Ohio Alliance for Arts Education

 

Arts On Line Education Update

November 19, 2012

Joan Platz

 

1)  Ohio News

 

•Election News: The U.S. Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals granted on November 16, 2012 a motion to temporarily stop an order issued by U.S. District Judge Algenon Marbley requiring boards of elections to count provisional ballots even if they do not include accurate voter identification information on the affirmation form.  

 

Secretary of State Jon Husted appealed the order which stems from the enforcement of the decision in Northeast Ohio Coalition for the Homeless (NEOCH) v. Husted. Plaintiffs filed a motion seeking the ruling in response to a directive issued by Secretary of State Jon Husted days before the November 6, 2012 election.  

 

According to Judge Marbley’s order, the Secretary of State’s directive violates Ohio Law and a 2010 federal consent decree, because it directed county boards of elections to task voters, rather than poll workers, to record the type of identification that voters presented to vote.  This task, according to Ohio law, is the responsibility of the poll worker. The Judge’s order directs county boards of elections to count provisional ballots cast if the affirmation form includes the last four digits of the voters Social Security number, unless it can be proven that a poll worker recorded on that form that a voter must return to a county board of elections with proper identification, what identification must be presented at the county board, and that the voter did not go to the board within 10 days of the election.

 

A three-judge panel of the U.S. Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals, however, found that poll workers use a separate “verification statement” to verify voter identification, and Judge Marbley’s order changes the rules by which provisional voters affirm their identification. The order is available at http://moritzlaw.osu.edu/electionlaw/litigation/documents/StayGranted.pdf.

 

•College Affordability Website:  The Ohio Board of Regents has developed a new website called OhioMeansSuccess.org that includes several online tools to help students find affordable and efficient higher education opportunities that will lead to a degree.  The website provides information about comparing college costs; transferring credits between state colleges, universities, and career-technical centers for more than 60 degree programs; obtaining financial aid; and how veterans can use their military training and experience to obtain college credit. 

 

The website is part of the Board of Regents “Complete College Ohio Initiative,” to graduate more students and encourage them to remain in Ohio.  According to Board of Regents Chancellor Jim Petro, currently 26 percent of Ohioans have a bachelor’s degree compared to 31 percent nationally. The website is available at http://www.ohiomeanssuccess.org. 

 

•Senate Democrats Elect Leadership:  Democrats in the Ohio Senate re-elected Senator Eric Kearney as minority leader; Senator Joe Schiavoni (D-Youngstown), assistant minority leader; Senator Nina Turner (D-Cleveland), minority whip; and Senator Edna Brown (D-Toledo), assistant minority whip. The leadership team will serve in the 130th General Assembly beginning in January 2013.

 

•OLBC Elects Leadership:  The Ohio Legislative Black Caucus (OLBC) elected Representative Alicia Reece (D-Cincinnati) president for the 130th General Assembly.  Also elected are Senator Edna Brown first vice president (D-Toledo); Representative Roland Winburn (D-Dayton) second vice president and treasurer; Representative Dale Mallory (D-Akron) secretary; and Representative Vern Sykes (D-Akron) sergeant-at-arms. The leadership team will serve in the 130th General Assembly beginning in January 2013.

 

•Tool Kit Available to Increase Efficiency:  Rick Lewis, Executive Director of the Ohio School Boards Association and Randy Cole, President of the State Controlling Board, announced last week an online tool kit that will help schools/districts reduce costs and become more cost effective.  The tool kit includes examples of shared services and business practices that school districts are using to become more effective with tax dollars. The tool kit is available at http://beyondboundaries.ohio.gov/toolkit.aspx. 

 

2)  National News:

 

•Lame Duck Session/Effect on Education:  Members of Congress returned to Washington, D.C. last week to tackle the pending 8 percent across the board reductions in funding for some federal programs on January 2, 2013; the repeal of tax cuts initiated under President George W. Bush; and the end of the temporary reduction in Social Security payroll taxes and the Alternative Minimum Tax. The culmination of these events is referred to as the “fiscal cliff.”  

 

Across the board cuts in discretionary federal programs, also known as sequestration, are set to go into effect on January 2, 2012 as a result of a deal made last year through the Budget Control Act of 2011, to reduce federal spending by $1.2 trillion over 10 years. The deal was made after Congress and President Obama were not able to agree on recommendations to reduce the deficit proposed by a joint committee of Congress, and instead postponed action until January 2013.  Budget cuts will not be made in several programs, including Social Security, school lunch, the Children’s Health Insurance Program, and Pell Grants. 

 

Just a reminder, the U.S. Department of Education has identified $3.5 billion of its budget that could be affected by sequestration. The FY2014-15 biennial budget proposed by the State Board of Education includes over $3 billion in federal funds for Ohio’s schools. If Congress does not reach an agreement on the federal budget by January 2, 2013, Ohio’s schools could see significant declines in funding for federal programs, such as Title 1, special education, school improvement, Head Start, etc. The effect on local school district budgets could lead to more cuts in music and arts programs, as school districts re-distribute funds to compensate mandated programs for the loss in federal funds. 

 

•Ohio Congresswomen to Lead Congressional Black Caucus:  U.S. Representative Marcia Fudge (D-Warrensville Heights) was selected last week to chair the Congressional Black Caucus during the 113th Congress. The Caucus also unanimously elected G.K. Butterfield (NC-01) to serve as First Vice Chair, Yvette Clarke (NY-11) as Second Vice Chair, Representative André Carson (IN-07) as Secretary, and Representative Karen Bass (CA-33) as Whip.  Currently the caucus has 43 members, and advocates for jobs, equal access to health care and educational opportunities, balancing the federal budget in a fair and fiscally responsible way, etc. A press release is available at http://thecongressionalblackcaucus.com/2012/11/14/congressional-black-caucus-announces-marcia-fudge-as-cbc-chair-of-the-113th-congress/

 

3) Sub. HB555 Includes New School Accountability System and More: The House Education Committee, chaired by Representative Stebelton, accepted on November 13, 2012 a substitute bill for HB555 (Stebelton).

 

The bill includes a new A-F rating system for districts/schools that will be presented in a new

“dashboard-style” report card that includes indicators for student achievement, student progress, achievement gap closure, graduation rates, K-3 literacy, and college-career readiness. 

 

The new report card would be phased in over school years 2012-13 and 2013-14 to accommodate the transition to the new and more rigorous Common Core standards and aligned assessments. Schools/districts would receive separate grades for individual components of the dashboard for two years and a composite A-F grade starting in 2014-15.

 

A separate report card for drop-out recovery schools would also be develop based on graduation rates with four-, five-, six-, seven- and eight-year graduation cohorts; test passage rates, student progress, and gap closing using the Annual Measurable Objective standard.

 

The bill also includes criteria to evaluate and rate community school sponsors based on student performance, quality practices, and compliance with laws and rules.

 

Changes are also being proposed for the current Ohio Accountability Task Force, which would become the Ohio Accountability Advisory Committee.

  

The committee is expected to consider amendments to the bill following the Thanksgiving break. An analysis of the substitute bill is available at http://www.lsc.state.oh.us/analyses129/h0555-i-129.pdf.

 

4)  State Board of Education Meeting

 

The State Board of Education, Debe Terhar President, met on November 11, 12, and 13, 2012 in Columbus and at the Ohio School Boards Association annual meeting. The following are highlights of the meeting.

 

Executive Committee:  The Executive Committee, chaired by President Terhar, met with representatives from Ray & Associates on November 11, 2012 to discuss the timeline for the State Board to hire a new superintendent.  The current plan is to have a permanent superintendent in place by March 2013.  The committee also discussed new rules for notifying the public about meetings of the State Board.

 

Update on Race to the Top:  Maggie Niedzwiecki, Director of Ohio’s Race to the Top (RttT) initiative, and two guests, Marlene North, Superintendent and K-6 principal at North Baltimore Local Schools, and Dr. Mary Jo Scalzo, Superintendent of Oakwood City Schools, presented an overview of the progress that schools and districts have been making as participants complete the second year of Ohio’s federal RttT grant program. In December the U.S. Department of Education will publish a report analyzing Ohio’s progress in meeting the goals in Ohio’s Race to the Top grant. Ohio’s Race to the Top grant proposal includes five over arching goals:

-Increase high school graduation rates by .5 percent per year

-Reduce graduation rate gaps by 50 percent

-Reduce performance gaps by 50 percent

-Reduce the gap between Ohio and the best-performing states in the nation by 50 percent

-More than double the increase in college enrollment for 18 and 19 year olds

 

In addition to working with participating schools and districts, Ohio’s Race to the Top initiative has made available to all Ohio schools and districts important findings and resources.  For example, the November 1-2, 2012 statewide education conference was supported by the Race to the Top grant, and a number of presenters highlighted what has been learned through the initiative so far. 

 

To achieve the goals, Ohio’s RttT initiative has developed a number of strategies and initiatives, referred to as Paths to Success, that support the work of RttT schools and districts, and direct the work of the Ohio Department of Education (ODE). These strategies include Learning New Standards - Common Core, Educator Evaluation, Value Added, Formative Instructional Practices (FIP), grants and awards, turning around the lowest achieving schools, and support for schools/districts (Local Education Associations - LEAs).

 

Ms. Niedzwiecki was pleased to share with the State Board that Ohio’s schools/districts have already met one of the goals of the initiative and have increased the graduation rate by .5 percent per year. In 2010 Ohio’s graduation rate was 78 percent, but in 2011 it had increased to 79.7 percent, which is even higher than the goal of 79.6 percent.

 

To support professional development for teaching the new Common Core and revised Ohio standards the ODE has trained 147 regional education personnel and 100 content specific specialists.  The rigor of the new Common Core standards and Ohio’s revised standards in science and social studies will require students to demonstrate deeper knowledge and understanding of the content in order to be successful. The ODE has also been working with the Ohio Board of Regents to align college and career readiness standards to the entrance requirements of Ohio’s institutions of higher education.

