Arts On Line

Education Update

Ohio News

130th Ohio General Assembly: The Ohio House and Senate have not scheduled hearings or sessions this week. The next session is scheduled on March 12, 2014.

More Election-Law Controversy: Last week Governor Kasich signed into law SB216 (Seitz) Provisional Ballots, one of three controversial election bills that have recently become law. The two other election bills, SB205 and SB238, were signed into law two weeks ago.

SB205 (Coley) prohibits any public office or employee from mailing unsolicited absentee ballot applications to voters. The law allows the Secretary of State to mail unsolicited absentee ballot applications for general elections in even-numbered years, but only when the legislature appropriates money for that purpose. The bill also clarifies that voters are responsible for accurately completing absentee applications and absentee ballots, which could be discarded by boards of election if found incomplete.

SB238 (LaRose) eliminates the overlap between early voting and the deadline to register to vote. As a result, the number of days for early voting is reduced from 35 to 28 or 29 days before an election.

SB216 (Seitz) reduces the number of reasons that require voters to cast provisional ballots; allows provisional ballots to count as voter registration for future elections; reduces the number of days after the election in which provisional voters can verify their identity to boards of election; allows provisional ballots cast in the right polling place, but wrong precinct to count; and disallows ballots cast in the wrong precinct and wrong polling place to count.

More Ohio News

Ohio Alliance for Arts Education

Arts on Line Education Update

February 24, 2014

Joan Platz

1)  Ohio News:

•130th Ohio General Assembly:  Governor Kasich will present the State of the State Address to a joint session of the Ohio House and Senate on Monday, February 24, 2014 at 7:00 PM in the Medina Performing Arts Center, Medina, Ohio. According to several news reports, the Governor will include in his message some ideas related to education including deregulating public schools; expanding career technical education to middle school students; reducing the dropout rate; and helping students learn about careers in elementary school. Two years ago many of the ideas outlined in the Governor’s State of the State Address were incorporated into a mid-biennium budget, and that seems to be the plan this year as well.

The House and Senate will also hold sessions and hearings this week.  

The Senate Finance Committee, chaired by Senator Oelslager, will meet on Tuesday, February 25, 2014 at 2:30 PM in hearing room 313, and receive testimony on HB107 (Baker) Career Exploration Internships - Tax Credit.

The Senate Education Committee, chaired by Senator Lehner, will meet on February 26, 2014 at 10:45 AM in the North Hearing Room.  The committee will receive testimony on the following bills:

-HB416 (Burkley/Hill) Increases School Calamity Days

-SB284 (Coley) Increases School Calamity Days 

The House Education Committee, chaired by Representative Stebelton, will meet on February 26, 2014 at 5:00 PM in hearing room 313.  The committee will consider the following bills:

-HB393 (Baker/Landis) Career Decision Guide Publication

-HB413 (Stautberg/Brenner) Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers.  This bill would prohibit schools from administering assessments developed by the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC) for the 2014-2015 school year; would prohibit the renewal of the state’s memorandum of understanding with the Partnership, and would declare an emergency.  

-HB228 (Brenner) School Funding Reform 

-HB362 (Scherer/Derickson) STEM Schools Designation for Community Schools or Nonpublic schools.

-HB367 (Driehaus/Sprague) Opioid Abuse Prevention Instruction-Schools.

•McClain Appointed Chair of the House Ways and Means Committee:  Representative Jeff McClain (R-Upper Sandusky) was appointed on February 18, 2014 to chair the House Ways & Means Committee by House Speaker William Batchelder.  He replaces Representative Peter Beck (R-Mason), who resigned as chair last week.

•State Issue 1 on the May Ballot:  The Ohio Ballot Board approved on February 19, 2014 the ballot language and arguments for and against State Issue 1, the renewal of the State Capital Improvement Program (SCIP).  The issue will appear on the May 6, 2014 primary ballot.  

The State Capital Improvements Program is a 10-year, $1.875 billion bond program to repair roads, bridges, sewers, and other infrastructure projects in local communities. State Issue 1 would reauthorization the program, which has been in place since 1987. 

•Straight A Fund Updates Scheduled: The director of the Ohio Department of Education’s Straight A Program, Dr. Susan Tave Zelman, will hold five regional meetings throughout Ohio to update stakeholders about the second round of  program grants.  The meetings will be held at the following locations and times:

Northwest - March 4, 2014 at the Wood County Educational Service Center

Southwest - March 6, 2014 at the Montgomery County Educational Service Center

Central - March 7, 2014 at the Educational Service Center of Central Ohio

Southeast - March 11, 2014 at the Athens-Meigs Educational Service Center

Northeast - March 13, 2014 at the Cuyahoga Valley Career Center - Conference Center

Additional information about the meetings is available at http://education.ohio.gov/Topics/Straight-A-Fund/Regional-Straight-A-Workshop.

•Ohio Receives Another School Improvement Grants:  The U.S. Department of Education (U.S. DOE) announced on February 20, 2014 that the Ohio Department of Education will receive $19.2 million through the School Improvement Grants (SIG) program.  This is the third year that Ohio will receive federal funds to increase student achievement in low performing schools. The Ohio Department of Education will distribute the funds to schools in Ohio through a competitive process.  Also receiving School Improvement Grants are Connecticut, Florida, Idaho, Iowa, New Jersey, Oklahoma, South Dakota, and Wyoming. 

Information is available at 

http://www.ed.gov/news/press-releases/us-department-education-announces-awards-nine-states-continue-efforts-turn-aroun

2)  Legislative Update: 

•Calamity Day Legislation:  The House approved on February 19, 2014 HB416 (Burkley/Hill) Calamity Days by a vote of 80-16.  The bill sailed through the House Education Committee two weeks ago, but was slowed-down when some House lawmakers felt uncomfortable supporting legislation that reduced instructional time for students and paid teachers for not working.  As a result, the House amended the committee-passed version of the bill, and added just two calamity days, rather than four, to the current five, but also allowed school districts to use two days of teacher professional development time to make-up for school closures. Boards of education can also add thirty minute increments to the existing school day to replace the time lost when schools are closed.

The bill also includes a provision, sought by the Ohio Department of Education, to delay reporting the results of the Ohio Achievement Assessments for grades 3-8 to the General Assembly by a week, to correspond with the recent delay in the administration of the exams, granted by the Superintendent of Public Instruction. 

The Senate Education Committee, chaired by Senator Lehner, received informal testimony on its own version of calamity day legislation on February 19, 2014.  SB284 (Coley) would add an additional four calamity days to the current five days that do not need to be made up, but only after districts have used their five contingency days. The bill also includes permissive authority for boards to add thirty-minute increments to existing school day to make-up for school closures.  The Ohio Department of Education would be allowed to approve applications for blizzard bags and online learning any time after August 1, 2013, and boards of education would be able to substitute blizzard bags or online learning for three of their contingency days, with the approval of the ODE.   Boards of education could also update their contingency plans at any time during the 2013-2014 school year, rather than by September 1, 2013.  

The bill also clarifies that graduation ceremonies that have already been scheduled can be held even if the district adds attendance days at the end of the school year, and excuses graduating seniors from attending school after their graduation ceremony has been held. Some of these provisions are also included in SB273 (Gardner).

SB284 would also delay until June 30, 2014 the requirement that the Ohio Department of Education report student scores on the Ohio Achievement Assessments to the Ohio General Assembly.  This provision corresponds to the delay granted to school districts regarding the administration of the assessments. However, the results of the third grade reading assessment must be reported by June 16, 2014.

The bill is expected to be reported by the Senate Education Committee this week, and move on to the full Senate for consideration. Lawmakers are expected to reconcile SB284 and HB416.  Both bills have emergency clauses, and would go into effect immediately.

•Proceeds from the Sale of School Property:  The Senate approved on February 19, 2014 SB231 (Gardner/Hite) Proceeds from Property Sales.  The bill would allow school districts to use the proceeds from the sale of school district property for permanent improvements and capital needs. 

•Straight A Program:  The Senate Education Committee, chaired by Senator Lehner, reported HB342 (Brenner/Driehaus) Straight A Program, on February 19, 2014.  The bill would permit an educational service center to be a partner or the lead applicant of an education consortium seeking a grant under the Straight A Program and modifies the goals of program.  The bill was amended to include the following:   

-States that if two or more Straight A Fund proposals have similar scores, the proposal saving the most money will be funded. 

-Reduces the current $5 million cap on grants for a single school to $1 million.

-Stipulates that if an educational service center (ESC) is the lead applicant then at least one school in that ESC’s area must be part of the consortium. 

-Permits county boards of developmental disabilities to participate in the program.

-Clarifies that an ESC can apply for the grant with non-member school districts, as long as one school district in the application is a member of the ESC. 

•World History Requirement:  The Senate Education Committee also reported out on February 19, 2014 SB96 (LaRose) High School Social Studies Curriculum.  The bill would require students to earn one credit of world history and civilizations in order to graduate.

•Student Expulsions:  The House Education Committee reported on February 19, 2014 HB334 (Hayes/Hottinger) Student Expulsion.  The bill would allow superintendents to extend the amount of time that a student is expelled if there is reason to believe that the student poses an “imminent threat”; allows superintendents to stipulate conditions under which a student can return to school; and requires schools to develop a plan to deliver educational services to the student who is expelled. Currently students can be expelled a maximum number of 80-days, unless the student has committed a crime. The bill was amended to limit a required psychological evaluation for students who are expelled to determine whether or not a student poses a danger to him/herself or others.  The cost of the evaluation would be shared by the parent and the school, unless the school district requires the evaluation.  

•Voting Bills Signed Into Law:  The House approved on February 19, 2014 two controversial Senate bills, SB205 and SB238, that change voting procedures in Ohio.  The House changes in the bills were agreed to by the Senate the same day, sending the bills to Governor Kasich, who signed them on February 21, 2014.

SB205 (Coley) prohibits any public office or employee to mail unsolicited absentee ballot applications to voters.  The law allows the Secretary of State to mail unsolicited absentee ballot applications for general elections in even-numbered years, but only when the legislature appropriates money for it. The bill also clarifies that voters are responsible for accurately completing absentee applications and absentee ballots, which could be discarded by boards of election if found incomplete.

