From: Ann Brennan

FYI: Update on HB 597, and note that 2015 report cards will be delayed until 2016.

1) Ohio News

•130th Ohio General Assembly: There are no sessions or committee meetings scheduled this week for the Ohio House and Senate.

•2015 Report Cards Will Be Delayed: Patrick O’Donnell from the Cleveland Plain Dealer reports that the release of the 2015 State Report Cards will likely be delayed from August 2015 until 2016. According to the article, Ohio schools will administer new assessments developed by the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC) consortium in the spring of 2015, but the consortium will not be able to set the passing scores for the tests until the fall of 2015, delaying the release of the report cards until 2016. The new assessments include those aligned to the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) in math and English language arts and “end of course exams” developed by PARCC. Of course the timeline could change if the legislature and governor approve HB597 (Huffman/Thompson) or other bills that would alter state standards and assessments.

See “Grades from spring Common Core tests may not be available until 2016; state report cards will be delayed” by Patrick O’Donnell, The Plain Dealer, October 14, 2014 at
http://www.cleveland.com/metro/index.ssf/2014/10/grades_from_spring_common_core_tests_may_not_be_available_until_2016.html

•Update on HB597/Common Core Hearings: The Ohio House Rules and Reference Committee, chaired by Representative Matt Huffman, held a hearing last week (October 14, 2014) on HB597 (Huffman/Thompson) Repeal Common Core Standards. The testimony was limited to proponents, who repeated previous concerns about the development of the common core standards; the amount of testing; the influence of business/corporate interests on schools; the inappropriate developmental level of some of the standards, especially in math; the lack of time, resources, and professional development to implement the standards; and the increased anxiety and stress caused by the new standards, testing, and consequences. Chairman Huffman plans another committee meeting for opponents to testify on the bill before the committee takes action, and would like the bill to be considered by the full House after the November election.

See http://www.ohiohouse.gov/committee/rules-and-reference

•ODE Announces Grants: The Ohio Department of Education, Office of Career-Technical Education, announced on October 15, 2014 the availability of $2.5 million in planning grants for Adult Career Opportunity Pilot Programs. Competitive grants of up to $500,000 will be awarded to five community colleges, Ohio technical centers, or technical colleges in fiscal year 2015 to develop Adult Career Opportunity Programs, to assist adults ages 22 or older, complete their high school diplomas and earn an industry credential or certificate. The funds will be distributed geographically among five regions. The application deadline is November 21, 2014.
See http://education.ohio.gov/Topics/Career-Tech/AdultCareerOpportunityPlanningGrant.

•Should the State Receive a Report Card Grade?: Katie Wedell reports for the Springfield News-Sun that “...the Ohio Department of Education would have received a grade of D on its 2014 report card if it calculated a statewide score for all Ohio public schools combined the way it does for individual schools and districts.” According to the article, the State would have met only 14 out of 24 indicators if all student scores were aggregated. The State would have earned a B on the Performance Index and a D for graduation rates. The DOE reported statewide averages on the annual report cards in the past, but has not done so recently.

See “Ohio would have earned “D” on annual report card” by Katie Wedell, Springfield News-Sun, October 11, 2014 at
http://www.springfieldnewssun.com/news/news/local-education/ohio-would-have-earned-d-on-annual-report-card/nhf3Q/?__federated=1#cmComments

2) National News

•Grants to Support Special Education Announced: The U.S. Department of Education announced on October 8, 2014 the recipients of $121 million in grants from the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services to improve outcomes for individuals with disabilities. The grants will support technical assistance centers; the IDEA Fiscal Data Center at WestEd in San Francisco; the Leadership Consortia in Sensory Disabilities and Disabilities Associated with Intensive Service Needs; special education early childhood education programs; special education low incidence programs; special education related services; special education minority institutions; and Parent Training and Information Centers.

The Office of Special Education Program grants (OSEP) also include $8.7 million for WestED in San Francisco to create a Center for Systemic Improvement (CSI). The center will provide technical assistance to states to improve intervention service programs for children with disabilities in local schools. The intervention services need to align with the U.S. DOE’s Results Driven Accountability Framework.

See http://www.ed.gov/news/press-releases/121-million-awarded-grants-help-improve-outcomes-individuals-disabilities?src=rotator

•Thirty States Still Providing Less State Funding for Schools: The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities published a report on October 16, 2014 entitled Most States Still Funding Schools Less Than Before the Recession by Michael Leachman and Chris Mai. The authors examined state budget documents and found that 30 states are providing less funding per K-12 student for the 2014-15 school year than before the recession in 2008-2009. Fourteen states have cut per student funding by more than 10 percent since the beginning of the recession.

Although the authors found that state funding for K-12 education programs increased this school year in some states, the increase has not made-up for the past cuts in 30 states. States providing less funding per student in 2014-15 than in 2008 are Oklahoma (down 23.6 percent), Alabama; Arizona, Idaho, Wisconsin, Kansas, North Carolina, Utah, Maine, Mississippi, Kentucky, Georgia, Virginia, South Carolina, Michigan, Texas, Illinois, South Dakota, New Mexico, Florida, Arkansas, Nevada, California, Louisiana, Montana, West Virginia, Tennessee, New Jersey, Colorado, and Vermont.

Some states have increased state per student funding in 2008-15. These include Ohio (.3 percent or $13 per student), Nebraska, Pennsylvania, New Hampshire, Oregon, New York, Missouri, Minnesota, Wyoming, Maryland (5.4 percent), Rhode Island (5.6 percent), Washington (5.9 percent), Massachusetts (6.3 percent), Delaware (9.1 percent), Alaska (16.4 percent), and North Dakota (31.6 percent).

Budget information for Hawai’i, Indiana, and Iowa was not available to be included in the report.

The authors also describe the consequences of the state cuts to schools, which include reduced educational services and programs, and increased local taxes to support schools. The cuts in K-12 education programs have also “slowed the economy’s recovery from the recession”. According to federal employment data, by 2012 school districts had cut about 330,000 jobs and are still down 260,000 jobs compared to 2008. The authors question the capacity of school districts to successfully implement new content standards, assessments, teacher evaluations, and other reforms with fewer resources, including human resources.

See Most States Still Funding Schools Less Than Before the Recession by Michael Leachman and Chris Mai, Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, October 16, 2014 at
http://www.cbpp.org/cms/index.cfm?fa=view&id=4213

3) More Questions Raised About the Amount of Student Testing: Last week three organizations released reports and statements about the amount of student testing going on in schools, and as a result President Obama and Secretary of Education Arne Duncan announced their support for reviewing mandated assessments and the amount of time students spend on testing. The organizations include the Council of Chief State School Officers, the Council of Great City Schools, and the Center for American Progress.

•The Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO) and the Council of the Great City Schools (CGCS) reported on October 15, 2014 that many states are reviewing assessment systems to make sure that “every test is in the best interest of students and teachers.”

The CCSSO will ask its members to review state assessments for quality and alignment, assist school districts as they review formative assessments, eliminate redundant assessments, and increase the transparency of the state assessment systems by publishing an easily accessible list of all state assessments.

The CGCS is surveying its members to determine the number of tests administered, and will compile case studies to determine the amount of time spent on school-based testing and test preparation. CGCS will convene a special task force to review the findings, and make recommendations to streamline or eliminate assessments that are found to be of low quality, redundant, or inappropriately used; increase transparency; and work to ensure that assessment results are used to enhance classroom instruction, and curtail counterproductive “test prep” practices.

The two organizations also released a document entitled Commitments on High-Quality Assessments, which includes the following principles to guide the development and use of assessments:
-”Assessments should be high quality. We cannot waste student or teacher time with low quality tests. Assessments must be aligned with college- and career-ready standards. Assessments must measure students’ abilities to think critically, synthesize material from multiple sources, analyze problems, and explain and justify responses.
-Assessments should be part of a coherent system. Assessments should complement each other in a way that defines a coherent system of measures. Assessments should be administered in only the numbers and duration that will give us the information that is needed and nothing more. Multiple assessments of the same students for similar purposes should be minimized or eliminated.
-Assessments should be meaningful. Assessments are critical to improving instructional practice in the classroom and to helping parents make decisions. Therefore, the results of assessments should be timely, transparent, disaggregated, and easily accessible to students, parents, teachers and the public so they can interpret and analyze results, as needed.”

See “Chief State School Officers and Urban School Leaders Announce Joint Effort to Improve Student Testing”, October 15, 2014 at http://www.ccsso.org/News_and_Events/Press_Releases/Chief_State_School_Officers_and_Urban_School_Leaders_Announce_Joint_Effort_to_Improve_Student_Testing.html

See “Push to Limit Federal Test Mandates Gain Steam” by Alyson Klein, Education Week, October 13, 2014 at
http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2014/10/15/08testing.h34.html?cmp=ENL-EU-NEWS2

•The Center for American Progress released on October 16, 2014 a report about student testing entitled Testing Overload in America’s Schools by Melissa Lazarin. The report examined how much time students spent taking state-mandated tests verses classroom, school, or district tests in 14 school districts in seven states during the 2013-14 school year. The school districts included in the report are the Columbus City Schools and South-Western City Schools in Ohio; the Denver Public Schools and Jefferson County (JeffCo) in Colorado; Miami-Dade County Public Schools and Sarasota County Schools in Florida; the Atlanta Public Schools and Cobb County School District in Georgia; the Chicago Public Schools and Elmwood Community Schools in Illinois; Jefferson County Public Schools in Louisville and Bullitt County Public Schools in Kentucky; and the Shelby County Schools and Knox County Schools in Tennessee.

According to the report, ”Students are tested as frequently as twice per month and an average of once per month. Our analysis found that students take as many as 20 standardized assessments per year and an average of 10 tests in grades 3-8. The regularity with which testing occurs, especially in these grades, may be causing students, families, and educators to feel burdened by testing.”

The report also notes that students take more district tests than state assessments, and students spend on average 1.6 percent of instructional time or less on testing, or, on average, 15-16 hours on district and state exams. The report goes on to say, ”While the actual time spent taking tests might be low, a culture has arisen in some states and districts that places a premium on testing over learning. It is difficult to systematically document the prevalence of these activities. However, our research indicates that some districts and states may be administering tests that are duplicative or unnecessary; they may also be requiring or encouraging significant amounts of test preparation, such as taking practice tests.”

The report recommends that states and school leaders implement the new Common Core aligned assessments, because they include open-ended questions and are better assessments; provide schools and districts with more technical assistance and guidance about their assessment programs so that they are not duplicative or redundant; involve teachers in decisions regarding the effectiveness of assessments for improving instruction; refrain from test preparation and other practices and activities that might increase test anxiety; and improve the transparency of district-level assessments so that parents and the community are “...informed of all district and state tests, including when they are scheduled to occur, their purpose, their administration time, and whether they are required by the state or district. At a minimum, this information should be posted on school districts’ websites.”

