Feds threaten Brown on testing planSI&A Cabinet Report – News & Resources

SI&A Cabinet Report – News & Resources:

Feds threaten Brown on testing plan
By Tom Chorneau
Wednesday, October 30, 2013

U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan moved earlier this week to squelch California’s plan to suspend almost all statewide student testing next year by formally threatening to withhold administrative Title I money – some portion of about $15 million.

The action, which had been anticipated for weeks, comes even as the Obama administration has granted 45 other states conditional relief from most of the requirements and sanctions imposed under the No Child Left Behind Act.

But in a letter to state officials this week, first reported by EdSource Wednesday, federal officials said California’s plans to suspend testing violate assessment requirements for accountability purposes.

“By failing to administer a reading/language arts and mathematics assessment to all students in the tested grades, California would be unable to provide this important information to students, principals, teachers, and parents,” said Deborah S. Delisle, assistant secretary over the Office of Elementary and Secondary Education, in the letter to state board president Mike Kirst and state schools chief Tom Torlakson.

Delisle identified at risk $15 million in Title I money largely used to pay for support activities at the California Department of Education and alluded to further sanctions if the state did not comply.

The threat, also not unexpected (see Cabinet Report, Sept. 19: http://bit.ly/1fcd9xA), would not likely be carried out 

Shanker Blog » Getting Teacher Evaluation Right

Shanker Blog » Getting Teacher Evaluation Right:

Getting Teacher Evaluation Right

Posted by Esther Quintero on October 30, 2013

  Facilitated by Linda Darling-Hammond

  Watch this webinar.  

  (Original date: October 22, 2013) 

Linda Darling-Hammond’s new book, Getting Teacher Evaluation Right, is a detailed, practical guide about how to improve the teaching profession. It leverages the best research and best practices, offering actionable, illustrated steps to getting teacher evaluation right, with rich examples from the U.S. and abroad.

Here I offer a summary of the book’s main arguments and conclude with a couple of broad questions prompted by the book. But, before I delve into the details, here’s my quick take on Darling-Hammond’s overall stance.

We are at a crossroads in education; two paths lay before us. The first seems shorter, easier and more straightforward. The second seems long, winding and difficult. The big problem is that the first path does not really lead to where we need to go; in fact, it is taking us in the opposite direction. So, despite appearances, more steady progress will be made if we take the more difficult route. This book is a guide on how to get teacher evaluation right, not how to do it quickly or with minimal effort. So, in a way, the big message or take away is: There are no shortcuts.

The original inspiration for the book – says Darling-Hammond, who serves on our board of directors – was the Albert Shanker Institute’s Good Schools Seminar Series, the goal of which is to build a network of union leaders, district superintendents, and researchers by creating a safe, off-the-record space where they can work collaboratively on 

CDC - Food Allergies in Schools - Adolescent and School Health

CDC - Food Allergies - Adolescent and School Health:

Food Allergies in Schools

Food allergies are a growing food safety and public health concern that affect an estimated 4%–6% of children in the United States.1, 2 Allergic reactions can be life threatening and have far-reaching effects on children and their families, as well as on the schools or early care and education (ECE) programs they attend. Staff who work in schools and ECE programs should develop plans for preventing an allergic reaction and responding to a food allergy emergency.



Voluntary Guidelines for Managing Food Allergies In Schools and Early Care and Education Programs [PDF - 9MB]

Food Allergy Guidelines FAQs [PDF - 163KB]

What is a Food Allergy?

A food allergy occurs when the body has a specific and reproducible immune response to certain foods.3 The body’s immune response can be severe and life threatening, such as anaphylaxis. Although the immune system normally protects people from germs, in people with food allergies, the immune system mistakenly responds to food as if it were harmful.

