In This Issue:  | | • | Testing to the Top: NEW COMMON CORE TESTS TO SHELVE “MODIFIED ACHIEVEMENT STANDARDS” FOR SPECIAL ED, OPENS TESTING TO K AND 1st GRADE | | | • | A MATTER OF TIME BEFORE EXIT EXAM’S EXIT | | | • | CHARTER SCHOOLS MUST NOW COMPLY: Principal confesses fraud to board member + CHARTER SCHOOL SCANDAL COULD BOLSTER TRANSPARENCY BILL | | | • | BACK-TO-SCHOOL BLUES (and some reasons for hope) | | | • | HIGHLIGHTS, LOWLIGHTS & THE NEWS THAT DOESN'T FIT: The Rest of the Stories from Other Sources | | | • | EVENTS: Coming up next week... | | | • | What can YOU do? | |
Featured Links: | | | | WE - whoever "we" are - have just invested a whole lot a angst, sturm und drang - not to mention column-inches, media-minutes and bandwidth - in whether test scores from the California Standards Test (CST or STAR) - tests taken by students that don't effect their grades-or-futures - should be used in some way to evaluate teacher effectiveness. And job-worthiness. Not ability really ...but what my friend and former writing partner correctly calls 'capability'.
The unresolved question/point of contention, is whether standardized tests taken by students are a way to evaluate teacher performance - whether as a snapshot-in-time ...or assessed over time.
ON THURSDAY THE WHOLE WRETCHED MESS WAS MADE MOOT, even as the LAUSD Board of Ed committed itself, the District, 45,000 teachers and 680,000 kids to CST Test Data Driven Reform. The CST/STAR test will be no more, replaced by a new national test. LAUSD will be data-driven by an Edsel, an Oldsmobile, a Pontiac. As it was written so it shall be done!
The Dept of Ed - Arne's Army of Reformers and Reconstitutors - has held yet another heat of Race to the Top, another competition for the dwindling federal largess: WHO CAN COME UP WITH THE MOST BEST-EST TEST EVER?
And the winner is......?
Well, it certainly isn't kids or teachers.
"TEST BABY TEST!"
A fundamentally new test - which still only measures Mathematics and English Language Arts -
waives most exemptions for Special Ed and opens standardized testing to Kindergarten and First Grade - means that all the results and data accumulated so far are meaningless. What was before was Apples; we are in the age of Oranges now! Reboot/Reset/Retest.. You teachers - named+blamed+shamed last Sunday for seven years of past results? Never mind!
We are agreed that we want to measure something - but the feds have thrown away the measuring stick. We are back at Square One, both feet firmly planted in Year Zero. And holding..
The CST is dead, long live the new test. The only constant in life is change and few - certainly not 4LAKids - will be sad to see the CST relegated to history's dustbin - along with Iowa Test of Basic Skills, old spirit-duplicator exams with their purple ink and intoxicating alcohol smell, Dick & Jane; and Mr. McGuffey’s Reader. (The word 'dustbin' itself is sadly a dustbin word.)
When you read the stories about the Brave New Test below [LINKS labeled "Testing to the Top" follow] - the fawning self-congratulation of the DoE press release, the Achieve explainer, the LA Times story that misses the point because this time the testing story isn't about The Times. And pay particular attention to the Man Behind the Curtain: “'This is going to change the way children are taught,' U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan said about the new nationwide tests."
¿If Arne isn't saying that children will be taught to this new test ...what IS he saying?
Maybe the good news is that it appears that the giant test publishers cartel - those wonderful folks who brought us the CST and the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills (TAKS), and the FCAT: the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test® will be out of the loop this time. Don't bet on it; the money isn't in publishing - it's in consulting. Big money always follows more money. This piece of language: "The (Proposal Design T)eam will work with an advisory group of national and international experts to create the assessment system design during the proposal development phase" leaves the door open for the test companies and the Billionaire Boys Club Foundation Network.
RACE TO THE TROUGH v.2.1
The New National test will be written by a 'committee of 28 states' - of which California is the most populous, with the most schools and students -- and the most at stake. But California is not a lead "governing" member; CA is among second-tier partnership states that are "unable to provide staff time to the design team but will provide rapid feedback on drafts of the proposal through the development phase".
We are passengers on the Bus of Ed Reform. The Governing States/Drivers of The Bus are Florida, Indiana, Louisiana, Massachusetts, New York, Rhode Island, Tennessee, and the District of Columbia - states fully invested in No Child Left Behind and Race to the Top, with mayoral control, pro-charter - and - in varying degrees - anti teacher's union agendas.