See Testing Overload in America’s Schools” by Melissa Lazarin, American Center for Progress, October 16, 2014 at
http://www.americanprogress.org/issues/education/report/2014/10/16/99073/testing-overload-in-americas-schools/

•What is happening in Ohio? Recently proponents of HB597 (Huffman/Thompson), Repeal the Common Core Standards, have questioned the number of tests administered in Ohio’s schools in hearings on the bill. Debate last spring about HB487 (Brenner), the Mid Biennium Review-Education, also raised questions about the amount of testing. As a result, when the bill was signed into law in June 2014, the number of “end of course exams” was set at 7, and the Superintendent of Public Instruction was directed to report to the governor and General Assembly by January 15, 2015 ways to reduce the number and duration of state assessments. In contrast to the law, the State Board of Education had approved in 2013 graduation requirements that included 10 “end of course exams.” Recently introduced HB629 (Brenner/Gonzales) would limit to four the number of hours for state-mandated testing per student per year.

See proponent and opponent testimony on HB597 at http://www.ohiohouse.gov/committee/rules-and-reference

•Response from the White House: In response to the new reports about testing, President Obama said in a statement on October 15, 2014 that he is directing Education Secretary Arne Duncan “...to support states and school districts in the effort to improve assessment of student learning so that parents and teachers have the information they need, that classroom time is used wisely, and assessments are one part of fair evaluation of teachers and accountability for schools.”

See “As overtesting outcry grows education leaders pull back on standardized tests” Christian Science Monitor, October 15, 2014 at http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Education/2014/1016/As-overtesting-outcry-grows-education-leaders-pull-back-on-standardized-tests

Also on October 15, 2014 U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan said in a statement, “Educators, parents, and policy makers need to know how much students are learning; that’s why thoughtful assessment of student learning and student growth, including annual assessments, is a vital part of progress in education. Assessments must be of high quality, and must make good use of educators’ and students’ time. Yet in some places, tests – and preparation for them – are dominating the calendar and culture of schools and causing undue stress for students and educators. I welcome the action announced today by state and district leaders, which will bring new energy and focus to improving assessment of student learning. My Department will support that effort.”

See http://www.ed.gov/news/press-releases/statement-us-education-secretary-arne-duncan-commitments-council-chief-state-sch

See also “Standardized Tests Must Measure Up” by Arne Duncan, Washington Post, October 17, 2014 at http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/arne-duncan-standardized-tests-must-measure-up/2014/10/17/e0e699c4-54a4-11e4-892e-602188e70e9c_story.html

•Response from FairTest: The National Center for Fair and Open Testing (FairTest), Monty Neill executive director, issued a statement on October 12, 2014 recommending a moratorium on standardized tests, punitive sanctions on schools and districts, and the use of student scores to judge teachers. The moratorium would give states time to create new state assessment systems that support teaching and learning, and provide information about student achievement to parents, communities, and states.

See “Time for a Real Testing Moratorium” FairTest, October 12, 2014 at
http://www.fairtest.org/time-real-testing-moratorium

•Response from the NEA: In a press release issued on October 16, 2014, Lilly Eskelsen, president of the National Education Association, said that the “...statements by the Council of Chief State School Officers and the Council of the Great City Schools and today’s report from Center for American Progress have confirmed that too often and in too many places, the education system has turned into a system of teach, learn and test with a focus on punishments and prizes.”

The NEA president recommended that the federal government return to “grade span testing” and using testing is a “way to guide instruction for our students and tailor lessons to their individual needs.”

She goes on to say, “As experts in educational practice, we know that the current system of standardized tests does not provide educators or students with the feedback or accountability any of us need to promote the success and learning of students. It also doesn’t address the main issues that plague our education system, like ensuring equity and opportunity for all students.”

See “NEA: Standardized Testing Mania Hurts Students, Does Nothing to Close Gaps”, National Education Association, October 16, 2014 at http://www.nea.org/home/60750.htm

4) New Recommendations for State Accountability Systems: Two reports about state accountability systems were released on October 16, 2014 at a briefing hosted by the Alliance for Excellent Education in Washington, D.C. See https://edpolicy.stanford.edu/events/1262

The first report, Accountability for College and Career Readiness: Developing a New Paradigm, by Linda Darling-Hammond, Gene Wilhoit, and Linda Pittenger, recommends a new framework for state accountability systems based on meaningful learning, professionally skilled and committed educators, and adequate and appropriate resources so that students are prepared for college or careers (CCR) when they graduate from high school. The framework is built on the following principles for effective accountability systems:

•Develop assessments that are more focused on 21st century learning skills and are used in ways that improve teaching and learning
•Create stronger, more multidimensional ways to evaluate schools and more sophisticated strategies to help schools improve
•Address the opportunity gap that has allowed inequalities in resources to deprive many students of needed opportunities to learn
•Develop an infrastructure that allows educators to acquire and share the knowledge and skills they need to enable students to learn, including quality preparation, professional learning, evaluation, and career advancement for individuals.

The proposed accountability system would include multiple measures of outcomes and also inputs. The following measures are proposed:

State and Local Assessment Results
-Consortium tests at designated grade bands (not every year) to validate local assessment results
-Performance assessments
-English-language proficiency gains
-Assessment of college & career ready (CCR) skills, such as AP, IB, CTE

Student Participation Measures
-Attendance
-Persistence rates
-Graduate rates (4,5, & 6 year)
-Expulsion/suspension
-Postsecondary transition
-Secondary-year enrollment in IHE

School Climate/Opportunity to Learn
-Student surveys
-Parent surveys
-Teacher surveys
-Percent completing career and college ready courses of study
-Social-emotional learning & supports

Inputs/Context
-Instructional expenditures
-Educator qualifications
-Student characteristics
-Student supports
-Curriculum Offerings
-Extracurricular opportunities

See “Accountability for College and Career Readiness Developing a New Paradigm”, by Linda Darling-Hammond, Gene Wilhoit, and Linda Pittenger, October 16, 2014, Stanford, CA: Stanford Center for Opportunity Policy in Education at
https://edpolicy.stanford.edu/sites/default/files/publications/accountability-college-and-career-readiness-developing-new-paradigm.pdf

The second report, Next Generation Accountability Systems: An Overview of Current State Policies and Practices by the Center for American Progress and the Council of Chief state School Officers, provides examples of next-generation accountability concepts currently being implemented in some states in the following areas:

-Measuring progress toward college and career readiness
-Diagnosing and responding to challenges via school-based quality improvement
-State systems of support and intervention, including school support teams, pairing high-growth schools with low-performing schools, networks of low-performing schools, engaging external providers, and recovery school districts.
-Resource accountability, including new school funding formulas, increased transparency, and accountability.
-Professional accountability, including teacher evaluation systems, professional development, teacher preparation, teacher selection, retention, and tenure.

The Ohio Department of Education’s School Improvement Diagnostic Review (SIDR) is featured as an example of a state strategy to help low performing schools identify ways to improve.

The report also identifies the challenges that states, districts, and schools face in implementing new accountability systems, such as transitioning to new assessments; developing, implementing, and validating richer measures of student and school success; implementing school-quality improvement systems; enforcing resource accountability; and strengthening the teaching profession.

The report concludes with the following statement: “While innovation in one or two of the above categories represents a desire to move beyond status quo, states should take care that their reforms do not create unintended consequences or adverse incentives for various stakeholders in the system. Rather, states should ensure that accountability reforms affect student outcomes in a positive direction by designing their system for coherence and continuous improvement in a way that does not mask gaps in progress by individual groups of students. States can achieve this by creating a theory of action that articulates how the goals of the accountability system drive key design decisions and which supports and interventions will be given at various system levels to provide capacity along the way.”

5) Bills Introduced

•SB370 (LaRose) Voter Registration Awareness Day: Designates the fourth Tuesday in September as “Voter Registration Awareness Day.”•

FYI ARTS

1) Recruiting Students for Arts Day: The Ohio Citizens for the Arts Foundation is seeking high schools to participate in the Student Advocates Program. Selected high schools will send teams of students to serve as advocates for arts education on Arts Day, May 13, 2015 in Columbus, OH. The high school teams will participate in a range of activities (at their school and in Columbus) to prepare for Arts Day, and meet with their representatives in the General Assembly. The experience provides students with opportunities to learn about Ohio government and the value and importance of the arts and arts education as a part of a complete curriculum; hone public speaking skills; and network with students and teachers who are involved in the arts in other schools. The Student Advocates visit all legislative offices at the Ohio Statehouse on Arts Day as ambassadors of the arts and arts education, and are guests at the annual Governor’s Awards for the Arts ceremony and luncheon.

For information about this opportunity, please contact:
Shoshanna Gross, Shoshanna@OhioCitizensForTheArts.org
Telephone: 614.221.4064 Fax: 614.241.5329
Ohio Citizens for the Arts Foundation 77 South High Street, 2nd Floor Columbus, Ohio 43215-6108

2) Register Now for a Conference on Sustaining Arts and Culture: The first ever Sustaining Ohio’s Arts & Culture Ecosystem Conference will be held on December 9, 2014 from 8:30 - 4:30 PM at the Ohio History Center in Columbus. The conference, which is hosted by the Ohio Arts Council, Ohio Citizens for the Arts, the Ohio History Connection, and Heritage Ohio, will provide information about strategies for boards, volunteers, and staff to use to strengthen Ohio’s arts and cultural organizations. Some of the topics that will be discussed include resources for financing arts and cultural organizations, organizing fund raising campaigns, capital and program planning, and creating advocacy networks. The keynote speaker will be Jamie Bennett, Executive Director of ArtPlace America. The cost of the conference is $25.00. To register go to https://salsa3.salsalabs.com/o/50232/p/salsa/event/common/public/?event_KEY=79231. For more information please contact Joyce Barrett, Heritage Ohio, at 614-258-6200

3) Researchers Say Policy Makers Must Broaden the Measures of School Success: Researchers at the University of Arkansas (U of A), led by Professor Jay Greene, published on October 14, 2014 the results of a second study, Learning from Live Theater Students Realize Gains in Knowledge, Tolerance, and More, showing the positive affects of culturally enriching field trips on students.

