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Friday, May 21, 2010

May Revision Reaction CELDT Results for 2009-10 - Year 2010 (CA Dept of Education)

CELDT Results for 2009-10 - Year 2010 (CA Dept of Education)


State Schools Chief Jack O'Connell Releases Results of
2009-10 California English Language Development Test

SACRAMENTO — State Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O'Connell today released the results of the California English Language Development Test (CELDT) that showed an increase in the percentage of English learner students scoring at the advanced and early advanced performance levels compared to last year.
"English fluency is critical for students to succeed in school and in the workforce," O’Connell said. "A U.S. Census Bureau report released last month shows that 20 percent of U.S. residents 5 years and older speak a language other than English at home. In California, nearly a quarter of students are learning English as a second language, and by becoming fluent, they will more readily be able to fulfill their potential and compete in the demanding global economy."
The CELDT assesses the English-language proficiency of students in kindergarten through grade twelve. These results are used to calculate Annual Measurable Achievement Objectives (AMAOs) for federal accountability requirements.
Compared to the rest of the nation, California has the largest number of students whose primary language is not English. More than 100 languages are spoken by the state's English learners, of which approximately 85 percent speak Spanish.
The overall annual assessment results for 2009–10 show that nearly 40 percent of the 1,292,131 English learners who took the CELDT in California's public schools scored at the early advanced (30.7 percent) and advanced (9.1 percent) performance levels (see Table 1). During the 2006–07 administration, a new scale with new cut scores was introduced, therefore, scores of tests administered before 2006–07 cannot be used to compare to results of later years. Between 2006–07 and 2009–10, the percentage of English learners scoring at the early advanced or advanced performance levels increased nearly 8 percent (see Table 1).
Prior to 2009–10, students in kindergarten and grade one (K–1) were assessed only in the domains of listening and speaking. Beginning in 2009–10, K–1 students also were assessed in the domains of reading and writing.
To satisfy the CELDT criterion for English-language proficiency, a student must have an overall scale score of early advanced or advanced, plus a score of intermediate or above for each of the domains tested (listening, speaking, reading, and writing). The CELDT criterion is synonymous with AMAO 2, the percentage of English learners attaining English proficiency on the CELDT, for federal accountability under Title III of Elementary and Secondary Education Act.
The CELDT is one of four criteria in state law to be used by schools in determining whether or not an English learner should be reclassified as fluent English proficient. Other criteria include comparison of performance in basic skills (e.g., the California Standards Test in English-language arts, which is part of the Standardized Testing and Reporting Program), teacher evaluation, and input from parents. Each school district establishes its own local reclassification procedures using these criteria.
Results for the 2009–10 CELDT show that almost 37 percent [1] of English learners met the CELDT criterion for possible reclassification with the greatest percent in grades six to eight (see Table 2). Since 2006–07, there has been steady growth in English-language proficiency performance on the CELDT. This is about 0.5 percentage points higher than last year.
School, district, county, and state results of the 2009–10 CELDT Annual Assessment are available on the CDE Web page at CELDT Reports.
1 Weighted average across the grade spans within the school year.
# # # #
Attachment

California English Language Development Test
2009–10 Annual Assessment Results

The summaries presented in this attachment are based on the preliminary 2009–10 California English Language Development Test (CELDT) annual assessment results provided to the California Department of Education by the CELDT contractor, Educational Data Systems. This report only includes annual assessment results of tests submitted during the annual assessment window (July 1, 2009 – October 31, 2009).

Table 1. Percentage of English Learners Tested for CELDT
Annual Assessment by Overall Performance Level

Overall Performance Level
2006–07*
2007–08
2008–09
2009–10
Change From Previous Year
Change From 2006–07
Beginning
10.4
8.9
8.1
7.4
-0.7
-3.0
Early
Intermediate
18.0
16.6
15.4
14.7
-0.7
-3.3
Intermediate
39.4
38.6
37.3
38.1
0.8
-1.3
Early
Advanced
25.3
28.2
29.7
30.7
1.0
5.4
Advanced
7.0
7.6
9.5
9.1
-0.4
2.1
*Beginning in 2006–07, CELDT results are based on a new scale

Table 2. Percentage of English Learners Who Met CELDT Criterion for Possible Reclassification by Grade Span

Grade Span
2006–07
2007–08
2008–09
2009–10
Change From Previous Year
Change From 2006–07
K–2*
20.0
23.6
26.6
28.0
1.4
8.0
3–5
27.3
31.5
35.9
34.9
-1.0
7.6
6–8
37.4
42.4
44.8
47.0
2.2
9.6
9–12
34.3
36.8
40.4
41.0
0.6
6.7
All Grades**
29.1
32.8
36.2
36.7
0.5
7.6
* Repeating kindergarten and grade one (K–1) only includes listening and speaking scale scores.
** Weighted average across the grade spans within the school year.
The percentage of English Learners Reclassified that is reported by districts on the CDE Language Census R-30 Web page Language Census (R30-LC) - Student Demographics will be available by this summer.