The Brave New Test Design Team is consortium – the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers, facilitated by ACHIEVE - a think-tank school-reform advocacy group in turn sponsored by the Gates Foundation among others. Not a lot of dots to connect.
[This footnote is oft repeated in these pages: See "The Billionaire Boys Club" (Chapter 10) in Diane Ravitch's The Death and Life of the Great American School System: How Testing and Choice Are Undermining Education - for the sordid details.]
RACE TO THE TROUGH MEETS CATCH 22
Is it just me - or are we developing the test before we develop and agree on national standards? Will we develop standards to the test? Curriculum to the test? Will textbook authors write to the test? Will teachers be hired, evaluated and laid-off-and-rehired to the test? That really WILL change how students are taught!
HIGH STAKES TESTING
The myth of high stakes testing being high-stakes for the students who take the test is just that. For all of our adult focus and drama about tests and testing, the stakes are low for the kids and they know it.
The question is asked: "Does this test count towards my grade?"
"Will admissions officers look at my CST scores?"
And the answers are: "No."
(Read Fensterwald's "Educated Guess" below - The CAHSEE/High School Exit Exam - the only high stakes test that kids take that does matter to them is apparently on the cutting room floor.)
A HIGH SCHOOL TEACHER WRITES 4LAKids: "Having been in the “Edumacation” business for the past 21 years, (OMG - NOT THAT LONG!), I have administered 21 years worth of those systematized tests and for the most part found them to be useless. The students, once they realize this test is meaningless, (for it is never used except by individual schools to “gauge” improvement – it doesn’t have any bearing on college entrance), virtually ignore the test. Some take it seriously, however, many just mark “C” in each column, then sleep. To gauge a teacher’s capability on those scores is ridiculous."
[*OK - Full Disclosure: This particular teacher was my writing partner when we were in the show biz. Professionally we finished each others sentences. So shoot me!]
The stakes are only high for statisticians, education theorists, beancounters, academe, the LA Times, and the Testing+Textbook Companies - and potentially for those teachers whose students have figured out that the tests don't matter.
THAT SAID, THIS PRESENTS AN OPPORTUNITY.
We - and we all know who "we" are - can create a test and methodology that measures real progress, real ability, real potential, real capability - real outcomes for real kids - beyond mathematics and English language arts Not Achievement - which is driven by scores; but Attainment: measured by Goals. Not with Adequacy or Proficiency or 'Every-child-above-average' as the goal - but Excellence. We won't do it if we are 'unable to provide staff time to the design team or by providing rapid feedback on drafts of the proposal through the development phase'. We must be the change.
Either that or we let politicians, billionaires, special interests and the especially interested come up with a shiny NEW+IMPROVED (the two most dangerous words in marketing) TEST - and then we can teach to that puppy while compiling data to inform instruction. Whatever "they" want that to mean.
¡Onward/Adelante! -smf
________________
BUT WAIT ...THERE'S MORE: I don't normally open e-mails with "No Subject" as the subject - I figure if the writer doesn't know what its about I don't need to know either. Last week I got a threatening "No Subject" missive from the LA Times - taking 4LAKids to task for redistributing Times articles in their entirely and/or not putting in links back to the original source material. ¶ 4LAKids does its best to cite sources and writers - but is loathe to edit material. (I'm a writer ...every word is a favorite child!) I attempted for a short while to truncate material and link to the full article - and caught a lot of negative feedback from readers on that. As your blogger I follow the links - perhaps so you don't have to. I don't spoon feed readers the news ...but I serve it up on the plate! ¶ I understand The Times complaint - advertisers support newspapers' online and print content - and 4LAKids doesn't forward the ads. (The LA Times always has click-thru ads for charter schools in their online education stories - there is value in you knowing who pays for some of this stuff.- but for 4LAKids to run ads for charter schools would cross the line from irony to farce.) ¶ So - gentle readers and Mr. XXXX from the Times - 4LAKids will attempt (no promises made) to place bit.ly links back to the original article in the byline - and suggests to the readership that they support the advertisers that sponsor the content they like and vice-versa. ¶ Incidentally - 4LAKids believes that it's redistribution of news content is ethical and legal under the Fair Use Doctrine. [sections 107 through 118 of the copyright law (title 17, U. S. Code)]
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Testing to the Top: OVERVIEW OF THE PARTNERSHIP FOR ASSESSMENT OF READINESS FOR COLLEGE AND CAREER: NOTE by smf fo... http://bit.ly/bROSD5
