Headline Review Headline Review for Week Ending 9.12.08
| Headline Review for Week Ending 9.12.08 |
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The Headline Review is published by the National Association of State Boards of Education
MASSACHUSETTS BOARD ADOPTS APPEAL RULE FOR SCIENCE TEST ― The Massachusetts State Board of Elementary and Secondary Education adopted emergency rules allowing students who fail their first try at the state’s science test to file an appeal based largely on their grades in a comparable science course. The Board made passing the science exam a condition for graduation three years ago, and this year’s 11th grade class is the first one subject to the requirement. Students have the choice of taking the exam in biology, chemistry, physics, or engineering/technology. In contrast to the English and math exams, which students must take three times before filing an appeal, the new regulations address the unique content of a particular science course. If the state rejects a student’s appeal, the student must opt to receive tutoring in the failed areas and retake the exam or take a different science exam the following year in a new area of study. In the first administration of the science exam in 2007, more than a quarter of students failed, while many urban districts reported failure rates of 50 percent or higher. Source: Boston Globe (9/11/2008) MICHIGAN CHANGES KINDERGARTEN FUNDING FORMULA — Districts that operate half-day kindergarten will receive less money per student than those operating full-day kindergarten based on the state’s new funding formula. The new scheme funds districts based on the length of time students are in class rather than enrollment, which was how the prior formula worked. Liz Boyd, spokeswoman for Gov. Jennifer Granholm, said, “We want to make sure young children are getting absolutely the best opportunity for learning, and we also want to make certain that if we are providing funding for their education that the education is being offered.” Source: Detroit News (9/8/2008)
SOUTH CAROLINA BOARD NIXES SCHOOL BUS ADS — By a 15-2 margin, the South Carolina State Board of Education voted to ban all advertising on public school buses. State Sen. Greg Ryberg had proposed a bill earlier this year to ban districts from raising money through this kind of advertising, but it died in committee. Although no buses currently have advertising, the state education department previously approved a policy to allow ads at the request of several districts. Ryberg said the Board acted on behalf of parents who “could not prevent their children from being forced to view a cartoon character selling them donuts or a computer-generated salesman pitching the latest version of a seek-and-kill game.” Source: Charleston Post and Courier (9/11/08); The State (9/11/08)
D.C. STATE CHIEF OFFERS NEW, STRINGENT TEACHER LISCENSURE RULES — District of Columbia State Superintendent Deborah Gist has proposed new teacher licensure rules that would eliminate the auto-renewal feature of the current licenses and require teachers to earn an “advanced teaching credential” based on new performance evaluations that have yet to be developed. Currently, Washington, D.C. teachers must complete 90 hours of professional development sessions or earn six course credits every five years for their licenses to be renewed. Gist’s plan is being implemented through the state superintendent’s rule-making authority, thus avoiding any approval by the state board of education or the city council. The plan, addressing as it does teacher performance reviews, has become enmeshed in the ongoing controversy of school Chancellor Michelle Rhee’s efforts to acquire greater authority to unilaterally fire teachers at will. The city’s teacher’s union has resisted those efforts and called the new licensure rules a “backdoor process of firing teachers.” Source: Washington Post (9/8/08)
CALIFORNIA STATE BOARD SUED OVER EIGHTH GRADE ALGEBRA MANDATE ― The California School Boards Association and the Association of California School Administrators are suing the California State Board of Education in an attempt to overturn the board’s decision to require eighth graders to take algebra. The suit claims that board members exceeded their power by changing the state’s mathematics curriculum, which is an action reserved for the legislature. The plaintiffs also claim that the policy change involved was hasty and did not allow for school districts to formulate or express their concerns before the change was made. Source: Sacramento Bee (9/9/08) HAWAII BOARD MOVES SCHOOLS’ ATHLETICS DOLLARS TO GENERAL FUNDS — State monies slated to pay the salaries of high school athletic directors will be added to individual school’s general funds, thereby increasing each school’s per-student funding by $100 starting with the 2009-10 academic year. The Hawaii State Board of Education changed the school funding formula to include athletic directors’ pay within the general fund, just as salaries for librarians and other staff are included. Board members said it allows local community councils more spending flexibility and the trust to “make the right decision for their school,” said Breene Harimoto, the state board’s budget chairman. Opponents contend that smaller schools faced with budget cuts will not be able to afford athletic directors under the new plan. Source: Honolulu Advertiser (9/8/08) NEW MEXICO ADOPTS STATEWIDE HEALTH REPORT CARD — Gov. Bill Richardson and Education Secretary Veronica Garcia plan to implement a statewide health report card aimed at measuring how well public schools are addressing student health issues. The report card is being piloted this school year in 67 schools and will be required of every public school in the state in three years. The report card ― developed by the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development ― measures each school’s efforts to promote physical activity, serve nutritious foods, and promote family involvement in improving and maintaining the health and education of their children. The data collected from each school will be used to create a statewide report card that assesses how New Mexico is doing as a whole. “This report card will help us track our progress in ensuring that New Mexico’s students are healthy and ready to learn,” Richardson said. The report card will also address a current state wellness policy law that requires school health advisory councils to create data-driven recommendations to improve student health twice a year. Source: ASCD Press Release (9/8/08)
** ANNOUNCEMENTS ** CONGRATULATIONS to Georgia State Superintendent Kathy Cox for her triumphant TV appearance on “Are You Smarter than a 5th Grader?” She became the show’s first million-dollar winner, with the proceeds benefitting three of Georgia’s special-needs schools.
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