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1) 128th General Assembly:
The Ohio House will hold committee hearings and a session this week. The Senate will hold one committee meeting, but
will not hold sessions this week.
*The Ohio Ballot Board voted on April 9, 2010 to divide into two parts a proposed
constitutional amendment on health care reform sponsored by the Ohio Liberty Council. The Council was represented by
Maurice Thompson at the Ballot Board meeting. The proposed issue responds to the recently approved federal Health Care
Reform and Education Act, which, among other provisions, requires individuals to purchase health insurance. The Board agreed
that, as introduced, the proposed ballot issue included multiple questions pertaining to the requirement that individuals
purchase health insurance and governance and oversight issues regarding health insurance overall, and should be divided into
two separate constitutional amendments on the November 2, 2010 ballot. The sponsors of the proposed amendment are considering
asking the Ohio Supreme Court to overturn the Ballot Board's decision.
*Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner
announced last week that Ohio will participate in a national pilot project called Voternetwork sponsored by The National Association
of Secretaries of State in partnership with Tangent Media, LLC. The purpose of Voternetwork is to increase voter engagement
and participation, especially with voters between the ages of 18-24, through technology and social media. Approximately
1.5 million young adults in twelve participating states will be invited to join Voternetwork to receive regular election notices
and deadline reminders. Voternetwork is one of several initiatives that are underway in Ohio to encourage people to register
and vote. These include Vote @ 17; College Vote Ohio; and early voting. For more information about Voternetwork,
please visit http://www.voternetwork.com/
2) Panel Addresses Economic Challenges Facing Youth: Policy
Matters Ohio is sponsoring a lunchtime panel discussion on the topic "Young and Broke: Policies to Help Students Secure
Their Future and Build Ohio's Middle Class". This event will be held on Monday, April 26, 2010 from 12:00 -
2:00 PM at the Cuyahoga Community College Metro Campus - Campus Center Building, 1st Floor Lounge, 2900 Community College
Ave, Cleveland, OH.
Policy Matters will release at this event a report entitled "Building Ohio's Future
Middle Class: Addressing the Challenges Facing Young Adults" by Policy Matters Ohio and Demos. The report reviews the
various economic barriers that are preventing young adults in Ohio from entering and remaining in the middle class. It also
outlines the ways in which federal and state public policies can help ensure a secure future for Ohio's young adults.
Participating on the panel will be Nancy K. Cauthen, Demos; Amy Hanauer, Policy Matters Ohio; Lindsay McCluskey, United
States Student Association; Ohio State Senator Nina Turner, 25th Ohio Senate District; and Monique Menefee, Cuyahoga Community
College Student & President of the Joint Student Council. Opening remarks will be presented by Dr. Michael Schoop,
President, Cuyahoga Community College Metro Campus.
For information about reservations and directions, please visit
http://www.policymattersohio.org/YoungAndBroke2010_03.htm.
3) This Week at the Statehouse
*The House Education Committee,
chaired by Representative Williams, will meet on April 13, 2010 at 2:00 PM in hearing room 017. The committee will hear
testimony two bills:
-HB479 (Weddington) Incarcerated School-Aged Adults, which would permit the establishment
of a community school to serve adults who are school-age and incarcerated, or who have been released from the custody of the
Department of Youth Services, and declare an emergency.
-HB407 (Zehringer) School Calamity Days, which
would allow school districts and STEM schools to make up excess calamity days by requiring students to complete lessons posted
online. *The House
Ways and Means Committee, chaired by Representative Letson, will meet on April 14, 2010 at 9:00 AM in hearing room 114.
The committee will hear testimony on HB464 (Winburn) Wind/Solar Energy Facilities, which would exempt qualifying wind and
solar energy facilities from property taxation for up to 20 years, and require payments in lieu of taxes on the basis of each
megawatt of production capacity of such facilities.
4) News from the U.S. Department of Education: The US DOE has several posts on its website
this week regarding Race to the Top and new grant opportunities.
*Lessons from Phase 1 Race to the Top: According
to this posting, Tennessee and Delaware were successful in securing Phase 1 Race to the Top funds because, "Both of the
winning states built on their unique strengths and track records, rather than trying to manufacture a reform agenda from whole
cloth. In the case of Tennessee, their value-added assessment system is the foundation for their reforms, while Delaware is
building on its Vision 2015 blueprint. Both states also secured broad support through a combination of changing their state
laws and coalition building among school districts, unions, businesses, advocacy groups, and local philanthropies."