Testing to the Top: CALIFORNIA TO USE NEW TYPE OF NATIONWIDE SCHOOL TESTS - Through a federal grant, California wi... http://bit.ly/a2pNnl
Testing to the Top: TWO STATE GROUPS WIN FEDERAL GRANTS FOR COMMON TESTS: By Erik W. Robelen | EdWeek - Vol. 30, I... http://bit.ly/dD31Mw
Testing to the Top: SECRETARY OF ED DUNCAN ANNOUNCES WINNERS OF COMPETITION TO IMPROVE STUDENT ASSESSMENTS - Two w... http://bit.ly/92tRWG
Testing to the Top: NEW COMMON CORE TESTS TO SHELVE “MODIFIED ACHIEVEMENT STANDARDS” FOR SPECIAL ED, OPENS TESTING TO K AND 1st GRADE
By Christina Samuels in EdWeek | http://bit.ly/dCyT0P
September 2, 2010 3:45 PM | I've been pecking away at an article about the push toward common academic standards and students with disabilities for a little while now, but this tidbit is too interesting to hold on to: Today, Education Secretary Arne Duncan announced the winners of a competition to design tests that will accompany these state standards. In his remarks, he made several direct references to what these new tests may mean for students with learning differences:
This new generation of mathematics and English language arts assessments will cover all students in grades 3 through 8 and be used at least once in high school in every state that chooses to use them. In addition, the [Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers] consortium will develop optional performance tasks to assess literacy and mathematics knowledge and skills in kindergarten through 2nd grade.
All English language learners and students with disabilities will take the new assessments, with the exception of the 1 percent of students with the most significant cognitive disabilities. Unlike existing assessments, which often retrofit mediocre accommodations into tests, the new assessment systems will be designed, from the start, to accurately assess both English learners and students with disabilities and provide appropriate accommodations. And for the 1 percent of students with the most significant disabilities, states will have funds to develop an alternate assessment as a result of a soon-to-be completed competition.
Notably missing from that statement is any reference to alternate assessments based on modified achievement standards, known as "2 percent tests." That's because the 2 percent tests shouldn't be needed any more among the states that choose to shift to the new assessments, the Education department confirmed to me in an interview.
In 2005, then-Education Secretary Margaret Spellings announced a plan to let states create tests for students who don't have severe cognitive disabilities, but are unable to demonstrate their knowledge on the regular tests.There's no limit to the number of students who can take such tests, but the hypothesis is that only about 2 percent of all students—about 20 percent of students with disabilities—would need them. Therefore, the department only allows proficient scores from 2 percent of the students taking the modified achievement test to be used for calculating adequate yearly progress.
(As Duncan noted, states are also allowed to use a so-called 1 percent assessment, intended for 1 percent of students with the most severe cognitive disabilities. A separate development competition will be held for that test so that it can be aligned to common academic standards.)
The old tests are expected to remain in place until the new assessments are ready to go. Right now, the plan is to field-test new assessments in 2013-14, and have them ready for the classroom in 2014-15. The federal government is not requiring any state to change to the new tests, but many are expected to make the shift.
There's no question that one of the most vexing issues in special education is developing tests for students with learning differences. What accommodations can students use? How do you modify test language without changing what the assessment is meant to measure? How can students reading on a 3rd grade level be tested on standards for 6th graders?
The difficulty is illustrated by the fact that only one state thus far, Texas, has been able to create an alternate achievement assessment that meets Education Department muster.
But Duncan, in his speech, indicates he has pretty high hopes:
For the first time, state assessments will make widespread use of smart technology. They will provide students with realistic, complex performance tasks, immediate feedback, computer adaptive testing, and incorporate accommodations for a range of students....
And last but not least, for the first time, the new assessments will better measure the higher-order thinking skills so vital to success in the global economy of the 21st century and the future of American prosperity. To be on track today for college and careers, students need to show that they can analyze and solve complex problems, communicate clearly, synthesize information, apply knowledge, and generalize learning to other settings.
A MATTER OF TIME BEFORE EXIT EXAM’S EXIT
John Fensterwald - Educated Guess | http://bit.ly/aedrhx
9/02/10 • Nearly 19 out of 20 of seniors in the Class of 2010 who had to take the California High School Exit Exam passed it. That’s great news, in a narrow sense.
