9486 in the collection
Utah: Wake Up and Protect Your Schools
Ohanian Comment: So much to do, so little time. I invite someone in Utah to offer a commentary on what's going on. Clearly, you've got the microcosm of the national Standardisto/Business Alliance takover of the schools going strong in Utah.
A few phrases worth considering:
*phase in education reforms it knows have broad public support
*the behind-the-scenes author of the bill. . .the Employers Education Coalition
*a full rollout (remember, they're talking about kids>
*notched-up graduation requirements
I think maybe my favorite is making middle school students accountable We don't make Standardistos accountable, don't make politicians accountable, don't make Corporate America accountable. But let's whine and wail and stomp our feet about the accountability of middle school kids.
The state school board Wednesday slammed the brakes on its controversial Performance Plus proposal to require junior high and high school students to earn C's or better in certain classes and pass a standardized test to earn credits toward graduation.
Instead, the board decided to take its time on the details of the proposal but phase in education reforms it knows have broad public support, including helping young students who struggle in reading and math.
The move represented a U-turn for the board, which has been working on the competency-based education proposal for about a year. It also will require that the board hammer out a less bulky budget request for the reforms, heretofore estimated to cost an additional $203 million.
At the same time, the board showed it was proceeding cautiously — as advised by parents, teachers, and public school officials attending statewide public input hearings and Gov. Mike Leavitt's education summits.
Such prudence is praised by a behind-the-scenes author of the bill requiring the state school board to look at developing a competency-based education system.
"This program has broad enough implications that we want to take one step at a time," said Fraser Bullock, chairman of the Employers Education Coalition. "It doesn't mean we should wait two to three years to implement a program. We should begin the work designing the elements immediately, but a full rollout needs to be done on a measured basis at the right time, once we really have all the aspects clearly identified of what's effective and what's not."
Performance Plus aims to increase graduation requirements; prevent senior year slacking; and have students earn credits based on competency, or what they know and can do, rather than seat time. It seeks $203 million in new state funding, mainly to help struggling students as early as kindergarten.
The proposal has been a hot topic with the public, mainly because of fears about the Legislature not funding the concept and requiring a standardized test to determine whether a student receives course credits.
The board worked to address those concerns Wednesday, most notably acknowledging that getting $203 million for the idea "is not likely or even possible." Leavitt, for instance, has hinted at phasing in funding for Performance Plus. And his budgeters have indicated the price tag exceeds what new money will be available to state agencies next year.
So the board voted to take its time to work out the details on Performance Plus, and thoughtfully phase in the education reforms.
But it also voted to move toward things that can work immediately. They are:
• Step 1: Keep high school out of the competency-based system for now. Instead, the board will concentrate on creating a competency system for students who read and do math at below the eighth-grade level. The board would look at what school districts already are doing as part of its research. It would implement interventions, which could go to elementary, middle, or high school students, next school year — but only if the money is available to do it.
The idea is that targeting help at lower grades will have the greatest impact on student performance.
• Step 2: Ensure that middle school counts, and that students are prepared for the notched-up graduation requirements when they reach high school.
A committee of educators and parents will study how to create competencies for middle school and holding those students more accountable for their work. The board will take all of next school year to decide how to implement those ideas.
• Step 3: Give students incentive to take the senior year seriously. The board would work with the State Board of Regents to develop a high school diploma for the college-bound. The diploma, which would guarantee admission to a state college or university, may require students to earn no grade less than a C and have at least a 2.6 GPA and pass a college entrance test at levels required by colleges including the University of Utah.
Though the board decided to take a slower approach to Performance Plus, it did aim to address public concerns about requiring a standardized test for high school credit.
The proposal now no longer would require students pass the core curriculum test along with getting a C or better in 15 state-required courses.
State and district testing gurus complained the CRT was designed to measure group, not individual, performance, and that the test would have to be retooled, and include a lot more questions, to be used in such a "high-stakes" manner.
"We want the public to know we have heard their concerns," board vice chairwoman Janet Cannon said.
Meanwhile, Leavitt, who this week was confirmed by the U.S. Senate as the next Environmental Protection Agency head, on Friday is expected to sign an executive order expressing support for competency-based learning, presumably in the form of Performance Plus. It's uncertain whether the board's action would affect his plans, spokeswoman Natalie Gochnour said.
— Jennifer Toomer-Cook
School Plan on Back Burner But school board to phase in popular education reforms
Deseret Morning News
2003-10-30
http://deseretnews.com/dn/view/0%2C1249%2C520034643%2C00.html
INDEX OF OUTRAGES
Pages: 380
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