<div style="font-family:arial;color:black;font-size:10pt;"> <font face="Times New Roman, Times, serif" size="4">Friends:<br>
<br>
A reminder here: Please note that in Ann Sheldon's message from Wednesday (<i><b>copied below</b></i>), the ODE says that they have a <b>deadline of Sept. 20</b> for public comment. <i>(This point is in the first paragraph of the message copied below, and I have <b>bolded </b>and <u>underlined</u> the text.)</i><br>
<br>
Be sure to get your comments to all on time. The future really does depend on our response.<br>
<br>
Thanks,<br>
Art Snyder</font><br>
<br>
===========================================<br>
</div>
<div>
<div style="font-family:arial;color:black;font-size:10pt;"> Everyone:<br>
<br>
<b>We need to bury ODE with comments.</b> (See their <b><i>announcement </i></b>and <b><i>contact information</i></b>, <font color="darkgreen"><b><i><u>below</u></i></b></font>.) Also, <b>I will need a few people to write letters to the editor.</b> Email me for details. <b>Here are some talking points for letters to ODE, Board members, and to newspaper editors:</b><br>
<br>
<b>*Districts ignore the law</b> and don't identify or serve gifted students with integrity.<br>
<br>
<b>*Superintendents, boards, and treasurers want to take money meant to help gifted kids</b> and waste it on administration and other non-instruction boondoggles.<br>
<br>
<b>*ODE didn't bother to follow the law for 8 years and did not no gifted audits.</b>
It now does a slipshod job now auditing districts' ID practices so
almost 10% of districts don't even get a report card grade for gifted
progress. (There is evidence that ODE never even bothered to look at
identification practices as part of many audits.<br>
<br>
<b>*Now the first evidence of how poorly gifted children are served in this state</b>
is out and the ODE's response is to gut all accountability for gifted
funding and service for gifted students. And who's cheering them on? The
very people taxpayers are supposed to trust to do the right thing:
school board members, superintendents and other administrators. <br>
<br>
<b>*Taxpayers should be outraged</b> that schools districts are not
only free to ignore students and misspend taxpayer dollars, but that the
Ohio Department of Education is leading this war on children in order
to get district bureaucrats off the hook for doing such a poor job with
these kids.<br>
</div>
<br>
<b>Ann Sheldon<br>
<a href="mailto:anngift@aol.com">anngift@aol.com</a></b><br>
<br>
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<div>To: School board members, superintendents, treasurers and other school business officials<br>
<br>
From: Damon Asbury, OSBA — (614) 540-4000<br>
Tom Ash, BASA — (614) 846-4080<br>
Barbara Shaner, OASBO — (614) 325-9562<br>
<br>
Date: Sept. 10, 2013<br>
<br>
Re: New Operating Standards for Gifted Education – School District Comments Needed!<br>
<em>Talking Points & Background Below</em><br>
<br>
The State Board of Education is considering new rules for the Ohio
Administrative Code (OAC) that would spell out operating standards for
gifted education in public school districts. <u><b><strong>The proposed (draft)
standards are posted on the Ohio Department of Education (ODE) website
and are open for public comment — between now and Sept. 20</strong>.</b></u>
As school district representatives charged with serving all students
in your district, including those identified as gifted, your input is
needed. Please provide feedback to ODE and members of the State Board
of Education.<br>
<br>
Following are talking points on the proposed new gifted education operating standards:<br>
<br>
• The proposed rule would require <strong>two new whole grade-screening requirements</strong>
under the District identification plan section in OAC 3301-51-15
(C)(2)(b)(iii). This represents an additional administrative burden and
financial cost to districts over previous identification requirements.
While the new funding formula includes some per-pupil funding for
gifted student identification, it is unclear whether they will be
sufficient to cover the cost of the new requirements for gifted
identification and assessment. <br>
<br>
<em><strong>The State Board must continue to evaluate the cost to districts for the <u>identification and ongoing assessment</u> requirements for gifted students, and recommend state funding accordingly.</strong></em><br>
<br>
• The draft operating standards for serving students identified as
gifted will allow districts the flexibility necessary to best meet the
needs of students locally. The proposal recognizes that multiple
appropriate options for such services should be available. Districts
need the flexibility to best use the resources available for all their
students. <br>
<br>
• The State Board’s authority to adopt rules and operating
standards is limited to that which appears in the Ohio Revised Code.
Any additional restrictions on spending funds for gifted education
should be opposed. <br>
<br>
<strong><em>The State Board should adopt the rules for <u>gifted services</u> as proposed by ODE staff.<br>
</em></strong><br>
Note: ODE staff presented the proposed (draft) rules for
consideration to the State Board at its meeting yesterday. Several
board members indicated they have already heard from many gifted
education advocates expressing opposition to the draft and <strong>requesting that the standards be more prescriptive</strong>. State Board members need to hear from school district leaders.<br>
<br>
<b><strong>Important Links:</strong></b><br>
<b><b>Click here to view the proposed rules</b>: <a target="_blank" href="http://1.usa.gov/18MH22i"> http://1.usa.gov/18MH22i</a><br>
<b>Click here to send comments to ODE</b>: <a href="mailto:gifted@education.ohio.gov"> gifted@education.ohio.gov</a><br>
<b>Click here for a list of State Board members and their contact information</b>: <a target="_blank" href="http://ealerts.osba-ohio.org/files/file/StateBoardContacts.doc"> State Board Members</a><br>
<b>Click here for a report of the State Board’s discussion</b>: <a target="_blank" href="http://ealerts.osba-ohio.org/files/file/GongwerStateBoardArticle.doc"> Gongwer Article</a></b><br>
<br>
<strong>Background:</strong><br>
House Bill 59, the biennial budget bill as passed by the General
Assembly, included specific spending requirements for state funding for
gifted education. However, Gov. John Kasich vetoed the spending
requirements for gifted funds from the bill. As a result, the State
Board’s authority in establishing the new gifted education operating
standards is limited to the provisions as written in the final “vetoed”
version of the bill. Since no spending requirements for serving gifted
students are authorized by law, the operating standards should not
require specific uses for these funds. School districts should be
permitted to choose the best method for serving their gifted students
locally.<br>
<br>
<strong>We must urge the State Board of Education NOT to recommend
the adoption of operating standards for serving gifted students that go
beyond this authority!</strong><br>
<br>
Our three organizations understand the need for gifted students to
be served. We support the notion that all students, no matter what
their ability, be given the opportunity to make appropriate academic
progress each year. However, school districts must have the
flexibility to serve all their students in a way that best meets their
own community’s needs, particularly when many districts are still
struggling financially. Generally, funding for education in the new
budget was increased, but the new funding formula is not fully funded
and districts must make choices about the best use of resources.</div>
</font></span><br>
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8050 N. High Street, Suite 100<br>
Columbus, OH 43235<br>
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