Special Nite Cap: Catch Up on Today's Post 2/5/16

CORPORATE ED REFORM

Pearson to Host Orwellian Conference NEXT WEEK! – Save Maine Schools

Pearson to Host Orwellian Conference NEXT WEEK! – Save Maine Schools:Pearson to Host Orwellian Conference NEXT WEEK!Hurry! Next week, Pearson is hosting its annual online learning conference, and there’s still time to register.If you can get yourself to Amelia Island by Tuesday, you can consider yourself among “the nation’s top educators, administrators, and corporate leaders.” Become a corporate

by mike simpson / 1h 

He’s the stinkweed at the Teach for America garden party - The Washington Post

He’s the stinkweed at the Teach for America garden party - The Washington Post: He’s the stinkweed at the Teach for America garden partyTeach for America, the program that places newly minted college graduates in some of the nation’s most difficult classrooms for two-year teaching stints, is holding a summit this weekend in Washington to mark its 25th anniversary.The list of speakers reads like a

by mike simpson / 2h 

Whose Opportunity? Profiting Off of School Takeovers & Turnaround in Atlanta - Rise Up

Whose Opportunity? Profiting Off of School Takeovers & Turnaround in Atlanta - Rise Up: Whose Opportunity? Profiting Off School Turnaround & Takeover in AtlantaThis November, Georgia voters will decide whether to approve or reject Governor Nathan Deal's proposed “Opportunity School District” (OSD). Modeled on similar initiatives in Louisiana and Tennessee, where state takeover districts tu

by mike simpson / 3h 

What’s on your mind? Let us know! - Lily's Blackboard

What’s on your mind? Let us know! - Lily's Blackboard:What’s on your mind? Let us know!NEA members, your voices matter. And we want to hear them.Through the Ask an Educator 2016 National Listening Tour, NEA is capturing the perspectives and experiences of members in schools and communities across the nation. We are engaging educators across the country on a range of issues, using the feedback to e

by mike simpson / 3h 

A Call to Action: You Control Accountability! - Badass Teachers Association

Badass Teachers Association: A Call to Action:  You Control Accountability!By:  Artie Leichner I have been given the opportunity to write a piece to address this very significant organization. My name is Artie Leichner. I am a retired teacher, former union leader and a current candidate for the Florida House of Representatives.I want to talk to all of you about accountability. It used to be such a

by mike simpson / 4h 

Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) was Eliminated by ESSA (CA Dept of Education)

Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) (CA Dept of Education): Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP)A statewide accountability system mandated by the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 which requires each state to ensure that all schools and districts make Adequate Yearly Progress.Reports and Data FilesAYP ReportsAYP Data FilesProgram Improvement ReportsProgram Improvement Data Files2015 AYP InformationFAQs for 20

by mike simpson / 5h 

How to Cheat without Breaking the Law | The Merrow Report

How to Cheat without Breaking the Law | The Merrow Report: How to Cheat without Breaking the LawGather round, children. Grandpa Johnny wants to show you how to cheat and lie without doing anything illegal.  This will come in handy, especially if you want to run charter schools in New York when you grow up.The story I am going to tell you, kids, involves something grownups call ‘Attrition,’ which m

by mike simpson / 6h 

Local control, charter schools focus of testimony over $715M Detroit schools reform package | MLive.com

Local control, charter schools focus of testimony over $715M Detroit schools reform package | MLive.com:Local control, charter schools focus of testimony over $715M Detroit schools reform packageTestifying Thursday before a state senate committee, Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan pushed lawmakers – considering a $715 million proposal to reform the debt-plagued Detroit Public Schools – to restore local co

by mike simpson / 6h 

Barbara Madeloni - Dissent among teachers union over charter fight - The Boston Globe

Dissent among teachers union over charter fight - The Boston Globe: Dissent among teachers union over charter fightThe Massachusetts Teachers Association has positioned itself as perhaps the most aggressive foe of a charter school expansion in the state.Barbara Madeloni, the fiery president of the union, has pledged an all-out fight. “We’re going to put everything we’ve got into it,” she said last

by mike simpson / 6h 

Confronting “Bad Journalism” in an Era of “Bad Teachers” – the becoming radical

Confronting “Bad Journalism” in an Era of “Bad Teachers” – the becoming radical: Confronting “Bad Journalism” in an Era of “Bad Teachers” A couple of weeks ago, I posted Addressing Teacher Quality Post-NCLB in order to examine the impact of ESSA on the growing “bad teachers” narrative found in political and media commentary on the state of education in the U.S.My speculations have now been given c

by mike simpson / 6h 

What Gives Campbell Brown Standing to Spin the News about Public Education? | janresseger

