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Association & Related News
Call for Proposals Open for CCSSO’s NCSA
NSBA's T+L Conference - Changing the Way You Think About Education
Education Newsbriefs
"Cash-Strapped California Schools Seek Commercial Sponsors to Raise Funds" (CA)
"DOE Again Seeks OK for School Shake-Ups" (HI)
"New Model for Ind. School Accountability Discussed" (IN)
"Pastorek: Score Minimums Must Rise" (LA)
Association & Related News
Call for Proposals Open for CCSSO’s NCSA
By Carla Toye
The 2010 National Conference on Student Assessment (NCSA) is now accepting proposals for conference sessions. The 2010 NCSA will be held in Detroit, Michigan from June 20-23, 2010, and will focus on salient issues around assessment urging conference participants to look at where we are regarding student assessment, where we need to be, and what needs to be done to get the future of assessment right.
If you would like additional information, please visit the conference website at http://www.ccsso.org/ncsa or contact Carla Toye at carlat@ccsso.org. The NCSA has a new submission format and platform please click here to submit a proposal.
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NSBA's T+L Conference - Changing the Way You Think About Education
By Paul Ferrari
Creating new learning environments to support 21st century students is at the heart of the National School Boards Association's 23rd annual technology and learning conference (T+L) to be held at the Colorado Convention Center, October 28-30, 2009. The conference will focus on how to nurture creativity by breaking out of content silos with Frans Johansson and will feature Marco Antonio Torres’ stories of success with students using digital media.
From learning how devices can be controlled with brain waves to understanding the “digital tracks” one leaves in the cyber world, T+L offers thought-provoking sessions for every member of an education leadership team. The conference will offer a valuable national perspective through workshops by school districts and corporations, topical roundtable discussions, field trips, mini-academies on one-to-one learning, 21st century learning, and innovative school design teams of K–12 district leaders. For the lowest conference fees, register by September 15, 2009, by clicking here.
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Education Newsbriefs
Cash-Strapped California Schools Seek Commercial Sponsors to Raise Funds
Los Angeles Times (CA) (09/07/09) Mehta, Seema
California continues to face hefty budget deficits, and school districts have seen the education budget slashed by $6.1 billion this fiscal year. Schools are responding with teacher layoffs; larger class sizes; and reductions in music, athletic, and gifted program offerings. School districts now are turning to nonprofit fundraising foundations, parcel taxes, and parental donations of school supplies and cash to generate additional revenue. State Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O'Connell says, "School districts are desperate, and school districts are trying to keep the lights on." Others are getting more creative, seeking partnerships with professional sports teams and corporations. For example, San Diego County is selling the naming rights to two sixth-grade science camps, and Beverly Hills is looking for a partner to sell apparel with the Beverly Hills High School logo and motto.
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DOE Again Seeks OK for School Shake-Ups
Honolulu Advertiser (HI) (08/31/09) Moreno, Loren
Hawaii Superintendent of Education Patricia Hamamoto is pushing for the authority to replace principals, teachers, and other staff at public schools that consistently fall short of achieving federal No Child Left Behind standards. The U.S. Department of Education's announcement that it would provide school districts with more than $3.5 billion in Title 1 school funding to drastically reorganize low-performing schools prompted Hamamoto to seek out the authority. She says, "I realize it is not a popular position. It's not one that many people will agree with, but I also believe that if we are here to help students learn . . . then there has to be mechanisms and tools which allow us to be able to go in and help students first." About 36 Hawaii schools have failed to meet federal standards and could be subject to reconstitution under a previously filed measure (House Bill 172), which also would enable Hamamoto to replace staff or move them around if schools are in the restructuring phase for four or more years. "When we get to the point when they are not making progress, it may not be reconstitution. It may be something else. But we need to make changes that are immediate, that are meaningful and will give us results. It makes for a stronger case for us. It's a message that the state is very serious about kids' learning. Student achievement is a top priority," she says. Hamamoto supports reconstitutions, noting that they are not an attack on teachers. "Teachers play the greatest role in ensuring that there is student progress. Teachers have quite a responsibility for student achievement. It would not be punitive. It would be, how do we look at a school and the students that go there and help provide the best learning environment," she remarks.
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New Model for Ind. School Accountability Discussed
Education Week (09/02/09)
Indiana Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Bennett recently proposed changes to the evaluation of school accountability. Bennett, along with Gov. Mitch Daniels, wants schools to pay more attention to students scoring very low on the state ISTEP-Plus tests for third to tenth graders. If the accountability system placed more weight on struggling students, Bennett believes improvements could be achieved. Additionally, he is calling for a boost in charter schools, which generate improvements through increased competition with public schools, and the ability to track individual student progress from one grade to another.
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Pastorek: Score Minimums Must Rise
Baton Rouge Advocate (LA) (09/03/09) P. 12A; Sentell, Will
Louisiana Superintendent of Education Paul Pastorek is calling for an increase in the minimum scores schools across the state must achieve to avoid state sanctions. The minimum score--based on such factors as tests and attendance--currently is 60 out of 150, up from 30 when the system was first implemented. Pastorek notes a decline in the number of schools with scores below the minimum to 90 in the 2007-08 school year from 313 in the 2000-01 school year. "As the level of expectations rise the level of performance goes up. It is counterintuitive," says Pastorek, who says the increase in the minimum score would not be associated with the State Department of Education's push for federal "Race to the Top" funds. However, the department has offered three-year moratoriums on state takeovers for schools who voluntarily undertake "sweeping changes" if federal aid is awarded to the state.
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