Eight foods or food groups account for 90% of serious allergic reactions in the United States: milk, eggs, fish, crustacean shellfish, wheat, soy, peanuts, and tree nuts.3

Symptoms of Food Allergy in Children

Symptoms Communicated by Children with Food Allergies4

• It feels like something is poking my tongue.
• My tongue (or mouth) is tingling (or burning).
• My tongue (or mouth) itches.
• My tongue feels like there is hair on it.
• My mouth feels funny.
• There’s a frog in my throat; there’s something stuck in my throat.
• My tongue feels full (or heavy).
• My lips feel tight.
• It feels like there are bugs in there (to describe itchy ears).
• It (my throat) feels thick.
• It feels like a bump is on the back of my tongue (throat).

The symptoms and severity of allergic reactions to food can be different between individuals, and can also be different for one person over time. Anaphylaxis is a sudden and severe allergic reaction that may cause death.5 Not all allergic reactions will develop into anaphylaxis.

Food Allergies in Schools

• Children with food allergies are two to four times more likely to have asthma or other allergic conditions than those without food allergies.1
• The prevalence of food allergies among children increased 18% during 1997–2007, and allergic reactions to foods have become the most common cause of anaphylaxis in community health settings.1,6
• In 2006, about 88% of schools had one or more students with a food allergy.7

Treatment and Prevention of Food Allergies in Children

There is no cure for food allergies. Strict avoidance of the food allergen is the only way to prevent a reaction. However, since it is not always easy or possible to avoid certain foods, staff in schools and ECE programs should develop plans to deal with allergic reactions, including anaphylaxis. Early and quick recognition and treatment of allergic reactions that may lead to anaphylaxis can prevent serious health problems or death.

Voluntary Guidelines for Managing Food Allergies In Schools and Early Care and Education Programs

In consultation with the U.S. Department of Education and a number of other federal agencies, CDC developed the Voluntary Guidelines for Managing Food Allergies in Schools and Early Care and Education Centers  [PDF - 9MB] in fulfillment of the 2011 FDA Food Safety Modernization Act to improve food safety in the United States. Download Food Allergy Guidelines FAQs  [PDF - 163KB].

The Voluntary Guidelines for Managing Food Allergies provide practical information and planning steps for parents, district administrators, school administrators and staff, and ECE program administrators and staff to develop or strengthen plans for food allergy management and prevention. The Voluntary Guidelines for Managing Food Allergies include recommendations for each of the five priority areas that should be addressed in each school’s or ECE program’s Food Allergy Management Prevention Plan:

1. Ensure the daily management of food allergies in individual children.
2. Prepare for food allergy emergencies.
3. Provide professional development on food allergies for staff members.
4. Educate children and family members about food allergies.
5. Create and maintain a healthy and safe educational environment.

References

1. Branum AM, Lukacs SL. Food allergy among U.S. children: trends in prevalence and hospitalizations.NCHS Data Brief. 2008;10:1-8.
2. Liu AH, Jaramillo R, Sicherer SH, et al. National prevalence and risk factors for food allergy and relationship to asthma: results from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2005-2006. J Allergy Clin Immunol. 2010;126(4):798-806.e13.
3. Boyce JA, Assa'ad A, Burks AW, et al; NIAID-Sponsored Expert Panel. Guidelines for the diagnosis and management of food allergy in the United States: report of the NIAID-sponsored expert panel. J Allergy Clin Immunol. 2010;126(suppl 6):S1-S58.
4. The Food Allergy & Anaphylaxis Network. Food Allergy News. 2003;13(2).
5. Sampson HA, Munoz-Furlong A, Campbell RL, et al. Second symposium on the definition and management of anaphylaxis: summary report—Second National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease/Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis Network Symposium. Ann Emerg Med. 2006;47(4):373-380.
6. Decker WW, Campbell RL, Manivannan V, et al. The etiology and incidence of anaphylaxis in Rochester, Minnesota: a report from the Rochester Epidemiology Project. J Allergy Clin Immunol. 2008;122(6):1161-1165.
7. O’Toole TP, Anderson S, Miller C, Guthrie J. Nutrition services and foods and beverages available at school: results from the School Health Policies and Programs Study 2006. J Sch Health. 2007;77:500-521.

