Tuesday, August 23, 2011

Principals cut 2,000+ teaching jobs; city plans school layoffs | GothamSchools

Principals cut 2,000+ teaching jobs; city plans school layoffs

Budget cuts caused principals to cut thousands of positions this year, but the total number of teachers without permanent jobs rose only slightly, the Department of Education revealed today.

The Bloomberg administration announced also plans to lay off nearly 800 school employees who do not belong to the teachers union, which negotiated a deal in June to avert layoffs. Most of those employees — 737 of 777 — belong to DC-37, which represents school aides and other auxiliary school personnel. The

Assessment Information - Testing (CA Dept of Education)

Assessment Information

Administration dates and general assessment information for California public schools.

Consortiums

SMARTER Balanced Assessment Consortium (SBAC)
Latest information about new generation of assessments.

English Language Acquisition Assessment System (Coming Soon)
Information for the next generation English language proficiency assessment system.

Calendars

Program Assessments

California High School Exit Examination (CAHSEE) Calendar (Outside Source)
California English Language Development Test (CELDT) Calendar (Outside Source)
California High School Proficiency Examination (CHSPE) Calendar (Outside Source)
Physical Fitness Testing (PFT) Calendar (PDF; Outside Source)
Standardized Testing and Reporting (STAR) Calendar (Outside Source)

State Assessments

Testing Dates 2011–12

Information Meetings

North/South Information Meetings
Program presentations for Assessment and Accountability Information Meetings.

Resources

Assessment Coordinator Designation Forms
Required each school year for submission to the testing contractor.

10 Key Elements of Testing-May 2004 (PDF; 174KB; 8pp.)
Types, terminology, measurement principles, development process, and measurement principles.

Assessment and Accountability E-mail Listserv
Provides one-way communication on assessment and accountability.

California Assessment System: Chart
Quick reference guide to all student tests. Updated August 2010.

Guidelines on Academic Preparation for State Assessments (PDF; 219KB; 4pp.)
Appropriate academic preparation for all state assessments.

Pre-ID
Description of Statewide Assessments Pre-Identification services through the test vendor.

Regional Assessment Network (RAN) Map
Map of California and regional contact information for the Regional Assessment Network (RAN).

Testing Variations, Accommodations, and Modifications (DOC; 2MB; 6pp.)
Matrix 1: Administration of California Statewide Assessments; and Matrix 2: Administration of California Statewide Assessments for English Learners (October 2009).

Florida Student’s FCAT Score Invalidated Because They Couldn’t Prove She DIDN’T Cheat | Scathing Purple Musings

Florida Student’s FCAT Score Invalidated Because They Couldn’t Prove She DIDN’T Cheat

by Bob Sikes

You can’t make this up:

South Fort Myers High School senior Jada Bryant-Roland has been waiting all summer to hear from the state Department of Education whether her academic record has been cleared, or smeared.
The decision is in: Smeared.
The 17-year-old learned Thursday the state was upholding its invalidation of her Florida

The New York Times Co. Delves Into Teacher Credentialing - Education - GOOD

The New York Times Co. Delves Into Teacher Credentialing

by Liz Dwyer

Teacher

No longer content to be simply America's "newspaper of record," The New York Times is getting into the teacher training business. The company's Knowledge Network has partnered up with Arizona-based Rio Salado College to offer online teaching certification programs for elementary, high school, and special education teachers. The goal is to create a national cadre of teachers trained in the latest methods and united by a common experience and mindset.

Taking on such an ambitious venture isn't out of the ordinary for the Times. Since the Knowledge Network's launch in 2007, the company has collaborated with colleges and universities nationwide on a wide range of education projects. Felice Nudelman, executive director of education for The New York Times Company, says

“Hey, Mr. K! How’s that pension thing going?” « Fred Klonsky's blog

“Hey, Mr. K! How’s that pension thing going?”

by Fred Klonsky

Speaker Michael Madigan, Chairman of the Illinois Democratic Party and teacher pension killer.

Two weeks before Labor Day and I’m back at work.

Friday was an in-service Institute Day. Yesterday the kids came in the afternoon, but not to Art, Music or PE. Today was

Rhee’s quake tweet - The Answer Sheet - The Washington Post

Rhee’s quake tweet

by Valerie Strauss

Nothing, apparently, not even a strong earthquake that shakes the East Coast, takes Michelle Rhee’s eye off of school reform.

