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ALEC's Report Card Receives Failing Marks

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Via the Great Lakes Center

EAST LANSING, Mich. (May 9, 2013) – Ranking states is a popular tool for education advocacy groups, with the goal of advancing a policy agenda based on ideologically driven pre-packaged reforms. These report cards receive considerable media attention, although few reflect research-based evidence on the efficacy of particular polices. The 18th edition of the American Legislative Exchange Council's (ALEC) Report Card on American Education: Ranking State K-12 Performance, Progress, and Reform is no different according to an academic review.

Christopher Lubienski, associate professor of education policy and Director of the Forum on the Future of Public Education at the University of Illinois, and T. Jameson Brewer, a doctoral student at the University of Illinois, reviewed ALEC's Report Card for the Think Twice think tank review project. The review was produced by the National Education Policy Center (NEPC), with funding from the Great Lakes Center for Education Research and Practice.

Lubienski and Brewer find that ALEC draws its grades exclusively not from research organizations, but from like-minded market-orientated advocacy organizations.

"Furthermore, when studies are highlighted in this report, they do not represent the peer-reviewed research on a given issue, are often of extremely poor quality, and generally unsuited for supporting their claim."

In their review, Lubienski and Brewer provide two key areas – alternative teacher certification and school choice – to highlight gaps between ALEC's agenda and empirical evidence. Despite multiple claims that a "growing body of research indicates…" – the report offers absolutely no supporting evidence. Math results, which have a lower pass rate, were used to compare traditionally-certified teachers to alternatively-certified teachers. Meanwhile alternatively-certified teachers were portrayed using their reading results.

"Many of the grades given to states reflect the level to which pro-market policies have been implemented while the grades systematically ignore meaningful measurements of equality and outcomes" according to the review.

Readers of ALEC's Report Card should consider it a statement of policy preferences and not an overview of research on education reforms.

The reviewers conclude, "At best, the report serves as an amalgamation of other like-minded think tanks' assessments of states' adoption of pro-market policies, and thus offers nothing new … it provides little or no usefulness to policymakers."

Find the report by Lubienski and Brewer on the Great Lakes Center website: www.greatlakescenter.org

Is Ohio ready for computer testing?

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The Cincinnati Enquirer has a report on how Ohio schools are not going to be ready for the new online PARCC tests that are scheduled to be deployed next year.

Ohio public schools appear to be far short of having enough computers to have all their students take new state-mandated tests within a four-week period beginning in the 2014-15 school year.

“With all the reductions in education funds over the last several years and the downturn in the economy, districts have struggled to be able to bring their (computer technology) up to the level that would be needed for this,” said Barbara Shaner, associate executive director of the Ohio Association of School Business Officials.

Districts could seek state permission to deliver the new tests on paper if they can’t round up enough computers, tablets and gadgets to go around, Jim Wright, director of curriculum and assessment for the Ohio Department of Education, said. A student taking a paper test could be at a disadvantage, though. While the paper tests won’t have substantially different questions, a student taking the test online will have the benefit of audio and visual prompts as well as online tasks that show their work on computer, said Chad Colby, a spokesman for the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers.

The state really does need to step up and help districts fund this costly mandate that has been foisted upon them. Added to this, the computer industry is going through significant changes as more and more people move away from the traditional desktops and laptops in favor of the simpler more portable tablets. School districts could find themselves having to make costly investments again in the near future if they pick the wrong technologies.

The article makes note of the possibility of paper based test takers being at a possible disadvantage over those taking the computer based tests. There has been a significant amount of research over the years on this, and the results seem to indicate the opposite effect - that computer based test takers score lower than paper based tests.