Information is available on this site to compare the scores of Phase 1 finalists, and view Ohio's presentation
and Q & A for Race to the Top.
http://www.ed.gov/blog/2010/04/lessons-from-phase-1-of-race-to-the-top/
Ohio's presentation is available at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PrtahYITfbw.
*U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan announced on April 6, 2010 that
up to $350 million of Race to the Top funds have been set aside to support the Race to the Top Assessment program. This program
will provide support for a consortia of states to develop and implement "...valid and instructionally useful assessments
that provide accurate information about what students know and can do and that are anchored in standards designed to enable
every student to gain the knowledge and skills needed to succeed in college or the workplace by the time he or she graduates
from high school."
According to the news release, these assessments should do the following:
-Measure
standards that are rigorous, globally competitive, and consistent across the states in the consortium;
-Provide accurate
information about what students know and can do-including both students' achievement of standards and students' academic
growth from year to year;
-Reflect and support good instructional practice so they inspire great teaching;
-Include
all students from the outset-including English learners and students with disabilities; and
-Present data to everyone
who needs it-students, parents, teachers, administrators, policymakers-in ways that are clear, useful and actionable.
Thirty million will also be set aside to fund the development of "end of course" assessments for high school.
For more information please visit http://www2.ed.gov/news/pressreleases/2010/04/04062010c.html.
5) News from the ODE: The April 5, 2010 edition of EdConnections
from the Ohio Department of Education (ODE) includes information regarding Phase II of the Race to the Top grant and information
about several conferences that will be held in Ohio over the coming months. To read EdConnections please visit http://education.ohio.gov/GD/Templates/Pages/ODE/ODEDetail.aspx?page=3&TopicRelationID=1368&ContentID=61688&Content=84095
-Race to the Top: Local Education Associations (LEAs) are urged to participate
in one of two conference calls (April 8 and April 14, 2010) that will provide information about the next steps that ODE will
be taking to develop and submit a second Race to the Top proposal by the June 1, 2010 deadline.
-The Ohio Association
for Supervision and Curriculum Development (ASCD) will hold its conference in Columbus on June 29, 2010. The conference
is accepting proposals for sessions illustrating how 21st century skills can be integrated into the curricula, which is the
focus of the conference. Keynote speakers include Beth Ratway of Learning Point Associates and ODE Associate Superintendent
Stan Heffner.
-The 21st-Century Skills Initiative will be held on May 4, 2010 in Columbus. The summit will engage
teachers, school, business, government, and community leaders in developing a common language and vision for developing a
comprehensive 21st-century skills educational implementation plan for Ohio. Superintendent of Public Instruction Deborah S.
Delisle will be the keynote speaker, and national experts will share work in other states and school districts. Information
about the summit is available on the 21st Century Skills Ohio Web site at http://21stcenturyskillsohio.org/. The registration deadline is April 23, 2010.
6) State Board of Education to Meet: The State
Board of Education, Debbie Cain president, will meet on April 12 & 13, 2010 at the Ohio School for the Deaf, 500 Morse
Road, Columbus, Ohio.
MEETING ON APRIL 12, 2010
The Executive Committee, chaired by President Cain,
will meet at 8:30 AM at the Ohio School for the Deaf Conference Room. The committee will discuss the 2010 retreat and
its November 2010 meeting being held in conjunction with the OSBA Capital Conference.
The Achievement Committee,
chaired by Mike Collins, and the Capacity Committee, chaired by Rob Hovis, will meet at 9:00 AM.
The Achievement
Committee will discuss and approve a resolution of intent to adopt amended Rules 3301-35-01 to 3301-35-06, Operating Standards;
discuss HB648, Information Security Rules; and receive an update on the revision of academic content standards and Ohio's
accountability system for schools.
The Capacity Committee will discuss the policy on bullying, harassment, and
intimidation; discuss Driver Rehabilitation; discuss and approve a resolution of intent to adopt new rules 3301-24-16 and
3301-24-17, Senior Professional Educator License and Lead Professional Educator License, and to amend rule 2201-24-08 Professional
or Associate License renewal; discuss the transition to and development of Resident Educator Program; and discuss a policy
and criteria for school/district operational waivers.
At 10:40 AM the 21st Century Learning Subcommittee, chaired
by Steve Millett, and the Advocacy and Outreach Subcommittee, chaired by John Bender will meet.
The 21st Century
Learning Subcommittee will review and approve the subcommittee's recommendations related to 21st century learning in Ohio.
