In This Issue:
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L.A. SCHOOLS' IPAD WATCHDOG COMMITTEE SET TO DISBAND + smf’s J’ACCUSE |
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AALA WEIGHS IN ON DISBANDING OF COMMON CORE TECHNOLOGY/iPAD OVERSIGHT COMMITTEE & LOCAL CONTROL FUNDING FORMULA ROLL OUT |
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VERGARA v. CALIFORNIA: Making the case for “Firing our way to Finland” |
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WorkKeys: CERTIFICATION TEST FOCUSES ON READYING STUDENTS FOR WORK, NOT COLLEGE |
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HIGHLIGHTS, LOWLIGHTS & THE NEWS THAT DOESN'T FIT: The Rest (but
not necessarily the best) of the Stories from Other Sources |
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EVENTS: Coming up next week... |
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What can YOU do? |
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Featured Links:
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One can make too much of almost everything that
happens. 4LAKids often does. But inevitably almost every+anything
eventually happens in LAUSD ….it’s what’s known in military parlance as a
target rich environment.
Take Tuesday morning’s meeting of the Board of Education. There were 2
count ‘em 2 items on the agenda. Item One and Item Two: The first
reading of resolutions that weren’t up for consideration or debate or a
vote – and a bunch of adminsitrivial closed session items about routine
personnel matters and collective bargaining negotiations. There were
more folks on the dais than in the audience. There were no iPads on the
agenda, no budget items, no charters, no RIF’s, no mobilized
stakeholders with similar colored t-shirts.
What could possibly go wrong?
One of the items was a previous issue that had failed in a three to
three tie previously (with one abstention) …with the abstaining voter
wishing to modify the language of the proposition so that he could
support it. The give+take stuff of governance. (See: TWO MONTHS AFTER HE
KILLED ONE PLAN, KAYSER HAS HIS OWN TITLE I IDEAS)
The abstaining voter was Bennett Kayser; the original motion was made by
Tamar Galatzan. The subject was changing the threshold to allow more
schools to participate in Title I federal funding. (More schools is an
overstatement – both Galatzan+Kayser’s motions would allow the same
number of schools in LAUSD that have historically participated in Title I
to continue.) Mr. Kayser’s resolution would actually allow Ms.
Galatzan’s intent to prevail.
(If you haven’t been following the internal politics you must understand
that Ms Galatzan and Mr. Kayser frequently disagree – but here there
was the appearance of a meeting of minds.) One would think.
But Ms. Galatzan challenged Mr. Kayser on grounds of parliamentary
procedure – Board Rule #73 had been violated because a substantially
similar item had been introduced without the prerequisite six months
wait.
• Let me add here the Brigadier General Henry M. Roberts, USA (ret) who
wrote the book on parliamentary procedure, established those rules to
facilitate debate – not stifle it. ”This should be used solely for the
purpose of suggesting ways to conduct fair and orderly meetings.”
• “Substantially similar” is a semantic playground for lawyers to play
in – and it took a certain amount of prodding Tuesday AM to legal
counsel present to opine that the Kayser resolution “might be”
substantially similar to Galatzan’s.
• Board Rule #73 can be waived by a simple vote, but to have that vote
Board Rule #72– which waives the 72 hour advance notice requirement be
for a vote - must first be waived.
• Hence a three way stand-off between Board Rules 73 and 72 and Joseph
Heller’s Catch 22 – which trumps everything except Murphy’s Law (which
is inviolate).
Ms. Galatzan, the obvious deciding vote – and with schools in Her District (see http://bit.ly/L5zli2)
having the most to gain – did not blink. (She did shove her microphone
around irritably – but that would go without saying …except that I just
did.)
Ms. Garcia weighed in on the patent unfairness to the kids of Her
District (ibid) of these flagrant violations of the sacred board rules,
appealing to Dr. Vladovic that this would never have been allowed to
happen during the golden age of her board presidency – and Dr. V agreed.
How had that non-compliant resolution even appeared on the agenda?
Those LAUSD Board Rules – which Moses had in his back pocket when he
descended from Sinai - are best untampered with.
The end result: Nothing. Nada. Zilch. Nada. An item not scheduled for debate was defeated without a vote.
NOT EXACTLY NADA. Dr. V announced, almost in passing, that he was
appointing Ms. Ratliff to chair the Curriculum, Instruction and
Assessment Committee, a role formerly held by the late Ms. LaMotte. And
he also announced he would be disbanding the Common Core Technology
Project (iPad Oversight) Committee – thanking Ms Ratliff and the
committee for their service. That news was not received well by some
committee members, critics, observers and skeptics around the
Apple/Pearson/LAUSD vortex of ®eform. (AALA WEIGHS IN ON ELIMINATION OF
LAUSD COMMON CORE... + PARENTS AND TEACHERS PROTEST LAUSD’S ELIMINATION
O...)