The comparability of test scores based on online versus paper testing has been studied for more than 20 years. Reviews of the comparability literature research were reported by Mazzeo and Harvey (1988), who reported mixed results, and Drasgow (1993), who concluded that there were essentially no differences in examinee scores by mode-of-administration for power tests. Paek (2005) provided a summary of more recent comparability research and concluded that, in general, computer and paper versions of traditional multiple-choice tests are comparable across grades and academic subjects. However, when tests are timed, differential speededness can lead to mode effects. For example, a recent study by Ito and Sykes (2004) reported significantly lower performance on timed web-based norm-referenced tests at grades 4-12 compared with paper versions. These differences seemed to occur because students needed more time on the web-based test than they did on the paper test. Pommerich (2004) reported evidence of mode differences due to differential speededness in tests given at grades 11 and 12, but in her study online performance on questions near the end of several tests was higher than paper performance on these same items. She hypothesized that students who are rushed for time might actually benefit from testing online because the computer makes it easier to respond and move quickly from item to item.

A number of studies have suggested that no mode differences can be expected when individual test items can be presented within a single screen (Poggio, Glassnapp, Yang, & Poggio, 2005; Hetter, Segall & Bloxom, 1997; Bergstrom, 1992; Spray, Ackerman, Reckase, & Carlson, 1989). However, when items are associated with text that requires scrolling, such as is typically the case with reading tests, studies have indicated lower performance for students testing online (O’Malley, 2005; Pommerich, 2004; Bridgeman, Lennon, & Jackenthal, 2003; Choi & Tinkler, 2002; Bergstrom, 1992)

Education News for 12-10-2012

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State Education News

  • What makes a Grade A school? (Cincinnati Enquirer)

    • As everyone knows, an A on a report card is good. An F is bad. And when it comes to a student’s progress, most parents are comfortable using those grades to determine their child’s academic strengths and weaknesses…Read more...

  • Ohio schools face new grading system under proposed legislation (Cleveland Plain Dealer)

    • The House's passage of the latest Republican-backed education bill that implements a more demanding evaluation system for schools, along with other significant changes…Read more...

  • Web tool would prescribe specific help for student (Columbus Dispatch)

    • Reynoldsburg wants its teachers to be like doctors, diagnosing students’ academic ills and prescribing the right treatment…Read more...

  • Lack of reading skills ‘alarming’ (Columbus Dispatch)

    • As many as half of third-graders in some of Ohio’s largest urban school districts aren’t reading on grade level…Read more...

  • Historical Society aiding students with documents (Columbus Dispatch)

    • An educational program unveiled last week by the Ohio Historical Society is meant to help schools comply with a new state law requiring students in grades four to 12 to study the texts…Read more...

  • Ohio education reform bills moving this way (New Philadelphia Times)

    • Two bills making their way through the Ohio Legislature will bring a number of changes to the way schools operate…Read more...

Local Education News

  • Canton City schools offer low-cost adult education (Canton Repository)

    • Tisha Mayle knew her mother was a high-school dropout. At 13 years old, Mayle remembers watching her mom studying and getting her General Educational Development diploma…Read more...

  • CPS adds student performance to teachers' grades (Cincinnati Enquirer)

    • Junior-high math teacher Ken DeMann started doing something new this year for students at Roberts Paideia Academy. He sends home a folder each week updating parents on how well each student did on homework, behavior and participation that week…Read more...

  • IRS does not miss a trick (Lorain Morning Journal)

    • School boards in Columbiana County and around Ohio will soon be requiring the people who work their sporting events be classified as part-time district employees…Read more...

  • The quieting effects of phone (Lorain Morning Journal)

    • A school board member believes they should reconsider a ban on students using cell phones while riding buses to and from games and other events…Read more...

  • Technology is put to good use (Newark Advocate)

    • Chandler Eriksen and Keith Seymour have been preparing to take their classmates on a journey to the planet’s core…Read more...

  • So far, so good for technology initiatives at other schools (Newark Advocate)

    • Ever since all Licking Valley High School students received laptops earlier this year, Principal Wes Weaver has noticed something unexpected…Read more...

  • Schools flip for technology (Toledo Blade)

    • From chalkboards to smart boards, text books to e-books and worksheets to web applications, technology has fundamentally transformed the way teachers teach and students learn…Read more...