The Advocacy and Outreach Subcommittee will receive an update on pending legislation.
The Board will recognize
Kyle Elementary School, Troy City School District, and Wells Academy, Steubenville City School District, as National Title
1 Schools at 11:40 AM. The Board will then recess for lunch.
Following lunch (1:00 PM) the Board will receive
a presentation about the funding for Ohio's academic content standards and assessment system led by Kelly Weir, Director,
Office of Budget and Planning, and Stan Heffner, Associate Superintendent, Center for Curriculum and Assessment.
At 2:00 PM representatives from the Ohio Alliance for Arts Education will present their legislative and policy recommendations
for FY12-13 to the Board.
At 2:30 PM the Board will receive reports from the Achievement and Capacity committees,
and the 21st Century, and Advocacy and Outreach subcommittees.
The full Board will receive a presentation on the
Joint Committee on Agency Rule and Review Process (JCARR process).
At 3:45 PM the Board will review written reports
and items for vote during the business meeting.
A Chapter 119 Hearing will be conducted at 4:00 PM regarding rule
3301-3-01 to 07, Information Technology Centers.
The Community Schools Appeal Subcommittee, chaired by Ann Womer-Benjamin,
will conduct a hearing at 5:00 PM regarding the Goal Digital Academy's request to be categorized as a drop-out prevention
and recovery school so that a waiver may be obtained regarding the closure provision that would otherwise apply.
MEETING ON APRIL 13, 2010
The Board will meet at 8:30 AM and participate in a training regarding open meetings
and public records.
At 10:15 AM the Board will receive a presentation from the Ohio Association for Gifted Children
and the Ohio Coalition for the Education of Children with Disabilities.
The full Board will receive a presentation
from the 21st Century Learning Subcommittee at 11:15 AM, and following the presentation recess for lunch.
Following
lunch (1:00 PM) the Board will start its business meeting and immediately convene into executive session.
Following
the executive session the Board will receive the report of the Superintendent of Public Instruction, Deborah Delisle; accept
public participation on agenda items; vote on the report and recommendations of the Superintendent (please see resolutions
below); consider old business and new business; accept public participation on non-agenda items; receive reports from Board
members and Committees, and adjourn.
Following the Board meeting there will be an optional budget information session on school improvement services
and initiatives to support educators, presented by Cynthia Lemmerman, Associate Superintendent, Center for School Improvement
Services; Lou Staffilino, Associate Superintendent, Center for the Teaching Profession; and Kelly Weir, Director, Office of
Budget and Planning.
Resolutions
to be considered by the State Board of Education at their business meeting on April 13, 2010:
Five personnel resolutions and the following:
#2 Resolution of intent to amend Rule
3301-24-11 of the OAC entitled Alternative Principal License.
#3 Resolution to revise proposed amended Rule 3301-35-04
of the OAC entitled Student and Stakeholder Focus.
#4 Resolution of intent to consider confirmation of the Carrollton
Exempted Village School District's determination of impractical the transportation of certain students attending the St.
James School, a chartered non-public school, Stark County.
#5 Resolution of intent to consider confirmation of the Lake
Local School District's determination of impractical the transportation of certain students attending the St. Joseph's
School, a chartered non-public school, Portage County.
#6 Resolution of intent to consider the proposed transfer of school
district territory from the Mariemont City School District, Hamilton County, to the Indian Hill Exempted Village School District,
Hamilton County, pursuant to Section 3311.24 of the ORC.
#7 Resolution of intent to consider the proposed transfer of
school district territory from the Miami Trace Local School District, Fayette County, to the Washington Court House City School
District, Fayette County, pursuant to Section 3311.24 of the ORC.
#8 Resolution to accept the recommendation of the hearing
officer and deny the transfer of school district territory from the North Fork City School District, Licking County, to the
Newark City School District, Licking County pursuant to ORC Section 3311.06.
#9 Resolution to approve the agreement of
the Board of Education of the Norton City School District, Summit County, and the Barberton City School District, Summit County,
to transfer school district territory pursuant to section 3311.06 of the ORC.
#14 Resolution to amend Rule 3301-51-05
of the OAC entitled Procedural Safeguards.
#15 Resolution to adopt the removal of the inclusion of report-only indicators
(also called measures of a rigorous curriculum) on the local report card.