Rhee, former chancellor of D.C. Public Schools, now CEO/founder of StudentsFirst, who, according to her identifying information on Twitter, is “working tirelessly to build educational environments that truly foster learning,” wrote this tweet:

Read full article >>

Earthquake resources to educate your kids (and yourself)

by Valerie Strauss

Why do earthquakes occur and how are they measured? Here are facts and Web sites that teachers and parents can use to educate themselves and kids about the Virginia-centered earthquake that rocked the East Coast of the United States today.

The U.S. Geological Survey has a lot of good information for people of all ages here and a site for kids, here.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency, or FEMA, has one on tsunamis here.

Here is some information on plate tectonics, the theory that continents, mountains, volcanoes and earthquakes are created when vast geological plates in the Earth’s outer layer move and collide.

Read full article >>

Schools Matter: Opt Out of Testing: It's a National Movement

Opt Out of Testing: It's a National Movement

by Jim Horn

Join the new wiki to share information on strategies and tactics to shut down the sanctioned child abuse of high stakes testing.

What you can do here?
Click the link with your state name to see what is there.
Add information on a page by "joining" the wiki then selecting "edit" and adding the information then "save."
Don't worry if you make a mistake. You can always revert to an older version.

Michelle Rhee's Cheating Scandal: School Test Score Irregularities - The Daily Beast

Michelle Rhee's Cheating Scandal

Mar 28, 2011 10:06 PM EDT

The education reform superstar presided over substantial test score irregularities during her term as D.C. schools chancellor, an investigation has found—but Dana Goldstein says the findings are no surprise.

The education reform superstar presided over substantial test score irregularities during her term as D.C. schools chancellor, an investigation has found—but Dana Goldstein says the findings are no surprise. Plus, Diane Ravitch blasts Michelle Rhee.

Bad education policy is no excuse for cheating—especially cheating from principals and teachers, whom we hope will serve as role models for our kids. But the sad truth is that we shouldn’t be surprised by USA Today’s disheartening findings on test score irregularities in the Washington, D.C., public schools during the reign of Michelle Rhee, the firebrand former chancellor best known for firing teachers, closing underperforming schools, and linking teacher and principal pay to student test scores. Such irregularities are,

The reform movement is already failing | The Great Debate

The reform movement is already failing

AUG 23, 2011 10:41 EDT

inShare

#DEBATETHIS | EDUCATION | STEVE BRILL

By Diane Ravitch
The opinions expressed are her own.

Reuters invited leading educators to reply to Steven Brill’s op-ed on the school reform deniers. We will be publishing the responses here. Below is Ravitch’s reply. Here are responses from Joel Kleinand Deborah Meier as well.

In my nearly four decades as a historian of education, I have analyzed the rise and fall of reform movements. Typically, reforms begin with loud declarations that our education system is in crisis. Throughout the twentieth century, we had a crisis almost every decade. After persuading the public that we are in crisis, the reformers bring forth their favored proposals for radical change. The radical changes are implemented in a few sites, and the results are impressive. As their reforms become widespread, they usually collapse and fail. In time, those who have made a career

Rick Perry Calls Out Rebulblican Supporters of NCLB | Scathing Purple Musings

Rick Perry Calls Out Rebulblican Supporters of NCLB

by Bob Sikes

The Rick Perry and Arne Duncan kerfuffle over education policy has gotten lots of MSM play. Education Week reporter Sean Cavanagh takes a look at Perry’s book, Fed Up! Our Fight to Save American from Washington to gain insight into the Texas governor’s core philosophy on public education policy. Perry takes a swipe at republicans for buying into then President George Bush’s 2002 NCLB initiative. Writes Cavanagh:

In a passage that’s not likely to prove popular in corners of Capitol Hill, Perry also blasts congressional Republicans for supporting the passage of NCLB and allowing a federal expansion into schools. The law won bipartisan support in Congress and was signed into law in 2002 by

Race to the Top – Early Learning Challenge Application Released | ED.gov Blog

Race to the Top – Early Learning Challenge Application Released

Posted on August 23, 2011 by Cameron Brenchley

“Successful early learning programs are not just about education but about the whole child – including their physical and emotional health,” said U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan on a conference call this afternoon with U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius to announce the Obama Administration’s release of the final application for the Race to the Top-Early Learning Challenge (RTT-ELC).

