Developing Active Readers Student Voice

Student Voice:

Developing Active Readers

by Editor Admin

Repost from Edutopia by Rebecca Alber. With the end of the university year already here and with the high school year’s end rapidly approaching, what better topic to discuss than summer reading plans? 
Adults forget all that they do while reading. We are predicting, making connections, contextualizing, critiquing, and already plotting how we might use any new insights or information. Yep, we do all that when we read.
As teachers, we need to train students in each of these skills, and begin to do so early on. I was recently in a second-grade classroom where 70 percent instruction was in English and 30 percent in Spanish. Most of the children spoke Spanish as their first or home language.
As the students sat on the carpet and the teacher read to them, she’d pause every few minutes so students 

Jeb Bush Talks Education At Mackinac, Pushes Michigan's Questionable Charter School Sector

Jeb Bush Talks Education At Mackinac, Pushes Michigan's Questionable Charter School Sector:

Jeb Bush Talks Education At Mackinac, Pushes Michigan's Questionable Charter School Sector

by Joy Resmovits

MACKINAC ISLAND, Mich. -- Jeb Bush praised charter schools and slammed traditional public schools and teachers unions in a speech here Wednesday, saying that public education “dumbs down standards to make adults look better," a phrase often used by U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan.

"We must expand [school] choice," said Bush, delivering a keynote speech at the annual Mackinac Policy Conference in northern Michigan. "Our governance model includes over 13,000 government-run monopolies run by unions."

Since he left office, the former Florida governor has become an evangelist for a certain strand of education reform; through his $19 million Foundation for Excellenge in Education, he advocates for online education, grading schools based on test scores and forcing students to repeat grades if they don't pass standardized exams.

At Mackinac Wednesday, Bush championed the growth of charter schools, the fastest-growing sector of public 

State high court is skeptical of nurses' stance on school duties - latimes.com

State high court is skeptical of nurses' stance on school duties - latimes.com:

State high court is skeptical of nurses' stance on school duties

by By Maura Dolan

SAN FRANCISCO -- The California Supreme Court appeared skeptical Wednesday of arguments that only licensed nurses may administer insulin injections and other medications to schoolchildren.

During a hearing, several justices on the state high court questioned whether such requirements made sense.

The California Nurses Assn. has argued that state law requires licensed nurses to administer medication to school children, and two lower courts have agreed.

Justice Ming W. Chin, noting that most schools do not have full-time nurses, questioned why they should have to call in a licensed practitioner even if the child’s parents and physician have authorized a trained and designated school employee to administer insulin.

“You have this bureaucratic nightmare,” Chin said. “What happens to the kids?”

Justice Joyce L. Kennard asked why the state would prohibit a trained employee from giving an insulin shot “when even a child who is not too young can administer himself or herself.”

The court is considering a ruling by Chief Justice Tani Cantil-Sakauye, who while on a lower appellate court wrote a unanimous decision in favor of the nurses.  Because of her prior ruling, she is not participating in the high court’s decision.

The lower court ruling included a concurring opinion from a justice who questioned the wisdom of 

UPDATE: Washington State Charter Schools - the Beat Goes On Seattle Schools Community Forum: Math Curriculum Update

Seattle Schools Community Forum: Math Curriculum Update:

Seattle Schools' Professional Development Study

by Melissa Westbrook

Our friends over at the "Our" Schools Coalition commissioned a study from on professional development in Seattle Schools. 

This study is preliminary work to what appears to be an on-going interest from the OSC.  They've chosen to start at the top with Central SPS staff.  (Only SEA and Central staff were interviewed, not teachers.)

I found some of the statements in the study to be:

• amazing (the district spends $44M on PD - who would have guessed it?), 
• depressing (Central Office staff appear to lack a clear and shared vision of what PD should be 

Washington State Charter Schools - the Beat Goes On

by Melissa Westbrook

I do plan on doing a thread on the latest Charter Commission meeting but there is some other charter news.

From the Everett Herald, there's a story about Jim Spady and his efforts, over the last 20 years, to bring charters to Washington State.  As an activist, I can only admire their drive and tenacity (even if I don't really support the outcome).   The article does bring up two issues I had wanted to call out.