7) English Language Learners Show Gains:
The Center on Education Policy (CEP), Jack Jennings president, released on April 7, 2010 a new study entitled "State
Test Score Trends Through 2007-08: Has Progress Been Made in Raising Achievement for English Language Learners?"
The study analyzes the achievement of English Language Learners (ELLs) on state tests from 2006 - 2008 in reading and math,
and examines certain factors that make it difficult to obtain an accurate picture of ELL achievement, such as demographic
changes, language barriers, changes in state policies, and ELL classifications.
According to the press release,
"Overall, the study finds that ELLs have made progress in reaching state proficiency benchmarks in reading and math in
elementary, middle, and high school, although more gains were made at the elementary and middle school levels. In grade 4,
increasing percentages of ELLs have reached three achievement levels-basic, proficient, and advanced- with the highest proportion
of states making gains at the proficient level."
Achievement gaps on tests in reading between ELL students
and non-ELL students still exist in high schools. Twenty-seven states report a 30 percent gap and 18 states report a
40 percent gap between the test scores of ELL and non-ELL students in high schools, but the differences in test scores between
ELL students and non-ELL students on math assessments are less.
The study also notes that the percentages of ELL
students who achieve the proficient level compared to non-ELL students also varies widely by state, ranging from a low of
six percent in one state to 87 percent in another for high school reading. The report is available at http://www.cep-dc.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=document_ext.showDocumentByID&nodeID=1&DocumentID=305.
The CEP also provides on its website additional information about student assessment data, including State
Profiles and Worksheets for State Test Score Trends from 2007-2008. According to the "Profile for Ohio, Achievement
by Subgroup -- Gap Trends" in reading and math for grades 4,8, and 10, between 2005-2008, ELL students made larger gains
than the comparison group of non-ELL students in grades 4 and 8, but smaller gains in grade 10. To view this information please
visit http://www.cep-dc.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=Page.viewPage&pageId=572.
8) Report Released on Opportunity NYC-Family Rewards: Gordon Berlin,
president of MDRC, and New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, released on March 30, 2010 early findings of an evaluation of
the Opportunity NYC-Family Rewards program entitled "Toward Reduced Poverty Across Generations: Early Findings
from New York City's Conditional Cash Transfer Program" by James Riccio, Nadine Dechausay, David Greenberg, Cynthia
Miller, Zawadi Rucks, and Nandita Verma.
The report focuses on the first two years of this initiative, which started in 2007, and offers cash assistance
(conditional cash transfer - CCT) to families in six of New York City's highest poverty communities to break the cycle
of poverty. Families participating in the program had to meet certain conditions regarding student achievement in school,
preventative health care, and work and training, in order to receive the cash assistance.
The program is being evaluated by MDRC through a randomized
control trial involving 4,800 families and 11,000 children. Half of the control trial families are participating in
the incentive program, while the other half have not received the cash transfers. The following are some of the initial findings
of the study:
-Nearly all of the families participating in the Opportunity NYC - Family Rewards met some of the
payment requirements and received cash incentives of more than $6,000, on average, over the first two years of the program.
-The program affected families across
a number of outcome measures. It reduced poverty and hardships, including hunger, housing, and heath care hardships;
increased savings and the likelihood that families would have bank accounts and reduced the use of check cashing stores; increased
school attendance, the number of course credits earned, grade level advancement, and standardized test results among the better-prepared
students; reduced family reliance on hospital emergency rooms and increased medical care; increased the receipt of preventative
dental care; and increased employment in jobs not covered by unemployment insurance, but reduced employment in jobs covered
by unemployment insurance.
-The initiative did not increase overall school outcomes for elementary or middle school
students. An evaluation of
the third and final year of the program is underway. To read the full report of the preliminary findings please visit
http://www.mdrc.org/announcement_hp_231.html.
9) Update on Milwaukee's Voucher Program: The School Choice Demonstration Project (SCDP) released
on April 7, 2010 another report (#3) on Milwaukee's voucher program entitled "The Comprehensive Longitudinal Evaluation
of the Milwaukee Parental Choice Program: Summary of Third Year Reports" by Patrick J. Wolf of the University of
Arkansas.
The report
is based on the results of a longitudinal study of students participating in the voucher program compared to students attending
the Milwaukee Public Schools. Researchers at the School Choice Demonstration Project, who are conducting the study,
randomly selected 800 students participating in the Milwaukee Parental Choice (voucher) Program in the 2005-06 school year
and 800 students attending the Milwaukee Public Schools, and are following them through 2011 to track the effects of the twenty-year
old voucher program. The research is supported by the Lynde and Harry Bradley, Annie E. Casey, Joyce, Robertson, Kern Family,
and the Walton Family Foundations.