SB238 (LaRose) closes a time during early voting in which voters could register to vote and vote at the same time. As a result, the number of days for early voting was reduced from 35 to 28 or 29 days before an election.

Another controversial voting bill, SB216 (Seitz) Provisional Ballots, is still in the House Policy and Legislative Oversight Committee, chaired by Representative Dovilla.  The bill reduces the number of reasons that require voters to cast provisional ballots; allows provisional ballots to count as voter registration for future elections; reduces the number of days after the election in which provisional voters can verify their identity to the board of elections; and addresses counting provisional ballots cast in the right polling place, but wrong precinct, and those cast in the wrong precinct and polling place. 

3)  National News:

•Campaign to Support Public Schools Launched:  The National School Boards Association (NSBA), in partnership with its state organizations, recently announced a new campaign to highlight the successes of public education called Stand Up 4 Public Schools.  

According to NSBA President David A. Pickler. “Well-funded and well-organized critics are undermining public schools and working to eliminate school board governance as we know it. But the conversation is beginning to change – and YOU are part of this shift. In local communities across America, public schools are the ‘great equalizer’ able to empower every child to fulfill his or her potential, regardless of race, gender, socioeconomic circumstance, or religious affiliation. Many Americans today understand the myths of ‘choice’ and are choosing public education.”

To counter the anti-public school message Stand Up 4 Public Schools has prepared a tool kit, talking points, fact sheets, and will engage celebrities such as Montel Williams, Khan Academy Founder Sal Kahn, and Magic Johnson, to advocate for public education.  The campaign will include ads about how public schools support the democratic founding principles of our nation and how public schools have provided individuals with opportunities to achieve and succeed. 

Information is available at 

http://standup4publicschools.com/ 

•NEA Calls for Correcting the CCSS Course: The president of the National Education Association, Dennis Van Roekel, called for state leaders to make a “strong course correction” regarding the Common Core State Standards in a statement issued on February 19, 2014.  Included in the statement are the following recommendations:

“1. Governors and chief state school officers should set up a process to work with NEA and our state education associations to review the appropriateness of the standards and recommend any improvements that might be needed.

2. Common Core implementation plans at the state and local levels must be collaboratively developed, adequately resourced, and overseen by community advisory committees that include the voices of students, parents, and educators.

3. States and local school districts must place teachers at the center of efforts to develop aligned curriculum, assessments, and professional development that are relevant to their students and local communities.

4. States must eliminate outdated NCLB-mandated tests that are not aligned with the new standards and not based on what is being taught to students in the classroom.

5. States must actively engage educators in the field-testing of the new assessments and the process for improving them.

6. In any state that is field-testing and validating new assessments, there must be a moratorium on using the results of the new assessments for accountability purposes until at least the 2015-2016 school year. In the meantime, states still have other ways to measure student learning during this transition period—other assessments, report cards, and student portfolios.

7. Stakeholders must develop complete assessment and accountability systems. It takes more than one piece of evidence to paint a picture of what students are learning. Testing should be one way to inform effective teaching and learning—not a way to drive it.”

The statement is available at

http://neatoday.org/2014/02/19/nea-president-we-need-a-course-correction-on-common-core/

•Washington Senate Says No to New Teacher/Principal Evaluations:  The Capitol Record reports that the Washington State Senate failed to approve legislation (SB5246) which would have revised the state’s teacher/principal evaluation.  The proposed new teacher evaluation system “suggested” that local education agencies use student standardized test data as part of the evaluation, to meet a requirement dictated by the federal government in Washington’s Race to the Top Grant.  According to the article some State Senators said that their current teacher evaluation system is working fine and see no need to change it.

See “Senate rejects changes to teacher evaluations, 19 to 28, by Christina Salerno, The Capitol Record, February 18, 2014 at

http://capitolrecord.tvw.org/2014/02/senate-rejects-changes-to-teacher-evaluations-19-to-28/

•Florida Tweaks the Common Core State Standards:   The Florida State Board of Education approved on February 18, 2014 several changes in the Common Core State Standards and renamed them “Florida Standards”.  The changes include adding standards for creative writing; cursive writing; and 52 standards for calculus. The new Florida Standards also incorporate science and social studies, which are not part of the Common Core State Standards.

See “Florida Board of Education OKs Common Core Changes” by Brandon Larrabee, The Ledger, February 18, 2014 at

http://www.theledger.com/article/20140218/news/140219066?p=3&tc=pg

•Indiana Posts New State Standards: Education Week reports that the Indiana Department of Education released for public comment a draft of new content standards for math and English language arts to replace the Common Core State Standards. The Indiana legislature approved the CCSS in 2010, but passed a law last year to develop Indiana-based standards.  The new Indiana College and Career Ready Standards were developed by the state’s Academic Standards Evaluation Panels. The Indiana State Board is scheduled to vote on the standards April 9, 2014.

See “Indiana Releases Draft of New Academic Standards to Replace Common Core” by Andrew Ujifusa, Education Week State EdWatch Blog, February 20, 2014 at

http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/state_edwatch/2014/02/indiana_releases_draft_of_new_academic_standards_to_replace_common_core.html

4)  Preparing for Online Assessments:  A new white paper prepared by the Consortium for School Networking (CoSN), the eLearn Institute, and Education Networks of America (ENA) provides a comprehensive overview of the online assessments and protocols developed by the Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium (Smarter Balanced) and the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC).  These new assessments are referred to as the “next generation of assessments.”  The white paper includes information about the time table for implementing the new assessments; the cost per student; other organizations that are developing online assessments; estimated testing time; technology needed to administer the assessments; field-testing and pilots; security considerations; frequently asked questions, and recommendations. The white paper also includes information from a case study of a small, medium, and large school district implementing the new assessments.  The school districts studied include the Metropolitan Nashville Public Schools (TN), the Metropolitan School District of Warren Township (IN), and West Side School District #202 (ID).

The authors of the white paper conclude, “It will be an extremely difficult and complex process to achieve the promise of online assessments and realize the benefits of the CCSS. There are going to be challenges and obstacles to overcome in the near future. In fact, the whole area of collecting meaningful performance data for student learning is just in its beginning stages.”

See “Raising the Bar:  Becoming Assessment Ready” by the Consortium for School Networking (CoSN), the eLearn Institute, and Education Networks of America (ENA), February 19, 2014 at

http://www.ena.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/Raising-the-BAR-WP.pdf

5)  Class Size Matters: The National Education Policy Center released on February 18, 2014 a policy brief entitled Does Class Size Matter? by Diane Whitmore Schanzenbach, Northwestern University.  The brief examines research studies about the impact of class size; identifies examples of poor-quality studies “that fail to isolate the causal impact of class size”; identifies several positive outcomes for reducing class size; and makes policy recommendations.  

According to the author, even though class size has been “one of the most-studied education policies”, policy-makers have ignored the research that supports smaller classes, especially for low-income and minority students, 

The research shows that implementing smaller classes increases student engagement, time on task, and personalized instruction, and reduces time spent on classroom management. The brief makes the following recommendations:

-”Class size is an important determinant of student outcomes and one that can be directly influenced by policy. All else being equal, increasing class sizes will harm student outcomes.”

-”The evidence suggests that increasing class size will harm not only children’s test scores in the short run but also their long-term human capital formation. Money saved today by increasing class sizes will be offset by more substantial social and educational costs in the future.”

-”The payoff from class-size reduction is larger for low-income and minority children, while any increases in class size will likely be most harmful to these populations.”

-”Policymakers should carefully weigh the efficacy of class-size-reduction policy against other potential uses of funds. While lower class size has a demonstrable cost, it may prove the more cost-effective policy overall.”

See “Does Class Size Matter?” by Diane Whitmore Schanzenbach, National Education Policy Center, February 18, 2014 at http://nepc.colorado.edu/newsletter/2014/02/does-class-size-matter

6)  SAT/ACT Don’t Matter: Researchers William Hiss, former Dean of Admissions for Bates College, and Valerie Franks, released on February 5, 2014 a study that shows that high school grade point averages (GPAs) are important factors to use to determine student success in college. 

The study examined the cumulative GPAs and graduation rates of students who submitted a standardized test score (submitters) when applying for college, and those who did not (non-submitters).  Student records from 33 public and private colleges and universities that have optional standardized testing policies for admissions were included in the study. These colleges and universities use a variety of criteria to admit students instead of standardized test scores such as the ACT and SAT. The total number of student records included in the study was 123,000, from institutions ranging from 50,000 to 350 students.

The researchers found the following results:

-”With approximately 30 percent of the students admitted as non-submitters over a maximum of eight cohort years, there are no significant differences in either Cumulative GPAs or graduation rates between submitters and non--submitters.  Across the study, non-submitters (not including the public university students with above-average testing, to focus on the students with below-average testing who are beneficiaries of an optional testing policy) earned Cumulative GPAs that were only .05 lower than submitters, 2.83 verses 2.88.  The difference in their graduation rates was .6 percent.  With almost 123,000 students at 33 widely differing institutions, the differences between submitters and non-submitters are five one-hundredths of a GPA point, and six-tenths of one percent in graduation rates.  By any standard, these are trivial differences.”

-”College and university Cumulative GPAs closely track high school GPAs, despite wide variations in testing. Students with strong HSGPAs generally perform well in college, despite modest or low testing.  In contract, students with weak HSGPAs earn lower college Cum GPAs and graduate at lower rates, even with markedly stronger testing.  A clear message:  hard work and good grades in high school matter, and they matter a lot.”

-”Non-submitters are more likely to be first-generation-to-college enrollees, all categories of minority students, women, Pell Grant recipients, and students with Learning Differences (LD).  But across institutional types, white students also use optional testing policies at rates within low single digits of the averages, so the policies have broad appeal across ethnic groups.”

-”Non-submitters support successful enrollment planning in a broad range of ways.  They apply Early Decision at higher rates, increase enrollments by minority students, expand geographic appeal by enrolling at colleges far from their homes, and allow for success by Learning Difference students.”