One, the lawsuit against 1240 is very much alive, according to Rich Wood of the WEA.  According to the article, it's "in the works" but the WEA is concentrating on McCleary first.  (Good call.)

Two, Mr. Spady is to be part of the new Washington State Charter School Association.  This association is a line-up of the usual suspects. 

Math Curriculum Update

by Melissa Westbrook

From the Seattle Math Coalition:

FYI,  the district has changed their math adoption plan based on budget concerns.  The proposed K-8 adoption which was supposed to be in classrooms in Fall of 2014 is now only a K-5 adoption, with 6-8 to be delayed for another year!

This files in the face of common sense:

1)  CMP2 is a train wreck for families without stellar teachers or family/tutor support

2)  Despite a goal of a 7-year adoption cycle, the CMP2 materials are already at year 7.  They are a year older 

Horse Hockey | EduShyster

Horse Hockey | EduShyster:

Horse Hockey

by edushyster2012

An exclusive Michigan gathering attracts some high-profile education reformers—and more than a few flies.
Horse Hockey is defined as:

1. Horse excrement, horseshit.
2. (slang, euphemistic) False or deceitful statements; lies; exaggerations; nonsense. (a euphemism forhorseshit)
3. A tall tale so extravagant as to be unbelievable
4. An expression of disbelief or disgust

Welcome to beautiful Mackinac Island. Home to the annual Mackinac Policy Conference, this exclusive enclave is currently swarming with more than 1,500 businessmen, politicians and education leaders all gathered with one mission in mind: making Michigan a better place. The featured topic at this year’s event: education, including the fiercely urgent topic of how best to prepare young Michiganders (Miniganders?) to compete in the global 

Jersey Jazzman: US Census Bureau: Most Charters Not "Public " Schools

Jersey Jazzman: US Census Bureau: Most Charters Not "Public " Schools:

US Census Bureau: Most Charters Not "Public " Schools

by Duke

NOT a public school.

It's official: according to the US Census Bureau, most charter schools are not "public":

Charter Schools
The data in this report include only those charter schools established and administratively controlled by another government entity (e.g., universities, cities, counties, or public school systems). The data for these “public charter schools” are collected as separate, individual units, or are included with the data for their chartering government. Charter schools that do not meet the Census Bureau criteria for classification as a government entity are considered “private charter schools” and are not included in this report.
In order for a charter school to be classified as a “public charter school,” it must meet the same requirements as any other government. It must be an organized entity, with substantial autonomy, and governmental character. Typically, if the school board is appointed 

Smarter Balanced Practice Tests - Assessment Information (CA Dept of Education)

Smarter Balanced Practice Tests - Assessment Information (CA Dept of Education):

Smarter Balanced Practice Tests

---

The Smarter Balanced Practice Tests are now available for grades 3 through 8 and grade 11 in English-language arts (ELA) and mathematics. The Practice Tests provide a preview of the Smarter Balanced assessments, but do not reflect the full range of content that students may encounter on the actual assessments. As such, the practice tests should not be used to guide instructional decisions about students. Scoring keys are expected to be available in summer 2013, but no score reports are generated from the Practice Tests. The Practice Tests will be available through summer 2014.

System Requirements

A computer connected to the Internet is required with one of the following Web browsers:

• Mozilla Firefox 3.6 and higher
• Google Chrome 18 and higher
• Apple Safari 5 and higher
• Default Web browsers on iPad and Android tablets
• Smarter Balanced Secure Browser  (required for text-to-speech functionality)

An individual user account is not required to take the Practice Tests. Use the GUEST login and session when prompted.