State Schools Chief Jack O'Connell Responds
to Governor's May Budget Revision

SACRAMENTO — State Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O'Connell today issued the following statement in response to the release of Governor Schwarzenegger's May Revision (Outside Source) to the 2010-11 Budget:
"While we are still working to analyze details of the Governor's proposal, it appears that the voter-approved guarantee for K-12 education funding does not seem to have been further reduced since the Governor's January budget proposal.
"However, I have grave concerns that child care for thousands of preschool age children will be eliminated. The Governor's plan cuts $1.45 billion in state-funded child care. This cut is yet another severe blow to poor- and middle-class working families who are struggling to provide for their families. Child care is a vital and essential element in the development of young minds, and to the ability of parents to work and contribute to the state's economy.
"California is long overdue in creating a stable, consistent funding scheme for K-12 public education. We delay funding allocations to schools; we break commitments to fund class-size reduction, summer school, nurses, counselors, school librarians, and a host of other support systems that play a role in the quality of our children's education. This failure to provide adequate funding is choking off our state's economic engine to recovery and our future."

NY Times Discovers the University of Puerto Rico Student Protest � Student Activism

NY Times Discovers the University of Puerto Rico Student Protest � Student Activism

NY Times Discovers the University of Puerto Rico Student Protest

The New York Times has published a major article on the University of Puerto Rico student strike, after a month of near-total silence from the American press.
The article, which notes that the strike “has crippled an 11-campus system with more than 62,000 students,” compares Puerto Rican student protests to recent student agitation at the University of California.

The Educated Guess � A second school suit is in the chute

The Educated Guess � A second school suit is in the chute


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A second school suit is in the chute

Posted in Uncategorized
If one major school suit weren’t enough for the governor, another is heading his way.
The Campaign for Quality Education and other groups representing low-income students and their families sent Gov. Schwarzenegger a letter on Thursday, which he will no doubt ignore, threatening to file their own lawsuit unless he acts immediately “to provide all California public school students with a new school finance system that sufficiently and equitably supports its public schools.”
The nine-page letter which reads like a legal complaint that lacks only a stamp on the envelope, documents calls for action over the years and the efforts by community groups to lobby for it. “Yet to date, the State has failed to take any action to respond to these demands to adequately and equitably fund our schools. Indeed, the policymaking process seems paralyzed, unable to put a stop to drastic funding cuts and budget impasses and even less able to enact a new and different school funding system.”
(Read more and comment on this post)

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Mayoral control of the schools?

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Mayoral control of the schools?

Mayoral control of the schools?

At a news conference to discuss Chicago's gun ban and the Supreme Court's pending ruling on the issue, a reporter from the Chicago Readerasked him if the ban was effective.

"Since guns are readily available in Chicago even with a ban in place, do you really think it’s been effective?" asked Mick Dumke.“Oh!” Daley said.

Elk Grove Citizen : News Picketing cancelled at school board meeting

Elk Grove Citizen : News

Picketing cancelled at school board meeting



Teachers reach tentative agreement; if approved, 210 jobs will be saved

By Citizen staff
Published: Friday, May 21, 2010 10:06 AM PDT
Working late into the evening of May 17, Tom Gardner, president of the Elk Grove Education Association, announced via text message that a tentative agreement between the Elk Grove Unified School District and the teachers was reached.

It was officially announced at the May 18 school board meeting.

“We did call off our picketing for Tuesday’s school board meeting, that action would be moot,” Gardner said.

The teachers had planned a massive demonstration and planned to have a selected group of teachers make their plea at the board meeting that evening.

Gardner and his negotiating team met with the teachers’ council Tuesday afternoon to review the contents of the contract.

The agreement still has to be put before the membership for approval, but Gardner was “encouraged” the rank and file certificated union members would ratify the tentative agreement.

If ratified by the teachers, it would bring back about 210 elementary teachers into the classrooms.

