a controversial section that would have repealed the minimum teacher salary schedule from statute. The bill also clarifies the licensing requirements for Teach for America; adjusts special education performance measures; requires the State Board of Education to develop by June 30 a “model disciplinary policy”; and makes changes in the laws regarding truancy. The bill passed by a vote of 84-2.
-HB460 (Brenner/Driehaus) School Restructuring: Authorizes school districts and community schools to initiate a community learning process to assist and guide school restructuring. This bipartisan-sponsored bill is modeled after Oyler Community Learning Center and other schools in Cincinnati. These schools provide non-educational services, such as a dental and mental health clinic, through public-private or public-public partnerships at the schools. The bill limits the community learning centers to high schools in 15 percent of the lowest performing schools. The bill passed by a vote of 85-3.

•House Education Committee: The House Education Committee, chaired by Representative Stebelton, reported-out two bills last week: HB303 (Hayes) Student Religious Expression and HB304 (Hayes) regarding student access to public school facilities.

•Ohio Senate: The Ohio Senate referred to the Senate Education Committee, chaired by Senator Lehner the following bills last week:
-HB343 (Stebelton) Educational Programs, includes a number of requested changes in statutes for K-12 education, and allows school districts to use an end of course exam in biology in addition to one in physical sciences to meet the high school graduation requirement.
-HB460 (Brenner/Driehaus) School Restructuring, authorizes school districts and community schools to initiate a community learning process to assist and guide school restructuring.
-HB228 (Brenner/Gonzales) Limits on Student Testing.

•Senate Education Committee: The Senate Education Committee, chaired by Senator Lehner, reported-out on December 2, 2014 SB266 (Skindell/Lehner) Public Schools-Behavior Intervention, regarding the use of seclusion and physical restraint on students, and positive behavior intervention supports in public schools.

3) State Board of Education Meeting: The State Board of Education, Debe Terhar president, will meet on December 8 & 9, 2014 at the Ohio Department of Education Conference Center, 25 South Front Street, Columbus, Ohio. The Board has a full agenda, which includes the evaluation of the State Superintendent of Public Instruction; presentations by the Achievement Committee, chaired by C. Todd Jones; meetings of the Achievement, Capacity, Graduation Requirements, and Legislative and Budget committees; and voting on the report and recommendations of the Superintendent of Public Instruction.

This will be the last State Board meeting for President Debe Terhar, and board members Debbie Cain, and Brad Lamb. The terms of Tess Elshoff, Cathye Flory, Joe Farmer, and Tom Gunlock also end on December 31, 2014, but they can be reappointed by Governor Kasich.

The 2015 - 2016 State Board will include three newly elected members: Pat Bruns (District 4); Roslyn Painter-Goffi (District 5); and Robert Hagen (District 8).

Returning to the State Board next year are also elected members: Ann Jacobs (District 1); Kathleen McGervey (District 2); A.J. Wagner (District 3); Mike Collins (District 6); Sarah Fowler (District 7); Stephanie Dodd (District 9); Ron Rudduck (District 10); and Mary Rose Oakar (District 11).

Appointed members returning next year to complete their terms include C. Todd Jones, Mark A. Smith, Rebecca Vazquez-Skillings, and Melanie P. Bolender.

There are eight “intent to adopt” resolutions on the Board’s agenda this month, including one to approve the revisions to Operating Standards for Ohio Schools and Districts for Kindergarten through Twelfth Grade, Rules 3301-35-01 through 3301-35-10. The Operating Standards Committee, chaired by Ron Rudduck, met for 15 months and revised the operating standard rules as required by five-year-review law. The committee approved the revised standards at their meeting in November by a 4 to 3 vote, and also presented the revised standards to the full Board.

The standards include a controversial provision eliminating the requirement that boards of education employ five full time equivalent educational service personnel for every 1000 students in five of eight areas: counselor, library media specialist, school nurse, visiting teacher, social worker, and elementary art, music, and physical education. The Board is expected to consider amendments to the resolution on this provision and others.

