Seattle protest of misused test brings changeA protest started by educators at Seattle's Garfield High School against the misuse of a standardized test (the Measures of Academic Progress) has produced a major change in testing requirements. On May 13, Seattle Superintendent José Banda issued a statement that MAP would now be optional for high schools. According to the statement, "High schools may opt out of MAP in 2013-14, but must provide evidence of a way to assess and monitor progress of students who are below standard in math and reading. In addition, the high school must follow their typical school-level decision-making process (which might include a school committee or staff vote)." MAP testing will still be required in other grades, and the Seattle Times reports that MAP usage will likely be the subject of continued scrutiny by activists. House committee weighs accountability systemsIn a prelude to potential legislative activity around the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) in the coming months, the House Education and the Workforce Committee held a hearing on state and local accountability systems. In an opening statement, Chairman John Kline (R-MN) made it clear that he continues to seek a smaller federal footprint in the accountability area. NEA wrote a letter to the Committee calling for replacement of the prescriptive adequate yearly progress (AYP) system with more flexible state systems that correctly identify struggling schools and provide meaningful supports rather than punishment. ED launches i3 scale-up and validation competitionsThe Department of Education (ED) released applications for this year's Investing in Innovation (i3) scale-up and validation grant competitions. ED plans to award $135 million in the overall i3 competition this fall, including 10 to 20 development grants (up to $3 million); four to eight validation grants (up to $12 million); and, up to two scale-up grants (up to $20 million). The development grant applications were released earlier this year, resulting in nearly 600 pre-applications. Notices of intent to apply for scale-up and validation grants are due to ED by May 23, 2013, with final applications due by July 2, 2013. Applications and competition rules can be found on ED's Investing in Innovation Web page. Van Roekel on Common Core: Get the transition rightWriting in a Huffington Post blog, NEA Present Dennis Van Roekel said our nation's students are "counting on us to help them learn and reach their dreams by getting the transition to Common Core State Standards right" through sound implementation plans. Van Roekel said that the Standards promote equity and set the stage for better instruction, but that there is work to be done. "NEA remains committed to ensuring attention is given to what lies between the standards and student learning assessments: curriculum, instruction, and supports for learning. We know that the new standards, as strong as they are, will not bring us any closer to improved achievement or quality education if those middle factors are not addressed." Van Roekel said states should address alignment issues in their accountability systems: "Our bottom line: Tests should assess what teachers teach-independently or collaboratively-and what students actually learn in the classroom." NEA panel: Use tests as originally designedLast week, panelists at an NEA briefing on Capitol Hill called for a commitment to design and use assessments to inform learning and instruction, and to make meaningful decisions based on the results of those assessments. A common theme expressed was that standardized assessments should only be used for the purpose for which they were designed and validated, and that a "system of accountability," not one assessment, be used to evaluate students, teachers, and schools. NEA member Lauren Ashley Villa, a teacher from South Lakes High School in Fairfax County, Virginia, shared her story on how high stakes testing directly affects her ability to actually teach her students what they need to know to be college and career ready. Her story generated a lively discussion about how to "fix" the dilemma of students being denied a well-rounded curriculum in order to "teach to the test." Lindsay Sobel, the executive director of Teach Plus Greater Boston, discussed the value of formative assessments when they are aligned to standards, track learning gains, and are designed to inform and improve teaching and learning. Michael Feuer, dean of the Graduate School of Education and Human Development at George Washington University in Washington, D.C., and Monty Neill, executive director of FairTest in Jamaica Plain, Massachusetts addressed the history of assessments and the current state of test development and policy. NEA to cohost webinar on advancing equity agendaNEA President Dennis Van Roekel will join an expert webinar panel on May 22 to discuss ways to advance the important recommendations of the congressionally chartered Commission on Equity and Excellence. Joining Van Roekel, who served on the Commission, will be fellow commissioner Dr. Linda Darling-Hammond, professor of education at Stanford University; Renee Moore, an English teacher and NEA member who works with the Center for Teaching Quality; and Dr. Joseph Bishop, policy director, National Opportunity to Learn Campaign. The webinar will focus on how the Commission's findings can support local efforts to promote educational equity and will include an interactive Q&A session. To register for the free webinar, click here. Take Action: Visit the EdVotes resource pageBoth the House and Senate may revisit the reauthorization of ESEA in the coming months. Visit the EdVotes resource page to find out where NEA stands on the key issues in the ESEA reauthorization debate, and to download background papers on those issues. |
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