Voting by the 3,000 teachers on the agreement will begin May 21 and close on June 1. This will give teachers off-track in year-round schools a day to vote. The agreement involved

Sacramento school district asks for mediator in union talks - Sacramento News - Local and Breaking Sacramento News | Sacramento Bee

Sacramento school district asks for mediator in union talks - Sacramento News - Local and Breaking Sacramento News | Sacramento Bee

Sacramento school district asks for mediator in union talks

Sacramento City Unified School District lawyers filed an impasse application Thursday with the California Public Employment Relations Board in an attempt to resolve its ongoing conflict with its teachers union over negotiations.
The impasse application will be reviewed and, if approved, a third-party mediator will be assigned.
The district and Sacramento City Teachers Association last used a state mediator in 2003, when then-Assemblyman Darrell Steinberg helped resolve a stalemate.
The teachers union has contended that it does not have to negotiate with the district because its contract does not expire until the summer of 2011. District lawyers say they found language that allows them to open the

Let Your Voice Be Heard! Women's Conference

Let Your Voice Be Heard!



Let Your Voice Be Heard!

    05/21/10 | The California Commission on the Status of Women | 0 Comments
    ourvision
    If you are a woman living in California, here's your chance to be heard -- and to have an impact on future legislation. The California Commission on the Status of Women will hold three public hearings to provide a forum for individuals and organizations to voice their opinions and talk about real problems faced by women and girls every day. Information from the hearings will help determine the Commission’s legislative agenda, recommendations for administrative action and studies on issues impacting women and girls.

    Issues for testimony include, but are not limited to: State Budget Cuts, Reproductive Freedom, Paid Family Leave, Child Support, Child Care, Human Trafficking and more.

    We look forward to hearing from people throughout the state who have ideas about how we can help improve the lives of women and girls. Information obtained from the hearings will assist in the Commission's ongoing work to achieve equal opportunities for all women and girls.

    Sign up to testify by June 3rd!

    FreeRangeKids What Might Happen If You Let Your Kid Play Outside, Alone?

    FreeRangeKids

    What Might Happen If You Let Your Kid Play Outside, Alone?

    Hi Readers! In response to my downer about dealing with a tsunami of media “What If?”s, here’s one woman’s note answer to: What happens when you, with some slight hesitation, let your child go outside on her own?
    Dear Lenore: I understand your anxiety, and can only join the chorus of those saying please, please don’t give up. Your book has SIGNIFICANTLY changed our family for the better, and we were already what I called “half-range” to begin with!
    My daughter (10) has been riding her bike to school for a month now, with buddies, but no adult. It started out with just her wanting to and me saying yes, which traveled through the grapevine and triggered a flood of calls from the other moms. “Are you REALLY allowing this? Are you nuts? What if this/that? But but but…” And many conversations and several holes bitten through my tongue later, we have 4 regular riders and many more that, although they aren’t allowed on the school ride, are allowed a wider radius of the neighborhood for riding.
    The whole pack of them roam the neighborhood after school and on the weekends, with no adults around. They’re all still alive and well, some of the moms have relaxed

    Politics blog: Texas restores Thomas Jefferson to social studies curriculum | News for Dallas, Texas | Dallas Morning News | Latest News

    Politics blog: Texas restores Thomas Jefferson to social studies curriculum | News for Dallas, Texas | Dallas Morning News| Latest News

    Politics blog: Texas restores Thomas Jefferson to social studies curriculum



    02:30 PM CDT on Friday, May 21, 2010


    Burned by very bad publicity, social conservatives on Texas State Board of Education scrambled to undo an earlier vote to delete Thomas Jefferson from a list of influential political thinkers in world history.
    After renewed debate today, the board reinserted Jefferson (but not James Madison, who didn't the cut) in the world history curriculum.
    The deletion of Jefferson -- whose separation of church-state philosophy doesn't get high marks among Christian conservatives -- sparked a flurry of criticism on cable TV, where some pundits held the board up to ridicule.
    So today, as the board prepared to vote on the final social study curricula standards, members put Jefferson back on the list of writers including John Locke, Thomas Acquinas and William Blackstone.

    Hechinger Report | Q&A: Senator Mike Johnston says we need great principals and teachers ‘in every school’

    Hechinger Report | Q&A: Senator Mike Johnston says we need great principals and teachers ‘in every school’

    Q&A: Senator Mike Johnston says we need great principals and teachers ‘in every school’

    Introduction: State Senator Mike Johnston was influential in pushing a new teacher effectiveness bill signed into law in the state of Colorado last week after weeks of drama and controversy. The law ties teacher and principal evaluations to student academic growth and it changes the way teachers are granted tenure.
    Johnson, a former high school principal and Yale educated lawyer, served as an education policy advisor to President Barack Obama before he became a state senator in Colorado just one year ago. The bill is being hailed as a model by education reformers, but it created rifts in the Democratic party and teachers unions in Colorado and led to everything from protests to tears.
    Under the new law, a governor’s council will now define what makes an effective teacher and principal and will