GOVERNOR BROWN GAVE HIS STATE OF THE STATE ADDRESS LAST WEEK. President
Obama gives his State of the Nation next week. Dr. Deasy, who presides
over the two bit circus at Beaudry, crossed over the freeway to City
Hall in search of a less dysfunctional/more sympathetic governing body
in the Education and Parks Committee of the City Council -- to deliver
his annual State of the Schools address. (see: L.A. CITY HALL TAKES A
FRESH LOOK AT LAUSD )
Whether he found sympathy or function is unclear. Previous States of The
Schools have been delivered by previous superintendents to invited
audiences but last years’ was poorly attended. This year it was the
superintendent who was invited …to present a speech in search of an
audience?
City Council President Wesson appointed a commission to
enumerate+elucidate upon what is wrong in LA. The commission – a
compendium of City Hall cronies, insiders and friends of former Mayor
Tony declared LAUSD the problem without interviewing anyone from the
District. The Education and Parks Commission was shocked + apologetic
over the commission’s lapse …though not excessively either.
Dr. Deasy welcomed the council’s attention and partnership – although
in what was unclear - and went on to declare that whether the iPads
solve the achievement gap, improve test scores, provide a test platform,
delver the Common Core Curriculum, replace textbooks, empower
instruction, level the playing field or solve poverty (all have been
offered as reasons at various times) - he doesn’t understand the
controversy. (See; Twitterpated: SUPERINTENDENT DEASY CROSSES THE
FREEWAY )
In Santa Barbara and Houston other school districts made other decisions
supporting 1-to-1 computing in the classroom. (See SANTA BARBARA
UNIFIED APPROVES $700,000 iPAD PURCHASE & HOUSTON LAUNCHES AMBITIOUS
1-to-1 COMPUTING INITIATIVE)
Campus radicals gathered on the lawn north of school.
Hey children, what’s that sound?
And I went down to the demonstration
To get my fair share of abuse
Singing, "We're gonna vent our frustration
If we don't we're gonna blow a 50-amp fuse."
McGuinn and McGuire just a-gettin' higher in L.A.,
You know where that's at
And no one's gettin' fat except….
¡Onward/Adelante! - smf
L.A. SCHOOLS' IPAD WATCHDOG COMMITTEE SET TO DISBAND + smf’s J’ACCUSE
► DECISION TO END SCHOOLS' IPAD PANEL RAISES
QUESTIONS ABOUT OVERSIGHT OF THE PROGRAM THAT HAS HAD A BUMPY ROLLOUT
By Howard Blume | LA Times | http://lat.ms/1hyCIsp
January 19, 2014, 4:57 p.m. :: The watchdog committee for the Los
Angeles school district's $1-billion iPad program is scheduled to fold,
raising questions about oversight of the ongoing effort to provide every
student, teacher and administrator with a computer.
The decision to disband the panel as of April was announced last week by Board of Education President Richard Vladovic.
"I think there needs to be a conclusion of some sort," he said in an
interview. He also insisted that all necessary oversight would continue.
School board committees, the purview of the president, are intended to
allow members to publicly ask in-depth questions and raise concerns
about policies and proposals for which there isn't enough time during
regular meetings. They also can be used to change recommendations before
they reach the full board.
Critics consider the panels redundant to the board's work, a prodigious
waste of staff time. Previous board president Monica Garcia had
dissolved them.
Vladovic said he intended to strike a middle ground, making most
committees temporary, with a defined, finite purpose. Even so, his
announcement caught Monica Ratliff, who chairs the watchdog technology
committee, by surprise.
Ratliff's panel bears the cumbersome name of Common Core Technology
Project Committee — Common Core refers to new state learning standards
in math and English. The district intends to reach these academic goals
through curriculum installed on the iPads, although that is not a state
requirement. The iPads also will be used for new state tests, which
eventually must be given by computer.
The 12-member panel consists of appointees from the community and district-related organizations, including employee unions.
Some have complained that the panel has impeded an innovative effort
that would otherwise have progressed further and faster. The iPad
program was envisioned as a national model, and senior officials,
including Supt. John Deasy, defend the overall effort as superlative.
Others credit Ratliff's group for slowing a project that was being carried out too hastily.
"It's very clear that the rollout had some problems and the district has
been well served by admitting there were problems and beginning to
address them," said Ratliff. Also, "It was really important for the
public to have their questions asked publicly and, to a degree,
answered."
The panel has raised or unearthed issues that senior administrators
sometimes fumbled, providing incomplete, inaccurate and conflicting
information. At one point, for example, they said the iPads didn't need
keyboards, then later that they did, then that they knew all along that
keyboards would be necessary.
At another juncture, an administrator said the district owned the
curriculum on the iPads; later, officials conceded that, in fact, the
curriculum was licensed for three years.
Just last week, Ratliff related the latest of her unsuccessful attempts
to get access to the full curriculum, which was selected based on
incomplete samples.
The work of the committee also influenced changes to the project, such
as the addition of a fuller evaluation and a trial of laptop computers
for older students.
Ratliff said that continued scrutiny remains necessary, but she did not criticize Vladovic's move.