But just as record numbers of African-American and Hispanic students are finally passing it, the high school exam itself may be doomed. The awarding on Thursday of $170 million to a consortium of states that includes California to create new national assessments signals its demise. That’s also good news.
California is one of 26 states that are part of Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers, one of two groups that the federal government is funding to design standardized tests in line with the common-core standards in math and English that California adopted last month. The focus will now shift to, as PARCC’s name implies, measuring whether students are career and college ready. The state’s exit exam – CAHSEE — has never come close to gauging that.
Notwithstanding the hand-wringing preceding its adoption, attempts to repeal it and the sometimes valiant struggles of students to pass it, CAHSEE is merely a measure of competence with eighth grade math and 10th grade English language arts (with 55 percent of the answers right needed to pass it in math, 60 percent in English). To the extent that students who passed it assumed the exit exam prepared them for challenging work or any sort of post-high school education, the state did them a disservice.
It’s possible that the state will keep CAHSEE; PARCC officials assert their assessments will be compatible with exit exams. But it makes sense that a more sophisticated national test or tests, better aligned to curricula and expectations, will replace it. PARCC, which will be led by the state of Florida and administered by Washington-based Achieve, will have until 2014-15 and gobs of money, to roll out the assessments. The other group of 31 states, led by the state of Washington and San Francisco-based WestEd, will receive $160 million to design its own version. Some states are affiliated with both.
It’s too soon to say what they will look like, but one can imagine a computer-based test along the lines of the California State University’s Early Assessment Program, which most juniors take as a supplement to the 11th grade STAR test, for an indication if they are college-ready. Those who don’t pass it – currently about 80 percent of those who take the English exam and 43 percent of those who take the math portion as juniors – know they have to improve their skills, particularly in expository writing, to avoid remediation as freshmen.
That’s not to say that all students will have to pass an EAP-type test for a high school diploma. There probably would be lower cut scores for a high school diploma and for admission without remediation to a community college and vocational programs. (Some community colleges are now requiring the EAP, too.) The tricky part will be to devise questions testing skills that indicate a readiness for the world of work. The big debates ahead will be what the cut scores should be; each state will have its own ideas.
It would be tragic if the result were more dropouts and a lot fewer high school diplomas. But at the same time, starting as early as eighth grade, students would understand whether they were on track — in course taking and proficiency — for college or meaningful work.
Meanwhile, there was a significant jump this year in CAHSEE completion, with 94.5 percent of the Class of 2010 passing it. This compares with 91.2 percent of the inaugural CAHSEE class to take it, in 2006, and only 90.6 percent last year, although an exemption for special education students was reinstated this year, raising the rate somewhat.
A gap remains between passage rates of whites (98.1 percent this year) and African-Americans (89.7 percent) and Hispanics (91.6 percent), but the passage rate of minorities increased faster: 6 percentage points gain for each group since 2006 (83.7 percent for African-Americans then and 85.5 percent for Hispanics).
It’s better than not that students pass CAHSEE and walk across the stage with a diploma in hand, but many will soon find out that in the outside world, it’s not worth much more than the paper it was printed on.
CHARTER SCHOOLS MUST NOW COMPLY: Principal confesses fraud to board member + CHARTER SCHOOL SCANDAL COULD BOLSTER TRANSPARENCY BILL
• CHARTER SCHOOLS MUST NOW COMPLY: Principal confesses fraud to board member
Written by Andres Chavez, San Fernando Valley Sun Staff Reporter | http://bit.ly/9qOJoL
Thursday, 2 September 2010 -- The Los Angeles Unified school board Tuesday unanimously approved new regulations intended to tighten the district's oversight of charter schools.
The new rules cover the approval and renewal of the independent schools and the procedures for shutting them down if they miss academic benchmarks, engage in fraud, or are fiscally irresponsible.
California law gives charter schools a great deal of autonomy.
But LAUSD Superintendent Ramon Cortines said having clear rules would help effective charters run better and help the district identify problems with less effective schools sooner.
The Board's action was prompted by two sets of allegations of mishandling of funds at San Fernando Valley charter schools. In the first, Ivy Academia, which runs four campuses in the west San Fernando Valley, was charged with 38 counts of fraud and misuse of public funds two months ago.
But what really lit the fire under the Board was the revelation Monday by the LAUSD's Office of Inspector General (OIG) alleging Edward Fiszer, the former principal of NEW Academy Canoga Park, mishandled $2.7 million in public funds, including transferring $1.1 million in school funds into a personal investment account to speculate on the financial market and another million in questionable expenses.
