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CCSSO Concludes Successful National Conference on Student Assessment
By Bevin Kennedy
CCSSO’s 2009 Summer Institute will begin this weekend July 18-21, at the Omni Interlocken Resort in Broomfield, Colorado. A record forty-five states will be represented at the Summer Institute this year. On July 18 chiefs will gather for pre-conference Chief Committee meetings, with the official start of the institute at 6:00 p.m.
The readings for the Summer Institute were shipped directly to chiefs on SchoolDataDirect.org USB Flash drives, and arrived yesterday; materials are also posted online here. If you have questions about registration or the program, please contact Bevin Kennedy at bevink@ccsso.org or 202-336-7014.
Headlines
Advocacy in Action
U.S. House of Representatives Appropriations Subcommittee FY2010 Budget Mark-up
New OMB Recovery Act Guidance on Reporting of Section 1512
Education Newsbriefs
"Online Learning Program Dramatically Improves California High School Exit Exam (CAHSEE)" (CA)
"Project ExPreSS Nets Huge Dividends" (GA)
"State Scaling Back Exam Required to Graduate" (PA)
"New Education Commissioner 'Ready' to Tackle Rhode Island's Problems" (RI)
"Ed. Dept. to Allow Waivers for Stimulus Funds"
Advocacy in Action
U.S. House of Representatives Appropriations Subcommittee FY2010 Budget Mark-up
Last Friday, the U.S. House of Representatives Labor, HHS, Education Appropriations Subcommittee approved $64 billion in discretionary spending for the U.S. Department of Education for Fiscal Year 2010. This change represents a $1.2 billion, or 1.8 percent, increase over Fiscal Year 2009 (excluding American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 investments). Early figures for priority accounts coming out of the mark-up include $14.5 billion for Title I (this does not include early childhood set-aside as proposed by the President), compared to the President’s proposed $12.9 billion; $545 million for School Improvement grants, compared to the President’s proposed $1.5 billion; $446 million for the Teacher Incentive Fund, compared to the President’s proposed $517.3 million; and $316 million for Charter School Grants, compared to the President’s proposed $268 million. The full House Appropriations Committee is scheduled to vote on the measure on Friday, July 17. At that time, the full text of the spending bill will be published and CCSSO's Advocacy Team will provide additional information about the spending levels included in the bill for key state priority accounts.
The Senate Labor, HHS, Education Appropriations Subcommittee will mark-up its version of the Fiscal Year 2010 spending bill on Tuesday, July 21. CCSSO's Advocacy Team will continue to provide you with additional updates as numbers from the mark-ups are finalized and the bills are considered by the full House and Senate.
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New OMB Recovery Act Guidance on Reporting of Section 1512
On Thursday, July 16th, the U.S. Senate Subcommittee on Employment and Workplace Safety will hold a hearing entitled “Modernizing the Workforce Investment Act (WIA) of 1998 to Help Workers and Employers Meet the Changing Demands of a Global Market.” Witnesses scheduled to testify include Jane Oates, Assistant Secretary of Labor, Employment and Training Administration and Martha Kanter, Under Secretary for the U.S. Department of Education. Several representatives of state Departments of Labor will also testify. To find more information on this hearing, please click here.
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Education Newsbriefs
Online Learning Program Dramatically Improves California High School Exit Exam (CAHSEE)
Online PR News (07/09/2009)
Data from the Human Resources Research Organization shows that 90 percent of California's Class of 2009 passed the California High School Exit Exam (CAHSEE) by March of their senior year. "I am pleased that these results show that California students continue to rise to the challenge of higher expectations, and that nearly every subgroup of students in the Class of 2009 is showing improved passage rates if you compare the latest results to the Class of 2008 at the same point in time a year ago," says State Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O'Connell. While O'Connell believes teachers are a main reason for the high number of passing grades on the exam, teachers say the BrainX online learning system that personalizes instruction to meet each student's needs also contributed. The system takes into consideration how long-term memories are formed in the brain to help students retain information months after first learning it. Scores rose 50 percent to 89 percent on average for students participating in a BrainX pilot program at Richland Continuation High School in Orange, California. Click here for more information about BrainX and here for more information about the CAHSEE.
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Project ExPreSS Nets Huge Dividends
Albany Herald (Ga.) (07/12/09) Fowler, Ethan
Project ExPreSS, a two-week intensive course to help high school students who failed the science or social studies portion of the Georgia High School Graduation Test, has been shown to boost test scores. Of the 2,043 students who participated in the effort, close to 1,400 students, or 68 percent, achieved a passing score on the retest. The summer retest pass rate on the social studies portion was 73 percent, up from 27 percent last year. The retest rate on the science portion was 63 percent, up from 29 percent. According to State Superintendent of Education Kathy Cox, "We knew that with just a little bit of focus and intensity many of these students would pass the test and be a step closer to getting their diploma. I'm very pleased with the results, and I am grateful for the collaborative efforts of many great educators across the state." For more information on Project ExPreSS, click here.
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State Scaling Back Exam Required to Graduate
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (07/10/09) Mauriello, Tracie
The Pennsylvania Board of Education has revised a plan that would alter graduation requirements for the state's high school students. Under the revised plan--which will go up for a vote in mid-August--final exams and the 11th grade Pennsylvania System of School Assessment tests would be replaced with six new Keystone Exams in the core subject areas of English, math, science, and social studies. Projects demonstrating subject mastery could be completed when students fail individual tests twice, and students dealing with a death in the family or another extraordinary circumstance could have their test requirements waived by the school district. Additionally, school districts could use their own tests as an alternative to the Keystone Exams as long as the State Department of Education has approved them. State Education Secretary Gerald Zahorchak has voiced support for graduation exams, noting, "Strengthening our graduation requirements is a powerful response to the business leaders, educators, and parents who have called on the policymakers to ensure that a high school diploma is truly a ticket to success in the real world."
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New Education Commissioner 'Ready' to Tackle Rhode Island's Problems
Providence Journal (RI) (07/05/09) Jordan, Jennifer D.
Deborah Gist assumed the post of Rhode Island Education Commissioner on July 1, having spent much of the previous month working with predecessor Peter McWalters to learn the ropes. Gist recognizes the challenges she faces, particularly with boosting achievement among low-income, minority, special education, and all other student segments, but insists she is ready. "There are excellent schools, teachers, and programs here. We need to do everything we can to support our teachers and to make sure we are keeping the very best. Whatever agenda we have will have students at the center and teachers as the key for making improvement," she says. She plans to meet with lawmakers, teacher unions, school committees, parents, students, and other groups over the summer, and she expects to visit every charter and public school in every school district by mid-October.
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Ed. Dept. to Allow Waivers for Stimulus Funds
Education Week (07/10/09) Vol. 28, No. 36, P. 20; Samuels, Christina A.
The U.S. Department of Education recently unveiled guidance for states and school districts on how to apply for economic stimulus spending waivers, which would provide them with greater flexibility in how the money is spent. The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act earmarked $10 billion in Title I money for states; and the waivers could help schools, districts, and states spend money on a variety of projects, rather than force them to spend it on certain projects under Title 1 stipulations. As part of the new guidance, school districts with one or more schools in the "improvement" category under No Child Left Behind could use funding to offer supplemental educational services and transfer options to students. States, according to Department of Education guidance, can apply for waivers to exempt poor-performing schools from the 14 days' notice rule for public school transfer options. While the department hopes that schools would provide more than 14 days' notice, some school schedules will not permit it.
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