January 06, 2015 - In This Issue:
The plot to overthrow ED
The challenges of standards, Common Core or otherwise
It's all about the schema
Long-time English learners
The stigma of sheltering
Algebra I: Here's what fails
Getting restorative
A data goldmine, unused
BRIEFLY NOTED CALIFORNIA
BRIEFLY NOTED
GRANTS AND FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES
The plot to overthrow ED
Republicans have an ambitious plan to rewrite No Child Left Behind this year, reports Maggie Severns on Politico.com. Sen. Lamar Alexander of Tennessee and Rep. John Kline of Minnesota, now leaders of the Senate and House education committees, are planning an NCLB overhaul at a moment when backlash has reached an all-time high -- and a window has opened to strip the federal role from education. Alexander spent December with lawmakers, including Sen. Patty Murray of Washington, the committee's forthcoming ranking member, to forge a strategy that could clear the Senate's 60-vote threshold. The president will be hard pressed to veto even a very conservative bill, though he has signaled he'll take a hard line on preserving annual tests and provisions that focus on equal access to education. Part of the difficulty in rewriting the law is that its most hated parts are deeply intertwined with its civil rights provisions: Its testing requirements, for example, allow the government to spotlight achievement gaps when test results are broken down by race and socioeconomic status. Civil rights groups fear Congress will strip core provisions of the law, but hope the national conversation prompted by recent events in Ferguson, Missouri and New York City will maintain a focus on civil rights.
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The challenges of standards, Common Core or otherwise
A new GAO report finds that states implementing the Common Core State Standards and those undertaking their own college-and-career ready standards are using similar strategies and facing similar challenges, reports Alyson Klein for Education Week. States in both camps are offering professional development around implementation, but worry training is inadequate. All states are developing instructional materials to match their standards, but this is time-consuming, and they're achieving less alignment than hoped for; communication with stakeholders around standards has also been difficult. All states were found to have similar concerns about standards-aligned assessments, whether participating in a consortium or not; these include technical capability to deliver tests, and potentially large drops in scores when new assessments and standards are rolled out. The report notes that while the U.S. Department of Education suspended its peer-review process for examining tests in 2012, it aims to introduce a new process by late 2015. The report itself was requested by Sen. Tom Harkin, D-Iowa, outgoing chairman of the Senate education committee. The Education Department had no objections to the report's findings. More
It's all about the schema
To grow up the child of well-educated parents in an affluent American home is to hit the verbal lottery, writes Robert Pondiscio on the Thomas B. Fordham Institute website. Verbal parents chatter incessantly, and offer a running commentary on everything in a child's life. In sharp contrast, early disadvantages in language among low-income children -- both a low volume of words and little variety in how words are used -- establish a verbal inertia that's difficult to address or reverse. Vocabulary can be described as "tiered." Tier-one words are those most native speakers come to school with regardless of upbringing: baby, dog, run, chair, happy. Tier three is vocabulary associated with specialized domains of knowledge -- e.g., isotope. The "sweet spot" for vocabulary growth and proficiency are tier-two words such as verify, superior, and negligent, common to sophisticated adult speech and reading, yet considered ordinary. These are essential to reading comprehension, and undergird more subtle and precise use of language, both receptive (reading, hearing) and expressive (writing, speaking). The key to language growth is the broadest possible knowledge base, which creates context and facilitates understanding. To ensure language growth, primary education must be as rich and varied as possible. An ill-conceived, narrow regimen of reading skills and strategies should be avoided at all costs. Low-income children need more science, social studies, art, and music to build the necessary intellectual schema that drive comprehension and language growth. More
Long-time English learners
A new California law requires that the state define and identify "long-term English learners," the first such effort in the nation, reports Teresa Watanabe in The L.A. Times. California has identified 350,000 students in grades six through 12 who have attended its schools for seven years or more yet are still not fluent in English. Three-fourths of all secondary school students learning English fall in this category. Ninety thousand have been classified after failing to progress on the state's English proficiency exam for two consecutive years and scoring below grade level in English standardized tests. The new focus comes amid a shift in California's long-running language wars. Since Proposition 227, which prohibits bilingual classes, a counter-movement has grown. State Sen. Ricardo Lara has successfully placed a measure to repeal Prop 227on the 2016 ballot. In LAUSD, a third of its 600,000 students are learning English, and over 35,000 are short of grade level after five years. The district overhauled services to comply with a 2011 settlement with the U.S. Education Department's civil rights division. Among other things, LAUSD has developed new classes aimed at strengthening language skills for students, and has improved teacher training. In addition, the district now requires teachers to develop relationships with parents, informing them of progress. More
