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

From: Ann Brennan

Below is an excerpt from the  November 26 Gongwer that elaborates on the potential Senate action on HB 343, the bill  passed today in the House with an amendment to take out the provision that eliminated the minimum teacher salary and schedule. I'll keep you posted on the final Senate version - final action should be next week.

"Two of the more hotly-debated K-12 policies to advance thus far in lame duck appear headed for the back burner.

They include controversial language to eliminate the teacher salary schedule from statute, which will be removed from a grab-bag education bill before it ever leaves the House, the bill sponsor said Wednesday.

A restriction on student testing time, which recently cleared the House with bipartisan support, may also be on the verge of being shelved.

The salary-related measure (HB 343), which is expected to see a House floor vote next week, contains a long list of education-related tweaks and fixes but garnered opposition from Democrats and some advocates with the addition of the teacher pay language. (See Gongwer Ohio Report, November 17, 2014)

House Education Committee Chairman and sponsoring Rep. Gerald Stebelton (R-Lancaster) said he has prepared a floor amendment that would remove the provision.

"I think it's a matter of the viability of the bill with it in there," he said in an interview. "We know the governor doesn't want it in there, so we think it will come out in the Senate anyway. And if it doesn't come out in the Senate, it risks vetoing the bill.

"So we think that the better part of valor is just to pull it out and send the bill along because - as far as I know - it has universal support without that provision in it."

Similar language had previously been proposed in the last biennial budget bill (HB 59) but was removed in the Senate.

But ditching the most high-profile provision doesn't mean the bill will fly through the upper chamber without much fuss.

Senate Education Committee Chairwoman Sen. Peggy Lehner (R-Kettering) said the chamber plans to act on the omnibus bill, as well as student testing time concerns, but neither proposal will look the same as what the House approved.

Given the timing for a floor vote on House Bill 343, it would not come before the Senate committee until the second week of December, she said.

"What we will take up (that) week - in what at this point looks like our last week of session - is probably a significantly torn down piece of legislation, but I think it would certainly include those items that we have agreement with on the House because we don't want to have to have a conference committee on it," she said in an interview.

Sen. Lehner said the breadth of the legislation's contents is a challenge.

"That's always a problem with lame duck session, you load down all kinds of things that you want to get done, but it doesn't remove from us the responsibility to adequately vet each and every one of those issues," she said.

The chairwoman said she plans to evaluate the bill carefully and the chamber would likely support items that have "been around for a while" and have had multiple hearings.

"If it's something that's brand new that there really hasn't been adequate discussion on - it doesn't mean we're opposed to it - it just doesn't mean that we have enough information at this point to make a decision," she said. "We may pull some of those things."

Some parts of the bill are changes to previously enacted legislation "that have to get done, so we're going to obviously deal with those issues," the chairwoman said.

Specifically, the measure would change the new graduation requirements to allow students to take an end-of-course exam in either physical science or biology. The existing requirement for the former course is an issue because some schools do not offer that class.

Another change would address what test is used for third graders this year as the state transitions from the Ohio Achievement Assessment, which will still be used this fall, to the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers test, which will be used in the spring.

The catchall bill also contains a proposal for the Department of Education to make a recommendation on a change to zero tolerance policies. The Senate Education Committee earlier this year had heard extensive testimony on a bill (SB 167) to eliminate the policy, which many have said has a detrimental impact on students.

Sen. Lehner said before seeing the zero tolerance provision in the catchall bill, she had planned to work on the issue through the reintroduction of legislation next year.

"That is one of those issues that there's been a great deal of discussion on, and I think that discussion needs to continue. So I'm not sure what we will do with that particular provision," she said.

Other provisions she said appear to be "innocuous...but there's no rush to do them." Sen. Lehner said she's not sure where other elements of the bill originated and plans to investigate them.

Testing Time: The many proponents of legislation to limit state standardized testing to four hours per subject per year (HB 228) might be disappointed by Sen. Lehner's view of the issue.

She had previously said that the subject is not one she thinks should be contemplated in a rushed lame-duck session. (See Gongwer Ohio Report, November 7, 2014)

"I think that the testing issue is obviously one that is very much on a lot of people's minds," she added Wednesday. "I think that is reflected in the 96-4 vote that bill got, but it also did not have any kind of hearings to speak of.

"I think we're going to be looking for an approach that might address people's concerns about testing but it will probably be a different approach than that legislation."

- See more at: http://www.gongwer-oh.com/programming/news.cfm?article_id=832280201#sthash.WHdE1KS8.dpuf -

From: Ann Brennan 

FYI: Note that the House approved HB 228.

Ohio Alliance for Arts Education
Arts on Line Education Update
Joan Platz
November 24, 2014

1) Ohio News

•130th Ohio General Assembly: The Ohio House and Senate will hold some committee meetings this week, but no sessions. The House and Senate Education committees will not be meeting.