10-30-13 Seattle Schools Community Forum

Seattle Schools Community Forum:

Garfield Parents or Students: Want to Talk about the Hazing Incident?

Contact me at sss.westbrook@gmail.com.  Anything you might wish to say could be said anonymously but contact me first. Thanks.

by Melissa Westbrook / 33min 

APP Advisory Committee Feedback to Board/Banda on Growth Boundaries

From the APP Advisory Committee (bold mine), Tuesday, October 29, 1013:Dear Superintendent Banda and Board Directors, Each version of the Growth Boundaries plan presented to the public has contained proposals that will dramatically affect the Accelerated Progress Program. Since the release of the first version of the plan on September 18, the APP Advisory Committee (APP AC) has collected feedback

by Melissa Westbrook / 37min 

Pinehurst Hearing

I am very disappointed to have miss the Pinehurst public hearing last night.  Did anyone attend and could you let us know what was said?

by Melissa Westbrook / 1min 

10-29-13 Seattle Schools Community Forum

Seattle Schools Community Forum: Tuesday Open ThreadWhen the Silas Potter incident was exposed, naturally I was following it very closely.  But when Potter took a plea, I was less interested and so forgot that one of his co-conspirators was going to trial.  According to the Times Potter and David Johnson are turning on each other.    Mr. Johnson is on trial for 42 counts of theft.What is slightly

by mike simpson / 20h 

Anti-Bullying Programs Leading to More Bullying… | PWC Education Reform Blog

Anti-Bullying Programs Leading to More Bullying… | PWC Education Reform Blog:

Anti-Bullying Programs Leading to More Bullying…

October 30, 2013 — pwceducationreform

That’s the conclusion of my colleague Katherine Beals, editor of Out in Left Field, in her article A comprehensive bullying prevention program for selective schools.Katherine states:

“The proliferation of Social and Emotional Learning programs is part and parcel of the American school system’s campaign against bullying. Ironically, as I’ve noted earlier, these programs often end up further enabling the bullies:

Socially savvy kids can take advantage of zero tolerance policies and subtly goad a more socially clueless peer into lashing out. The victim rather than the perpetrator is then the one who gets punished. In whole class discussions in which children are supposed to share their experiences with bullying, the victims may be too uncomfortable to do so, especially if those experiences involved subtle, difficult-to-articulate forms of bullying like shunning, and especially if the victims expect subtle reprisals from peers once the adults are out of earshot.

Also worsening the social climate for quirky kids is the rise of group-centered learning, which proponents claim teaches valuable cooperative skills:

The anecdotes I collected for my book strongly suggest that group learning environments, rather than 

FCMAT » Cali Education Headlines Wednesday, October 30, 2013

FCMAT » Fiscal Crisis & Management Assistance Team:

 BREAKING: LAUSD Superintendent John Deasy's contract extended to 2016

Education Headlines

Wednesday, October 30, 2013

Pacific Grove school bond offers a new approach

Monterey County voters in two districts will be asked to approve bonds to improve the educational experience for their students. One bond could be described as conventional, the other bond as innovative.

Fensterwald: Feds set price of defiance on standardized tests: at least $15 million

The state now knows how much federal funding it stands to lose by declining to give state standardized tests in math and English language arts next spring to all students: at least $15 million – and potentially tens of millions of dollars more.

LAUSD head John Deasy to stay through 2016

After a 4½ hour closed session, the Los Angeles Unified board gave Superintendent John Deasy a “satisfactory” performance evaluation on Tuesday and extended his $330,000-a-year contract for another year.

Thieves steal 62 iPads and laptops from San Jose school

About $70,000 worth of laptop computers and iPads -- some purchased after parents spent two years raising funds for them -- were stolen over the weekend from River Glen Elementary School.

Tuesday, October 29, 2013

Bond financier pleads in South County

A central figure in the South County schools corruption case has pleaded guilty to two felony charges of conspiracy to bribe officials and board members.