The stigma of sheltering
A new study published in the Journal of Education for Students Placed at Risk investigates how teachers interact with immigrant-origin youth in sheltered instruction, where English learners (ELs) are placed into separate content-area courses taught by general education teachers, targeting their linguistic needs. The study highlights unintended consequences of placement by examining three teacher cases where courses designed to increase access were, in fact, stigmatizing spaces in which students made social distinctions and engaged in impression management to mitigate perceptions that they lacked intelligence. Teachers managed stigma in distinct ways, with different orientations and communication strategies. The study interrogates how language status, race, and classification intersect with solutions intended to ameliorate inequalities, and how teachers participate in this dynamic. The study recommends teachers be invited to analyze how stigma intersects with EL categorizations and placements, and be given collective opportunities to address these complex issues. Teachers left to their own strategies may undermine their teaching efforts, and because social stigmas are often normalized, may fail to notice them. Collectively addressing the matter raises awareness of less visible issues that emerge as teachers attend to student experiences. More
Algebra I: Here's what fails
A new study for the U.S. Department of Education finds that when teens repeat algebra, it rarely helps, writes the Hechinger Report. In the study, students who got at least a C their first time round and passed the state algebra assessment were harmed by taking the course a second time: Both grades and test scores declined. Lower-performing students improved somewhat -- moving from an F to a D, for instance -- but few attained mastery. Eighty percent of repeaters still scored below "proficient" on state tests. The analysis doesn't explain why higher-performing students do worse the second time round, but it's likely they're demoralized by being held back. As to why teachers hold back students with fair grades, researchers found teachers were concerned that some students with passing grades weren't ready to advance. Teachers sometimes give high grades to those who try hard and hand in homework, even with calculations consistently wrong. Also, state scores weren't available in time for use in placement decisions. The study's purpose is to provide guidance to schools: A student on the borderline of repeating algebra is better off advancing, though this policy offers little actual help for a student who's struggling. One promising intervention in Chicago gave students a double dose of algebra each day, but few classes like this exist across the country. More
Getting restorative
The Oakland Unified School District in California is at the forefront of a new approach to school misconduct and discipline, reports Eric Westervelt for NPR. Instead of suspending or expelling students who get into fights or act out, restorative justice seeks to resolve conflicts and build school community through talking and group dialogue. Proponents say it could lessen the cycle of disruption and suspension, especially in minority communities where expulsion rates are higher than in predominantly white schools. Oakland is one of California's largest districts, one-third African-American and more than 70 percent low-income. The restorative justice program was expanded after a federal civil rights agreement in 2012 to reduce school discipline inequity for African-American students. The district says new, as-yet unpublished research shows the percentage of students suspended at schools fully adopting the program has dropped by half, from 34 percent in 2011-12 to just 14 percent the following two years. They say the data show chronic absence is down dramatically and graduation rates are up, and that at two sites last year, disproportionate discipline of African-American students was eliminated. Several other urban districts are trying some version of the approach, including Chicago; Minneapolis; Palm Beach County, Fla.; and Denver, though there is no agreement yet on how best to implement these programs. More
A data goldmine, unused
A new paper from Education Resource Strategies looks at ways that state education agencies (SEAs) could use education data in their possession -- what they use for accountability reports or for research and policy -- to support district decisions. By aiding local decision-makers, SEAs could help reallocate resources across the state without introducing a single mandate. The paper examines key decision-making processes that determine how people, time, and money are used by districts. For each process, it identifies questions and metrics where strategic use of state data could help school and district leaders make better resource decisions. The paper recommends SEAs adopt a new paradigm of support that goes beyond data collection for compliance and accountability to one that delivers meaningful reports or tools for better district understanding and integration of data. These reports should include a broad array of metrics that describe how people, time, and money impact student achievement, and should break down data silos to link district resource data with student achievement and teacher effectiveness. SEAs should also ensure they connect data sets across organizational divisions, and where data are insufficient, advocate for and initiate data reform. More