Accessibility and Accommodations

The Practice Tests have general accessibility tools such as highlighting text and zooming content in and out. Also, the following accommodations are available for ELA (grades 4, 7, and 11) and mathematics (grades 3, 7, and 11):

• Text-to-speech
• Braille (mathematics only; ELA braille available June 12, 2013)
• Spanish glossary (mathematics only)

Fall 2013 Enhancements

By fall 2013, the Practice Tests will be augmented with additional features, including:

• Full array of performance tasks for mathematics (including classroom-based activities)
• Classroom-based activities for ELA performance tasks in all grades
• Scoring keys and rubrics for items requiring extended writing
• American Sign Language translation
• Text-to-speech, Braille, and Spanish glossary (mathematics only) for all grades
• Support for Microsoft Internet Explorer 9 and 10

Take the Practice Test

Take the Practice Test  (use the GUEST login and session)

More Information

Resources and Documentation  - User Guide, Classroom Activity Guidelines, and Classroom Activities

Practice Test Information from smarterbalanced.org 

Related Content

• Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium - Latest information about new generation of assessments.

State Schools Chief Tom Torlakson Encourages Taking an
Early Look at New, Online Smarter Balanced Practice Tests 

SACRAMENTO—State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson encouraged students, educators, and parents to try out the Smarter Balanced Practice Tests launched today to familiarize themselves and the public with the new generation of computer-based assessments students will take starting in the 2014-15 school year.

"These practice tests give teachers, students, and parents a glimpse into understanding the skills and abilities our children will need to do well on test day and in preparation for college and career," Torlakson said. "This marks another step forward in the effort to help schools prepare to replace outdated assessments with tests that gauge the kind of critical thinking and deeper learning that comes with a world-class education."

The Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium (Smarter Balanced) placed online for public access the set of practice tests for grades three through eight and grade eleven. For each grade, practice tests will be available in both English-language arts (ELA) and mathematics.

The practice tests are available on the California Department of Education Smarter Balanced Practice Tests Web page.

The practice tests include test questions with the same features that students will experience in 2014-15, when the tests are scheduled to be given to more than 19 million of the nation's public K-12 students, including California's students. Smarter Balanced assessment items and performance tasks were written and reviewed in collaboration with K-12 teachers and higher education faculty and aligned to the Common Core State Standards.

# # # #

Tom Torlakson — State Superintendent of Public Instruction
Communications Division, Room 5206, 916-319-0818, Fax 916-319-0100

Ed Notes Online: Video - Mayoral Debate on Education: The Winner is ..... Moderator Zakiyah Ansari

Ed Notes Online: Video - Mayoral Debate on Education: The Winner is ..... Moderator Zakiyah Ansari:

Video - Mayoral Debate on Education: The Winner is ..... Moderator Zakiyah Ansari

by ed notes online

Republished with full video coverage:
No one was more impressive than Zakiyah who dominated the debate with her no-nonsense take charge approach. I guess many of the candidates did not know much about her but every single one of them took notice.

Zakiayah for mayor.

The press corps was massive due to Weiner -- a major victory for NY-GPS in getting him to show -- did they have to guarantee him the seat next to Zakiyah which got the most camera work?
The biggest loser? Quinn by far, who was ridiculed. She is slipping into oblivion. Will we see a Weiner/Thompson run-off?

Video of entire debate plus my one on one post debate questions to Thompson and de Blasio.
https://vimeo.com/67227031

Popout

Friday I will publish my Wave column on how I got tossed from a 

Newark Union Election: NEW Vision Opposed by Randi/Unity SAC Slate

by ed notes online

NEW Vision exposes the SAC (of you know what) slate which is similar to Unity here and the Chicago crew that opposed CORE which was also attacked by the ed deform press just as NEW Visions is attacked by Star Ledger. SAC (of you know what) followed the team of Randi Weingarten and Klein disciple and now Newark Supe Cami Anderson, a TFA ed deformer supremo. (You know the old saying -- lie down in a SAC of you know what and get fleas -- not to insult fleas.)

We wrote about the bad deal Randi sold to the teachers back in October (Newark Contract: Weingarten is a Serial Pusher of ...) and in April where we channeled blogger Jersey Jazzman (Randi Sellout Tour Coming to Fruition in Newark).

This summer MORE and NEW Caucus may be doing some joint events. 

