NYSCEA Meeting
NYSCEA Meeting
May 7, 2004
Best Western Hotel, Albany, NY
PETER APPLEBY, Assistant Director of Senate Finance representing Senator Saland, Chairman of Senate Education Committee
JOHN FREDERICK, staff for the Honorable Steven Sanders, NY State Assemblyman and Chairman of the Assembly Education Committee
» 147 million dollar increase in State Ed for Education from last year.
» The Legislators are having difficulty in defining a sound basic education in terms of a constitutional education minimum.
The court has directed legislators to not follow the Regents standards. The Regents standards go beyond a basic education. The Regents standard exceed the minimal level of a sound basic education.
The Court has set a deadline of July 31 2004 for legislators to come up with a plan for funding a sound basic education for all students in New York City. If a plan is not generated the court will appoint a special master to take over the problem. As of this writing NYC is not providing a sound basic education to students in all grade levels. First thing that has to be done is a costing out study.
» Question from NYSCEA group:
What is your best guess as to when the school budget will be in place? Did not know. Second week in August –drop dead date. May 18th people will vote on their school budgets.
» Campaign for Fiscal Equity
The court did not speak to the following formulas that State Aid is regulated by:
- NCLB accountability structure
- NYS Learning Standards: a series of learning standards that are assessed a certain way.
If the legislators accept the Regents Standards as law it oversteps its bounds – only legislators are lawmakers.
» What determines a sound basic education?
- Quality of teachers
- Tools for instrumentation ie texts
- School Facilities
- Assessment results
1896 Sound Basic Education=8th grade
- Ability to be a juror\ability to vote understand the issues politicall, economically
and socially
- Be a productive member of society
- Employment: be able to advance in a career and gaining meaningful
employment
BETTINA MARLOWE, Deputy Director of Senate Education Committee
LOB – Room 46-A
Parents brought a casein the 1980’s. There is not enough money coming to our children to get an adequate education.
All the pieces have to fit:
Formulas were designed with the thoughts of equity-they take into consideration the property values, special needs, economic status of population.
Now we cannot afford to run the formulas-we put into statutes something we can’t afford.
» What is basic education?
And what is the cost of funding a sound basic education?
Who pays for it? Everybody, including retired people.
Question: Do we change the whole way we finance education?
Not clear what the interplay of the law and the standards will be.
JAMES KADAMUS, Deputy Commissioner for Elementary, Middle, Secondary and Continuing Education
Funding for a sound basic education:
1. The Legislature is very divided about the process of providing funding for a sound basic education.
- Commissioner Mills keeps pushing in front of them the points of agreement--that public schools are working. There is no plan as to how to break the log jam.
2. Results of lack of funding:
- Superintendents have cut capacity. As a result they predict test scores will go down.
- When Districts cut their budgets it is envisioned this will result in the cutting of after school programs.
- Big 5 cities are looking at increased layoff of teachers,
» Suggestions for Legislators:
Public education works:
-Schools are working and achievement is going up
-Many costs schools are facing are not controllable.
For example: Fuel, retirement
3. Public schools are accountable already
SURR schools; No Child Left Behind regulations;
School Improvement process; School Report Cards
4. There are clear gaps in student performance – there must be funds to close that gap. We are not going to have an underclass in our society
Scores are low
NYC: One teacher with 34 students all scoring on a low level
Nasaau county: 30 students have two teachers.
5. School Aide Formula – there is a consensus for change
6. There is a consensus for an economic imperative to keep schools strong. We need a highly educated work force.
» Middle Level:
Regents have asked SED to revise their February paper –it will be on the website after today.
• Support for the core academic program in middle school. State needed to provide curriculum guidance for ELA and Math
• Time requirements are included for exploratory courses.
Set time requirements - there is no proposal to eliminate programs
• Explicit priorities of instruction. How the programs can focus on high interest
or pre-teens.
• Not a clear cut proposal for integration of subjects.
• Program must be taught by highly certified teachers. Looks at programs 6-8.
• Does not require program be done grades 5-8.
• Supportive Learning environment is critical: school climate; discipline; safety;
after school programs
• Revises program to look at self study- re: low performing schools.
The Robert Felner model is being looked at.
The proposed middle school program is based on the seven essential
elements.
• The learning standards are important. The legislators have to provide
the resources.
• SED invites selected schools to design a different curriculum that has a
structured evaluation process. These schools will become pilot schools.
All programs have to maintain the Regents Standards.
