Education News for 03-26-2012

Statewide Education News

• Schools losing $4.5M in taxes (Dispatch)

As a Columbus schools committee deliberates whether to ask voters for more money as early as this fall, the district’s treasurer says the financial picture has deteriorated over the winter. A bigger-than-expected plunge in the district’s total property value will mean $4.5 million less in revenue this school year than was anticipated last fall, Treasurer Penny Rucker said. The loss will grow to $9.1 million next school year, she said. The losses are a relatively small piece of the district’s $747 million general fund. Read More…

• Cleveland Teachers Union, Cleveland Mayor Frank Jackson to continue meeting, legislators cautiously optimistic (Plain Dealer)

CLEVELAND - Cleveland Mayor Frank Jackson and the Cleveland Teachers Union discussed their school plans with legislative leaders Friday afternoon, leaving many tentatively optimistic, though cautious, that a compromise can be worked out. Jackson, union leaders and Cleveland schools chief Eric Gordon will meet again Monday to work through Jackson's plan and the union's own proposal to put compatible ideas into language that legislators can propose in Columbus. Read More…

• 15 years — no school-funding fix (Dispatch)

Fifteen years have passed since the Ohio Supreme Court first ruled that the state’s system of funding schools is unconstitutional, and Ohio is again waiting for a governor to roll out a new formula touted as bold and transformative. On March 24, 1997, Justice Francis E. Sweeney wrote for the 4-3 majority: “By our decision today, we send a clear message to lawmakers: The time has come to fix the system. Let there be no misunderstanding. Ohio’s public school-financing scheme must undergo a complete systematic overhaul.” Read More…

• Ohio has suspicious school test scores (Dayton Daily News)

DAYTON — A newspaper review determined suspicious test scores from hundreds of Ohio school districts and charter schools point to the possibility that there was cheating, though the analysis doesn't prove that. The Dayton Daily News found steep spikes and drops on standardized test scores since 2005. The review, in partnership with The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, was part of a larger national analysis revealing that scores in hundreds of cities followed a pattern that, in Atlanta, indicated cheating in multiple schools. Read More…

• 4 in 10 Ohio high school grads not college-ready (WEWS 5 ABC)

REYNOLDSBURG - Kenzie Purtell wants to be a nurse. Lagging in math skills when she hits college would only slow her down. So when a college readiness test showed the 17-year-old Reynoldsburg High School senior would have to take makeup courses to be ready for college math, Purtell enrolled in a computer-based pilot course that's helping kids bridge the gap. The course covers the same material that Purtell would learn if she entered remedial math as a freshman at Columbus State Community College, but it's held at her high school -- before she graduates. Read More…

• Revised grades put charters in peril (Dispatch)

Getting lower-than-typical grades on state report cards would sting for schools and districts. But for charter schools, lower grades can kill. In a dry run of the new school-grading system the state is considering, 1 in 10 of Ohio’s charter schools with ratings of C or better was relabeled with an F. At the same time, a state law that forces low-performing charters to close remains in place. Charter-school advocates say they’re worried that the new grades would mean the end of schools that have long been considered effective. Read More…

• State, schools prepare for severe weather (Daily Times)

March 25-31 is Ohio’s Severe Weather Awareness Week, proclaimed by Gov. John Kasich and promoted by the Ohio Committee for Severe Weather Awareness, to encourage residents to prepare for weather incidents that typically occur during spring and summer, but they may strike at any time. As part of a coordinated effort with the Ohio Committee for Severe Weather Awareness (OCSWA), Ohio will participate in a statewide tornado drill and test its Emergency Alert System on Wednesday, March 28, at 9:50 a.m. Read More…

Local Issues

• Open enrollment in Reynoldsburg schools? (Dispatch)

Central Ohio parents could soon have another choice of schools for their children beyond public, private, parochial and charter schools — Reynoldsburg. The 6,000-student district in eastern Franklin County is considering opening its doors to anyone who wants to attend, tuition-free. For families, it would be an opportunity to enroll in a district that has an elementary and middle school focused on science, technology, engineering and math; a high school with career-based academies; and a program for gifted middle-school students. Read More…

• Cleveland, teachers union disagree on collective bargaining (WEWS 5 ABC)

