1) 128th General Assembly and State News:  The

Ohio House and Senate will not hold sessions this

week, but some House committees are meeting.

*Governor Strickland appointed on April 14, 2010

Judge Eric Brown of the Franklin County Probate

Court to the Ohio Supreme Court.  Judge Brown

replaces the late Chief Justice of the Ohio

Supreme Court, Tom Moyer, who died unexpectedly

on April 2, 2010. Judge Brown is also a candidate

for the Chief Justice position in the General

Election in November 2010. Judge Brown will

assume the position on May 3, 2010. Currently

Justice Paul Pfeifer is serving as acting Chief

Justice.

*Update of the University System's Strategic

Plan:  Ohio Board of Regents Chancellor, Eric

Fingerhut, released on April 16, 2010 the first

of five updates for Ohio's Strategic Plan for

Higher Education, first issued on March 31, 2008.

The report includes information about the goals

and metrics being used to track how well the

University System of Ohio improves education

attainment, including graduating more students;

keeping graduates in Ohio, and attracting more

talent to Ohio.

Future reports will detail the status of the strategic plan related to

-University System of Ohio: Structure

-Relationship with K-12 System and Technology Infrastructure

-Relationship with Business Community

-System Finances - Managing Resources Efficiently

For information about the Strategic Plan updates,

please visit

http://www.uso.edu/strategicplan/updates/overview.php.

2)  Update from the U.S. DOE

*U.S. Secretary of Education, Arne Duncan,

presented on April 14, 2010 testimony to the

Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor,

Health, and Human Services, chaired by Senator

Tom Harkin, on the proposed federal budget for

FY2011, and also included information about the

proposed re-authorization of the Elementary and

Secondary Education Act (ESEA).  Also testifying

on April 14th were Ramon C. Cortines,

Superintendent of the Los Angeles Unified School

District; Chris Bern, President of the Iowa State

Education Association; Dr. Joseph B. Morton,

State Superintendent of Education, Alabama State

Department of Education, Montgomery, Alabama; and

Mr. Marc Herzog, Chancellor, Connecticut

Community College, Hartford, Connecticut.

Secretary Duncan's testimony included a request

that Congress consider emergency support for

America's schools to prevent the loss of between

"100,000 and 300,000 education jobs".  The

support would be similar to the aid provided

through the American Recovery and Reinvestment

Act during the 2008-09 and 2009-2010 school years.

According to the testimony, the Obama

administration's blueprint for the

re-authorization of ESEA focuses on three

strategies:

-create a fair system of accountability that

rewards, rather than stigmatizes, schools and

educators

-give states and districts more flexibility to improve

-focus resources and support on students most at

risk in low-performing schools and schools with

large on-going achievement gaps

According to the testimony, the administration's budget request,

"...supports continuing formula funding for

low-income and special education students, and

teachers and principals, as well as students

learning English, and other diverse populations

from rural to migrant to homeless.

But we also know that kids at risk are not

well-served by the status quo which is why we

want to continue driving reform with competitive

programs.

So with our budget request we hope to continue

Race to the Top, the Investing in Innovation

fund, and programs to get great teachers and

principals in schools and classrooms where they

are needed most."

The administration also requests that the budget

include the Early Learning Challenge Fund, which

was not included in the Student Lending bill;

address shortfalls in the Pell grant program; and

address increased administrative costs associated

with the shift to 100 percent direct funding of

student loans.

To read the testimony please visit

http://www2.ed.gov/news/speeches/2010/04/04142010.html.

*U.S. Senator Tom Harkin introduced on April 14,

2010 the "Keep Our Educators Working Act".

Senator Harkin is chair of the Health, Education,

Labor and Pensions Committee and the Senate

Appropriations Committee on Labor, Health, and

Human Services.

The proposed bill will create a $23 billion

Education Jobs Fund to help keep teachers,

principals, librarians, and other school

personnel on the job, and is modeled after the

State Fiscal Stabilization Fund (SFSF) that was

established in the American Recovery and

Reinvestment Act.

According to the press release, "The SFSF is

currently supporting more than 300,000 education

jobs, such as teachers, principals, librarians,

and counselors, and is widely credited with

mitigating the impact of the recent recession.

However, even with the SFSF, schools across the

country have laid off workers, and the job

outlook is worse for the 2010-2011 school year.

Additional resources are needed to help states

and districts avoid a "funding cliff" that would

result in even more layoffs."

For more information please visit

http://help.senate.gov/newsroom/press/release/?id=f5ed0e1b-698d-44a6-a762-f1374a133c7c&groups=Chair.

*The U.S. Departments of Education (ED) and

Health and Human Services (HHS) will hold a

series of Listening and Learning About Early

Learning meetings in April and May.  The meetings

will be held from 10:00 AM to 3:30 PM on the

following dates:

-Understanding Preschool - Grade 3 Structures:

Friday, April 23, 2010, at the LBJ Auditorium in

the Lyndon Baines Johnson Building, 400 Maryland

Ave. S.W., Washington, D.C.

-Workforce and Professional Development: Monday,

April 26, 2010, in the auditorium at the Center

for Early Education, 3245 E. Exposition Avenue,

Denver, CO

-Family Engagement: Tuesday, May 4, 2010, at the

Orange County Public Schools Educational

Leadership Center, 445 W. Amelia Street, Orlando,

FL

-Standards and Assessments: Tuesday, May 11,

2010, at the Polk Bros. Lecture Hall at the

Erikson Institute, 451 N. LaSalle Street,

Chicago, IL

Registration: To attend or speak at a meeting,

you must register at

http://www.fsaregistration.ed.gov/profile/web/index.cfm?PKWebId=091942aeb2&varPage=agenda.

For more information please visit

http://www.ed.gov/blog/2010/04/listening-and-learning-about-early-learning-tour-announced-for-dc-denver-orlando-and-chicago/

3)  This Week at the Statehouse

The House Ways and Means Committee, chaired by

Representative Letson, will meet on April 20,

2010 at 9:30 AM in Hearing Room 114 to hear

testimony on HB464 (Winburn) Wind/Solar Energy.

