1) 127th General Assembly: The Ohio House and Senate have canceled
sessions this week. The Senate's next session will be the week of
October 1, 2007, and the House will meet on an "as needed basis".
The House and Senate Education committees will not be meeting this
week, but other committee meetings have been scheduled.
*A special primary election will be held on November 6, 2007 to
select candidates to run for U.S. 5th Congressional District. The
election for this seat will be held on December 11, 2007. U.S
Congressman Paul Gillmor held the seat until his death on September
4, 2007.
*Representative Bill Seitz (30th House District) has been selected to
replace Senator Patricia Clancy (8th Senate District). Senator
Clancy recently announced that she would resign her Senate seat in
October 2007 to become assistant chief probation officer for the
Hamilton County Court of Common Pleas. A process to select a
representative for the 30th House District is expected to be
announced soon.
*The Ohio House unanimously approved on September 11, 2007 HB181
(Setzer), which requires school districts to note on the school
records of children those who have been abducted by a parent.
2) Update on the No Child Left Behind Act: The U.S. House Education
and Labor Committee chaired by Representative George Miller
(California) held hearings on September 10, 2007 on the draft
recommendations for the reauthorization of Title 1 of the Elementary
and Secondary Education Act, also known as the No Child Left Behind
Act. A bipartisan draft was released in late August 2007.
Testifying before the committee were distinguished representatives
from schools, education organizations, business organizations, and
other stakeholders. The committee heard testimony divided into the
following topics: Big Picture Panel; High School Reform and College
and Career Readiness Panel; Civil Rights Panel; Business, Foundation
and Innovation Panel; Teaching and School Leadership Panel; State and
Local Administrators' Panel. A video and transcripts of the hearing
are available at http://edlabor.house.gov/hearings/fc091007.shtml.
The following are some of the comments regarding the draft proposal:
*The National Governors Association (NGA) - Joan Wodiska, NGA
Director of Education, Early Childhood Education, and Workforce
Committee, stated that, "Governors strongly support the use of
accountability, but the measures, systems, and solutions must be
determined at the state level, not by the federal government."
*American Association of School Administrators - Director of the AASA
Dr. Paul Houston concluded his remarks to the committee with the
following statement: "In conclusion, we are pleased with the
direction, transparency and professional courtesy of the process.
However, we would be hard pressed to support the draft. We urge
Congress to take the time to get the assumptions right, make the bill
internally consistent, eliminate the conflicts with IDEA and
accommodate the realities of rural schools."
*National Commission on Teaching and America's Future - Linda
Darling-Hammond representing the National Commission on Teaching and
America's Future, focused her comments on the provision to encourage
multiple measures of assessment and indicators of school progress;
the provision to improve the quality and distribution of the teaching
force; and the means for measuring school progress from year to year.
Dr. Darling-Hammond provided information from other
countries,"...that are investing intensively in the kinds of
curriculum and assessments and the kinds of teaching force
improvements that we desperately need and that this re-authorization
bill is seeking to introduce."
According to her testimony, "Underneath the United States' poor
standing is an outcome of both enormous inequity in school inputs and
outcomes and a lack of sufficient focus for all students on
higher-order thinking and problem-solving, the areas where all groups
in the U.S. do least well on international tests."
*Center on Education Policy (CEP) - Jack Jennings, Director of the
CEP, told the committee that the Center on Education Policy has
conducted research on the No Child Left Behind Act since 2002. He
focused his remarks on some of the key features of the proposed
changes in the law regarding the use of multiple indicators; growth
models; English Language Learners and Students with Disabilities; and
School Improvement.
According to his testimony, "Educators express frustration that this
test-based system is leading to a narrow vision of education and hope
that our nation could pursue a more comprehensive vision of how to
make American education the best in the world."
*Business Roundtable - John Castellani, president of the Business
Roundtable's Business Coalition for Student Achievement (BCSA) said
that the BCSA supported provisions of the draft recommendations
regarding math and reading proficiency by 2013-14; postsecondary and
workplace readiness; accountability and rigor for high school;
student growth models; and a uniform N-size.