Vladovic wants her to take the helm of the curriculum and instruction
committee, which was left without a leader when board member Marguerite
Poindexter LaMotte died in December. Vladovic said the coming months
will bring crucial decisions about instruction that will, at times,
overlap with the computer issues Ratliff has been overseeing.
Deasy said he had no comment about the evolving committees, calling it a
board issue. But in the past he has expressed concerns that the panels
consume too much staff time.
Other elements of oversight remain in place. The school district's
inspector general is examining the process that led to the computer
contract, which was intended to supply more than 570,000 iPads at a cost
of $768 apiece.
The board also will commission an evaluation of the computers' effect on student achievement.
Because the project is being paid for with voter-approved
school-construction bonds, a separate committee, which oversees bond
spending, also will continue with limited jurisdiction.
For years, the bond oversight group habitually supported staff
recommendations. For the computer effort, however, the panel balked when
Deasy sought one-time blanket endorsement of the entire effort, even
before vendors began bidding for the work.
The bond panel insisted on a right to review each major expenditure of
bond funds. The result is that it has examined the iPad project each
time officials asked for substantial additional funding. Last week, for
example, Chairman Stephen English challenged the district's analysis of
how many iPads would be needed for upcoming state standardized tests.
Decisions by the bond panel are not binding on the school board, but
district officials have rarely departed from its recommendations.
Last week, however, was different. Materials from the most recent
meeting of the bond oversight panel were not included in the information
packet prepared for the board and the public. These materials included
support for the panel's analysis that fewer iPads were needed.
Deasy stood by his own numbers, and, in the end, the board gave him the
discretion to buy as many iPads as he felt would be necessary.
Scott Folsom, a member of the bond committee, said he is concerned by
Vladovic's move to disband Ratliff's panel. But he said he understands
that it was not meant to be permanent.
"If Ratliff produces a report and the committee is dissolved, that is that," he said.
______________________
► J’ACCUSE: THE WIRELESS DISCONNECT IN LAUSD
By smf for 4LAKidsNews
20 Jan 2014 :: Howard Blume writes in his article (above) on the ongoing iPad fiasco misadventure* in LAUSD:
“Materials from the most recent meeting of the bond oversight panel were
not included in the information packet prepared for the board and the
public. These materials included support for the panel's analysis that
fewer iPads were needed.” http://lat.ms/1hyCIsp
I mentioned this oversight by the superintendent’s staff in my testimony
to the board on Jan 14th – ‘oversight’ being the committee I serve on’s
middle name. (I’m making light of this because if one doesn’t laugh
one must get angry – and it’s a holiday weekend celebrating a prophet of
nonviolence – which is anger management at the extreme.)
The Bond Oversight Committee’s position was hardly secret. It had been
reported in the news. It was posted on the BOC website. I posted the BOC
resolution on my website.
But the staff’s failure to include it in the Board Briefing Book was an
egregious - and I suspect intentional - failure to communicate. The
staff is an extension of the superintendent’s office. The responsibility
for the failure - if not the decision - is entirely that of
Superintendent Deasy.
This is the information transmitted to the Board in the briefing book for the Meeting of Jan 14th|http://bit.ly/1f63abw| Item 1/pp 5 of 480:
Issues and Analysis:
This item was considered by the School Construction Bond Oversight
Committee (BOC) at its meeting of November 20, 2013. The BOC’s adopted
resolution, including the vote of the Committee, is included in the
attachment.
True on the face of it; nonetheless False in the extreme.
Because the BOC also met and adopted a resolution on December 18th. It
is this resolution that addresses the Board Report of Dec 10th; the
Board Agenda Item #1 of Jan 14th.
HERE IS THE BOC’s ACTUAL RESOLUTION of DECEMBER 18th – BOC Resolution 2013-36-A http://bit.ly/1bCTLcv
– reached after lengthy and far deeper debate by the BOC then of that
by the Board of Ed. The BOC position on numbers of devices needed for
testing is totally in line with what Ms. Galatzan seems to believe is
her original idea of “Not-to- Exceed permission”. It’s just that her
permission is excessively permissive.
On the Monday before the Jan 14th Board of Ed meeting the BOC delivered
copies of the missing resolution to the board member ‘s offices – but
there is no evidence that they were received by the actual board
members, inserted into their briefing books – or even read by staff or
the boardmembers.
At the Board of Ed meeting Bond Oversight Committee Chair Stephen
English addressed the Board and attempted correction of whatever
misapprehension may have been created – but at this point I believe
whatever damage was done was done.
Bond Oversight Committee Chair English presented a PowerPoint in his
presentation to the Board – which follows. He was also prepared to
answer any questions from the Board with a continued presentation –
which specifically identifies why the BOC believes that the 38,500 iPads
for Testing the BOC approved was generous if not excessive. But the
board asked no questions – essentially treating Mr. English like another
public commenter who interrupts what even Ms. Garcia described at the
meeting as “Our nonsense”.
To cut the superintendent an inch of slack – it appears that he is going
to initially order only the iPads in numbers recommended by the Bond
Oversight Committee.