CLEVELAND - After a series of meetings on Friday, among law makers, city leaders and educators, one thing has been accomplished in regards to Cleveland Mayor Frank Jackson’s plan to reform the Cleveland school system: Everybody knows where each other stands. The first meeting took place at the Board of Education building on East 6th Street between Cleveland Metropolitan School District CEO Eric Gordon and members of city council. “This school system we have now is broken,” said Ward 2 councilman Zack Reed. Read More…

• Head Start report urges split in administration (Blade)

The most successful Head Start programs use public-private partnerships, collaboration, and transparency to deliver high-quality services to at-risk children, according to a report from a community task force convened in the last five weeks to study the issue. The recommendations were in a draft of the report viewed by The Blade; the final report is expected Monday. The task force was assembled by the Toledo Community Foundation to examine Head Start programs nationally. Read More…

• Talawanda, county join up on preschool program (Journal-News)

OXFORD — The Talawanda Board of Education voted 5-0 to approve an agreement with the Butler County Educational Service Center which will make fundamental changes in the school district’s preschool program. Although many of the details still are being worked out, there probably will be an expanded emphasis on Head Start classes, especially at Kramer Elementary School. “I think our preschool program is top-notch and I would match it against any in the state,” Superintendent Kelly Spivey said. Read More…

• South Euclid-Lyndhurst Schools need to cut $2.3 million (News-Herald)

The South Euclid-Lyndhurst School Board will look to make $2.3 million in cuts for the 2012-13 school year that will reduce staff and services and increase fees. Staff reductions will include teachers, administrators, special education services and support staff, which will increase the student-to-teacher ratio in the classroom. Staff related cuts are expected to save the district $2 million annually and will be finalized in April, Treasurer Paul Pestello said. Read More…

• Franklin schools sue city over taxes (Middletown Journal)

FRANKLIN — Franklin schools have filed a lawsuit against the city of Franklin asking it to be reimbursed tax money, according to court records obtained by The Middletown Journal. The school district cites in its lawsuit — filed March 16 in the Warren County Common Pleas Court — the city’s “failure to fully compensate the school district for the loss in revenue due to property tax exemptions granted by the city.” Read More…

• City schools put freeze on Win-Win deal (Dispatch)

The Columbus school district has temporarily stopped billing suburban districts for millions of dollars they paid for the 26-year-old Win-Win agreement, which called a truce to the urban district’s attempts to annex land in the city of Columbus that was being served by suburban schools. A re-examination of the complex deal has been ongoing since 2010, after officials discovered that some suburban districts had paid the Columbus district too much and others not enough, officials said yesterday. Read More…

Editorial

• Don’t miss this chance (Dispatch)

Ohio lawmakers should provide the legislative backing for Cleveland Mayor Frank Jackson’s dramatic reform proposal for his city’s deeply troubled schools. The plan would give the Cleveland Metropolitan School District the best chance it has had in decades for real and rapid improvement. The district is mired in “academic watch” status, meeting only one of the 26 performance standards on the state-issued report card, and is facing financial insolvency. As a result, thousands of young people reach adulthood each year with blighted prospects. Read More…

• New school standards to help students find place in world (Plain Dealer)

Like you, I want all of Ohio's children to succeed. That means they need to have the learning opportunities that give them a solid foundation to pursue their dreams and have happy and prosperous lives. Ohio's system of public schools has served our children well, but the system is getting outdated and needs to be modernized. The current system is nearly 20 years old. It was created before there was an Internet and when cellphones were the size of walkie-talkies. Read More…

• Ohio has too often looked past charter schools’ shortcomings (Vindicator)

Carl Shye may be one of the worst examples of Ohio’s failure to monitor operations of charter schools in the state, but he’s not the only example. Shye, a New Albany certified public accountant who has been involved in the financial operations of numerous charter schools for more than a decade has finally been called to account for some of his transgressions. Among the schools in which Shye was involved was the former Legacy Academy for Leaders and the Arts in Youngstown, which operated inside Mount Calvary Pentecostal Church on Oak Hill Avenue. Read More…

• For real Cleveland school reform, slow down, plan well, fix school funding (Plain Dealer)

Recent opinion pieces published in The Plain Dealer have urged Clevelanders and state policymakers to support Mayor Frank Jackson's school plan. U.S. cities struggle with education, and Cleveland is no exception -- change is needed. But what kind of change? Quick change seems to be a top priority for many. As Brent Larkin wrote last week: "Jackson's plan might not work. But given the state of Cleveland schools, not to try something dramatic borders on criminal." Read More…