    It’s “Happening”: another union ad about schools | GothamSchools

    It’s “Happening”: another union ad about schools | GothamSchools

    It’s “Happening”: another union ad about schools

    Just in case there weren’t enough school-themed ads playing on your TV, the city’s teachers union is debuting one tomorrow.
    Called “Happening,” it urges viewers to ignore that pro-charter school ad they likely sat through only seconds before and focus on the budget cut-induced chaos that will befall their local schools. Larger class sizes, no after school programs, and teacher layoffs form the three pillars of disaster, according to the ad.
    Included in the ad is a TV spot being run by Education Reform Now — a coalition of pro-charter school groups who are simultaneously pushing a charter cap lift and an end to seniority based layoffs. The UFT’s own ad labels this group the “blame the teachers crowd” and taps into some anti-Wall Street sentiment by noting there are

    For a 17-year-old cancer survivor, school became a sanctuary


    Karina Melendez, 17, junior at Bronx High School for Law and FinanceKarina Melendez, 17, junior at Bronx High School for Law and Finance
    This is the second in a series of profiles of college-bound student recipients of scholarships administered by New Visions for Public Schools.
    Last month, the principal of the Bronx School of Law and Finance, Evan Schwartz, called junior Karina Melendez to his office, but he didn’t tell her why.
    Schwartz had a happy surprise, something that Melendez had long stopped expecting. She had survived bone 

    District investigating mishandling of public money at Portland's Jefferson High | OregonLive.com

    District investigating mishandling of public money at Portland's Jefferson High | OregonLive.com

    District investigating mishandling of public money at Portland's Jefferson High

    By Betsy Hammond, The Oregonian

    May 21, 2010, 11:11AM

    Portland school district officials are investigating possible mishandling of money at Jefferson High School and have placed the principal and business manager on paid leave after a routine audit of a $200,000 account managed by the school found chronic sloppiness in spending, contracts and receipts.

    Matt Shelby, spokesman for the school district, said today that when the school district's auditor conducted the routine review this spring, she "found enough red flags" that she notified district leaders, who "then decided to widen their scope and look at other accounts."

    As reported Thursday, Jefferson Principal Cynthia Harris and school business manager Reis Wilbanks have both been put on paid administrative leave. Deputy Superintendent Toni Hunter has been put in charge of the school. Neither Harris nor Wilbanks could be reached for comment.

    In her report to district leaders, auditor Amoy Williamson wrote that

    School Funding Lawsuit - Year 2010 (CA Dept of Education)

    School Funding Lawsuit - Year 2010 (CA Dept of Education)

    Schools Chief Jack O'Connell Issues Statement
    in Support of School Funding Lawsuit Filed Today

    SACRAMENTO — State Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O'Connell today issued the following statement in support of a lawsuit (Robles-Wong, et al. v. California , Outside Source) filed against the State of California by students, districts, school boards, and school administrators:

    "California students are the victims of broken budget promises and a broken school funding system. I applaud this effort to align appropriate funding for our public education with our goal of educating students to master our rigorous academic standards. Budget discussions about schools in California have for too long been a one-sided conversation about how to stretch dwindling resources. This lawsuit now forces a conversation we must have about actually meeting the needs of our students.

    "According to the Legislative Analyst's recent analysis (Outside Source) on per capita real general fund spending in the Governor's proposed May budget revision, 'the level of spending proposed by the administration would continue the recent drop in state spending, as adjusted for growth in population and inflation. In 2010–11, the inflation adjusted per capita spending level would be similar to that of 1993–94 — also a low point due to a recession.'

    "California is failing to fund programs and resources students need to thrive and compete in a competitive global economy. Class sizes are growing. Summer school, arts, music, librarians, nurses, and counselors, have been cut. The school year at many districts has been reduced. For years, our teachers, administrators, and especially our students have been doing more with less. A growing number of California districts face financial insolvency, and California finds itself near the bottom nationally in per pupil funding.

    "A well educated population is the key to California's successful future. We urgently need to prioritize this responsibility to our students and future generations. If the political will to protect our future is faltering, perhaps this lawsuit and the courts will be the catalyst to meet our obligation to the more than six million students in our state."

    # # # #

    Schools Matter: The Tea Party's Great White Dope

    Schools Matter: The Tea Party's Great White Dope

    The Tea Party's Great White Dope

    From Sam Stein at HuffPo:
    In attempting to close the book on his controversial statements about the scope of the Civil Rights Act, Kentucky Senate candidate Rand Paul invited another round of intrigue and critique on an entirely unrelated front.