The bill 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) State Board of Education Meets:  The State

Board of Education, Debbie Cain president, met 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, discussed the tentative schedule and work

session for the 2010 State Board of Education

Retreat, which will be held on June 12-13, 2010

at the Central Ohio Educational Service Center in

Columbus.  Board members discussed the need for

the State Board of Education to create a policy

map (that identifies gaps), and develop an

accountability system (with rational measures) to

assess the progress of the State Board of

Education.

The committee also discussed the November 8-9,

2010 meeting, which will be held in conjunction

with the OSBA Capital Conference. The committee

discussed inviting up to five school districts to

present what they are doing to promote 21st

Century Skills during the SBE meeting, and

participating in the OSBA Student Achievement

Fair.

ACHIEVEMENT COMMITTEE

The Achievement Committee, chaired by Mike

Collins, discussed operating standards,

information security rules, and revised academic

content standards for schools. The presentation

that was scheduled regarding accountability was

postponed until May.

*Operating Standards:  The Achievement Committee

discussed and approved a resolution of intent to

adopt amended Rule 3301-35-04 of Operating

Standards, to correct language to require (not

permit) chartered nonpublic schools to offer

credit flexibility. In March the SBE adopted an

"intent" resolution to amend Operating Standards,

Rules 3301-35-01-06, which includes this

provision. The SBE is scheduled to adopt the

revised Operating Standards in July 2010.

*HB648, Information Security Rules: Francis

Pompey, Chief Operating Officer, presented to the

committee information about proposed rules

regarding security information, established in

ORC 1347.15 (HB648). The rules will specify who

at the ODE will have access to confidential

information; why they should have access; and

which supervisors shall have access.  The SBE is

scheduled to approve an "intent" to adopt these

rules in May 2010, with final approval in

September 2010.

*Update on the revision of academic content

standards: In response to a question from the

committee regarding legislation that has been

introduced to postpone the adoption of academic

content standards in science and social studies,

Stan Heffner, Associate Superintendent, Center

for Curriculum and Assessment, informed the

committee that the ODE was ready to meet the June

deadline to adopt revised academic content

standards in all areas, including English

language arts, math, science, and social studies.

The SBE will then have two to three years to

implement the model curricula and develop aligned

assessments.  During the next two to three years

school districts will have time to participate in

professional development activities to adjust to

the new standards. Also during this time

technical changes to the standards can be made

when the need arises. Adopting the standards now

will support Ohio's Race to the Top application,

and ensure that Ohio has access to federal

resources.

Chairman Collins expressed support for the three

phase process used to revise Ohio's Comprehensive

Education System, and noted that if changes in

the standards are needed they can be made.

In response to questions about the public support

for the science and social studies standards,

Denny Thompson, Director of Curriculum and

Instruction, explained that the model curricula,

now under development, addresses many issues

raised by educators through the online surveys

and regional meetings.  Additional stakeholder

meetings are being scheduled to gather

information from the field to include in the

model curricula, which will be interactive and

web-based.

Kim Mullen, ODE Associate Director for Science

and Technology, further explained how some of the

concerns expressed by educators and scientists

about the standards are being addressed through

the model curricula. For example, there were many

comments from educators and scientists about the

science standards focusing too much on students

memorizing lists of facts.  She shared a template

from the draft model curriculum for science that

shows how Learning Expectations in the model

curriculum would include Designing

Technological/Engineering Solutions using Science

Concepts; Demonstrating Science Knowledge;

Communicating and Analyzing Science Concepts; and

Recalling Science Concepts and Procedures. The

document also identifies in the model

technological literacy, environmental literacy,

and 21st Century skills.

Virginia Moore, ODE consultant for social

studies, reviewed some of the changes that have

been made in the social studies standards as a

result of educator feedback.  The ODE is

proposing a new course in world geography, and

has made global connections more explicit.

Adjustments have been made to the scope and

sequence in grades 5-8, and social studies skills

will be explicitly stated within each strand,

rather than embedded. The "Eye of Integration"

for social studies includes Interdisciplinary

Connections including those for the arts and

technology.

Brad Findell, ODE Mathematics Initiatives

Administrator, and Sasheen Phillips, Associate

Director of the Office for Curriculum and

Instruction, reviewed the math and English

Language Arts Common Core standards. Stakeholders

were able to provide feedback on the Common Core

online through April 2, 2010, and much

information has been gathered from focus groups

and regional meetings on the standards held in

March.  The final version of the Common Core

standards is expected to be available in May

2010.  Although states may add 15 percent

additional content to the Common Core, Ohio is

not planning to do so.

Board members asked questions about the following:

-how will educators be motivated to integrate the standards?

-are primary sources included in the standards and at what grade levels?

-will the model curricula be in a printable format?

-do the standards include world geography?

-is recent literature included in the Common Core English standards?

-how operational are the standards....how will

teachers be prepared....will students be prepared?

Chairman Collins recommended that the committee

consider extending its meeting in May to afford

the public time to come and discuss the standards

with the Board before the standards are voted on

in June 2010. The Board will consider a

resolution of intent to adopt the standards in

May 2010.

CAPACITY COMMITTEE

The Capacity Committee, chaired by Rob Hovis and

co-chaired by Kristen McKinney discussed the

following four items:

-Anti-Harassment, Anti-Intimidation or

Anti-bullying Model Policy:    The committee

received an update on the policy and changes that

are being proposed for the Anti-Harassment,

Anti-Intimidation or Anti-bullying Model Policy

required by passage of 128-Sub. HB 19. Violence

within a dating relationship will be added to the

policy, but action on this item is pending as the

ODE reviews the definition of "violence" within a

dating relationship and the inclusion of dating

violence as an allegation of criminal misconduct.

-Senior Professional and Lead Professional

Educator License Rules (3301-24-16 and

3301-24-17) and Professional or Associate License

Renewal (3301-24-08): The committee approved a

motion to move to the full board the proposed new

Senior Professional and Lead Professional

Educator License Rules and proposed amendments to

the Professional or Associate License Renewal

Rule.