• Smoke damage (Dispatch)

Given a half century of cancer warnings, it’s discouraging to hear from the nation’s top doctor that tobacco use is a “pediatric epidemic.” Today, nearly one of every four high-school seniors ‍smokes. One of every three adults younger than age 26 ‍smokes. And of every three ‍smokers, only one will manage to quit, and one will die of smoking-related illness. These findings are outlined in a recent report issued by U.S. Surgeon General Regina Benjamin, whose office has been warning against the dangers of ‍smoking since 1964 and tracking what had been declines in ‍smoking. Read More…

Suspicious test scores

Here at JTF, we've been very quick to point out instances of cheating, either isolated, or systemic, as a quick search of our archives or twitter feeds will show. As public education is driven ever more into corporate types of management and measurement, coupled with high stakes tied to test scores, it should surprise no one that corporate types of behavior emerge - think Enron, Arthur Anderson, World Com, MF Global Holdings.

It is with that backdrop we turn to an investigative piece by the Dayton Daily News (DDN) in conjunction with the Atlanta Journal Constitution (AJC), titled "Suspect test scores found across Ohio schools".

Steep spikes and drops on standardized test scores, a pattern that has indicated cheating in Atlanta and other cities across the nation, have occurred in hundreds of school districts and charter schools across Ohio in the past seven years, a Dayton Daily News analysis found.

The analysis does not prove cheating has occurred in Ohio. But interviews and documents show that state officials do not employ vigorous statistical analyses to catch possible cheating, discipline only about a dozen teachers a year and direct Ohio’s test vendor to spend just $17,540 on analyzing suspicious scores out of its $39 million annual testing contract.

It's a weak piece that could be used and sensationalized by many, and the paper has come under almost instant withering criticism for it's approach.

One of the researchers involved in analyzing data for USA today's ground breaking cheating series took a look at the DDN analysis

Given my past role in reviewing data and methods used for detecting systematic cheating, I was delighted to have the opportunity a week ago to review Ohio assessment data that was being used as part of a national study released today by The Atlanta Constitution-Journal and affiliated Cox newspapers. My review, however, yielded serious concerns about the data used, the methods of analysis employed, and the conclusions drawn.
[...]
In short, here are some of my concerns about the methods:

• As noted, the analysis is based on school-level data and not individual student-level data. Accordingly, it was not possible to ensure that the same students were in the group in both years.
• The analysis of irregular jumps in test scores should have been coupled with irregularities in erasure data where this data was available.
• The analysis by Cox generates predicted values for schools, but this does not incorporate demographic characteristics of the student population.
• The limited details available on the study methods made it impossible to replicate and verify what the journalists were doing. Further, the rationale was unclear for some of the steps they took.

He wasn't the only expert to consider the DDN findings. Stephen Dyer, former newspaper reporter, architect of Ohio's prematurely abandoned evidence based model, and think tank fellow had this to say, after discussing similar analytical shortcomings as pointed out above

If you're going to write a story that suggests massive, statewide (and in AJC's case, national) cheating on standardized tests, you'd better be prepared to name the offenders and feel solid enough in your methodology to refute the state's education agency and largest teachers union, both of whom knocked the papers' methods. If you have to spend a large chunk of your story having competing experts defend and knock your statistical analysis, you need to re-do the analysis. Though it showed integrity for the paper to allow those critical comments in the story.

As a former reporter, I can say these issues would invariably pop up before big stories ran. Sometimes, it means delaying your story for a day or two, or in a few cases, never run them at all. As a journalist, you, as a general rule, cannot spend any time in your story defending your story. If you have to, it means you don't have it nailed down yet; it needs more time in the oven.

The DDN spend almost the entirety of their story defending their story.

Greg Mild, over at Plunderbund has an even harsher response, and points out some great absurdities of the DDN analysis

Furthermore, note that the “2,600 improbable changes” include spikes and drops in test results. These journalists are putting out this theory of irregularities and cheating by schools based on numbers that include falling scores! Right, because so many educators are interested in risking their careers by encouraging children to change their scores to incorrect answers to suffer a significant DROP in their test scores. Yet those numbers are touted by these “journalists” in their sweeping accusations of improbable scores and cheating.

We continue to believe that cheating is totally unacceptable and ought to be exposed when and where found, but the Dayton Daily News story, as they point out themselves, does not come close to demonstrating what they seem to want to sensationalize - widespread cheating, Atlanta style.