Here is the missive from NEW Caucus:

1)  By now, many of you have probably received the first of the negative (and expensive!) SAC Slate mailers that will go out this week as ballots go out.  SAC Slate is the current NTU leadership, and they are doing whatever is necessary to take our eyes off the serious

NYC Educator: An Encouraging Word

NYC Educator: An Encouraging Word:

An Encouraging Word

by NYC Educator

I've been attending meetings and talking to people from UFT for some time now. Often, they say things like no city union has a contract. Of course, that's hard to argue with, being that it's absolutely true. But what I rarely hear is that UFT was ignored not only in this round of pattern bargaining, but in the last as well. I've brought that up to vacant stares, and while no one contradicted me, no one seems to comment on it one way or another either.

This piece in the Daily News is all about the taxpayers, and how awful it is that they have to actually pay people to work. Evidently, if teachers, cops and firefighters would work for free, it could save the city billions. Yet those greedy public sector unions, with their health benefits and 5-day weeks, are ruining it for the rest of us.

Despite that tone, here's something I didn't expect to see:

Mulgrew has sought a ruling by a factfinding panel as the UFT seeks to gain two 4% raises that 

Education By The Numbers | The number of high poverty schools increases by about 60 percent

Education By The Numbers | The number of high poverty schools increases by about 60 percent:

The number of high poverty schools increases by about 60 percent

Poverty is getting so concentrated in America that one out of five public schools was classified as as a “high poverty” school in 2011 by the U.S.  Department of Education. To win this unwelcome designation, 75 percent or more of an elementary, middle or high school’s students qualified for free or reduced-price lunch. About a decade earlier, in 2000, only one in eight public schools was deemed to be high poverty. That’s about a 60 percent increase in the number of very poor schools!

This  figure was part of a large data report, The Condition of Education 2013, released by the National Center for Education Statistics on May 23, 2013.  There’s a lot to chew on in it. But school poverty jumped out at me as a really depressing data point showing the growing income inequality in America.

Qualifying for free or reduced price lunch is an imperfect measure of poverty.  A mother with two kids who makes under $35,000 a year would be in this group.  Certainly, that’s poor family in New York City, but maybe not destitute in Utah. I’ve also heard that many poor families feel that it is such a stigma to accept a discounted or free lunch that they don’t sign up for the program. So the poverty rates in many schools are probably much higher than the official statistics say they are.

Here is the chart of income thresholds to qualify for free and reduced price lunch.

First Focus | Early Education Focus

Home | First Focus | Early Education Focus:

Early Education in Focus We're pleased to introduce the first issue of our new early education newsletter, Early Education in Focus. If you would like to continue receiving the periodic newsletter, please sign-up here. What's the Plan? President Obama included a plan for widely available high quality pre-K in his budget request, adding his ideas on expanding access and improving quality of pre-K to the existing proposals already in Congress. Our analysiscompares the pre-K portion of the President’s plan to Senator Casey and Representative Maloney’s Prepare All Kids Act (S.502/H.R.1368), Senator Hirono and Representative McCarthy’s Pre-K Act (S.519/H.R.1041), and Senator Murray’s Ready to Learn Act (S.322). This analysis reveals that there is more than one way to improve how our nation delivers pre-K, and shows the desire both in Congress and in the Administration to invest more in early learning.  Did You Know? For every $1 invested in high quality pre-K, there is a $7 return?  Share this fact on Twitter A Comparison of Pre-K Plans Search resources April 17, 2013 By Kevin Lindsey Download this Resource Pre-Kindergarten (pre-K) has received national attention since President Obama spoke about it in his State of the Union address, released a plan for a federal-state partnership to make high quality publicly funded pre-K available to all 4-year-olds, and made this new initiative a centerpiece of the Administration’s budget proposal released on April 10th. Members of Congress in both chambers have long understood the importance of making high quality pre-K available for every child. As in past years, these members have introduced legislation in the 113th Congress that would increase the availability and improve the quality of publicly funded pre-K. This fact sheet compares these bills with the President’s plan. 'State of Preschool Yearbook' On Tuesday, April 30th, the National Institute for Early Education Research (NIEER) released their annual State of Preschool Yearbook on the Hill. This annual report profiles state-funded pre-K initiatives, and this year reveals that overall funding this year decreased dramatically, the third year in row funding has fallen, resulting in stagnant enrollment growth and failure to improve quality. The Hill release included a panel discussion of pre-K with Steve Barnett, Director of NIEER; Roberto Rodriguez, Special Assistant to President Obama for Education in the White House Domestic Policy Council; and Ron Haskins, a senior fellow in the Economic Studies program and co-director of the Center on Children and Families at the Brookings Institution; moderated by Bruce Lesley, President of First Focus.; highlighting critical differences on children’s health, child nutrition, and other critical and timely issues for kids. President's FY2014 Budget Request On April 10, 2013, President Obama released his Fiscal Year 2014 budget request. Our fact sheet looks at early education in his budget proposal, highlighting a major new initiative that would provide a continuum of prenatal to age 5 care and education to ensure healthy development for young children. Early Education in the Cleveland Plain Dealer The Cleveland Plain Dealer published our letter to the editor on the importance of building a federal-state partnership to make pre-K affordable to every child and give our kids a better chance to compete in tomorrow's economy. Read the entire letter here. The Time Has Come for Preschool This post from the First Focus blog highlights the growing support for pre-K around the country from politicians, business leaders, and researchers. With research showing the positive effects of pre-K, new understanding of brain development in the early years, and the high return on investment from pre-K, politicians from the President to state leaders are signifying their support of larger investments in early learning. Expanding access and quality to early childhood learning experiences is clearly an idea whose time has come.