Cyndi Yoder, Executive Director Center for the

Teaching Profession, presented information about

proposed new rules 3301-24-16 and 17, which

include the criteria for educators to obtain a

Senior Professional Education License and Lead

Professional Educator License in Ohio.

Current Rule 3301-24-08 is also being amended to

align the current professional teacher license

within the framework of Ohio's new teacher

licensure system.

The changes are the result of 128-HB1, which

restructured Ohio's teacher licensure system, and

established a new career ladder for educators.

The timeline calls for the State Board to approve

an intent to adopt these rules in May 2010, and

adopt the rules in September, 2010.

-Transition to and development of Resident

Educator Program: Lou Staffilino, Associate

Superintendent for the Center for the Teaching

Profession, presented information about the new

resident educator license program, also included

in 128-HB1. This license replaces, by January

2011, the two year provisional license.  The SBE

approved in September 2009 a transition program

for 2009-2011 as the Resident Educator Program is

developed and the provisional license ends.

-School/district operational waivers: Francis

Pompey Chief Operating Officer, and Kim Murnieks,

Executive Director for the Center for the School

Options and Finance, presented to the committee

information about standards for operational

waivers included in 128-HB1 (ORC §3306.40). The

SBE is required to adopt standards for approval

or disapproval of requests from schools/school

districts for waivers from rules regarding the

expenditure of funds (ORC §3306) and operating

standards (ORC §3301.07 (D)(3)). School districts

must apply for a waiver through the

Superintendent, who will make the decision. The

waivers will be approved on a school-year basis

(July 1 - June 30); can be effective for period

not to exceed five school years; and can be

renewed.  The committee requested that the Board

provide information about the number and types of

waivers that have been granted in the past.

21st CENTURY LEARNING SUBCOMMITTEE

The 21st Century Learning Subcommittee, chaired

by Steve Millett, reviewed and approved the

subcommittee's recommendations related to 21st

century learning in Ohio. The SBE received a

presentation about the recommendations on April

13, 2010.  (See summary below.)

ADVOCACY AND OUTREACH SUBCOMMITTEE

The Advocacy and Outreach Subcommittee, chaired

by John Bender, discussed a proposed State

Legislative Platform for 2011-2012, and briefly

discussed legislation before the Ohio General

Assembly.

*Jeannette Oxender and Gregg Dennis reviewed with

the Board a draft State Legislative Platform,

which will guide the advocacy efforts of the SBE,

Superintendent of Public Instruction, and the

Ohio Department of Education. The timeline

provides that the Board approve the State

Legislative Platform in July 2010.

The draft state platform is modeled after the

federal platform, which the Board has adopted in

the past. The draft platform is aligned to the

SBE's vision document and includes

recommendations for each of the following goals:

-Teaching 21st Century Knowledge and Skills for Real-World Success

-Supportive Learning Environments

-Personalized Learning for All Students

-Data Systems and Technology to Improve Student Learning

-Quality School Options

-School District Flexibility

-Innovative Technical Assistance

According to the presentation, several of the

draft recommendations have been included in the

SBE's policy and legislative recommendations in

the past, but some of the recommendations are

new.  For example, under Supportive Learning

Environments, the platform includes a

recommendation to include "adopting national

health education standards."

Under Personalized Learning the draft includes a

recommendation to "....reduce the number of

categories of giftedness that LEAs are required

to identify, require that LEAs provide services

to children identified as having superior

cognitive ability, and require that gifted

children be periodically re-evaluated."

Under Quality School Options the draft includes a

recommendation to "limit community school

expansion of grade levels to only community

schools that are in continuous improvement

status."

Subcommittee members asked questions to clarify

the recommendations; recommended that some

recommendations be moved to other goal

statements; and suggested that other areas, such

as special education, be included in the

recommendations. The subcommittee will also need

to evaluate the recommendations to ensure that

they are "big idea" policy recommendations,

rather than implementation issues, concerns, or

technical changes.

With time running out, the subcommittee postponed

discussion about several bills pending in the

Ohio General Assembly until the May subcommittee

meeting.

BOARD RECOGNITION

The Board recognized Kyle Elementary School, Troy

City School District, and Wells Academy,

Steubenville City School District, as National

Title 1 Schools.

BUDGET DISCUSSION:  STANDARDS AND ASSESSMENTS

Following lunch the Board received a budget

presentation about 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.

According to the presentation, the

Superintendent's proposed FY12-13 budget

recommendations will be presented to the Budget

Subcommittee, chaired by Dennis Reardon, on June

13, 2010, and will be presented to the full Board

in July 2010.

Stan Heffner provided the Board with information

about the budgets of two of three offices

included in the Center for Curriculum and

Assessment:  Curriculum and Instruction, and

Assessment.  The third office is Career and

Technical Education.

The presentation included an overview of the

revision of academic content standards in math,

English language arts, social studies, and

science, and the process used to develop the

revised standards. These standards will be

adopted by the State Board of Education in June

2010, and the model curricula in these content

areas will be adopted in March 2011. There will

be a three year transition period before these

standards take effect.

After the first set of standards is complete,

standards in the fine arts, foreign languages,

computer literacy (technology), financial

literacy, and business education will be revised.

These standards are set to be adopted,

tentatively by the Board, in June 2012, and the

model curricula adopted tentatively by the Board

in June 2013.

The ODE budget for the content standards is $5.3

million in FY10 and $5.3 million in FY11.

The Office of Curriculum and Instruction includes

consultants in the following areas (Budget = $5.3

million):

-nine consultants for English language arts

-seven consultants for math

-eight consultants for science, technology, and library media

-five consultants for social studies

-one consultant in the fine arts

-two consultants for foreign languages

-one consultant for physical education

-two management and seven support staff

The Office of Curriculum and Instruction also

supports the following federally supported

programs in its budget:

-English Language Acquisition to support 42,000

LEP students in 287 school districts in Ohio.

(Budget = $8.1 million in FY10 and $8.1 million

in FY11.)