What Gives Campbell Brown Standing to Spin the News about Public Education? | janresseger: What Gives Campbell Brown Standing to Spin the News about Public Education?Campbell Brown is a former news anchor from CNN who has launched her own attack on teachers’ unions and established a web-based news service to report on public education.Last July, Campbell Brown launched her education news site.  Sh

by mike simpson / 6h 

Louisiana Educator: Where is the accountability for Pearson and John White?

Louisiana Educator: Where is the accountability for Pearson and John White?: Where is the accountability for Pearson and John White?Pearson, the same multi-national company that profits by millions based on the incessant testing of our students, has basically destroyed the futures of thousands of adult education students byrevamping their GED test to make it just as tricky and difficult as the PAR

by mike simpson / 6h 

CURMUDGUCATION: USED: King's Big Fail

CURMUDGUCATION: USED: King's Big Fail:USED: King's Big Fail It took Danny Harris's collapse to draw many people's attention. We should have been paying attention sooner.Harris is the Chief Information Officer for the Department of Education. Prior to taking on that job in 2008, he was with the department's CFO office. He is a government lifer. And he was in front of the House Committee on Oversigh

by mike simpson / 7h 

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Parent and community support builds as teachers hit the streets

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Parent and community support builds as teachers hit the streets: Parent and community support builds as teachers hit the streetsLeft Coast -- I'm excited to see this, even from 1,800 miles away.The best news is that the embattled CTU is gaining mass support from parents and community members as another teachers strike seems more likely. According to the latest Tribun

by mike simpson / 7h 

U.S. Department of Ed video, CIO investigation – Missouri Education Watchdog

U.S. Department of Ed video, CIO investigation – Missouri Education Watchdog: U.S. Department of Ed video, CIO investigationThis is one of those times you must set down the coffee cup, stop doing what you are doing and WATCH THIS SHORT VIDEO CLIP.  You simply must.Thanks go to Diane Ravitch for reporting on this Congressional investigation of Danny Harris, Chief Information Officer for the U.S. De

by mike simpson / 7h 

We Must Rethink Online Learning | The Walton Family Foundation

We Must Rethink Online Learning | The Walton Family Foundation:We Must Rethink Online LearningCREDO study finds most online charters have a negative impact on students' academic achievement By its very definition, innovation will always lead to some failed starts. And when that innovation involves educating children, it's especially important to learn from mistakes and adjust quickly.The Walton Fa

by mike simpson / 8h 

Flint’s Former Manager Resigns as Head of Detroit Schools - The New York Times

Flint’s Former Manager Resigns as Head of Detroit Schools - The New York Times: Flint’s Former Manager Resigns as Head of Detroit Schools CHICAGO — The state-appointed emergency manager of the Detroit Public Schools, who had also managed the city of Flint and oversaw its decision to draw its water from the Flint River, resigned on Tuesday, the day before a congressional committee hearing in Washin

by mike simpson / 8h 

Every school wants ‘good’ teachers — but what does ‘good’ actually mean? - The Washington Post

Every school wants ‘good’ teachers — but what does ‘good’ actually mean? - The Washington Post: Every school wants ‘good’ teachers — but what does ‘good’ actually mean? What is a “good” teacher? A teacher who raises student test scores? Who gets students interested in subjects they thought were boring? Who inspires students to be more thoughtful people? Here is a post on how to be a “good” teacher

by mike simpson / 8h 

Every Student Can’t Succeed | Al Jazeera America

Every Student Can’t Succeed | Al Jazeera America: Every student can’t succeedEducation isn’t scarce, but money isWhen President Barack Obama signed the Every Student Succeeds Act into law in December, he gushed about Antonio Martin, the eighth-grader who had introduced him. “He’s taking advanced classes to get a head start on high school credits. He plays the violin. He plays sports. He volunteers

by mike simpson / 8h 

K12: This is how Bernie or Hillary wins: The speech that would seal the nomination - Salon.com