As we begin to rely more and more upon student test scores to measure schools and teachers, suspicions are going to grow, a few might be borne out, but many will be baseless - but each accusation serves to undermine public education and people's trust in it. It's another unintended failing of the corporate education reform schemes we're currently pursuing.

Education News for 03-23-2012

Statewide Education News

• Schools rethink using tournament accounts (Dispatch)

Some central Ohio schools are reining in bank accounts run by athletic directors in the wake of allegations that sports officials misused money in two local districts. Worthington and Gahanna-Jefferson already have closed the accounts that their athletic directors used to host state tournaments, and others, including Dublin, Pickerington and Westerville, plan to revise their policies. School athletic directors traditionally have managed bank accounts outside their districts, sometimes with little oversight. Read More…

• Cleveland Teachers Union proposes concessions, alternatives to Cleveland Mayor Frank Jackson's school plan (Plain Dealer)

CLEVELAND - The Cleveland Teachers Union's counter-proposal to Mayor Frank Jackson's schools plan offers concessions in seniority rules and an alternative way to fix troubled schools, but draws a hard line on letting the district impose changes or toss out the existing contract. CTU leaders this week gave Jackson, legislators and schools Chief Executive Officer Eric Gordon three pages of proposed changes to Jackson's school transformation plan that CTU President David Quolke says includes an "incredible compromise" on how the district can lay off and recall teachers. Read More…

• Many states loose on homeschooling regulations (Journal-News)

With ever-tougher academic standards coming from both state and federal legislatures, schools are under unprecedented, increasing pressure to perform well on a variety of measures, including mandatory testing and more rigorous teacher evaluations. But much of the pressure that trickles down to the students can be avoided when parents adopt a do-it-yourself approach to education. To many, homeschooling is an effective way for families to educate their children, to others it is a loosely regulated world of education. Read More…

• Cheers to tests (Vindicator)

Youngstown - “The OAA, it may be hard, but you can achieve and be a star.” That’s one of the cheers belted out Thursday by second-graders at William Holmes McGuffey Elementary School, urging their third- through fifth-grade schoolmates to prepare and do well on the Ohio Achievement Assessment tests April 23-25. Laycee Lenoir, 8, came up with the cheer with help from Danielle Walsh, 8. It took about 30 minutes, Laycee said. The girls in Becky Butcher’s class shook red and white pompoms from Youngstown State University; the boys did a cheer of their own. Read More…

• Ohio auditor says closed Cleveland charter school misspent $578,000 (Plain Dealer)

CLEVELAND – The people who ran Greater Achievement Community School, a Cleveland charter school that closed in 2010, owe the state $578,357, according to a close-out audit released today by Ohio Auditor Dave Yost. Most of the findings go against Elijah Scott, who was identified as the "developer/title program coordinator/ superintendent" of Greater Achievement. The auditors found he deposited at least $46,000 of public money into his personal bank account from 2003 to 2010, the period covered by the audit. Read More…

Local Issues

• Columbus schools consider zero-tolerance tobacco policy (Dispatch)

The Columbus school district is poised to expand its anti-smoking policy to ban all tobacco use on school property, which includes parking lots and sports venues. In practice, the district bars students or staff members from using any tobacco products, including chewing tobacco, spokesman Jeff Warner said. But the current policy says only that smoking is prohibited on all land and in all buildings and vehicles owned or leased by the district. The district is following the lead of the State Board of Education, which voted unanimously last year to adopt a model policy for Ohio’s districts. Read More…

• Montgomery County develops education plan (Business Journal)

Montgomery County has developed an action plan to help more low-income kids succeed in school that doubles as an application for a national award. The plan, put together by civic, business and community leaders, centers on literacy, school readiness and attendance and summer learning for children from birth to 8 years old. “When kids are not reading by fourth grade, they almost certainly get on a glide path to poverty,” said Ralph Smith, senior vice president of the Annie E. Casey Foundation. Read More…

• Brecksville and Broadview Heights safety forces, schools work together for disaster drill (Sun News)

BROADVIEW HEIGHTS — Residents in Brecksville and Broadview Heights should not be alarmed if they hear a cacophony of sirens blaring and see the local safety forces racing to and from Brecksville-Broadview Heights High School. At least not tomorrow. Building upon successful mock disaster drills in 2009 and 2011, the Brecksville-Broadview Heights City School District, along with the Brecksville and Broadview Heights police and fire departments. Read More…

