Education
experts discuss PA graduation exam plan
On April
24, 2008, CEO hosted a discussion about the proposed graduation
exams for Pennsylvania public school students. A panel is
education leaders discussed the consequences of implementing a
system of high-stakes graduation exams. The State Board
of Education and Department of Education declined invitations
to be on the panel.
To read
a Post-Gazette article, click here.
Success
of Federal Reading First Program Questioned
A report
from the Institute of education Sciences found that students in
Reading First programs scored no better on reading comprehension
tests than students who did not participate.
To read
more, click here.
5/2/08
SAT
predicts college success
A validity
study by the College Board that included more than 151,000 freshmen
at 110 colleges and universities found that "the new SAT
college entrance exam is just about as good as high school grades
- and in some cases better - in predicting college freshman grades."
To read the rest of the Post-Gazette article, click here.
Girl
Violence Increases
"According
to the Pennsylvania Electronic Juvenile Justice Databook, there
were 26,430 females younger than 18 arrested in the state during
2001. In 2006, the number rose to 29,693, an increase of
more than 12 percent." To read more about the causes
of girl violence, click here.
Teens
not in touch with cultural and historical references
Another
study indicates that "high schoolers still lack important
historical and cultural underpinnings of a 'complete education.'"
AMong 1,200 students surveyed, only 43% could place the Civil
War between 1850 and 1900, Only 52% could identify the theme
of 1984. To read a USAToday article, click here.
Teen
writing changes with the times
"Despite
best efforts to keep school writing assignments formal, two-thirds
of teens admit in a survey that emoticons and other informal styles
have crept in." To read the rest of this AP article,
click here.
4/25/08
This report studies the
fifty largest urban centers and finds students have only a 50% chance
of graduating. In some cities, the graduation rates are abysmal:.
And there are stark gaps
between each of these four urban areas and their suburban areas:
Understanding
PVAAS
Most
Pennsylvanians are familiar with the PSSA
– the sometimes-controversial annual state assessment
tests in math, reading, writing, and science that measure achievement,
or how well students are learning the state standards. Now
the state has a companion assessment instrument - PVAAS
– the Pennsylvania Value-Added Assessment System
that uses PSSA results to measure academic progress,
or how much an individual student grows over time. The state Department
of Education refers to this combination as the “Power of 2.”
PVAAS
is a “value-added” or “growth model” that uses a complex statistical
method to analyze students’ PSSA scores, plot prior academic growth
of individual students and groups, and project how individual
students should perform in the future. Students with teachers
and schools that effectively teach to the state standards should
gain a full year of education “value” or “growth” every year.
PVAAS shows whether this occurs.
To
read more in the CEO newsletter, click here.
Go to page 2.
To
read a Post-Gazette article, click here.
3/10/08
Do
students need more music and phys ed?
Two recent
studies indicate that music and phys ed have positive effects
on student learning. These findings are especially significant
for schools that are reducing physical education, recess, and
music in efforts to spend more class time in preparation for state
math and reading tests.
1.
A Center for Disease Control and Prevention report shows that
K-5 girls who received between 70 and 300 minutes of physical
education a week scored consistently higher on tests than those
who received less than 35 minutes a week. The findings were
not replicated with boys, perhaps because boys need an even higher
level of physical activity than girls. To read the study,
click here.
2.
An extensive report from the Dana Foundation advanced the understanding
of the effects of music, dance, and drama education on other types
of learning. For example, performing arts foster sustained
attention; high levels of music training relates to the ability
to manipulate information; music training and practice is related
to better skills in geometrical representation and reading acquisition.
These findings begin to explore the question of whether arts training
changes the brain to enhance general cognitive capacities.
To read the report, click here.
3/5/08
High
stakes exit exams coming to PA
The wheels
are now in motion for the PA Board of Education and Department
of Education to mandate exit exams. The plan also calls
for development of a state curriculum. The authority of
local school boards will be further diminished. Education
will be further reduced to test prep and test taking.
To read
a CEO newsletter article, click here.
To read more about the
Pennsylvania plan, click here.
PA
State Board of Education
approves
graduation exams
With an
11-0 vote, the State Board of Education gave initial approval
yesterday to the plan that would further diminish local control
by mandating state graduation exams for public school students.
Critics believe the tests will increase the dropout rate, turn
most high schools into "test-prep factories," and
put too much weight on standardized testing. The plan would
start with the class of 2014 - students who are in sixth grade
right now.
During
the next few months the plan will be reviewed by the Independent
Regulatory Review Commission and legislative committees before
final approval.
To read
more, click here.
To read
the State Board of Ed proposal, click here.
1/18/08
Graduation
Exit Exams Likely in PA
The PA
Department of Education announced recently that exit exams are
being planned for high school students. Why? Because
the PDE believes that not all local diplomas are equal and a set
of state exit exams will standardize the process. Twenty-two
states now give such exams.
It is suggested
that 10 subject-specific tests be available, with proficiency
required on six. Other details are being discussed.
Secretary Zahorchak expects the program to begin with the Class
of 2014, which coincides with the NCLB goal date for 100% student
proficiency in reading, science and math. To read more,
click here.
Pittsburgh
Public School District is hoping to be in the forefront, instituting
the exams with the class of 2012. To read more, click here.
Elementary
Math Changes Coming
If American
students are to take algebra in middle school, the elementary
math curriculum needs to be more rigorous and the teachers need
to know more math. To read more, click here.
1/11/08
Can
more money fix education?
In
November a state report determined that there is a $5 billion
funding gap for Pennsylvania schools! The link is below.
Based on this one report, lawmakers are considering creating a
commission to examine new funding and school funding in general.
Some districts spend in excess of $20,000 a student and still
have low academic proficiency. Money is not the answer in
many districts that are already far exceeding state average cost-per-child
amount.
To
read a Tribune-Review article, click here.
12/10/07
Previous
information:
According
to a $648,000 study completed for
the state Legislature by a Denver-based consulting firm, Pennsylvania
must increase annual education spending by $5 billion
in order to meet state standards. The current average
cost per student is $9,512.
This report asserts that districts need to spend $12,057
per student!
Seven area
school districts already spend that exorbitant amount: Allegheny
Valley, Duquesne, Fox Chapel, North Allegheny, Pittsburgh Public
Schools, Quaker Valley, and Wilkinsburg. Three
problematic districts are on this list - districts that are spending
at least $12,057 per student and still cannot successfully educate
most of its students.
To read
the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette article, click here.
11/15/07