-”In a surprise finding, non-submitters display a distinct two-tail or bimodal curve of family financial capacity.  First-generation, minority and Pell-recipient students will need financial aid support, but large pools of students not qualifying for or not requesting financial aid help balance institutional budgets.”

-”Non-submitters may commonly be missed in consideration for no-need merit financial awards, despite better Cum GPAs and markedly higher graduation rates than the submitters who receive merit awards.  Institutions may want to examine their criteria for merit awards, especially the use of standardized testing to qualify students for no-need merit funding.”

See “Defining Promise:  Optional Standardized Testing Policies In American College and University Admissions” by William C. Hiss and Valerie W. Franks, February 5, 2014 at 

http://www.nacacnet.org/research/research-data/nacac-research/Documents/DefiningPromise.pdf

7)  Bills Introduced

•HB454 (Gonzales) Concealed Carry-School Safety Zone: Expands and clarifies the authority of a concealed handgun licensee to possess a handgun in a school safety zone. 

•SB284 (Coley) Schools-Calamity Days:  Provides additional calamity day relief for schools and declares an emergency. 

FYI ARTS

1)  Donna Collins Selected as the New Director of the OAC: The Ohio Arts Council, Jeff Rich chairman, announced last week that Donna Collins has been selected as the Executive Director of the Ohio Arts Council to replace Julie Henahan, who plans to retire in July 2014. Ms. Collins is currently the executive director of the Ohio Alliance for Arts Education, since 1998, and the executive director of the Ohio Citizens for the Arts and Foundation, since 2001. She has been recognized in Ohio and nationally for her advocacy efforts on behalf of arts education, the role of the arts and economic development, and the impact of the arts on the well-being of communities. She is a known leader and has served on a number of arts organizations in Ohio and nationally, including the Ohio Music Education Association, Ohio Art Education Association, BalletMet, the Athens Area Citizens for the Arts, the Cultural Data Project/Ohio, the Kennedy Center Alliance for Arts Education Network, Americans for the Arts, and the State Arts Action Network. 

According to Jeff Rich,  “Ohio is blessed to have such an incredibly hard working, dedicated leader in Donna Collins. We at the council know she will move us to the next level of success for all Ohioans.”

See the OAC press release at http://www.oac.state.oh.us/News/NewsArticle.asp?intArticleId=723

2) Elyria Receives Grant to Infuse the Arts:  Carol Harper reports for Northern Ohio’s The Morning Journal that Franklin Elementary School, Elyria City Schools, has been awarded a five-year $1.25 million grant from the Stocker Foundation, Patricia O’Brien, executive director, to increase literacy and arts education.  According to the article, the grant will be used to implement the New Beginnings program, which focuses on increasing academic achievement from preschool through grade five; using technology to inspire learning and drive innovation; inspiring greater learning through the arts; and building a community of practice. Franklin Elementary will also add two more preschool classes in the fall for 4-year-old children to attend four days a week.  The Stocker Foundation has awarded Elyria City Schools over $450,000 in the past four years to improve literacy skills. 

The author writes that arts will be infused throughout the curriculum to “catalyze students’ interest and curiosity and open them up to deeper learning.”  The program includes an artist residency program that is tied to the curriculum at each grade level; parent workshops that support arts learning outside the classroom; and information for parents about why the arts are important for improving student academic achievement. 

The article describes the work of the Stocker Foundation, which was founded in 1979 in Elyria by Beth K. Stocker and her three daughters.  The Foundation has awarded about $46 million in grants in areas of arts and culture; community needs; education; health; social services; and women’s issues. In 2010 The Stocker Foundation began a focus on improving reading and literacy for underprivileged children in pre-kindergarten through third grade.

See “The Stocker Foundation donates $1.25 million to Franklin Elementary School in Elyria” by Carol Harper, The Morning Journal, February 19, 2014 at 

http://www.morningjournal.com/general-news/20140219/the-stocker-foundation-donates-125-million-to-franklin-elementary-school-in-elyria

3)  State Band and State Choir Seeking Students:  The Ohio State Fair is seeking talented young musicians in grades 9-12 for membership in both the All-Ohio State Fair Band and the All-Ohio State Fair Youth Choir for this year’s Ohio State Fair, which will run from Wednesday, July 23, 2014 through Sunday, August 3, 2014. The members of the All-Ohio State Fair Band and All-Ohio State Fair Youth Choir are required to arrive at the Ohio Expo Center in Columbus before the Fair opens, and remain housed on site throughout the duration of the Fair.  Band and choir members will learn all of the music during this time and perform daily at various times and locations while the Fair is open. The total number of performances is nearly 200 during the 12-day Fair. 

Membership in the band and choir is based on several factors, including a recommendation from a choral or band director.  The application deadline is March 31, 2014.  Applications are available at http://www.ohiostatefair.com/index.php/news-a-media-48/item/598-top-hs-musicians-sought. 

For more information call 1-888-OHO-EXPO or 1-614-644-FAIR.

### 

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

Ohio Alliance for Arts Education

Arts on Line Education Update

February 17, 2014 

Joan Platz

1)  Ohio News

•130th Ohio General Assembly: The Ohio House and Senate will hold hearings and sessions this week.

The Senate Finance Committee, chaired by Senator Oelslager will meet on Tuesday, February 18, 2014 at 2:30 PM in the Senate Finance Hearing Room.  The committee will receive testimony on SB231 (Gardner/Hite) School Property Sales Proceeds, which would permit the distribution of proceeds from the sale of school district real property.

The Senate Education Committee, chaired by Senator Lehner, will meet on February 19, 2014 at 4:00 PM in the South Hearing Room.

The committee will receive testimony on the following bills:

-HB171 (McClain/Patmon) Released Time Courses-Religious Instruction 

-HB193 (Brenner) High School Diploma Requirements

-HB342 (Brenner/Driehaus) Straight A Program Changes

-HB111 (Duffey/Stinziano) State Universities-Student Board Members

-SB96 (LaRose) High School Social Studies Curriculum Requires One Unit of World History

The House Education Committee, chaired by Representative Stebelton, will meet on February 19, 2014 at 5:00 PM in hearing room 313.  The committee will receive testimony on the following bills:

-HB241 (Hagan) School Employees-Sexual Conduct

-HB290 (Stebelton) School Premises Liability

-HB334 (Hayes/Hottinger) Student Expulsion

-HB367 (Driehaus/Sprague) Opioid Abuse Prevention Instruction in School Health Curriculum

-SB69 (Beagle) Course and Program Sharing Network

•Ohio Representative Loses Chairmanship:  House Speaker William Batchelder removed on February 13, 2014 Representative Peter Beck (R-Mason) from the chairmanship of the House Ways and Means Committee. Representative Beck was indicted in July 2013 by Hamilton County Prosecutor Joe Deters for allegedly engaging in security fraud activities as the chief financial officer of the firm Christopher Technologies LLS.  Attorney General Mike DeWine and Hamilton County Prosecutor Joe Deters filed additional charges against Representative Beck last week. Speaker Batchelder has also requested that Representative Beck resign from the House.

•Audit of Charter School Sponsors Announced:  The Columbus Dispatch reported on February 13, 2014 that State Auditor David Yost was auditing three charter school sponsors after some of the charter schools that they sponsored abruptly closed.  The sponsors being investigated include the St. Aloysius Orphanage in Cincinnati, the North Central Ohio Educational Service Center, based in Marion and Tiffin, and the Warren County Educational Service Center. Other charter school sponsors could be added to the audits.  Auditor Yost also said that he will review the process that the Ohio Department of Education uses to approve charter school contracts, and compare those processes with best practices used in other states.

See “Yost Examining Three Charter School Sponsors” by Bill Bush, Columbus Dispatch, February 13, 2014 at

http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/local/2014/02/12/Yost_investigates_charter_sponsors.html

•Testing Window Extended:  Superintendent of Public Instruction Dr. Richard Ross announced on February 11, 2014 that schools/districts would have an additional week (to May 16, 2014) to complete the administration of the Ohio Achievement Assessments in grades 3-8.  The extension was granted because so many schools/districts have been closed due to the weather, and students have lost valuable time for instruction. The extension does not apply to the administration of the Ohio Graduation Test (OGT), and does not affect when the results of the assessments must be reported to the General Assembly, which is June 15, 2014.  The Ohio Department of Education is requesting the General Assembly change the law to extend that reporting deadline to June 22, 2014. Reporting the results of the third grade reading assessment will be a priority, because of requirements of Third Grade Reading Guarantee.

See February 11, 2014 Press Release at

http://education.ohio.gov/Media/Media-Releases/Superintendent-Ross-Expands-Ohio-Achievement-Asses

2)  National News

•New Yorkers File School Funding Lawsuit:  The New York Times reports that an advocacy group called New Yorkers for Students’ Educational Rights filed a lawsuit in the New York State Supreme Court in Manhattan on February 11, 2014.  The lawsuit alleges that New York State has failed to fulfill its responsibility, as outlined in a 2007 plan, to offer students a “sound basic education”.  The plaintiffs are asking for $1.6 billion in immediate relief for school districts.  

The lawsuit, New Yorkers for Students’ Educational Rights (NYSER) v. the State of New York, is being led by Michael A. Rebell. In 2006 the New York Court of Appeals ruled that New York State had to increase funding for New York City Schools in the decision Campaign for Fiscal Equity (CFE) v. the State of New York, also led by Michael A. Rebell.  Although the State promised a $7 billion increase over four years, after the recession hit the additional funds were never allocated.

See “Suit Will Seek State Money Promised to Schools in 2007” by Al Baker, The New York Times, February 10, 2014 at

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/02/11/nyregion/suit-will-seek-money-that-new-york-state-promised-to-schools-in-2007.html?_r=0

•U.S. Lawmakers Sign-on to Anti-Common Core Resolutions:  Alyson Klein reports for Education Week that several Congressmen are supporting recently introduced resolutions in opposition to requiring states to adopt the Common Core State Standards. Senator Lindsay Graham (R-South Carolina) is sponsoring a resolution which is supported by eight Senators, including Senator Ted Cruz of Texas and Senator Mike Enzi of Wyoming. The resolution generally affirms that education is a state issue; that the Secretary of Education shall not coerce states into adopting education standards; and that adopting standards shall not be a requirement for receiving a competitive grant through the U.S Department of Education.

