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Federal Update 11.30.07
Urban Districts Show Improvement in Reading and Math
Merit Pay to be on the Ballot in Oregon in 2008
New Clark County Educators Organization Launches
U.S. Reading Scores are Stagnant on an International Reading Assessment
The P-20 Council in Colorado Announces Their Reform Measures for Education
NAEP Testing Could Be Scaled Back
Welcome School Opened in the Recover School District in New Orleans
Urban Districts Show Improvement in Reading and Math
According to a recent National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) report, urban school districts are showing improvements in 4th and 8th grade reading and math. Eleven school districts voluntarily participated in the Trial Urban District Assessment (TUDA), an assessment produced in collaboration with the National Center for Education Statistics, the National Assessment Governing Board, and the Council of Great City Schools to specifically analyze student achievement in urban districts. The 11 school districts are Atlanta; Austin, TX; Boston; Charlotte, N.C.; Chicago; Cleveland; Houston; Los Angeles; New York City; San Diego; and Washington, D.C.
Improvements in fourth and eighth grade math were seen among a majority of the school districts. On the fourth grade math assessment higher percentages of students reaching proficient was seen in nearly half of the districts. On the eighth grade mathematics assessment six districts achieved higher scores than in 2005. No district had declining scores. The reading exam showed more modest results. On the fourth grade reading assessment four school districts, Atlanta, Chicago, New York City, and Washington, D.C., showed increases in their scores since 2002. Cleveland and Houston showed improvement on the eighth grade reading assessment.
“Performance in the participating districts varies. Some are above the national averages for different groups of students and some are below,” said Darvin M. Winick, chair of the National Assessment Governing Board, which sets policy for NAEP. “There is still quite a bit of room for improvement. But on average, when demographics are considered, student performance in the TUDA districts is similar to the performance of their peers nationwide.”
Click here for more information about the TUDA.
Also, please read the remarks about TUDA from the Commissioner of the National Center for Education Statistics.
Merit Pay to be on the Ballot in Oregon in 2008
Next November when the citizens of Oregon go to the polls they will not only be voting for a presidential candidate but will also be making an important vote on whether or not a merit pay system for teachers should be instituted. Bill Sizemore, executive director of the Oregon Taxpayers Union, turned in 130,000 signatures, 47,231 more than were required, to have the issue on the ballot. According to Sizemore the merit pay plan would include classroom testing, but also peer review, supervisor evaluations or proven student improvement over one year. “The goal is simply to move teacher pay and job security to some kind of performance related basis rather than seniority,” Sizemore said. “All I want is to ensure is that they keep the best teachers, not necessarily the teachers who have been there the longest.”
The Oregon Education Association (OEA) has a different opinion about the merit pay ballot initiative. Becca Uherbelau, a spokeswoman for the OEA stated, “Sizemore’s history proves he is no friend to public education. This is just another way for him to line his pockets and continue to be politically relevant. Research shows merit pay does nothing to increase student achievement or teacher quality.”
Sizemore expects the union will spend between $3 and $5 million to fight the ballot initiative. If the initiative passes Oregon will join 19 other states that have school districts with merit pay plans, including Minnesota, Texas and Florida as well as districts in New York City and Denver.
For more information about the ballot initiative please read the following article titled, “Merit Pay for Teachers to Resurface on Oregon Ballot in 2008.”
New Clark County Educators Organization Launches
On November 27, AAE launched its newest chapter in Clark County, Nevada. The Professional Association of Clark County Educators (PACCE) -pronounced “pace” – starts with over 200 members. “PACCE was founded to give teachers who share our vision of education in the county a voice so that we can make a difference,” said Cindy Allen, PACCE chairman. “We want to help improve our profession by emphasizing professionalism as an organization.” Like other AAE affiliates and partners PACCE will offer:
- Grants and other forms of monetary support and assistance to members in order to advance the profession;
- Partnerships with educational institutions and research organizations to further education and member advancement;
- Professional services such as professional educator liability insurance;
- Guaranteed access to legal counsel at the onset of workplace issues;
- A voice on educational issues on the local, state and national levels; and,
- An opportunity to belong to a professional organization free from political agendas.
For more information about PACCE please read AAE’s press release.
Also, please read the following article from the Las Vegas Review Journal, titled “Group Offers Insurance for School Employees."
U.S. Reading Scores are Stagnant on an International Reading Assessment
The results from the 2006 Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS) have just been announced and it was revealed the United States’ average combined score for literary and information reading statistically is the same as in 2001. The U.S. had an average combined score of 540 on a 1,000-point scale. PIRLS assesses 4th graders around the world on literary and information reading. Thirty-nine countries participated in the assessment. Russia had the top score of 565 points. Other top scorers were Hong Kong; the Canadian provinces of Alberta, British Columbia, and Ontario; Singapore; Luxembourg; Hungary; Italy; and Sweden. United States had similar scores with 12 other countries and jurisdictions which included Germany, Flemish-speaking Belgium, Bulgaria, Netherlands, Denmark, Canada’s Nova Scotia and Quebec provinces, Latvia, England, Austria, Lithuania, and Taipei.
On the last PIRLS assessment in 2001, Russia, Hong Kong and Singapore had lower scores than the United States. Since 2001, however, Hong Kong and Singapore have revamped their reading curricula and instructional methods by increasing teacher preparation, providing more tutoring, and raising the public awareness about the importance of reading. Russia has lowered their school enrollment age to allow 6-year-olds to enroll in their primary school program.
