Paying a student to read Animal Farm didn't inspire him to read more. But he reminded the teacher of who she should be in the classroom.
Editor’s note: Names of students and teachers have been changed.
Knowing we were going to be talking about former students, Lisa Perry told me she got out some letters she had saved and read through them. The exercise inspired her to get in touch with four of her students from over 20 years ago. (“Facebook is a wonderful thing,” she told me.)
But it also showed her some themes about her teaching, things that were mentioned repeatedly by students as they expressed appreciation.
Perry told me that she saw again and again phrases like: “You really opened my eyes;” “You valued what I said;” “You took me into the world of literature and helped me relate it to life.”
But her most memorable story was what she sees as her failure as a teacher.
Experts say the switch to Common Core standards won't require a total overhaul of school grading systems. However, educators may struggle to set new expectations.
The board was being asked to voted on two temporary changes which would soften the impact of several years of changes to the state formula which assign schools and districts an A-to-F rating. One change would prevent schools from dropping more than one letter grade this year, while another would change how
But the board was deeply divided. Some argued the reprieve was wise as schools adjusted to the new requirements. Other argued the state was sugarcoating bad news.
Most of the board questioned the complexity of the formula.
“I don’t think it’s a statistically relevant model,” board member Kathleen Shanahan told her colleagues.
They said Florida’s move to new education standards fully adopted by 45 states, known as Common Core, would force a rewrite of the formula.
But what will the switch to Common Core mean for Florida’s school grading system? Experts say the problems for the grading system are more political than statistical. That’s because the standards and accompanying testing will be more difficult, so fewer students — and schools — will meet expectations.
Former Florida Governor Jeb Bush (R-FL) addresses the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in National Harbor, Maryland, March 15, 2013.
Two 2016 presidential horse race stories posit that former Gov. Jeb Bush’s stock is down following the recent resignation of Education Commissioner Tony Bennett and Florida and Indiana lawmakers questioning the veracity of the A-to-F school grading systems Bush pioneered.
Bush hasn’t said whether or not he intends to run in 2016.
Bush built his gubernatorial legacy on a suite of education policies — largely built around Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test results — to assess student progress and school performance. But both stories argue two issues could turn that perceived strength into a weakness in a Republican presidential primary.
New York released the first round of results for its new test tied to Common Core standards.
Educators say the percentage of students meeting state goals on Florida’s math and reading tests will decline after the state switches to new standards known as Common Core.
How bad will it be? Check out the test results released today in New York.
Just 31 percent of New York students in third through eighth grades were proficient on the new math and reading exam. Last year, 65 percent were proficient in math and 55 percent were proficient in English on different exams.
New York is one of the first states in the country to use tests aligned with the Common Core State Standards. The standards have been fully adopted by 45 states — including Florida — and the District of Columbia.
House Education Committee Chair Bob Behning, R-Indianapolis, right, and Senate Education Committee Chair Dennis Kruse, R-Auburn. Behning is a Common Core supporter. Kruse has voted for and helped sponsor legislation opposing the Common Core.
Indiana lawmakers held the first of a series of hearings on the future of Common Core State Standards yesterday.
The first hearing focused on the quality of the standards, while subsequent meetings will look at assessment and cost.
Many of those who spoke at the hearing are leading national voices both in favor and opposing the standards. Those not attending the hearing provided a running commentary on Twitter all afternoon.
Step Up For Students is hosting an online chat Tuesday discussing Florida's tax credit scholarship program.
We wanted to offer a plug to the folks over at Step Up For Students, who are hosting an online Q & A about the state’s tax credit scholarship program Tuesday.
Doug Tuthill, president of Step Up For Students, will answer questions about the program at redefinED.org beginning at 10:30 a.m. Step Up For Students is the non-profit which administers the tax credit scholarship program.
The program will serve more than 60,000 low-income students when classes start this fall. Each time lawmakers have expanded the tax credit cap, students have quickly snatched up the new scholarships.
Bennett called the charges “malicious” and “unfounded,” but said he did not want to become a distraction in Florida. The Associated Press first published emails, which showed Bennett and staff discussing how to make Christel House Academy an A-rated school.
“Every minute we spend defending the credibility of your commissioner because of what’s said 800 miles away,” Bennett said, “is a minute we waste that we should have been thinking about educating children in Florida.”
Bennett said the decision was “mine alone” and that Gov. Rick Scott offered his support.
“I end my tenure with my head held high,” Bennett said.
Second graders at Christel House Academy, a charter school in Indianapolis, play fraction games.
Florida Education Commissioner Tony Bennett is expected to resign today after the Associated Press published emails this week showing he and staff worked to change the state’s grading system in 2012, which boosted a charter school’s grade.
While we’re waiting for a press conference later this morning, here’s a link to a story our colleagues at StateImpact Indiana did on Christel House Academy, a charter school which went to a ‘A’ from a ‘C’ after the grading change.
An excerpt:
In Indianapolis Public Schools, roughly 80 percent of students receive free or reduced price lunches, but only 45 percent of students pass state tests. At Indianapolis charter school Christel House Academy, 90 percent of students receive free or reduced price lunches and about 70 percent pass state tests. Principal Carey Dahncke also says it costs $4000 less per pupil to educate students at his school than in Indianapolis Public Schools.
Education Commissioner Tony Bennett is under criticism for emails revealing he worked to change Indiana's school grading system in 2012.
The Foundation for Florida’s Future and Michael Petrilli, writing at The Thomas B. Fordham Institute, are defending Florida Education Commissioner Tony Bennett’s decision to change Indiana’s school grading formula while leading Hoosier State schools in 2012.
The change boosted a notable charter school to an A grade from an initial C grade. Emails published by the Associated Press showed Bennett and staff scrambling to find a solution and concerned about the fallout if they didn’t.
Bennett said he was trying to preserve the integrity of the state’s formula. In a statement, foundation director Patricia Levesque said Bennett fixed an error:
“Commissioner Bennett and his department found and corrected a mistake that would have unfairly penalized 13 schools missing data for grades they did not even serve. They fixed a problem to be accurate and fair – any accusation otherwise is false and politically motivated.
“A-F school grading empowers parents to know how well schools are serving their children, in a transparent and easy to understand way. In 2012, Indiana was in its first year of its new school grading calculation, and there is always a learning process when implementing a policy new to a state.
“The best thing to do is to lay out the facts, which is what Commissioner Bennett is doing. Political attacks will come and go. The focus must remain on ensuring every student has access to a high-quality education that prepares them for success.”
Bennett now leads Florida schools and defended the change. The school, Christel House Academy, initially earned a C, but Bennett said Christel House performed as well as other A-rated charter schools.
Florida pioneered the A-through-F grading system for schools as a way to give parents a simple representation of school performance. Former Gov. Jeb Bush has traveled the country pitching the idea to other states.
And the system is constantly being tweaked to add or emphasize components of the formula (more on that later).
But It’s far less likely that Florida’s school grading formula could be adjusted to change the results of select schools. That’s because school districts usually come up with similar grades working independently from the state Department of Education.
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