 

One of the most expansive projects of the Race to the Top initiative has been the development of new evaluations for teachers and principals. The framework for Ohio’s Teacher Education System (OTES) has been piloted within 136 LEAs and the ODE has trained over 3000 credentialed evaluators in the state. Individual districts are developing their own systems with the involvement of teachers.  

 

In June 2012 the ODE met its target of generating value-added reports for eligible teachers in 60 percent of LEAs statewide (representing 100 percent of eligible teachers in all RttT LEAs) for SY 2011-2012, and is now moving forward with activities to expand value-added report awareness and accessibility. 

 

Working with Battelle for Kids the ODE is supporting implementation of formative instructional practices (FIP) to all RttT participating LEAs.  FIP services include 56 customized web-based English language arts, mathematics, science, and social studies modules for grades pre-K-12; formative instructional awareness professional development sessions; and online training modules for LEAs. 

 

RttT has also awarded thirty competitive grants to participating LEAs to create and implement innovative models for school reform. The ODE has designed mini-competitive grants for LEAs to develop additional growth measures. Through a contract with Battelle for Kids, the ODE has awarded grants in 2011-2012 to thirteen LEAs in the Ohio Appalachian Collaborative (OAC). In June 2012 the ODE conducted a best practice conference for its persistently lowest achieving schools and early warning schools. The ODE also offered 16 technical assistance sessions to all persistently lowest performing schools. 

 

Ohio’s School Turnaround Leader Program, a training program required for all School Improvement Grant cohort 1 and 2 school principals and assistant principals, graduated its second cohort of 50 principals, resulting in 150 total graduates of the program to date. 

 

To support all LEAs the Ohio Department of Education Ohio held a Statewide Education Evaluation Symposium in May 2012 with more than 2,300 attendees, and in November 2012, Ohio’s Annual Statewide Education Conference had 2,663 attendees (participating and non-participating RttT LEAs). The conference featured over 100 presentations focused on student achievement, best practices, and education reform. 

 

Ms. Niedzwiecki cited several examples of school districts that have been successful in using their Race to the Top grant funds to improve student achievement, and noted that these grants have provided the only support for professional development to many school districts struggling financially.

 

The powerpoint presentation is available at 

http://www.ode.state.oh.us/GD/Templates/Pages/ODE/ODEDetail.aspx?page=3&TopicRelationID=11&ContentID=110651&Content=135963

 

•Update on the Restraint and Seclusion Policy: The Achievement Committee, chaired by Angela Thi Bennett, voted to recommend to the Full Board the adoption of the Restraint and Seclusion Policy at their December 2012 meeting. The Committee received a presentation on the feedback received from the online public review of the draft current Restraint and Seclusion policy and rule and discussed key areas such as training and procedures for the use of restraint and seclusion. The external workgroup associated with the policy’s development will meet again in December to discuss the feedback received and make additional recommendations for the policy. 

 

•Standards for Waivers of the Operating Standards:  The Capacity Committee, chaired by Tom Gunlock, voted to recommend to the Full Board the adoption of Standards for Waivers of the Operating Standards, and requested that ODE develop a guidance document to assist schools and districts in understanding the waiver request process. In HB153, the General Assembly enacted R.C. 3301.07(O), which permits the State Superintendent of Public Instruction to grant waivers of the operating standards in accordance with standards adopted by the State Board of Education. A draft of the proposed standards states the following:

 

“The Superintendent shall work with districts and schools to approve waivers of the Operating Standards where such waivers can be granted to increase the flexibility accorded to a districts or schools without materially detracting from the educational program or affecting student safety. However, a waiver of the Operating Standards cannot be used to waive requirements that are set forth in statute.  Statutory requirements may, however, be subject to waiver under statues such as R.C. 3302.05, 3302.063, or 3302.07, and a district or chartered non-public school may combine a waiver of the Operating Standards with another available waiver or exemption for the purpose of receiving a waiver of requirements that are found in the Operating Standards and in statute.”

 

“To apply for a waiver of the Operating Standards, a board of education or governing authority shall apply to the Superintendent, and describe the nature of the waiver requested and the time period for which the waiver is requested.  No Waiver shall be granted for a period of time to exceed five years.  Prior to approving or disapproving the waiver, the Superintendent may request additional information from the district or school.  The Superintendent shall consider every application for a waiver, and notify the applicant if the waiver has been approved or disapproved.  A board of education or governing authority may apply to renew a waiver granted in accordance with these standards.”

 

•Update on Expenditure Standards pursuant to ORC 3302.20:  The Capacity Committee voted to recommend to the Full Board the adoption of the revised Expenditure Standards. A vote for adoption by the full Board will take place in December. The ODE has been working with a stakeholder work group to revise the expenditure standards formerly approved by the State Board of Education, due to changes in statute. The revisions focus on the alignment of the standards to federal categories as required by SB316.

 

Business Meeting on Tuesday, November 13, 2012

 

Superintendent’s Report:  Acting Superintendent Michael Sawyers presented to the State Board an update on the following topics: 

 

-Audit of State Report:  The investigation of school/district attendance report irregularities being conducted by the Auditor of State David Yost will be completed in mid December 2012, and the final report will be released then.

 

-Early Learning Task Force:  The State Board of Education is required by law to work with the Early Childhood Advisory Council in consultation with the Governor’s Office for 21st Century Learning to develop legislative recommendation for literacy policy from birth through third grade by February 28, 2013.  To facilitate this work a sub group of the State Board of Education’s Early Childhood Task Force and the Task Force on the Third Grade Guarantee will begin work on developing the recommendations. 

 

Public participation on non agenda items: Three individuals addressed the State Board of Education during public participation on non agenda items.

 

-The State Board received testimony from Charlotte Andrist, Ohio Board of Regents, Dyslexia Task Force and International Dyslexia Association, recommending that the State Board of Education adopt the state of Massachusetts’ existing licensure test in reading (Massachusetts Tests for Educator Licensure® (MTEL®) Foundations of Reading (90)) so that Ohio classroom teachers can show that they are qualified to teach reading pursuant to requirements included in the Third Grade Reading Guarantee. 

 

This issue was also raised by Rob Hovis, who requested clarification of the current qualifications to teach reading in Ohio’s schools. Acting Superintendent of Public Instruction Michael Sawyers explained that Ohio teachers with a preK-3 grade license currently have earned at least 12 semester hours in reading.  However, this license does not meet the legislative requirements for teachers to be considered “endorsed in reading”. The K-12 endorsement in reading means that the license holder has completed additional hours of reading instruction or has passed a test in literacy.  The Ohio Department of Education has requested that the General Assembly clarify what “endorsed” means, and is reviewing exams from other states, including Massachusetts, to find other ways for teachers to show that they are qualified to be considered “endorsed” in reading.

 

-Mary Heather Munger, also requested that the State Board of Education adopt the MTEL 90 reading exam to ensure that teachers are properly “endorsed” in reading.

 

-Ida Ross-Freeman, from Canton, Ohio, spoke about how early childhood education prepares students for meeting the Third Grade Guarantee. She warned the State Board about how children are harmed when they are retained, and in many cases African American children are most affected.

 

State Board of Education Actions:  The following is a summary of the resolutions that the State Board of Education considered at their November 13, 2012 meeting:

 

#14. Referred back to the Legislative and Budget Committee:  Resolution concerning early childhood education.  “Resolved, that to the extent the Governor and the General Assembly choose to make additional resources available for K-12 education, such additional revenue be prioritized to fund the expansion of Early Childhood Education, but that no funding for this area be added to the Superintendent of Public Instruction’s recommended biennial budget requests.” 

 

Several State Board members, Deborah Cain, Rob Hovis, Kristen McKinley, Jeff Mims, Ann Jacobs, and Mary Rose Oakar objected to this resolution and urged the State Board to fulfill its Constitutional responsibility to recommend that additional funding be included in the State Board’s FY14-15 Legislative Recommendations. The State currently serves 5000 eligible children in early childhood education programs, but there are potentially 60,000 eligible children that could be served if funding was available.

 

Kristen McKinley proposed an amendment to the Resolution requesting that the Governor and the General Assembly provide additional funding for schools/districts when they require additional mandates, but no action was taken on it.  It was the decision of President Terhar and the Board to refer the resolution back to the Legislative and Budget Committee for reconsideration.

 

#15. Approved.  Resolution concerning technical infrastructure investments. “Resolved, that the $500,000 for school district video conferencing be assumed within the $10 million placeholder for Technical Infrastructure Investments.” 

 

#16. Referred back to the Legislative and Budget Committee:  Resolution concerning the Third Grade Reading Guarantee.  “Resolved, that to the extent the Governor and the General Assembly choose to make additional financial resources available for K-12 education, such additional revenue be prioritized to provide additional funding for the Third Grade Reading Guarantee, but that no funding for this area be added to the Superintendent of Public Instruction’s recommended biennial budget requests.”

 

Kristen McKinley requested that this Resolution also be referred back to the Legislative and Budget Committee, because it raises similar concerns about unfunded mandates as Resolution #14. President Terhar agreed, and referred the resolution back to the Legislative and Budget Committee.  

 

#17. Pulled. Resolution concerning the Ohio Young Farmers Program.  “Resolved, that additional funding is not recommended to be added to the October 1, 2012 Budget Book Scenario submitted to OBM for the Ohio Young Farmers program.”

 

#18. Pulled. Resolution to adopt an amendment to the operator contract with the SEED Foundation.

 

#20. Approved.  Resolution regarding the appointment Mark Hartman, Senior Director of Client Engagement and Ohio Portfolio Manager, Battelle for Kids, and Kathleen Paliokas, Program Director, Interstate Teacher Assessment and Support Consortium (INTASC), Council of Chief State School Officers, to a panel of experts to evaluate the adequacy of the teacher licensure standards of identified states. A third panel member will be appointed in the future.