-Mathematics and Science Partnership.  There are

three projects managed through this program.

(Budget = $5.6 million in FY10 and $5.5 million

in FY11.)

-Educational Technology:  Two programs are

included in this program, Education Technology

and Title II Technology -- Federal Stimulus.

School districts and community schools can

compete for these federal grants.  In FY10 103

school districts and 8 community schools are

participating.

-Reading First.  This federal program helps low

performing high poverty school districts

implement research-based literacy interventions

in kindergarten through grade three.  The program

is being phased-out at the federal level.  In

FY10 the program provided $27 million, and in

FY11 the program will provide $24 million.

The Office of Assessment is supported by a budget

of $69.6 million in FY10 and $69.5 million in

FY11.  The Office develops and facilitates the

testing of students, including test development,

production, distribution, collection, scoring,

and reporting for the following assessments:

-Ohio Achievement Assessments

-Ohio Graduation Test

-Alternative Assessments

-Diagnostic Assessments

-and Ohio Test of English Language Acquisition (OTELA)

The Office of Assessment is required to implement

several provisions of 128-HB1 over the next few

years.  This includes aligning the Ohio

Achievement Assessments with the revised academic

content standards; replacing the Ohio Graduation

Tests with a nationally standardized test in

English language arts, math, and science;

developing a series of end-of-course exams

aligned to the revised academic content

standards; and developing rules for the

implementation of a senior project.

The Office of Assessment also supports the GED

program ($1.8 million in FY10 and $1.8 million in

FY11) and programs administered by the National

Center for Education Statistics ($300,000 in FY10

and $300,000 in FY11).  According to the

presentation, 27,223 GED tests were administered

to 24,368 students during FY 2009 through 99

testing centers around the state.  Fee waivers

for students taking the GED were eliminated for

FY10-11.

Board members asked questions about the following:

-How were members of the higher education

community involved in the development of the

standards?

-How much testing will there be?

-Can teachers administer the social studies

assessment even though the state does not have to

administer it in FY10-11?

-How are special education students assessed?

-What is the cost of the end of course exams?

-Are there funds for communication about the revised standards and activities?

STAKEHOLDER PRESENTATIONS

Representatives from the Ohio Alliance for Arts

Education presented their legislative and policy

recommendations for FY12-13 to the Board.

Participating in the presentation were Susan

Witten, Director of Teaching and Learning for the

Hamilton Local School District, Joan Platz,

Information Coordinator for the OAAE, and Janelle

Hallet, assistant to the executive director of

the OAAE.  Roger Hall, executive director of the

Ohio Music Education Association was also

introduced.

The OAAE requested that the State Board of

Education support the following legislative and

policy recommendations as it develops its

legislative recommendations and budget

recommendations for FY12-13:

-Develop guidelines for implementing quality arts

education programs in Ohio's schools.

The OAAE requests that the State Board of

Education develop and implement with stakeholders

guidelines for quality arts education programs in

Ohio's schools as it revises the academic content

standards and model curricula in the fine arts.

These guidelines would complement the academic

content standards and provide a "road map" for

school districts and schools to use to assess and

improve the quality of their arts education

programs.

-Integrate arts education into the fabric of ODE

work to improve student achievement.

The Elementary and Secondary Education Act 2001

(ESEA) defines the arts as a "CORE" academic

subject for all students to learn. (Title IX,

Part A, Section 9101 Definitions). This means

that arts education programs and teachers are

eligible for federal funds for teacher training,

technology, school reform, Title 1 school wide

programs, and extended learning opportunities.

The Obama administration's recommendations for

re-authorizing ESEA also recommend that students

have access to a well-rounded education that

includes the arts, and recently the Board of

Directors of the Council of Chief State School

Officers approved a recommendation to include in

the re-authorization of ESEA the collection of

key data in all CORE subjects and in statewide

longitudinal data systems

(SLDS).

As the State Board of Education and Ohio's

educators consider policy issues such as college

and career- readiness goals and improving

low-performing schools, the OAAE recommends

integrating the arts into the work of the ODE and

including arts education in the Ohio CORE;

annually collecting and disseminating data on the

number of students taking arts courses and

student achievement in the arts; and encouraging

school districts to engage the arts in

whole-school reform.

-Include the arts in Ohio's assessment system for schools.

A complete learning system includes standards,

curriculum, instruction, assessment, and teacher

development. Ohio's Operating Standards for

Ohio's Schools requires that school districts

"provide for an assessment system that aligns

with their courses of study" and includes

"regular assessment of student performance."

Since there are no state level assessments in the

arts, school districts are responsible for the

design and implementation of the assessment

system aligned to their adopted courses of study

in the arts.

The OAAE requests that the ODE develop, or

identify existing, rigorous assessments in the

arts for school districts to use at the local

level, and encourage school districts to assess

students in the arts. Assessments in the arts

should be incorporated into the revision of the

academic content standards and

the development of the model curricula in the

arts. The Ohio Music Education Association is

currently developing a 4th grade music

assessment, which could become a template for

developing other Ohio-based assessments in the

arts.

The results of these assessments can then be used

to provide data about student achievement in the

arts; evaluate the quality of arts education

programs in Ohio's schools; improve professional

development; and improve teacher preparation

programs in the arts. School districts could also

use the results of these assessments to meet

Ohio's new graduation requirement in the arts;

grant credit for credit flexibility programs; and

determine college and career readiness.

-Get the evidence-based model (EBM) right for arts education.

The OAAE appreciates that there is a mechanism

through the School Funding Advisory Council to

review and make recommendations regarding the

provisions for arts education included in Am.

Sub. HB1.

The School Funding Advisory Council's School

Learning Environments Subcommittee is reviewing

the "adequacy" of the EBM related to arts

education and teacher compensation, and the State

Board will be adopting spending rules for the EBM

in the near future. The OAAE recommends the

following regarding these provisions:

a) Number of Specialist Teachers:

The formula used to determine the number of

specialist teachers (arts and physical education

teachers) in Ohio's EBM is based on the work of

school funding experts Allan Odden and Lawrence

Picus.

