WEEK ENDING March 21st, 2008

The Headline Review is published by the National Association of
State Boards of Education

SPELLINGS INTRODUCES DIFFERENTIATED ACCOUNTABILITY PILOT PROGRAM — U.S. Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings announced this week the much-anticipated “administrative reforms” she will make to the No Child Left Behind Act, including a differentiated accountability system as a pilot program for up to 10 states. States in the program will be allowed to distinguish between schools that barely miss their adequate yearly progress (AYP) goals and those that show significantly poor performance among more student subgroups. According to the Education Department, “differentiated accountability will allow states to vary the intensity and type of interventions to match the academic reasons that lead to a school’s identification…[and] will assist those states by targeting resources and interventions to those schools most in need of intensive interventions and significant reform. In return, states must commit to: build their capacity for school reform; take the most significant actions for the lowest-performing schools, including addressing the issue of teacher effectiveness; and use data to determine the method of differentiation and categories of intervention.”
To be eligible to apply for this program, states must have a fully approved assessment system and highly qualified teacher plan, and have reported their test and AYP results in a timely fashion over the past two years. State applications must show a clearly defined process for categorizing low-performing schools and its system of interventions.
The differentiated accountability policy is the Education Department’s second proposal in a month that incorporates NASBE recommendations made in last year’s study group reports. As part of the Bush administration’s FY09 budget request, federal officials will seek to suspend Title I’s “hold harmless” provision that would provide states with more federal funds for school improvement activities. Source: U.S. Department of Education

NEW JERSEY STATE BOARD KEEPS ALTERNATIVE EXIT EXAM, INCREASES MONITORING OF USE — The New Jersey State Board of Education unanimously passed a resolution keeping the state's alternative high school exit exam, the Special Review Assessment (SRA), in place, but it will monitor districts closely to ensure the exam’s use is not being abused. The SRA is administered to students who fail the standard high school proficiency test. Many critics argue that it is far less rigorous than the standard exam and can easily be passed. More than 50 schools last year had at least a quarter of their graduating classes using the SRA to obtain their diploma. The state initially wanted to eliminate the SRA, but settled on greater oversight because of concerns that dropping the test would result in increased dropout rates.
The exam will now have more standardized scoring procedures and tighter guidelines on administration, and the education commissioner will provide quarterly reports to the board on the number of students taking the SRA. The board will also require all districts where more than 10 percent of students need the alternative test to submit a plan for lowering that proportion. Ronald Butcher, president of the state board, remarked, "The message we are trying to send loud and clear is we are watching them closely. If you are going to take the SRA, it will come back to you...The board is really intent on staying on top of this. This is probably the most important issue we have dealt with in a long time." Source: Star Ledger (3/20/08)

DETAILS OF COLORADO EDUCATION PLAN TO BE LEFT TO THE STATE BOARD — Gov. Bill Ritter’s long-awaited education reform plan, unveiled this week, calls for public schools to begin preparing students for their post-secondary education lives from the moment they start preschool and kindergarten. The proposal, which is now on its way to the state senate, also calls for changes to the state’s standardized tests to reflect the changes. The specific changes, however, are not spelled out. Rather, they would be left to the state Board of Education, which avoids problems that arose when lawmakers tried to do it themselves, Ritter said. “It’s entirely appropriate,” said board member Evie Hudak. “We are the state Board of Education and we should be doing it. We are not shy about doing work, and we have a big staff to help.” Source: Rocky Mountain News (3/20/08)

OREGON BOARD ALLOWS ONLINE CHARTER SCHOOLS BUT ATTACHES STRICT RULES — The Oregon State Board of Education has decided to allow online charter schools to continue operating in the state, but with new restrictions. Virtual schools will now have limits on enrollment and must receive permission from local school boards to enroll students. The schools will receive the same funding bricks-and-mortar schools do, at around $6,000 per pupil. Despite the funding guarantee, some online school leaders are unsure of whether to proceed with plans to begin operation. The Oregon Virtual Academy, who previously was slated to open this fall with a total of 900 students, can only enroll a maximum of 500 students under the new rules, making leaders of the academy apprehensive. Source: Oregonian (3/14/08)

MISSISSIPPI HOUSE OKAYS MORE BOARD POWER OVER LOCAL SUPERINTENDENTS — The Mississippi House of Representatives overwhelmingly approved a bill that would give the state Board of Education the authority to remove elected local superintendents from their posts. The measure would allow for replacing the elected superintendents with locally appointed officials if the state board determines their districts are low-performing for two consecutive years. The board, which has urged passage of the legislation, and other supporters reportedly want to replace 65 superintendents in the state. The bill now goes to the state Senate. Source: Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal (3/20/08)

LAWSUIT CHARGES PALM BEACH DISTRICT WITH VIOLATING FLORIDA CONSTITUTION DUE TO LOW GRADUATION RATES — A class action lawsuit filed by the American Civil Liberties Union claims that the Palm Beach County School District’s low graduation rate (71.8 percent according to one measure, but closer to 60 percent according to another) violates the state constitution’s provision that free public education be “uniform, efficient, safe, secure and high quality.” “If Palm Beach County is not graduating a third or more of its students, it is by definition providing an inadequate education,” said a senior staff attorney with the ACLU. There is also a 20 to 30 percent gap between the graduation rates of white versus Hispanic and black students, but the lawsuit is seeking higher rates for all. In targeting low graduation rates, the ACLU is introducing a new strategy into school improvement litigation, as most lawsuits across the country target resource equity or adequacy. Sources: Palm Beach Post (3/18/08); ACLU Press Release (3/18/08)

NEW YORK BILL WOULD BAR LINKAGE BETWEEN TEST SCORES AND TEACHER TENURE — The New York State Assembly passed a bill that would prevent local school districts from linking students’ test scores to teacher tenure. The bill was “tucked into” a large budget bill passed by lawmakers, some of whom were surprised at its inclusion. The legislation would require teacher tenure decisions to follow standards set by the New York State Board of Regents and not by any standards set by local authorities. The bill must next pass the state Senate before going on to new Gov. David Paterson. Source: New York Times (3/18/08)

** GOVERNANCE **

NEW UTAH LAW REQUIRES GOVERNOR’S APPROVAL OF FEDERAL PROGRAM PARTICIPATION — Utah Governor Jon Huntsman, Jr. signed a law requiring the governor and/or the legislature to sign off before schools could accept federal funds that cost the state more than $100,000. The Utah State Board of Education had asked the governor to veto the bill because members felt it could jeopardize money for important programs such as school lunch and career and technical education. The governor’s office noted that other state agencies have to follow a similar requirement. State Superintendent of Public Instruction Patti Harrington said, “I’m told the governor is making decisions based on constitutionality, so yes, from that perspective, it was a surprise. [The board] feels there an erosion of their general supervision [of public education] and if the federal part of the education in the state of Utah is governed by the Legislature or the governor or legislative management committee ... it greatly concerns them.” Source: Deseret Morning News (3/19/08)

Visit www.nasbe.org/E_Mail.html to subscribe to the Headline Review or any of several other NASBE free e-mail updates on education related issues.

To unsubscribe to the Headline Review click HERE or send an email with the word "unsubscribe" in the subject line to mail to: review-request@mailman.listserve.com.

For name, address, or other corrections, please contact Steve berlin at steveb@nasbe.org or via phone at 800-368-5023.

Please Note: Due to some email spam blockers, some recipients may not receive the Headline Review. If you know of a colleague (s) who is not receiving the Headline Review email, please contact NASBE’s IT Director Jason Gentili at jasong@nasbe.org.