I thank him for that – but I don’t trust any public official any more
than I trust a contractor or motion picture propmaster or a
middle-schooler-borrowing –a-credit-card to come in with a number much
less than a “Do Not Exceed” maximum.
Miracles happen …but not so one can depend on them!
Quoting Michael Jackson:
If this town
Is just an apple
Then let me take a bite
[chorus]
If they say -
Why, why, Tell 'em that is Human Nature
*A “fiasco” is one of those straw-wrapped bottles Chianti comes in.
It’s gonna take a pitcher of Margaritas to get through this mess!
• The first 6 pages of the following is BOC Chair English’s PowerPoint presented to the Board of Ed,
• pp 7 is intentionally blank.
• the next 10 pages were created to answer the unasked questions.
AALA WEIGHS IN ON DISBANDING OF COMMON CORE
TECHNOLOGY/iPAD OVERSIGHT COMMITTEE & LOCAL CONTROL FUNDING FORMULA
ROLL OUT
Associated Administrators of Los Angeles Weekly Update - Week of January 27, 2014 | http://bit.ly/1eY254Y
►COMMON CORE TECHNOLOGY PROJECT OVERSIGHT COMMITTEE IS DISBANDED!
Jan 23, 2014 :: Board of Education President Dr. Richard Vladovic
announced last week that he was disbanding the Common Core Technology
Project (CCTP) Committee as of April. The committee has the
responsibility to provide oversight of the LAUSD $1 billion project to
provide iPads or laptops to every student, teacher and administrator in
the District and is intended as a vehicle to allow the public to receive
in-depth information that cannot be fully provided at a regular meeting
of the Board due to time constraints. Dr. Vladovic was quoted in the
Los Angeles Times (January 20, 2014) as saying, “I think there needs to
be a conclusion of some sort.” While we understand that the
establishment of LAUSD School Board Committees is under the purview of
the president, one can only wonder why the oversight committee needs to
come to a conclusion in the middle of the rollout. Why would it not
conclude when every student has his or her iPad? What has necessitated
this drastic move
now? Even Board Member Mónica Ratliff, the chair of the committee, was
surprised to learn that her committee was being eliminated as are we, at
AALA, especially since some particularly pointed and relevant questions
about the CCTP have been raised at recent meetings. Due to incomplete
and often conflicting information being presented to the committee, the
timeline of the CCTP has been appropriately slowed down. The committee’s
work has also caused the inclusion of a more thorough evaluation of the
project and a pilot of the use of laptop computers with older
students.
While the CCTP committee has received criticism that it has provided
roadblocks for what Superintendent John Deasy calls a superlative effort
of what could be a national model, it has also been commended for
slowing the pace of a too hastily implemented initiative. And even as
there are lingering unanswered questions about whether the use of
construction bond money for iPads is a legitimate expense, the Bond
Oversight Committee (BOC) will have some limited jurisdiction of the
CCTP as part of its many responsibilities. However, we question its
effectiveness or influence since the BOC recently made some
well-documented recommendations to the Board for the appropriate use of
the bond money that were summarily ignored. We doubt that the same level
of inquiry and oversight that was yielded by the CCTP Committee, under
the leadership of Ms. Ratliff, can continue with this change by Dr.
Vladovic.
Ms. Ratliff will become chair of the Curriculum and Instruction
Committee that was formerly led by the late Ms. Marguerite LaMotte.
While we are certain that Ms. Ratliff will do a commendable job in this
role and know that her leadership is needed on this critical committee,
we cannot help but wonder who will be overseeing the CCTPor is that
something that Dr. Vladovic and Dr. Deasy no longer think is necessary?
We are currently in the process of securing an opportunity to speak with
Dr. Vladovic to better understand his vision for Board Committees and
oversight of the CCTP.
►LOCAL CONTROL FUNDING FORMULA (LCFF)
As Governor Brown delivered his State-of-the-State speech on Wednesday,
January 22, 2014, he expressed his vision for the Local Control Funding
Formula. His comments included the following:
…This was a major breakthrough in the way funds are allocated to
California’s schools so that our laws explicitly recognize the difficult
problems faced by low-income families and those whose first language is
other than English. As a result, those with less are going to receive
more and that is good for all of us. But something else is at work in
this Local Control Funding Formula. Instead of prescriptive commands
issued from headquarters here in Sacramento, more general goals have
been established for each local school to attain, each in its own way.
This puts the responsibility where it has to be: In the classroom and at
the local district…Each local district now has to put into practice
what the Local Control Funding Formula has made possible. That, together
with new Common Core standards for math and English, will be a major
challenge for teachers and local administrators. But they are the ones
who can make it work and I have every confidence they will.
There are multiple guidelines and regulations that come with the LCFF,
many of which are still being developed and will definitely impact
administrators throughout the District. The article below, from the
Chief Operating Officer, is just an example of some of the additional
work that must be done. We know that each school must develop an
Accountability Plan that is due in June and are eagerly awaiting
guidance for administrators from the central office and the ESCs.
►REQUIRED DATA COLLECTION FOR LCFF
AALA thanks Enrique “Rick” Boull’t, Chief Operating Officer, for providing this information.