According to their research, the formula for

specialist teachers allows classroom teachers to

have "one period a day for collaborative planning

and professional development", which works-out to

be 20 percent of classroom teachers in grades K-8

and 33 percent in grades 9-12. (Allan Odden and

Lawrence Picus, School Finance, A Policy

Perspective, McGraw Hill, 2007)

The number of specialist teachers determined

through Ohio's EBM is 20 percent of classroom

teachers in grades K-8, and 25 percent of

classroom teachers in grades 9-12.The OAAE

recommends that the number of specialist teachers

allocated through the EBM represent what is

needed for students to achieve the academic

content standards in the fine arts; be aligned to

Operating Standards for Ohio's Schools (which

includes courses of study, sufficient time for

instruction, credentialed teachers, assessments);

and reflect the components of a quality arts

education program outlined in national

Opportunity to Learn Standards in the Arts.

(National Consortium of Arts Education

Associations, Opportunity to Learn Standards in

the Arts, 1995)

b) Spending Rules -- Flexibility:

The OAAE understands that Ohio's school districts

need some flexibility in spending rules for the

EBM in order to meet the diverse educational

needs of students and the special circumstances

of school districts. But, we also believe that

the EBM spending rules should consider more than

student achievement on state assessments when

granting waivers from the rules, especially for

content areas without a student assessment.

The OAAE recommends that the ODE and the State

Board of Education consider other factors when

granting waivers for the spending rules, such as

the following:

·Is the school district meeting Operating

Standards for Ohio's Schools? Is the school

district providing regular and sequential

instruction in the arts based on their courses of

study in the arts?

·Is the number of specialist teachers the school

district employs higher or lower than the number

funded through the evidence-based model?

·How much is the school district spending on

professional development for specialist teachers?

c) Teacher Compensation:

Teacher compensation must be based on clear goals

and "incentives" that are fair for all teachers,

including those in content areas without an

assessment of student achievement, such as the

arts.

The OAAE recommends that arts educators be fairly

integrated into teacher compensation plans, which

should be based on defined goals for effective

instruction and student learning across the

curriculum; include multiple measures of student

achievement and teacher effectiveness; encourage

professional growth; and anticipate and address

unintended consequences. (Center for Educator

Compensation Reform, "The Other 69 Percent",

August 2009.)

5) Restore the music/theatre consultant position

at the ODE so that there are two arts consultants.

There are more than ten thousand arts educators

teaching in Ohio's traditional public schools.

Currently the ODE has one full-time arts

consultant, but before 2006, and going back as

far as the 1970s, the ODE had two full-time arts

consultants for music/theatre and visual

art/dance to provide support for art

educators and arts education programs.

The arts include four distinct content areas:

dance, drama, music, and visual arts. These

disciplines have unique content, pedagogy,

research, and histories. Arts consultants support

arts educators in the field through leadership

and service. They respond to inquiries about

standards, curriculum, and licensure from

educators, administrators, and the public; attend

and participate in the professional development

conferences and meetings of the professional arts

organizations; provide professional development

to the field; inform arts educators about

initiatives at the ODE and how they can become

involved; create tools for arts educators;

represent the arts at the ODE so that the latest

research in arts education is integrated into the

work of the ODE; apply and participate in grant

writing, such Race to the Top; and generally

represent the arts at state events, competitions,

exhibitions, and more.

In the future the academic content standards in

the fine arts are scheduled for revision once

standards and the model curriculum in the other

content areas are complete. A music consultant at

the ODE will provide the knowledge and experience

necessary to guide the standards revision

process, and assist music/theatre teachers in the

next stage of implementing the standards and

developing the model curricula.

Following the presentation Board members asked questions about the following:

-Are there guidelines already available to

support the development of quality arts programs

in schools?

-How would a state assessment in the arts be used?  What would be its purpose?

-How would spending more at the district level on

the arts affect student achievement?

-Should the arts be an elective or part of the Core curriculum?

-How are the arts involved in the creation of jobs in Ohio?

-Can dance be used for physical education?

-Will you be willing to participate in the

development of the new content standards?

-Do you feel like Ohio is losing teachers in the

arts because of the loss of funding for

professional development or other reasons?

CHAPTER 119 HEARING

A Chapter 119 Hearing was held regarding rule

3301-3-01 to 07, Information Technology Centers.

No one testified.

COMMUNITY SCHOOLS APPEAL SUBCOMMITTEE

The Community Schools Appeal Subcommittee,

chaired by Ann Womer-Benjamin, continued its

meeting from March 2010, and proceeded with a

hearing regarding the Goal Digital Academy's

request to be categorized as a drop-out

prevention and recovery school so that a waiver

could be obtained regarding the closure provision

that would otherwise apply.

MEETING ON APRIL 13, 2010

STAKEHOLDER PRESENTATIONS

The Board received a presentation from the Ohio

Coalition for the Education of Children with

Disabilities and the Ohio Association for Gifted

Children.

OHIO COALITION FOR THE EDUCATION OF CHILDREN WITH DISABILITIES

Margaret Burley, executive director for the Ohio

Coalition for the Education of Children with

Disabilities, presented information to the Board

about the Coalition and how special education

programs in school districts are funded in Ohio.

According to the presentation,

-approximately 15 percent of students in Ohio

have been identified as students with disabilities

-June 2009 data show that 70 percent of young

people who are in the Department of Youth

Services' facilities have IEPs, and have been

identified as students with disabilities.

-Ohio has one of the lowest numbers of "due

process hearings" in the nation, with less than

50 hearings a year, due in part to the work of

Parent Mentors. Many states have 1100-1200

hearings a year.

The presentation identified the following issues

regarding support for students with disabilities

in Ohio:

-The new school funding formula (HB1) for

students with disabilities is a decade behind in

the level of support needed to provide services

for students with special needs.  The new funding

formula still provides 90 percent of FY2001 costs.

The former school funding system was based on the

cost of services and school district wealth, and

seemed to be a "working system", although it was

funded at 90 percent.

