The Thursday letter to DeVos argues that the plan should be ditched because of the way it handles English learners, among other reasons.
Written by the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, League of United Latin American Citizens, and others, the letter argues that the Sunshine State’s plan is a bad idea and doesn’t follow ESSA because it doesn’t offer state tests in languages other than English, including to the 200,000 students in Florida who are learning English and speak Spanish.
They also took issue with the plan for excluding English-language proficiency from the state’s proposed accountability system.
In addition, the groups say that Florida’s plan doesn’t appropriately identify schools with low performance for student subgroups. All three moves, the groups say, run counter to ESSA’s requirements…
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Read the full letter below. This piece has been corrected to accurately reflect the civil rights’ groups concerns with student subgroups’ performance.
A new report from The Education Trust-New York shows that many Black and Brown students are taught by people who don’t look like them.
The report, titled “See Our Truth,” shows that although Black and Latino residents represent 43 percent of New York State’s K-12 enrollment, only 16 percent of teachers in the state are Latino or Black.
According to The Education Trust-New York, an organization devoted to closing the achievement gap in schools, more than 115,000 Latino and Black students (10 percent) attend schools with no teachers of the same race/ethnicity and another 80,000 Latino and Black students (7 percent) attend schools with only one teacher of the same race/ethnicity.
As for white students, more than 560,000 of them (48 percent) are enrolled in schools without any Black or Latino teachers, and 977,000 white students (84 percent) attend schools without a Black or Latino principal or assistant principal.
“New York’s educator workforce does not come close to representing the rich diversity of the state’s students, leaving many Latino and Black students without access to teachers or school leaders of the same race or ethnicity,” said Ian Rosenblum, executive director of The Education Trust–New York, in a statement. “The critical role that strong teachers and school leaders play in student success is central to closing achievement and opportunity gaps, and New York should improve the educator preparation pipeline, strengthen supports for educators of color and make schools more inclusive environments in order to better serve our students and educators.”
The report, which is based on unpublished school-level data, interviews and focus groups with students and educators of color, detailed the importance of being taught by someone who looks like you.
“I think it was when I heard my first Black teacher in sixth grade that I changed as a student and really opened up and owned my own voice,” said Danitra, a New York City education nonprofit administrator and former teacher, in the report. “My seventh-grade teacher was a Black man who would always say stuff like, ‘Oh, my gosh your braids are so fly.’ That affirmation, that totally changed the game for me in terms of how I interacted in educational spaces.”
“It’s really important for children of color to see people like them in places of power and leadership so that they can aspire to those positions,” added Veronica, a New York City school leader, in the report.
Schools with a Latino or Black principal are more likely to have a greater share of Latino and Black teachers and to have higher enrollment of students of color and low-income students, the report states.
One student interviewed said students might hold back because “they see teachers they can’t relate to.”
The report recommends “strengthening the educator preparation pipeline for future teachers and school leaders of color,” “improving recruitment and hiring at the school district level” and “focusing greater attention on retention, support and career advancement for educators of color.”
Most states are not planning to do enough to prevent low-income students and students of color from being disproportionately taught by ineffective or inexperienced teachers, according to the National Council on Teacher Quality.
The Every Student Succeed Acts requires that states define “ineffective” and “inexperienced” teachers in their federally required plans, and describe ways they’ll ensure that low-income and nonwhite students aren’t being taught by these teachers at higher rates than their peers.
NCTQ, a Washington-based research and advocacy group, today released new analyses of 34 states’ plans, following its analyses of 16 states and the District of Columbia, which was released in June. In that earlier round, the group found a few bright spots, including New Mexico and Tennessee.
NCTQ looked at these metrics in its analyses:
How do states define inexperienced and ineffective teachers? NCTQ recommends that states define an inexperienced teacher as someone with two or fewer years of experience. An ineffective teacher should be defined by using “objective measures of student learning and growth” (like student test scores).
What data are states using? NCTQ advises states to report student-level data, and consider whether there are additional student subgroups that might have educator equity gaps.
When will states eliminate identified educator equity gaps? NCTQ calls for states to make publicly available timelines and interim targets for eliminating the gaps.
What are states’ strategies to target identified equity gaps? NCTQ says that specific strategies should be developed with stakeholder input and be evaluated over time.
(It’s important to note that these are not specified by the federal law; they are NCTQ’s interpretation of what states should be doing under ESSA.)…
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Every state has turned in a plan to implement the Every Student Succeeds Act. So how do those plans stack up against each other and against No Child Left Behind, the previous version of the law? The Thomas B. Fordham Institute, a think tank headed up by Michael Petrili, a former Bush administration aide, is out with a look Tuesday.