 

ORC 3319.228 requires the State Board of Education to establish and approve a panel of experts to evaluate the adequacy of the teacher licensure standards of identified states appearing on the list that the Superintendent of Public Instruction was to develop by July 1, 2012. According to statute, the panel of experts is to make recommendations to the State Board no later than April 1, 2013 regarding whether the list should be approved by the Board without changes, or that the specified states should be removed from the list prior to approval. The State Board is to approve a final list of states no later than July 1, 2013. 

 

#21. Approved.  Resolution appointing Tina Thomas-Manning as associate superintendent for the Division of Accountability and Quality Schools. Tina Thomas-Manning most recently served in the Reynoldsburg City Schools. She replaces William Zelei who resigned.

 

#22.  Approved.  Under New Business Rob Hovis introduced a resolution referring to the Legislative and Budget Committee two items: A request for the Legislature to rescind a prohibition of State Board of Education standing committees and a prohibition of members of the State Board of Education to serve on other types of boards and committees, except for those committees and boards that would be in direct conflict with the work of the State Board. 

 

5) Report Analyzes Cuts to Local Governments:  Policy Matters Ohio released on November 13, 2012 a new report entitled Intensifying Impact, State budget cuts deepen pain for Ohio communities by Wendy Patton and Tim Krueger.  The report identifies the amount of funding and services that Ohioans have lost as a result of successive annual cuts to the Local Government Fund and Public Library Fund, and the accelerated phase-out of tax reimbursements to communities for lost revenue from the phased elimination of the public utility tax and the tangible personal property tax.

 

The report and the Policy Matters web site include graphs and Fact Sheets about the amount of funding cuts since 2007 for Ohio’s 88 counties, various cities, school districts, townships, libraries, and special districts in the county, and compiled reports from the media and local officials about how the cuts have affected staffing and services.

 

For example, according to the Fact Sheet for Franklin County, schools and jurisdictions lost $262 million; county health and human services levies lost $37 million over the biennium; Columbus City lost $36 million; Hilliard residents will pay $188 a year for trash services; and public service jobs between 2008 and 2011 declined by almost 4000 in the Columbus metropolitan area.

 

The largest cuts in state aid to local government in the current state budget came from The Local Government Fund (LGF) and tax reimbursements provided to compensate for several local property taxes eliminated as part of tax reductions during the past decade. Losses from these two sources in calendar years 2012-13 total just over a billion dollars, a reduction of nearly half of what was

distributed in 2010-11. Revenue in the local government fund dropped from $663 million in FY2010 to $356 million in FY2013.  Tax reimbursements dropped from $576 million in FY2010 to $133 million in FY2013.

 

The Public Library Fund, another branch of local government funding, was reduced by $15 million in calendar years 2012 and 2013 compared to 2010 and 2011, and lost another $20.8 million as a result of the loss of tax reimbursements to local library levies.

 

The Estate Tax, which affected 8 percent of Ohio estates, was eliminated in the current budget bill as of 2013. The estate tax brought in $419.2 million in 2011, of which $337.5 million (80 percent) went back to communities. This tax supported cities, communities, and townships, based on the wealth of residents.  Some communities depended on this revenue source more than others.  According to the report, on average between 2007 and 2010, Cincinnati received $14.36 million each year from the estate tax; Columbus, $7.41 million, and Cleveland, $3.77 million.

 

According to the report, the impact of the budget reductions affected municipalities, townships, counties, and multi-jurisdictional entities.  Municipalities lost $419 million in 2012-2013 compared to 2010-2011; townships, $116.8 million; and counties, $471.8 million. County health and human services levies (special districts) received $210 million less in tax reimbursements, and multi-jurisdictional or sub-county levies received $70.3 million less for levies. For example, children’s services levies lost $39 million; levies for county health districts lost $32 million; senior levies lost $12 million; and mental health and developmental disabilities levies lost $127 million.

 

The authors of the report note that the reductions in the local government fund have reduced services for seniors, children, recreation, yard and litter waste, mental health and substance abuse treatment, streetlights, road repair, and more; reduced police and fire services; and the reduction in the estate tax, will further erode local public services. Ohio has lost 33,500 jobs in local government since the end of the recession.

 

Hamilton County has cut its budget since 2007 and more cuts are proposed for investigating child abuse; the coroner’s office; the sheriff’s department; the probation department; and the clerks office. Maintenance and repairs of roads and bridges are on-hold in several communities. (Mansfield and Wyoming).  Swimming pools have closed; staff laid off; and services for seniors cut. (Norwood) Police and firefighers are losing their jobs also. (Eastlake) 

 

The authors write that, “The public sector is the platform upon which private wealth, both residential and commercial, is built. How far can we cut it before our common wealth starts to erode. It’s a question that concerns our economy and our quality of life.”

 

The report recommends that “The pending budget offers an opportunity to consider a more balanced approach to rebuilding Ohio’s common wealth and job base. It is time for investment for the future.

 

The report is available at http://www.policymattersohio.org/county-budgets-nov2012. 

 

County fact sheets are at 

http://www.policymattersohio.org/county-links-nov2012. 

 

6) Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About.......: The Center for Community Solutions (CCS) released on November 13, 2012 an analysis of the effects of the Great Recession of 2008; background information about the state of the economy and unemployment; the history of Social Security programs; an analysis of Medicare and Medicaid programs; and the consequences of the “fiscal cliff”. (State Budgeting Matters: Social Policy and the Fiscal Cliff:  Background and Observations by John Begala, CCS executive director, and Joseph Smith) 

 

The Great Recession of 2008 has impacted Americans with the lowest incomes levels the most.  According to the authors 61 million Americans live in households with an average annual income of $11,034 or less.  To get a sense of what this means, these Americans “....outnumber the entire populations of all but 23 of the world’s 195 countries.”

 

Congress and President Obama are meeting in Washington, D.C. for a lame duck session to work-out how to avoid the “fiscal cliff” on January 2, 2013, a situation brought about by a number of factors:  1) the failure of our leaders in 2011 to close the national deficit, and instead, to agree to $1.2 trillion in across the board cuts in discretionary federal programs over ten years, also known as sequestration; 2)  the expiration of reductions in income taxes and Social Security Payroll taxes; 3) the expiration of extended Unemployment Insurance benefits; and 4) the expiration of the Alternative Minimum Tax (AMT).

 

Although support for some health and social service programs are exempted from across the board cuts, the authors believe that, “reductions to other programs would be deep, while leaving unaddressed the long-term financial sustainability of these major programs”.  In addition, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) estimates that the U.S. economy could be put back into recession as a result of the cuts in federal programs and the impact the cuts will have on all segments of the economy.

 

According to the authors “...extensive adjustments are needed to rationalize health and social policy” in the U.S. The number and complexity of federal domestic assistance programs, now over 2,100, has become a barrier to their effectiveness, and Social Security has become much more than a pension system for older adults; “it is the architecture supporting national policies for helping nearly half of all Americans meet their basic needs.”  

 

The authors state that “Long-term changes in the major income support, and health and social service programs, which account for most of the spending, could entail major realignment of spending programs and tax credits, as well as a reorganization of roles in the federal system between the federal government, states and communities.”  And, because public and private segments of the American economy are interdependent at every level, “It is counter-productive to frame policy questions as though they are somehow separable or antithetical.” 

 

The report makes the following recommendations: 

-“A balanced approach to addressing short-term deficit reduction will have to include new revenue. This can be done several ways -- by increasing federal income tax rates, broadening the base of the income tax (reducing tax expenditures/closing loopholes), or accelerating economic growth. It will probably take a combination of all three, mathematically and politically.”  

 

-“In addressing short-term spending cuts, exemptions to sequestration for the major programs comprising social security broadly construed (i.e., the major Social Security Act programs, plus veterans benefits, housing, nutrition, child development and senior services ... along with the EITC), provide supporters of a strong federal role in meeting basic human needs considerable ‘cover.’ Because these include the largest and most important domestic programs, they will have to be included in any alternative to the ‘fiscal cliff.’ Yet, if the current ‘hands-off’ approach to most of them is impossible to sustain, protecting the fundamentals of these programs represents a valid first line of defense and a foundation for reforms aimed at simplifying, stabilizing and sustaining them.” 

 

-“Long-term, revenue questions, such as comprehensive tax reform, might be more politically feasible with the emergency of the ‘fiscal cliff’ so near, or might be ‘kicked down the road.’” However, CCS suggests this should include reducing tax expenditures for special interests and a rethinking of “off budget” programs such as Medicare and OASDI which are supported by their own payroll taxes, albeit inadequately.” 

 

-“Long-term reform of Social Security broadly construed needs to be brought ‘in-bounds’ by the political left, with the aim of adapting it to a different, and evolving, economy. The economies of the 1930s and 1960s, during which the fundamentals of these programs were developed, have given way to globalization, technology, and an increasingly skilled, specialized, and female workforce.” 

 

-“There are constructive ideas from the political right for making social welfare affordable, sustainable, and comprehensible to the general public. In particular, libertarian approaches built more upon respect than concern, trusting that most people acting for themselves will get things right most of the time, offer a path not only to program innovations, but perhaps to a new consensus.”  

  

The authors conclude by saying that fixing the “fiscal cliff” and its complexity will take years of work, but the grassroots work of civic leaders, human service professionals, ‘policy wonks,’ and advocates can have an impact over the long haul “....by engaging elected officials at home where their votes matter”, and helping them to understand the consequences of their actions or inactions.

 

The report is available at 

http://www.communitysolutions.com/associations/13078/files/sbmV8N7FiscalCliffBegala111412_Final.pdf

 

7) Recommendations to Increase College Graduation Released:  The Ohio Board of Regents released on November 13, 2012 a report entitled Complete College Ohio prepared by the Complete College Ohio Task Force. The task force, created by Chancellor Jim Petro, was charged with developing recommendations to increase the percentage of Ohioans with a degree or certificate. 

 

According to the report, “It is well documented that high levels of educational attainment yield substantial economic and noneconomic benefits for individuals and communities. And yet, more than half of all Ohioans who enroll in college fail to earn a degree and often leave with high levels of debt. Additionally, the percentage of Ohio adults with a bachelor’s degree or higher remains in the bottom quartile of states, typically five percentage points below the national average.”