Mr. Castellani also expressed the following: "However, as we
detailed in the attached comments, we are deeply concerned about
provisions included in the draft that we believe would undermine the
current accountability for all students to reach proficiency and
would provided a path by which many States would create
accountability systems so complex as to be rendered meaningless.
While we do not believe it is the intent of the Committee to reduce
accountability, the cumulative impact of the implementation of
provisions related to multiple measures, indexing and local
assessments, among others, would be significantly adverse."
*National Education Association - President of the NEA Reg Weaver
outlined several concerns about the draft. According to his written
testimony, "We are pleased that the draft includes the concepts of
growth models and multiple measures in an attempt to get a more
accurate picture of student learning and school quality. These
provisions, however, are inadequate, as the accountability system the
Committee envisions still relies overwhelmingly on two statewide
standardized assessments. This does not give real meaning to the
growth model and multiple measure concepts, and defies the advice of
assessment experts across the country, some of whom are here today."
President Weaver concluded his statement with the following: "We are
not able to support the Title I or Title II discussion draft as
currently written. We are hopeful that the Committee will take the
time to get this right. In essence, we urge you not to rush to mark
up a bill that would lead to yet another set of unintended
consequences."
*National Alliance for Public Charter Schools - President Nelson
Smith of the Alliance included in his remarks some of the components
of the draft that the Alliance supports. For example, the draft
provides greater support for the expansion and replication of
successful charter school models; encourages states through the grant
process to adopt ideal state charter school laws, such as encouraging
growth of non-district authorizers and equitable funding for charter
schools; allows charter school authorizers to serve as grant
administrators in addition to state education agencies; and allows
the Secretary of Education to allocate funds as needed between the
Charter Schools Program and State Facilities Incentive Grants Program.
According to Mr. Smith's testimony, "In the last 20 years, few
education reforms have been as successful as charter schools, which
have provided thousands of new public school choices to children and
families who need them the most. While many public school districts
around the country struggle to maintain their current students
(particularly in inner cities), charter schools have grown
exponentially since 1992, and demand continues to grow. We estimate
that there are over 300,000 students on charter schools waiting
lists."
Regarding teacher quality Mr. Smith states, "For charter schools,
NCLB explicitly defers to state charter law regarding certification
requirements. If a state does not require any charter teachers to be
certified, NCLB does not impose that additional mandate. Fortunately,
the discussion draft keeps this provision."
"The Alliance recommends that NCLB provide broader latitude to states
in defining teacher quality, including allowing states to define core
subjects. It should also encourage states to focus on teacher
effectiveness instead of input-based qualifications. This shift will
be facilitated by the move to an accountability system that includes
student-level growth data, which should be the foundation for the
definition of a "highly effective teacher."
3) State Board of Education Meeting: The State Board of Education,
Jennifer Sheets president, met on September 9-11, 2007 in Columbus,
OH. The State Board's School Funding Subcommittee, chaired by Virgil
Brown, met on September 9, 2007 and continued discussions regarding
how schools are funded in Ohio. The subcommittee is reviewing
options to address several school funding issues, and anticipates
developing recommendations which would become part of the State
Board's 2010-2011 legislative and budget proposal.
President Sheets and Vice President Stewart presented to the Board on
September 10, 2007 an overview of the Board Approved Priorities (BAP)
for 2007-2008, and how they align with the work of the Board's
Achievement and Capacity committees and the work of the other Board
subcommittees.
The Board Approved Priorites were adopted at the July 2007 State
Board of Education meeting, and provide a way for the Board to
measure progress and outcomes to achieve the goals of the State
Board's strategic plan -- to raise expectations, build capacity, and
improve results. The BAP focus on Higher Achievement for All
Students; Educator Quality and Effectiveness; Early Childhood
Education; High Achieving Middle and High Schools; Modernization of
School Funding and Resource Management; Education in the New Global
Economy; and Creating a World Class Education System. A detailed
description of the BAP is available at
http://www.ode.state.oh.us/gd/templates/pages/ODE/ODEGoogleSearch.aspx?page=221&query=BAP%202007-2008&start=0&OriginatingURL=/GD/Templates/Pages/ODE/ODEDefaultPage.aspx?Page=1.