Fordham judged the states on whether or not they had assigned annual ratings to schools that parents could understand, whether they encouraged schools to focus on all students or just the lowest performers, and whether the ratings were fair.
Read the full article here. May require an Education Week subscription.
CROSSROADS NEWS — Parents, grandparents and anyone raising school-age children, as well as property owners in DeKalb and across Georgia, can find out about the new national education law – Every Student Succeed Act, or ESSA – at a Black Parents’ Town Hall Meeting on Educational Excellence on Oct. 23 at Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta.
The law, which will impact how children are educated, takes effect in 2018, but while Georgia completed its 112-page State Plan on Sept. 18, there has been little conversation in our communities about the plan.
The town hall panel of experts includes Georgia PTA President Tyler L. Barr; Patrice Barlow of the Atlanta NAACP Education Committee and an Urban League of Greater Atlanta education advocate; Deborah Gay, Georgia Department of Education deputy superintendent for Federal Programs and Special Education; and Dr. Knox Phillips, DeKalb School District’s executive director of Research, Assessment, and Grants.
It takes place 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., and is hosted by the National Newspaper Publishers Association, “The Black Press,” as part of a national public awareness campaign to heighten awareness among African-American stakeholders about opportunities presented by ESSA, which President Barack Obama signed into law to replace the No Child Left Behind law.
Parents and other stakeholders will get to ask questions and get clarification about how they can best advocate for their children under the new law.
Dr. Elizabeth Primas, NNPA’s ESSA program manager, said that education has been a bridge leading to upward mobility for African-Americans in the United States even before emancipation.
“Now, more than ever, it is important that we ensure our voices are heard to ensure the academic success of our children,” she said. “ESSA prioritizes high quality education, equity, and closure of the achievement gap. By raising awareness of ESSA, we are seeking to empower stakeholders to advocate for such policies.”
The meeting is hosted by Atlanta’s black-owned newspaper publishers, including CrossRoadsNews.
Jennifer Parker, CrossRoadsNews editor and publisher, said the town hall meeting is a great opportunity for parents and stakeholders, including homeowners, to find out about the law and what is coming.
She said that even homeowners who don’t have children in the school district should attend, because the quality of our schools directly affects our property values and they too can be advocates for quality education.
“People buy homes in counties with quality schools, so this affects all of us,” Parker said. “And parents with kids in school need to know how to navigate the law to get the best resources for their kids education.”
Dr. Benjamin Chavis, NNPA’s executive director, said NNPA is asking church leaders across Atlanta to announce the meeting at services and send emails to their congregation.
“Moral leadership in education is paramount,” said Chavis, a former NAACP executive director and civil rights leader who at age 24 was sentenced to 34 years on arson charges with the Wilmington Ten.
Chavis and the other nine members walked to their freedom in 1980 after the federal appeals court overturned the convictions. They were pardoned by N.C. Gov. Beverly Perdue on Dec. 31, 2012.
The Black Parent Town Hall Meeting takes place in Ebenezer Baptist Church’s Martin Luther King Sr. Community Resources Complex at 101 Jackson St. N.E.
Free parking is available behind the Community Resources Complex; across the street from Ebenezer’s sanctuary; and in the National Martin Luther King Center’s parking lot off Irwin Street.
For more information, call Jennifer Parker at 404-284-1888.
Parents of K-12 children are encouraged to learn about the new Every Student Succeed Act (ESSA), which is offering $1.6 billion in funding and more flexibility to individual states and school districts in how students learn and are evaluated.
Atlanta NAACP Education Committee member Patrice Barlow speaks as a panel member during a parents’ town hall for the Every Student Succeeds Act, at Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta on Oct. 23.
The federal education act was passed into law with bipartisan support in December 2015 under the administration of President Barack Obama. Its specific aim is to close the achievement gap for minority students.
[/media-credit] Parents, teachers, school board members and social workers attended the parents’ town hall on the Every Student Succeeds Act at Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta on Oct. 23.
It replaces the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 and reauthorizes the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965.
Georgia Department of Education Deputy Superintendent Deborah Gay speaks as a panelist at a parents’ town hall on the Every Student Succeeds Act, alongside DeKalb County School District Director of Research, Assessments and Grants Dr. Knox Phillips, at Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta on Oct. 23.
ESSA reduces federal mandates over education, and gives states and school districts the power to design and implement systems catering to the needs of specific communities, schools, classrooms and students.
ESSA is partway through being implemented and brings with it the power for parents and caregivers to help shape their children’s education, which is what Georgia officials want to see happening throughout metro Atlanta including in DeKalb County.