The odd thing about the investigation is that the apparent fiscal misdealing came to light because Fiszer couldn't keep the alleged misdeeds to himself. "It was kind of bizarre.
I asked the OIG office if this was a random audit," said Robert Alaniz, Director of Communications for LAUSD.
"They said 'No, it was brought to our attention by the Board.' Apparently this guy, the former principal, decided he was going to confess to a board member.
Of course, that started the chain (of investigations) rolling." Some of the charges of fraud contained in the OIG report include:
• Withdrawal of funds by NACP's former principal in the form of cashier's checks totaling $1,073,700, which were deposited into the principal's personal investment account.
• Los Angeles County of Education (LACOE) revenue checks totaling $106,351.73 for average daily attendance (ADA) apportionment were untraceable to any of NACP's accounts.
• Use of Professional Services/Consultants for "Related Party Transaction" in the amount of $129,350.
• Use of Professional Services/Consultants without a valid contract in the amount of $400,410.
One of the companies that were supposed to have done school programming didn't exist. There was no phone number or website listed for the company, and the address turned out to be an empty lot.
Superintendent Cortines, in a formal letter dated August 27, 2010, and in compliance with statutory requirements, initiated Charter revocation proceedings against NEW Academy. A public hearing is being scheduled.
Cortines also wants NEW Academy to take the following steps (this is only a partial listing) within the next 45 days:
• Restructure the NACP board of directors, select at least two new financially experienced board members, and train board members in fiduciary responsibility, especially in the oversight of public dollars.
• Implement all of the OIG recommendations within six weeks of the date of this letter.
• Submit the following items for review:
* A framework for proper fiscal oversight of public dollars, including, but not limited to, updated fiscal and accounting policies and controls;
* Evidence of a new back office provider and CPA firm.
Maggie Cervantes, Chairperson for the Board of Directors for New Academy of Canoga Park, responded in a written statement on August 30, 2010:
"The school is taking aggressive and necessary steps to recover its assets and work to successfully resolve this issue.
These steps have included terminating the employment of the former principal of the school. The school also filed criminal charges against the former principal, who is the subject of continued investigation by legal authorities.We will work closely with the LAUSD to implement the recommendations in today's Audit Report, and do not expect any interruption of operations at the school."
According to Alaniz, if the school meets the requirements set out by the district, things should work out. "Our end game is not to shut them down but rather to get them in conformance with business practices that are for the best interest for the kids, the parents and, obviously, the school."
Fiszer seems to have disappeared. One news organization reported that he had left the state.
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• CHARTER SCHOOL SCANDAL COULD BOLSTER TRANSPARENCY BILL
Corey G. Johnson | California Watch Blog | http://bit.ly/aLqkkB
Sept 2 --An audit released this week that accuses a former San Fernando Valley charter school administrator of misusing roughly $2.7 million in taxpayers funds could tip the scales in favor of more transparency and accountability for all charters.
The Los Angeles Times reported that the LA Unified School District's inspector general office found that Edward Fiszer, former principal of NEW Academy Canoga Park, allegedly transferred nearly $1.1 million from the school accounts to his personal Ameritrade account.
Auditors say Fiszer ultimately lost the money speculating on unsuccessful investments in the financial market. The money transfers took place between July 1, 2007 and Sept. 30, 2009, the report stated.
Auditors also contend that Fiszer paid a former teacher $129,450 to be a grant writer, although the school already had a company on contract for grant-writing services. It turns out the former teacher was married to Fiszer, although auditors couldn't pinpoint when.
The audit also questioned $62,247 paid to a company called Burgundy Bunny. Auditors were unable to confirm the business even existed.
The report concluded that the problems were made possible because of a total lack of oversight by the school's board members. Fiszer could not be reached for comment and apparently has left the state, according to the Times.
This latest audit comes weeks after two other San Fernando Valley charter school operators were charged with stealing more than $200,000 in taxpayer funds.
In response to the latest report, LA schools Superintendent Ramon C. Cortines announced he would move to shut down NEW Academy Canoga Park. The school district also moved to change its rules on governing charters.
Vicky Waters, spokeswoman for the California Charter Schools Association, applauded the district's efforts but stressed that all charters shouldn't be tarnished by the actions of a few.
CCSA learned about the report last week. We understand from LAUSD that the report outlines serious issues. We also recognize LAUSD’s appropriate oversight and thoroughness of their investigation. We encourage the school and authorities to take appropriate actions as a result of the report’s findings.