"We are expecting schools to bring those children

to high academic standards but without the

resources to really get the job done."

-The new school funding formula makes it

difficult to follow how school districts are

spending funds for special education, since the

funds go into the General Revenue Fund.

-The State Board of Education is still a party to

a federal lawsuit, Doe v. State of Ohio, which

was one of the first state school funding

lawsuits filed back in the early 1990s. This case

focuses on the school funding formula for

students with special needs.  It puts the State

Board of Education and Ohio in an untenable

position, because the formula discriminates

against students with disabilities, which are a

protected class under federal law.

"No where in the evidence-based model does it

ever talk about increasing funding to 100 percent

to what the formula is developed to provide."

-The classroom ratios of twenty to one included

in the EBM are not research-based or included in

any State Board of Education rules for student

with disabilities, and so no one understands

where the 20 to 1 rule in the evidence-based

model came from.

-The Coalition believes that a per pupil formula,

where the dollars follow the child, would lead to

the least restrictive environment placement.

-There are a number of costs that were not

factored in the evidence-based model, such as

assistive technologies.

-Catastrophic funding was reduced in the last

budget from $19 million to $10 million. These

funds are used to rescue school districts with

very high costs for special education.

-One of the most puzzling aspects of the new

school funding formula is the lack of support for

special education preschool.  Currently there are

over 1000 special education preschool units (one

third of the number of preschool special

education units) that have no state support.

-The current level for determining special

education preschool unit funding is the state

minimum teacher salary for 1989, which, at that

time, was $17,500.

-Funding special education adequately should be

the number one funding priority for the State

Board of Education as it develops its next

biennial budget.

-There is also a long-standing teacher shortage

for special education teachers. Special education

teachers are moving out of urban areas and have

high mobility. The State Board of Education

should develop a plan to recruit and retain

special education teachers.

-The ODE made a positive move when it received

approval to hire 14 new employees for the Office

of Exceptional Children in the Ohio Department of

Education.

-Project MORE, an effective, research-based

reading program for students with disabilities,

should be funded in the future ODE budget

recommendations. The program was funded in

previous budgets and cost $650,000 each year.

-The Parent Mentor project, which is supported by

a budget of $1.3 million per year, should

continue to receive support and be expanded.

-The ODE should continue to support funding for

school psychologist interns, which cost $2.7

million.

Board members asked the following questions:

-How is the teacher-student ratio funded in the EBM?

-What special education services are working well for students?

-What should be the formula for special education

students? How is accountability for special

education funding determined?

-What are the special education priorities for the ODE's FY12-13 budget?

-How are special education preschool units funded?

-Why are so many students with disabilities entering the prison system?

-How can we avoid the over-identification of

children with disabilities, especially

African-American males?

OHIO ASSOCIATION FOR GIFTED CHILDREN (OAGC)

The Board received a presentation from Ann

Sheldon, Executive Director of the Ohio

Association for Gifted Children (OAGC) and Sally

Roberts, OAGC President and a Gifted Coordinator

in the Huber Heights School District. The OAGC

was founded in 1952 and is the oldest association

for gifted children in the country. The OAGC has

more than 1200 members and over thirty local

affiliate organizations in Ohio.

The presentation identified the following issues

related to gifted education in Ohio:

-Approximately 280,000 students or 16 percent of

students in Ohio, are identified as gifted across

four areas:  superior cognitive, specific

academic, creative thinking, and visual and

performing arts.

-The number of gifted students served has

decreased from 70,667 in 2007/2008 school year to

60,733 in the 2008-2009 school year.

-State funding supported services for

approximately 20 percent of students identified

as gifted and another 7 percent were served

through local funds last year, compared to 48

percent served in 1998.

-There are huge service inequities for gifted

students in Ohio, because in the past not all

school districts applied for gifted unit funding.

100 school districts do not provide any gifted

services.

-The accountability system exacerbates the

inequity of the system, because there is no state

mandate to provide services to gifted students

and there is no report card measure.  The new

gifted performance indicator required by HB1

should provide information about gifted services

provided by school districts and student

achievement.

-Funding for gifted education was changed by HB 1

so that all districts now receive gifted funding

for both identification and service; all gifted

funding has a state share applied; funding is no

longer tied to units; the gifted maintenance of

effort provision is in place for the current

biennium; and a performance indicator for gifted

education on the local report card is required.

-There are significant issues for gifted

education during this transition period,

2009-2011. Because HB1 did not require

maintenance of services or staff levels (just

state spending levels for gifted), school

districts are reducing staff and services for

students.

The following are policy and legislative

recommendations for gifted education proposed by

the OAGC:

-Include phased-in mandate language in the Ohio

Administrative Code or Revised Code to ensure

that gifted services are not reduced even as more

state funding is provided.

-Base the formula for gifted coordinators on

organizational units rather than ADM in order to

maintain consistency in the funding model.

-Evaluate the salary levels for gifted

coordinators and gifted intervention specialists

to make sure that they are sufficient.

-Relate the maintenance of effort for school

districts and Educational Service Center to the

2009 level of gifted services/staff rather than

state spending levels.

-Evaluate the spending formula for the identification of gifted students,

-Clarify language for enrichment activities to

ensure that gifted students have access to AP and

PSEO courses.

-Revamp Ohio's accountability system to ensure

that an excellent rating on the report card means

that excellent school districts are providing all

students of various needs with excellent

educational opportunities across a continuum of

services. For example, 85 school districts rated

excellent had ACT scores below the state average;

106 excellent school districts had college

remediation rates above the state average; 51

excellent school districts offer no AP courses;

135 excellent school districts report less than

50 percent of graduates enter college; and 206

excellent districts report less than 50 percent

of their graduates took the Ohio Core curriculum.

-Evaluate cut scores for accelerated and advanced

scores, because there is no accelerated or

advanced material on any of the grade level Ohio

Achievement or Ohio Graduation tests.

-Reward school districts for promoting acceleration opportunities.

-Allow students to take state assessments when

they are ready to show mastery rather than based

on age and grade level.