•Ohio House Approves Bill Limiting Testing: The House Education Committee, chaired by Representative Stebelton, reported-out on November 17, 2014 two bills: HB228 (Brenner/Gonzales) Limits on Testing and HB343 (Stebelton) Education Programs, a controversial “catch all” bill that also repeals the state’s minimum salary schedule for teachers.

The Ohio House approved on November 20, 2014 HB228 (Brenner/Gonzales) by a vote of 88 to 4. The bill limits the amount of testing in each subject to 4 hours per year and makes other changes in law. Details about the HB228 are included below.

When it reaches the floor for a vote, HB343 is expected to be amended to require third-grade students, who pass the Ohio Achievement Assessment in reading in the fall, to take the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers reading assessment in the spring, rather than the Ohio Achievement Assessment as directed in the bill as amended. This change will save the state $1.2 million.

•Ohio Senate Approves Straight A Fund Bill: The Ohio Senate approved on November 19, 2014 SB241 (Sawyer), which adds two minority members from both the House and Senate to the Straight A Program Governing Board.

•Democrats Choose Leadership for 131st General Assembly: Ohio Senate Democrats informally voted on November 19, 2014 to retain their leadership team for the 131st General Assembly. Senator Joe Schiavoni will remain Senate Minority Leader; Senator Charleta Tavares, assistant minority leader; Senator Edna Brown, minority whip, and Senator Lou Gentile, assistant minority whip.

The House Democratic Caucus informally elected on November 18, 2014 a completely new leadership team for the 131st General Assembly, replacing Representatives Tracy Maxwell Heard, who is term-limited, Debbie Phillips, Mike Ashford, and Dan Ramos.

Representative Fred Strahorn was elected House Minority Leader; Representative Nicholas J. Celebrezze, assistant Democratic leader; Representative Kevin Boyce, Democratic whip; and Representative Nickie Antonio, assistant Democratic whip.

•Governor Kasich Supports the Common Core Standards: Henry J. Gomez reports for The Cleveland Plain Dealer that Governor John Kasich offered his continued support for the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) at the Republican Governors Association conference in Florida on November 18, 2014. According to the author, when asked about the CCSS by NBC’s Chuck Todd during a panel discussion with other Republican governors, Governor Kasich replied that as long as local school boards and parents are writing the curriculum, he didn’t see anything wrong with reaching higher standards in math and science.

See “Ohio Gov. John Kasich finds himself the center of attention at forum with potential White House rivals” by Henry J. Gomez, Northeast Ohio Media Group, Cleveland Plain Dealer, November 19, 2014, at
http://www.cleveland.com/open/index.ssf/2014/11/ohio_gov_john_kasich_finds_him.html

2) House Passes Sub. HB228 - Limits on Testing: The Ohio House approved on November 20, 2014 by a vote of 88 to 4 Sub. HB228 (Brenner/Gonzales) Limits on Testing. Before the House voted, the bill was amended to allow students at career centers to substitute an “industry-recognized credential” in lieu of a technical skill exam.

The bill was reported-out by the House Education Committee, chaired by Representative Stebelton, on November 17, 2014.

As introduced the bill proposed a new school funding formula to ensure that all school districts received at least $1000 per pupil in state aid. The bill changed directions on November 5, 2014 when the committee accepted a substitute bill that incorporated HB629 (Gonzales) Primary and Secondary Assessments, which included the provisions to limit testing in schools. One provision related to school funding reform was retained: The bill requires the Ohio Department of Education (ODE) by April 1, 2015, to report to the General Assembly an estimate of the cost to the state of guaranteeing each city, exempted village, and local school district a minimum state operating payment equal to the greater of $1,000, or the per-pupil amount computed for the district for fiscal year 2013.

The substitute bill limits the amount of time allotted for each statewide assessment prescribed in law to four hours per year per subject beginning in 2015-16. This provision is expected to reduce by half the projected amount of testing time for students.

The bill also does the following: delays statewide online testing to the 2016-17 school year; requires the ODE to study the impact of online assessments on student performance; provides flexibility for the administration of the kindergarten readiness assessment, including allowing schools to administer the assessment starting August 1 rather than the first day of school; requires the ODE to determine which components of the resident educator performance-based assessment may be used as part of the teacher evaluation system; and requires the Ohio Department of Education to estimate 1) the cost of implementing a per pupil funding floor and 2) to assess the readiness of schools to administer tests online. The bill would not affect the third grade reading assessment, diagnostic assessments, alternative assessments for students with disabilities, Advanced Placement exams, or International Baccalaureate assessments.

3) National News:

•U.S. House Chair Re-Elected: The House Republican Conference re-elected last week U.S. Representative John Kline (MN) to the chairmanship of the House Education and the Workforce Committee for the 114th Congress. Chairman Kline is expected to continue to press for the reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (No Child Left Behind Act) the Higher Education Act, and work to reduce the role of the federal government in state K-12 education.