Schools that participated in the assessment as well as parents of the test-takers completed a lengthy questionnaire about instruction, classroom characteristics, and students’ exposure to reading materials. One of the findings from the questionnaire relates to the amount of reading instruction students receive per week. From the questionnaire it was found that nearly 70 percent of 4th graders in the U.S. receive on average more than six hours of reading instruction per week, compared to 25 percent internationally. The study also contains information on the reading standards and instructional practices for each country which will allow researches to further study what practices improve student achievement in reading.
“Most of all, these results show that countries can make changes and can improve their education systems, whether it be through major structural change or instructional initiatives,” stated Michael O. Martin, co-director of PIRLS at Boston College.
For more information about PIRLS, please read the following article titled, “More Nations Pass U.S. in Reading Skills.”
The P-20 Council in Colorado Announces Their Reform Measures for Education
On Tuesday, November 27, Colorado Governor Bill Ritter’s P-20 Council announced the list of reform measures they feel will help improve education in Colorado. Some of the measures the council focused on were teacher pay, college readiness, expanding full-day Kindergarten and preschool, and dropout rates. The P-20 Council is made up of educators and business leaders.
On the issue of teacher pay the council recommended appropriating $10 million for pilot programs that would encourage school districts to explore alternative compensation systems that would identify and reward the most effective teachers. “We need to pay our teachers more, stated Bruce Benson, one of the three co-chairs of the P-20 Council. They need to be held in high esteem like doctors.”
The council would also like to see full day kindergarten expanded throughout the state for all children whose parents wish them to join. The council would also like to see the Colorado Preschool and Kindergarten Program expanded by 3,500 slots for the 2008-09 school year and by 2,000 slots there after until all 3- and 4-year-olds whose parents wish them to be enrolled are included.
To help determine if Colorado high school students are college ready, the council would like to establish “pre-collegiate” tests that would be administered by school districts on a voluntary basis. The “pre-collegiate” tests would include modified statewide educational assessments such as ‘Incorporate the Explore’ and ‘Plan and Act System’. Currently students take student achievement tests in grades three through ten but these tests do not predict how students will do on the college entrance exams.
To address the high dropout rates, the council would like to unify student data so that counselors, principals and teachers, would be able to monitor factors that contribute to students dropping out, such as attendance/truancy patterns and academic performance records. In the next weeks and months, Gov. Ritter and his staff will work with legislators and education agencies to implement some of the council’s recommendations.
The council will also schedule additional meetings after the holidays in an effort to make additional recommendations.
For more information about the P-20 Council’s recommendations please read the following article from Denver Post, titled, “Teacher Pay on State Panel’s Wish List.”
Also, please read the article from the Rocky Mountain News, titled, “Panel Calls for Sweeping Reforms for Schools.”
NAEP Testing Could Be Scaled Back
According to officials who set the policy for the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) a number of tests could be reduced in the next five years if federal funding is not increased. NAEP funding comes out of the U.S. Department of Education’s budget. The scheduled exams that are in jeopardy of being cancelled are in economics, foreign language, geography, and world history."
The schedule of assessments issued is indeed serious. … With the given money and the contracts to be had, there is a shortfall,” stated Darvin M. Winick, the chairman of the National Assessment Governing Board, which sets policy for the program, told the board earlier this month. “This is not yet engraved in stone, but we’re certain you will have to face up to some of those changes.”
There are already concerns amongst some that core subjects are being marginalized under No Child Left Behind and therefore some observers say that NAEP tests are more important than ever, especially in light of the emphasizes business leaders and lawmakers have put on preparing students to compete in a global economy.
"This news causes widespread dismay at a time when the history curriculum is shrinking dramatically,” said Theodore K. Rabb, a professor emeritus of world history at Princeton University and the board chairman of the National Council for History Education. “If this is happening nationwide, organizations like NAGB are responsible for doing something about it. It shouldn’t just be about whether they have money for it; they have a civic duty to do this.”
A new contract between the National Center for Education Statistics and outside organizations that design, conduct, and score and disseminate the results has been set through 2012. Under the contract the arts will be tested next year, reading and math in 2009 and 2011, as well as science in 2009. Eighth and 12th grade students will be tested in U.S. history and civics in 2010 but 4th graders will not be tested as planned. In 2011 the writing assessment will be given only to eighth graders and a special study of students’ technological literacy will be canceled.
Click here for more information about NAEP funding.
Welcome School Opened in the Recover School District in New Orleans
On November 5, the Welcome School in the Recovery School District in New Orleans opened. This school is designed to be a transitional school for students in grades 6-12 returning to New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina. The school contains two full-time teachers, a social worker, a half-dozen placement specialists, a registration coordinator, and two administrators. A social worker is also available to help refer parents to other public agencies needed for services outside the education of their children. Students will attend the new school for two weeks to receive assessments, screenings and other services. After two weeks they will be placed in their permanent schools.
“The objective is quite clear. We felt it was important to set up a process to bring students in, evaluate them, get their records up-to-date and get them in the most appropriate school placement. It will be a very short-term evaluation and transitioning process, in a school with certified teachers,” stated Recovery School District Superintendent Paul Vallas.
For more information about the Welcome School please visit the Louisianna Department of Education's website.