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Monday, March 13, 2017

Expanded View of the ELA/ELD Framework Resources - Curriculum Frameworks (CA Dept of Education)

Expanded View of the ELA/ELD Framework Resources - Curriculum Frameworks (CA Dept of Education):

Expanded View of the ELA/ELD Framework Resources
A Collection of Resources That Support the Implementation of the English Language Arts/English Language Development Framework.
Image result for English Language Arts/English Language Development Framework.

The California Department of Education (CDE) continues to develop and collect resources critical to implementing the California content standards and increasing student achievement. This select collection of resources connects the content in the ELA/ELD Framework with other resources from the CDE, as well as other reputable sources that address the five key instructional themes: meaning making, effective expression, language development, content knowledge, and foundational skills. The intent of this collection is to provide educators additional resources they can use to expand the scope of the guidance in the ELA/ELD Framework and to inform professional development and instructional decisions at all schools and districts.  
The resources included here are structured around the five key themes in the ELA/ELD Framework. The resources are further organized by grade level and area of focus. The selection of resources begins with exemplars from the ELA/ELD Framework. These are supported by a selection of resources from the CDE Web site or originate from other sources, including national entities or local educational agencies in California. All resources included in this document have been reviewed by CDE staff to ensure, to the extent possible, that they
  • were created or recommended by a reliable source;
  • have been used in classrooms, schools, or districts;
  • demonstrate evidence of positive impact or evidence of usefulness for an intended audience (e.g., students, teachers, administrators, schools, districts);
  • are timely, given current educational priorities and policy developments;
  • reference research; and
  • are aligned to current standards.
Note: Additional resources may be added as they become available.
Questions:   Curriculum Frameworks and Instructional Resources Division | CFIRD@cde.ca.gov | 916-319-0881
 Expanded View of the ELA/ELD Framework Resources - Curriculum Frameworks (CA Dept of Education):
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DeVos tells big-city school superintendents she believes in ‘great public schools’ — but some remain skeptical - The Washington Post

DeVos tells big-city school superintendents she believes in ‘great public schools’ — but some remain skeptical - The Washington Post:

DeVos tells big-city school superintendents she believes in ‘great public schools’ — but some remain skeptical



Education Secretary Betsy DeVos told urban school superintendents on Monday that her agency intends to support their work and that “great public schools” should be among the education options available to families.
“I trust parents, I trust teachers, and I trust school leaders to do what is right for the students they serve,” she said, emphasizing her push to shrink the federal government’s role in local schools. “When Washington gets out of your way, you should be able to unleash new and creative thinking to set children up for success.”
It was a conciliatory message from an education secretary who has spent nearly three decades promoting vouchers, charter schools and other alternatives to traditional public schools. But it did not quell all the skepticism in the room at the annual legislative conference of the Council of the Great City Schools, a coalition of 68 big-city school systems.
[Trump surrogate: GOP candidate would do away with ‘corrupted, incompetent’ public schools]
“I think we heard the kind of philosophical statements that everyone can support,” said Allegra “Happy” Haynes, a Denver school board member. “They were a little short on details.”
Haynes said DeVos’s affinity for cutting red tape doesn’t always mesh with her desire to empower parents. For example: President Barack Obama’s administration wrote regulations requiring states to consult with parents and community members in developing plans for holding schools accountable for results. But Congress scrapped those regulations last week, and DeVos made clear that though states may ask parents for input if they wish, federal law DeVos tells big-city school superintendents she believes in ‘great public schools’ — but some remain skeptical - The Washington Post:


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Seattle Schools Community Forum: Badmouthing Public Schools When You Have no other Argument

Seattle Schools Community Forum: Badmouthing Public Schools When You Have no other Argument:

Badmouthing Public Schools When You Have no other Argument


Washington Policy Center Doesn't Fool Anyone 

Remember when I put up this meme on Education Savings accounts that compared it to parents asking for park savings accounts?  I thought it was pretty clever.

Well, the folks over at the Washington Policy Center don't think so.  And that's fine. But man, do they swing waaay too far over the line in their assessment of the current state of public schools.  To wit:

Asking your state legislator for a so-called Park Savings Account makes perfect sense if the following conditions exist

- The law says your child must spend at least six hours every weekday at a public park.
- The park she must attend is assigned by local officials, based on your zip code.
- The park in your zip-code is rat-infested, overgrown, unmaintained and generally neglected.
- The staff at the park is ineffective and can’t be fired.
- The Parks Union controls the Parks Management Board, and uses politics to block any real improvements.
- Staff membership in the Parks Union is mandatory and funded by tax money taken from staff paychecks.
Well, sure the first one doesn't line up perfectly but that really wasn't the point. 