 

To prepare the recommendation, task force members worked in three subgroups that focused on preparing student to be college ready; maximizing the college/career experiences; and ensuring that students complete college. The report includes the following 20 recommendations for policy makers and institutions of higher education, grouped under seven categories:

 

Campus Completion Plans

-Require institutions to develop Campus Completion Plans. This recommendation is the centerpiece of this report. “The Task Force views campus completion plans as an essential institutional commitment

that will drive our collective success in dramatically improving college completion throughout Ohio. We expect each institution to draw heavily from the recommendations and tactical options contained in the report, customized to build on existing institutional strengths and align with institutional mission and priorities. What we seek are focused, impactful, locally driven action plans.”

 

Foundations for Access and Success

-Adopt a consistent, statewide definition of “college and career readiness.”

-Adopt a consistent, comprehensive statewide definition of “college completion” and uniform statewide requirements for common college credentials. 

-Establish stronger collaboration and tighter alignment across the P-16 education continuum.

-Establish a new system of high school assessments to improve preparation and readiness for college.

 

Connecting with College & Preparing for Success

-Intensify engagement of students and families prior to students’ enrollment in college.  

-Broaden awareness of connections between college completion and career opportunities.  

-Enhance financial literacy and planning for students and families. 

-Expand opportunities for earning college credits that count toward a degree or certificate before graduating from high school. 

-Increase opportunities for adults to earn college credits for meaningful knowledge and skills documented through prior learning assessments.

 

Ensuring & Supporting First-Year Success

-Adopt more holistic college placement assessments and policies. 

-Redesign and personalize remedial education course content and policies, especially for adults returning to school. 

-Develop comprehensive, mandatory orientation and first-year experiences, as well as robust support and interventions for all students. 

 

Staying on Track & Accelerating Progress

-Develop institutional systems that accelerate students’ connection to clear and concise degree pathways, track progress toward academic goals and intervene when help is needed. 

-Implement “intrusive” advising supported by robust academic support systems and services. 

-Devise more flexible, innovative scheduling, registration and degree-granting policies and practices. 

-Strategically expand and enhance Ohio’s articulation and credit transfer programs. 

 

Rewarding Success & Incentivizing Completion

-Expand programs for rewarding and leveraging meaningful “packages” of academic program work that have been completed, or nearly completed, but not formally credentialed.  

-Expand and diversify financial opportunities and incentives for achieving critical benchmarks and timely completion. 

 

Strategic Communications

-Mount a comprehensive statewide communications strategy about college completion.

 

The report calls for the Chancellor to determine a dissemination strategy for sharing this

report with campus leaders and frontline higher education professionals throughout the University System of Ohio. The Chancellor should also work with state policy leaders to determine specific

state-level commitments and actions required to advance the recommendations in this report. 

 

The Chancellor will continue to engage higher education leadership, with input from P-12 educators and leaders, to reach consensus on uniform statewide definitions of “college and career readiness” and “college completion” as called for in Recommendations 2 and 3. With input from college and university leadership, a framework and timeline will be developed to receive campus-level Campus Completion Plans called for in Recommendation 1. The Chancellor should also initiate work on developing a comprehensive statewide communications strategy to drive and support efforts to increase completion in Ohio.

 

The report is available at https://www.ohiohighered.org/completion.

 

8) Report Highlights Successful Schools:  Public Agenda released on October 12, 2012 a new report entitled Failure is Not an Option:  How principals, teachers, students and parents from Ohio’s high achieving, high poverty schools explain their success by Carolin Hagelskamp and Christopher DiStasi and sponsored by the Ohio Business Roundtable, the Ohio Department of Education, and The Ohio State University.

 

The report examines the success of Ohio “Schools of Promise” to learn how schools with high levels of students from lower income families can achievement at high levels, and includes profiles of nine schools (six of which are Schools of Promise) to identify conditions and practices that support student achievement. 

 

Schools of Promise meet the following criteria:  

-At least 40 percent of the student body was “economically disadvantaged” based on a student’s eligibility for free or reduced-price lunches.  

The schools selected for this study actually had a student body in excess of 50 percent “economically disadvantaged”.

-The school met adequate yearly progress.

-The school’s graduation rate1 was at least 85 percent. 

-On the Ohio Achievement Test (OAT) and/or Ohio Graduation Test (OGT) in reading and mathematics:

In 2010–11, at least 75 percent of all students in tested grades passed, at least 75 percent of students in the economically disadvantaged subgroup2 in tested grades passed and at least 75 percent of students in each racial or ethnic subgroup3 in tested grades passed; and 

-In 2009–10, at least 65 percent of all students in tested grades4 passed.

-On OGTs, in 2010–11, at least 85 percent of all eleventh graders, 85 percent of economically disadvantaged eleventh graders and 85 percent of eleventh graders in each racial or ethnic subgroup3 passed.

-If applicable, the school received a “Met” or “Above” for the 2010–11 value-added composite score.

-The requirements for the 2009–10 Schools of Promise award were identical except that on the OATs and OGTs, passage percentages were required for either reading or mathematics. In 2010–11, requirements included both—not either—of the subjects.

 

The schools that are profiled in this report are East Garfield Elementary School, Steubenville; Citizens Academy Elementary School, Cleveland;  Grove Patterson Academy Elementary School, Toledo; River Valley Middle School, Bidwell; Hannah J. Ashton Middle School, Reynoldsburg; Northwest High School, McDermott; Eastmoor Academy High School, Columbus; Robert A. Taft Information Technology High School, Cincinnati; and MC2 STEM High School, Cleveland.

 

The researchers identified the following conditions that contributed to student achievement in the profile schools:

 

•Principals lead with a strong and clear vision for their school, engage staff in problem solving and decision making and never lose sight of their school’s goals and outcomes. 

•Teachers and administrators are dedicated to their school’s success and committed to making a difference in their students’ lives.

•School leaders provide genuine opportunities and incentives for teachers to collaborate, and teachers say that collaboration and sharing best practices are keys to their effectiveness.

•Teachers regard student data as clarifying and helpful, and they use it to plan instruction.

•Principals and teachers have high expectations for all students and reject any excuses for academic failure.

•School leaders and teachers set high expectations for school discipline and the behavior of all students.

•Schools offer students nontraditional incentives for academic success and good behavior.

•Students feel valued, loved and challenged. They are confident that their teachers will help them succeed and be at their side if they hit a rough patch.

•While parent and community support can be an asset, principals and teachers do not see their absence as an insurmountable barrier to student learning and achievement.

•School leaders and teachers seek to continuously improve practices and student achievement. They

take today’s success as tomorrow’s starting point.

•Each school tells its own story of change and improvement, yet some commonalities exist.

 

Researchers also examined how these successful schools sustained their achievements and found that leaders plan for smooth principal transitions, expect change, engage teachers, ensure that new teachers endorse the school’s vision and practices, leverage a great reputation, and celebrate success.

 

The report is available at http://www.publicagenda.org/pages/failure-is-not-an-option. 

 

FYI ARTS

 

1) Project-Based Learning Through the Arts:  An article in the Newark Advocate on November 4, 2012 entitled School within a school project focuses on hands on learning within a school by A. Jeffries describes a new project that has brought five Newark High School teachers together with the Granville Studio of Visual Arts to provide project-based classes for about 250 students in grades 9-12. 

 

The project was the brain child of Newark Superintendent Doug Ute, and was developed to provide students with alternative ways to earn credits for graduation.  According to Maura Horgan, director of secondary curriculum instruction for the Newark City Schools, the goals of the new “school within a school” project are to engage students in the best way they learn; get students excited about learning; reshape how instruction is delivered; and help students stay on track for graduation.

 

Students in the project take traditional classes along with their school within a school classes, which are designed to incorporate all subjects including math, science, English, social studies, economics, technology, and art.  The project pairs classroom teachers in social studies, business, science, and English with arts educators from the Granville Studio of Visual Arts.  This year students are exploring the themes Food, Hunger, and Poverty at the local and global levels and are using a variety of media to integrate what they are learning. Even though the project started in August 2012 students have already displayed their art work based on the themes.

  

The article is available at http://www.newarkadvocate.com/article/20121104/NEWS01/311040015?nclick_check=1

 

We are pleased to offer this SPECIAL REPORT: Election Recap as the first article in today's Arts on Line:

 

President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden were re-elected with a three percent lead in the popular vote (51 to 48 percent) and a 332 to 206 lead in electoral votes over GOP candidates former Governor Mitt Romney and Congressman Paul Ryan.

 

The 113th U.S. Congress will meet on January 3, 2013 through January 3, 2015 and by all accounts will be the most diverse legislative body in the history of the United States. According to press reports, the next Congress will include the largest number of Asian Americans, Hispanic Americans, and twenty female Senators, including Mazie Hirono, the first Asian-American women to serve in the Senate. The Hill's Congress Blog by Representative Michael Honda.

 

Unofficial results show that Republicans will control at least 234 seats and Democrats 195 seats in the U.S. House of Representatives. Six races are still undecided. Democrats will control 53 seats, Republicans 45 seats, and Independents 2 seats in the U.S. Senate. The House will welcome up to 85 new members and the Senate twelve.

 

Ohio's delegation to Washington, D.C. will include 16 members of the U.S. House, a decrease of two seats as a result of the 2010 Census, and two Senators, Sherrod Brown (D), re-elected on November 6, 2012, and Rob Portman (R). New House members from Ohio include Brad Wenstrup (R) (2nd House District); Joyce Beatty (D) (3rd House District); and David P. Joyce (R) (14th House District). Representatives to the U.S. House include the following twelve Republicans and four Democrats:

 

1st House District Steve Chabot (R-Cincinnati) RE-ELECTED

2nd House District Brad Wenstrup (R-Cincinnati) NEW. Replaces current Representative Jean Schmidt who lost in the primary election.