Greenfield seeks schools chief

The Greenfield Union School District is in the hunt for a permanent superintendent.The district began advertising the position earlier this month, according to a news release, and has set a Nov. 8 deadline for applications.

Monterey Peninsula school district retirees angry with changes in benefits

After her long history with the district, Mae Johnson felt it was an insult when she received a letter a couple of weeks ago letting her know her medical benefits would no longer be covered as of Jan. 1.

Momentum builds for retaining Deasy as LAUSD chief

As civic groups mobilized in support of Los Angeles Unified Superintendent John Deasy, board member Steve Zimmer expressed optimism Monday that the embattled schools chief can be persuaded to stay on as head of the nation's second-largest district.

Rancho Cucamonga officials examining school security in wake of brawl

What began as a tense, but spirited high school football game between hometown rivals Friday ended in a melee that has school administrators concerned about safety at future athletic events in Rancho Cucamonga.

De Blasio wants charity’s wealth redistributed, too | New York Post

De Blasio wants charity’s wealth redistributed, too | New York Post:

De Blasio wants charity’s wealth redistributed, too

By Post Editorial Board

October 29, 2013 | 10:29pm

Modal Trigger

Mayoral hopeful Bill de Blasio wants the Central Park Conservancy to chip in to help the rest of the city's parks.

Photo: Reuters

Call it Bill de Blasio’s tax on giving.

How else do you explain his support for legislation that would force one of the city’s most generous and effective associations, the Central Park Conservancy, to give away 20 percent of its operating funds in this city to other parks? Or his bid to penalize charter schools for the private philanthropic support they receive?

Both these positions fit with the basic assumption at the heart of de Blasio’s bid for mayor: that government officials know how to spend people’s money better than the people who have earned it. Even more dangerous is that he’s apparently eager to impose the same philosophy to redistribute private charitable giving.

Let’s put aside the moral argument for a second. So much of the best this city has to offer exists only because some successful person used his or her wealth to found or fund some program or institution. That’s why we have the Metropolitan Museum of 

Standardized Testing and the Common Core Standards: You Get What You Pay For? | Brookings Institution

Standardized Testing and the Common Core Standards: You Get What You Pay For? | Brookings Institution:

Standardized Testing and the Common Core Standards: You Get What You Pay For?

By: Matthew M. Chingos

Eighty-five percent of American students attend school in a state that has adopted the Common Core State Standards. As these states transition from adoption to implementation of the new standards, many are grappling with how best to assess whether students are learning the material contained in the Common Core. Debates about the costs and merits of Common Core tests are raging in states across the country. In this report, Brown Center Fellow Matthew M. Chingos critically examines the likely costs of the various assessment options that are available to states, but urges states to also consider test quality in addition to cost when choosing an assessment.

This report analyzes the tests being developed by PARCC and SBAC (the two consortia of states that have received federal funding), as well as other alternative offerings that are currently or soon to be available on the marketplace. The estimated costs of PARCC and SBAC tests ($29.50 and $22.50 per student, respectively) are not far from the nationwide average of what states currently pay for their existing tests, but many states have still expressed concerns about these costs.

Such concerns about the cost of the consortia’s tests likely stem in part from a sense of uncertainty because the consortia have announced estimates, but not firm prices.  States may be concerned that the price will go up, especially if states leave the consortia, and that they will be left without an affordable alternative.  Opponents of the Common Core may be 

When it comes to school leaders, stop waiting for Superman | Hechinger Report

When it comes to school leaders, stop waiting for Superman | Hechinger Report:

When it comes to school leaders, stop waiting for Superman

By Liz Willen

Over the last week, a full Hollywood-style drama rolled out in Los Angeles with a familiar cast of characters. There was school superintendent John Deasy, the polarizing 52-year-old leader portrayed by some as a hero or a villain.

As usual, parents and children of the nation’s second largest school system are the ones left behind in a battle that focused too much on school board intrigue and one man, blurring the already all-too-fuzzy line between politics and education.There were critical school board members and angry teacher union officials who dislike some of Deasy’s policies, playing the role of rogue dissenter.