This is how Bernie or Hillary wins: The speech that would seal the nomination - Salon.com: This is how Bernie or Hillary wins: The speech that would seal the nominationWe're days from New Hampshire and the battle keeps tightening. Here's how either candidate could gain separationBERTIS DOWNSHillary Clinton, Bernie Sanders (Credit: AP/Reuters/Brian Snyder/Joshua Roberts/AVAVA via Shutterstock/Photo

by mike simpson / 8h 

Alexander Russo: School Segregation In The North — Then & Now | The Grade | The Washington Monthly

WNYC: School Segregation In The North — Then & Now | The Grade | The Washington Monthly: WNYC: School Segregation In The North — Then & Now Kudos to education reporter Yasmeen Khan and the education team at WNYC (NYC public radio) for Demand for School Integration Leads to Massive 1964 Boycott — In New York City, which finds a refreshing new way to tell a very old but very important story

by mike simpson / 9h 

Thousands rally downtown for Chicago Teachers Union - Chicago Tribune

Thousands rally downtown for Chicago Teachers Union - Chicago Tribune: Thousands rally downtown for Chicago Teachers UnionChicago Teachers Union members and supporters marched Feb. 4, 2016, in the Loop to show opposition to the district's decision to slash school budgets and stop paying the bulk of teachers' pension contributions.rongs of protesters organized by the Chicago Teachers Union clogged

by mike simpson / 9h 

Detroit Teachers Union Says Threats Of Arrest Made Should Independent Inspectors Be Let In « CBS Detroit

Detroit Teachers Union Says Threats Of Arrest Made Should Independent Inspectors Be Let In « CBS Detroit:Detroit Teachers Union Says Threats Of Arrest Made Should Independent Inspectors Be Let InDETROIT (WWJ) – The Detroit teachers’ union says the district is threatening to have its members arrested if they allow independent inspectors in school buildings.DFT Interim President Ivy Bailey says afte

by mike simpson / 9h 

State revises number of magic charter schools to get federal grant money | The Columbus Dispatch

State revises number of failing charter schools to get federal grant money | The Columbus Dispatch:State revises number of failing charter schools to get federal grant money As state education officials seek the release of a $71 million federal charter school grant, they now say Ohio has nearly 10 times as many failing charter schools as previously claimed. The Department of Education says there a

by mike simpson / 9h 

Louisiana school vouchers cripple academic achievement, national report says | The New Orleans Advocate — New Orleans, Louisiana

Louisiana school vouchers cripple academic achievement, national report says | The New Orleans Advocate — New Orleans, Louisiana: Louisiana school vouchers cripple academic achievement, national report saysAdvocate staff file photo by BRYAN TUCK -- School buses parked outside a school in Lafayette. One of former Gov. Bobby Jindal’s signature education laws is actually hurting student achievement,

by mike simpson / 9h 

Fighting “corporate control of education”: A millennial education wonk goes to war against neoliberal reform - Salon.com

Fighting “corporate control of education”: A millennial education wonk goes to war against neoliberal reform - Salon.com: Fighting “corporate control of education”: A millennial education wonk goes to war against neoliberal reformRefuting reformers is not enough. The left must also offer an alternative, activist/author Nikhil Goya tells SalonWhen it comes to the world of elite education reform — t

by mike simpson / 9h 

YESTERDAY

The Beautiful Teacher Struggle | The Jose Vilson

The Beautiful Teacher Struggle | The Jose Vilson: The Beautiful Teacher StruggleMy feet on the ground actions are simple-not-easy. For the last three weeks sans EduCon weekend, I spent every “free” period plus lunch, after-school, and my birthday weekend grading papers. It’s the type of paper streak that makes non-teachers go from “Your job is so easy, plus you have summers and religious holidays

by mike simpson / 22h 

Special Nite Cap: Catch Up on Today's Post 2/4/16

CORPORATE ED REFORMCURMUDGUCATION: Breaking Down the Walls for CBECURMUDGUCATION: Breaking Down the Walls for CBE:Breaking Down the Walls for CBEIn the discussions of Competency Based Learning (or Outcomes Based Education or Performance Based Stuff), a support that emerges from time to time is that CBE will "break down the walls between curriculum and assessment."On the one hand, I see t

1 by mike simpson / 23h

Pearson to Host Orwellian Conference NEXT WEEK! – Save Maine Schools

Pearson to Host Orwellian Conference NEXT WEEK! – Save Maine Schools:
Pearson to Host Orwellian Conference NEXT WEEK!