Although we are dismayed at the report's findings, we do not believe that these are indicative of broader issues within the charter movement. We do not want the actions of a few to taint the charter movement, which is comprised of thousands of honest, dedicated and hard-working teachers, parents, leaders, students all working toward better educational opportunities for children.
Currently, charters don't have to comply with laws governing access to records or public meetings. Nor do their boards have to be transparent about spending decisions or what role personal associations play in the awarding of contracts.
For years, advocates have unsuccesfully tried to change that. Stephanie Farland, policy analyst for the California School Boards Association, told California Watch in January that her organization has twice proposed legislation that would make charters abide by the same conflict-of-interest and transparency requirements of other taxpayer-supported schools. Each time, the bills were vetoed by the governor's office – once during the 2003-2004 session and again in the 2007-2008 session.
But neither one of those bills had the force of the Great Recession behind them. And as witnessed in the city of Bell, the public ire has become increasingly less tolerant of public officials using secrecy to abuse public funds.
In comes AB 572, sponsored by Assemblywoman Julia Brownley, D-Santa Monica. The bill would force charter school officials to disclose any conflicts and make their board meetings and minutes open to public scrutiny. The bill's analysis pulls no punches.
Recent news reports of charter school board members engaging in inappropriate financial mismanagement have highlighted the need for charter school conflict of interest laws to be clarified. While charter schools are given more autonomy than public schools, their governing boards have authority over public funds to be used for the educational benefit of their students.
Charter school governing boards should be held to the same standards as school district governing boards.
As of August 26, AB 572 passed both the state Assembly and Senate and is on its way to Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's desk. Will LA's loss be transparency's gain?
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• • smf NOTES: THE CALIFORNIA CHARTER SCHOOLS ASSOCIATION IS OPPOSED TO AB 572 AND ITS CALL FOR TRANSPARENCY IN SPENDING PUBLIC FUNDS –CCSA APPARENTLY SUPPORTS THE STATUS QUO OF CLOSED MEETINGS , FISCAL SHENANIGANS AND ‘THE BROWN ACT BE DAMNED!’.
FROM THE CCSA CAPTOL ALERT (27 Aug):
“This week, AB 572 (Julia Brownley) and AB 2543 (Bonnie Lowenthal) passed the Legislature and were sent to the Governor for his signature or veto. CCSA is opposed to both bills. AB 572 applies draconian conflict of interest policies to charter schools, and AB 2543 applies an unworkable renewal timeline to all charter schools in California.”
BACK-TO-SCHOOL BLUES (and some reasons for hope)
Themes in the News for the week of Aug. 30-Sept. 3, 2010 By UCLA IDEA | http://bit.ly/bTJSD1
09-03-2010 - The beginning of each school year signifies a fresh start—new hopes and resolutions, a new grade level, a new teacher, new supplies and clothes; and yes, learning new stuff: the satisfaction of mathematics, stories from literature and history, wonders of science, and all the rest. Those of us who are years removed from back-to-school moments can still recall both the excitement and apprehension of reentering school halls and classrooms.
Regular readers of these UCLA IDEA Themes might feel more apprehension than most. Much of last year’s education policy news and analysis has been very grim, indeed. What changes can families expect to see at school as a result of a year’s worth of hits to the state’s public education system? And what makes us feel good about California schools?
First, the bad news:
Crowded Classrooms Thousands of layoffs mean teachers will instruct more students. The California Board of Education, which grants requests to increase class sizes in grades with caps to enrollment, gave out 16 exemptions in the past year, but has heard 16 requests last month and expects to hear another 16 this month (Sacramento Bee). Class size increases usually occur in increments of one or two students per year, so the news of an increase doesn’t strike most people as terribly significant—what’s another student or two in a class if it means that a school district can remain solvent? Yet, it doesn’t take many years before California teachers are teaching 44 students in a foreign language class or 39 students in science. A $10 billion federal bill could provide relief, but it’s uncertain how much or when that money will get to schools.
Shorter School Years Some school districts have cut costs with furloughs achieved by eliminating days from the school year. Districts try to restrict furloughs to non-instructional days, but many can’t limit them in that way. Besides, those “non-instruction” days will be sorely missed. These are days that have been used for training, planning, parent conferencing, and other essential activities that schools and teachers will have to pinch from instructional time or drop altogether. California’s calendar has gone down from 180 days to 175 for many students (California Watch, Orange Counter Register).