Schools are "rat-infested and overgrown and neglected?"  I myself have many Seattle Schools Community Forum: Badmouthing Public Schools When You Have no other Argument:



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A Florida court decision about third-graders and testing falls ‘on the side of stupid’ - The Washington Post

A Florida court decision about third-graders and testing falls ‘on the side of stupid’ - The Washington Post:

A Florida court decision about third-graders and testing falls ‘on the side of stupid’


A picture of the scene in court on Friday, Aug. 12, where judge heard lawsuit by parents against education officials in Florida. This was drawn by Peyton Mears, an 11-year-old who was at the hearing to support the parents. The woman on the stand is a parent, Michelle Rhea. (Drawing by Peyton Mears)
A picture of the scene in a Florida court Aug. 12, where a judge heard a lawsuit by parents against state education officials. This was drawn by Peyton Mears, an 11-year-old who was at the hearing to support the parents. The woman on the stand is a parent, Michelle Rhea. (Peyton Mears)
“Florida, in short, had a chance to show whether it was on the side of education or on the side of stupid. It picked stupid.”
That’s how veteran teacher Peter Greene described what an appeals court in Florida just did in a case about some third-graders — including honor students — whose parents opted them out of a state-mandated standardized test in spring 2016 and who then weren’t permitted to move on to the fourth grade. Three judges on the court decided that a standardized reading test is the best way to decide whether third-graders should move to fourth grade — not actual school work or grades.
Assessment experts say it isn’t true — despite years of battles over the value of high-stakes standardized test scores — but the judges ruled that way anyway. It is worth noting that Florida has had so many serious problems with its standardized testing accountability system — in which high-stakes test results are used to evaluate students, teachers and schools — that school superintendents statewide revolted in 2015 and said they had “lost confidence” in its accuracy.
The case involves a Florida law, passed years ago when Jeb Bush was governor. It says that students who fail a third-grade language arts test can’t move on to the fourth grade, though some children who can demonstrate required reading ability through a state-approved alternative test or student portfolio can win promotion if a school district decides to allow an exemption. The third-grade retention policy has not been shown to have a lasting benefit to students, but Florida and other states that adopted it at Bush’s urging maintain it anyway.
[Here’s what Jeb Bush really did to public education in Florida]
Parents of the third-graders from a number of school districts who were denied promotion because they opted out of the test went to court and sued. In August 2016, Leon County Circuit Court Judge Karen Gievers ruled that those school districts that had refused to promote third-graders who declined to answer the test questions had been wrong to do so. She wrote:
“Grade 3 students with no reading deficiency should not be retained, but should be promoted.”
But the case was appealed and the 1st District Court of Appeal just overturned Gievers’s ruling. Three judges on the appeals court panel said the districts weren’t wrong, and they made clear that they think that  standardized testing is the best way to determine whether a student has the reading skills necessary for promotion, not proficiency:A Florida court decision about third-graders and testing falls ‘on the side of stupid’ - The Washington Post:




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Critics of Trump’s trans bathroom policy point to bullying and suicide – VICE News

Critics of Trump’s trans bathroom policy point to bullying and suicide – VICE News:

“Children, not ideology”

Critics of Trump's trans bathroom policy point to bullying, violence, and suicide

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Lawmakers and educators from both sides of the aisle have come out strongly against the Trump administration’s decision to revoke the Obama-era policy protecting transgender students under Title IX by allowing them to use bathrooms that match their gender identity. 
The decision, announced Wednesday, was a major blow to trans and civil rights advocates, who viewed the federal guidance issued last May by the Department of Justice and Department of Education as an important step forward in affirming the dignity and humanity of transgender Americans. Trump’s move leaves the issue to the states.
GOP Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen from Florida condemned it in a statement. “This lamentable decision can lead to hostile treatment of transgender students, and studies have shown that bullying and harassment can be detrimental to the emotional and physical well-being of students,” wrote Ros-Lehtinen, who has a transgender son and has been an outspoken advocate of trans and LGBTQ rights. “Evidence has shown that acceptance of transgender students lowers their risk of suicide.”
Nearly 25 percent of transgender youth have attempted suicide, and 50 percent have seriously considered it, according to the Youth Suicide Prevention Program.
John Fluharty, former executive director of the Delaware Republican Party, who is also openly gay, wrote in a statement to VICE News: “Almost a decade of federal court rulings and agency opinions have determined that Title IX’s protections against sex discrimination, along with the Constitution’s guarantee of equal protection, apply to transgendered people. Why we’re even having this discussion is beyond me.”
Press Secretary Sean Spicer said earlier this week that President Trump believed that the matter of trans rights should be a state issue rather than a federal one. U.S. And Attorney General Jeff Sessions in a statement released Wednesday night said that the Obama administration’s interpretation of Title IX with regards to trans students was wrong.
American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten thinks it’s Trump who’s wrong on this. “The Trump administration is compromising the safety and security of some of our most vulnerable children. Children, not ideology, should be the priority,” Weingarten wrote, adding that LGBTQ kids often endure “a disproportionate amount of bullying and violence at school leading to increased levels of fear, anxiety, or worse.”
National Education Association President Lily Eskelsen Garcia also commented, saying that Trump’s decision to rescind those protections for trans students was “dangerous, ill-advised, and unnecessary.” “We don’t teach hate, we do not tell people how to pray, we do not discriminate against people based on their religion, gender, or identity. Period,” Eskelsen Garcia wrote.
Education Secretary Betsy DeVos reportedly voiced concerns about revoking the policy with U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions, citing the high rates of suicide among trans students, the New York Times reported Wednesday, but she ultimately decided to add her signature after pressure from the president. Her tweet expressing solidarity for the LGBTQ community Thursday morning was widely denounced as hypocritical.
Betsy DeVos ✔@BetsyDeVosED
I consider protecting all students, including  students, not only a key priority for the Department, but for every school in America.
4:42 PM - 22 Feb 2017
Some Democratic lawmakers were also vocal in their criticism. New York Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand called the move a “shameful” and “horrible” decision.