Representative Jeff Duncan (R-South Carolina) introduced a similar resolution in the U.S. House.  That resolution is being supported by 40 lawmakers.  Representative Phil Gingrey (R-Georgia) and Senator Pat Roberts of Kansas have also introduced legislation in opposition to the Common Core State Standards. 

See “Spate of GOP Bills Take Aim at Common Core” by Alyson Klein, Education Week, February 13, 2014 at

http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/campaign-k-12/2014/02/new_bills_in_congress_take_aim.html?cmp=ENL-EU-NEWS2 

•Neighbor States Taking Different Paths:  The New Jersey Star-Ledger reported on February 12, 2014 that the New Jersey State Board of Education had voted to reaffirm their support for the Common Core State Standards. Some parents in New Jersey and the New Jersey Education Association had requested that implementation of the standards and assessments aligned to the Common Core State Standards be delayed.

See “N.J. education board reaffirms support for common core” by Peggy McGlone New Jersey Star Ledger at 

http://www.nj.com/education/2014/02/nj_state_board_of_education_backs_common_core_standards_again.html

The New York State Board of Regents agreed on February 11, 2014 to delay the full implementation of the standards for five years. The delay would affect the graduation requirements for students.  The Regents tabled until April a provision affecting teacher evaluations.  In that provision teachers identified as ineffective would have been able to use the “troubled rollout” of the standards as a defense against getting fired.  

See “Regents drop bid to delay Common Core Teacher Evaluations” by Aaron Short, New York Post, February 12, 2014 at 

http://nypost.com/2014/02/12/regents-drop-bid-to-delay-common-core-teacher-evaluations/

See also http://www.oms.nysed.gov/press/regents-adjust-common-core-implementation.html

3)  Legislative Update:  Ohio lawmakers are considering a number of education bills, some of which might be included in other bills to facilitate passage.  Governor Kasich is also expected to introduce a Mid Biennium Review Budget that will include K-12 education provisions.  More information on the governor’s plans will be available after he presents the State of the State Address on February 24, 2014 in Medina, OH. The following are some of the education bills before the Ohio House and Senate:

•HB416 (Burkley/Hill) Calamity Days:  Last week House lawmakers informally passed HB416 (Burkley/Hill) Calamity Days, a fast-tracked bill to allow school districts to add an extra four calamity days after using five calamity days and replacement days. According to the Buckeye Association of School Administrators about 400 school district have already cancelled over seven school days this winter. After the bill raced through the House Education Committee, lawmakers had second thoughts about the lost instructional time and the cost of paying teachers not to work, and decided to look for additional ways for schools to make-up instructional time. The House is expected to resume action on the bill this week.  

•SB273 (Gardner) Graduating Seniors-Make-Up Days: SB273 clarifies that high school seniors can graduate on schedule even though some schools/districts might need to add extra days at the end of the school year to make-up for the instructional time lost due to the weather-related school closures. The bill also exempts seniors from attending make-up days that are scheduled after graduation.  SB273 could be added to HB416 Calamity Days, once it is in the Ohio Senate or HB342 (Brenner/Driehaus) Straight A Fund/Educational Service Centers.

•HB193 (Brenner) High School Diploma Requirements:  The Senate Education Committee scheduled last week, but did not hear, HB193 (Brenner) High School Diplomas, which passed the House on January 22, 2014 by a vote of 90 to 1.  The bill revamps the required assessments that students need to pass in order to graduate. The graduation tests proposed in the bill differ from those approved in November by the State Board of Education, and the Ohio Department of Education has informed lawmakers that some provisions will be impractical to implement.

•HB342 (Brenner/Driehaus) Straight A Fund/Educational Service Centers:  Also in the Senate Education Committee is HB342, which would modify the requirements of the Straight A grant program to permit education service centers to partner or lead a grant application.  The bill could be amended next week to include a delay in the administration of student assessments and a delay in reporting results.  Dr. Richard Ross, Superintendent of Public Instruction, announced on February 11, 2014 that schools and districts could delay administering the Ohio Achievement Assessments to give students more instructional time, which has been lost due to weather-related school closures. But, the General Assembly would need to change current law to extend the deadline, now June 15, 2014, for reporting the results of the assessments to the General Assembly.

•HB228 (Brenner) School Funding:  The House Education Committee accepted on February 12, 2014 a substitute version of HB228 School Funding.  The bill would change the current cap on the amount of state funds school districts receive so that school districts with increased enrollment above a specific level would receive additional state aid. It also establishes a minimum per student amount of state aid of $1000.

•SB229 (Gardner) Teacher Evaluations:  SB229 was approved by the Ohio Senate on December 4, 2013 and is being considered by the House Education Committee.  SB299 would change the Ohio Teacher Evaluation System in a few ways.  It would require boards of education to evaluate a teacher every year, but would give boards of education more flexibility when evaluating teachers rated “accomplished”. It also permits boards of education to base up to 35 percent of a teacher’s evaluation on value added results rather than 50 percent, which is in current law.  The bill also allows boards of education to attribute another 15 percent of a teacher’s evaluation to another student growth measure. 

•SB231 (Gardner/Hite) School Property:  SB231 is being considered by the Senate Finance Committee, chaired by Senator Oelslager. The bill would provide boards of education more flexibility regarding the use of the proceeds from the sale of school district real property. 

•HB107 (Baker) High School Internships:  This bill was approved by the Ohio House on November 20, 2013, and is now being considered by the Senate Finance Committee, chaired by Senator Oelslager.  The bill would create a grant program for businesses that employ high school students in career exploration internships.  

4)  State Board of Education: The State Board of Education, Debe Terhar president, met on February 10 & 11, 2014 at the Ohio Department of Education Conference Center, 25 South Front Street, Columbus, OH. Board members welcomed Rebecca Vasquez-Skillings to her first meeting of the State Board.  Ms. Vasquez-Skillings was appointed by Governor Kasich last month to complete the term of Angela Thi Bennett, who resigned from the board last year. Ms. Vasquez-Skillings is Vice President for Business Affairs at Otterbein University. 

Among the topics addressed at the February 2014 State Board meeting were changes in the selection process for the Ohio Teacher of the Year; revising Operating Standards; report card indicators for gifted education programs; the Third Grade Reading Guarantee grant program; the proposed consolidation of the Berkshire/Newbury school districts, and support for cursive writing.

•New Selection Process for Ohio’s Teacher of the Year Award: The State Board gave its approval for a new process to select the Ohio Teacher of the Year, Ohio’s premier teaching award.  After several years of declining nominations, the new process is expected to “yield a more robust and diverse candidate pool.” The new process will engage the eleven elected members of the State Board of Education to identify a “Territory Lead” from their district to coordinate and oversee the process for selecting the territory’s candidate for the Ohio Teacher of the Year.  The candidates selected from each of the territories will be reviewed by a twenty-member Selection Committee, which will include a representative from each territory, the State Board of Education member or a designee from the territory, and appointees by the Ohio Department of Education representing various stakeholder organizations.  The Selection Committee will meet in August of each year to review the nominations, and announce the Ohio Teacher of the Year in September.

•Operating Standards Committee: The Operating Standards Committee, chaired by Ron Rudduck, met on February 10, 2014. The committee discussed draft Rule 3301-35-04 Student and Other Stakeholder Focus and draft Rule 3301-35-05 Faculty Focus. 

Sarah Fowler asked if the word “districtwide” could be removed from Rule 3301-35-04 Student and Other Stakeholder Focus so that it was clear that schools within a district could implement a curriculum that differed from the district curriculum.  The committee agreed to remove the word “districtwide”.  

Regarding another issue, Mary Rose Oakar suggested that the ODE provide more guidance for collecting and maintaining student records, especially for students who are very mobile.  Sharon Jennings, ODE’s Deputy Chief Legal Counsel, said that the EMIS guide, which is being revised, will include more details and clarity about attendance and student records as a result of the investigations by the State Auditor of attendance report irregularities in some school districts. There will be some notation in the operating standards to direct users to additional information or references about attendance, student records, etc.

Stephanie Dodd and Mike Collins also requested that the operating standards include additional references to other resources and references. 

Sarah Fowler also asked about the definition of “guided” in the statement requiring that school districts be “guided by” the state standards when developing school curriculum. Sharon Jennings explained that school districts are not required to adopt the state standards, and thus the word “guided” is used instead of “required, or shall”.  However, school districts understand that students will be required to take state assessments that are based on the state standards. 

The committee also received information about the proposed changes to Rule 3301-35-05 Faculty Focus.  In keeping with the goals of the committee, the ODE revision eliminated references to the Ohio Revised Code, which results in a much shorter and sometimes choppy version of the rule. 

Mike Collins recommended that a reference be included in rule to indicate where districts are required to report the data that they collect.  He has noticed several provisions directing school districts to collect information, but is not sure about where the districts report the information.  John Richard, Associate State Superintendent of Public Instruction, explained that reporting requirements are included in Rule 3301-35-07, which the committee has not reviewed as yet.

Stephanie Dodd requested that language regarding discrimination based on  “age, color, ancestry, national origin, race, gender, religion, disability, or veteran status” be restored to Rule 3301-35-05. She was concerned that without this language in the Ohio Administrative Code, the ODE would not be able to take action against a school that could be discriminating based on age, race, etc. P.R. Casey, ODE Chief Legal Counsel, explained, however, that the ODE would probably not investigate a school district under those circumstances, and did not think the provision needed to remain in the rule, because it was already in the Ohio Revised Code.

The committee agreed to meet again on February 19, 2014 to review some of the web-based technology ideas that ODE staff is developing to link Operating Standards to the Ohio Revised Code and other resources.