First Lady Michelle Obama Reflects on the Responsibility of the African American Communal to Educate Others | ED.gov Blog

First Lady Michelle Obama Reflects on the Responsibility of the African American Communal to Educate Others | ED.gov Blog:

First Lady Michelle Obama Reflects on the Responsibility of the African American Communal to Educate Others

Posted on May 29, 2013 by Guest Blogger

Recently, First Lady Michelle Obama delivered a passionate speech to 600 graduates and several thousand supporters at the historically black, Bowie State University (BSU) commencement ceremony, in Maryland.

After being awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Law from BSU, Mrs. Obama spoke to the graduates about their perseverance. She called upon a communal responsibility to serve and support others, making it very clear that our lives depend on the fight to educate ourselves and our youth for future generations to come.

“More than 150 years after the Emancipation Proclamation, more than 50 years after the end of ‘separate but equal,’ when it comes to getting an education, too many of our young people just can’t be bothered. Today, instead of walking miles every day to school, they’re sitting on couches for hours playing video games, watching TV. Instead of dreaming of being a teacher or a lawyer or a business leader, they’re fantasizing about being a baller or a rapper. Recognizing that there is still so much work to do the First Lady acknowledged that today, one in three African American students drop out of high school, and only one and five African Americans between the ages of 25 and 29 have received a college degree. The President has worked alongside Education Secretary Arne Duncan to help reverse this trend. Since the year 2000, the number of students attending “dropout” factories has been reduced by a million and the number of African American students enrolling in college has grown nearly 10%.

Citing abolitionist Frederick Douglas, First Lady Michelle Obama reiterated his point that “education means emancipation. It means light and liberty. It means the uplifting of the soul of man into the glorious light of the truth, the only light by which men can be free.” This is a message that helps to guide President Obama’s ambitious goal for America to have highest proportion of college graduates in the world by 2020.

One of the summer interns in our office, a student at Howard University, had the opportunity to witness the First Lady’s speech and said it “more than just words. She encouraged young African American students, at all institutions to make education—educating ourselves and others in our community—a priority.”

The First Lady charged the 2013 graduating class to continue the legacy of Bowie State’s founders who viewed education as “freedom… political empowerment… [an opportunity] to articulate an informed opinion.” Both the President and the First Lady recognize that these graduates are the most recent examples of excellence.

Daion Stanford is a Junior Administration and Justice student at Howard University. She is currently a Summer Intern with the White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for African Americans.

Missouri Education Watchdog: Florida School Board Confirms They Have Ok'd Iris Scan Without Parental Permission

Missouri Education Watchdog: Florida School Board Confirms They Have Ok'd Iris Scan Without Parental Permission:

Florida School Board Confirms They Have Ok'd Iris Scan Without Parental Permission

by Anngie

What would you do if you found out your school scanned your child's iris for the all critical purpose of enabling your child not to have to "carry an identification card?"  Parents in Florida are answering that question today.