In September 2013 Professor Greene and researchers at U of A published a similar report which showed that students who were randomly chosen to participate in field trips to the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in northwest Arkansas gained knowledge and showed more tolerance, empathy, and improved critical thinking skills compared to similar students who did not visit the museum. (See “The Educational Value of Field Trips,” by Jay P. Greene, Brian Kisida and Daniel H. Bowen, EducationNext, September 9, 2013, at http://educationnext.org/the-educational-value-of-field-trips/)

In this recent study 49 student groups (totaling 670 students) were assigned by lottery to a control group or to a group to see theater productions of Hamlet or A Christmas Carol produced by TheatreSquared in Fayetteville, Arkansas.

According to the report, “Among students assigned by lottery to see live theater, we find enhanced knowledge of the plot and vocabulary in those plays, greater tolerance, and improved ability to read the emotions of others.”

As a result of this study, the researchers conclude, “Our goal in pursuing research on the effects of culturally enriching field trips is to broaden the types of measures that education researchers, and in turn policy makers and practitioners, consider when judging the educational success or failure of schools. It requires significantly greater effort to collect new measures than to rely solely on state-provided math and reading tests, but we believe that this effort is worthwhile. By broadening the measures used to assess educational outcomes, we can also learn what role, if any, cultural institutions may play in producing those outcomes.”

Jay P. Greene is professor of education reform at the University of Arkansas; Collin Hitt and Anne Kraybill are doctoral students; and Cari A. Bogulski is a researcher.

See “Learning from Live Theater Students Realize Gains in Knowledge, Tolerance, and More” by Jay P. Greene, Collin Hitt, Anne Kraybill and Cari A. Bogulski, EducationNext, Winter 2015 at
http://educationnext.org/learning-live-theater/

 

• Common Core

From: Ann Brennan

Note the House Rules Committee is meeting this week, Tuesday night, for additional proponent testimony on HB 597, the bill to repeal/replace the Common Core Standards ( Ohio Learning Standards).
Ohio Alliance for Arts Education

Arts on Line Education Update
Joan Platz
October 13, 2014

1) Ohio News:

•130th General Assembly: The Ohio House and Senate will not hold sessions this week.

The House Rules and Reference Committee, chaired by Representative Huffman, will meet on October 14, 2014 at 6:00 PM in hearing room 313 to receive proponent testimony on HB597 (Thompson/Huffman) Repeal/Replace Common Core Standards.

2) National News

•Changes at the U.S. DOE: Education Week reports that the U.S. Department of Education has created a new Office of State Support to help implement and monitor federal grant programs in the states. The office will be part of the Office of Elementary and Secondary Education directed by Assistant Secretary of Education Deborah Delisle, who is also the former Superintendent of Public Instruction in Ohio. The new office will provide states one point of contact for several federal grant programs, including No Child Left Behind, School Improvement Grants, Title III grants, and grants for teacher quality. The reorganization will merge the Office of Student Achievement and School Accountability (Title 1), the Office of School Turnaround (School Improvement Grants), and the Office of the Deputy Secretary’s Implementation and Support Unity (Race to the Top). Each state will be assigned a team of U.S. DOE staffers with expertise about federal grant programs, and each team will serve nine to 10 states. The one program that will not be included directly in the reorganization is special education. The reorganization will be phased-in by 2015.

See “Education Department Opens Brand-New Office of State Support” by Alyson Klein, Education Week, October 6, 2014 at http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/campaign-k-12/2014/10/arne_duncan_opens_brand_new_of.html

•New York Teachers File Lawsuit Over State Tests: The New York State United Teachers Union filed on October 8, 2014 a lawsuit in the United States District Court, Northern District of New York against the New York State Department of Education over the use of state confidentiality agreements, which prohibit educators who administer Common Core assessments from sharing with others information, concerns, or the questions on the assessments. The lawsuit alleges that the confidentiality agreements violate the teachers’ First Amendment right to free speech and the 14th Amendment right to equal protection under the law. The lawsuit was filed by five teachers who believe that they should have the right to challenge unfair or inappropriate test content without the fear of punishment.

See “Teachers Union Sues Over Common Core ‘Gag Order’” by Jon Campbell, The Rochester Democrat & Chronicle, October 9, 2014 at http://www.democratandchronicle.com/story/news/local/2014/10/08/common-core-gag-order-teachers-union/16947473/

•What’s on the Ballot in Other States? Lauren Camera reports for Education Week that eleven states have statewide education issues on the November 4, 2014 ballot.

Colorado, Illinois, Nevada, and New York are asking voters to approve new funding for schools. In Colorado Amendment 68 would generate $400 million through gambling at horse racetracks for an education fund to support technology, school safety, and school facilities. Propositions to increase state taxes for K-12 education are on the ballot in Nevada and Illinois, and in New York voters will consider a bond issue to support classroom technology and preschool facilities.

In the state of Washington, which is under a court order to increase state funding for public schools, voters will consider Initiative 1351, which would direct the legislature to increase state funds to reduce class size, and provide support for librarians, counselors, and nurses in low income communities.

Amendment 3 is a proposal on the Missouri ballot to create a teacher evaluation system based on student performance data. If approved by the voters, the new teacher evaluations will be used to determine employment status and salaries for Missouri public school teachers.

See “Education Measures on Ballot in 11 States” by Lauren Camera, Education Week, October 7, 2014 at http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2014/10/08/07ballots.h34.html?cmp=ENL-EU-NEWS2

There is also an arts-related referendum (Question 5) on the November ballot in Rhode Island. Question 5, the Creative and Cultural Economy Bond, asks voters to authorize $35 million in bonds to renovate arts facilities, support other arts projects, and revive the state preservation grants program. The bond issue has the support of the Greater Providence Chamber of Commerce and other business organizations, because of its positive impact on the economy of the state.

See “R.I. political, business leaders voice support for Question 5 on ballot” by Linda Borg, Providence Journal, October 4, 2014 at http://www.providencejournal.com/breaking-news/content/20141004-r.i.-political-business-leaders-voice-support-for-question-5-on-ballot.ece

•New York City is Eliminating Letter Grades: The New York City Schools plan to revise their school report cards, and eliminate letter grades (A,B,C,D, & F) in favor of “…measures like the strength of the curriculum and the school environment”, writes Kate Taylor for The New York Times. New York City Schools Chancellor, Carmen Farina, announced on September 30, 2014 the new report card measures after parents and educators complained that the overall letter grades, implemented in 2006 under former mayor Michael Bloomberg, were “too simplistic” and often “painted an inaccurate picture” of the schools. The new evaluation system, initiated by Mayor Bill de Blasio, will be more holistic and rely less on student test scores. It will include two parts, a School Quality Snapshot for parents and the community, and a School Quality Guide for school leaders. The School Quality Snapshot will rate schools from poor to excellent on a series of questions based on the results of the school survey and student improvement on state English and math tests. The more detailed School Quality Guide will rate schools as “Not meeting target”, “Approaching target”, “Meeting target”, and “Exceeding target”.

The Ohio Department of Education is currently phasing-in a legislatively-directed accountability system for rating school districts and schools using letter grades A,B,C,D, and F.

See “New School Evaluations Will Lower Test Scores’ Influence” by Kate Taylor, The New York Times, September 30, 2014 at
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/10/01/nyregion/new-school-evaluations-will-lower-test-scores-influence.html?_r=2

•StudentsFirst Announces New President: Caitlin Emma of Politico’s “Morning Education” reports that the education advocacy/political organization StudentsFirst announced last week the selection of Jim Blew as its new president, replacing Michelle Rhee Johnson who resigned in August 2014. Ms. Johnson will continue to be involved in StudentsFirst through its Board of Directors. Mr. Blew has served as an adviser to the Walton Family Foundation and on campaigns for the Alliance for School Choice and the former American Education Reform Council.

StudentsFirst was created in 2010 by Michele Rhee Johnson, the former Chancellor of the D.C. Public Schools, and lobbies at the national and state levels for charter schools, parent trigger laws, teacher evaluations based on test scores, and eliminating teacher tenure. StudentsFirst also supports candidates running for office and state ballot issues. StudentsFirst has been financially supported by the Eli and Edyth Broad Foundation, former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, and hedge fund managers John Arnold, David Tepper and Alan Fournier.

The Ohio chapter of StudentsFirst is directed by Greg Harris. Members of StudentsFirst Ohio have testified at the Statehouse on a several education bills (HB59 Biennial Budget, SB229 Teacher Evaluations, HB237 Common Core Standards), and oppose repealing the Common Core State Standards in HB597-Huffman/Thompson. The Ohio Department of Education recently announced the selection of StudentsFirst Ohio to be a “neutral third party” and serve as a resource for parents interested in implementing Ohio’s Parent Trigger Law. The Parent Trigger provision was included in HB59 (Amstutz) - the 2014-15 Biennial Budget, and applies only to parents in low-performing schools in the Columbus City School District. The law enables parents in eligible schools to petition the Columbus Board of Education to enact school reforms, including replacing the school with a charter school.

See “Morning Education” by Caitlin Emma, Politico, October 8, 2014 at
http://www.politico.com/morningeducation/1014/morningeducation15597.html

See “StudentsFirst Says It Won’t Play Politics with Columbus Schools Parent Trigger” by Bill Bush, Columbus Dispatch, September 16, 2014, http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/local/2014/09/16/StudentsFirst_parent_trigger_Columbus_Schools.html

3) Superintendents Identify Common Core Challenges: The Center on Education Policy (CEP) released on October 8, 2014 a new report that includes the results of a national survey of school superintendents implementing the Common Core State Standards (CCSS). The report is entitled, “Common Core State Standards in 2014: Districts’ Perceptions, Progress, and Challenges” by Diane Stark Rentner and Nancy Kober. The report was prepared by researchers at the CEP, which is based in Washington, D.C. at the George Washington University’s Graduate School of Education and Human Development. The CEP works to help Americans better understand the role of public education in a democracy and the need to improve the academic quality of public schools.

According to the report, “.....districts implementing the Common Core are facing increasing opposition to the standards while trying to reconcile misinformation and misunderstanding about their intent and impact. Districts are also managing other challenges and uncertainties related to curriculum, instruction, professional development, and assessment. Yet despite these challenges and concerns, district leaders continue to validate the increased rigor of the standards and their potential to raise the level of student skills.”

The following are the key findings of the report:

•The views of district leaders about the rigor of the CCSS, their impact on learning, and necessary changes in curriculum and instruction:
-”About 90% of school district leaders in adopting states agree that the Common Core standards are more rigorous than their state’s previous math and ELA standards and will lead to improved student skills. The proportions of district leaders concurring with these views have increased substantially since 2011.
-More than 80% of district leaders agree that implementing the CCSS will require new or substantially revised curriculum materials and new instructional practices. The percentages of leaders who subscribe to these views have increased since 2011.”