Pennsylvania Sen. Bob Casey wrote that “no child should be afraid when theyCritics of Trump’s trans bathroom policy point to bullying and suicide – VICE News: 


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'Fund education first' deadline touted, questioned - NonDoc

'Fund education first' deadline touted, questioned - NonDoc:

‘Fund education first’ deadline touted, questioned

Beware of AstroTurf Ed Reformers 


Astroturf lobbying refers to political organizations or campaigns that appear to be made up of grassroots activists but are actually organized and run by corporate interests seeking to further their own agendas. Such groups are often typified by innocent-sounding names that have been chosen specifically to disguise the group's true backers

“My students have literally asked me why our state’s lawmakers don’t care about them.”
Nina Coerver’s words rang through a crowded press conference this morning. The Oklahoma Education Association and Stand For Children Oklahoma had called for lawmakers to meet a consequence-free deadline to “fund education first.” Passed into law circa 2003, the April 1 deadline has not been met during the past decade.
A history teacher at Westmoore High School, Coerver said she has learned a great deal this school year while facing tight classroom budgets.
“I’ve learned that file folders, tape, staplers and copy paper are expensive,” she said. “I’ve learned that I’m incredibly lucky that my biggest class is only 34 students.”
Coerver said uncertain education funding directly affects course offerings, class resources and teacher employment.
“I think what people don’t understand is that it’s impacting our kids,” she said following Monday’s press conference. “I teach in Moore, and while we’re still struggling, I think we’re better off than more rural districts and urban districts.”

‘No ramifications for lawmakers’ on deadline

Amber England, executive director of the state’s Stand For Children chapter, told media members that the fund education first deadline was proposed initially by Republicans when they were in the minority. She said its intent was to “give school districts financial certainty” as they planned for subsequent years.
“If they don’t have that critical information, they don’t know what’s going to happen,” England said. “Are they going to have to lay off more teachers? Are they going to have to 'Fund education first' deadline touted, questioned - NonDoc:
fund education first

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New Texas Lawsuit: VAM-Based Estimates as Indicators of Teachers’ “Observable” Behaviors | VAMboozled!

New Texas Lawsuit: VAM-Based Estimates as Indicators of Teachers’ “Observable” Behaviors | VAMboozled!:

New Texas Lawsuit: VAM-Based Estimates as Indicators of Teachers’ “Observable” Behaviors
Last week I spent a few days in Austin, one day during which I provided expert testimony for a new state-level lawsuit that has the potential to impact teachers throughout Texas. The lawsuit — Texas State Teachers Association (TSTA) v. Texas Education Agency (TEA), Mike Morath in his Official Capacity as Commissioner of Education for the State of Texas.
The key issue is that, as per the state’s Texas Education Code (Sec. § 21.351, see here) regarding teachers’ “Recommended Appraisal Process and Performance Criteria,” The Commissioner of Education must adopt “a recommended teacher appraisal process and criteria on which to appraise the performance of teachers. The criteria must be based on observable, job-related behavior, including: (1) teachers’ implementation of discipline management procedures; and (2) the performance of teachers’ students.” As for the latter, the State/TEA/Commissioner defined, as per its Texas Administrative Code (T.A.C., Chapter 15, Sub-Chapter AA, §150.1001, see here), that teacher-level value-added measures should be treated as one of the four measures of “(2) the performance of teachers’ students;” that is, one of the four measures recognized by the State/TEA/Commissioner as an “observable” indicator of a teacher’s “job-related” performance.
While currently no district throughout the State of Texas is required to use a value-added component to assess and evaluate its teachers, as noted, the value-added component is listed as one of four measures from which districts must choose at least one. All options listed in the category of “observable” indicators include: (A) student learning objectives (SLOs); (B) student portfolios; (C) pre- and post-test results on district-level assessments; and (D) value-added data based on student state assessment results.
Related, the state has not recommended or required that any district, if the value-added option is selected, to choose any particular value-added model (VAM) or calculation approach. Nor has it recommended or required that any district adopt any consequences as attached to these output; however, things like teacher contract renewal and sharing New Texas Lawsuit: VAM-Based Estimates as Indicators of Teachers’ “Observable” Behaviors | VAMboozled!:


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