Category Archives: Education Policy

Testing “Out”

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Assessment, Education, Education Policy, Life in the Classroom

Test By Mark

In the last two weeks, a few things have me thinking about the age old debate over how schools "grade" students. First, in Nevada, there was this discussion about the merits of allowing students in public high schools take exams to earn state-required graduation credit (as opposed to putting in the seat time). 

Second, there were the 28 letters I sent home to students' parents this past Monday updating them that their students were earning a D or F in my English class.

When I look at those 28 letters, there are really only probably seven kids getting the low grades who I think genuinely have not yet exhibited the minimum language arts expectations which I have at this point in the semester and thus "deserve" the F. The other 21? Missing assignments. I'd bet dollars to donuts that those 21 would pass an on-demand-test of minimum language arts skills and content, and I have few concerns about next spring's state tests for those kids, even though they are presently earning Ds and Fs in my class. They've been able to show me that they have the skills through classroom work and other assessments, some of them far exceeding the standards from the very first assessment–yet their grade is an F.

I know that this discussion is almost as old as the model of education present in most public schools today, but how do you as a teacher reconcile the necessity of "grades" and the reality that grades do not necessarily reflect actual skill in a content area? 

Are these kids earning failing grades due to a lack of content knowledge and skill or due to a lack of ability to submit complete work on time...which incidentally is not one of my content area standards? Is the idea of a mastery test (in lieu of seat time) really out of line? We put so much stock in those one-time snapshot tests to assess school and teacher effectiveness, so why not a one-time snapshot test for a kid who has the skills but doesn't want to spend 90 hours this semester in a class which will penalize him for poor organization, not a lack of skill?

What makes schools work

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Assessment, Education, Education Policy, Life in the Classroom, Professional Development, Social Issues, Teacher Leadership

Gear mechanism on antique steam powered grain combine, Woodburn, Oregon, photo by Mark By Mark

It's a question I and my teammates get often: "Why don't they do this for all freshmen?"

About seven years ago, some administrators with a clear vision saw a need in our building: far too many tenth graders weren't actually tenth graders. By credits, they were still ninth graders.  Far too many kids were not on track for on-time graduation…or even graduation at all. These administrators had an idea of what they thought would help solve this problem. So, they attended conferences and did some initial research.

Then, those administrators with a clear vision did something that I fear is unfortunately rare, but has made all the difference. 

They identified the problem.

And then they trusted teachers to figure out how to best solve it.

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Guest Blog: Funding Education in Washington

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Education Policy

By Senator Rosemary McAuliffe and Senator Eric Oemig

Untitled1Redefining the funding
formula for Basic Education is the critical catalyst for moving our K-12 educational
system into the 21st century. It is our responsibility as Chair and Vice Chair
of the Washington State Early Learning & K-12 Committee to identify and implement policies that allow all children the opportunity
to learn and to support educators with the resources they need to deliver a
quality education for every child.In the 2009 session we redefined
Basic Education (House Bill 2261)
which sets a pathway for essential improvements needed in our educational
 system.


We started work this summer and fall
by traveling around the state and conducting listening tours — the sole purpose
being to listen to what teachers on the ground have to say and make sure our
objectives align with real needs. We realize every classroom and school has
unique needs
and that one size does not fit all. By speaking with multiple
teachers from across the state, we have gained insight into the types of reform
that will be meaningful for teachers in different classrooms.

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Educators Making Policy – What Would You Say?

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Education Policy

State_Capitol_Staircaseby Luann

     In November 2006, Washington National Board Certified Teachers took part in the "NBCT Policy Summit: Supporting and Staffing High Needs Schools".  Similar Summits were held in 4 other states, including my former home state, Ohio.  Our state superintendent and many state policy makers listened as 225 accomplished teachers shared suggestions for making education a better place for the students who need it the most. 

    On Saturday, October 17, a sizeable group of accomplished teachers will gather again in Seattle. We've been asked once more by the Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI), the
Washington Education Association (WEA), and the Center for Strengthening the
Teaching Profession (CSTP) to speak as professionals on behalf of our students. This time, our voices will address the utilization of state dollars in the implementation of House Bill 2261 S. E. (caution: it's a rather long read) passed by our state legislature last session.