Suggested reading:
Focus on the Wonder Years. Published by Rand
www.Rand.org
The court asked the Legislators to define a sound basic education. Kadamus does not see any public support for lowering standards.
We are involved in an economic war as well as a war against ignorance. Business community wants quality but they want it cheaper.
As state government has downsized those costs have gone down to local districts.-local taxes have been increased.
The arts and Foreign Language requirements stay as is. One credit of arts in grades 7&8. There will be changes in the areas of Library and Media Services, Home Economics, Tech and Consumer Science and health.
All subjects have to be taught by certified teachers. Certification requirements that exist now will hold.
Integration can result in watered down programs for everyone. SED will try to create schools, by invitation, that demonstrate that integration will work. New schools that are being created can qualify. Integration is successful if teacher has a strong knowledge in their subject area.
Middle Level Teachers need training in teaching middle school students.
Supportive Learning environment - the support that students need to be effective in the middle school program. Getting a strong academic program is only half of it.
AIS (Academic Intervention Services) services need to be provided by teachers who are certified in area they are teaching.
Individual Student Record System
E. Scholar will be the Software that will be used by schools across the state.
- Data warehousing structure: need to have it in a few places in the State in contrast to one single place.
- There will be a student numbering system grade by grade
Virtual Learning Space - a definitive source for learning standards. Still to be decided how the lessons will be included. Lessons which have gone thru a State peer review and authorized by SED will be color coded to identify.
Authentiification
When teachers sign on they have to tell what subject area and level they are – so who uses the site can be documented.
Every three months the site will be enhanced.
Access
Has to build it so teachers can access it from home.
VLS be made available for students.
When you are hired, it is expected the college will teach pre-service teachers how to use it.
Training will be funded to learn how to use the site. How to use it and how to use it to change instruction. High speed access across the State. More likely you have Roadrunner, Dial-up at home.
MARC BARTH, Regional School and Community Support services was introduced.
DAVID ABRAMS, Assistant Commissioner of Assessment
Reports to Jim Kadamus
• Test Administration
• Test Development
• Operations and Management
• Information and Reporting
Elements of a Testing program:
• Validity & Reliability (Academics/Inferential)
• Equity (Legal opportunity)
• Technical Quality (Psychometrics)
• Integrity
We are here to certify a Regents Diploma.
A test: What does it tell you about student achievement? How do you use it to inform practice? How do you look at tests at different times for different reasons?
Epistomology Issues:
- The making and constructing of knowledge
- Testing helps us define knowledge.
- Part of being in public education is being accountable.
** To certify that tests work everyone needs to participate in field testing a test so a good test can be created.
- Need models for the best way to use data.
Grade by Grade Assessments required under NCLB
- Contract awarded to CTB/McGraw Hill for development of ELA and Math tests in Grades 3-8.
Three connected ares of activity:
Test development
Test administration
Test support and psychometrics
Test construction-writing, editing and reviewing test items.
Field Testing
Content Review
Test Development process
- Every effort will be made to limit length of tests, while ensuring that they are valid and reliable.
- Test designs will reflect knowledge of childhood development.
Test administration processes
-Form preparation
including manuals, scoring guide, translations and information materials
-Scoring training
Test Administration: Points of Interest
-All ELA tests will be given the same week; all math tests will be given the same week.
-We are still exploring several scoring models –to maximize effectiveness/timeliness, while minimizing loss of instructional time.
-SED will consult with school/district representatives when developing the testing schedule and scoring materials
-Information materials for parents and the public will be produced, in addition to those for teachers and administrators.
Research and Psychometric Support
- Analysis of field test data
- Standard setting
- Equating
- Vertical scaling -link the tests from yrar to year. Same question on grade 3 test
as grade 4 so you can watch how students perform.
-you can track students
over time.
-Preparation of technical reports.
Key dates
http://www.emsc.nysed.gov/osa/
Wants teachers to participate in the program.
NYS Teacher participation:
- item writers/item writing workshops
- standard setting committees
- range-finding committees
- content review committees
- pre-test and field test design committees.
- pre-test scoring committees
- final eyes review committees
- Grades 3-8 test specification and Framework Committees
- For more information, e-mail Questions to:
emscssessinfo.@mail.nysed.gov
NYS Administrator/Teacher participation
Assistant Commissioner’s Practitioners Advisory Council
Music and Art assessments are being put on the back burner.
2.5 million exams will be administered.
Suggested:
A group from NYSCEA to talk with David Abrams about
concerns and hot topics. Good decisions must be made on the student level.