    The Tea Party favorite, in an interview with ABC's "Good Morning America" on Friday morning, accused the Obama administration of being too tough on BP -- the oil company directly responsible for the massive spill in the Gulf.

    "What I don't like from the president's administration is this sort of 'I'll put my



    Advocacy: Teacherpocalypse 2010 Continues This Week In Education

    This Week In Education

    Advocacy: Teacherpocalypse 2010 Continues

    1269975092088
    Arne Duncan on Teacher Evaluations and Saving Jobs in a Recession NPR: Duncan says he worries about summer school disappearing, teachers being laid off and school days being cut and that there's a lot of work to be done...U.S. schools chief: We're in 'educational emergency' CNN: Soledad O'Brien talked with the top school official in the nation, U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan, about the ties between the economy and schools, the state of


    Hill: Jockeying For Position On ESEA & Campaign 2010

    1269144861681sDem Challenges Administration On School Turnarounds National Journal: Rep. Chu's efforts come on the heels of the decision to rehire all of the teachers at Central Falls High School in Rhode Island... Alexander to GOP: Step it up - Mike Allen Politico: Tennessee Sen. Lamar Alexander, chairman of the Senate Republican Conference, says he’d “like to see Republicans step up on education more” if they win the majority


    AM News: Detroit, Denver, and DC Lead The Way

    Godeep_homepageIn Detroit Schools, State Takeover Leads to Leadership Dispute PBS: A report on the progress of Detroit's public school system, following last year's tumultuous takeover by the state of Michigan, following allegations of corruption, a $316 million hole in its budget and tumbling enrollment... A Rougher Road to Tenure NYT: Gov. Bill Ritter Jr. signed a law on Thursday that will make it more difficult for teachers to get tenure and will require that at least half of their annual evaluation be determined by the academic growth of their students... Report: D.C. schools make most significant reading gains among urban systems Washington Post: A federal study of trends in 11 major urban school systems shows that only one has made significant gains in reading achievement since 2007 in fourth and eighth grades: D.C. Public Schools.

    The Educated Reporter: How many PhDs’ children go to your urban public schools?

    The Educated Reporter: How many PhDs’ children go to your urban public schools?

    How many PhDs’ children go to your urban public schools?

    When finalists were announced for the 2010 Broad Prize for Urban Education, I did not give much though to the inclusion of Montgomery County, Md. I did not give much thought to any of the finalists, really. But today I saw the video on the Montgomery County Public Schools website—I covered MCPS for the Post years ago and check in there from time to time—that highlighted the Broad visit and couldn’t help but laugh when I saw the officials at Julius West Middle School. Julius West is a couple of miles from one of the most affluent communities on earth. Heard of Potomac? Not what I would call “urban.”

    Yes, there are swaths of poverty in the county, and lots of new immigrants. But Montgomery County has the

    Will Some States Get Jobbed by EduJobs Bill? | Intercepts

    Will Some States Get Jobbed by EduJobs Bill? | Intercepts

    Will Some States Get Jobbed by EduJobs Bill?

    It’s probably futile to try to apply some precision to a number that was pulled out of a hat, but a story in yesterday’s Boston Globe has – well, let’s call it an “anomaly.”
    U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan was giving a commencement address in Boston, and this was theGlobe’s lede:
    US Education Secretary Arne Duncan warned yesterday that as many as 300,000 teachers nationwide, including 4,000 teachers in Massachusetts, could lose their jobs this year if Congress does not provide additional money to aid struggling states and municipalities.
    Three paragraphs later, we get this:
    He urged Congress to pass a pending $23 billion education and jobs bill that he said would save or

    Eduflack: Are Our High Schools Becoming Glee-ful?

    Eduflack: Are Our High Schools Becoming Glee-ful?

    Are Our High Schools Becoming Glee-ful?

    I'll admit it, I'm a Gleek. I love the Fox show, Glee. I've taken the Facebook quiz (and learned I am most like Rachel). I posted last fall's Single Ladies/football scene to my FB page, I loved this week's Les Miz nod, and I'm even looking forward to next week's Lady Gaga homage. I even have a running list of those songs and/or performers I want to see covered by the Glee kids.

    And it doesn't appear that I am alone. The number of Gleeks out there seems to be increasing exponentially, and many of them are surprises (I'm guessing a few will be surprised that Eduflack is such a fan). After a year, we are reminded of the enormous value of a high school glee club, the role music can play in student development, self-esteem, and other qualitative measures we expect to see from our schools. So it begs the question, is Glee having any impact on school budgets and priorities?