Bare Bones Classrooms The remaining teachers must make do with less. If they’re not asking students and parents to supply classroom materials or dipping into their own pockets, they’re cutting erasers in half to stretch them out or reaching out to private donors. Schools will continue to see declines in maintenance, technology purchases and repairs, availability of books and paper, and more.
Diminished Programs Summer school continues to be threatened with many programs cuts. Nationwide, programs of all sorts were diminished, including cutting lunches to low-income students. Some programs that provide instruction to juvenile offenders, expelled students, pregnant teens and others who benefit from alternatives to traditional public high schools could be cut or eliminated (Los Angeles Times). As districts cut back on transportation services, families scramble to find reliable and safe ways to get to school. The cuts will be more than just inconvenient. Many students and parents will face added stress, wasted time, and even lost days of work and school.
Lack of School Staff Support Gone are the days of school nurses. Fewer and fewer of them are assigned to one campus anymore. If they have not been laid off, the remaining district nurses are now finding themselves rotating among many different campuses (Sacramento Bee). Guidance counselors, social workers, college and career counselors, and librarians are suffering the same fate.
Uncertainty Schools are realistic, “make-do” institutions. If funding, last-minute program changes, reforms, or teacher hiring (and student assignments and scheduling) are unclear by the first day of school, principals don’t have the luxury of saying they're not ready—that they will push back schools’ first day to November 1. These distracting conditions can turn schools into frantic environments—a condition that wastes time and saps attention to teaching and learning.
So, What’s the Good News?
Teachers and Other School Personnel The vast majority of California teachers are dedicated, caring and skilled. This is easily overlooked in the midst of sensational demands that schools root out teachers who are slackers and incompetents. Most parents say that their own local schools and teachers do a pretty good job (PPIC). Teachers can’t overcome the inadequacies of underfunded and under-resourced schools, but they keep learning alive in classrooms.
Students California students are rich in their diversity and potential. When given appropriate opportunities to learn and the help of caring adults, they work hard and achieve well.
Parents and Communities California has an abundance of neighborhood and community groups that work tirelessly to bring opportunities to students. Some have joined with civil rights organizations, calling on the state to fulfill its constitutional obligations to provide all students a quality education. Others support new programs and schools which are models for what communities want for all of their children. New coalitions of grassroots groups and long-established civic groups are summoning their their values and commitments to public education and their political clout to reestablish education as a top civic priority.
HIGHLIGHTS, LOWLIGHTS & THE NEWS THAT DOESN'T FIT: The Rest of the Stories from Other Sources
PAUL CONRAD 1924-2010: http://bit.ly/8ZSVut
Passion: School Reform | UTLA HEAD A.J. DUFFY FIGHTS TO MAKE UNION PART OF REFORM: By Connie Llanos, Staff Writer ... http://bit.ly/aqMvpZ
L.A. and ARIZONA: WILL DATA CONFLICTS SPUR A CHILL EFFECT?: By Sarah D. Sparks | EdWeek | Vol. 30, Issue 03 | http... http://bit.ly/d5IkoF
DOES TRAINING TEACHERS IN TECHNOLOGY IMPROVE STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT? + TECHNOLOGY HAS CHANGED EDUCATION, BUT IT WON’T... http://bit.ly/drtw0K
Testing to the Top: OVERVIEW OF THE PARTNERSHIP FOR ASSESSMENT OF READINESS FOR COLLEGE AND CAREER: NOTE by smf fo... http://bit.ly/bROSD5
Testing to the Top: CALIFORNIA TO USE NEW TYPE OF NATIONWIDE SCHOOL TESTS - Through a federal grant, California wi... http://bit.ly/a2pNnl