A complete list of resolutions that the State Board will consider during their business meeting follows:

#2 Resolution of intent to adopt Rule 3301-19-01, 02, 03 of the Administrative Code regarding expenditure flow reports.
#3 Resolution of intent to adopt Rule 3301-24-10 of the Administrative Code entitled Alternative Pathway to Professional Principal Licensure for the New Leaders for Ohio Schools Pilot Program.
#4 Resolution of intent to adopt Rule 3301-24-23 and -24 of the Administrative Code entitled Resident Educator License Renewal and Alternative Resident Educator License Renewal.
#5 Resolution of intent to adopt new Rules 3301-24-25 and -26 of the Administrative Code entitled Senior Professional Educator License Renewal and Lead Professional Educator License Renewal.
#6 Resolution of intent to adopt Rule 3301-61-02, -03, and 3301-61-16 of the Administrative Code regarding career technical education programs.
#7 Resolution of intent to adopt Rule 3301-91-02 and 03 and to rescind Rule 3301-91-05 of the Administrative Code regarding standards for school lunch and breakfast programs.
#8 Resolution of intent to adopt Rule 3301-102-08 of the Administrative Code entitled standards for measuring sponsor compliance with applicable laws and rules.
#19 Resolution to adopt Rule 3301-5-01 of the Administrative Code entitled school emergency management plan.
#20 Resolution to adopt Rule 3301-16-04 of the Administrative Code entitled graduation requirements transition.
#21 Resolution to adopt Rules 3301-45-01 to 3301-45-06 of the Administrative Code regarding the administration of programs for adults seeking to achieve a high school diploma.
#22 Resolution to confirm the Eastern Local School District Board of Education’s determination of impractical transportation of certain students attending St. Michael School, Ripley, Brown County, Ohio.
#23 Resolution to adopt passing scores for the resident educator summative assessment (RESA) for the Ohio resident educator program.
#24 Resolution charging the Ohio Department of Education to draft rules for the implementation of a new recognition program for high school accomplishments.
#25 Resolution to designate the job skills assessment for students to demonstrate workforce readiness and employability for the purpose of high school graduation.
#26 Resolution to designate selected science and social studies International Baccalaureate Exams as substitutes for the state’s physical science, American history, and American government end of course exams.
#27 Resolution to adopt measures of satisfactory achievement and progress for student subgroups.
#28 Resolution of intent to rescind and adopt Rules 3301-35-01 to 3301-35-10 of the Administrative Code and to rescind Rules 3301-35-11 to 3301-35-14 of the Administrative Code regarding the Operating Standards for Ohio School Districts and Elementary and Secondary Schools.

4) Fix the Opportunity Gap: An editorial in the Akron Beacon Journal on December 6, 2014 calls on Governor Kasich and state lawmakers to close the “opportunity gap” between school districts in Ohio in the next state budget. The editorial cites an article in the Columbus Dispatch about an analysis of school district course offerings in the state. The analysis, which is available on the Dispatch web site, shows that 85 percent of poor rural districts have fewer courses than the state average compared to 18 percent of wealthier school districts. The analysis also shows that of the school districts offering fewer than 150 courses, “53 percent make a greater-than average effort to fund their schools.”

Not only do the students miss out on opportunities, because of the lack of resources at their school district, but the editorial notes that the “state suffers by failing to develop the pool of talent here.” The state is not meeting its constitutional obligation to provide a “thorough and efficient” education, the editorial goes on to say, and little has been achieved since the DeRolph Supreme Court decisions, which found that over-reliance on local funding was “driving the problems of inadequacy and inequity.”

See “An opportunity gap in Ohio public schools: The course offerings in wealthy suburban districts far outpace those in poor rural areas”, Akron Beacon Journal, December 6, 2014, at http://akronbeaconjournal.oh.newsmemory.com

See “Rural kids get fewer AP classes” by Catherine Candisky and Jim Siegel, Columbus Dispatch, November 30, 2014
at “http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/local/2014/11/30/rural-kids-get-fewer-ap-classes.html

The Columbus Dispatch has developed a data base that compares the number of high school course offerings that school districts offer, including courses in the arts. The data base is at
http://www.dispatch.com/content/pages/data/school-education/high-school-courses/index.html

5) NASSP Requests Comments of Proposed VAM Position: The National Association of Secondary School Principals’ Board of Directors (NASSP) has posted on its website a statement about the purpose of Value Added Measures (VAMs) for a 60-day comment period. After the 60 days, the NASSP intends to adopt the Statement at its February 2015 meeting.