•Third Grade Reading Grants:  The State Board of Education received on February 10, 2014 an update from three school districts that have received grants through the Early Literacy and Reading Readiness Program to implement strategies to improve reading and meet the requirements of the Third Grade Reading Guarantee.  Presenting to the board were representatives from the Mechanicsburg Exempted Village School District, Cleveland Heights-University Heights School District, and Lancaster City Schools.  

The districts explained their strategies for helping students learn to read, and provided information about how many students are participating in their reading programs. The strategies include linking with community resources; helping parents become better advocates for reading; extending the school day for reading instruction; focusing on instruction in phonics and phonemic awareness; extending the time during the school day for reading; professional development for teachers, including scripted lessons; reducing the teacher pupil ratio at some grade levels; and small group instruction.

One of the issues that districts have already identified as a challenge is the effect of student mobility on grade-level reading achievement. Students in some Lancaster schools, for example, move several times a year, which disrupts their learning.  The districts reported that their overall concern is finding qualified reading teachers, with the appropriate reading endorsement, master’s degree, or other credentials, to provide instruction for students identified as not proficient in reading.

•Report Card Indicator for Gifted Education:  The Accountability Committee, chaired by Tom Gunlock, met on February 11, 2014 to review a new proposal for the gifted indicator and receive comments from the Ohio Association for Gifted Children (OAGC). Throughout the conversation it was noted that Ohio is the first state to develop accountability indicators for gifted education, and there are many challenges in doing so.

In January 2014 the committee received information about a framework proposed by the Ohio Department of Education (ODE) and a framework proposed by gifted stakeholders for the gifted indicator.  In response to that discussion, the Ohio Association for Gifted Children (OAGC) and ODE staff met to develop a proposal.  Matt Cohen, ODE’s Chief Research Officer, presented a revised ODE proposal for a gifted indicator based on those conversations.  

The proposed indicator would be calculated for districts that have a gifted value added grade and a gifted performance index score, and would include the following measures:

-Student Performance Measures:  These include the gifted value added measure; a new gifted achievement measure; and future measures as available, such as ACT scores.

-District/School Input Measures:  These include the percent of enrolled students identified as gifted by grade bands, such as K-3; 4-8; and 9-12, and the percentage of enrolled students who receive gifted services by grade bands. Schools/districts could receive up to 30 points based on the percentage of students identified and served by grade level bands.

The State Board would need to set minimum thresholds for the gifted-value added measure, the gifted achievement measure, and the minimum number of points for the District/School Input Measures.    

Ann Sheldon, executive director of the Ohio Coalition for Gifted Children, and Dr. Colleen Boyle, a member of the OAGC’s executive committee and supervisor for gifted students for the Columbus City Schools, offered several ways to improve the ODE’s proposal for measuring gifted education. 

They pointed out that the purpose of the gifted performance indicator is to fully inform parents and the public about the educational programs and opportunities for gifted students provided by schools and districts, and the level of achievement of gifted students in those programs. Currently 200 out of 613 school districts do not provide any services for gifted students, and about 100 districts serve less than 15 percent of gifted students. There are no real repercussions for districts that are not identifying or serving gifted students.

There is also no cohesive definition for “gifted services”, which makes it difficult to develop an indicator for gifted services.  Some districts report enrichment opportunities, such as field trips, as a gifted service, while other districts provide gifted students instruction from a gifted specialist. 

They noted that the revised ODE model presented by Dr. Cohen includes several improvements.  It eliminates the confusing single opportunity index and replaces it with a point system; incorporates the grade bands; and requires that effort and result in achievement must be present for an indicator to be met.

They also identified the following concerns:

•The Ohio Achievement Assessment (OAA) and Ohio Graduation Test (OGT), which are administered in grades 4-8 and grade 10, are not sufficient to use to base a measure for gifted education.  The tests are not administered at all grade levels, the cut scores for each performance level are low, and the tests don’t measure above grade level achievement. There is not enough stretch at each achievement level to provide information about the performance of gifted students. In addition, there is no measure for students identified as gifted in the non-test areas.

•The OAGC does not support the use of the gifted performance differential approach proposed by the ODE. 

•The Performance Index (PI) indicator for gifted on the report card is not a good measure of gifted performance. The performance index has a 120 point ceiling which 319 school districts are within five points of reaching.

•The percentage of identified gifted students served, which was removed from the previous draft, should be restored.

•The revised gifted achievement measure doesn’t correlate with the value added measure and the School/District Input Measures.

To address some of the issues, the OAGC recommended the following:

•The Performance Index for gifted education could be replaced by an alternative measure that uses Ohio’s existing assessments, such as normal curve equivalent scores (NCEs) for gifted students on the OAAs. The mean NCE for gifted students or another benchmark, such as at or above the 90th percentile, could become a benchmark without a comparison to the general population.

•Changes should be made in the proposed School/District Input Measures to better recognize identification and services at all grade levels.

•Selected measures from the gifted education dashboard, which the ODE was developing, could also be used as the basis for developing indicators for gifted education programs. The State Board could, for example, determine an indicator and benchmark for each of the components of the proposed dashboard and establish an overall benchmark for meeting the selected dashboard indicators. 

As an alternative, a point system, similar to the one proposed by the ODE for the Schools/District Input Measure, could be developed that weighted measures of higher priority. 

The OAGC proposes that the gifted dashboard include the following elements:

-Screening, Identification, and Service:  Information about the percent of students by grade band, area (Superior Cognitive Ability/Specific Academic and Creative Thinking/Visual Performing Arts), and demographics that are being screened, identified, and served should be reported. 

-Value Added:  The OAGC believes that value added is one of the strongest measures, and would like to expand the use of value added for gifted students for high school, when available.

-Achievement:  Some of the information regarding student achievement that could be reported include the percent of superior cognitive and/or specific academic identified students scoring at or above the 90th NCE on state assessments by grade level, or a benchmark for mean NCE of this group by grade level; the percent of students participating and receiving college credit for Advanced Placement; the mean ACT/SAT composite scores, when available; the percent of superior cognitive and/or specific academic students earning an Honors Diploma; etc.

-Accelerated: The percentage of gifted students academically accelerated, including early entrance and early graduation, by grade level bands K-3, 4-8, 9-12 should also be reported. The ODE will need to develop a standardized definition of “acceleration” due to the confusion in the field about how to code students who are in advanced courses, such as 8th grade Algebra, or compacted courses, such as completing 3 years of math in 2 years. Other accelerated measures could be the percentage of gifted middle school students earning high school credit and the percent of gifted high school students earning college credit.

-Gifted Services, Staffing, and Funding:  Measures about the level of gifted services, staffing, and funding should be included on the dashboard. The public and stakeholders should be able to see how state and local resources are allocated and what results are achieved, so that better decisions about allocating resources can be made.

-Gifted Audits:  The results of recent gifted service audits should also be reported.

After the OAGC presentation State Board member Mike Collins asked how long it would take for the ODE and OAGC to work out a compromise on the gifted indicator.  ODE Assistant Superintendent Tina Thomas-Manning responded by saying that the presentation was the ODE’s recommendation after conversations with the OAGC.

There were also questions about the definition of gifted services, the definition of NCEs, and a concern expressed by Ron Rudduck that the State Board is setting measures and indicators for gifted education when 200 districts are not even serving gifted students.    

Matt Cohen was then asked by Chairman Gunlock to respond to the OAGC’s presentation and recommendations.  Dr. Cohen said that the OAGC’s presentation reflected the discussions that the ODE had with the OAGC, and that he appreciated that.  He said that some of the concerns that the OAGC has, including the lack of value added measures for high school, lack of data for small districts, and the lack of test scores at certain grade levels, are also shared by the ODE. According to Dr. Cohen the OAA and the OGT are reliable tests for their purpose, and consistent for all students.  He disagreed that there is a ceiling effect on the OAA, and said that districts do have room to improve.  Regarding using NCEs, he explained that there is confidence in using the current performance levels (limited, basic, proficient, accelerated, and advanced) for accountability purposes, because the levels are “statically meaningful”.  There would need to be “a lot of confidence that something is much better” to move to using NCEs, and he believed that doing so was “just another complication” that is “unnecessary.” 

Board members Debe Terhar and Mike Collins said that knowing the percent of identified gifted students being served was important and should be included as a measure, but Matt Cohen explained that adding it back into the calculation would not change the results of the indicator. 

Mary Rose Oakar also asked about the overlap between the work of the Accountability Committee, which is developing indicators for gifted services, and the Achievement Committee, which narrowly approved revised gifted operating standards in November 2013.  She suggested that since both committees are addressing issues regarding gifted services they should meet together. Mr. Gunlock replied that he thought the committees are working on different issues. 

Committee chairman Tom Gunlock ended the meeting by saying that he needed some time to consider the information provided by the ODE and OAGC before the committee could move forward with an indicator for gifted education.

In other business, the committee received an update from Joni Hoffmann, ODE’s Director of the Office of Community Schools, about the proposed indicators on the state’s dropout recovery report card.  The committee will be asked in March 2014 to approve two items:  an RFP to select a test and develop a growth measure for dropout recovery schools, and approve overall designations for indicators on the report cards for dropout recovery schools. She reported that 15,000 plus students are currently enrolled in dropout recovery schools, and parents will use the information on the report cards to be able to select the best schools for their children.

State Board Business Meeting February 11, 2014

Report of the Superintendent: In the report to the board Superintendent of Public Instruction Richard Ross discussed state efforts to improve literacy and the importance of Third Grade Reading Guarantee; efforts to prevent students from dropping out of school; calamity days; and how more districts are adopting policies to use blizzard bags.  

Superintendent Ross also announced that the testing window for the Ohio’s Achievement Assessments will be extended from three to four weeks.  The results of the assessments must be reported by June 15, 2014, and the ODE is requesting the legislature to extend the reporting date also.  There will be no changes for the administration of the Ohio Graduation Tests.

Cursive Writing: State Board member Tess Elshoff presented information about the importance of cursive handwriting as background information for a proposed resolution that she later asked the State Board to approve. The resolution recommends that all school districts support cursive writing in their curriculum.