•Timelines for fully implementing curriculum and instruction aligned to the CCSS and other key aspects:
-”In more than half of the districts in CCSS-adopting states, leaders do not expect their district to complete important milestones of CCSS implementation—such as adequately preparing teachers to teach the Common Core and implementing CCSS-aligned curricula—until school year 2014-15 or later.”

•Implementation challenges:
-”The vast majority of districts are facing major or minor challenges in implementing the Common Core. These include providing professional development, securing CCSS-aligned curricula, preparing for CCSS-aligned assessments, and finding enough resources to support all of the activities associated with implementing the CCSS.
-Nearly 90% of district leaders cite challenges with having enough time to implement the CCSS before consequences related to student performance on CCSS-aligned assessments take effect.
-In 2014, 34% of district leaders reported that overcoming resistance to the CCSS from outside the educational system was a major challenge, and 39% viewed this as a minor challenge. In addition, 25% of leaders saw resistance to the CCSS from within the system as a major challenge, and 49% as a minor challenge. Higher percentages of leaders reported major challenges due to resistance to the CCSS in 2014 than in 2011.”

•Efforts to provide outreach about the CCSS to stakeholders:
-”A large majority of districts in CCSS-adopting states have conducted outreach activities to explain to stakeholders how the CCSS are more rigorous than previous state math and ELA standards (84% of districts) and why student performance on CCSS-aligned assessments may be lower than on previous state tests (76%).
-Greater proportions of districts targeted outreach to principals and teachers and to parents and students than to other audiences, such as community members or business leaders.”

•District collaboration with other entities to implement the CCSS:
-”Nearly all districts have collaborated with at least one other entity in implementing aspects of the Common Core. For example, 75% of districts are collaborating with other partners to create CCSS-aligned curricula, and 65% are working with partners to develop interim and benchmark assessments to measure student mastery of the CCSS.
-In carrying out specific CCSS implementation activities, higher proportions of districts are collaborating with other districts in their state and their state educational agency than with nonprofits, institutions of higher education, or school districts in other states.”

•District participation in assistance from the state education agency (SEA) on CCSS implementation, and the views of district leaders about the helpfulness of this assistance:
-”The majority of districts in CCSS-adopting states have received assistance from their SEA on one or more aspects of implementation, such as teacher or principal professional development or informational meetings about the Common Core.
-Of the districts that reported receiving assistance from the SEA, about one-third found these services to be very helpful, and about two-thirds found them somewhat helpful. A very small proportion of districts—3% to 8%, depending on the service—did not find the SEA assistance helpful.”

The authors make the following observations and recommendations about the survey results:
-School district leaders see the potential of the CCSS, despite the challenges, and could be part of strategies to maintain or restore support for the standards and reduce misinformation about the standards.
-School district leaders reported that they didn’t have sufficient resources (curriculum and teacher preparation) to meet all of the milestones to effectively implement the CCSS, which means that students will not be adequately prepared in 2015 for the assessments and many schools will not meet state accountability requirements. Policy makers need to reconsider the timeline for implementing the standards and any consequences for not meeting student performance targets during this implementation period.
-”A broad coalition of support that involves SEAs, institutions of higher education and other related entities would be an important and valuable asset to district leaders hoping to maintain momentum for the standards over time.”
-”This report suggests the time is right for state leaders to assess the capacities of their SEAs and ensure there is enough staff expertise and resources to support the needs of local districts.”

See “Common Core State Standards in 2014: Districts’ Perceptions, Progress, and Challenges” by Diane Stark Rentner and Nancy Kober, Center on Education Policy, October 8, 2014 at http://www.cep-dc.org/displayDocument.cfm?DocumentID=440

4) College Board Releases Assessment Results: The CollegeBoard released on October 7, 2014 the annual results for the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT), Advanced Placement Exams (AP), and PSAT/NMSQT exams administered to students in 2014. This was the first time that the CollegeBoard released the results of all of these exams together. National and student profile information is included in the SAT 2014 College-Bound Seniors Total Group Profile Report and separate reports are prepared for each state.

See http://research.collegeboard.org/programs/sat/data/cb-seniors-2014

•Overview of SAT Results: The CollegeBoard reported that 1.67 million students took the SAT in 2014 and 42.6 percent achieved the “college and career ready benchmark” of at least 1550. The CollegeBoard has found that at that score, 78 percent of students are more likely to enroll in college, 65 percent of students are more likely to achieve at least a B- average in their first year; and 54 percent are more than likely to complete a degree. The number of students meeting the benchmark remained the same as last year.

For subgroups of students, 15.8 percent of African American and 23.4 percent of Hispanic test takers met the benchmark for college and career ready. These percentages are also similar when compared to last year.

•Overview of AP Results: Nationally 1.48 million 11th and 12th grade students (21.9 percent) took an AP exam, and 13.2 percent of students achieved at least a score of three out of five on the exam, meaning that they would likely receive college credit for the course. The number of minority and under-represented students taking AP exams has increased by 7 percent compared to 2013, and the percent of low-income students taking AP exams has increased by 7.3 percent.

•Overview of PSAT/NMSQT Results: In 2014 3.7 million students took the Pre SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT), and about 45.9 percent were minority students.

•2014 Results for Ohio: The number of Ohio students who took the SAT exam in 2014 was 19,040, a drop from 22,205 students in 2013. Students in Ohio scored on average higher than the national average in reading (Ohio mean 555/national mean 497), math (Ohio mean 562/national mean 513), and writing (Ohio mean 535/national mean 487), and 64.4 percent met the College Board’s definition of “college and career ready”, scoring at least 1550 on the SAT.

Among subgroups of students 26.3 percent of African-American test takers in Ohio met the benchmark, compared to 15.8 percent nationally, and 56.9 percent of Hispanic students in Ohio met the benchmark, compared to 23.4 percent nationally.

There was also an increase in the number of Ohio students who took an Advanced Placement (AP) exam and scored at least a three out of five, to earn college credit for the course. In 2014 16 percent of 11th and 12th grade students took at least one AP exam, and 10.3 percent of students scored at least a three.

See SAT 2014 College-Bound Seniors State Profile at Reporthttps://secure-media.collegeboard.org/digitalServices/pdf/sat/OH_14_03_03_01.pdf

•National SAT Results for Students Taking Arts and Music Courses: The SAT 2014 College-Bound Seniors Total Group Profile Report includes information about students who take the SAT test, including demographic and course-taking information. According to the report, the average number of years of study in arts and music courses in high school for SAT takers was 2.2 years. The SAT mean score for students taking arts and music courses was 534 in reading, 536 in math, and 523 in writing. These mean scores are higher than the national mean scores of 497 in reading, 513 in math, and 487 in writing, and higher than the mean scores of students who reported taking four years of math: 511 in reading, 517 in math, and 498 in writing.

The report also includes the SAT mean scores for students reporting no arts courses taken: 475 in reading; 497 in math; and 461 in writing.

The average number of years of study in the arts and music for Ohio students taking the SAT was 2.5 years. The SAT mean scores for Ohio students who reported taking 4 years of courses in the arts and music was 576 in reading; 575 in math; and 555 in writing.

See SAT 2014 College-Bound Seniors Total Group Profile Report at https://secure-media.collegeboard.org/digitalServices/pdf/sat/TotalGroup-2014.pdf

5) A Decade of Hit or Miss Reforms: Reporter and former New York Times columnist Bob Herbert describes some of the recent education reform efforts championed by millionaires and billionaires as “hit or miss” in an article for Politico Magazine. Starting with the failed “small schools” initiative, funded by Bill Gates at a cost of $2 billion, and another Gates initiative about defining and replicating teacher quality, Mr. Herbert writes that the big money crowd, corporate style reformers, and privatization advocates have “trotted” out one education experiment after another, including charter schools.

He writes, “Charter schools were supposed to prove beyond a doubt that poverty didn’t matter, that all you had to do was free up schools from the rigidities of the traditional public system and the kids would flourish, no matter how poor they were or how chaotic their home environments.”

He goes on to say that supported by corporate leaders, hedge fund managers, and foundations, billions of dollars have now been spent on charter schools, but “Charters never came close to living up to the hype”. Charter schools are “no more effective” than traditional public schools, and in some cases have led to racial segregation and isolation, and scandals.

He concludes, “While originally conceived as a way for teachers to seek new ways to reach the kids who were having the most difficult time, the charter school system instead ended up leaving behind the most disadvantaged youngsters.”

See “The Plot Against Public Education: How Millionaires and Billionaires are Ruining our Schools”, by Bob Herbert, Politico Magazine, October 6, 2014 at http://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2014/10/the-plot-against-public-education-111630.html#.VDceXb4fPBF

6) Bills Introduced

•HB629 (Brenner) Primary-Secondary Education Assessments: Regarding the administration of state primary and secondary education assessments.

•HB631 (Henne) Ohio Teacher Evaluation System Exemption: Excludes evaluations conducted pursuant to the Ohio Teacher Evaluation System from the Public Records Law and exempts teachers participating in the Ohio Teacher Residency Program from those evaluations.

FYI ARTS

•Cleveland Playhouse Receives Arts Education Grant: The U.S. Department of Education announced on October 8, 2014 the 34 recipients of $13.4 million in grants to support arts integration in elementary and middle schools and professional development for arts educators to expand innovative arts education programs. The grants are supported by the Arts in Education Model Development and Dissemination (AEMDD) program and the Professional Development for Arts Education (PDAE) program. The recipients include school districts and nonprofit organizations with expertise in arts education.

See “U.S. Department of Education Awards $13.4 Million in Grants to 34 Organizations to Enhance Teaching and Learning Through Arts Education”, U.S. Department of Education, October 8, 2014 at
http://www.ed.gov/news/press-releases/us-department-education-awards-134-million-grants-34-organizations-enhance-teach

The Cleveland Play House (CPH) is one of the recipients of a $444,050 grant from the Arts in Education Model Development and Dissemination Program (AEMDD). The grant will be part of a four-year $2 million award to support a new program, the Compassionate Arts Remaking Education (CARE) program in partnership with the Cleveland Metropolitan School District (CMSD). The CARE program includes integrated theatre lessons and educator professional development to teach students in the CMSD 21st Century Skills, such as collaboration and creativity, social and emotional learning, and literacy skills.

The Cleveland Playhouse was founded in 1915 and is America’s first professional regional theatre. Arts education is a key part of CPH’s mission, and over 5000 students from CMSD annually attend free performances and tours. CPH regularly collaborates with schools and educators to integrate theatre lessons throughout the curriculum.