•Maximizing Resources for Technology: The U.S. Department of Education, Office of Educational Technology, issued a letter last week to provide guidance for states, districts, and partnerships to better use federal grants to support innovative technology based strategies to support personalized learning. The guidance supports President Obama’s ConnectED Initiative, introduced in June 2013, which aims to increase access to high-speed Internet to the classroom, affordable mobile learning devices, and high-quality learning content, and increase support for teachers to implement digital learning.

The letter includes examples of ways grantees may use federal funds under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act to expand learning through technology, such as through professional development; student materials, resources and supports; educator communication and collaboration; and the purchase of devices.

See http://tech.ed.gov/%20federal-funding-dear-colleague-letter/

Tina Thomas-Manning, Superintendent of the Reynoldsburg City Schools, and Matthew Miller, Superintendent of the Mentor Exempted Village, were among more than 100 school superintendents who were recognized at a White House ceremony on November 19, 2014 for leading their communities in digital learning. The recognition was held at the “ConnectED to the Future” conference.

See http://tech.ed.gov/futureready/attendees/

•Collaborative to Create CCSS Resources: A coalition of 11 state education agencies is developing “open educational resources” (OER) in grades K-11 aligned to the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) in math and English language arts. The coalition is called the K-12 OER Collaborative, and includes the states of Washington, Utah, Idaho, Oregon, Arizona, California, Minnesota, Montana, North Carolina, Nevada, and Wisconsin. The group is facilitated by the Council of Chief State School Officers.

The purpose of the collaboration is to provide “additional choices for local education agencies”, “significantly reduce expenditures for instructional materials”, and “offer much greater flexibility with higher quality digital educational content.”

The open educational resources will be created through a competitive RFP process and include instructional materials for each course, including strategies, activities, and resources that allow teachers to differentiate instruction, and assessments, including performance tasks, formative assessments, summative assessments, and rubrics. Open educational resources are licensed under different copyright laws, so the materials will be available for coping and redistributing without additional cost, and states and local school districts will be able to adapt the materials to meet their needs. The collaborative intends to update the resources annually.

See http://openeducation2014.sched.org/event/46caa2a1c490b08ca52b2a1518a921cb#.VHH8g74fPBE

4) More Third Grade Students are Proficient in Reading: The Ohio Department of Education (ODE) announced on November 19, 2014 that 95.8 percent of Ohio third graders in the 2013-14 school year met the “proficient” level for reading and were promoted to the 4th grade under the Third Grade Reading Guarantee.

The Third Grade Reading Guarantee became law in 2013 and requires students to be proficient in reading in order to be promoted to the forth grade. Schools are required to assess students at each grade level in grades K-3, and develop an improvement plan for students not reading at grade level. The improvement plan includes additional instruction provided by a qualified reading teacher.

The ODE also reported that about 91 percent of third grade students met the proficient standard by passing the Ohio Achievement Assessment (OAA) in reading in the spring 2014; 4 percent passed one of the alternative assessments; and .9 percent passed the OAA in the summer.

About 4.2 percent of students who did not meet the proficient standards for the 2013-14 school were retained in the third grade, but can move to the 4th grade once their reading skills have improved.

The report also notes that about 126,000 students (5.7 percent) are exempt from the Third Grade Reading law, because they have an Individualized Education Plan (IEP), are learning English, have significant cognitive disabilities, or have been retained.

See http://education.ohio.gov/Topics/Early-Learning/Third-Grade-Reading-Guarantee

5) Smarter Balanced Sets Initial Achievement Levels: The Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium announced on November 17, 2014 the initial achievement levels and threshold scale scores for grades 3-8 and high school assessments field-tested by schools last spring. The consortium also provided an analysis of the test results based on the new achievement levels.

The Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium, which includes 22 states, has developed assessments based on the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) along with another organization, the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC). Both organizations administered the new assessments to students last spring. Ohio is a member of PARCC.

The consortium announced the initial achievement levels, cut scores, and average scale scores on November 17, 2014, after delaying the announcement at an October 2014 meeting of member states. The achievement levels range from 1-4 and are based on the performance of 4.2 million students on the spring field tests. The threshold scores were determined through an open process that included recommendations from the public; in-person panels that included teachers, parents, representatives from higher education, special education, business, and communities; and advisory committees of testing and technology experts. PARCC announced last month that it will not determine threshold scores until next fall, after another round of assessments have been taken and scored.

The threshold scores set by the Smarter Balanced Consortium are said to be comparable to the scores on the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), which define “proficient” at a higher level than just being at “grade level”.