As noted above, the Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF) provides school
districts with funds based on the needs of students, including English
learners, foster youth and those who qualify for free or reduced-price
meals. More money is sent to school districts that have higher
percentages of these students.
In order to access these resources, LAUSD is required to submit each
student’s eligibility status for the USDA Free and Reduced Price Meal
Program (FRPM). Although this information is already collected from many
students throughout the District via the annual FRPM meal applications,
there are approximately 138,000 students from 380 campuses for whom the
District has no information.
Last November, the District launched an initial collection process to
collect this vital information from these students. Thanks to the
leadership of our principals and school communities, the District now
has 80% of the needed information. There remain, however, approximately
27,900 (20%) students from more than 350 school sites, representing
millions of dollars, from whom the District still needs information.
To capture the remaining information and maximize the District’s
allocation of state funding, LAUSD has launched a second and final
collection period, which will last for 6 weeks beginning January 17,
2014, and ending on February 28, 2014. Participating schools should have
received materials by Friday, January 17, 2014. To support collection
efforts, the District has developed a LCFF Resource Site that includes a
Principal Toolkit with sample parent flyers, message points, FAQs, best
practices and parent letter templates. The District has also
established a LCFF Support Call Center to address any questions or
concerns regarding the collection process, 213.241.4133. EVERY FORM
COUNTS! Every missing form means fewer resources for our classrooms!
VERGARA v. CALIFORNIA: Making the case for “Firing our way to Finland”
By smf for 4LAKids
Jan 26, 2014 :: Monday kicks off the court case of Vergara v. California,
(If you’ve found this article by Googling ‘Vergara’- looking for
gossip+photos of Latina bombshell Sofia Vergara - you are out of your
depth: this content is far shallower.)
This story is about getting the courts to get the ‘bad teachers’ out of
our schools because the especially-interested billionaires, ®eformies,
privatizers, Parent Revolutionaries, charter management organizations,
Duncan+Deasy, Waltons, Gates and Broadies , etc., haventt been able to.
Yet.
The lawsuit should be styled SPECIAL INTEREST I (Corporate-model school
®eform, Inc,) v. SPECIAL INTEREST I (Teacher’s Unions) …and
Solomon-in-judicial-robes is standing by, ready to cut the students –
and public education – in half.
The bankroller of Vergara [http://bit.ly/1bqx5Zh]
is a charter proponent/venture capitalist whose résumé includes that he
went to public school in Maryland. That would be before Michelle Rhee
was a Teach for America teacher there – taping children’s mouths shut.
In this courtroom drama nobody wins. The kids lose. Russian Comedy.
(Narrator assumes bad Russian accent: “In Russian Tragedy, everybody
dies. In Russian Comedy, everybody dies ….but they die happy!”)
The time is right to get ‘bad teachers’ out of our vocabulary; bad
teachers are not the problem. Poverty is the problem. As in lack of
income, opportunity, access and equity. Apparently the Billionaire Boys
Club has cornered the market on those. Read Steve Lopez’ column this AM
about how Father Boyle can’t raise a dime for Homeboy Industries [http://lat.ms/1fnL0lM] –- but Silicon Valley billionaire/philanthropist/entrepreneurs can buy their day in court for circuses like this.
● Read further:
LAWSUIT TAKES ON CALIFORNIA TEACHERS' JOB PROTECTIONS
Los Angeles Times
http://lat.ms/1fnLMyY
A Los Angeles County Superior Court judge will hear arguments this week
over the constitutionality of laws that govern California's teacher
tenure rules, seniority policies and the dismissal process - an overhaul
of which could upend controversial job .
TEACHER JOB PROTECTIONS VS. STUDENTS' EDUCATION IN CALIF.
NPR – Weekend/Sunday | http://n.pr/1ffSgBO
January 26, 2014 8:00 AM :: A potentially landmark lawsuit goes to
trial Monday in California. At issue: whether job protections for public
school teachers undermine a student's constitutional right to an
adequate education. The students and parents who filed the lawsuit see
it as a potential model for challenging teacher protection laws in other
states. Unions and state officials say the lawsuit demonizes teachers
and has no merit.
CALIFORNIA TEACHER TENURE, DISMISSAL CHALLENGED IN LAWSUIT
Monterey County Herald - http://bit.ly/1jxVX9n
The case, Vergara v. California, is filed on behalf of nine
schoolchildren, including Daniella, Brandon Debose Jr. of Oakland and
Kate Elliott of San Carlos. The lead plaintiff, Beatriz Vergara, and
five others live in Southern California. "This is our chance for ...
VERGARA TRIAL SET TO BEGIN: MAJOR TEST FOR CA TEACHERS
LA School Report - http://bit.ly/1iAbg1h
Teachers' Jobs vs Students' Rights - Vergara Trial A lawsuit that could
dramatically change how California public schools deal with ineffective
teachers gets underway Monday in a California Superior Court for Los
Angeles County, where LA Unified ...