3rd House District Joyce Beatty (D-Columbus) NEW. Newly formed district.

4th House District Jim Jordan (R-Urbana) RE-ELECTED

5th House District Bob Latta (R-Bowling Green) RE-ELECTED

6th House District Bill Johnson (R-Poland) RE-ELECTED

7th House District Bob Gibbs (R-Lakeview) RE-ELECTED

8th House District John Boehner (R-West Chester) RE-ELECTED Unopposed

9th House District Marcie Kaptur (D-Toledo) RE-ELECTED. Split district with Representative John Kucinich (D), who lost in the primary election.

10th House District Mike Turner (R-Dayton) RE-ELECTED. Split district with Representative Steve Austria (R) who did not run for re-election.

11th House District Marcia Fudge (D-Cleveland) RE-ELECTED. Unopposed

12th House District Pat Tiberi (R-Galena) RE-ELECTED

13th House District Tim Ryan (D-Niles) RE-ELECTED

14th House District David P. Joyce (R-Russel Township) NEW. Replaces current Representative Steve LaTourette, who did not run.

15th House District Steve Stivers (R-Columbus) RE-ELECTED. Newly formed district.

16th House District Rep. Jim Renacci (R-Alliance) RE-ELECTED. Split district with Representative Betty Sutton (D) who lost in the election.

 

Ohio Results: According to Ohio Secretary of State Jon Husted, 5 million of the 7.95 million registered voters in Ohio voted on November 6, 2012, including 1.78 million voters who took advantage of absentee and in-person early voting opportunities. At least three close races won't be decided until provisional ballots are counted beginning November 17, 2012. The official count for the November 6, 2012 Election will not be announced by Secretary of State Husted until December 7, 2012.

 

Statewide Issues: Ohio voters defeated statewide ballot issues 1 & 2 by large margins. Issue 1, a proposed constitutional convention, was opposed by 68.3 percent of voters, and Issue 2, the proposed constitutional amendment on redistricting and reapportionment, was opposed by almost 64 percent of voters.

 

School Funding Issues: The results for school funding issues were more encouraging. According to the unofficial results, voters approved 55 percent of school funding issues. There were 192 tax/bond issues, and 105 were approved. According to the Ohio School Boards Association, 122 of the issues were new school taxes, and 45 were approved. This is the highest number of new tax issues on the ballot in over a decade. Information about the school funding issues on the November ballot is available at the Ohio School Boards Association websitehere.

 

Ohio Senate: Republicans will maintain control of both the Ohio House and Senate with large majorities. Eighteen of the 33 Senate Districts (mostly even-numbered districts) were open in this election, and six races were unopposed. Republican incumbents in thirteen districts were re-elected; two current House members, Representatives Randy Gardner (R-Bowling Green) and Joseph Uecher (R-Loveland), were elected to the Senate; and Democrats were re-elected in three incumbent races. Senate Republicans will maintain a 23-10 majority in the Ohio Senate.
 

Ohio House: Although three House races are too close to call, Republicans have at least 58 seats and Democrats 38 seats, compared to the current 59-40 majority for Republicans. A decision in the three contested races in the 5th, 7th, and 98th House districts will not be available until after provisional ballots are counted beginning November 17, 2012. The official count for the November 6, 2012 Election will not be announced by Secretary of State Husted until December 7, 2012.

 

Ohio Supreme Court: Three seats were also open on the Ohio Supreme Court. Two incumbents, Justices Yvette McGee Brown and Robert Cupp, were replaced by Judge Sharon Kennedy and William O'Neill, respectively. Justice Terrence O'Donnell was re-elected.

 

State Board of Education: Five incumbents and two new members of the State Board of Education were elected on November 6, 2012.

 

The current membership of the State Board includes eleven members who are elected through nonpartisan races, and eight members appointed by the governor with the consent of the Ohio Senate. The governor can also appoint members to vacant seats. Currently there is one at-large vacant seat on the State Board as a result of the resignation of Dennis Shelton in September 2012.

 

The terms of elected and appointed members are four years, and are staggered so that half of the State Board is elected or appointed every two years. Members are limited to serving two terms.

 

The elected members represent districts comprised of three Ohio Senate Districts, and, due to reapportionment this year, these districts have changed. The following members of the State Board were elected/re-elected on November 6, 2012:

 

2013 State Board of Education

 

District 1: Ann Jacobs (Lima) RE-ELECTED

District 5: Bryan Williams (Fairlawn) NEW DISTRICT. RE-ELECTED. Bryan Williams, who currently represents the 7th State Board of Education District, will represent a newly configured District 5. The current representative, Rob Hovis, is term-limited.

District 6: Michael Collins (Westerville) NEW DISTRICT. RE-ELECTED. Kristen McKinley (Columbus) currently represents the 6th State Board of Education district, but was defeated in a close election by Michael Collins in a re-configured 6th district. Mike Collins currently represents the 9th State Board of Education District, which has also been re-configured.

District 7: Sarah Fowler NEW

District 9: Stephanie Dodd NEW

District 10: Jeff Hardin (Milford) RE-ELECTED

District 11: Mary Rose Oakar (Cleveland) RE-ELECTED

 

Appointed at-large State Board members completing terms on December 31, 2012 include Angel Thi Bennett (East Cleveland); Dannie Greene (Gallipolis); Stanley Jackson (Marion); and C. Todd Jones (New Albany). All of these members are currently serving first terms, so they could be reappointed by Governor Kasich. Three were appointed by Governor Kasich and one, Dannie Greene, was appointed by Governor Strickland.

 

Elected Board members remaining on the State Board in 2013 and completing their terms on December 31, 2014 include Kathleen A. McGervey District 2 (Avon); Jeffrey J. Mims, Jr. District 3 (Dayton); Debe Terhar District 4 (Cincinnati); and Deborah Cain District 8 (Uniontown), who will be completing her second term and will be term limited.

 

Appointed Board members remaining on the State Board in 2013 and completing terms on December 31, 2014 include Tom Gunlock (Centerville); Tess Elshoff (New Knoxville); and Joe Farmer (Baltimore). All will be completing their first term on the State Board, and can be reappointed by the governor.

Ohio Alliance for Arts Education

Arts On Line Education Update

November 5, 2012

Joan Platz

 

November 6, 2012 is the General Election.  Ohio voters will cast votes for U.S. President and Vice-President, one U.S. Senator; 16 Representatives to Congress; State Senators from even-numbered Senate Districts; State Representatives from all 99 House Districts; several county offices; seven members of the State Board of Education; three Justices of the Ohio Supreme Court; Judges of the Court of Appeals, Court of Common Pleas, and County Courts; two statewide issues; and local issues, including 194 school issues!   

 

1)  Ohio News

 

•129th Ohio General Assembly:  The Ohio House and Senate are not scheduled to meet this week, but leadership is already planning a lame-duck session starting the week of November 13, 2012 through mid December 2012.  Lawmakers are expected to take action on legislation regarding election laws, ethics laws, taxes on financial institutions (HB510 - Amstutz), and HB555 (Stebelton), an education bill that includes some items that were held over from SB316 (Lehner), the mid-biennium review bill for education, signed into law in June 2012. HB555 is expected to include revisions to Ohio’s system for rating schools and standards for dropout recovery schools. It is possible that some of the legislative recommendations included in the State Auditor’s report regarding irregularities in school district attendance reports could also be included in HB555.

 

2) Election News:  

 

•Stay Granted:  The U.S. Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals granted on October 31, 2012 Secretary of State Jon Husted’s request to stay an order that would have required boards of elections to count provisional ballots cast in the wrong polling location, but within the right county, due to poll worker error.  The order was issued on October 24, 2012 by U.S. District Court Judge Algenon Marbley in Service Employees International Union (SEIU) v. Husted and Northeast Ohio Coalition for the Homeless (NEOCH) v. Husted. Information is available at http://moritzlaw.osu.edu/electionlaw/.

 

•Request to Extend Absentee Voting for Detained Prisoners Denied: Judge Susan Dlott of the U.S. District Court for Southern Ohio denied on November 1, 2012 a request made by advocates for persons detained in jail on election day, but not convicted of a felony, to extend the deadline to vote by absentee ballot. (Fair Elections Ohio, The Amos Project, et al v. Husted) The advocates bringing the request include the Fair Elections Ohio, The AMOS Project, CURE-Ohio, Central Ohio Prisoner Advocates, and Community Re-entry. Judge Dlott cited the “thinnest” of evidence proving that the current law disenfranchises voters and the confusion that could affect the pending election as reasons for denying the request to extend absentee voting at this time. For information please visit http://moritzlaw.osu.edu/electionlaw/litigation/documents/OrderDenyingPlaintiffsTemporaryMotionforRestrainingOrder.pdf

 

3)  News from the ODE

 

•Applications Available for Early Literacy Grants:  The Ohio Department of Education announced last week that it would be accepting applications for its $13 Million Early Literacy/Reading Readiness Grants.  The funds were included in HB487 (Amstutz), signed into law in June 2012 to support implementation of the Third Grade Reading Guarantee (SB316 Lehner), and can be used for early literacy intervention efforts to ensure that students are reading at grade level.  Grants up to $100,000 will be competitively awarded to school districts and community schools, and consortia can compete for awards up to $250,000. The application deadline is December 31, 2012.

Information is available at http://www.education.ohio.gov/GD/Templates/Pages/ODE/ODEDetail.aspx?page=3&TopicRelationID=5&ContentID=129423

 

•Student Growth Measure Updates Available: The Ohio Department of Education (ODE) has posted additional guidance, resources, and materials about Student Learning Objectives (SLOs) on the Student Growth Measures webpage at http://www.ode.state.oh.us/GD/Templates/Pages/ODE/ODEDetail.aspx?page=3&TopicRelationID=1230&ContentID=125742&Content=134805.

 

New as of October 4, 2012 are updates of the Student Learning Objectives Guidebook; Scoring the Individual SLO; and Sample Principal SLOs.  Additional guidance on combining Student Growth Measures (SGMs) will be posted in November.