Hurry! Next week, Pearson is hosting its annual online learning conference, and there’s still time to register.

If you can get yourself to Amelia Island by Tuesday, you can consider yourself among “the nation’s top educators, administrators, and corporate leaders.” Become a corporate sponsor, and you’ll see your products advertised throughout the conference.

Find out if you will disrupt or be the disrupted. Learn how you can grow results with GRIT. Get strategy tips on out how to gain stakeholder buy-in for your blended learning program. Take a virtual tour with Tom Vander Ark of the shift to digital learning.

On Tuesday, you’ll have a chance to “demystify” competency-based Pearson to Host Orwellian Conference NEXT WEEK! – Save Maine Schools:

He’s the stinkweed at the Teach for America garden party - The Washington Post

He’s the stinkweed at the Teach for America garden party - The Washington Post:

He’s the stinkweed at the Teach for America garden party

Teach for America, the program that places newly minted college graduates in some of the nation’s most difficult classrooms for two-year teaching stints, is holding a summit this weekend in Washington to mark its 25th anniversary.

The list of speakers reads like a who’s who of activists and leaders behind recent changes in education policy around the country, from former D.C. Schools chancellor Michelle Rhee to Eva Moskowitz, the head of the largest chain of charter schools in New York City. The singer Janelle Monáe will entertain at a glittery gathering of an estimated 15,000 Teach For America alumni; the organization’s many donors will also be on hand.

And roaming among them is Gary Rubinstein, a nationally known scold of TFA.

Rubinstein, a former TFA volunteer who is in his 14th year of teaching math at Stuyvesant High School in New York City, says he wants to force an “honest discussion” about TFA — including its weaknesses.

To that end, he created a Twitter account @TFA25FactCheck and a new blog and will attend the summit, looking for opportunities to inject what he calls “reality” into discussions about the best ways to improve public education. He is helping to organize a happy hour for those who share his concerns about TFA and said he will also hold an impromptu discussion during the three-day He’s the stinkweed at the Teach for America garden party - The Washington Post:

Whose Opportunity? Profiting Off of School Takeovers & Turnaround in Atlanta - Rise Up

Whose Opportunity? Profiting Off of School Takeovers & Turnaround in Atlanta - Rise Up:

Whose Opportunity? Profiting Off School Turnaround & Takeover in Atlanta

This November, Georgia voters will decide whether to approve or reject Governor Nathan Deal's proposed “Opportunity School District” (OSD). Modeled on similar initiatives in Louisiana and Tennessee, where state takeover districts turned a majority of traditional public schools into charters, the OSD would enable the state to seize control of up to 100 “failing” schools for between five and 10 years.

Rise Up Georgia, along with our partners at the Center for Popular Democracy, have released a report detailing how the OSD would pave the way for privately-run charter schools and potential profiteering, while stripping  power from communities of color and likely producing marginal, if any, academic improvements.

The report also explores how the board of Atlanta Public Schools (APS) has adopted policies intended to avoid school takeover, should the OSD pass, that actually create some of the same harmful consequences and private profiteering as the OSD itself.

Click here to download the full report. 

Key findings from the report include:

Takeover districts have not produced the dramatic results promised in other states:

■■ test scores move up and down; 

■■ metrics are altered from year to year, confounding meaningful comparisons;

■■ takeover districts do not necessarily improve any faster than locally-controlled districts; 

■■ absolute standards may still remain low.

The OSD overwhelmingly targets neighborhood schools in Black and Brown communities:

■■ Within APS, 95 percent of all students enrolled across the 26 schools eligible for OSD takeover district are Black, compared to only68 percent of those students enrolled in schools not eligible for takeover.

■■ 95 percent of those students are eligible for free and reduced lunch, compared to 69 percent in non-takeover schools.

■■ These schools have been particularly hard hit by budget cuts; between 2003 and 2015, the Georgia's governors cut $8.4 billion from education spending; in APS, state funding per pupil dropped by 26.7 percent between 2002 and 2015, compared to a statewide average of 12 percent.

While students lose out, private interests profit from public assets when takeover schools are turned into charters:

■■ Public land sales

New charters tend to get bargain basement rates on surplus school buildings. For example, KIPP Metro Atlanta bought one of its properties from APS at a 61.5 percent discount on the appraised value.