The final act is yet to come, but on Tuesday night Deasy – who had reportedly told some board members he was frustrated and leaving – thanked the board for a “good and robust evaluation,’’ after five hours behind closed doors.
Deasy’s “satisfactory,” board rating immediately extends his $330,000 contract through June, 2016. The Los Angeles Teachers Union (UTLA) disagreed, of course, calling the board’s evaluation of Deasy and the extension of his contract “not satisfactory.”

Once again, the intense focus and mobilizing that took place in advance and even after the vote distracts attention from the needs of a poor and sprawling district — one beset by a litany of seemingly intractable urban problem that find their way into classrooms everywhere.

RELATED STORIES

• After crowd rallies in his favor, L.A. superintendent says he’ll stay
• Advice for L.A. Superintendent John Deasy: Should he stay or should he go?

Plenty of parents tried to get their voices heard on Tuesday, a day of rallies, marching and chanting, largely in support of Deasy – but ultimately their voices don’t matter much.

“Children before politics,’’ read one irony-rich sign with a message that simply didn’t jive with 

Campus Equity Week — Equal Pay, Unionize, Stop the Flow of Public Education into the Pockets of Money Changers! | Dissident Voice

Campus Equity Week — Equal Pay, Unionize, Stop the Flow of Public Education into the Pockets of Money Changers! | Dissident Voice:

Campus Equity Week — Equal Pay, Unionize, Stop the Flow of Public Education into the Pockets of Money Changers!

by Paul Haeder / October 30th, 2013

So, how do I say this? I went to Vacations International last night with my special education partner. She just got off work at 7 p.m., a day that, well, started at 7 a.m. You know, children, abused some of them, bad homes, bad things in their lives, and the developmental delays, the challenges of autism,  etc. I got that goofy American huckster phone call that I had won a prize. I tracked it down — the total surveillance and sharing all personal information part — to the Clark County Fair when I took some of my clients there two months ago, to enjoy the scene and livestock and greasy food. I guess I was fooling around with one of the brain killers, some iPad set up, while next to the 4000-pound bulls, and I inadvertently signed into/up for a contest.

What a pathetic world we are. A bunch of guys and a few women in a building in Vancouver. That’s 8 p.m., and the Hawaiian music was blaring, some of the folk had on Hawaii shirts, and, well, here we were, just ready to listen, laugh at the Vacation Ownership scheme, and get our RT airfare and two nights in a hotel in one of those great American cities — Las Vegas, Reno, Phoenix, LA, SF and somewhere else.

Hotel, plane, and a meal coupon. Free (sic).

Not just teachers do this kind of shit. Really, even the Trumps of the World get free things. Remember when Romney gave his half-consumed hot cocoa to the servers as a tip — “This is really good, and here, dear, I left you some.” Romney tip. This is how they work, whether WASPs or WJFCs — white jewish financial class. It was a waste of time, in many ways, but I am a writer, an observer, and one up for story after story on America’s slide into the sty. But also an experience that is, what, a back to the future kind of thing for 

UPDATE: This Is the Problem | the becoming radical

This Is the Problem | the becoming radical:

THIS IS THE PROBLEM

I love Jesus Navas

On Twitter, I posted the following:

2 guaranteed reforms reformers refuse to do: 1) give children books 2) give poor children’s parents money.

Both of these are supported by solid research—the need for access to books and choice reading by decades of research in literacy and the second point is powerfully supported by a recent study from the Joseph Rowntree Foundation:

The impact of increases in income on cognitive development appears roughly comparable with that of spending similar amounts on school [emphasis added] or early education programmes. Increasing household income could substantially reduce differences in schooling outcomes, while also improving wider aspects of children’s well-being.

Yet, here is a response I received:

I’m afraid some poor children’s parents do not spend money wisely.

And the person’s Twitter profile begins with “I love Jesus!”

This is the problem.