LAWSUIT WRONGLY TARGETS TEACHERS: GUEST COMMENTARY
Los Angeles Daily News - http://bit.ly/1jxWkAR
Wrongly arguing that such rights “deprive students of their fundamental
right to education,” Vergara v. California attacks as unconstitutional
current teacher dismissal statutes — statutes which grant teachers due
process rights after a rigorous probationary ...
LAWSUIT CHALLENGING TEACHER TENURE, SENIORITY PROTECTIONS GOES TO COURT NEXT WEEK
EdSource Today - http://bit.ly/1e04u2S
The trinity of teachers' rights in California – tenure, seniority and
due process in dismissals – will be under attack next week in a trial in
Los Angeles with statewide impact and national interest. In Vergara v.
California, a nonprofit organization, Students Matter, ...
MERCURY NEWS EDITORIAL: TEACHER TENURE, SENIORITY, DUE PROCESS RIGHTS WILL GET ...
San Jose Mercury News - http://bit.ly/1ldrqPW
Starting Monday in Los Angeles Superior Court, a judge will hear Vergara
v. California. The plaintiffs are nine children, including Daniella
Martinez, a 12-year-old in San Jose's Alum Rock School District who says
she couldn't read by the third grade because ...
TRIAL TO CHALLENGE JOB PROTECTIONS FOR CALIFORNIA TEACHERS
89.3 KPCC (blog) - http://bit.ly/1eY6HrO
The suit, Vergara v. State of California, was brought on behalf of
teenager Beatriz Vergara and eight other named California public school
students. Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Rolf Treu will preside over
testimony and render a verdict in the bench trial.
WorkKeys: CERTIFICATION TEST FOCUSES ON READYING STUDENTS FOR WORK, NOT COLLEGE
FOR AMERICAN INDUSTRY, FINDING EMPLOYEES WHO HAVE ALL
THE REQUISITE SKILLS IS A BIG CHALLENGE, AND HIRING PEOPLE WHO DON'T
STACK UP CAN COST BUSINESSES A GREAT DEAL OF MONEY.
Special correspondent John Tulenko from Learning Matters reports on a
certification test that aims to boost U.S. students' workforce
readiness.
PBS NewsHour/Learning Matters | | PBS http://to.pbs.org/1elauOs
Airdate: Jan. 22, 2014 | Transcript:
GWEN IFILL: Next: the challenge of getting students ready for the working world.
While most high schools focus on preparing students for college,
businesses in one community outside Chicago are rallying around a
different approach, preparing students for work.
Special correspondent John Tulenko from Learning Matters has our report.
JOHN TULENKO: From the outside, Hoffer Plastics in Elgin, Illinois,
looks about the same as it did when it was founded back in 1953. Inside,
it's a different story.
Bill Hoffer is the CEO.
BILL HOFFER, Hoffer Plastics Corporation: We have got job after job that
20 years ago would be a full-time operator. Now it's a robot.
JOHN TULENKO: There are fewer workers, but they're required to do more.
BILL HOFFER: They need to be able to read blueprints. They need to
follow procedures, document what they're doing. And that's all very
important.
JOHN TULENKO: Right now, finding employees who can do all that is a
challenge for Hoffer Plastics and for 40 percent of U.S. companies. The
result? A revolving door of workers that cost businesses billions.
PAT HAYES, Fabric Images: Why do we keep spending money to solve the same problem over and over and over again?
JOHN TULENKO: Pat Hayes is founder of another local company, Fabric
Images, a textile printer. Filling 150 positions here the usual way,
relying on diplomas and GPAs, left Hayes frustrated.
PAT HAYES: What does an A mean to an employer today? I got an A in math.
What does that mean? Nothing. Where did you go to school? What level of
course? Was it accelerated? Was it a college prep course? I don't know.
JOHN TULENKO: To get a better read on an applicant's skill level, both
Fabric Images and Hoffer Plastics turned to a job-readiness test called
WorkKeys.
PAT HAYES: WorkKeys, it's an assessment, what you have accomplished in
math, in reading and locating for information. Those three
characteristics are in about, I don't know, 98 percent of the jobs at
some level.
JOHN TULENKO: More specifically, WorkKeys, developed by ACT, the
nonprofit behind the college entrance exam, uses actual workplace
scenarios to measure how well individuals can decipher charts, graphs
and other visual information, convert ratios, measurements, and make
calculations across a variety of situations, and effectively comprehend
memos, instructions and other authentic workplace documents.
There are also tests of visual observation and listening comprehension.
PAT HAYES: In our company, we can profile every job that we have based
on these core skills. For the first time, I saw a commonality of what an
individual had and what I needed, and I could start putting the two
things together.
JOHN TULENKO: More than 1,000 companies use WorkKeys. Though it hasn't
been evaluated by independent researches, company testimonials describe
sharp declines in employee turnover and training costs.
And businesses may not be the only winners. Recent high school graduate
Sarah Rohrsen was accepted at a four-year college, but she found the
tuition beyond her reach and decided instead to look for a job.
SARAH ROHRSEN, recent high school graduate: It was kind of a
disappointment. The only options really were was fast food or, if you're
lucky, seasonal work.