• Indian Valley High trading books for computers (Times Reporter)

GNADENHUTTEN — Indian Valley Local Schools have taken a step to leave behind the world of textbooks, paper and pencils and embrace 21st century technology as a way to educate its students. The board of education has approved the One-to-One Laptop Initiative, in which each student in the high school will be issued a laptop computer instead of textbooks. Classroom content will be delivered electronically. Students, in turn, will submit their homework to their teachers electronically and take tests electronically. Read More…

• Hospital to provide sports medicine services to Hamilton schools (Journal-News)

HAMILTON — As a way of reaching out to the community, Kettering Health Network and The Fort Hamilton Hospital will soon begin providing the Hamilton City School District with free sports medicine services. “Part of our mission is to promote health and wellness in our community,” said Kettering Health Network spokesperson Elizabeth Long. “The health and wellness of student athletes is very important, so we are happy to lend our expertise. Read More…

Editorial

• Deficit of trust (Beacon Journal)

All of Northeast Ohio should be watching closely the efforts of Mayor Frank Jackson to remake the troubled Cleveland public schools. The point often is made, and rightly so, about the region’s future depending on the quality of its work force. There won’t be the necessary improvement without success in Cleveland, and Akron, for that matter. Thus, it was encouraging to see Democrats and Republicans rallying to the mayor’s plan during his visit to the Statehouse this week. Legislation must be approved to allow Jackson to move forward. Read More…

Cleveland teachers advance the way forward

According to an excellent news report in the Cleveland Plain Dealer, the Cleveland Teachers Union (CTU) just wiped away all of Frank Jackson's empty rhetoric for why he would not involve teachers in the development of his plan, by presenting a clear set of workable alternatives, that advances the way forward for Cleveland schools..

Whether educators express it through massive surveys, or actual deeds, they continue to prove a deep commitment to reforms that lead to quality learning for students. Cleveland teachers, with their clear set of alternative, have demonstrated that too.

Just a week ago, less than 24 hours after Jackson released his plan, he was complaining that he didn't have a response from CTU. We could be petty and point out that Jackson has now had CTU's proposals for nearly a week and still hasn't gotten around to reading them.

"I'm not in a negotiation or compromise mode," Jackson said. "I'm in an outcome mode. If I'm wrong in how I'm proposing to get there, tell me how I should do it. I'll do anything that gets us the outcome."

Jackson was unwilling to say whether CTU's plan offered the kind of change he wants, but said that "my expectation is that there is something that we have a deeper dive on in terms of conversation and details."

School district Chief Executive Officer Eric Gordon said he has also not had time to review the plan in detail but is "hopeful."

We suggest he and his team now make that a priority. The alternatives put forward by CTU are based upon research and principles that work, and provide for a fair way forward. If Jackson is unable to begin to compromise now he has a credible and clear way forward, it should become crystal clear to all that his objections are political, not pedagogical.

Below is a table of comparisons between current policy, Jackson's plan and the way forward presented by Cleveland teachers.