A mother in Florida posted last week on Facebook that she thought her third grader had been scanned at school, but she could get no confirmation of that, that is until today when she received this letter from the school board.

In case you couldn't read it, it reads in part,

"The program is called Eye Swipe-nano. It is a safe non-invasive iris reader. It simply takes a picture of the iris, which is unique to every individual. The Eye Swipe-nano is an ideal replacement for the card based system since your child will not have to be responsible for carrying an identification card. With this program, we will be able to identify when and where a student gets on the bus, when they arrive at their school location, when and what bus the student boards and disembarks in the afternoon. This is an effort to further enhance the safety of our students."

Oh, well as long as its non-invasive on the collection part I guess I won't worry that you now have a way to track 

Seattle Schools Community Forum: Student Privacy Issues - No to inBloom

Seattle Schools Community Forum: Student Privacy Issues - No to inBloom:

Student Privacy Issues - No to inBloom

by Melissa Westbrook

This article  from Reuters really does a good job of explaining the issues around student data and privacy.  (I had seen this but a reader also alerted me to it; thanks).

I keep getting asked, "What to do?"  I'll have a list of things you CAN and SHOULD do.  Our district can say no to a lot of this.  

In a nutshell:


A $100 million database set up to store extensive records on millions of public school students has stumbled badly since its launch this spring, with officials in several states backing away from the project amid protests from irate parents.

The database, funded mostly by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, is intended to track students from kindergarten through high school by storing myriad data points: test scores, learning 
disabilities, discipline records - even teacher assessments of a child's character. The idea is that consolidated records make it easier for teachers to use software that mines data to identify academic weaknesses. Games, 

Disparities in education can crush aspirations in heart of Silicon Valley | EdSource Today

Disparities in education can crush aspirations in heart of Silicon Valley | EdSource Today:

Disparities in education can crush aspirations in heart of Silicon Valley - by John Fensterwald

by John Fensterwald

Sunnyvale, in the heart of Silicon Valley, is home to such high-tech fixtures as Yahoo!, Juniper Networks, AMD and Applied Micro, plus aerospace/defense operations of Lockheed Martin and Honeywell. Yet few Latinos who grow up in their shadow are qualified to work for those companies.

The participation and proficiency rates for Algebra I for Latinos in Sunnyvale, in the heart of Silicon Valley, is well below the already low statewide average.

The disconnect between aspirations and reality starts early. Only 10 percent of Latinos, who comprise 42 percent of students in Sunnyvale Elementary District, are proficient in algebra by the end of 8th grade, a key measure of getting students on track for a career in science, engineering and math.

Sunnyvale is not alone among the 54 school districts in Santa Clara and San Mateo counties, which form Silicon Valley. The data for Latino and African American students “paints an alarming picture about the future for so many of these children. That’s the promise that we, as a community, have broken,” concludes the report“Broken Promises: The Childen Left Behind In Silicon Valley,” released Wednesday by Innovate 

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Graduation rates up in Chicago -- Great, if true

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Graduation rates up in Chicago -- Great, if true:

Graduation rates up in Chicago -- Great, if true

by Mike Klonsky

If it's true, I'm elated to hear that graduation rates have improved in Chicago. It's a tribute to the hard-working CPS teachers, principals and parents, who are currently being debased by the administration and in the media. It also indicates that public schools are not "failing" after all.

Chicago Public Schools announced Saturday that more than 60 percent of their 2007-2008 freshmen graduated last year, calling it a history-making record.  The current administration has only been in place for a year and therefore can take no credit for the increase in graduation rates. -- Catalyst

My problem with the numbers I see is that there's no analysis attached. I worry, for example, that the improvements may also reflect the changing demographics of the city. Here I'm thinking of how some school reformers cheered when test scores rose in New Orleans after thousands of poor and black students left the system in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. You remember Katrina, don't you Arne Duncan?

What I would like to see is a school-by-school breakout of these numbers as well as some analysis of the widening or narrowing gap between white, Latino