JOHN TULENKO: Sarah wound up behind the counter at a Wendy's restaurant
and kept looking. Nine months later, she applied for a job at Hoffer
Plastics, which requires applicants to take WorkKeys. Sarah's top-notch
scores landed her a well-paying full-time job with benefits as an
inspector.
SARAH ROHRSEN: I wasn't happy working at Wendy's, and to come in here
thanks to WorkKeys and to be able to know each week my paycheck is going
to have 80 hours on it, since we're paid biweekly, it's pretty awesome.
JOHN TULENKO: Conventional wisdom has held, the answer to closing the
skills gap is to send more people to college. But Sarah Rohrsen's
experience points to a different solution: expanding the talent pool to
include some 36 million Americans who got into college, but never
finished.
PAT HAYES: Are they to be thrown away? Why can't we understand where
they are? Why can't we get them to some level and utilize them?
JOHN TULENKO: And how does WorkKeys help those folks?
PAT HAYES: It defines where they are. I have something that says, I achieved this level.
JOHN TULENKO: Based on their scores, test takers can earn a work force
readiness certificate. In Elgin, more than 100 local businesses have
gotten behind the certificate called an NCRC for short, putting signs
like this one on their doors.
And the businesses lobbied the schools, so high school students would have a chance to test for the certificate, too.
JOSE TORRES, U-46 School District: The reason that we have WorkKeys is
because I listened to the community, to the business community.
JOHN TULENKO: In 2010, local school superintendent Jose Torres made
earning NCRC certificates a crucial part of his five-year plan.
JOSE TORRES: Our goal in our district is to have 75 percent of our kids about above a gold, which is almost the highest level.
JOHN TULENKO: So we went to Elgin High School, a predominantly
low-income school where administrators say half the students go directly
into the work force, to see how they were doing.
Raise your hand if you have heard of something called an NCRC certificate? No hands. OK.
It was like this in virtually every classroom we visited, and this was
four years after the district adopted the 75 percent goal.
Where are you today?
JOSE TORRES: We're at 22 percent.
JOHN TULENKO: Why are so many students missing the mark for work force readiness? It comes down to priorities.
LAURIE NEHF, Elgin High School: I'm not told to have them job-ready. I'm told to have them college-ready.
JOHN TULENKO: Like math teachers everywhere, Laurie Nehf follows a
curriculum designed to prepare students for college-level calculus.
LAURIE NEHF: I'm focusing on linear functions, quadratic functions,
polynomial functions, higher-level types of questions from WorkKeys.
JOHN TULENKO: WorkKeys doesn't go there, because it's math most students are unlikely to use on the job.
Surveys indicate 90 percent of all jobs, including many that pay well,
do not require this kind of math. Advanced math is used in most science
and technology jobs, but, even with expected growth, they will make up
just 5 percent of the nation's work force.
LAURIE NEHF: Is it important that they know that a negative under a
square root creates an imaginary number? No, that's not really that
important.
JOHN TULENKO: The impact that math has on many students is important.
How often is it that teachers will help you see how what you're learning in class is applicable outside of school?
CURTIS MAJKA, student: I don't think very often. A lot of school
subjects, like, you don't use, and a lot of people believe that. A lot
of people don't try in math because they don't think they're ever going
to use it.
JOHN TULENKO: To others, that's a misunderstanding.
JOSE TORRES: I'm no math expert, but, algebra, what it does, it helps
you to think, think critically, think logically. And that is exactly
what people need in the workplace. They need to be able to think
critically and logically.
JOHN TULENKO: Trouble is, those lessons aren't getting through. Across
the country, 75 percent of 12th-graders scored below proficient in math.
At Elgin High School, it's not much better. Last year in math, 60
percent of students missed the mark. A number of teachers here told us
it's not uncommon they find students in their classes who have yet to
learn the math taught in middle school. Regardless, these students are
placed in algebra and geometry.
LAURIE NEHF: They just shut down. They get very frustrated. We won't
accept meeting kids where they're at and helping them where they're at.
I would love to spend all my time working on percentages, fractions, all
that stuff with number sense. That number sense skills is what matters
in the real world.
JOHN TULENKO: But, right now, providing alternatives to the traditional
high school math could be risky. Historically, this math has been a
gatekeeper. It's what's tested on college entrance exams, the SAT and,
ironically, the ACT, made by the developers of WorkKeys.
And unless that changes, there's little incentive for high schools to do
more with the kind of math most of us will use on the job.