See “CPH Receives $2M Education Grant”, by Kelly Luecke, October 10, 2014 at http://www.clevelandplayhouse.com/news/cph-receives-2m-education-grant

•Wallace Foundation Announces New Arts Initiative: The New York based Wallace Foundation announced on October 1, 2014 a new $40 million four-year initiative called “Building Audiences for Sustainability” to help arts organizations attract new and retain existing audiences. The funds will support 25 performing arts organizations and their plans to expand their audience base. The project also includes a research component to gather information about the best strategies to attract and sustain audiences, and determine the financial impact of building audiences on an arts organization. Participating arts organizations will be announced in February 2015.

The project expands on the results of the Wallace Excellence Awards, a project which analyzed the audience-building efforts of 10 arts organizations, and resulted in the publication of The Road to Results: Effective Practices for Building Audiences by Bob Harlow.

See “The Wallace Foundation Announces Six-Year, $40-Million Initiative to Support – and Learn From – About 25 Performing Arts Organizations That Engage New Audiences”, October 1, 2014 at
http://www.wallacefoundation.org/view-latest-news/PressRelease/Pages/The-Wallace-Foundation-Announces-Six-Year,-$40-Million-Initiative-to-Support-Arts-Organizations.aspx

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• OTES

FROM: Ann Brennan

FYI: Important update on State Board of Education action on new graduation requirements, related assessments and OTES changes, all as a result of recent legislative enactments. Also note that HB 597 has another House Rules Committee hearing scheduled on Wed., 9/24.

1) Ohio News

•130th Ohio General Assembly: The Ohio House and Senate are not holding sessions this week.

The Rules and Reference Committee, chaired by Representative Huffman, will meet on Wednesday, September 24, 2014 at 10:00 AM in room 313 of the Statehouse to consider HB597 (Thompson/Huffman) Repeal/Replace Common Core State Standards.

•Supreme Court to Hear Charter School Lawsuit: Plaintiffs and defendants will present oral arguments before the Ohio Supreme Court on September 23, 2014 in a lawsuit, Hope Academy Broadway Campus, et al. v. White Hat Management, LLC, et al. The plaintiffs, Hope Broadway Campus and nine other charter schools that were formerly managed by White Hat Management, David Brennan, founder, allege that public funds paid to a private entity to operate a charter school are subject to public accountability. The schools canceled their contract with White Hat Management, and are now suing to recoup their assets, including the books, furniture, technology, etc, purchased with public funds to operate the school. The lawsuit is being appealed from the 10th District Court of Appeals, which ruled on November 13, 2013 that the charter school assets are not public, once the public funds are paid to a private management company.

See https://www.sconet.state.oh.us/rod/docs/pdf/10/2013/2013-ohio-5036.pdf

•Address Poverty to Improve Student Achievement: An editorial in the Akron Beacon Journal points-out the relationship between the percent of students from families with low incomes in a school or district and the low performance of the school/district on the state report cards, released on September 12, 2014.

According to the editorial, Howard Fleeter, from the Education Tax Policy Institute, evaluated the recent state report cards and found that as the level of families with low incomes increases in a school/district, the performance index score decreases. School districts with a poverty level at 14.2 percent, for example, had a performance index above 105, while school districts with a poverty rate of 64 percent had a performance index score below 92.3.

The editorial observes, “The results hardly could be more stark, or point more clearly to the challenge: Address the effects of poverty, and the likelihood increases of elevating troubled districts and bringing an overall advance for the state. Researchers highlight the “toxic stress” of poverty, the absence of what many households take for granted, starting with the presence of nurturing parents, reading and talking with their children. The missing elements include, among other things, healthy food, high expectations and a stable routine.”

The editorial goes on to say that aside from a small increase in early childhood education programs in the last state budget, little has been done in Ohio to address the effects of poverty on student achievement. Instead, policy makers have blamed teachers and promoted charter schools, which have a dismal performance “in the main”.

The editorial concludes, “Rather, the long string of Fs for poverty-ridden districts should trigger a sense of urgency, action driven by the understanding that if Ohio gets serious about easing this problem, it will be much stronger.”

See “Toxic stress of poverty on schools”, Editorial, Akron Beacon Journal, September 17, 2014 at http://www.ohio.com/editorial/toxic-stress-of-poverty-on-schools-1.523253

•Arne Duncan to Speak in Ohio: U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan is scheduled to present the keynote address at the Rural Education National Forum on October 27, 2014 in Columbus Ohio. The two day conference at the Polaris Hilton is sponsored by the Ohio Department of Education and Battelle for Kids. The forum will provide unique opportunities to examine rural education opportunities and collaborations to improve student achievement.

The agenda also includes Gayle Manchin, president of the West Virginia State Board of Education and past president of the National Association of State Boards of Education and James Mahoney, executive director of Battelle for Kids.

See https://education.ohio.gov/Topics/School-Improvement/Race-to-the-Top/Events/Rural-Education-National-Forum#.VB5GrUsfPBE

2) National News

•National Poverty Rate Declines: The U.S. Census Bureau released on September 16, 2014 a report that examines the national poverty rate, median income, and other economic factors for 2013 based on the results of the Current Population Survey Annual Social and Economic Supplements conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau last spring.

According to the report, the overall poverty rate in the U.S. declined for the first time since 2006, from 15.0 percent in 2012 to 14.5 percent in 2013. The poverty rate for children also declined for the first time since 2000 from 21.8 percent in 2012 to 19.9 percent in 2013.

Unfortunately 45.3 million people are still living at or below the poverty level, which is defined as $23,834 for a family of four.

The report also notes that the median income in 2013 was $51,939, which is about $200 more than the median income in 2012. Overall household income is 8 percent lower than in 2007, the year before the nation entered the recession. Household income reached a peak in 1999 at $56,895.

Ohio’s poverty rate is reported at 16 percent in 2013, a small decline from 16.3 percent in 2012.

See “Income and Poverty in the United States: 2013”, by Carmen DeNavas-Walt and Bernadette D. Proctor, U.S. Census Bureau, September 16, 2014 at
http://www.census.gov/library/publications/2014/demo/p60-249.html

•Update on Congressional Actions: Last week lawmakers in Congress made history by approving the following bi-partisan legislation:

-Continuing Resolution H.J. 124: The U.S. House and Senate approved last week a continuing resolution to keep the government running until December 11, 2014. Over the past few years Congress has been using continuing resolutions to fund government agencies and departments, because lawmakers have been unable to approve appropriations bills before the end of the fiscal year on September 30th. Unlike last year, however, H.R. 124 received bi-partisan support, and was approved before lawmakers left the capital to continue their campaigns for the November 4, 2014 election. The resolution even includes an amendment requested by President Obama to authorize training and equipment for rebels in Syria to fight the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, known as ISIS. President Obama signed the measure on September 19, 2014.

The House and Senate appropriations committees are still working on appropriations bills, which are expected to be rolled into an “omnibus” spending bill, which will be considered by lawmakers when they return to the Capital November 12, 2014.

See House Committee on Appropriations at http://appropriations.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=392934.

-Strengthening Education through Research Act: The Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee (HELP), chaired by Senator Tom Harkin, approved the Strengthening Education through Research Act (H.R. 4366) on September 17, 2014. The legislation reauthorizes the Institute for Education Science, and includes changes to streamline the research organization, promote accountability, and protect student privacy.

According to Inside Higher Ed some research organizations say the bill weakens the National Center for Education Statistics, because its commissioner would be appointed by the head of the Institute of Education Sciences, rather than by the President, with the confirmation of the Senate.

The legislation now goes to the full Senate for consideration. The House approved reauthorization in May 8, 2014.

See “Bill Targets U.S. Education Research” by Michael Stratford, Inside Higher Ed, September 18, 2014 at
https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2014/09/18/bill-would-revamp-oversight-federal-education-research

-Child Care and Development Block Grant Program: The U.S. House approved the Child Care and Development Block Grant Program (S. 1086) on September 15, 2014. The program provides funds to states to help low-income families pay for child care while parents work, attend school, or attend job training. The act was amended to increase safety requirements for providers, and promotes better training for child care workers. The Senate approved the bill in March 2014, but because it was amended by the House, the Senate will need to review it again, which might slow down the final passage of the bill. According to Education Week, Senator Pat Toomey has put a hold on S. 1086 until he gets a vote on his bill, the Protecting Students from Sexual and Violent Predators Act.

See “Child Care and Development Block Grant Hits Roadblock” by Lauren Camera, Education Week, September 17, 2014 at http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/campaign-k-12/2014/09/child_care_and_development_blo.html.

3) State Board of Education: The State Board of Education, Debe Terhar president, met on September 15 and 16, 2014 in Columbus, and made decisions that affect graduation requirements, state assessments, Ohio’s Teacher Evaluation System, and more. The following is a summary of some of the issues that the Board addressed at their September 2014 meeting:

•Ohio Teacher Evaluation System Revised: The State Board of Education adopted the Ohio Teacher Evaluation System (OTES) framework in November 2011 pursuant to section 3319.112 of the Revised Code and following the recommendations of the Educators’ Standards Board. Substitute House Bill 362 (Scherer/Derickson), which was signed into law on June 12, 2014, made changes to OTES for the 2014-2015 school year and future years, and required the State Board to revise the OTES framework.

Overall HB362 decreases the frequency of evaluations for high-performing teachers; exempts teachers who were on leave for a specified percentage of the school year or submitted a notice of retirement by a specified date from an evaluation; and permits districts and schools to use an alternative framework to evaluate teachers.

At its September meeting the State Board adopted a resolution to revise the OTES framework to align with HB362. For the 2014-15 school year boards of education can adopt the current teacher evaluation structure (based on teacher performance rating and student growth rating), each at 50 percent, or use an alternative teacher evaluation framework. The alternative framework weights the teacher performance and student growth components equally at 42.5 percent. The remaining 15 percent of the evaluation is based on one of four components: student surveys, teacher self-evaluations, peer review evaluations, or student portfolios.

For the 2015-16 school year and thereafter, the teacher evaluation will include the teacher performance measure and student academic growth, each accounting for an equal percentage ranging from 42.5 percent to 50 percent, with evidence from one of the components (student surveys, teacher self-evaluations, peer review evaluations, or student portfolios) to account for up to 15 percent of the rating.

See http://education.ohio.gov/Topics/Teaching/Educator-Evaluation-System/Ohio-s-Teacher-Evaluation-System

•New Graduation Requirements: The State Board of Education approved resolutions #11, 35, 36, 37, and 38 on September 16, 2014 further defining new requirements for Ohio students, who enter high school for the first time on or after July 1, 2014, to earn a high school diploma.

The State Board had adopted new diploma recommendations in November 2013, but the General Assembly had its own ideas, and made several changes in graduation requirements through HB487 (Brenner), which was signed into law on June 16, 2014.

As a result, the State Board of Education’s Graduation Committee, chaired by C. Todd Jones, met several times over the summer to finalize the details for the new College and Work Ready Assessment System and three ways to earn a diploma, which are prescribed in HB487.