  • These schools aren’t allowed to fail (Toledo Blade)

    • The failure of too many at-risk students in low-income schools — in Toledo, in Ohio, and across the country…Read more...

  • Deal nears to give parochial students public transportation (Youngstown Vindicator)

    • The city school district is nearing a settlement with parochial school parents whose children weren’t transported to school last year…Read more...

Editorial

  • Dropouts (Cincinnati Enquirer)

    • Former Assistant Secretary of Education Chester E. Finn Jr. once wrote, “Kindergarten is not too early to address the dropout problem.”...Read more...

  • Passing grade (Columbus Dispatch)

    • A clear commitment by Ohio Senate Republicans that a new school-report-card system will give districts equal credit for preparing kids for careers…Read more...

  • Making the grade (Toledo Blade)

    • Charter schools promise to push traditional public schools to do better. They are designed to give parents a high-quality alternative to schools that are failing…Read more...

  • Graduation gap (Toledo Blade)

    • Ohio has one of the top high-school graduation rates in the nation for white students, but one of the lowest for African Americans. The racial gap — fourth largest among the states — must be closed…Read more...

Education News for 10-17-2012

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State Education News

  • Cuyahoga Heights schools' former employee stole almost $4.2 million, state auditor says (Cleveland Plain Dealer)

    • Nearly $4.2 million was stolen from the Cuyahoga Heights school district by its former technology director…Read more...

  • Cheating shows charters, testing failed, author says (Columbus Dispatch)

    • School cheating scandals aimed at improving high-stakes student-proficiency test results are a symptom of a failed reform plan that is wasting billions of dollars…Read more...

  • State finally releases school and district grades (Columbus Dispatch)

    • The Ohio Department of Education released school and district grades for the 2011-12 academic year today, a couple of months late…Read more...

  • Online academy takes learning beyond school day (Hamilton Journal-News)

    • An online school is expanding Hamilton students’ technology knowledge and helping teachers provide more specific remediation…Read more...

  • Schools have a role in shaping healthy habits (Newark Advocate)

    • Jane Krueger’s class at John Clem Elementary School looked more like a school dance than a physical education class as students grooved to the beat…Read more...

Local Education News

  • Columbus City Schools: Schools treasurer urges $25M in cuts (Columbus Dispatch)

    • Columbus City Schools need to cut $25 million from next school year’s budget or risk running out of money, Treasurer Penny Rucker warned school board members last night…Read more...

  • Northridge good now, could be in debt in 2015 (Newark Advocate)

    • The Northridge Local School District is expected to be in the black until 2015, but the district likely will need levy funding to avoid a deficit in three years…Read more...

  • TPS drops to academic watch on report card (Toledo Blade)

    • Toledo Public Schools lost its continuous improvement ranking on Ohio school report cards and slipped into academic watch…Read more...

Editorial

  • Ohio schools should have their own EpiPens (Cleveland Plain Dealer)

    • The Ohio Association of School Nurses is busy writing what it hopes will be lifesaving legislation -- a bill that would require schools…Read more...

  • Classroom crime (Columbus Dispatch)

    • A scandal that landed a former Texas school superintendent in prison — for arranging for test scores of low-performing students to disappear from his district’s records — shows the gravity of the alleged data rigging…Read more...

No laughing matter

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Hearings on the education MBR, in the Ohio House and Senate, took place yesterday. The hope for some relief from the draconian budget cuts enacted last year faded, according to a report from Gongwer

Much of the MBR debate centered on a failed Democratic amendment to provide $400 million for schools and additional funds for local governments, as the minority party continued the argument that the bill does nothing to address communities hit hard by the Kasich Administration's decision to slash local government funds to help balance the state's coffers.

Rep. Ron Amstutz (R-Wooster), chair of the House Finance & Appropriations Committee and the sponsor of the bill "by request," kicked off the debate by stating that the measure is in keeping with the restrained spending in the biennium budget passed last spring (HB 153).

"Clearly, we are steady as she goes, which is a good thing," he said. "Because we are on track, we are able to deal with a bill here today that doesn't make further difficult decisions."