 

ODE also will be offering regional training focused on implementing SGMs for Ohio’s Teacher and Principal Evaluation Systems by the end of the calendar year. This training is optional and can be used to develop training at the local level. Districts and ESCs that have developed training plans are free to move forward with those trainings and should continue all other work toward implementing a local student growth measures plan. The ODE training, which is free to all participants, will be offered through September 2014.

 

To support the implementation of the Student Growth Measures component of the evaluation systems, ODE is working in collaboration with select regional partner RttT Educational Service Centers to train and deploy SGMs and Alignment Specialists. These SGM Specialists will support LEAs by providing technical assistance and professional development following the regional trainings to district administrators, teachers, and other personnel on the alignment of local systems to the state framework and development and implementation of district and building student growth measures using the SLO process.

 

•Survey Results of Ohio Students/Teachers Posted:  The Ohio Department of Education announced on November 1, 2012 the results of a survey of 53,908 students in grades 6-12 and 2,703 teachers and other staff members in Ohio’s schools in a report entitled My Voice- Ohio Year One Report. 

 

The survey was conducted by the Ohio Department of Education, the Pearson Foundation, and the Quaglia Institute for Student Aspirations (QISA) as part of the Ohio My Voice - Ohio Project “....to track and analyze student engagement and to highlight its connection to progress in academic performance.” This work is supported by a grant from the Pearson Foundation and funding from Ohio’s Race to the Top (RttT) federal grant award. Student responses will be part of the Pearson Foundation’s Million Voice Project, the national public interest campaign intended to gauge students’ perceptions of school across the United States. 

 

The following are the findings of the survey:

 

-A majority of Ohio students experience “Belonging” in some form in their schools, but in other ways a sense of community is lacking.  “A disconnect appears to exist between the genuine best intentions of Ohio schools to create a school environment in which students feel they belong, and the reality that many students report experiencing.”  

 

-Most Ohio young people report that there are teachers who they consider “heros” in their lives, but overall student-teacher relationships need to be improved.  “50% of Ohio students fail to report that they think their teachers would care if they are absent from school. Moreover, levels of respect between students and teachers are generally perceived as relatively low, including only one-third of students who agree that students respect one another.”  

 

-Students report a moderately high rate of “Sense of Accomplishment” in Ohio schools, but there is room for improvement.  “[A]n unacceptable proportion of students (more than 1 in 6) report giving up when schoolwork is difficult, and that nearly one quarter of students do not report exerting their best effort in school is problematic.”  

 

-“[A]bout half of all students in Ohio believe school is boring and about an equal proportion fail to report enjoying being at school.” 

 

-Most indicators of Curiosity & Creativity are moderately high, yet many students in Ohio are uninspired by their schools, and most fail to see its relevance to their everyday lives. “While two thirds of students feel comfortable asking questions in class and that school encourages creativity, the one-third who fail to report these are a cause for some concern.”  

 

-Results for “Spirit of Adventure” were mixed.  Students do not feel that there is support for them if they fail and just under a third of students report that teachers will help them learn from their mistakes.  Six in 10 fail to report students in their school are supportive of each other. 

 

-Some indicators of “Leadership & Responsibility” suggest Ohio students are confident, though most students fail to report their school environments adequately foster this condition.  “Perhaps most troubling, only 44% feel students have a voice in decision-making at their schools.”  

 

-Of all the conditions, “Confidence to Take Action” shows the highest agreement across the survey, suggesting students in general in Ohio are confident in themselves and their futures, are goal-directed, and prepared to work hard. 

 

The results of the survey for staff showed that over three-quarters of staff surveyed enjoy a teaching environment conditioned by “Belonging and Heroes”; about half report being under-appreciated; a majority report personal satisfaction in their work, but not as many feel their schools support an engaging, professional teaching-learning environment.  More staff are confident and ready to lead than believe those energies are drawn upon by their schools.

 

The results of the staff focus groups found that Central Office needs to be more visible and knowledgeable about individual schools; professional development is not relevant to teacher needs; student discipline is not consistently upheld; and the primary goal of the schools is for students to pass the test.

 

According to the demographic data 20.5 percent of students reported that they participated in music, and 4.3 percent in theater in grades 6-12.  

 

My Voice eventually will engage more than one million Ohio students in grades 6-12, and is available at no cost to all schools in Ohio, including non-RttT schools, private and parochial schools.

 

Information about My Voice is available at http://myvoice.pearsonfoundation.org/ohio

 

4) Status of Gifted Education in Ohio’ Schools:  The status of services for gifted children in Ohio schools for 2011-2012 school year is summarized in a new blog focusing on gifted students called “High Ability”.  (“A Ghoulish Gifted Halloween Tale (and It’s all Frighteningly True…)” by anngifted, “High Ability blog, October 31, 2012.)

 

The bottom line?  According to the blog, “Service levels for gifted students have dropped to a new low. In the 2010/2011 school year, Ohio districts served approximately 52,470 gifted students. The figures just released for 2011/2012 show a decrease of almost 5 percent to 49,947 students.” 

 

Since the 2008/2009 school year when 76,440 students were served, service levels have dropped by almost 35 percent. According to the blog, the 2008/2009 school year was also the last year Ohio saw a stable and coherent funding system for gifted students. 

 

The percent of identified gifted students in Ohio has also dropped from 280,720 in 2008/09 school year to 263,688 in 2010/11, even though overall enrollment in schools has increased.  Of those students identified, less than 19 percent are being served. 

 

Putting the data into context, the blog reports that while the number of school districts in Ohio labeled “excellent” has increased to 63 percent (387 out of 611), services provided to gifted students has decreased in 260 school districts in 2011/2012 school year, and 124 school districts don’t provide gifted services to any students.  

 

The blog also includes information about staffing levels for licensed gifted professionals, which have decreased in school districts by 17 percent since the 2008/2009 school year.

 

This article is available on the High Ability blog at https://highability.wordpress.com/.

 

5) Inequities in State School Funding Systems Examined:  The Center for American Progress released in September 2012 a report by Bruce D. Baker and Sean P. Corcoran entitled The Stealth Inequities of School Funding: How State and Local School Finance Systems Perpetuate Inequitable Student Spending. 

 

According to the report, gross funding inequities exist in this country and too often “.. the schools serving students with the greatest needs receive the fewest resources.”The authors examine the sources of school funding inequities and have found that “....even states providing a large share of state aid are not necessarily more equitable in their distribution of school funding.” 

 

Some states, such as Illinois, Texas, New York, Pennsylvania, Missouri, and North Carolina, have regressive school funding distribution systems that redistribute state aid to lower-poverty school districts that don’t need the additional funding. In addition locally raised revenue, including non-property sources of revenue, often increase the disparities in resources between low and high poverty school districts. 

 

The report focuses on these two overall problems with state school funding systems and identifies the policy decisions that have caused the inequities. An examination of these policy decisions is relevant in Ohio as policy makers continue to debate the components of a new system for funding Ohio’s schools.

 

Among the selected state funding systems reviewed, author Bruce D. Baker notes that political decisions often contribute to inequitable funding patterns, because lawmakers need to respond to their constituents, even if it means compromising the equity of the school funding system.  For example, Kansas allows some lower poverty school districts to levy a special local tax to compensate for the higher cost to hire teachers in high-priced neighborhoods.  Arizona’s state school funding system increases aid to all school districts to adjust for the cost of more experienced teachers, who are more likely to teach in lower-poverty school districts. Flat grant programs also contribute to inequities across school districts when they are not adjusted for local capacity.

 

Some states have added “hold harmless” provisions which ensure that school districts receive the same level of state funding regardless of the state aid formula. And, often state school funding systems have multiple formulas working simultaneously to provide state funding for different types of services, such as special education, but not all are adjusted to account for local capacity.  Block grant programs also contribute to inequity, because they are allocated regardless of differences in student populations, regional costs, or local capacity. State aid for property tax reductions is a particular problem in some states, because it duplicates the purpose of state aid, and provides additional funds to lower-poverty higher capacity school districts in addition to state aid. 

 

Reliance on the local property tax to fund schools also contributes greatly to the funding disparities, even in states that use a broader base of local taxes to support schools.  The author Sean P. Corcoran found that taxable property wealth is inversely related to the poverty rate in the selected states reviewed.  Even when states have imposed maximum tax rates on local property, mechanisms have been created to get around the maximum tax, which higher capacity districts are able to raise compared to high-poverty school districts.

 

The authors believe that “States could achieve far more equitable distribution of resources and far more adequate educational opportunities in high-poverty settings if resources were allocated more appropriately.” This could be accomplished through the following:

 

•Eliminate state school funding provisions that counteract the purpose of state equalization aid, such as property tax reimbursements, tax relief, and subsidies for low poverty school districts.  These provisions encourage higher spending and increase inequity.

 

•Distribute as large a share of aid as possible through the general equalization formulas, which are weighted for student needs or relevant costs attached to the particular aid program. Outside-the-formula aid is among the most common drivers of stealth inequity. 

 

•Encourage federal agencies to intervene or create pressure for change in those cases in which states, make little or no attempt to operate a state school-finance formula that follows basic principles of equalization and need-based targeting. The report specifically mentions North Carolina. 

 

•Implement policies that reduce the disproportionate role that property tax revenue has on school funding systems.

 

•Consider strategies to consolidate and reorganize fragmented state systems of schools to encourage more efficiencies and greater equity in local spending. The report specifically mentions the number of school districts in Illinois, Pennsylvania, New York, and to a lesser extend Missouri.

 

The report is available at 

http://www.americanprogress.org/issues/education/report/2012/09/19/38189/the-stealth-inequities-of-school-funding/

 

FYI ARTS

 

1) High School Students Sought to Participate in Arts Day 2013!!  The Ohio Citizens for the Arts Foundation, in partnership with the Ohio Arts Council, is inviting teachers to apply for their students to participate in the Arts Day 2013 Student Advocate Program.  