According to President Sheets the State Board of Education has an
opportunity to develop and implement policies to support a
comprehensive seamless preK-16 education system, which will prepare
children for the 21st Century. To accomplish this goal the Board
will organize its work through the Achievement and Capacity
Committees and several subcommittees, including the Quality Middle
and High School, School Funding and Resource Management, and School
Readiness subcommittees.
In addition, the Board has created two new subcommittees. The
Education in the New Global Economy subcommittee, chaired by Colleen
Grady and Steve Millett, will engage stakeholders, including
representatives from business and industry, entrepreneurs, and
post-secondary institutions, to identify the future skills and
knowledge that students in Ohio will need to compete in the global
economy.
Board members Eric Okerson and Carl Wick will chair a State Board of
Education Coordination Committee to oversee the alignment of all
committee work to achieve the Board's goals.
Superintendent of Public Instruction, Dr. Susan Tave Zelman, is
charged with developing a set of interconnected and comprehensive
strategies to identify and implement best practices and
recommendations proposed by the committees. These include
legislative proposals, policy and budget recommendations,
initiatives, etc.
An intensive session will be held at the annual June retreat (June
2008) to bring the committee work together, and develop policy and
legislative recommendations for 2010-2011. President Sheets also
announced the State Board of Education's schedule for future policy
discussions:
-October 2007 - Implementation of initiatives to build the capacity
of low-performing schools and districts and raise achievement for all
students.
-November 2007 - Value added initiative, which will be implemented as
part of Ohio's accountability system in 2007-2008.
-December 2007 - Early childhood education and an update on the
implementation of the School Readiness Solutions Group's
recommendations.
-January 2008 - Community Schools
-February 2008 - Educator quality and effectiveness to improve the
quality and capacity of teachers and administrators.
-March 2008 - High achieving middle and high schools
-April 2008 - Modernization of School Funding and Resource Management
-May 2008 - Education in the New Global Economy
Following President Sheet's remarks, the Capacity Committee, Rob
Hovis and Jane Sonenshein co-chairs, and the Achievement Committee,
Michael Cochran and Ann Womer Benjamin co-chairs, met on September
10, 2007.
The Capacity Committee heard an update on the implementation of the
Ohio Regional Delivery System Structure; reviewed and approved Ohio
Administrative Code Rules 3301-2-01, 02, 03, 05, 06, and 09, 11, and
13 (Personal Information Systems); and reviewed Rule 3301-24-05
(Adult Permits). The Capacity Committee also agreed to resubmit to
the full Board a resolution first proposed in February 2007 regarding
Educational Service Centers (ESC), but hold for a future discussion a
proposal about payments for ESCs.
The Achievement Committee discussed and approved the Resolution of
Intent to adopt Rule 3301-07-01, (Ethical Use of Tests); Rules
3301-13-01 to 06, and 3301-13-08 to 3301-13-11 (State Testing), and
Rule 3301-13-07 (Testing Fairness and Sensitivity). These rules will
be considered by the full Board at their December 2007 meeting.
The Committee heard a presentation on proposed changes to Rule
3301-51 (Operating Standards for Children with Disabilities). The
proposed changes reflect recent changes in federal and state law, and
some technical amendments. A resolution of intent will be considered
by the Board in October 2007, and final adoption is scheduled for
December 2007.
The Achievement Committee also heard an update on the status of
requirements regarding physical education included in HB 119 (Dolan),
including the development of physical education standards, employment
of a consultant for physical education at the ODE, and documenting
the number of physical education courses being offered in Ohio's
public schools. The ODE will be asking school districts to complete
a survey to determine the physical education course offerings. The
Board will be asked in December 2007 to approve standard statements
for physical education in order to comply with HB 119 (Dolan). Once
these standards are adopted, a process will be initiated to develop
benchmarks and indicators for physical education aligned to the
standards statements.