According to the research presented, hand writing skills are essential for the development of literacy skills in young children.  Hand writing helps children build memory, develop fine motor skills, and wires the developing brain for overall literacy skills. The Common Core State Standards do not address handwriting in the standards, and so several states are considering adding it back into the literacy standards.

Berkshire and Newbury Consolidation: Tom Gunlock reported that the Capacity Committee will hold a public hearing regarding the consolidation of the Berkshire and Newbury local school districts on February 18, 2014 at 5:00 PM at the Clark Commons Kent State University in Burton, OH. The hearing will last until public comment has ended, and public comment will be kept open for two weeks following the hearing.  

The State Board of Education received a presentation on January 13, 2014 regarding the proposed consolidation of the Berkshire and Newbury local school districts in Geauga County. The last time that school districts in Ohio consolidated was in 1988. 

According to the Ohio Revised Code there are several ways for school districts to consolidate. The provision that the two school districts have selected to follow, Section 3311.37 ORC, requires the State Board to conduct a study of the proposed merger and adopt a resolution recommending the consolidation.  The resolution needs to be adopted by June 2014, so that the two school districts can place the consolidation issue on the November 2014 ballot for local voters to decide. The General Assembly also has to adopt a concurrent resolution recommending the consolidation.

Public Participation on Public and Non-Agenda Items:  Eric Price from the Exchange Club of Dayton announced that the Exchange is holding a statewide convention about citizenship near Dayton on May 31, 2014. He invited someone from the State Board/ODE to attend the conference and explain Ohio’s plans for promoting citizenship education.

State Board President Debe Terhar recognized Kelly Weir for her years of service at the Ohio Department of Education. Ms. Weir is leaving her ODE position as Executive Director of Legislative Services and Budgetary Planning.

The board took the following actions during their business meeting on February 11, 2014:

#3 Approved a Resolution of Intent to Rescind Rule 3301-24-10 of the Administrative Code Regarding the Alternative Educator License (VOLUME 2, PAGE 8)

#4 Approved a Resolution of Intent to Amend Rule 3301-46-01 of the Administrative Code Entitled Establishing Provisions for Granting Exceptions From Statutory Provisions and Rules as Necessary to Implement Innovative Education Pilot Programs (VOLUME 2, PAGE 12).

#5 Approved a Resolution of Intent to Amend Rule 3301-51-01 of the Administrative Code and to Rescind and Adopt Rule 3301-51-01 of the Administrative Code Entitled Operating Standards for Ohio Educational Agencies Serving Children with Disabilities (VOLUME 2, PAGE 15)

#18 Approved a Motion as amended Regarding the 2014-2015 State Board Meeting Dates (VOLUME 4, PAGE 4) to change the November date back to November 10-11, 2014. 

#19 Approved a Resolution to Appoint John Richard as Assistant State Superintendent of Public Instruction

#20 Approved a Resolution to Approve a Waiver Request from the Columbus City Schools.

#21 Approved a Resolution to Support Instruction in Cursive Writing in the Curriculum. 

6)  Bills Introduced

•HB428 (Anielski) JVS Boards of Education-Terms:  Revises the law regarding terms of office of members of certain joint vocational school district boards of education.

•HB441 (Winburn/Fedor) School District Policies/Violent Behavior:  Regarding school district policies and reports on violent, disruptive, or inappropriate behavior.

•HB443 (Strahorn) School District Policies/Violent Behavior:  Regarding school district policies and reports on violent, disruptive, or inappropriate behavior.

•HB446 (Rogers) Student Safety Act:  Requires the State Board of Education to adopt rules prescribing standards for safety enhancements to new public and nonpublic school facilities, and requires the Ohio School Facilities Commission to revise its construction and design standards to comply with the State Board’s standards.

•HB447 (Lynch) Consolidated School Districts-Loans:  Permits a school district, resulting from the consolidation of two or more school districts that meet specified conditions, to receive a loan from the Ohio School Facilities Commission for the construction of a new facility to support the consolidated district. 

FYI ARTS

1) Phase II of the Arts and Autism in Ohio Research Initiative:  VSA Ohio (VSAO) has issued a Request for Proposals to complete Phase II of the Arts and Autism in Ohio Research Initiative of the Ohio Arts Council. Phase II of the project includes collecting information from Ohioans about their perceptions, needs, and ideas for how the Ohio Arts Council (OAC) can better support people living with the Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). A particular emphasis shall be placed on collecting information from geographic areas beyond the three major urban centers in Ohio, and from a broad range of constituents.

The Ohio Arts Council (OAC) commissioned VSA Ohio (VSAO) to complete Phase I of the project in the fall of 2012. VSAO used three primary data collection methods: an online survey, focus groups, and a review of the literature. Research yielded rich information, themes, and ideas to continue moving the Initiative further. However, due to the limits to the data, additional information is needed.

The primary responsibilities of the project include:

-Utilize the Arts & Autism in Ohio Initiative Phase I Report, provided by VSA Ohio upon selection, to assist with project design and implementation.

-Identify and articulate the appropriate research methodologies for gathering data aimed at answering the research question.

-Identify, articulate, and implement the methodology by which the data will be collected.

-Identify strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats to the research question.

-Identify costs and benefits unanticipated by the Ohio Arts Council and VSA Ohio.

Deliverables include, but are not be limited to, a final report including an introduction that includes background, history, and context, methodology, results, analysis, and conclusions.

The deadline for submitting proposals is Friday, March 7, 2014 at 5:00pm. The award recipient will be notified on March 12, 2014.  The project completion date is May 23, 2014.

Questions about the RFP can be directed to Erin Hoppe, Executive Director, VSA Ohio, 77 South Front Street, 2nd. Floor or ehoppe@vsao.org or 614.241.5325.

2) Opportunities for Young Musicians: The Yamaha Young Performing Artists Program (YYPA) recognizes outstanding young musicians from the world of classical, jazz, and contemporary music through a competition. Applicants must be 18-22 years old at the time of entry, and must be nominated by a university or private teacher, conductor, director, professional performer, music dealer, or community music leader. 

YYPA Finalists are invited to perform at the Music for All Summer Symposium held in late June; receive a recording and photos of the live performance; and participate in workshops designed to launch a professional music career. Finalists also will enjoy many of the privileges of a Yamaha Artist, including services and communication with Yamaha’s Artist Relations department.

Deadline to submit an application is March 31, 2014 at http://usa.yamaha.com/music_education/yypa/

3) NEA Chair Nominated:  President Obama announced last week the nomination of Dr. Jane Chu to be chair of the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA). Currently Dr. Chu is Chief Executive Officer of the Kauffman Center of Kansas City, MO and has been an advocate for artists and arts education in Kansas City.  The previous chair, Rocco Landesman resigned in November 2012. The nomination must be approved by the U.S. Senate.

###

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

Ohio Alliance for Arts Education

Arts on Line Education Update

Joan Platz

February 3, 2014

1)  Ohio News

•130th Ohio General Assembly: Lawmakers are taking it easy this week.  Both the House and Senate will hold committee meetings, but only the Senate will hold a session, and neither the House nor the Senate education committees are meeting.

•Legislative Update:

-The House Education Committee, chaired by Representative Stebelton, reported HB416 (Burkley-Hill) Calamity Days on January 29, 2014.  The fast-tracked bill, introduced just last week, would add four more calamity days to school district calendars, to give schools some flexibility when making decisions about canceling school.  Currently school districts have five calamity days, and several options for making-up the lost instructional time, including online instruction and pre-distributed “blizzard bags”.  But many school districts have already used their five days.  The bill was amended to allow school districts to make-up the lost time by adding 30 minutes to the school day.

-The Ohio Senate approved SB227 (Beagle) Ohio Internship and Co-Op Appreciation Day.  The bill would designate the second Tuesday in April as “Ohio Internship and Co-Op Appreciation Day,” to recognize the importance of internship and co-op programs and promote awareness of them. 

-The Ohio House approved HB113 (Henne-Antonio), which would allow school districts to add students on school-sponsored club sports teams to those who can opt out of physical education classes. 

-The Ohio House also approved HCR46 (Batchelder) Constitutional Amendments, which would delegate to the President of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives, authority to designate groups of members to prepare arguments for and against amendments to the Ohio Constitution proposed by the General Assembly.

•Blended Learning Network Formed in Ohio: Cincinnati-based Smarter Schools, Andy Benson executive director, announced on January 24, 2014 that it will be working with thirteen schools and districts in Ohio to create the Ohio Blended Learning Network. The network will be led by Mentor Public Schools Superintendent Matthew Miller, and will receive technical support from Education Elements, a California-based company.  

The Ohio Blended Learning Network will develop a model for combining classroom and online learning, and will also create a blended learning credential for educators who learn to use the technique effectively in their classrooms. Other members of the network include Reynoldsburg City Schools, Hilliard City Schools, KIPP Columbus, Lancaster City Schools, Lorain City Schools, Middletown City Schools, Milford Exempted Village Schools, Pickerington Local Schools, Nordonia Hills Local Schools, Northwest Local Schools, Valley View Local Schools, and Stepstone Academy.                            

Information about the network is available at http://nebula.wsimg.com/6c5b5541ab9196d4eea596880a17dba0?AccessKeyId=76EFDD77703ACB930FCD&disposition=0&alloworigin=1

•Schools Receive Casino Tax Revenue:  The Ohio Department of Taxation distributed to schools and school districts on January 31, 2014 revenue raised by taxing Ohio’s casinos. The four casinos in Ohio, Cleveland, Toledo, Columbus, and Cincinnati, were established in 2010 by the 128th General Assembly through HB519.  Tax revenue raised from the casinos is distributed through the Casino Tax Revenue Fund to counties, cities, schools, and school districts; the host city; the Casino Control Commission; the Ohio State Racing Commission; the Law Enforcement Training Fund; and the Problem Casino Gambling and Addition Fund. 

Money from the Gross Casino Revenue County Student Fund is distributed to all schools and school districts in Ohio based upon student population as certified by the Ohio Department of Education. Money is remitted directly to schools and school districts twice a year, by January 31st and August 31st.

