LWVeducation
The blog is one month old. We can celebrate a little. Thus far we have had 4500 hits on our site, and our subscriber list is growing. Let people know.
It is also a good time to take a minute and think. Are we contributing useful information on school reform issues? What is helpful? What is missing? Reflect on the following list and make suggestions. I will summarize your suggestions and respond.Continue reading
We have posted a summary of the new Alachua County, Florida’s Superintendent of Schools 100 Day Report on the FEATURE OF THE WEEK banner of the blog.
Dr. Owen Roberts was appointed to the superintendent position 3 months ago and has spent the time in an intensive review of the district. How his vision for the county will be implemented is likely to be another one of those fascinating stories.
He addresses testing, funding, school equity, curriculum, early education, brain development, as well as parent and community involvement. Click on the banner at the top of the Home Page of our blog to track this very bold initiative. It has those pieces of colored chalk. We will update the post as new information becomes available. Who says public schools cannot be innovative?
The Florida Legislature is listening.
The Tampa Bay Times reported today that some testing reform is likely in the next legislative session. The article ‘School testing poised to get scaled back by Florida lawmakers’ cites several tentative proposals for reforming assessment practices in Florida. Senator John Legg acknowledges that testing has grown for many well intentioned reasons, but ” …one question got waylaid: How is it affecting the students?”
Proposals are surfacing, Continue reading
In June, 2014 the U.S.DOE increased reporting requirements for students with disabilities programs. Both program procedures such as meeting evaluation timelines and student outcome data are now required for federal funding. The U.S.DOE estimates that only 18 states and territories will meet the new standards; 41 states and territories met previous standards. California, Texas and Delaware are in the lowest compliance level.
A change in assessment policy can have a big impact. Title I Part A regulations have been amended. Alternative ESEA standards and assessments that are based on disabilities with be phased out. Data such as graduation and suspension rates as well as state assessment scores will be used for Individuals with Disability Act (IDEA) grants.
The acting Assistant Secretary of Special Education stated that less than 10% of 8th graders with IEPs were proficient in reading. In his announcement of the new requirements, Secretary Arne Duncan said “We must be honest about student performance, so that we can give all students the support and services they need to succeed”. Federal programs provide $11.5 billion in grants to states that in 2010 served 6,614,000 children.
Education Commissioner Pam Stewart said the testing was “under review“. It is about time! The Florida Standard Assessments (FSA), our version of Common Core testing in English Language Skills and Mathematics begin this year. We also have district level tests, end of course exams, national and international tests, and college placement and admissions tests. All of this testing has generated a backlash. Continue reading
by Maria Seemer
The announcement for the Brevard School Board’s legislative platform comes with a series of public information events to explain the need for revisions to K-12 legislation in the upcoming session of the Florida Legislature. The School Board of Brevard County Legislative Platform details changes in procedures and funding to make a more equitable educational system. Continue reading
by Terry Gillam
Are there too many tests? Many leagues are gathering information. In this post, Terry Gillam from Orange County, Florida shares sources they have gathered about new Florida Standards Assessments. These are the Florida version of the Common Core assessments. Florida opted out of the national PARCC tests. Continue reading
These FSBA legislative priorities for 2015 reflect many of the League’s positions to support public schools. They address accountability and testing, facilities, funding, school choice options, and local control. An overview of the positions includes:Continue reading
by Sue Legg
One of the most intriguing articles that I have read lately is Iris Rotberg’s article on The Endless Search for Silver Bullets. Dr. Rotberg, a Research Professor of Education Policy at George Washington University reported the results of the 2012 New York state assessments and the 2013 New York version of the Common Core test. The results were no doubt disappointing to charter school advocates. Charter schools in New York City, the hallmark of high achieving charter schools, continued to outperform comparable traditional public schools. Charters, however, had higher drops in levels of proficiency. Continue reading