The newly formed Education in the New Global Economy subcommittee,
chaired by Colleen Grady and Steve Millett, met for the first time to
discuss the charge of the subcommittee. The draft version of the
subcommittee's charge called for the committee to pull together
representatives of business, technology, industry, high education,
and determine what Ohio students will need to know and do to achieve
success in the future. The subcommittee members had a lengthy
discussion about the charge and procedures for going forward,
including how to gather and integrate research, data, and studies on
this topic; how to reach out and include all stakeholders; and how to
implement the findings. According to the proposed timeline,
preliminary recommendations will be prepared for the June 2008 Board
retreat, and final recommendations will be ready in December 2008.
On September 11, 2007 the State Board of Education heard a policy
discussion led by Dr. Mitch Chester, Senior Associate Superintendent
for Policy and Accountability, regarding the results of the 2007
State and Local Report Card; the challenges and strengths of the
current state accountability system; and potential refinements and
changes in Ohio's state accountability system for schools as a result
of changes in federal and state laws.
According to Superintendent Zelman's report to the Board, "Ohio has
now fully transitioned from proficiency testing to an aligned
educational system of standards, curriculum, achievement tests and
accountability. This is the fifth year of the new accountability
system, which measures the progress of districts and schools based
upon state indicators, the performance index, performance index
improvement, and Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) goals."
The following are some highlights from the presentation and
discussion on the results of the Local Report Card:
-The Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) bar has been held flat for the
past three years, but this year it will be raised. This will have an
impact on schools and districts. Last year 181 districts met AYP;
283 had one subgroup miss AYP; 146 had more than one subgroup miss
AYP.
-States must adopt a universal minimum group size for determining
Adequate Yearly Progress, which is a federal requirement. Ohio now
uses two minimum group sizes, 30 students and 45 students for special
education. The Board is considering adopting 30 as the universal
group size of students.
-Ohio's value added measure of student achievement for students in
grades 4-8 in reading and math will be included on the State and
Local Report Card results for the 2007-2008 school year. Districts
and schools will receive a rating based on a value added composite
scores. In November the Board will discuss the value added data and
how the component will be integrated on future Local Report Cards.
Adding this new calculation means that the report card will need to
be redesigned.
-Ohio is committed to transitioning to a longitudinal graduation
rate, which may affect the ratings of some schools and districts in
the future. The new rate will incorporate data on students who
graduate in four, five, or six years. The graduation rate is
currently calculated using the previous year's data, so that students
who graduate in August can be included in the calculation. During
the two year phase-in to the new longitudinal rate, two rates will be
calculated and published, but only one will count toward the report
card rating. Next year the former rate will be counted, but in
future years the new rate will be used on the Local Report Card.
-Ohio has added to the Local Report Card other measures of school and
district quality, although these measures are not included in the
overall rating for schools and districts. These measures were
adopted by the Board last year, and include number students and
percent taking the ACT and SAT national exams; the number of students
who graduate with an honors diploma; and the number of students who
participate in Advanced Placement, Career Tech, and Post Secondary
Enrollment Options. The ODE tried this year to determine the number
of students who completed the new Ohio Core graduation requirements,
but that data was not reliable this year.
There is much variation in opportunities for students in Ohio to take
challenging courses. Two-thirds of Ohio seniors take the ACT, but in
three-fourths of Ohio's schools fewer than two-thirds of students
participate; one-fourth of Ohio high schools have students
participating in the Post Secondary Enrollment Options Program; 39.1
percent of high schools have no students participating in Advanced
Placement; and 16.6 percent of students graduated in 2005-06 with an
honors diploma.
-The U.S. Department of Education has conditionally approved Ohio's
proposal to incorporate growth in the calculation of adequate yearly
progress.
-Discussions will continue about the Continuous Improvement (CI)
designation on the report card. Districts can earn the CI
designation in two different ways, which has caused some confusion.
The CI designation is now used as a cap for districts and schools
that have persistent achievement gaps for three or more years for two
or more subgroups missing AYP, and also as a minimum designation for
districts and schools that meet AYP. Several legislators are
proposing that the AYP rating be decoupled from the overall rating of
schools and districts.
-Discussions will continue regarding whether or not there is
sufficient attention to students who are scoring above proficient,
and if the weights to determine the Performance Index score are
providing the proper incentive.