Schools received in January 2014 a total $47.2 million which is slightly higher than the $45.4 million received in August 2013.  

Columbus City Schools received the most casino revenue, $1.29 million, and schools in Franklin County overall received the most revenue $4.87 million. The Cleveland Metropolitan School District received $976,259; Cincinnati received $824,377; Akron received $561,081; Toledo received $561,661; Dayton received $354,574; Canton received $241,882; and Youngstown received $134,520.

Charter schools also received casino revenue funds.  The charter schools receiving the most revenue from casinos are the Electronic Classroom of Tomorrow, $354,309, and Ohio Virtual Academy, $344,314. 

Information about the Casino Revenue Fund is available at 

http://www.tax.ohio.gov/government/casino.aspx

2)  National News

•State of the Union:  President Barack Obama outlined his administration’s legislative and policy priorities for 2014 on January 28, 2014 during the annual State of the Union address. The President said that his administration is offering a “...set of concrete, practical proposals to speed up growth, strengthen the middle class and build new ladders of opportunity into the middle class.”  He said that he is eager to work with all members of Congress, but if necessary, “...wherever and whenever I can take steps without legislation to expand opportunity for more American families, that’s what I’m going to do.”

The President urged lawmakers to take action on tax code reform to close loopholes and lower rates for businesses; create more hubs for high tech manufacturing; pass a patent reform bill; support renewable and clean energy; pass an immigration act; restore unemployment insurance for 1.6 million Americans; reform unemployment insurance; support efforts to increase pay equity; increase the minimum wage; establish a new retirement savings program; strengthen the Voting Rights Act; bring the troops home; and more.

Many of the President’s recommendations for education focused on higher education and preparing students for careers.  These include efforts to reduce inequity in access to higher education; making better connections between workforce training programs and meeting employers needs; supporting more on-the-job training and apprenticeships; connecting community colleges with companies to design better training programs; connecting more schools to high-speed broadband; redesigning high schools so that students have training that lead directly to a job or career; making college more affordable; and helping more students trapped by student loans. 

Once again the President urged Congress to help states make high-quality pre-K available to every 4-year-old. He said, “So just as we worked with states to reform our schools, this year we’ll invest in new partnerships with states and communities across the country in a race to the top for our youngest children. And as Congress decides what it’s going to do, I’m going to pull together a coalition of elected officials, business leaders, and philanthropists willing to help more kids access the high-quality pre-K that they need. It is right for America. We need to get this done.”

The speech is available at http://www.whitehouse.gov/sotu

•PreK Hearings Set in U.S. House and Senate:  The U.S. House and Senate committees that focus on education will hold hearings on early childhood education next week. 

The House Education and Workforce Committee, chaired by Congressman John Kline, will hold a hearing on “The Foundation for Success: Discussing Early Childhood Education and Care in America” on February 5, 2014, “witnesses to be announced”.

The Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee, chaired by Tom Harkin, will hear testimony on “Supporting Children and Families through Investments in High-Quality Early Education”.  Last year Senator Harkin introduced the Strong Start for America’s Children Act, which would increase federal support for early childhood education.

•Connecticut Leaders Want to Delay Reforms: The Hartford Courier reported last week that Connecticut Governor Dannel P. Malloy sent a letter on January 28, 2014 to Connecticut’s Performance Evaluation Advisory Council to ask the council to delay linking a teacher’s performance rating with students’ standardized test scores and make other changes. The council reports to the State Board of Education, which will make the final decision.  Governor Malloy also said that he would appoint a working group to make changes in the implementation of the new Common Core State Standards and suspend a $1 million marketing campaign for the Common Core. The letter was also signed by Lt. Governor Nancy Wyman, House Speaker Brendan Sharkey, and Senate President Donald E. Williams. In the letter the governor cited the “confluence” of changes in schools that could affect the ability of teachers to be effective in the classroom, and students to be successful.  

See “Common Core Push-Back” by Kathleen Megan, The Hartford Courant, January 29, 2014

http://www.courant.com/news/connecticut/hc-common-core-push-back-0128-20140128,0,4058443.story

•NY Union Board Withdraws Support for CCSS:  The Board of Directors of the New York State United Teachers approved on January 25, 2014 a resolution stating that it had “no confidence” in the policies of State Education Commissioner John King, Jr., and called for his removal. The resolution withdraws support for the Common Core State Standards as “implemented and interpreted” by the New York State Department of Education, until the education department “...makes major course corrections to its failed implementation plans and supports a three-year moratorium on high-stakes consequences from standardized testing.”  The board approved resolution must now be approved by the union’s Representative Assembly, which meets in April in New York City.  The union represents more than 600,000 teachers in New York State, and is affiliated with the American Federation of Teachers, Randi Weingarten president.

The resolution requests the following:

-Completion of all modules, or lessons, aligned with the Common Core and time for educators to review them to ensure they are grade-level appropriate and aligned with classroom practice

-Better engagement with parents, including listening to their concerns about their children’s needs

-Additional tools, professional development and resources for teachers to address the needs of diverse learners, including students with disabilities and English language learners

-Full transparency in state testing, including the release of all test questions, so teachers can use them in improving instruction

-Postponement of Common Core Regents exams as a graduation requirement

-The funding necessary to ensure all students have an equal opportunity to achieve the Common Core standards.  The proposed Executive Budget would leave nearly 70 percent of the state’s school districts with less state aid in 2014-15 than they had in 2009-10; and

-A moratorium, or delay, in the high-stakes consequences for students and teachers from standardized testing to give the State Education Department - and school districts - more time to correctly implement the Common Core.

Information is available at 

http://www.nysut.org/news/2014/january/nysut-board-approves-no-confidence-resolution

•Colorado Teachers File Lawsuit Over Teacher Dismissals:  The Colorado Education Association (CEA) announced on January 29, 2014 that it had filed a lawsuit on behalf of the Denver Classroom Teachers Association over the firing of 100 teachers by the Denver Public Schools. Colorado approved in 2010 a new law, SB-191, which established a new teacher evaluation program.  The CEA still supports the new teacher evaluation program, but opposes the process used by the Denver Public Schools to fire up to 100 teachers without a mandated hearing or due process, which violates Colorado’s Teacher Employment, Compensation, and Dismissal Act. 

See “CEA announces legal, legislative action to keep quality, experienced teachers in classrooms” by Mike Wetzel, January 29, 2014 at http://www.coloradoea.org/ 

•Kentucky Withdraws From PARCC:  Catherine Gewertz reported last week for Education Weeks’ Curriculum Matters Blog that Kentucky Governor Steven L. Geshear, Education Commissioner Terry Holliday, and State Board President Roger L. Marcum sent a letter withdrawing from the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC), one of the two consortia developing assessments for the Common Core State Standards. Kentucky is still committed to implementing the Common Core State Standards, but will issue a request for proposals to develop assessments aligned to the standards.  PARCC will be able to bid for the contract along with other vendors. There are now 18 states and the District of Columbia participating in PARCC, and 21 states and the Virgin Islands participating with the other consortia, Smarter Balanced Assessment, to develop the CCSS aligned assessments. 

See “Kentucky Withdraws From PARCC Testing Consortium” by Catherine Gewertz, Education Week’s Curriculum Matters Blog, January 31, 2014 at http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/curriculum/2014/01/kentucky_withdraws_from_parcc_.html.

•Another Federal Voucher Plan Introduced:  U.S. Senator Lamar Alexander (R) from Tennessee introduced on January 28, 2014 in the U.S. Senate the Scholarships for Kids Act, which he described as a “...real answer to inequality in America:  giving more children more opportunity to attend better schools.” 

The legislation would allow states to redirect $24 billion in federal education funds into scholarships for approximately 11 million disadvantaged students.  The scholarships, which would be around $2100 per student, could be used to pay tuition at private or public schools, and pay for extra curricular activities, enrichment, home-schooling, tutoring, etc. Approximately 41 percent of federal funds now spent on K-12 education programs would be re-distributed to support this scholarship program.

Another voucher plan, The Choice Act, introduced by Senator Tim Scott (R) from South Carolina, would redirect federal funds for students with disabilities to a scholarship program.  Approximately sic million students would be able to use federal funds to pay for tuition at public and private schools. 

Information about the voucher plan proposed by Senator Alexander is available at

http://www.alexander.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?p=PressReleases

3)  Report About State Government Expenditures for Education Released:  The U.S. Census Bureau’s State Government Finances Summary Report 2012 provides a comprehensive summary of state government finances based on an annual survey.  The report includes information about state revenue by source; expenditures by object and function; indebtedness by long-term or short-term debt; and assets by purpose and type of assets. 

According to the report, which covers fiscal years that ended between July 1, 2011 and June 30, 2012, state government revenue totaled $1.62 trillion in 2012.  This was a decrease of 1.8 percent from 2011.  

State government general expenditures in 2012 totaled $1.64 trillion.  This was a decrease of .5 percent from 2011. Expenditures for education and public welfare were 35.8 percent and 29.7 percent of total state expenditures.  

Cash and investment holdings for states totaled $3.6 trillion.  The largest portion of these assets, $2.4 trillion (65.5 percent), was held in state government-employee retirement systems.

Ohio’s general expenditure for 2011 was $60.2 billion and for 2012 $58.8 billion, which represents a decrease of 2.3 percent.  Ohio’s decrease was more than the national average of .5 percent.

State expenditures for education are the single largest functional activity of state governments, totaling $588.7 billion in 2012. State expenditures for education in 2012 dropped by .7 percent from $592.8 billion in 2011.  

Expenditures for education in Ohio decreased 6 percent from $22.4 billion in FY11 to $21.06 billion in FY12. There were 18 states that reported decreases in education expenditures, with Florida reporting the largest decrease of 7.7 percent.