 

Each year this program provides teams of six high school students representing ten high schools in Ohio the opportunity to meet with local legislators, learn networking and communication skills to become better advocates for the arts and arts education, participate in Arts Day in Columbus on May 15, 2013, and attend the Governor’s Awards for the Arts Luncheon.

 

To apply, teachers interested in this opportunity should send a brief statement by November 19, 2012 expressing their interest in the Student Advocate Program and what they would like their students to achieve through the Student Advocate program.  The statement can be sent via email, fax, or US mail. (Contact information can be found at the close of this message). High school selections will be made by the end of November 2012.

 

More Details: 

 

WHAT: Arts Day 2013 Student Advocate Program 

WHEN: Wednesday, May 15, 2013 9:00 AM - 1:30 PM 

WHERE: Vern Riffe Center for Government and the Arts and the Ohio Statehouse  Columbus, Ohio 

 

ACTIVITIES: 

-Students attend an advocacy briefing

-Students meet with state legislators or their aides to advocate for the arts and arts education 

-Students attend the Governor’s Awards for the Arts and Arts Day Luncheon with members of the state legislature 

-Students tour state buildings 

 

OPPORTUNITIES: 

-Collaborate among academic departments within the high school (ex. arts, government, and language arts)

-Host a member of the Ohio House of Representatives and/or Senate in your school for a pre-Arts Day orientation to discuss the role of a legislator in the school and arts funding process 

-Raise student awareness of the legislative process and citizens’ participation in government 

-Receive positive recognition for your school 

-Make an important contribution to the continuation of state funding for the arts and arts education 

 

REQUIREMENTS: 

-Six (6) students who demonstrate an interest in the arts and the day’s activities

-Advance preparation by students: identify and write their Ohio legislators 

-School-provided release time for: 

a) two-hour in-school legislative visit and advocacy training and 

b) trip to Columbus on Arts Day 

-School-provided transportation to Columbus for students and accompanying adult(s) 

-Teacher and/or school administrator to “advise” the student participation and serve as a liaison with the Arts Day Committee member 

 

CONTACT INFORMATION: 

Janelle Hallett, Member Services Director 

Email: janelle@ohioctizensforthearts.org 

Telephone: 614.221.4064 Fax: 614.241.5329 

Ohio Citizens for the Arts Foundation 77 South High Street, 2nd Floor Columbus, Ohio 43215-6108

 

Please forward this email to anyone you know that may be interested in applying for the student advocates program. 

 

2) More Support for STEAM:  Doug Haller, principal of Haller STEM Education Consulting, writes in an October 31, 2012 ASCD SmartBlog on Education that there is a need to incorporate the arts into STEM education to “.....acknowledge the role of the arts in 21st century learning.” (“Full STEAM Ahead:  Arts, STEM and 21st Century Learning” by Doug Haller, ASCD Smartblog on Education, October 31, 2012.)

 

According to the author the definition of STEM lacks clarity, because for some STEM means the integration of the science, technology, engineering, and math disciplines, while others use STEM to refer to disciplines that use similar cognitive skills. Adding the arts to STEM acknowledges the importance of the creative act and processes, which are more commonly associated with the arts, according to the author.

 

Most scientists already integrate the arts into their work either intentionally or unconsciously, writes the author, because communicating scientific concepts often requires creating visual or sonic  representations.  “Clearly, something about art brings out creativity and innovation in ways different from but complementary to the sciences”, says Mr. Haller.

 

As examples the author notes that researchers at the University of Colorado at Boulder are exploring the “Science of Creativity” to better understand the creative processes used in the arts and sciences, and enhance the pedagogy of STEM through music and the arts. This work will also include neuroscience research that shows how the brain is changed based on the activities of the learner.  

 

Work conducted by David Byrne, shows how music affects certain functions in the brain and the role of music in human evolution.  Other researchers in this area stress the importance of the design process used in the arts as part of the STEM movement.

 

The author also cites New Engines for Growth:  Five Roles for Arts, Culture and Design released by the National Governors Association in May 2012.  This publication examines how “....including the arts in urban (and rural) development plan increases economic prosperity because the creative juices of artists feed innovation in STEM professions.” 

 

The article is available at http://smartblogs.com/education/2012/10/31/full-steam-ahead-arts-stem-21st-century-learning/

 

Ohio Alliance for Arts Education

 

Arts On Line Education Update

October 29, 2012

Joan Platz

 

1)  Ohio News:

 

•129th Ohio General Assembly:  The Ohio House and Senate are not scheduled to meet this week.

 

•Election News:  U.S. District Court Judge Algenon Marbley ordered on October 24, 2012 that provisional ballots cast in the wrong polling place, but in the same county, be counted.  The order extends the ruling in Service Employees International Union (SEIU) v. Husted and Northeast Ohio Coalition for the Homeless (NEOCH) v. Husted, issued in August 2012, and upheld in part by the U.S. Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals. The new order also removes a provision allowing the votes of persons who failed to properly sign an affirmation form, to be counted. This provision was not upheld on appeal by the U.S. Sixth Circuit Court. The order is available at http://electionlawblog.org/wp-content/uploads/SEIU-Opinion.pdf.

 

•PreK-20 Education System Discussed:  Connect Ohio held on October 26, 2012 a panel discussion about a new report entitled Broadband and Education: Enriching Ohio’s Students through Technology. During the discussion Board of Regents Chancellor Jim Petro said the Ohio Board of Regents (BOR) and the Ohio Department of Education (ODE) need to be working together to support a preK-20 education. The Ohio Board of Regents is now moving into the ODE building on Front Street, and as a result, more collaboration among ODE and BOR staff will be possible.  The current ODE building will become the Ohio Education Center. To accomplish a complete merger of ODE and BOR, however, the State Constitution and laws would need to be changed.  The Ohio Constitution calls for a State Board of Education, which appoints the superintendent of public instruction, while the Chancellor of the Board of Regents is required by law.  The Constitutional Review Commission is currently reviewing proposed amendments, and could recommend this change. A video of the panel discussion is available at

https://connectednation.adobeconnect.com/_a1137158966/p7eyicivrr7/?launcher=false&fcsContent=true&pbMode=normal

 

•Boarding School for At-Risk Students Moving Forward:  The Ohio School Facilities Commission (OSFC) approved on October 25, 2012 $16 million to build The SEED School of Cincinnati, a publicly funded boarding school for low income at-risk students, authorized in HB153 the FY12-13 budget. The law requires the school to be set-up as a public-private partnership.  The SEED Foundation, which runs similar boarding schools in Washington, D.C. and Baltimore, is the only nonprofit organization to respond to a request for proposals to operate the school.  The total cost for the school and dormitories is $39.67 million.  The SEED Foundation will contribute over $28 million to the project, and will completely pay for the dorms, while public funds will be used to build the school.  The school is expected to open in 2014-15. More information is available at 

http://www.osfc.ohio.gov/MediaCenter/News/BoardingSchoolFunding.aspx

 

2) Grants for Charter Schools Need Better Oversight:  The Office of Inspector General at the U.S. Department of Education released in September 2012 a final audit report entitled Office of Innovation and Improvement’s Oversight and Monitoring of the Charter Schools Programs’s Planning and Implementation Grants from August 1, 2007 through September 30, 2011. The audit was conducted to determine whether or not the Office of Innovation and Improvement (OII) had effective oversight and monitoring to ensure that recipients of the Charter Schools Program’s State Educational Agency (SEA) Planning and Implementation Grant and the Charter School Program non-SEA Planning and Implementation Grant met certain goals and objectives. During the audit period, the total award amount for the SEA and non-SEA grants was $908,946,593 and $31,284,442, respectively.  

 

The purpose of the grant programs is to create new, high-quality public charter schools; to disseminate information about charter schools with a proven track record; to replicate and expand successful schools; to help charter schools find suitable facilities; and to pay for national activities and initiatives that support charter schools. The largest portion of Charter School Program funds are used to plan and start up new charter schools and disseminate information about existing charters in States with charter school laws.  

 

Three SEAs were selected for the audit:  the California Department of Education (California SEA), the Arizona Department of Education (Arizona SEA), and the Florida Department of Education (Florida SEA).  For the non-SEA grant, all of OII’s files on Arizona charter schools that received the non-SEA grant during the audit period were reviewed.

 

The audit found the following:

 

•The OII did not effectively oversee and monitor grants and did not have an adequate process to ensure SEAs effectively oversaw and monitored their sub grant recipients. “Specifically, OII did not have an adequate corrective action plan process in place to ensure grantees corrected deficiencies noted in annual monitoring reports, did not have a risk-based approach for selecting non-SEA grantees for monitoring, and did not adequately review SEA and non-SEA grantees’ fiscal activities.”

   

•OII did not provide the SEAs with adequate guidance on the monitoring activities they were to conduct in order to comply with applicable Federal laws and regulations. The audit identified internal control deficiencies in the monitoring and oversight of charter schools that received the SEA grant at all three of the SEAs.  For example, none of the three SEAs adequately monitored charter schools receiving the SEA grants, had adequate methodologies to select charter schools for onsite monitoring, or monitored authorizing agencies. 

 

•The Florida SEA did not track how much SEA grant funding charter schools drew down and spent. The California SEA had unqualified reviewers performing onsite monitoring.

 

•The OII did not ensure SEAs developed and implemented adequate monitoring procedures for properly handling charter school closures.  The OII did not ensure that SEAs had procedures to properly account for SEA grant funds spent by closed charter schools and dispose of assets purchased with SEA grant funds in accordance with Federal regulations.

 

The report includes the following recommendations:

The Assistant Deputy Secretary should, 

-develop and implement a risk-based approach for selecting non-SEA grantees for monitoring activities 

-develop and implement policies and procedures for monitoring grantee fiscal activities, specifically for quarterly expenditure review and annual review of Single Audit reports 

-establish and implement requirements for SEAs to develop a detailed monitoring plan explaining the extent of monitoring that will be conducted during an SEA grant cycle 

-provide necessary guidance and training to SEAs for the development and implementation of procedures to ensure SEAs have effective monitoring and fiscal controls for tracking the use of funds, and 

-ensure SEAs have procedures to properly account for SEA grant funds spent by closed charter schools and for the disposal of assets purchased with SEA grant funds in accordance with Federal regulations. 