-Require the SBE (rather than each school

district) to set cut scores for exiting national

exams, such as AP, ACT end of course exams, to

facilitate students participating in credit

flexibility.

Board members asked the following questions:

-Is the reduction of services for gifted a trend?

-Is there accountability for funds for gifted education?

-Is there a problem with EMIS and data on gifted education?

-Should students in teacher education programs in

colleges take courses in gifted education?

-What percentage of students in special education courses are also gifted?

-Could you keep us informed about the state of

gifted education as the SBE moves forward?

-What do you think of the proposal in the

Advocacy and Outreach Subcommittee to reduce the

number of categories for gifted education;

require LEAs to provide services for students

with superior cognitive abilities; and require

gifted students to be re-evaluated?

-Is there any thing in operating standards that

triggers a reassessment of a student when the

student's grade slips or something else happens?

-Is the EBM, or the former school funding system, better for gifted education?

-The excellent district analysis in the

presentation begs a response, and perhaps there

should be a change in the way that we identify

excellent school districts.

21st CENTURY LEARNING SUBCOMMITTEE

The Board received a presentation from the 21st

Century Learning Subcommittee, chaired by Steve

Millett.  Deputy Superintendent Marilyn Troyer

and Erin Joyce made the presentation which

included a summary of the work of the

subcommittee, including its charge, and the an

analysis of the question:  What does a 21st

century learning environment look like in Ohio?

According to the presentation, to answer that

question the subcommittee needed to answer

several other questions, such as what is the

definition of 21st century knowledge and skills?

what are the various roles that are needed in a

21st century learning environment? how can the

subcommittee reach out to local school board

members? what future trends do we need to focus

on? and how is the subcommittee's work connected

to the Partnership for 21st Century Skills?

Using a process that included research on 21st

century learning environments, future trends, and

an analysis of common themes and priorities, the

subcommittee developed the following

recommendations:

-Next generation of standards, curriculum, and assessments:

Revise, align, and integrate Ohio's standards,

curricula, instruction and assessment to

effectively embed the teaching and learning of

21st Century knowledge, skills, and behaviors (as

identified by he EDGE Subcommittee) into the core

curriculum, creating a world-class education

system that is benchmarked to international

standards. Develop methods and metrics to

evaluate Ohio's education system and measure its

effectiveness in preparing students for success

within the 21st Century global economy.

-Strategic Focus on Student Learning and Achievement:

Provide an infrastructure to support a

student-centered personalized learning system

that does the following:  challenges the student,

is based in an international context, is tied to

outcomes, is evidence-based, is relevant to the

student, and is directed a closing gaps in

achievement among student groups.

-Stakeholder engagement, cooperation, and mutual respect:

Engage in meaningful collaboration to ensure the

sustainability of Ohio's vision for 21st century

learning.

-Integrating technology with learning environments:

Integrate technology with effective traditional

learning methods; expand learning environments to

include virtual and remote learning; expand

access to high quality e-learning and online

content; encourage virtual cooperation among

schools, museums, universities, foundations, and

other educational partners; develop methods and

tools for 21st century learning; and support

learning environments with adequate data systems

preK through higher education to inform decisions

and improve education.

The recommendations were included in a resolution

for the Board to consider at its business

meeting.  Next steps include implementing an

outreach program for local boards of education

and stakeholders in May; address the

recommendations during the June retreat; and

continue to develop specific strategies within

each recommendation area.

BUSINESS MEETING

The Board convened its business meeting following

lunch, and held an executive session.

Following the executive session the Board

received the report of the Superintendent of

Public Instruction, Deborah Delisle, who

presented information about the following topics:

-Clark Montessori Junior/Senior High School in

Cincinnati, OH was selected as one of six

finalists for the first annual Race to the Top

High School Commencement Challenge.  The

Commencement Challenge was launched in February

by the U.S. Department of Education, which

invited the nation's public high schools to

submit applications.  President Obama will attend

the commencement ceremony of the winner of the

competition and give the commencement address.

-Ohio has been selected to participate in the

first Partnership Generation Labs for the

Partnership for the Next Generation of Learning

by the Council of Chief State School Officers.

-Cleveland, Ohio has been selected by the Great

City Schools, the National Governor's

Association, and the American Federation of

Teachers to roll out the Common Core in Ohio.

Ohio is one of six states selected.

-The School Funding Advisory Council will next meet on April 27, 2010.

-The compliance monitoring report from the U.S.

Department of Education, Office of Special

Education Programs concerning Ohio's Office of

Exceptional Children identified eleven, out of

800 federal regulations for special education,

that the ODE is required to improve, including

monitoring procedures and data collection.

-The Ohio is addressing several issues regarding

maintenance of effort requirements for K-12 and

higher education and the use of funds for the

State Fiscal Stabilization Fund under the

American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.

-Ohio's Phase II plan will include an incentive

to participate for school districts that would

have received very little funding through the

Title I funding formula prescribed in the RttT

guidance. In accordance with the federal

guidelines for disbursement, the ODE will

establish a "funding floor" for eligible school

districts and community schools. Funds to support

the funding floor will come from the state's

share of RttT funds.

The Board then voted on the report and

recommendations of the Superintendent (please see

resolutions below); considered old business and

new business; received reports from Board members

and committees, and adjourned.

Following the Board meeting there was 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

Resolutions considered by the State Board of

Education at their business meeting on April 13,

2010:

Approved five personnel resolutions and the following:

#2 Approved a Resolution of Intent to amend Rule

3301-24-11 of the OAC entitled Alternative

Principal License.

#3 Approved a Resolution to Revise proposed

amended Rule 3301-35-04 of the OAC entitled

Student and Stakeholder Focus.

#4 Approved a 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 Approved a 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 Approved a 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 Approved a 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 Approved a 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 Approved a 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 Approved a Resolution to amend Rule

3301-51-05 of the OAC entitled Procedural

Safeguards.

#15 Approved a Resolution to adopt the removal of

the inclusion of report-only indicators (also

called measures of a rigorous curriculum) on the

local report card.