The College and Work Ready Assessment System replaces the Ohio Graduation Tests and includes a nationally standardized assessment that measures college and career readiness and a series of end of course exams. Students can earn a diploma by being remediation free, accumulating graduation points, or earning industry-recognized credentials and a workforce ready score on a job skills assessment.

-Remediation Free: A national standardized college and career readiness assessment, such as ACT or SAT, will be administered in 11th grade to all students. Students can earn a diploma by meeting a “remediation free” score based on standards developed by the presidents of Ohio’s public institutions of higher education for nationally standardized assessments in English, mathematics, and reading. The student’s highest verifiable score on any assessment will be accepted. The college and career readiness assessment is free to students, and will be administered for the first time in the fall of 2016. The ODE has issued an RFP to select this assessment.

-Accumulating Graduation Points: In addition to the course requirements for graduation included in current law and unchanged, students must earn a minimum and a total number of graduation points on seven end of course exams. The exams are Algebra I and Geometry, or Integrated Math I & II; English language arts I & II; physical science; American history; and American government.

There are five levels of scores for the end of course exams, and students can earn a certain number of graduation points associated with each level: Advanced Level = 5 points; Accelerated Level = 4 points; Proficient Level = 3 points; Basic Level = 2 points; Limited Level = 1 point.

To receive a diploma students need a total number of 18 graduation points and 4 minimum graduation points in English, 4 minimum graduation points in math, and 6 minimum graduation points among science, history, and government.

Students can receive 3 graduation points for high school credits earned prior to July 1, 2014. Students who earn credit for a first semester block scheduled course in American history, American government, or physical science before January 31, 2015, will also automatically earn three graduation points.

Students may substitute AP, IB, and dual enrollment exams for end of course exams in physical science, American history, and American government. The State Board has determined the AP substitute exams, but is still identifying the International Baccalaureate and dual enrollment substitute exams. For the physical science exam students can substitute AP Physics 1: Algebra-Based or AP Physics 2: Algebra-Based. For the American History exam students can substitute AP United States History. For the American Government exam students can substitute AP United States Government and Policy. The purpose of the substitute exams is to avoid double-testing students who are enrolled in courses that lead to college credits as well.

The State Board also has to designate equivalent scores on these substitute exams, but data for these exams will not be available until late 2015 or 2016. The scores on these exams will be partially integrated in the state’s accountability system for schools.

-Industry Recognized Credential and Workforce Score: Students can earn a diploma by earning a workforce readiness score on a jobs skills assessment, and an industry-recognized credential in an “in-demand” job or occupation in the 11th and 12th grades. The ODE is preparing an RFP to select the job skills assessment, and must select the exam by December 2014. The test is free of charge to the student, and schools will be reimbursed for its cost. Districts will have local control over when to administer the job skills assessment, based on where the students are in their curriculum.

Students with disabilities may participate in state assessments with or without accommodations. Students with significant disabilities can opt for an alternate assessment. Decisions still need to be made about the kinds of accommodations that will be allowed for the end of course exams; college admissions assessments; new industry credential and workforce score; and the role of the IEP team.

Students in Dropout Recovery Programs may use any of the three pathways to graduate, but are not required to take end of course exams. These students are enrolled in competency-based education programs that already focus on workforce readiness, including industry-recognized credentials.

Students in chartered nonpublic schools and entering ninth grade for the first time in the 2014-2015 school year must meet the new graduation requirements, but a gradation requirements committee was also created to make recommendations to the General Assembly by January 15, 2015 regarding the graduation requirements for these students. If the General Assembly does not act by October 1, 2015, any student attending a chartered nonpublic school may be exempt from the end of course exam requirements, if their school reports the performance of all students on the State Board approved college admissions assessment.

See http://education.ohio.gov/Topics/What-s-Happening-with-Ohio-s-Graduation-Requiremen/Graduation-Requirements-2018-Beyond

See http://education.ohio.gov/getattachment/Topics/What-s-Happening-with-Ohio-s-Graduation-Requiremen/Graduation-Requirements-2018-Beyond/GradReq_2018.pdf.aspx

The State Board adopted the following resolutions related to the graduation requirements at their September meeting:

•#11 Resolution of Intent to Adopt Rule 3301-16-04 of the Ohio Administrative Code Entitled College and Work Ready Assessment Transition:
–Establishes the college and work ready assessment system to replace the Ohio Graduation Tests for students who enter the ninth grade for the first time after July 1, 2014. The OGT will be available for students who were enrolled in the ninth grade before 2014 to retake until September 1, 2022.
-Allows students who earned high school credit in a course that has a corresponding end of course exam before July 1, 2014 to receive 3 graduation points.
-Exempts Foreign Exchange Students from the requirement that students achieve a certain performance level on the American History and American Government end-of-course exams.
-Makes available the OGT for students who have not graduated and adults pursuing an Adult Diploma until September 1, 2022. After September 1, 2022, students must meet the requirements of the college and work ready assessment system to receive a diploma.
-Requires that students enrolled in Dropout Prevention and Recovery Programs and who entered the ninth grade for the first time on or after July 1, 2014 meet the requirements of the college and career ready assessment system, but exempts them from taking any end of course exams required under division (B) of section 3301.0712 of the Revised Code. Students in these programs can choose to earn a diploma through any of the diploma pathways, but since dropout prevention programs are competency based, the students are expected to use the industry-recognized credential and workforce ready score on a job skills assessment to earn a diploma.

•#35 Resolution to Establish the Method of Calculating the Cumulative Performance Score Based on the End of Course Exams and to Establish A Minimum Score Based on the End of Course Exams and to Establish a Minimum Score Needed to Earn a High School Diploma:
-Establishes the graduation point system, in which students earn from 1-5 points depending on their score on the end of course exams.
-Establishes five ranges of scores, that students can achieve, on the end of course exams, and the number of points associated with each level: Advanced Level = 5 points; Accelerated Level = 4 points; Proficient Level = 3 points; Basic Level = 2 points; Limited Level = 1 point.
-Requires that most students earn a cumulative performance score of 18 on all of the end of course exams, and a minimum score for each content areas: 4 points for English language arts; 4 points for math, and six points among physical science, American history, and American government.
-Establishes diploma requirements for students who transfer into a school or district. Pro-rates the minimum number of graduation points that transfer students need on remaining exams; requires transfer students with no scores or only one exam remaining to take the ACT/SAT upon enrollment; requires a transfer student who does not score remediation-free, to take the English II and Integrated Math II exams, and score a minimum total of 5 points across both exams.
-Establishes that students may retake exams if they have scored below proficient, but they must also complete remediation. Students scoring proficient or above may only retake exams after they have participated in remediation, or if the student has not met the overall graduation point total.
-States that the highest verifiable score that a student earns on any exam will be recognized, including the highest score on end of course exams, a nationally standardized assessment that measures college and career readiness, and a nationally recognized job skills assessment.

•#36 Resolution to Designate Selected Science and Social Studies Advanced Placement Exams as Substitutes for the State’s Physical Science, American History, and American Government End of Course Exams
-Allows Advanced Placement exams “Physics 1 & II – Algebra Based”, “American History”, and “United States Government and Policy” to be used as a substitute for “end of course exams”. The ODE continues to review the International Baccalaureate program and dual enrollment program, and their corresponding exams, to determine if they can also be used as a substitute for state end of course exams.

•#37 Resolution to Adopt a Framework for Determining Industry Credentials that Qualify Students for High School Graduation and Count in the Prepared for Success Component of Ohio School and District Report Cards:
-Requires the Ohio Department of Education to publish and update an approved list of industry-recognized credentials annually.
-Requires that credentials that qualify a student for high school graduation shall align to “in-demand jobs report” published by the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services and the Office of Workforce Transformation and posted on the OhioMeansJobs website, but also establishes a process for the Ohio Department of Education to consider other industry-recognized credentials for “in demand jobs” from local communities.
-States that a student who enters the eleventh grade for the first time and chooses to pursue an industry recognized credential, shall always qualify for graduation, even if the industry-recognized credential is subsequently removed from the “in-demand jobs report list”. Students will still need to take end of course exams where applicable.
-States that the industry-recognized credentials that qualify a student for a high school diploma shall also be reported in the Prepared for Success component on Ohio School and District Report Cards.

•#38 Resolution to Reaffirm the Value of the Honors Diploma and to Charge the Department of Education to Submit Recommendations to the State Board
-Requires the Ohio Department of Education to evaluate the academic performance of students during the 2014-15 school year and provide recommendations to the State Board for a system of honors diplomas aligned to the new graduation requirements.

•Operating Standards Committee: The Operating Standards Committee, chaired by Ron Rudduck, met on September 15, 2014. The committee has been revising Rules 3301-35-01 through 15, which are known as Operating Standards for Ohio’s Schools and Districts. These standards apply to traditional public schools, chartered nonpublic schools, and nonchartered non-tax supported schools. Charter schools in Ohio are not required to comply with Operating Standards, but follow laws prescribed in Section 3314 of the Ohio Revised Code.

Over the last few months the committee has revised Rules 3301-35-04,-05, and -06, and has agreed to combine rules 3301-35-07 and -11, which are related to data use and collection; agreed to remove rule 3301-35-10 Site Based Management Councils, which will become a stand alone rule; repeal Rule 3301-35-13 Special Purpose Schools; and amended 3301-35-14 Procedures for Beginning a New School, Changing Location, or Ownership.

At this meeting the committee reviewed proposed changes for Rules 3301-35-08 Non Chartered, Non Tax Supported Schools; 3301-35-02 Governance, Leadership, Organization, Administration, and Supervision, which has been combined with 3301-35-03 Strategic Planning and parts of 3301-35-06 Educational Programs and Support, and Rule 3301-35-12 Chartered Public Schools.

Keith Hamblen, who represents non-chartered, non-tax supported schools, asked the committee to maintain the current language for Rule 3301-35-08, and not require the proposed new rule to include a reference to 3313.536 ORC School Safety Plans. Since this provision is already in law, Mr. Hamblen thought that the provision was redundant. He noted that this would be the first major change in the -08 rule in 30 years.

The committee agreed, and voted to keep the current language of Rule 3301-35-08, and not include references to 3313.536 ORC School Safety Plans in the rule. Changes have been made to the -08 Rule, however. Added to the rule is language that reflects a change in law, 3313.48 ORC, regarding the length of the school year and day, which is now expressed in hours. The draft rule states that -08 schools shall be open for instruction for not less than 450 hours for students in kindergarten; 910 hours for students in grades 1-6; and 1001 hours for students in grades 7-12.