Seniority
Current	Jackson's plan	CTU proposal
Until the summer of 2013, seniority is the deciding factor in layoffs and recalls. Teachers with short-term, or limited contracts, are laid off first, but based on seniority, then teachers with tenure, or continuing contracts, are laid off based on seniority. When CTU's contract expires in 2013, a 2011 law makes teacher evaluations the deciding factor. Teachers with limited contracts will be laid off based on evaluations, then teachers with continuing contracts based on evaluations. Seniority is used only as a tiebreaker between teachers in the same pool.	Mirrors the budget bill by making teacher performance the main factor in layoffs and recalls, but removes the distinction between a continuing and limited contract except as a tiebreaker. Also adds other factors to determine the ranking of teachers, including recent teaching assignments and specialties.	Would create eight "buckets" that would divide teachers first by their evaluation (ratings of 1 to 4, with 1 being the lowest) and then by seniority. Teachers with the lowest rating and a limited contract would be laid off first, followed by teachers with the lowest rating and a continuing contract, then teachers with the second-lowest rating and a limited contract, then the second-lowest rating and a continuing contract, and so on.
Merit pay
Current	Jackson's plan	CTU proposal
The contract pays teachers based on their experience and education level, with bonuses for extra duties. Last year's state budget bill required districts to include teacher ratings in their salary schedules but did not specify to what degree.	Jackson wants to make performance a major part of a "differentiated compensation" plan for teacher pay that pays more for higher performance, extra duties or teaching subjects where there is a teacher shortage or in troubled schools. The proposed law would mandate that this plan prevail over any new contract.	The union has issues with the wording of this part of the legislation. It did not raise objections to the compensation plan itself.
Evaluations
Current	Jackson's plan	CTU proposal
The district is testing a plan that mirrors statewide requirements to have an evaluation system that measures teachers half on academic growth of students and half on other factors. The state requires a plan for all districts by the 2013-14 school year, but Cleveland is a year ahead of that timetable.	Reaffirms that plan but offers some flexibility in timing.	Teachers and the district mostly agree. Teachers want any law changes on evaluation to include extra training and support for teachers who fall short, and to be sure that evaluators are properly trained. They also don't want to jeopardize the federal Race to The Top grant the district and others are using to develop the plan.
Firing
Current	Jackson's plan	CTU proposal
The district can seek to fire a teacher for poor teaching after either a year-long review process by the principal, or after following that year with a year of peer review and assistance through a system the union has helped set up. Teachers can also be fired for other behavior.	Would allow a teacher to be fired for having the lowest evaluation rating two years in a row. Jackson also wants the system to move faster. His plan would give teachers short-term contracts that the district can simply choose not to renew.	The teachers union believes the current plan or one developed by its national union is just as fast and effective as Jackson's. Its plan includes help for teachers with low performance ratings before they are fired.
New collective bargaining agreements
Current	Jackson's plan	CTU proposal
The old contract between CTU and the district guides all new negotiations, and the contract includes several rules on specific issues that roll over in the new contracts.	Jhrows out the previous contract and all previous rules and would start negotiations from scratch. If the two sides cannot reach an agreement, the district could impose a contract rather than reverting to the old one.	The union objects entirely to this proposal. It proposes instead creating a new contract that starts from scratch for three specialty schools within the district, Campus International and two MC2 STEM schools, and it would be in place by July 2013. Those schools would be exempt from layoff and recall rules that apply to the rest of the district.
Tenure/continuing contracts
Current	Jackson's plan	CTU proposal
Teachers can apply for a continuing contract after three or seven years of service, depending on when they were hired, and their removal becomes much harder after that. If teachers meet experience and continuing education rules, continuing contracts are generally granted.	All new teachers would not be eligible for continuing contracts and existing teachers would have strict limitations on applying for them. Even then, continuing contracts would be granted at the discretion of the CEO and school board.	The union completely opposes the plan, saying that if the district does not offer job security, it will be at a recruiting and hiring disadvantage.
Reforming low-performing schools
Current	Jackson's plan	CTU proposal
The law allows reallocation of resources, redesigning academic programs or giving extra assistance to students. The district and CTU must negotiate any changes in work rules or hours. The two sides have reached agreements for some schools in the last few years.	The district CEO would have wide authority to close or reshape a school. The CEO could lay off or fire teachers or change the length of the school year or day in order to reorganize the school.	The teachers union wants to forbid the layoff or firing of teachers just because they work in a low-performing school, regardless of their individual performance. It proposes turning low performing schools into "New Generation" schools that would focus on failing students in the third through seventh grades. Those schools could have a year-round calendar, an extended school day and work with social services agencies.
Union presence in district-sponsored charter schools
Current	Jackson's plan	CTU proposal
If a district converts a school to a charter school, a 2011 law allows it to exempt the school from any unions as soon as the current contract for that union expires.	Jackson sought this change last year so his plan does not propose anything further.	The union wants to repeal the rule. It also wants more leeway to try to organize teachers in any charter school sponsored by a district. This would let teachers at the district-sponsored Breakthrough charter schools talk with CTU without fear of reprisals and possibly unionize.

Three big issues to be decided by voters

Three significant issues look set to appear on the 2012 fall ballot. Much like the repeal of SB5, these issues center around attempts to ameliorate abusive political actions designed to disadvantage political opponents in order to fascilitate the easier passage of extreme legislation. Here's a quick look at each of them.

Repeal of HB194 - the "voter suppression" bill

A new poll commissioned by the Democratic organization fighting to repeal the election law overhaul known as House Bill 194 shows that 54 percent of Ohioans favor repeal compared to 31 percent who oppose it.