■■ Tax-exempt bond financing

In 2014, DeKalb County issued $14 million in public, tax exempt bonds to Ivy Prep Academy for the purchase of a strip mall where it housed its Kirkwood campus. Less than a year later, three schools within the Ivy Prep network were operating at a deficit and one was slated for closure. Meanwhile, taxpayer dollars are paid to the bond-holder, Hamlin Capital, which specializes in high-interest charter school bonds. A Hamlin executive had previously donated $25,000 in support of a statewide referendum to re-establish the State Charter School Commission, which approved Ivy Prep's charter.

■■ Education Management Organizations (EMOs)

When charter school management is outsourced to a private management organization, there are numerous ways taxpayer dollars are siphoned off for profit. Atlanta Heights Charter School is operated by the for-profit EMO National Heritage Academies. All of the school's revenue ($5.57 million in 2014) goes back to it's parent company––29 percent alone is for facility expenses. That's twice as much as the percentage advised by the Georgia Department of Education. This arrangement is even more questionable given that National Heritage Academies bought the Atlanta Heights property for only $393,500––19 times less than the appraised value of the land and the building.

Even though voters have not yet approved the OSD, private interests are already capitalizing on the threat the OSD poses:

■■ Erin Hames

As Governor Deal's policy advisor, Hames crafted legislation to create a referendum on the OSD. A few months after it passed, APS awarded Hames a no-bid, $96,000 contract to help turn around schools that are eligible for takeover. Hames still works for Deal as a private adviser under a $30,000 contract.

■■Boston Consulting Group (BCG)

Four pro-charter foundations donated $502,000 to APS to hire this international consulting firm to conduct an eight-week study of school turnaround strategies. The managing partner at Atlanta's BCG office is a former board member of the KIPP charter school franchise. Unsurprisingly, the study recommended that APS consider contracting with charter school management organizations, and named KIPP as a good choice.

■■The Cousins Family

Atlanta real estate mogul Tom Cousins and his daughter, Lilian Giornelli, head a family foundation that contributed funds to the BCG study. Another of their foundations controls APS's Drew Charter School, and shares an office with Erin Hames' new consulting firm. Cousins recently created a nonprofit organization, called Purpose Built Schools, to replicate the Drew model. 

After this report went to press, APS announced that it would contract with Purpose Built Schools to manage schools in the Carver Cluster.

■■ HB 740

Additionally, a bill recently introduced by State Representative Beth Beskin uses the APS turnaround strategy as a launchpad for real estate profiteering. HB 740 would create an income tax credit of $15,000 over five years to people who purchase and live in homes within the attendance zone of a school ranked among the lowest achieving five percent in the state. This includes the Carver cluster, where an organization closely affiliated with the Cousins family, called Charis Community Housing, dominates real estate sales.

--

Rise Up is committed to ensuring that all children have access to strong public schools that provide high-quality education, address the full-range of student needs, engage parents, teachers and community members in decision-making and are both transparent and accountable to the communities they serve.

We believe that the best way to achieve this vision is by building a strong base of parents, youth, students, educators, school staff, and community members to fight for a system of publicly-funded, equitable and democratically-controlled public schools.

CLICK HERE TO TAKE THE PLEDGE AND JOIN THE FIGHT!Whose Opportunity? Profiting Off of School Takeovers & Turnaround in Atlanta - Rise Up:

What’s on your mind? Let us know! - Lily's Blackboard

What’s on your mind? Let us know! - Lily's Blackboard:

What’s on your mind? Let us know!

NEA members, your voices matter. And we want to hear them.

Through the Ask an Educator 2016 National Listening Tour, NEA is capturing the perspectives and experiences of members in schools and communities across the nation. We are engaging educators across the country on a range of issues, using the feedback to elevate our voices and design advocacy and action campaigns to support student success, public education, and educators. Your voice is the most important tool to building stronger schools for all of our students.

Please visit the NEA website and share your thoughts on:

• standardized testing and how it affects student learning;
• how student debt has affected your quality of life, and how the cost of education may inhibit the career choices your students make;
• the benefits of union participation, including having a seat at the table on matters that affect teaching and learning;
• legislative issues that have an  impact on student success; and
• what you feel passionate about doing to benefit your students and make sure they have the support, tools, and time to learn.