The committee then received a presentation about proposed changes for Rules 3301-35-02 Governance, Leadership, Organization, Administration, and Supervision, 3301-35-03 Strategic Planning, 3301-35-06 Educational Programs and Support, and Rule 3301-35-12 Chartered Public Schools.

There are no substantive changes for Rule 3301-35-12, but a new Rule 3301-35-02, now called Governance, Leadership, and Strategic Planning, includes parts of rules -02, -03, and parts of -06. The proposed rule removes language that describes the elements of a leadership system, including student centered learning environments and a commitment to effective teaching an learning; the responsibilities of the board of education, superintendent, treasurer, and administrators to stakeholders; and details about strategic planning. These “best practices” will, however, be included on the ODE website as additional information.

Rule 3301-35-02 also includes a part of Rule -06, regarding student health and safety policies. The proposed part (C) requires that boards of education adopt policies and procedures regarding student health and safety that comply with applicable local, Ohio, and federal laws for health, fire, and safety, and include vision and hearing screenings, referrals, follow-up and posting of emergency procedures and telephone numbers in classrooms.

The committee also agreed on a new time line for the State Board to follow to adopt the new Operating Standards. In October 2014 the proposed rules will be presented to the full Board; in November 2014 the Board will consider an “indent to adopt”; in December 2014 the rules will be sent to the Joint Committee for Agency Rule Review; the rules will return to the State Board in March/April 2015 for adoption. The rules will be implemented in the 2015-16 school year.

•Other Report Card Measures: The Accountability Committee, chaired by Tom Gunlock, reviewed report card measures that will provide additional information about schools and districts, but will not be included in the grades for schools or districts. These measures include financial data; additional information about teachers, staff, and student mobility; post-secondary outcomes; and school and district profile information, including information about courses available in the arts. These measures will be added to the report card some time this fall.

•High School Certificates of Accomplishment: The Achievement Committee, chaired by C. Todd Jones, received an update from Dr. Stephanie Siddens, Senior Executive Director Center for Curriculum and Assessment at the Ohio Department of Education, about a initiative to recognize high school students for college and career readiness; mastery of a skill; or accomplishments in an particular area of study. The initiative might include a certificate that would be awarded by the State Board of Education to students based on certain criteria, such as meeting certain academic requirements; collaborating with professionals in an area of study; developing a product; and making a formal presentation about their studies to professionals and scholars, who would evaluate the achievements of the student in that area of study.

So far seven areas of study have been identified for the initiative: STEM, the arts, social studies, dual languages, career technical education, public service, and the military.

The recognition in the arts would acknowledge, for example, the artistic accomplishments of students who demonstrate skills and dispositions to pursue a career in the visual, performing, and literary arts. Students would be required to complete at least one course and the assessment requirements in the arts area of their choice; engage with professional artists or scholars in developing a portfolio or e-portfolio; and present their work publicly.

•Board Business Meeting: The State Board took the following action at the Board’s business meeting on September 16, 2014:

-#10 Approved a Resolution of Intent to Adopt Rule 3301-5-01 of the Ohio Administrative Code entitled School Emergency Management Plan (VOLUME 2, PAGE 29 Board Book) The State Board first rejected emergency consideration of this resolution, but later voted to approve emergency consideration, and then approved the resolution.
-#11 Approved a Resolution of Intent to Adopt Rule 3301-16-04 of the Ohio Administrative Code entitled College and Work Ready Assessment Transition (VOLUME 2, PAGE 31 Board Book)
-#12 Approved a Resolution of Intent to Adopt Rule 3301-25-10 of the Ohio Administrative Code entitled One-Year Instructional Assistant Permit and to Adopt Rule 3301-25-11 of the Ohio Administrative Code entitled Renewal of One-Year Instructional Assistant Permit (VOLUME 2, PAGE 32 Board Book)
-#13 This resolution was removed from the agenda and will be voted on at the October 2014 SBE Meeting. A Resolution of Intent to Amend Rule 3301-27-01 of the Ohio Administrative Code entitled Qualifications to Direct, Supervise, or Coach a Pupil Activity Program (VOLUME 2, PAGE 38 Board Book)
-#14 Approved a Resolution of Intent to Adopt Rules 3301-45-01 to 3301-45-06 of the Ohio Administrative Code Regarding the Administration of Programs for Adults Seeking to Achieve a High School Diploma (VOLUME 2, PAGE 43 Board Book)
-#15 This resolution was removed from the agenda and will be voted on at the October 2014 SBE Meeting. A Resolution of Intent to Amend Rule 3301-51-20, of the Ohio Administrative Code entitled Admission, Transfer, Suspension, and Expulsion Standards for the Ohio Schools for the Blind and the Deaf (VOLUME 2, PAGE 45 Board Book).
-#16 Approved a Resolution of Refusal to Consider the Proposed Transfer of School District territory from the Springboro Community City School District, Warren County to the Lebanon City School District, Warren County, Pursuant to Section 3311.24 of the Ohio Revised Code (VOLUME 2, PAGE 53 Board Book)
-#32 Approved a Resolution to Appoint James Wagner to the Educator Standards Board
-#33 Approved a Resolution to Adopt the Revised Ohio Teacher Evaluation System (OTES) Framework to Align with Substitute House Bill 362
-#34 Approved a Resolution to Appoint Melissa Hendon Deters to the State Library Board
-#35 Approved a Resolution to Establish the Method of Calculating the Cumulative Performance Score Based on the End of Course Exams, and to Establish A Minimum Score Based on the End of Course Exams, and to Establish a Minimum Score Needed to Earn a High School Diploma
-#36 Approved a Resolution to Designate Selected Science and Social Studies Advanced Placement Exams as Substitutes for the State’s Physical Science, American History, and American Government End of Course Exams.
-#37 Approved a Resolution to Adopt a Framework for Determining Industry Credentials that Qualify Students for High School Graduation and Count in the Prepared for Success Component of Ohio School and District Report Cards
-#38 Approved a Resolution to Reaffirm the Value of the Honors Diploma and to Charge the Department of Education to Submit Recommendations to the State Board. This resolution directs the ODE staff to develop new rules regarding the honors diploma, because HB487 changed the state assessments, upon which the honors diploma was based.

•New Business: Stephanie Dodd asked that the State Board and the Ohio Department of Education develop a better process to communicate with stakeholders. In her experience there are many stakeholders who are not being contacted on particular issues. There should be a process for stakeholders to request that they be included in stakeholder discussions involving the Ohio Department of Education and its work.

4) Study Finds State Proficiency Standards Vary Greatly: American Institutes for Research (AIR) released on September 18, 2014 a new report about the differences among states in proficiency standards for reading, math, and science. Researcher Gary Phillips first examined the percent of proficient students reported by states in 2011 in Grade 4 math and reading and in Grade 8 math and science. He then compared state tests to the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), and benchmarked the difficulty of the state performance standards with standards used in two international assessments, the Trends in International Mathematics and Science (TIMSS) and the Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS).

According to the study, “The overall finding in the study is that there is considerable variance in state performance standards, exposing a large gap in expectations between the states with the highest standards and the states with the lowest standards. Although this gap in expectations is large, many policy makers may not be aware of just how large it is. In general,
•The difference between the standards in the states with the highest standards and the states with the lowest standards is about 2 standard deviations. In many testing programs, a gap this large represents three to four grade levels.
•This “expectations gap” is so large that it is more than twice the size of the national black–white achievement gap. Closing the achievement gap is important, but so is closing the larger expectation gap. Reducing the expectation gap will require consistently high expectations from all states.”

The following are some of the other results of the study:

•”States reporting the highest percent of proficient students had the lowest performance standards. More than two-thirds of the difference in state success is related to how high or low the states set their performance standards.”

•”The difference between the states with the highest and lowest standards is about two standard deviations – a statistical term denoting the amount of variation from the average. In many testing programs, a gap this large represents three to four grade levels.”

•”The percentage of proficient students for most states declined when compared with international standards. In Grade 8 mathematics, for example, Alabama went from 77 percent proficient to 15 percent; Colorado from 80 percent to 35 percent; Oklahoma from 66 percent to 20 percent; and New Jersey from 71 percent to 50 percent.”

•”Using international standards, Massachusetts climbed to 57 percent proficient from 52 percent under its own standards.”

•”In Grade 8 mathematics, Massachusetts and Minnesota had the highest grades, with each receiving a B-. The lowest grades went to Alabama and Georgia, which received a D, while Connecticut, Illinois, North Carolina and the District of Columbia received a D+.”

In Ohio 75 percent of students in 2011 in Grade 8 math are considered proficient based on Ohio’s standards, compared to 36 percent who would be proficient based on the TIMSS standards.

The study concludes that wide variations between state proficiency standards denies students the opportunity to learn college and career ready skills, and clearly indicates “...why we need more common assessments and the Common Core State Standards.” The current paradigm in which each state sets its own performance standards is “flawed, misleading, and lacking in transparency.”

See “International Benchmarking: State and National Education Performance Standards” by Gary W. Phillips, American Institutes for Research, September 18, 2014 at
http://www.air.org/sites/default/files/downloads/report/AIR_International%20Benchmarking-State%20and%20National%20Ed%20Performance%20Standards_Sept2014.pdf

5) Principals Trust Teacher Observations More than Value Added: Researchers at Vanderbilt University studied the perceptions that principals have about using teacher effectiveness data to guide decisions about professional development, and hiring, assigning, and firing teachers, and found that principals trust teacher observations the most. The study, which was funded by a grant from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, was conducted during the 2012-13 school year at the following schools: Shelby County and Metropolitan Nashville School District, Tennessee; Baltimore City Schools; Hillsborough County Schools, Florida; Houston City Schools; Denver City Schools; and the Green Dot and Alliance College-Ready charter school networks in Los Angeles.

The study examined the perceptions of principals about the quality of data systems and access to the data; how principals use teacher effectiveness data for management decisions; and the types of support systems and training that is available to principals to promote data used in decision making. The following is a summary of the key findings of the study:

-Principals rely most heavily on teacher observation data to make talent management decisions. According to the study, principals “…generally believe rubric-based observations generate the most valid data, providing specific, transparent, actionable information that enables them to pinpoint teacher support. Many see observation data as providing a bigger picture of the teacher’s performance than value-added estimates. In turn, they use observation data to inform teacher feedback, individualized and large group professional development, and teacher remediation plans that also serve as the documentation for dismissal cases.”

-”Strong, ongoing calibration of observation scores seems to increase use of observation data. Systems in which principals can request calibration and co-observation in subjects where they lack expertise report greater use of observation data.”