The NASSP statement includes research, guiding principles, and recommendations for using VAM from student test scores to evaluate and make key personnel decisions about classroom teachers.

The statement states that the “NASSP supports recommendations for the use of “multiple measures” to evaluate teachers as indicated in the 2014 “Standards for Educational and Psychological Testing” measurement standards released by leading professional organizations in the area of educational measurement, including the American Educational Research Association (AERA), American Psychological Association (APA), and National Council on Measurement in Education (NCME).”

The statement includes the following recommendations:
-Successful teacher evaluation systems should employ “multiple classroom observations across the year by expert evaluators looking to multiple sources of data, and they provide meaningful feedback to teachers.”
-Districts and States should encourage the use of Peer Assistance and Review (PAR) programs. These programs provide expert mentor teachers to support novice teachers and struggling veteran teachers, and have been proven to be an effective system for improving instruction.
-States and Districts should allow teacher-constructed portfolios of student learning to be used as a part of teacher evaluation systems. The portfolios been used in a number of jurisdictions successfully.
-VAMs should be used by principals to measure school improvement and to determine the effectiveness of programs and instructional methods.
-VAMs should be used by principals to target professional development initiatives.
-VAMs should not to be used to make key personnel decisions about individual teachers.
-States and Districts should provide ongoing training for Principals in the appropriate use student data and VAMs.
-States and Districts should make student data and VAMs available to principals at a time when decisions about school programs are being made.
-States and Districts should provide resources and time principals need in order to make the best use of data.

See the statement at http://www.nassp.org/Content.aspx?topic=Value_Added_Measures_in_Teacher_Evaluation

FYI ARTS

•NEA Announces First Round of 2015 Grants: The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), Jane Chu chairman, announced the agency’s first fiscal year 2015 grant awards on December 2, 2014. The grants, totaling $29.1 million, are awarded in three categories: Art Works, Challenge America, and NEA Literature Fellowships in Creative Writing. The awards support the arts and creativity to improve lives and communities in the United States.

-Art Works Grants: The Art Works grants support the creation of works and presentation of both new and existing works, lifelong learning in the arts, and public engagement with the arts through 13 arts disciplines or fields. The NEA will award 917 grants totaling $26,571,000 in this area.

A new Art Works funding priority called collective impact “will focus on collaborative, systematic approaches that involve entire schools, school districts, and/or states,” in communities. Seven projects will be funded through the collective impact initiative totaling $495,000. These grants will provide opportunities to an estimated 750,000 students.

The NEA also supports innovative projects that integrate the arts, science, and technology through several NEA disciplines.

-Literature Fellowships in Creative Writing Grants: NEA will award thirty-six poets Literature Fellowships in Creative Writing grants of $25,000. The grants can be used for research, travel, and career advancement.

-Challenge America Grants: The Challenge America grants total $1.63 million for 163 projects in 44 states. These are matching grants of $10,000 to support projects that provide opportunities in the arts for underserved populations.

Ohio will receive 23 grants totaling $552,000. The recipients include the following:
-Mary Biddinger - Creative Writing Fellowship Poetry
-Art Opportunity, Inc. Cincinnati
-Cincinnati Ballet
-Cincinnati Opera Association
-Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park
-Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra
-Kennedy Heights Art Center, Cincinnati
-Taft Museum of Art, Cincinnati
-Cleveland International Film Festival, Inc.
-Cleveland Modern Dance Association
-Cleveland Museum of Art
-Cleveland Public Theatre, Inc.
-Cuyahoga Community College Foundation
-Musical Arts Association, Cleveland
-SPACES, Cleveland
-Zygot Press, Inc., Cleveland, OH
-Ballet Metropolitan, Columbus
-Wexner Center Foundation, Columbus
-Central Ohio Symphony, Delaware
-Kenyon Review, Gambier, OH
-Natalie Shapero, Creative Writing Fellowship in Poetry
-Newark Midland Theatre Association, Newark, OH
-Wassenberg Art Center Association, Van Wert, OH.

To learn more about these projects see http://arts.gov/sites/default/files/Fall_2014_Grant_List_by_State_FINAL.pdf
To learn more about the NEA grants see http://arts.gov/news/2014/national-endowment-arts-awards-29-million-arts-projects