See “State Government Finances Summary Report: 2012” January 23, 2014, by Cheryl H. Lee, Robert Jesse Willhide, and Edwin Pome, U.S. Census Bureau at http://www2.census.gov/govs/state/12statesummaryreport.pdf

4) Early Reading Matters:  The latest report from the Annie E. Casey Foundation focuses on reading proficiency in the early grades. The report, entitled Early Reading Proficiency in the United States, Data Snapshot Kids Count, January 2014, provides an update on fourth grade reading proficiency rates for each state based on the National Assessment of Education Progress (NAEP) data.  

According to the report, “Children who read proficiently by the end of third grade are more likely to graduate from high school and to be economically successful in adulthood.” 

However, the latest data show that 80 percent of low-income fourth graders and 66 percent of all fourth graders are not proficient in reading, and some children, including those living in poverty, learning English, or in a certain ethnic or racial group, continue to fall behind. 

The gap in reading proficiency for children from high and low income families is highest in Connecticut, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Illinois. The following are the percentages of fourth grade students not proficient in reading based on NAEP standards: 

-African American, 83 percent 

-Hispanic students, 81 percent 

-American Indian, 78 percent 

-White students, 55 percent 

-Asian/Pacific Islander 49 percent

-Dual language learners 93 percent, 

-Children with disabilities, 89 percent.

The report notes that the percent of students reading at the proficient level in the fourth grade varies significantly by state.  For Ohio 63 percent of all fourth grade students were reading below the proficient level; 80 percent of low income students were reading below the proficient level; and 48 percent of higher income students were reading below the proficient level.

Massachusetts, Maryland, Virginia, Connecticut, Minnesota, Vermont, New Jersey, New Hampshire, and Colorado had the highest rates of fourth graders proficient in reading. 

See Early Reading Proficiency in the United States, Data Snapshot Kids Count, Annie E. Casey Foundation, January 2014, at http://www.aecf.org/~/media/Pubs/Initiatives/KIDS%20COUNT/E/EarlyReadingProficiency/EarlyReadingProficiency2014.pdf

Please note:  Achievement levels for the National Assessment of Educational Progress are set by the National Assessment Governing Board based on recommendations from panels of educators and members of the public. The levels, Basic, Proficient, and Advanced, measure what students should know and be able to do at each grade assessed. 

Students at the Basic level demonstrate “...partial mastery of prerequisite knowledge and skills that are fundamental for proficient work at each grade assessed. NAEP also reports the proportion of students whose scores place them below the Basic achievement level.”

Students at the Proficient level demonstrate “...solid academic performance for each grade assessed. Students reaching this level have demonstrated competency over challenging subject matter, including subject-matter knowledge, application of such knowledge to real-world situations, and analytical skills appropriate to the subject matter.”

Students at the Basic level demonstrate “...partial mastery of prerequisite knowledge and skills that are fundamental for proficient work at each grade assessed. NAEP also reports the proportion of students whose scores place them below the Basic achievement level.

Students at the Advanced level demonstrate “superior performance”.

See http://nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/glossary.aspx?nav=y

5)  Education Week’s Series Focuses on the Impact of Poverty on Students:  Education Week is publishing over the next 18 months a series of articles that will examine the impact of poverty on the lives of children.  The series is entitled War on Poverty:  Progress & Persistent Inequity, and will review the progress made to reduce poverty through the federal War on Poverty, which was initiated over fifty years ago.

The first article in the series, Analysis Points to Growth in Per-Pupil Spending—and Disparities by Andrew Ujifusa and Michele McNeil, describes the disparities in school funding among the states, and the theories behind the disparities.  According to the article, spending and the disparities in spending on K-12 education have “skyrocketed” over the past 50 years since the War on Poverty began.  In 2009-10 the average amount of spending on a K-12 student ranged from $20,000 in the District of Columbia to $6,000 in Utah. The authors write, 

“Some advocates say the gaps show that many state governments continue to neglect their responsibility to provide low-income students with a high-quality education, thus subverting the War on Poverty’s prime purpose.”

“Others, however, argue that the disparities aren’t crucial, since the rising spending hasn’t translated broadly to significantly higher student achievement, and that it is more important to ask how states are spending their money on education. Cost-of-living differences between regions and resulting salary variations might also explain some of the disparities.”

According to school funding experts, the rise in K-12 per pupil spending can be explained by increases in federal and state mandates, such as educating students with disabilities, and targeting more resources to low-income students. But, one expert interviewed for the article, David Sciarra, executive director of the Education Law Center in New Jersey, says that, ‘The amount of funding that schools have within states to support their needs remains, by and large across the country, irrational.’ He goes on to say, ‘Many states continue to resist doing the work of connecting their school finance formula, [and] their school funding, to the actual cost of delivering rigorous standards to give all kids the chance to achieve those standards.’

To counter that argument, the authors also interviewed Eric A. Hanushek, at the Hoover Institute at Stanford University.  He counters that even though states have increased spending on K-12 education student achievement has not increased. 

See Analysis Points to Growth in Per-Pupil Spending—and Disparities by Andrew Ujifusa and Michele McNeil, Education Week, January 22, 2014 at 

http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2014/01/22/18wop-states.h33.html?tkn=WXQFG9JNpdeHsDE%2Fbuyvixy46a2HdGAoYyAs&cmp=ENL-EU-NEWS2

6)  Bills Introduced:

•SB269 (Brown) Calamity Days Increase:  Permits state payments to school districts, STEM schools, and community schools that exceed, by up to three days, the number of permitted “calamity” days in the 2013-2014 school year and declares an emergency.

•HB416 (Burkley/Hill) Calamity Days Increase: Permits payment in fiscal year 2015 to school districts and STEM schools that exceed, by up to four days, the number of permitted “calamity” days in fiscal year 2014 and declares an emergency.

FYI ARTS

1) Ohio Arts Council:  Governor Kasich appointed last week Jon D. Holt of Dayton (Montgomery County) to the Ohio Arts Council for a term beginning January 30, 2014 and ending July 1, 2017. 

2) Connections Between the Arts and Science:  Lisa Yokana writes for ASCD Express about how learning in the arts helps students develop skills and competencies to be better scientists. She says, “Through the arts students learn to observe, visualize, manipulate materials, and develop the creative confidence to imagine new possibilities. These skills and competencies are also essential to scientific thinking and provide a strong argument for transforming STEM education by integrating the arts.”

According to the article, an education in the arts teaches students many skills that scientists also need.  It teaches student to become more accurate observers; conceptualize solutions to problems; think spatially; strive to understand how things work; understand that there is more than one solution to a problem; persevere; take chances, and fail sometimes.

Arts education also emphasizes following a process, including brain-storming, experimenting, testing, and collaborating, to define a problem and design a solution.  

The author writes, “The ‘maker movement,’ sparked by Make Magazine’s Dale Dougherty, believes that schools and communities need to embrace making, combining technology and the arts to allow people of all ages to collaborate and explore design issues. When students can observe, visualize, and manipulate materials, they develop creative confidence and the resilience to persevere within the creative process. These skills and habits of mind are a bridge that connects the arts and STEM subjects and can fuel the innovation so desperately needed to address real-world challenges. The arts not only support scientific thinking but also expand and transform traditional STEM curriculum to invite deeper observation, imagining, and revision.”

See “The Art of Thinking Like A Scientist” by Lisa Yokana, ASCD Express, January 30, 2014 at

http://www.ascd.org/ascd-express/vol9/909-yokana.aspx?utm_source=ascdexpress&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=express909

3) New Jersey’s School Reports Include the Arts: Liana Heitin reports for Education Week’s Curriculum Matters Blog that New Jersey’s School Performance Reports now include metrics about arts education.  The New Jersey Department of Education announced on January 29, 2014 that the latest reports now show the percentage of a school’s population enrolled in the arts, and the percentage of high school students enrolled in specific arts disciplines, such dance, music, theater, and visual art.  The school-level data on visual and performing arts in New Jersey’s high schools is located within the “college and career readiness” section of the New Jersey School Performance Reports. Students in New Jersey are required to take at least one visual or performing arts class to graduate.  According to the 2012-13 report card, 47.7 percent of New Jersey high school students took courses in the arts.  This rate is almost double the percent expected to be enrolled if students took only one course in four years of high school. The data also shows that thirty percent of students took courses in visual art, and 16 percent of students took courses in music.

•Update on Ohio:  Section 3302.034 of the Ohio Revised Code requires that the availability of courses in the fine arts be reported on the report card separately for each school district, building, each community school, STEM school, and college preparatory boarding school. This provision was included in HB555, signed into law in December 2012, 129th General Assembly.  The Ohio Department of Education is currently developing those measures, and has asked the Ohio Alliance for Arts Education to provide input. The OAAE has initially recommended the following data be reported about arts education programs in Ohio’s schools: 

-The arts courses taught (based on the course codes)

-The grade levels at which the courses are taught

-The number of students enrolled in the courses

-The percent of students taking the course compared to grade level enrollment 

-The percent of students according to student groups taking arts courses.  Student groups include students with disabilities, learning English, disadvantaged, African American, Hispanic, white, etc.   

-The percent of students who graduate meeting the requirement in the arts (two semesters or the equivalent in any grade 7-12)

-The percent of students who graduate with credits in the arts

-The average number of credits in the arts students earn

See “New Jersey Adds Arts to School-Performance Reports” by Liana Heitin, Education Week Curriculum Matters Blog, January 31, 2014 at http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/curriculum/2014/01/new_jersey_adds_arts_to_school.html 

The New Jersey School Performance Reports are available at

http://education.state.nj.us/pr/

4) President Disses Art History Majors:  The Washington Post reports that art history majors are disagreeing with President Obama and his remarks about those in manufacturing jobs earning more than art history majors.  The President was speaking at a GE plant in Wisconsin on January 30, 2014 about bringing back more manufacturing jobs, and said that Americans could probably earn more in manufacturing than if they had a degree in art history.  However, the Washington Post reported that about 6 percent of the one percent of the richest Americans majored in art history in college. After making the remark the President immediately added that he “loved” art history.

See “We know what President Obama thinks of art history majors.  But what do they think of him?” by Jaime Fuller, Washington Post, January 30, 2014 at

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/the-fix/wp/2014/01/30/but-what-do-the-art-history-majors-think-of-president-obama/

### 

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