#16 Approved a Resolution to oppose HB 353

(Huffman), which authorizes school districts to

sell commercial advertising space on school buses.

#17 Adopted the Recommendations of the 21st Century Learning Subcommittee.

#18 Approved a Resolution in support of Goal

Digital Academy's application for a dropout

prevention and recovery waiver pursuant to

Section 3314.36 of the Ohio Revised Code.

#19 Adopted a Resolution not to appeal Judge

Hogan's order for a permanent injunction

prohibiting the ODE from releasing certain

personal information about department licensees

in the case OEA v. Ohio ODE.

5)  Updates from the ODE:

*The School Health Services Advisory Council,

created by House Bill 1, submitted

recommendations to Governor Ted Strickland on

March 31, 2010. The Council was created to

address three topics outlined in Section 3319.71

(A) of the Ohio Revised Code regarding the

following:

-The content of the course of instruction

required to obtain a school nurse license;

-The content of the course of instruction

required to obtain a school nurse wellness

coordinator license; and,

-Best practices for the use of school nurses and

school nurse wellness coordinators in providing

health and wellness programs for students and

employees of school districts, community schools

and STEM schools.

The report is available at

http://education.ohio.gov/GD/Templates/Pages/ODE/ODEDetail.aspx?page=3&TopicRelationID=513&ContentID=82084&Content=84031

IDES OF ODE:  The April 15, 2010 issue of the

Ohio Department of Education's IDES of ODE

includes information on a number of topics

including Phases I, II, and III of the standards

revision process for English language arts, math,

science, and social studies; information about

the administration of Ohio Achievement Tests and

Ohio Graduation Tests; plus information about

education meetings and initiatives around the

state.  The following are highlights from the

latest IDES of ODE, which is available at

http://education.ohio.gov/GD/Templates/Pages/ODE/ODEPrimary.aspx?page=2&TopicID=1368&TopicRelationID=1368

*Ohio's Comprehensive Educational System is being

revised in three phases.  Phase I will be

complete in June 2010 when the State Board of

Education (SBE) adopts revised academic content

standards in English language arts, math, science

and social studies.

Recent drafts of content standards in science and

social studies are available for comment on the

ODE website until April 19, 2010.

http://education.ohio.gov/GD/Templates/Pages/ODE/ODEDetail.aspx?Page=3&TopicRelationID=1696&Content=84176

Versions of revised standards for English

language arts and math (referred to as the Common

Core State Standards) are available at

http://www.corestandards.org/

Phase II includes the development of the model

curriculum, and is currently in progress.  The

curriculum will include Content Elaborations,

Learning Expectations, Instructional Strategies

and Resources, etc. and be posted for public

comment in the fall. Teachers will have

opportunities over the next months to participate

in regional discussion groups about the model,

and submit instructional strategies and other

recommendations to support the model. The model

curriculum is scheduled to be adopted by the SBE

in March 2011.

Phase III includes the development of assessments based on the new standards.

Following Phase III the ODE will commence the

revision of standards for the fine arts,

computers (technology), foreign languages,

financial literacy, and business.

*The 2010 Ohio Arts Education Survey was launched

during the week of March 15, 2010. Principals

received individual e-mail messages with

instructions and unique Web addresses to use in

completing the survey, which is due April 30,

2010.  Completing the survey will provide

valuable information that will be used to chart

the future of arts education in Ohio's schools.

For more information, please contact Nancy

Pistone, ODE, at (614) 466-7908, or Donna

Collins, Ohio Alliance for Arts Education, at

(614) 224-1060.

6)  Bills Introduced

*HB494 (Stebelton) Academic Standards: Allows

more time for the adoption of standards and model

curricula for science, social studies, and

financial literacy and entrepreneurship.

*SB248 (Gibbs) Community Reinvestment Area:

Lengthens the period for which certain structures

in a Community Reinvestment Area may be exempted

from property taxation.

*HB487 (Foley) Real Property Transfer Tax:

Authorizes an increase in the real property

transfer tax up to $4 per $1000 of value, and to

require that any revenue from the tax in excess

of $3 per $1000 of value be used by the county

for providing housing.

*HB492 (Coley) Delinquent Real Property Tax

Collections: Removes the minimum population

criterion governing which counties may employ

delinquent real property tax collectors thereby

allowing counties with populations below 200,000

to employ collectors.

7)  Arts Day  is April 21, 2010: Celebrate Arts

Day in Ohio on April 21, 2010 with advocates for

the arts and arts education.  This day long

event, demonstrating public value and support for

the arts, is sponsored by Ohio Citizens for the

Arts Foundation, and includes an arts advocacy

briefing, legislative visits by high school

students, Statehouse tours, student exhibitions

and performances, and the 2010 Governor's Awards

ceremony and luncheon. The awards ceremony and

luncheon are presented in partnership with the

National Endowment for the Arts and Ohio

Government Telecommunications. Media sponsors

include The Columbus Dispatch, Dayton Daily News,

Ohio Cable Telecommunications Association, Ohio

Magazine and Time Warner Cable. Additional

support is received from Allied Sources.

The 2010 Governor's Awards for the Arts were

selected from 79 nominations submitted by

individuals and organizations throughout Ohio.

Winners will receive an original work of art by

Cleveland photographer Larry Kasperek. The

following are the categories and recipients for

2010:

-Arts Administration, Kevin Moore and Marsha Hanna, Human Race

Theatre, (Dayton)

-Arts Education, Sylvia Easley (Cleveland Heights)

-Arts Patron, Jim and Enid Goubeaux (Greenville)

-Business support of the arts, American Electric Power (statewide)

-Community Development and Participation, Donna Sue Groves (Manchester)

-Individual Artist, Andrew Hudgins, poet (Columbus)

Arts Day was created to foster a greater

awareness of the value of the arts in Ohio.

Citizens are encouraged to participate in Arts

Day by visiting with state legislators and

communicating the need for public support of the

arts and arts education.

For more information about Arts Day please visit

http://www.oac.state.oh.us/News/NewsArticle.asp?intArticleId=536