During the 2008-2009 school year 127 private schools and 19,803 students participated in the Milwaukee Parental
Choice Program, which started in 1990 and is the first urban school voucher program in the U.S. This program provides
vouchers up to $6,607 for students to attend private schools. The study seeks to answer the following questions:
-Are these programs working to improve
educational outcomes for children?
-Is the competition that is induced by school choice resulting in effective
public and private schools thriving
and ineffective ones closing down?
-What is it like to experience school
choice in Milwaukee?
-Does Milwaukee's school voucher program lead to better racially integrated or worse racially
integrated schools? The following
are the results of this study (#3):
-Of 42 statistical comparisons made between similar MPCP and MPS students, no statistically significant
differences in student achievement growth were reported in 36 cases (86%).
-The overall statistical comparison that is
most like an experimental evaluation, because it maintains the initial school-sector assignment of students and only controls
for baseline characteristics, yields achievement gains for the MPCP students that are higher than but not significantly different
from similar MPS students after two years.
-Three statistically significant differences in achievement growth favored
the sample of MPCP students. All three involved the sample of seventh graders in 2008, who demonstrated significantly
higher growth in math achievement if they were in the MPCP.
-Three statistically significant differences
in achievement growth favored the matched sample of MPS students. Two of those advantages involved achievement growth
that was higher than MPCP students after one year, but comparable to them after two years.
-The third statistically
significant result favoring the MPS students was an additional overall gain of 3.4 scale score points in math after two years.
This estimate came from a regression model that included a control variable for the effect of school-switching run only on
the subgroup of students who remained in their original school sector from 2006 to 2008.
The results of this report
and other studies of the Milwaukee Parental School Choice Program are available at http://www.uaedreform.org/SCDP/Milwaukee_Research.html.
10) Bills Introduced:
HB479 (Weddington) Incarcerated
School Age Adults: Permits the establishment of a community school to serve adults of school age who are incarcerated
or who have been released from the custody of the Department of Youth Services and declares an emergency.
SB246 (Sawyer) Incarcerated School Age Adults:
Permits the establishment of a community school to serve adults of school age who are incarcerated or who have been released
from the Department of Youth Services and declares an emergency. 11) Arne Duncan addresses the Arts Education Partnership: U.S. Secretary of Education, Arne Duncan, addressed
the Arts Education Partnership, Sandra Ruppert executive director, on April 9, 2010.
In his remarks Secretary Duncan expressed the Obama administration's
support for a well-rounded curriculum that includes the arts, history, foreign languages, geography, and civics. According
to Duncan, "The truth is that, in the information age, a well-rounded curriculum is not a luxury but a necessity."
The arts "level the playing field" for children who are struggling in other academic subjects, and "Through
the arts, students can learn teamwork and practice collaborative learning with their peers. They develop skills and judgment
they didn't know they had--whether it is drumming in time or acquiring the knowledge to differentiate between Pavarotti
and the tenor in the choir loft at the Sunday service."
Secretary Duncan went on to illustrate how the arts
support student learning in several ways. "First, the arts significantly boost student achievement, reduce discipline
problems, and increase the odds that students will go on to graduate from college. Second, arts education is essential to
stimulating the creativity and innovation that will prove critical to young Americans competing in a global economy. And last,
but not least, the arts are valuable for their own sake, and they empower students to create and appreciate aesthetic works."
According to Secretary Duncan, the Obama administration's proposal to reauthorize the Elementary and Secondary
Education Act (ESEA) provides an opportunity to strengthen arts education through its provisions to support a challenging
well-rounded curriculum; support research on effective curriculum; and ensure that schools receiving federal Title 1 funds
or in school turnaround status are "using evidence-based instructional programs aligned with academic standards."
The ESEA proposal allows states
to incorporate assessments of subjects in addition to English and math in accountability systems, and includes investments
to develop better assessments. It also combines the $40 million "Arts in Education" grant program with funds
for other competitive grant programs to create a competitive pool of "$265 million to strengthen the teaching of arts,
foreign languages, civics and government, and other subjects." The proposed education budget also provides competitive
grants for high-need districts to develop effective arts education programs through "Investing in Innovation" and
"Promise Neighborhood" grant programs.
The speech is available at http://www2.ed.gov/news/speeches/2010/04/04092010.html.
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