Testing to the Top: TWO STATE GROUPS WIN FEDERAL GRANTS FOR COMMON TESTS: By Erik W. Robelen | EdWeek - Vol. 30, I... http://bit.ly/dD31Mw
Testing to the Top: SECRETARY OF ED DUNCAN ANNOUNCES WINNERS OF COMPETITION TO IMPROVE STUDENT ASSESSMENTS - Two w... http://bit.ly/92tRWG
Controversy? What controversy? - SCHOOL BOARD HOLDS SPECIAL MEETING – AND EITHER REPUDIATES OR EMBRACES OR IGNORE... http://bit.ly/c9tVJ6
LAUSD TO CUT SCHOOL BUS ROUTES, INCREASE WALKING DISTANCE + addl. coverage: Stephane Babcock for School Transporta... http://bit.ly/aIE9Xf
CHARTER SCHOOLS MUST NOW COMPLY: Principal confesses fraud to board member: Written by Andres Chavez, San Fernand... http://bit.ly/c9mXET
CHARTER SCHOOL SCANDAL COULD BOLSTER TRANSPERENCY BILL: Corey G. Johnson | California watch Blog Sept 2 --An audi... http://bit.ly/clmieV
TEACHERS COMMENT ON THEIR VALUE-ADDED EVALUATIONS: Some of the 6,000 L.A. Unified teachers whose rankings were mad... http://bit.ly/d31odg
The Time’s coverage of news of its making continues: LAUSD BOARD MAKES FIRST STATEMENTS ABOUT TEST SCORE ANALYSIS ... http://bit.ly/9MUdOX
State Legislature: SINE DIE*: from the Sacramento Bee Capitol Alert 8PM Aug 31 |In case you missed it: On the l... http://bit.ly/dj8nba
DETAIL OF INSPECTOR GENERAL’S AUDIT OF NOW CHARTER SCHOOL: Sidebar from the Contra Costa Times/LA Daily News Story... http://bit.ly/aP5xGA
UPDATE: Audit finds nearly $3 million fraud at San Fernando Valley charter school: Adolfo Guzman-Lopez | KPCC http://bit.ly/8ZpRYL
$2.7 MILLION IS MISSING AT CHARTER: L.A. Unified moves to close charter school over alleged misuse of funds.: Audi... http://bit.ly/cb1433
UPDATE ON THE STATE BUDGET: Informational Alert August 30, 2010 Update on the State Budget Before ... http://bit.ly/bh1XjR
Podcast Available - “Politics or Pedagogy?: ”WHERE IS THE VALUE IN ‘VALUE-ADDED’? DOES ‘LOS ANGELES ‘ILLUSTRATE TH... http://bit.ly/csdtlI
CALIFORNIA SCHOOLS LOSE RACE FOR THE MONEY: Themes in the News for the week of Aug. 23-27, 2010 By UCLA IDEA staff... http://bit.ly/a8J8Xt
LET’S UNLEASH ALL DATA ON TEACHERS: U.S. SECRETARY OF ED ASKS “WHAT’S THERE TO HIDE?”: BY Arne Duncan | Op-Ed in ... http://bit.ly/a2E7lJ
TEACHERS BLAST L.A. TIMES FOR RELEASING EFFECTIVENESS RANKINGS: The Times made public an analysis of L.AUSD 3rd-5t... http://bit.ly/97sZgR 8:35 AM Aug 30th via twitterfeed
EVENTS: Coming up next week...
*Dates and times subject to change. ________________________________________
• SCHOOL CONSTRUCTION BOND OVERSIGHT COMMITTEE:
http://www.laschools.org/bond/
Phone: 213-241-5183
____________________________________________________
• LAUSD FACILITIES COMMUNITY OUTREACH CALENDAR:
http://www.laschools.org/happenings/
Phone: 213-241.8700
What can YOU do?
• E-mail, call or write your school board member:
Yolie.Flores.Aguilar@lausd.net • 213-241-6383
Tamar.Galatzan@lausd.net • 213-241-6386
Monica.Garcia@lausd.net • 213-241-6180
Marguerite.LaMotte@lausd.net • 213-241-6382
Nury.Martinez@lausd.net • 213-241-6388
Richard.Vladovic@lausd.net • 213-241-6385
Steve.Zimmer@lausd.net • 213-241-6387
...or your city councilperson, mayor, the governor, member of congress, senator - or the president. Tell them what you really think! • Find your state legislator based on your home address. Just go to: http://bit.ly/dqFdq2 • There are 26 mayors and five county supervisors representing jurisdictions within LAUSD, the mayor of LA can be reached at mayor@lacity.org • 213.978.0600
• Call or e-mail Governor Schwarzenegger: 213-897-0322 e-mail: http://www.govmail.ca.gov/
• Open the dialogue. Write a letter to the editor. Circulate these thoughts. Talk to the principal and teachers at your local school.
• Speak with your friends, neighbors and coworkers. Stay on top of education issues. Don't take my word for it!
• Get involved at your neighborhood school. Join your PTA. Serve on a School Site Council. Be there for a child.
• If you are eligible to become a citizen, BECOME ONE.
• If you a a citizen, REGISTER TO VOTE.
• If you are registered, VOTE LIKE THE FUTURE DEPENDS ON IT.
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