The default assumption in the U.S. about people in poverty is paralyzed by stereotypes and blind to the inverse of this person’s fear: In a world in which childhood poverty in the U.S. exceeds 20% and the new majority in public schools is

For the Record: Should We Trust Advocates of “No Excuses”?

The short answer is, No. When “The Softer Side of ‘No Excuses’” was published at Education Next, I posted a comment* and then emailed one of the authors, Robert (Bob) Maranto, an endowed chair in the Department of Education Reform at the University of Arkansas. My initial email stated directly that one implication in the article is blatantly untrue and essentially nasty: Like all charter schools,

4 by plthomasedd / 19min 

New teacher evaluations: Tougher but not always used to... | Get Schooled | www.ajc.com

New teacher evaluations: Tougher but not always used to... | Get Schooled | www.ajc.com:

New teacher evaluations: Tougher but not always used to improve instruction 

Previous Posts

• Bye bye books? More babies and toddlers use tablets, smartphones.
  October 30, 2013
• Student urges DeKalb school board to approve Druid Hills charter cluster
  October 29, 2013
• "I'm not a math person." Maybe you would be if you tried harder.
  October 27, 2013

By Maureen Downey

Speaking of new studies per my previous posting this morning, the National Council on Teacher Quality just released"Connecting the Dots: Using Evaluations of Teacher Effectiveness to Inform Policy and Practice."

The council describes the study as "a lay of the land on state teacher evaluation policy in 2013."

Here is the full report.

Here is the official summary: (Note Georgia gets kudos for adopting a policy connecting the performance of students to their teachers and the institutions where the teachers trained.)

The report finds that there has been an unprecedented adoption of more rigorous teacher evaluation policies across the states, with 35 states and the District of Columbia Public Schools now requiring student achievement to be a significant criterion for rating teacher effectiveness.

Most states, however, are lagging in efforts to use this new information about teacher 

The Educated Reporter: New Reports Focus on Teacher Quality

The Educated Reporter: New Reports Focus on Teacher Quality:

New Reports Focus on Teacher Quality

Two new reports are out today addressing issues related to teacher quality, and both deserve a close reading.

The first is from the National Council on Teacher Quality, and it's a "state of the states" report on where teacher evaluations stand nationally. There have been quite a few changes since the group, which advocates for greater accountability and transparency in issues related to teacher effectiveness, published its prior overviewin 2011. Thirty-five states are now tying teacher evaluations -- and tenure decisions -- to student test scores. That's up from 24 just three years ago. But NCTQ contends there hasn't been enough progress making sure evaluation data is used in a meaningful way to actually improve the teacher workforce.

The journal Education Next has a new study from researchers Daniel Goldhaber and Joe Walch of the University of Washington, which found the average SAT for new teachers entering the profession climbed eight percentage rank points between 1993 and 2008.  The new study by Goldhaber and Walch is particularly relevant given that  concerns about the low bar set for applicants by many of the nations 

From John Connolly, Three Lies and a Truth | EduShyster

From John Connolly, Three Lies and a Truth | EduShyster:

From John Connolly, Three Lies and a Truth

Boston mayoral candidate John Connolly likes to say that he wants to be the city’s education mayor. But teacher Nancy Bloom, who taught at the same charter school at which Connolly briefly worked, says that, like the Snark-hunter in Lewis Carroll’s famous poem, whether Connolly proclaims his knowledge of education once, twice or a thousand times, it won’t be true. “This is for you, Bellman Connolly,” writes Bloom. “Your three lies and one truth.” “Just the place for a Snark!” the Bellman cried,
As he landed his crew with care;
Supporting each man on the top of the tide
By a finger entwined in his hair.
“Just the place for a Snark! I have said it twice:

That alone should encourage the crew.

Just the place for a Snark! I have said it thrice:

What I tell you three times is true.”
 
From The Hunting of the Snark by Lewis Carroll

By Nancy Bloom
John Connolly likes to say that he wants to be Boston’s education mayor but the title of first Snark-hunting mayor might be more accurate. Whether he proclaims his knowledge