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A Whole School Left Behind

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Education Policy

By Tom

There are good laws and there are bad laws. And there are some laws that seem to cause exactly what they were designed to prevent. This year I got to see what that looks like.

Eight years ago, No Child Left Behind dramatically amplified the federal government’s role in public education. In an attempt to eliminate the Achievement Gap, schools in which students do not meet “adequate yearly progress” are now subject to increasingly severe sanctions. Meanwhile, the target for all schools climbs ever higher, until the year 2013, at which point every student in the country is supposed to be reading and doing math at grade level; something that’s never happened in our country’s history, and probably never will, since “grade level” is essentially determined by finding the mid-point in a range of data.

Instead of supporting our struggling schools, this law punishes them. First they’re publicly identified. Then the parents are “invited” to send their students to a better-performing school, at the district expense. If that isn’t possible, the district is responsible for hiring tutors for the students. If these schools keep failing, they’re eventually shut down.

The law was well-intentioned. No one wants their child to perform below grade level, and no one likes the fact that poor children and children of color consistently under-perform on achievement tests.

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Extending the School Year (finally)

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Current Affairs, Education, Education Policy, Life in the Classroom, Social Issues

Stopwatch_Full

By Mark

The press was briefly abuzz recently when President Obama mentioned his ideas for extending the school year. While this seems to be far from a concrete policy decision, it reopens a discussion to which we seem to return every so often. 

Is Obama out of line? Aside from the cute arguments of fifth graders who want their summer break, why do people resist this concept so vehemently? If we can't change this, how can we change anything else about our faltering education system?

I love my "three months paid vacation and a month off at Christmas" (as if), but am for extending the school year. What are your thoughts?

Why Major Education Reform Will Always Fail

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Current Affairs, Education, Education Policy, Social Issues

Crocs By Mark

We have some new leadership in my building that is making me very optimistic. One of the movements being promoted by our leadership is the concept of PLCs, or Professional Learning Communities. We've had these in our building for a while, but the current push involves analyzing student data to assess past practice and inform future endeavors.  Makes good sense, prompts a good deal of collaboration, and seems to be ready to push teachers toward improving practice. If it sticks, I see good things on the horizon.

Not too long ago I talked to a retired teacher whose building in a different state had attempted PLCs in her last few years of teaching. "We dumped that pretty quick," she explained. When I asked why, she explained that it didn't seem to be doing any good. When I asked her how she knew that, she couldn't really answer the question, but she knew that she and her colleagues didn't really like it. They said their principal called it "reforming" their school culture…they knew it was just another passing education fad.

This small is example is all you need in order to see why major education reform will always fail.

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School Boards: Time for Change

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Education Policy

Judge3 By Nancy

I attended a school board meeting a couple years ago, along with dozens of parents, teachers, and students, when our school district was considering the elimination of all elementary school librarians. The seven board members appeared to listen thoughtfully. Everyone left the meeting that night with a sense that voices had been heard, and that school librarians were valued and would be saved. The board and the superintendent moved on to their closed door executive session.

You guessed it: librarians were eliminated. 

More recently, our school board hosted a series of community meetings to gather input about a long list of potential budget cuts. These community meetings were well organized, well-attended, and resulted in a complex tally of votes that represented each special interest group's favorite line item. The process was completely transparent, and stakeholders felt great about their ability to contribute to the final budget decisions.

You are right again: in the end, the original prioritized budget list did not change.

In both cases, the school community realized that they actually had little influence on school district decisions. And huge questions came up: should seven community members, from all walks of life and usually having no training in education, be the final authority in our public schools? Should a 7-member board have the ultimate power to affect thousands of lives? Shouldn't education reform start with reforming the school board system?

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Growth by Association: One good teacher makes a difference

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Assessment, Education, Education Policy, Mentoring, Professional Development, Teacher Leadership

Pd_small_pencil_sharpener By Mark

Nearly every training and inservice repeats the same mantra: we must increase student learning. So we get shipped off to learn about a new strategy or a new tool or a new curriculum. We meet about goal setting and analyzing student data and impact on student learning. We are constantly doing extra in an effort to better the service we provide our students.

All that extra work, and it turns out there is something out there which has delivered a measurable impact on student learning, and it doesn't involve a special training or new curriculum.

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