Based on the new achievement levels, the consortium estimated that more than half of the students who took the exams last spring did not meet the proficient level of 3 (on a scale of 1-4) on the tests for English/language arts and mathematics. Forty-one percent of 11th graders were proficient in English/language arts and 33 percent in math; 38 percent of students in elementary schools and 44 percent in middle schools were proficient in English/language arts; and 32 percent of students in elementary schools and 39 percent in middle schools were proficient in math.

In the 11th grade 11 percent of students met level 4 in English language arts and math. Level 4 is the highest level and indicates that the student is ready for entry-level, credit-bearing courses in college.

Although the consortium has 22 members, about 17 states expect to administer the assessments this school year. Member states are expected to adopt the threshold achievement levels after review, but some states, such as Vermont and New Hampshire, question the thresholds and other metrics. In a memorandum to the members of the Smarter Balanced Consortium, Rebecca Holcombe, Vermont’s Secretary of Education, opposes using the threshold method to establish the appropriate levels of performance, and recommends that scale scores be used. In addition, Secretary Holcombe also questions the validity of the proposed cut scores for determining “college and career ready”.

See http://www.smarterbalanced.org/news/smarter-balanced-states-approve-achievement-level-recommendations/

See the memorandum at http://education.vermont.gov/documents/VT_SBAC-Governing-States_Performance-Categories_11_2014.pdf

FYI ARTS

1) Election Recap - Arts: Americans for the Arts reports in its November 2014 Monthly Wire that 85 percent of the Congressional Arts Caucus won re-election on November 4, 2014 and about 70 percent of the Senate Cultural Caucus won re-election. Committee chairs in the Senate will all be new due to the election of a Republican majority, and in the House a new chair will replace Representative Jack Kingston, who did not run for re-election, on the House Appropriations Subcommittee for Education. Representative Ken Calvert (R-CA) is expected to continue to chair the House Appropriations Interior Subcommittee that oversees funding for the National Endowment for the Arts.

American’s for the Arts’ analysis of the election’s impact on the arts is available at http://www.americansforthearts.org/events/webinars/on-demand-webinars.

2) Youth Arts and Humanities Programs Recognized: First Lady Michelle Obama presented the 2014 National Arts and Humanities Youth Program Awards at a White House ceremony on November 10, 2014 to 12 national recipients and one international program. The awards are sponsored by the President’s Committee on the Arts and the Humanities in partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts, the National Endowment for the Humanities, and the Institute of Museum and Library Services. The annual awards recognize outstanding after-school and out-of-school arts and humanities programs sponsored by museums, libraries, performing arts organizations; educational institutions (e.g., preschools; elementary, middle, and high schools; universities; and colleges), arts centers, community service organizations, businesses, and eligible government entities. The recipients were selected from a group of finalists, which included the Circle Round the Square, Paper Circle from Nelsonville, OH. An application for the 2015 National Arts and Humanities Youth Program Awards is available at http://www.nahyp.org/how-to-apply/

The following programs were recognized this year:
•¡City Arts! Community AfterSchool Program, Providence ¡City Arts for Youth! Inc., Providence, Rhode Island.
•everybody dance! after-school program, The Gabriella Foundation, Los Angeles.
•Project STEP Inc., Intensive String Training Program for Black and Latino Young People, Boston.
•Job Training in the Arts, Downtown Aurora Visual Arts, Aurora, Colorado.
•Workshop Houston, Middle School Program, Houston.
•New Ballet Ensemble, Memphis, Tennessee.
•New Victory Usher Corps, The New Victory Theatre, New York.
•Publicolor Inc., Continuum of Design-based Programs, New York.
•Teens Make History, Missouri History Museum, St. Louis.
•TeenSpace Circle of Mentoring, Santa Ana Public Library, Santa Ana, California.

International Spotlight Award:
•Salaam Baalak Trust, New Delhi and Mumbai, India.

3) Do the Arts Belong in STEM?? Anne Jolly asks in an Education Week article how teachers can combine instruction in the arts, math, science, technology, and engineering without compromising student attainment of higher level skills and knowledge in both STEM and in the arts?

To answer that question the author suggests using problem-based learning and projects involving design, in which students must use creativity and imagination to develop a plan to solve a problem; meet expectations and standards in the arts and STEM standards; and communicate about their project effectively.

The author concludes that, “A STEM program is just one part of a child’s education, focusing on math and science. But our children need a well-rounded, quality education that enables them to make informed decisions that will impact the world and the way they live.”

"We need students who are motivated and competent in bringing forth solutions to tomorrow’s problems. When push comes to shove, it’s not STEM vs. STEAM—it’s about making every student a fully-literate 21st-century citizen.”

See “STEM vs. STEAM: Do the Arts Belong?” by Anne Jolly, Education Week, November 18, 2014 at
http://www.edweek.org/tm/articles/2014/11/18/ctq-jolly-stem-vs-steam.html