____________
● ACT WorkKeys® | Home | ACT https://www.act.org/workkeys/
HIGHLIGHTS, LOWLIGHTS & THE NEWS THAT DOESN'T
FIT: The Rest (but not necessarily the best) of the Stories from Other
Sources
TWEET: @NicholasFerroni retweeted by @rweingarten A
simple analogy explaining what Ed ®eforms are asking educators to do.
http://pic.twitter.com/YIhO3WuaO5
HOUSTON LAUNCHES AMBITIOUS 1-to-1 COMPUTING INITIATIVE: Houston's PowerUp initiative appears to be the polar o... http://bit.ly/1mTsAi0
CERTIFICATION TEST FOCUSES ON READYING STUDENTS FOR WORK, NOT COLLEGE: For American industry, finding employee... http://bit.ly/LT4qpv
Vergara v. California: SHOW TRIAL TO CHALLENGE JOB PROTECTIONS FOR CALIFORNIA TEACHERS BEGINS MONDAY: Adolfo G... http://bit.ly/LQRnou
AALA WEIGHS IN ON ELIMINATION OF LAUSD COMMON CORE TECHNOLOGY (iPAD) OVERSIGHT COMMITTEE & LOCAL CONTROL FUNDI... http://bit.ly/1fi6kZN
PARENTS AND TEACHERS PROTEST LAUSD’S ELIMINATION OF COMMITTEE INVESTIGATING CONTROVERSIAL iPAD PURCHASE: By sm... http://bit.ly/KScIO3
Gov. Brown: THE STATE OF THE STATE …OF PUBLIC EDUCATION + smf’s 2¢ on the Principle of Subsidiarity: A few wor... http://bit.ly/KPqEs2
ADVOCATES WANT TO LIMIT USES OF STUDENT DATA + smf’s 1¢: Annie Gilbertson| Pass / Fail | 89.3 KPCC http://bit.... http://bit.ly/1ffvQ1K
SB837: MORE PRESCHOOL THAN CALIFORNIA CAN AFFORD + smf’s 2¢: The 'transitional kindergarten' program champione... http://bit.ly/1cZRkwv
RETWEET: Menlo Park district school board to APPOINT new member - http://goo.gl/alerts/xYTd - retweet @davidtokofsky
Twitterpated: SUPERINTENDENT DEASY CROSSES THE FREEWAY AND TESTIFIES AT CITY HALL COMMITTEE MEETING + smf’s 2¢... http://bit.ly/1dW1JxY
STAND BY ON PREVIOUS SAVE THE DATE FOR #LAUSD CCTP PROTEST TOMORROW: Things are in flux. Watch this Space!
SaveTheDate-Tomorrow Thurs Jan 23 2PM: Photo Op/Press Event to Protest
the Ending of the #LAUSD CCTP Committee. 3rd&Beaudry by the Fountain
BROAD FOUNDATION GRANT TERMS: GOV. CHRISTIE MUST STAY IN OFFICE - NPQ - Nonprofit Quarterly http://bit.ly/1epMMRe …
This AM’s School Board Meeting: TWO MONTHS AFTER HE KILLED ONE PLAN, KAYSER HAS HIS OWN TITLE I IDEAS: by Mic... http://bit.ly/KyhXCz
ANNETTE BENING TO BECOME FACE OF ARTS ED FOR CALIFORNIA: Mary Plummer| Pass / Fail | 89.3 KPCC http://bi... http://bit.ly/1ijngEf
Tinkering w/LCFF: STATE LOOKS TO TRIM LIST OF SCHOOL PLANS REQUIRED:by Tom Chorneau, SI&A Cabinet Report... http://bit.ly/1hdKKXH
Another look: SIGNS OF BALKANIZATION IN L.A. UNIFIED: This editorial from The Times staff ran last November. W... http://bit.ly/Ky2qCD
Ravitch: IN LOS ANGELES DEASY REFUSES TO RESTORE ARTS FUNDING: By dianeravitch from Diane Ravitch's blog http... http://bit.ly/1cNw4u3
J’accuse: THE WIRELESS DISCONNECT IN LAUSD: By smf for 4 LAKidsNews 20 Jan 2014 :: The L.A. Time’s Howard Blu... http://bit.ly/1bE5vLP
iPADS IN LAUSD/WIRELESS DISCONNECTION: Materials from the most recent meeting of the bond oversight panel (cont) http://tl.gd/n_1rvvuab
L.A. SCHOOLS’ iPAD WATCHDOG COMMITTEE SET TO DISBAND: Decision to end schools' iPad panel raises questions abo... http://bit.ly/LvslLf
Several SantaBarbaraUSD schools have iPads connected 2 Apple TVs & when the wireless goes out so does the lesson plan.http://bit.ly/auDNT3
SANTA BARBARA UNIFIED APPROVES $700,000 iPAD PURCHASE: Offers parents lease-to-own option: Parents who wish to... http://bit.ly/1muM5Nw
EVENTS: Coming up next week...
• Tuesday's meeting of the CURRICULUM, INSTRUCTION & ASSESSMENT COMMITTEE has been CANCELLED | http://laschoolboard.org/01-28-14CIA
• The BOND OVERSIGHT COMMITTEE meets on Thursday, Jan 30 at 10AM
*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:
Tamar.Galatzan@lausd.net • 213-241-6386
Monica.Garcia@lausd.net • 213-241-6180
Bennett.Kayser@lausd.net • 213-241-5555
Marguerite.LaMotte@lausd.net • 213-241-6382
Monica.Ratliff@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 Brown: 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. THEY DO!.
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