The stories we’re gathering paint a picture of educators who are enthusiastic, driven, and called to their professions. These stories are educating members of Congress, helping to win local fights around contracts and school resources, and driving real change for our students and members. What we’re hearing also points out the serious challenges you face in providing the opportunities that all students, regardless of ZIP code, deserve.

A former teacher said the over-reliance on standardized testing has reduced teaching to “a rating system.” She left teaching because the stress began to affect her health and family life.  “Though I agree with having accountability measures, I wholeheartedly believe that reform is necessary.”

Another NEA member called for a national movement to “adopt teaching techniques that are based on project-based, problem-based, need-based learning – 21st-century skills-based learning to prepare students for the real world.”

A young educator wrote about how her $162,000 in student loan debt forces her to live at home. “It seems that moving out and creating a life for myself is next to impossible,” she wrote.

And another member emphasized that “unions matter” because we “challenge school budget cuts, stand up for students, and inform the public about the status of bills in the legislature.”

Your voice is even more important now, as we shift our focus from passing the Every Student Succeeds Act – hooray for us! – to implementing it. So add your perspective to the mix. Remember the TV series “Frasier”? Just like the good doctor, we’re listening! What’s on your mind? Let us know! - Lily's Blackboard:

A Call to Action: You Control Accountability! - Badass Teachers Association

Badass Teachers Association:

A Call to Action:  You Control Accountability!

By:  Artie Leichner

 I have been given the opportunity to write a piece to address this very significant organization. My name is Artie Leichner. I am a retired teacher, former union leader and a current candidate for the Florida House of Representatives.

I want to talk to all of you about accountability. It used to be such a simple concept. Individuals were assigned tasks and there was an expectation that those specific functions would be carried out. We were expected to be on time, teach and evaluate our students, communicate with parents, guardians and administrators as appropriate. We had a contract and it needed to be followed by all parties involved in it.

Of course we as teachers had a different level of accountability. Our students needed supplies, classrooms needed to look right, Xeroxing without paper, providing occasionally food, as well as ongoing management of the crisis of the moment. We held ourselves to a higher standard and placed the needs of our kids above all else. What did it get us?

It got us where we are today. Somehow the control of the dialogue has shifted. It used to be that teachers followed clergy among the most respected and responsible members of society. Now, all of a sudden it is we who are constantly tested, challenged to insert a scripted curriculum, designed for ...by....? If we follow the script with fidelity and those placed in front of Badass Teachers Association:

Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) was Eliminated by ESSA (CA Dept of Education)

Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) (CA Dept of Education):

Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP)

A statewide accountability system mandated by the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 which requires each state to ensure that all schools and districts make Adequate Yearly Progress.

Reports and Data Files

• AYP Reports
  
• AYP Data Files
  
• Program Improvement Reports
  
• Program Improvement Data Files

2015 AYP Information

• FAQs for 2015 Accountability Reporting
  Frequently asked questions posed by schools, districts, and the public.
  
• November 2015 Letter: Update on 2015 AYP, PI, and Title III Accountability Reports Release Date
  Updated information on the estimated release schedule for the 2015 AYP, PI, and Title III Accountability Reports.
  
• September 2015 Letter: 2014–15 Accountability Progress Reporting (APR) Release Date
  Information on the estimated release date for the 2015 AYP and PI Reports.
  
• June 2015 Letter: Information on Federal Waiver for the 2015 AYP
  Further information on the reporting of the 2015 AYP, including decisions regarding the federal waiver request and the amendments to the federal Accountability Workbook. 
  
• June 2015 Letter: School Attendance Data Collection for the 2015 AYP
  Information on collecting attendance data for schools with students enrolled in Transitional Kindergarten through grade eight for the attendance rate indicator. This letter also includes a Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) section.
  
• May 2015 Letter: Additional Information on 2015 AYP
  Additional information on the participation rate.
  
• April 2015 Letter: Update on 2015 AYP
  Information on the reporting of the 2015 AYP, including calculation of the participation rate, recommended amendments to the federal Accountability Workbook, etc.
  
• Accountability E-mail Listserv  
  This listserv is used to notify local educational agencies of information and updates regarding state and federal accountability (API, AYP, PI, and Title III). Because the listserv is divided into two groups, SECURE and GENERAL, please review the information on the Web page about the differences between these two groups prior to signing up.