 

The U. S. Department of Education’s Audit Accountability and Resolution Tracking System will be used to track the implementation of the corrective action plan (CAP), which is to be developed within 30 days of the issuance of this report. The CAP will set forth the specific action items and targeted completion dates necessary to implement the final corrective actions on the findings and recommendations contained in this final audit report. 

 

The report is available at 

http://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/oig/auditreports/fy2012/a02l0002.pdf

 

3)  Second Report on Attendance Irregularities Released:  State Auditor Dave Yost released on October 23, 2012 a second preliminary report about an ongoing investigation of school districts for irregularities in their reports about student attendance, enrollment, and withdrawals. (Second Interim Report on Student Attendance Data and Accountability System, October 23, 2012). The report examines the results to date for selected school districts with levies on the November 2012 ballot.  Aside from some errors in coding student withdrawals, the attendance reports of most of the schools examined were in order, and eight schools are still under investigation. 

 

Schools with a levy on the November 2012 ballot were selected for review based on a metric showing the frequency of students who had test results “rolled up” to the state, because of breaks in enrollment.  81 schools from 47 districts fit the criteria out of a total 184 school districts with funding issues on the ballot. Auditors sampled the attendance records of students “rolled” up to the state rather than reviewing all of the student records with enrollment breaks.  This audit also identified another 26 districts which do not fit the criteria, and will be excluded from further investigations.

 

The first interim report issued by the Auditor's Office on October 4, 2012 examined 100 schools in 48 districts and found improper withdrawals of students in five school districts.  A final report about attendance report irregularities is due next year. 

 

The new report is available at http://education.ohio.gov/GD/Templates/Pages/ODE/ODEDetail.aspx?page=3&TopicRelationID=1&ContentID=131230 

 

4) What is the Best School Reform Effort?  A Living Wage!!:  David Berliner, the Regents’ Professor Emeritus in The Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College at Arizona State University writes in the Teachers College Record “....the best way to improve America’s schools is through jobs that provide families living wages. Other programs are noted that offer some help for students from poor families. But in the end, it is inequality in income and the poverty that accompanies such inequality, that matters most for education.” (“Effects of Inequality and Poverty vs. Teachers and Schooling on America’s Youth by David C. Berliner — 2014 Teachers College Record Volume 116 Number 1, 2014, p. - http://www.tcrecord.org ID Number: 16889, Date Accessed: 10/27/2012 3:10:12 PM.)

 

The essay debunks “wrongheaded” education policies and describes how “occasional successes” in education have become the basis for new education reforms and policies based on “myths”, such as an excellent teacher can turn around the lives of failing students; high-stakes testing programs will make “lazy” students, teachers, and administrators work harder to improve student achievement; national standards will improve student learning; retaining students will improve reading; and high-stakes teacher evaluations will improve teaching.   According to the author these "myths" have become drivers of national educational policies, using-up resources (time and money) on programs that “do not work consistently enough for most children and their families, while simultaneously wasting the good will of the public” and “burdening teachers with demands for success that are beyond their capabilities.” 

 

The author believes that these reform efforts mask the real issues that students, families, and schools face:  “Powerful social forces exist to constrain the lives led by the poor, and our nation pays an enormous price for not trying harder to ameliorate these conditions.”

 

The author explains that researchers have determined that the “school effect” accounts for about 20 percent of the variation in achievement test scores (and teachers are only a part of the school effect), while out of school variables (income level, health, food insecurity, mobility, language spoken at home, etc.) account for 60 percent. When examining the results in reading of the Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) researchers found that socio-economic factors explained 17 percent of the variation in scores of students in the U.S., but only 10 percent of the outcomes for students in countries such as Norway, Japan, Finland, and Canada.  The social status of a student in the U.S. has more of an effect on test scores than in other countries, and furthermore, other countries are able to ameliorate the effects of the disadvantaged background of students better than the U.S. 

 

The author also debunks the myth that America’s education system is failing universally. The results of the international study of math and science trends (TIMSS) in 2007 show that American schools with less than 10 percent of children eligible for free and reduced lunch scored the highest in the world, and even students in schools with up to 24.9 percent of students in poverty had scores exceeded by only four nations. In fact over half of the elementary and middle school student population (26 million students) perform well on this international exam.  Approximately nine million students (20 percent), however, attend schools where over 75 percent of the student body is eligible for free and reduced lunch, and the average score for these students is over 100 points lower than students in schools with less than 10 percent poverty. 

 

The author writes, “Instead of facing the issues connected with poverty and housing policy, federal and state education policies are attempting to test more frequently; raise the quality of entering teachers; evaluate teachers on their test scores and fire the ones that have students who perform poorly; use incentives for students and teachers; allow untrained adults with college degrees to enter the profession; break teachers unions, and so forth. Some of these policies may help to improve education, but it is clear that the real issues are around neighborhood, family, and school poverty rates, predominantly associated with the lack of jobs that pay enough for people to live with some dignity.”

 

To improve education outcomes and income equality, the author makes the following recommendations:

-Provide a fair living wage rather than a minimum wage.

-Increase taxes.  “Only two countries pay a lower rate of taxes relative to Gross Domestic Product, while 29 countries pay more in taxes, and countries like Denmark, Finland, France, Italy, Norway, and Sweden, pay about 75% more in taxes than we do to support civic life (Citizens for Tax Justice, 2011).”

-Require all corporations to pay a minimum tax, and examine tax rebates, which in some cases give tax dollars to corporations that pay no taxes.

-Support early childhood education programs.

-Reduce class size for students in the early grades.

-Provide summer educational opportunities that are both academic and cultural.

-Provide tutoring to students before and after school rather than retaining them.

-Reduce teacher mobility so that low-performing schools have experienced, rather than new teachers.

-Support “wrap-around” services for schools serving poor families.

-Make the school part of the community by offering job training, access to technology, health clinics, etc.

-Develop housing policies to support mixed-income neighborhoods.

 

The article is available at http://www.tcrecord.org/content.asp?contentid=16889 

 

5) Expert Summit on Teacher Evaluation Exposes Issues with Using Value-Added Measures:  The Institute of Education Sciences released a summary of a meeting held on August 9, 2012 entitled Learning from Recent Advances in Measuring Teacher Effectiveness.  Participants included researchers in the area of teacher effectiveness, value-added measures (VAMs), and student growth models (SGMs). The purpose of the meeting was to examine different perspectives and interpretations about research that is simultaneously being conducted by economists, statisticians, and educators in VAMs and SGMs, and get a better understanding of areas of common ground and what is actually working.

 

According to the summary, some researchers studying the use of VAMs and SGMs to evaluate teachers believe that there is enough evidence to conclude that VAMs provide real information about teacher effectiveness to support their role in teacher evaluations, particularly when other indicators are also used, while other experts believe that there are “real problems with VAMs; it is not clear how they will function in real-world settings, and so VAMs should only be used with caution.” 

 

Participants discussed and identified a number of questions regarding the use of VAMs and SGMs for teacher evaluations:

-How can evaluators ensure that value-added measures are not biased, and how can unbiased data be collected?

-How can classroom effects be separated from teacher effects?

-Are value-added measures fair, stable, and useful?

-What is the “consequential validity” of introducing VAMs into teacher evaluations? Will there be more emphasis on math and reading at the expense of other subjects?  Will there be more cheating? Will students be sorted and selected by teachers? Will student grades be inflated?

-What is the role of the principal in teacher evaluations and how can principals become better evaluators of teaching?

-Can value-added data validate observational assessment of teaching?

-How do the quality, timing, and the properties of assessments affect value-added results?

-Will better statistical models resolve the inadequacies of using value-added data for teacher evaluations?

-How does student interaction with other teachers affect value-added results?

-What are the strengths and weaknesses of a combination of teacher evaluation measures?

-How can other desirable student outcomes (range of academic subjects, attitudes, and dispositions) be included in teacher evaluations?

-How does student exposure to a particular curriculum affect value-added results?

-Are current state tests an adequate measure of student learning?

-How are value-added results used to diagnose and meet student needs?

-Should local audits be used as a check and balance on the value-added results used to evaluate teachers?

-What communication tools are needed to adequately inform teachers about the results of their evaluation?

-How can teacher observations be improved? Using videos to capture classroom instruction was suggested.

-Will teachers have enough time to adapt to teaching the common core standards before student test results are used to evaluate them?

 

The report is available at http://ies.ed.gov/director/teacher_effectiveness.asp.

 

FYI ARTS

 

1) Integrating the Curriculum to Support Learning:  Kenneth Wesson, a former psychology professor at San José State University in San José, California, writes in an Education Week article that problem solving in the “real world” requires critical and creative thinking to mentally manipulate a broad range of divergent perspectives using science, technology, engineering, mathematics, language, and art (visual and spacial thinking). (From STEM to ST2REAM: Reassembling our disaggregated curriculum” by Kenneth Wesson, Education Week October 24, 2012.)

 

According to the author, the conventional delivery system for learning, subject isolation and memorization, does not support the deepest kinds of learning that make substantive changes to the brain circuitry, physiology, and architecture.  “Learning is hardly a process of acquisition”, he writes, “but instead is the integration of new elements into a complex web of ever-expanding intertwined knowledge that has personal meaning”. Students need a variety of “bridges” to make connections among the subject-area “silos” of our current discipline-based curriculum to increase the number of neural pathways in the brain.

 

Students can better learn and describe what they have learned through models, illustrations, and visual information. According to the author, “Developing visual literacy is an essential ingredient in design and engineering. STEAM adds art to the equation, while reading, writing, listening, and speaking are embedded in the ST2REAM model, in which each of the composing disciplines is intentionally deployed to explain and comprehend its counterparts.”