BRIEFLY NOTED CALIFORNIA
So long, number-two pencils
Of California's more than 11,000 public school sites, students at fewer than 21 will be taking the Common Core assessments this spring the old fashioned way -- on pencil and paper. More
Mixed bag on LCAPs
An advocacy organization that analyzed dozens of districts' inaugural improvement plans under California's new school funding law praised the level of community involvement but criticized a lack of clarity. More
Or you could use the money to fix conditions
State finance officials have granted the California Department of Education $3.4 million to fight a lawsuit that demands the state fix disruptive conditions in high-poverty schools where students allegedly are being denied the fundamental right to an education. More
A jump in costs
Changing demographics, advances in care, and stronger advocacy by families are all combining to drive up the expense of providing for LAUSD special education students. More
The school-bus connection
The Coachella Valley Unified District has outfitted two school buses with Wi-Fi, which park at night near the homes of students without Internet access. More
BRIEFLY NOTED
No soft landing
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo says he won't sign a "safety net" bill that would shield educators from consequences of the potentially rough rollout of the Common Core standards in New York, citing inflated state teacher-evaluation data recently released. More
With impunity
Since 2008, Mississippi legislators have ignored a state law and spent $1.5 billion less on education than what's required. More
There's always next year
Bills to block the Common Core standards in Ohio and to limit testing of students have both died in the state legislature. More
Also, these kids are in kindergarten
The Maryland State Education Association is calling on the State Board of Education to suspend its Kindergarten Readiness Assessments, arguing that teachers lose too much instructional time administering the new computer-based tests and are not receiving useful data to improve teaching and learning.
More
Stealth religiosity
Ohio Gov. John Kasich's $10 million plan to bring mentors into Ohio's schools for students now has a surprise religious requirement: Any district that wants a piece of that state money must partner with both a church and a business, or a faith-based organization and a non-profit set up by a business, to do community service. More
Abrupt departure
Citing family obligations, Minneapolis Public Schools Superintendent Bernadeia Johnson will step down early next year after more than four years at the helm of Minnesota's most scrutinized district. More
Ridiculously low
In a five-year period between 2009-10 and 2013-14, states reported closing or preventing enrollments at fewer than 60 subject-area or grade-level teacher-preparation programs out of 25,000, according to an Education Week analysis. More
Wiggle room
The government will allow Florida to wait two years before counting ELL test scores toward a school's grade instead of the federally required one year. More
Up and running
West Virginia Department of Education has launched an online database that aggregates school data such as designations, test scores, and student proficiency rates. More
Whose play?
A state court panel in Kansas has ruled that public schools were being unconstitutionally underfunded, though it stopped short of ordering a specific increase in education dollars. More
GRANTS AND FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES
AASL: Innovative Reading GrantFund for Teachers
Fund for Teachers enriches the personal and professional growth of teachers by recognizing and supporting them as they identify and pursue opportunities around the globe that will have the greatest impact on their practice, the academic lives of their students and on their school communities. Maximum award: $10,000 for teams; $5,000 for individuals. Eligibility: teachers preK-12 with at least three years' experience and who intend to return to the classroom the following year. Deadline: January 29, 2015. More
NABT: BioClub Student Award
The National Association of Biology Teachers BioClub Student Award recognizes outstanding student members of a NABT BioClub. The award is a great way to recognize that exceptional student who inspires you to be an even better biology teacher. Maximum award: a textbook scholarship from Carolina Biological Supply Company and an award plaque. Eligibility: any graduating senior who is a member of an NABT BioClub chapter and has been accepted to a two- or four-year college/university. Deadline: March 31, 2015. More
McCarthey Dressman Education Foundation: Academic Enrichment Grants
The McCarthey Dressman Education Foundation offers Academic Enrichment Grants designed to develop in-class and extra-curricular programs that improve student learning. The foundation considers proposals that foster understanding, deepen students' knowledge, and provide opportunities to expand awareness of the world around them. Maximum award: $10,000 per year for three years. Eligibility: educators employed by schools or non-profit organizations with the background and experience to complete the project successfully who have direct and regular contact with students in grades pre-k to 12 from low-income households.
Deadline: April 15, 2012. More
Quote of the Week:
"If our goal was just to teach [students] a procedure, do step one, step two, step three, and you'll get the right answer, we could do that. But when mathematics is taught that way in isolation, it doesn't stick."- Peter Schmitt, 8th grade math teacher at the Lower Manhattan Community School, in response to parent complaints about Common Core math. More
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