2015 AYP Documentation

• Information Guide (PDF)
  
• 2015 AYP Participation Rate
  Explanation of how the participation rate was calculated for the 2015 AYP
  
• School and LEA Appeal Form (DOC)
  
• Alternative Methods
  
• Glossary
  
• Program Improvement Status Determinations
  
• Parent Guide to School Accountability (PDF)
  
  • Available Translations of the Parent Guide to School Accountability
  
  
• Accountability Workbook

CALPADS AYP Reports: Instructions and Guidance

• AYP Reports in the CALPADS for Data Corrections | DOC
  
• CALPADS AYP LEAs and Schools Summary Report | DOC
  
• CALPADS AYP LEA and School Detail Report | DOC

Previous AYP Documentation 

• 2014 AYP Information
  
• 2013 AYP Information
  
• 2012 AYP Information
  
• AYP Prior Year Alternative Methods
  
• AYP Prior Year Glossaries

Related Sites

• No Child Left Behind (NCLB) 
  
• Program Improvement (PI)
  
• Academic Performance Index (API) 
  
• Alternative Schools Accountability Model (ASAM) 
  
• Title III Accountability 
  
• Public Schools Accountability Act (PSAA)

Other AYP Information

• CalEdFacts AYP Section
  California Department of Education's information and media guide about education in the State of California. For information on other topics, visit the full CalEdFacts.

Questions: Academic Accountability Team | aau@cde.ca.gov | 916-319-0863 

Last Reviewed: Friday, February 5, 2016

How to Cheat without Breaking the Law | The Merrow Report

How to Cheat without Breaking the Law | The Merrow Report:

How to Cheat without Breaking the Law

Gather round, children. Grandpa Johnny wants to show you how to cheat and lie without doing anything illegal.  This will come in handy, especially if you want to run charter schools in New York when you grow up.

The story I am going to tell you, kids, involves something grownups call ‘Attrition,’ which means losing things, in this case children like you. ‘Attrition’ is bad, and so all charter schools try to have a low number, like maybe 5 or 6 out of 100.

In other words, if a charter school starts the year with 100 students and ends up with 95, that would be just a 5% ‘Attrition’ rate…and a reason to celebrate.

Here’s where you have to pay attention, because, if you run charter schools, YOU get to decide when to start measuring ‘Attrition.’  You could start counting on the first day of school, or you could wait until the state requires you to tell how many kids are enrolled a month and a half later.

In other words, if your school has 100 kids when classes begin on August 24th, you How to Cheat without Breaking the Law | The Merrow Report:

Local control, charter schools focus of testimony over $715M Detroit schools reform package | MLive.com

Local control, charter schools focus of testimony over $715M Detroit schools reform package | MLive.com:
Local control, charter schools focus of testimony over $715M Detroit schools reform package

Testifying Thursday before a state senate committee, Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan pushed lawmakers – considering a $715 million proposal to reform the debt-plagued Detroit Public Schools – to restore local control to the district and create a commission with authority to open and close traditional and charter schools.

"If your local district had five superintendents in less than five years, your constituents would be up in arms demanding change," Duggan said. "Yet that's what we have seen and that's why the feeling is so deep about the need for local control."

Duggan was one of several people to appear before the Senate Committee on Government Operations to comment on the DPS reform legislation, introduced last month by Sen. Goeff Hansen, R-Hart.

The testimony was wide-ranging, touching on the impact of charter schools, DPS' dismal student achievement and enrollment that plummeted over the past decade.

It also focused on how quickly DPS, under control by a state-appointed financial manager since 2009, should be governed by a locally-elected school board. The legislation calls for a nine member board, appointed by Gov. Rick Snyder and Duggan, to serve until an elected board takes over in January 2017.

Sen. Morris W. Hood III, D-Detroit, said that's not soon enough.

"The school district deteriorated for numerous reasons under the state's watch, under the emergency manager, and now you're saying we should give up our elected school board powers because of that," Hood said, in response to testimony from John Walsh, Snyder's director of strategy. Local control, charter schools focus of testimony over $715M Detroit schools reform package | MLive.com:

Barbara Madeloni - Dissent among teachers union over charter fight - The Boston Globe

Dissent among teachers union over charter fight - The Boston Globe:

Dissent among teachers union over charter fight

The Massachusetts Teachers Association has positioned itself as perhaps the most aggressive foe of a charter school expansion in the state.

Barbara Madeloni, the fiery president of the union, has pledged an all-out fight. “We’re going to put everything we’ve got into it,” she said last month.

But the union is not quite ready to make the full investment.