The poll comes as Republican lawmakers work on a plan to repeal House Bill 194 and replace it with some of the bill’s less-controversial components.

Given the apparent unpopularity of the bill, lawmakers look set to repeal the law themselves, before voters get a chance to weigh in.

Redistricting Reform

A group that made their initial filing of 1,000-plus signatures with Attorney General Mike DeWine yesterday seeks to revamp the way congressional and legislative districts are drawn in Ohio.

385,000 valid signatures would be required, and to make the fall ballot, be complete by July 3rd. The constitutional amendment, called the Voters First Initiative, would end one-party control of re-districting and put the process in the hands of a 12-member citizens' commission, with equal members of Republicans, Democrats and Independents. Any decision of the commission would require 7 votes.

State Official Recalls

Perhaps as a response to SB5, and the recall efforts going on in Wisconsin as a result of the Republicans anti-worker efforts there

Ohioans would be able to recall statewide elected officials under a proposed amendment to the Ohio Constitution.

A group calling itself the Recall Initiative Committee is collecting signatures to submit to Attorney General Mike DeWine. Portia A. Boulger, a Ross County resident who has been involved in dozens of grass-roots campaigns over the years, said Ohioans should be able to vote to recall state elected officials the same way they do county, state and other local elected leaders. That is not permitted now under state law.

Parents Agree – Better Assessments, Less High-Stakes Testing

Educators aren’t alone in being fed up with narrow, punitive student accountability measures. Parents also want well-designed, timely assessments that monitor individual student performance and progress across a range of subjects and skills. That’s one of the key findings in a new study by the Northwest Evaluation Association (NWEA).

NWEA, a non-profit educational services organization headquartered in Portland, set out to find how the views of parents – often ignored in the debate over the direction of public education – stacked up against those of teachers and administrators.

After conducting online surveys of more than 1,000 respondents, NWEA found that these stakeholders essentially want the same thing. Large majorities say that, although year-end tests might provide some sort of useful snapshot, they strongly prefer more timely formative assessments to track student progress and provide educators with the flexibility to adjust their instruction during the school year.

“The research reinforces the notion that no one assessment can provide the breadth and depth of information needed to help students succeed,” explained Matt Chapman, president and CEO of NWEA. “For every child we need multiple measures of performance.”

As the reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) slowly moves on Capitol Hill, redefining how student progress is measured will be a key debate. The National Education Association believes it is time to move beyond the No Child Left Behind Law (the 2001 revision of ESEA), scrap the obsession with high-stakes testing and enter into a new phase of education accountability.

“Well-designed assessment systems do have a critical role in student success,” said NEA President Dennis Van Roekel. “We should use assessments to help students evaluate their own strengths and needs, and help teachers improve their practice and provide extra help to the students who need it.”

“I use different types of assessments because all students are different,” explained Krista Vega, a middle school teacher in Maryland and NEA member who participated in the NWEA survey. “I use quizzes, games, teacher-made tests, computerized tests, portfolios, and alternative assignments.”

“What I’m looking for is, first, are they mastering the skill I’m trying to teach, or did they not master the skill? I’m looking to see if there is an area of weakness. I’m looking to see if they have background knowledge sometimes. There’s just a whole range of things that I’m looking for,” Vega said.

Source: Northwest Evaluation Association and Grunwald Associates

According to the survey, it is the types of formative assessments Vega identifies, such as quizzes, portfolios, homework and end-of-unit tests that provide timely data about individual student growth and achievement. Respondents cited these types of assessments as providing educators with the necessary information to pace the instruction and ensure students learn fundamental skills.

Parents are also worried about the narrowing of the curriculum. Large majorities believe it is important to measure students in math and English/language arts but also say it is important to measure performance in science, history, government and civics, and environmental literacy.

The students who are often hurt the most by a restricted curriculum are those who don’t have the opportunities, because of their socioeconomic background, to diversify their learning outside the classroom.

Beyond subject matter, parents and educators believe so-called “higher order” thinking skills such as creativity, communication, problem-solving, and collaboration – so critical in the modern economy and workplace – aren’t being properly measured by current assessment systems.

“It is really, really important,” Vega says “that we prepare students for when they enter the workforce to compete in the 21^st century.”

Read the NWEA Report ”For Every Child, Multiple Measures”

More on NEA’s Position on Student Assessments (Word Document)