It's a strange world we live in where thousands of teachers, support professionals, cops and firefighters are losing their jobs, weakening communities is considered "a good thing", but the Governor's reaction was even more shocking, Mr. Kasich bursts out laughing when asked about the push for more spending and what he thinks is an appropriate level for the Budget Stabilization Fund. He also suggested that any attempt to add significant appropriations to the measure would be vetoed.

It's no laughing matter. The rhetoric is about improving educational achievement, the means appears to be by slashing budgets. Headlines from just this week include

We're in a funding crisis. The legislature needs to step up and fulfill its constitutional responsibilities.

In other news, the proposed A-F grading system came in for a lot of questions

Mr. Cohen said feedback to ODE on the proposal so far has focused on four topics:

  • The value-added component should carry more weight than others in the final grade.
  • The scale of grades for the student progress component is unfair given a grade of "C" is assigned for districts that have "met" value-added expectations for two consecutive years.
  • The threshold for "A" grades should be lowered and traditional rounding rules should be applied.
  • Pluses and minuses should be applied to the grades.

Sen. Sawyer said that because many districts will go to the ballot seeking a levy this fall, the new scores, which are expected to be lower than previous ones, could be difficult for the districts to deal with as they ask voters to support their work to improve student performance.

Mr. Cohen said the current scores, which show a large portion of districts as "excellent" or better, will lose their meaning for the public. The simulation of what schools' grades would look like under the new scoring was merely that, and it is unclear how the public will react to the actual grades.

Sen. Joe Schiavoni (D-Canfield) asked if there is a score for things such as extracurricular activities offered and the like, which some people would attribute to whether a school system is a good one.

Mr. Cohen said ODE has considered looking at other measures, such as remediation rates; but the report card largely reflects assessment-based metrics.

Sen. Lehner asked if a report card could be developed for charter school authorizers in the same way school districts have report cards based on the performance of students in all the district's school buildings. Mr. Cohen said that would be possible.

If we had to guess, we expect that the technicals of the grade will see some minor modifications, and the implementation date will be pushed back a year to coincide with the introduction of common core.

Teacher evaluations years away from completion

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The state budget (HB 153) required all eligible teachers to be be evaluated using 50% student growth measures, by the 2013-14 school year.

Student growth measures may use value-added data that is calculated to determine whether a student achieves one year's worth of growth. But because the current value-added measure relies on data from statewide assessments, it can only be computed for reading and math education in grades 4-8.

That covers approximately 30% of Ohio's public school teachers. But before even those 30% can be measured, lots of training and data systems need to be put in place. By the end of this year, only 60% of those 30%, that is about 18% of Ohio's teachers, will have something in place.

72% of Ohio's teachers will not be in a position for the provisions in HB153 to be implemented by the end of this year.

It has taken significant costs, efforts and time to get to just 18% - and that was the "easy" part. Many districts have yet to begin to think about how to measure student growth for the other 70% of teachers. Social studies, the sciences, physical ed, art, and music are just some of the subject areas that will need measures developed, for all grades, in just 18 months from now.

"In areas where there are no state tests and where districts need to use local measures, you start getting down into issues around who pays for those measures, how are those measures administered, do they provide adequate information for the purposes of teacher evaluation, or are they even appropriate to use to create a growth measure from it."

That's not us saying that, that's Mary Peters, Battelle for Kids Senior Director of Research and Innovation. she raises a lot of big, important questions, to which there are no answers.

If there is a silver lining, it's that SB5 was defeated, which leaves teachers free to collectively bargain for an evaluation system that they feel can be the most fair within the framework prescribed.

We doubt that the 2013-14 year brings about a widespread breakout of effective teacher evaluations. Indeed, it is increasingly likely that there will be a patchwork system of half-baked systems throughout the state and districts will continue to struggle to fund and develop anything that is remotely workable.

On top of all that, research and evidence continues to demonstrate that teacher level value add is an inappropriate tool for making high stakes decinios such as evalautions and pay.