An Investment in Teachers Pays Big Dividends for Students

An Investment in Teachers Pays Big Dividends for Students

“It is my belief that schools can and must be a sanctuary of safety and possibility for all of the young people in their care.” So says Flint Community Schools superintendent Bilal Tawwab, of Flint, Michigan, in a commentary published by Huffington Post.

These are not idle words. Flint has experienced chronic economic decline, as well as a major water crisis that landed the city in the news for all the worst reasons. As Mr. Tawwab puts it, “These challenges our children face – and, in too many cases, the traumas they have experienced as a result – stack the odds against them before they even get to school.”

So it’s exciting to share some good news from this resilient community.

Despite the challenges, students in Flint achieved significant growth as measured by our very own MAP – in part thanks to what Mr. Tawwab calls a wise investment “in the people who can most impact a child’s learning: Teachers.”

Under Mr. Tawwab’s leadership, the district made a series of strategic investments. First, given the water crisis and on-going trauma that many children in the district have experienced, Flint invested in non-academic supports to make sure students have access to healthcare and tools to manage the stress. Then, to support student learning, as Mr. Tawwab says, the district “…invested resources in the people who can most impact a child’s learning: Teachers.”

Flint committed to a professional learning program that included things teachers said they needed. How could they use data from MAP to build individuated education programs (IEPs) for special education students? How could they better use the Learning Continuum to unpack what students were ready to learn next, and where they needed extra help? How could they set goals with students, and talk to them about growth?

Working with NWEA, the team developed a customized program that met the district’s needs and included data coaching, and smart use of NWEA’s different professional learning modules. Throughout, NWEA staff worked with the district closely to ensure that the plan continues to meet teacher needs.

The results speak for themselves. Join us in sending a big congratulations to @FlintSchools on this great news!

The post An Investment in Teachers Pays Big Dividends for Students appeared first on Teach. Learn. Grow..

ESSA Raises K-12 Stakes in 2016 State-Level Elections

ESSA Raises K-12 Stakes in 2016 State-Level Elections

Education Week, By Daarel Burnette II

The stakes for K-12 policy in this year’s state-level elections couldn’t be clearer: Whoever voters pick in the legislative and gubernatorial races will have significant new leverage in shaping states’ education agendas in the years ahead.

The reason is the new federal Every Student Succeeds Act, which gives state governments sweeping authority to design, among other things, teacher evaluations and school accountability systems, topics that political observers expect to dominate policymakers’ 2017 legislative seasons.

Observers wouldn’t necessarily know that, however, by hanging out on the campaign trails this year.

Aside from school finance, teacher pay, and transgender students’ access to bathrooms, education policy has mostly stayed out of the fray of this year’s topsy-turvy election cycle…

Read the full article here. May require an Education Week subscription.

2016 School Performance Ratings Released for Wyoming Schools

2016 School Performance Ratings Released for Wyoming Schools

CHEYENNE – The Wyoming Department of Education (WDE) released school performance ratings today. The state accountability measure shows that over half of Wyoming schools are meeting or exceeding expectations.

School Performance Data 2016 - pie

School Performance Data 2016 – pie

“This year we have more schools meeting or exceeding expectations than ever before,” said State Superintendent Jillian Balow. “We’ve seen schools and communities focus their efforts on proven practices and take advantage of what is working in our top districts. These improvements are something to be very proud of as we look to create opportunities for students to keep Wyoming strong.”

School Performance Data 2016 - table

School Performance Data 2016 – table

This data does not include school performance ratings for Wyoming’s 21 alternative high schools. An alternative high school accountability model is being piloted during the 2016-17 school year.

School Performance Data 2016 (1)

School Performance Data 2016 (1)

Under the Wyoming Accountability in Education Act, schools serving grades 3-8 are rated on achievement, growth, and equity indicators. Indicators for high schools also include graduation rates, 9th grade credits earned, and Hathaway Scholarship eligibility. Before the next legislative session, the Advisory Committee to the Select Committee on Statewide Education Accountability will recommend an additional indicator for the state accountability model as part of the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA).

“Wyoming has a strong accountability system and ESSA gives us a chance to make it even better,” said former State Superintendent Judy Catchpole. “As chair of the Advisory Committee, we are working diligently to ensure that Wyoming students remain our first priority as we transition into this new federal law.”

As part of Wyoming’s transition to ESSA, the WDE did not make federal accountability determinations this year. Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) does not exist under ESSA. For the 2016-17 transition year, schools and districts identified as being in improvement under No Child Left Behind will remain in their current improvement status for the next year. Once ESSA is fully implemented, Wyoming will use its state accountability model to make both state and federal accountability determinations.

School Performance Ratings can be found here.

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Media Contact:
Kari Eakins, Communications Director
kari.eakins@wyo.gov
307-777-2053