Over the weekend, the union’s board of directors slowed approval of an aggressive, $9.6 million plan to fight legislation and a related ballot measure aimed at lifting the state’s cap on charter schools.

Instead, the panel provided interim funding to get the grass-roots portion of the campaign started, pushing a decision on the larger budget to a much bigger body — the MTA delegates, who will hold their annual meeting in May at the Hynes Convention Center in Boston.

The move set off a round of recriminations within the union. Deborah McCarthy, chairwoman of Dissent among teachers union over charter fight - The Boston Globe:

Confronting “Bad Journalism” in an Era of “Bad Teachers” – the becoming radical

Confronting “Bad Journalism” in an Era of “Bad Teachers” – the becoming radical:

Confronting “Bad Journalism” in an Era of “Bad Teachers”

 A couple of weeks ago, I posted Addressing Teacher Quality Post-NCLB in order to examine the impact of ESSA on the growing “bad teachers” narrative found in political and media commentary on the state of education in the U.S.

My speculations have now been given credence, notably Stephen Sawchuk’s 50 Years of Research Show Good Teaching Matters. Now What? at his Teacher’s Beat blog for Education Week.

Sawchuk’s post confirmed for me that the “bad teachers” drumbeat will continue so I posted a comment, one that expressed my frustration and linked to my post above:

Please let’s stop the bad journalism on teacher quality.

https://radicalscholarship.wordpress.com/2016/01/21/addressing-teacher-quality-post-nclb/

Please let’s stop treating Education Next as a credible publication.

First, we must note that the impact of teacher quality is dwarfed by out-of-school factors (http://www.shankerinstitute.org/blog/teachers-matter-so-do-words):

“But in the big picture, roughly 60 percent of achievement outcomes is explained by student and family background characteristics (most are unobserved, but likely pertain to income/poverty). Observable and unobservable schooling factors explain roughly 20 percent, most of this (10-15 percent) being teacher effects. The rest of the variation (about 20 percent) is unexplained (error). In other words, though precise estimates vary, the preponderance of evidence shows that achievement differences between students are overwhelmingly attributable to factors outside of schools and classrooms (see Hanushek et al. 1998; Rockoff 2003; Goldhaber et al. 1999; Rowan et al. 2002; Nye et al. 2004).”

However, that assessment is relative conservative when compared to Experiences of poverty and educational disadvantage by Donald Hirsch (JRF, 2007) (https://www.jrf.org.uk/sites/default/files/jrf/migrated/files/2123.pdf):

“Just 14 per cent of variation in individuals’ performance is accounted for by school 

Confronting “Bad Journalism” in an Era of “Bad Teachers” – the becoming radical:

What Gives Campbell Brown Standing to Spin the News about Public Education? | janresseger

What Gives Campbell Brown Standing to Spin the News about Public Education? | janresseger:

What Gives Campbell Brown Standing to Spin the News about Public Education?

Campbell Brown is a former news anchor from CNN who has launched her own attack on teachers’ unions and established a web-based news service to report on public education.

Last July, Campbell Brown launched her education news site.  She calls it The Seventy Four, for the 74 million children in school across America.  The news website does not sell advertising and instead depends on philanthropy—donations from Bloomberg Philanthropies, the Walton Family Foundation, Jonathan Sackler of Purdue Pharma (makers of Oxycontin) and founder of the far-right ConnCan and 50 Can. According to Inside Philanthropy, The Seventy-Four has an annual budget of $4 million.

Inside Philanthropy comments: “Sackler serves on the board of the New Schools Venture Fund and has been active in other charter school organizations.  This is not Walton’s first foray into education journalism… Considering this array of funders, as well as Brown’s pro-reform stance, you can bet this new site will cover issues in K-12 education from the pro-reform perspective that has made Brown the target of criticism from teachers unions and their allies…”

According to the NY Times, Campbell Brown is married to Dan Senor, who was a foreign affairs adviser to presidential candidate Mitt Romney. Before that, Senor was President George W. Bush’s chief spokesman for the Coalition Provisional Authority in Iraq. Senor has also served on the board of Michelle Rhee’s StudentsFirst.

Brown’s other current venture is the national organization, the Partnership for Educational Justice, she has established for the sole purpose of filing Vergara-type lawsuits across the What Gives Campbell Brown Standing to Spin the News about Public Education? | janresseger: