Monthly Archives: February 2015
District funding at risk over opt-outs
Public Schools aren’t failing
The Student Success Act
Write your Senators now to tell them to vote NO on the Student Success Act.
Here’s the why:
Here’s the how:
Ohio: More $ for Charters, Public Schools Get Budget Cut
There is much talk in Ohio about accountability for charters, but here is the real deal: the governor’s budget has more funding for charters, while half the state’s public school districts get budget cuts. Here is the latest from the Ohio Coalition for Equity and Adequacy:
“All charter schools get a funding increase while half of the school districts are cut
The Legislative Service Commission, a non-partisan office controlled by the legislature, has determined that all charter schools will receive an increase under the Governor’s budget proposal, while half of the school districts will be cut.
An article in the February 18 Columbus Dispatch indicates that Electronic Classroom of Tomorrow (ECOT) will receive 11% of all charter school funds by FY 2017. Of course, the ECOT operator contributes extremely large sums to the political campaigns of those in control of the Statehouse.
Kasich budget plan increases funding to all charter…
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BATS: Why You Should Opt Your Child or Your Students Out of Standardized Testing
This is a terrific short video, created by the BadAss Teachers Association. In images, it simply explains the blight that has descended on American public education because of the misguided policies of George W. Bush, President Obama, and Arne Duncan, because of No Child Left Behind and Race to the Top. Lots of kids have been left behind, and the Race to the Top was won by Pearson and McGraw Hill.
FairTest: Resistance to High-Stakes Testing Continues to Grow Across Nation
This is the weekly update from FairTest about the movement against high-stakes testing. FairTest has been leading the figh against the misuse and overuse of standardized testing since 1985.
Bob Schaeffer writes:
The “spin” on today’s first story may be a bit ahead of the curve. But the testing resistance and reform movement is making significant progress, as this week’s clips from half of the nation’s 50 states clearly demonstrate. To win even more tangible victories, we have to ratchet up the pressure on policymakers at the federal, state and local levels to significantly reduce testing overuse and end high-stakes standardized exams.
Boycotters Might Be Winning Battle Over Standardized Testing
http://www.takepart.com/article/2015/02/13/boycotters-might-be-winning-battle-over-standardized-testing
No Child Left Behind Has Failed
http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/no-child-has-failed/2015/02/13/8d619026-b2f8-11e4-827f-93f454140e2b_story.html
Scholarly Support for Assessment Reform
http://thejournal.com/articles/2015/02/12/anti-testing-backlash-gets-scholarly-support.aspx
500+ Researchers Sign Letter to Congress: Stop Test-Driven “Reforms”
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/answer-sheet/wp/2015/02/14/more-than-500-researchers-sign-nclb-letter-to-congress-stop-test-focused-reforms/
Send a Message to Congress Today — Real NCLB Reform = Less Testing + No High-Stakes
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The profit of public education
All about Pearson:
http://www.politico.com/story/2015/02/pearson-education-115026_full.html
Congress Re-writing NCLB
From the Ohio Education Association:
Right now, Congress is rewriting the cornerstone of federal education policy — the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), also known as No Child Left Behind (NCLB). Tell members of Congress to put the emphasis on student learning, and not on testing, labeling, and punishing schools. Please act now so Congress will see that we are paying attention:
Take action: http://educationvotes.nea.org/eseapetition/
Letter from Centerville Superintendent
February 16, 2015
Dear Parents / Guardians:
In approximately one week school districts across Ohio will begin administering the ODE Next Generation Assessments. Recently there have been a lot of questions regarding these new tests and I would like to provide a brief summary of the most accurate information at this time:
- We are required to assess all students per the Ohio Revised Code,
- The Ohio Department of Education does not recognize any “opt-out” of testing form,
- The Ohio Department of Educations will consider any “opt-out” student as a non-score and a non-participant (which will penalize buildings and districts on their respective state report cards in two areas), and
- Any “opt-out” student will not be included in a teacher’s value added data, but this does not mean that a teacher’s value added data is unaffected.
This means that:
- There are negative consequences to our school buildings and district ratings,
- There are direct negative consequences to third grade students and students in high school courses (3rd Grade Reading Guarantee & New Graduation Requirements), and
- There is the potential negative consequence for teacher evaluation ratings.
To view ODE’s “Information on Student Participation in State Tests” click on the link below.
While we may not like the mandated assessments, we have an obligation to our students, our staff, and our community to perform to the best of our abilities to administer the assessments and provide the best possible testing environment for our students. We continue to believe that quality instruction is the best way to prepare students and I am proud of how our staff has tried to protect instructional time with our students by spending as little time as possible on test preparation.
With that said… I have to be honest in saying that the assessment mandates have proven to be challenging. We, like most other districts have devoted countless resources in technology infrastructure, technology devices such as Chromebooks, personnel, planning and preparation. The amount of instructional time dedicated to these assessments is also a worry. While we understand the need to be accountable, we may be at the “tipping point” of reason with the number of testing hours vs. loss of instructional time.
As Superintendent, I would like to share that Centerville City Schools has been a member of the Alliance for High Quality Schools for many years. As a member of the Executive Committee, I can share with you that our mission is to proactively engage the legislators and members of the Department of Education in dialogue and discussion. While I cannot promise what the future will hold… I can tell you that we are working hard to engage those who can affect change. As a public entity, Centerville Schools is bound to follow the law, and that is what the District will do but, we have a voice and we want all of our voices to be heard as well.
As always – thank you for your support. We are fortunate to live in a great community with great kids, great parents and an outstanding staff.
Sincerely,
Tom Henderson, Ph.D.
Superintendent
Centerville United for Responsible Education 