The two Departments have worked together over the last four months in an unprecedented effort. Nearly 350 organizations and individuals provided comments to the draft criteria put out in early July.

RTT-ELC will provide $500 million in state-level competitive grants to improve early learning and development programs with States getting about $50 to $100 million. The goal of the Challenge is to ensure more children with high-needs from birth to age five—including those from low-income families—enter kindergarten ready to succeed.

“Brain scientists tell us that the early years are when critical cognitive development takes place. Social scientists tell us that the investments we make in early childhood programs can have a huge payoff down the road,” said Secretary Sebelius.

States chosen for the RTT-ELC will need to demonstrate a commitment to improving their early learning and development programs as well as adopt common standards within the State that will help determine what young children should know and be able to do, as well as define program quality.

States awarded funds under RTT-ELC will also implement appropriate assessments to help monitor students’ progress to inform practice and improve program quality. Secretary Duncan explained that “we are not asking three year olds to take bubble tests.” Just as good early childhood educators are doing now, we are asking that early childhood educators have the observation and documentation skills they need to evaluate a child’s progress along a set of appropriate early learning and development standards.

Read the press release of today’s announcement, and click here to learn more about the RTT-ELC and to view the application.

Parents United for Responsible Education » Blog Archive » PSAT for 8-23-11: Twitter Arne

PSAT for 8-23-11: Twitter Arne

by admin

From the USDE:

The Department of Education announced today that Secretary Arne Duncan will participate in the first-ever #AskArne Twitter Town Hall on August 24, 2011 at 1:30 p.m. EDT. Veteran education journalist John Merrow will moderate the town hall that will also be broadcast live on ED’s ustream channel.

Twitter users can submit questions to the Secretary using the hashtag #AskArne.

####

For Public Schools Action Tuesday today, why not send in a question for Arne?

Education Research Report: $4.5 Billion in Earnings, Taxes Lost Last Year Due to the High U.S. College Dropout Rate

$4.5 Billion in Earnings, Taxes Lost Last Year Due to the High U.S. College Dropout Rate

from Education Research Report by Jonathan Kantrowitz

New Study Reveals the Annual Costs of Dropouts from One Freshman Class – Both to Themselves and Society

Washington, D.C. – As students across the country prepare to start their freshman year of college, more than 40 percent of them will not graduate within six years – costing billions of dollars in lost earnings for the students and millions of dollars in lost tax revenue, according to a new analysis by the American Institutes for Research (AIR).

AIR conducted a study that examined the more than 1.1 million full-time students who entered college in 2002 seeking bachelor degrees. Of that total, almost 500,000 did not graduate within six years – costing a combined $4.5 billion in lost income and lost federal and state income taxes.

The AIR analysis found that the 493,000 students who started college in 2002 but did not earn a degree within

High Achieving Latinos & Blacks Suffer Most Academically Bullying - Hispanically Speaking News

STUDY: High Achieving Latinos & Blacks Suffer Most Academically from Bullying

Victims of bullying often suffer academically, and this is particularly true for high achieving black and Latino students, according to new research to be presented at the 106th Annual Meeting of the American Sociological Association.

“Although academic achievement is largely influenced by family background and school characteristics, our study suggests that the experience of being bullied also influences students’ grades,” said Lisa M. Williams, a doctoral student in sociology at Ohio State University, and lead author of the study. “We find that bullying has implications for achievement regardless of racial

4LAKids - some of the news that doesn't fit: LA CHARTER SCHOOLS NOT TRULY FREE PUBLIC EDUCATION

LA CHARTER SCHOOLS NOT TRULY FREE PUBLIC EDUCATION

JANET DENISE KELLY | CITYWATCH LA | HTTP://BIT.LY/P1GVA5

LOS ANGELES Tuesday, August 23rd 2011 - URBAN PERSPECTIVE -As South Los Angeles schools are being targeted by the Los Angeles School District for possible turnover, the community is questioning the meaning of public education.

There is sense that there is a corporate agenda to privatize public education by painting schools as public and nonprofit under the auspice of charter schools. Some communities are labeling these schools as venture capitalist opportunities and failed models for increasing academic performance.

Charter schools are funded with public money and private donations. What makes them unique than (sic) traditional public schools is that they are not subject to some of the same regulations or statutes; and their

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