-Discussions will continue regarding indicators of school quality
other than test scores.
-Five new tests were added in the 2006-2007 school year. This is the
first year in which there has been a decline in the number of schools
and districts receiving an excellent rating. 80 percent of districts
are rated excellent or effective, and no districts are in academic
emergency.
-There have been strong gains in math, but student performance on
science and social studies assessments is lower than expected.
Student performance on the Ohio Graduation Test are lower than last
year, and the graduation rate has fallen slightly from 86.2 to 86.1
percent.
For more information about how Ohio's students are performing please
visit the ODE website at
http://www.ode.state.oh.us/GD/Templates/Pages/ODE/ODEDefaultPage.aspx?page=1
Following lunch the Board heard the report of the Superintendent of
Public Instruction and public participation on agenda items.
Representatives from the Switzerland of Ohio School District
presented proponent and opponent testimony regarding the
deconsolidation of the district. The Board then took action on 24
personnel items and on the resolutions included below:
State Board of Education Agenda for September 11, 2007.
9 - APPROVED - Resolution of Intent to rescind and adopt Ohio
Administrative Code (OAC) Rule 3301-7-01, Standards for Ethical Use
of Tests.
10 - APPROVED - Resolution of Intent to rescind and adopt OAC Rule
3301-13-07, Fairness Sensitivity Review Committees.
11 - APPROVED - Resolution of Intent to rescind and adopt OAC Rules
3301-13-01, 02, 03, 05, 06, 08, 10, and 11, and to amend Rules
3301-13-04 and 09 - Assessments.
12 - APPROVED - Resolution of Intent to amend OAC Rules 3301-19-01
and 3301-91-04 - National School Lunch and Breakfast Program.
13 - APPROVED - Resolution of Intent to consider confirmation of the
Norwood City School district's determination of impractical
transportation of certain students attending St. Nicolas Academy,
Cincinnati, a chartered nonpublic school, Hamilton County.
14 - APPROVED - Resolution to adopt a recommendation to the General
Assembly for the establishment of a uniform minimum group size and
the implementation of a growth model for the purposes of determining
whether all local education agencies, public elementary schools and
public secondary schools make adequate yearly progress.
15A- APPROVED - Motion to select Rob Hovis as delegate and Jane
Sonenshein as alternate delegate to represent the State Board of
Education at the 2007 NASBE Annual Conference.
32 - APPROVED - Resolution to accept the recommendation of the
hearing officer and approve transfer of school district territory
from the Zanesville City School District, Muskingum County, pursuant
to Section 3311.24 of the Ohio Revised Code.
33 - APPROVED - Resolution of to rescind OAC Rule 3301-21-01 - Definitions.
34 - APPROVED - Resolution to amend OAC Rule 3301-24-01 - Definitions.
35 - APPROVED - Resolution of to adopt new OAC Rule 3301-25-09 - Two
year school speech-language pathology student permit.
36 - APPROVED - Resolution to rescind OAC Rule 3301-27-02 for
athletic trainers.
37 - APPROVED - Resolution to amend OAC Rules 3301-40-03, 05, 06 and
07 Nonpublic Schools Administrative Cost Reimbursement.
38- APPROVED - Resolution to confirm the Galion City School
District's determination that it is impractical to transport certain
students attending Mansfield St. Peter's School, a chartered
nonpublic school, pursuant to Section 3327.01 of the Ohio Revised
Code.
39 - APPROVED - Resolution to accept the recommendation of the
hearing officer to deny the request of the Marva Collins Preparatory
School to be registered for the 2007-2008 school year as a
participant in the Ohio Educational Choice Scholarship Program.
NOTE: Forty-four families were notified before the school year
started by the ODE about the purpose of this resolution.
40 -APPROVED - Resolution to approve the determination of the Ohio
Department of Education that the St. John Nottinham Lutheran School
should not be registered for the 2007-2008 school year as a
participant in the Ohio Educational Choice Scholarship Program.
NOTE: Eleven families were notified before the school year started
by the ODE about the purpose of this resolution.
41A APPROVED by a vote of 14 to 3 - Resolution to deny the request
to create the River Local, Beallsville Local, and Monroe Central
Local School Districts from the territory of the Switzerland of Ohio
Local School District.
42- APPROVED - Resolution approving the appointment of J.C. Benton as
the Director of the Office of Board Relations.
Two representatives from the Coalition for Public Education (CPE),
Barbara Shaner and Andy Jewell, addressed the Board during public
participation on nonagenda items on the topic of community school
accountability and performance. The CPE is a statewide alliance of
education, parent, and civic organizations interested in improving
public education for Ohio's children, and increasing accountability
to taxpayers. Ms. Shaner is Associate Executive Director for the
Ohio Association of School Business Officials and serves as chairman
of the CPE. Andy Jewell is a researcher at the Ohio Education
Association, and has published over the past few years extensive
reports on charter schools in Ohio.
Ms. Shaner's remarks focused on the report card results for charter
schools; the differences in how charter schools are funded; and the
current qualifications for charter school teachers and treasurers.
She asked the Board and the ODE to better enforce accountability
provisions for charter schools to prevent future academic failures
and financial mismanagement, and, due to the differences in rules and
law, issue annually a report on the performance of charter schools,
so that the public can better understand the differences between
charter schools and traditional public schools. Marking the ten year
anniversary for charter schools in Ohio this year, Ms. Shaner told
the Board, "We find a decade later, evidence shows that traditional
public schools are still the best educational choice for Ohio
children."
Teacher qualifications may contribute to the poor performance of
charter schools, because current charter school law allows licensed
teachers to teach in charter schools without certification in the
subject area being taught. Also, charter school teachers with a
substitute license are considered highly qualified, which is not the
case in traditional public schools.
The qualifications for a fiscal officer also differ between charter
schools and traditional public schools. Treasurers/CFO in
traditional public schools must have a bachelor's degree in business,
classes in school law and school finance, a 300 hour internship in a
school district, implement an ongoing individual education
professional development plan, and participate in at least 180 hours
or the equivalent of continuing education before renewing their
license after five years. The fiscal officer for a charter school
may have a treasurer's license, or 16 hours of continuing education
in accounting, 24 hours of training over the next year, and eight
hours per year in subsequent years.
Mr. Jewell distributed a document entitled "Ten Years and Still
Failing: An Analysis of Ohio Charter Schools - August 2007".
According to his remarks, "When the State Report Card was released on
August 14, glaring in its absence was any reference to the academic
performance of charter schools. Ohio's charter school program is
arguably the highest profile education reform initiative in the state
over the past decade. Yet, the Department, once again, failed to
make any mention of the return on a half-billion dollar annual
investment. The performance of charter schools was buried among the
ratings of over 3000 school buildings."
In an analysis of the Local Report Card data provided by the ODE, Mr.
Jewell found the following about charter school performance:
-The majority, 57 percent, of charter schools remain in academic
emergency or academic watch.
-Charter schools met 21 percent of Local Report Card standards.
-While 55 charter schools experienced a rating increase over their
2005-2006 Report Card, 68 received a lower rating for the 2006-2007
school year.
-Big 8 traditional schools outperformed competing charter schools on
27 of 28 state achievement tests.
-Among economically disadvantaged students and students with
disabilities, those attending traditional schools performed better
than those enrolled in charter schools on all 28 of the state tests.
-All things equal, charter schools are losing ground academically.
Mr. Jewell asked the State Board and the ODE to conduct an "...
objective and comprehensive study of the performance of Ohio's
charter school program. Too much is at stake to continue to bury the
return on a multi-billion dollar expenditure of public monies and to
jeopardize the future of tens of thousands of Ohio schoolchildren."
The analysis of charter school performance based on the results of
the Local Report Cards is available at
http://www.ohea.org/GD/Templates/Pages/OEA/OEADefault.aspx?page=1
The State Board meeting then adjourned. For more information about
the State Board of Education meetings, please visit
http://www.ode.state.oh.us/GD/Templates/Pages/ODE
ODEPrimary.aspx?page=2&TopicRelationID=574
The next State Board of Education meeting is October 8-9, 2007.
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