-”Value-added measures are perceived as having many shortcomings. Principals are less likely to use value-added measures for talent management decisions, despite the availability of these data. They describe several challenges with the use of value-added measures: scores are not available in real time when decisions are made; scores do not exist for untested subjects; and students often are taught by multiple teachers, so it is difficult to attribute a value-added estimate to a particular teacher. Principals perceive that scores do not measure what teachers actually do to have an impact on students’ learning and that the measures are not fine-grained and actionable.”

-”Principals rarely use student, teacher, or parent perception surveys. Principals often disregard these data because they perceive them as less valid, specific, and transparent than other teacher effectiveness measures.”

-”Principals often express frustration at not having state student achievement test scores, teacher value-added estimates, and overall teacher evaluation composite scores in time to make decisions about hiring, teacher assignment, and dismissal.”

-”Principals rarely use past teacher evaluation measures. Principals can use past evaluation scores to trigger growth plans, target individualized professional development, or back up a case for dismissal; however, few principals make use of measures over multiple points in time.”

The study recommends that principals receive more training to use multiple forms of data in management decisions and teachers are provided more opportunities for peer calibration and co-observation.

See “Principals’ Use of Teacher Effectiveness Data for Talent Management Decisions” by Ellen B. Goldring, Christine M. Newmerski, Carisa Cannata, Timothy A. Drake, Jason A. Grissom, Mollie Rubin, and Patrick Schuermann, Peabody College and Human Development at Vanderbilt University, May 2014 at http://principaldatause.org/assets/files/reports/Summary-Report-201405.pdf

6) Bills Introduced

•HB620 (Huffman) State Retirement System-Surviving Spouse: Provides for payment to an ex-spouse of part of any survivor benefits or return of contributions payable to the surviving spouse of a state retirement system member who dies prior to retirement.

•SB362 (Kearney/Turner) Absent Voting Period Revision: Extends the period for in-person absent voting and specifies the days and hours for in-person absent voting.

FYI ARTS

1) Nominations Open for the 2015 Governor’s Awards for the Arts: The Ohio Arts Council and Ohio Citizens for the Arts announced last week that nominations are now being accepted for the 2015 Governor’s Awards for the Arts. The awards recognize outstanding contributions to the arts in the following categories:

-Individual Artist
-Arts Administration
-Arts Education
-Arts Patron
-Business Support of the Arts
-Community Development and Participation

The Ohio Arts Council Board of Directors also selects, at their discretion, the Irma Lazarus Award for individuals or organizations that have helped shape public support for the arts and brought statewide, national, and international recognition to Ohio.

The nomination deadline for the six open categories is midnight, Monday, October 20, 2014, with letters of support due by midnight, Monday, October 27, 2014. Nominations are only accepted online, and may be submitted at www.oac.state.oh.us/Events/GovAwards/Nomination.asp.

A committee composed of members from the Ohio Arts Council Board of Directors and three individuals selected by Ohio Citizens for the Arts will select award recipients in each category. Recipients will be recognized on Arts Day, May 13, 2015, at the annual Governor’s Awards for the Arts luncheon, sponsored by the Ohio Arts Council and the Ohio Citizens for the Arts Foundation. Recipients of the awards will receive an original work of art by an Ohio artist and be honored in a ceremony presided over by Governor Kasich and members of the Ohio General Assembly.

The luncheon ceremony culminates Arts Day, which is an annual event that provides arts advocates opportunities to network and contact policy makers in Columbus to urge support for the arts. Students from high schools across the state prepare for months to participate in legislative visits on Arts Day, and contact each state senator and representative with a message of thanks for their support for the arts and arts education.

More information about Arts Day is available from the Ohio Citizens for the Arts Foundation at 614-221-4064.
For information about the Governor’s Awards for the Arts 2015 see http://www.oac.state.oh.us/News/NewsArticle.asp?intArticleId=753

2) NY State Board of Regents Asked to Support Study of Assessments in the Arts: The New York State Department of Education has requested that the New York Board of Regents create an Arts Advisory Panel to conduct a study to evaluate arts assessments that signify college and career readiness and Regents recognition in each of the arts disciplines in grades preK-12. The panel would be charged to evaluate art assessments based on the following: the assessment is recognized by employers in an arts industry sector and postsecondary institutions in New York for admissions and/or credit; the assessment covers a broad range of learning in an arts discipline, and is comparable to the rigor of the Regents exams; and the assessment meets technical requirements and is properly validated.

The purpose of the study is to identify assessment instruments that New York might use in determining student achievement in arts education. A similar study about visual arts assessments was prepared for the Colorado Department of Education in 2012. Student achievement on the assessments could signify “strong arts programs” in a school district. The assessments recommended by the Panel and subsequently by the Board of Regents, would be made available for teachers, administrators, parents, and boards of education.

3) National Student Poets Announced: The 2014 National Student Poets were recognized at a White House ceremony on September 18, 2014 by First Lady Michelle Obama. The honor of National Student Poet is awarded to five students in grades 9-11 each year. The program is sponsored by The President’s Committee on the Arts and the Humanities, the Institute of Museum and Library Services, and the Alliance for Young Artists & Writers.

Students selected this year are Weston Clark, Indianapolis; Ashley Gong, Sandy Hook, Connecticut; Julia Falkner, Louisville, Colorado; Cameron Messinides, Greenville, South Carolina; and Madeleine LeCesne, New Orleans.

The National Student Poets serve as literacy ambassadors, each representing a different geographic region of the country for one year. The students are selected from a pool of National Medalists in Poetry through the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards. Their work is submitted to a distinguished jury for the final selection of five National Student Poets.

See http://www.artandwriting.org/the-awards/national-student-poets-program/

###

Joan Platz
Director of Research

Ohio Alliance for Arts Education
77 South High Street Second Floor
Columbus, OH 43215
614-446-9669 - cell
joan.platz@gmail.com

 

 

130th Ohio General Assembly

The Ohio House and Senate will not meet in session this week. According to the House and Senate calendars for the second half of 2014, House sessions are scheduled for November 12, 19, and December 3, 10, and 17, 2014. Senate sessions are scheduled for November 12, 13, 18, 19, 20, 25, and December 2, 3, 4, 9, 10, 11, and 16, 2014. The House has also scheduled committee hearings on November 25, 2014, while the Senate has scheduled committee hearings on September 23, 24, and 25, 2014. Some "if needed" sessions and committee meetings are also scheduled this fall. Of course sessions can be added and canceled. The House and Senate calendars are available at http://www.legislature.state.oh.us/today.cfm.

Committee Hearings this Week

In an unusual move the leadership of the Ohio House scheduled a series of August hearings on one bill, which was introduced on July 28, 2014, Sub. HB597 (Huffman/Thompson) Repeal/Replace Common Core State Standards. Hearings started on August 18, 2014. HB597 would replace the new Common Core State Standards and make other changes in law regarding the implementation of academic content standards, testing, and graduation requirements. Normally an education-related bill would have been assigned to the House Education Committee, chaired by Representative Stebelton, but this bill was assigned to the Rules and Reference Committee, chaired by one of the bill's sponsors, where it is expected to receive a favorable vote, due, in part, to last minute changes in the committee's membership. More details about HB597 are included later in this email.

The House Rules and Reference Committee, chaired by Representative Huffman, will meet on Thursday, September 4, 2014 at 10:00 AM in hearing room 313. The committee will continue to receive testimony on Sub. HB597, and amendments are expected.

State Board at Full Strength

Governor Kasich appointed A. J. Wagner to the State Board of Education on August 4, 2014, filling all vacant positions, and bringing the board to full membership of 19 (11 elected members and 8 appointed members) for the first time in several years. Mr. Wagner replaces Jeff Mims, who resigned in December 2014, after he was elected to the Dayton City Commission. Mr. Wagner will represent the 3rd State Board District, but must run for re-election in November 2014 to retain the seat. Mr. Wagner is a former judge for the Montgomery County Court of Common Pleas and was a county auditor. See http://education.ohio.gov/State-Board/State-Board-Members.

State Board Candidates Announced

The deadline to file to run for a seat on the State Board of Education in November 2014 was August 6, 2014. Membership on the State Board includes 11 elected members, who represent districts that are composed of three Ohio Senate Districts, and 8 members who are appointed by the governor, with the confirmation of the Ohio Senate. Both the elected and appointed members serve four-year terms, and are limited to two terms. The terms are staggered, so about half of the members must run for re-election or be re-appointed every two years.
The following candidates will compete for seats representing State Board Districts 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, and 10 this November 2014:
• District 2: Kathleen McGervey (incumbent); Kim Redfern; and Raymond Young
• District 3: A.J. Wagner (incumbent); Mary M. Pritchard; Charlotte D. McGuire; and Sarah L. Roberts
• District 4: Pat Bruns; Zac Haines; and Joe Moorman. Debe Terhar, who is currently president of the State Board, recently announced that she will not seek re-election.
• District 5: Brad Lamb (incumbent); Michael J. Grusenmeyer; Rosyln Painer-Goffi; and Chris M. Sawicki.
• District 7: Sarah Fowler (incumbent); Michael Charney; Sarah Freeman; and David A. Spencer.
• District 8: Ida Ross-Freeman; Representative Bob Hagan, and Kathleen Purdy. Debbie Cain currently serves in this position, but is term-limited.
• District 10: Ron Rudduck (incumbent); Michael Kinnamon; Ross Hardin
The following elected members will continue to serve their terms, which end on December 31, 2016:
• District 1: Ann E. Jacobs
• District 6: Michael L. Collins
• District 9: Stephanie Dodd
• District 11: Mary Rose Oakar
The terms of the following appointed members end on December 31, 2014. These members can be re-appointed by the governor.
• Tess Elshoff
• Cathye Flory
• Joseph L. Farmer
• Thomas Gunlock
The terms of the following appointed members end on December 31, 2016:
• C. Todd Jones
• Mark A. Smith
• Rebecca Vazquez-Skillings
• Melanie P. Bolender
See http://education.ohio.gov/State-Board/State-Board-Members.

Action on Voter ID Bill

The Ohio Christian Alliance announced on August 29, 2014 that Representatives Matt Lynch, John Becker, and John Adams will hold a news conference on September 2, 2014 at 10:30 AM on the South Law of the Ohio Statehouse to announce bringing HB269 (Becker), Voter Identification Law Change, to a vote in the Ohio House through a discharge petition. HB269 would require all voters to have photo identification in order to cast a ballot. The bill was introduced in September 2013, and assigned to the House Policy and Legislative Oversight Committee, chaired by Representative Dovilla, but has not received a hearing. Proponents of the bill would need 50 signatures in the Ohio House to bring forth the discharge petition.
See http://www.ohioca.org/enews.php?Discharge-Petition-on-H.B.-269-Voter-Photo-ID-Requirement-410