[/media-credit] Dr. Benjamin Chavis, President of the National Newspaper Publishers Association, speaks during a parents’ town hall on the Every Student Succeeds Act, alongside panelists Tyler Barr, Georgia PTA President; Deborah Gay, Georgia Department of Education Deputy Superintendent; Dr. Knox Phillips, DeKalb County School District Director of Research, Assessments and Grants; and Patrice Barlow, Atlanta NAACP Education Committee member, at Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta on Oct. 23
“ESSA is a true opportunity and we cannot miss this critical opportunity to make sure our voices and concerns are heard. If we don’t, the doors will close and the opportunity, the choices and decisions will pass,” said Patrice Barlow, a member of the Atlanta NAACP Education Committee.
Barlow was one of four panelists at an Oct. 23 parents’ town hall on ESSA, convened by the National Newspaper Publishers Association – “The Black Press” – at Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta.
The panelists – Barlow, Georgia PTA President Tyler Barr, Georgia Department of Education Deputy Superintendent Deborah Gay, and Dr. Knox Phillips, DeKalb County School District Director of Research, Assessments and Grants – said it is crucial for parents to be involved in how ESSA is implemented in their children’s schools.
“ESSA creates the opportunity for every community, every school to design a plan for improvement that is unique. There’s not a prescriptive template anymore,” Gay said.
Community input encouraged
The 50-plus people present included parents, teachers, school board members and social workers from throughout metro Atlanta, who asked questions about the new law and Georgia’s plan, and voiced concerns about the current state of local education, saying there needs to be more teachers, smaller class sizes, more help for disabled students and their families, more culturally relevant teaching material, more teacher training and greater accountability for principals under pressure to make schools and students look good on paper.
One former teacher of 22 years, who asked not to be named, said he left the profession last year after a principal made him alter test scores.
Georgia’s Department of Education spent over a year consulting stakeholders, including parents, and drafting its 111-page ESSA plan, which it submitted to the U.S. Department of Education on Sept. 18 for review within 100 days.
“ESSA creates the opportunity for every community, every school to design a plan for improvement that is unique. There’s not a prescriptive template anymore.” Deborah Gay, Georgia Department of Education
Once Georgia’s plan has been finalized and approved, each school district in the state will create its own plan. That’s where parents, caregivers, community leaders, church groups and nonprofits can really make a difference, by reading up on ESSA, attending town halls, joining school boards and committees, lobbying policy makers and holding officials to account.
Panelists said this is the time for parents to voice concerns about their children’s education, make suggestions for improvement, volunteer in school programs, email elected officials and be proactive in general.
“The ESSA plan, if it communicates nothing else, is that this is a collective activity for all of us to engage together, work together and maybe start to realize the dream of that 1965 legislation in a way we couldn’t before,” Gay said.
“School districts have more flexibility now under ESSA than they have in many years, but the success of it will depend on the strong engagement of stakeholders being knowledgeable, understanding the needs of their community and bringing those into the schools,” she said.
Emphasis on improvement
To comply with ESSA and fulfill its ideals, the Georgia Department of Education is grouping achievement indicators in five categories – content mastery, progress, closing gaps, readiness and graduation rate – applied according to grade bands.
Students will still primarily be assessed on statewide test scores for English, math, science and social studies, with other data recorded such as how well a student is progressing compared to academically similar peers, how well schools are progressing towards improvement targets, whether schools offer alternative classes, and what access exists to support services and resources.
Annual targets will be set for every school, so the Georgia Department of Education can reach its long-term goal of closing the achievement gap by 45 percent over 15 years. It will also establish an assessment task force, comprising stakeholders and experts, to explore assessment methods and how they can be scaled statewide.
Dr. Elizabeth Primas, program manager for NNPA’s ESSA initiative, said there will be less high-stakes testing for students.
Students will still have to take standardized reading and math tests in grades three through eight and once in high school, but states can choose their own standards and accountability systems as long as they align with ESSA.
“States can now write their own standards. It’s taking the federal government a little bit out of public education, that’s public and charter, and putting it back into the hands of the community where they serve,” Primas said, adding that Georgia’s ESSA plan is a living document to be revised and amended to suit specific needs within the state.
ESSA comes with $1.6 billion in federal funding that is not only available to schools, but also to nonprofit organizations able to provide support services, resources and programs to help schools and students achieve ESSA goals and standards.
The holistic community approach in educating children is a key theme of Georgia’s new education state plan, which also aims to teach and assess children in a more holistic way than before.
“Georgia is going to get more education money,” said NNPA President Dr. Benjamin Chavis.
“The question is what is Georgia going to do with that money and how is that money going to impact and make quality education more accessible?” he said. “We want to arouse awareness among our parents about what is happening in the education sector, and we have to be focused on where the resources are going and how local school boards and state departments of education are allocating those resources.”
NNPA is holding ESSA town halls throughout the country.
The Georgia PTA sees ESSA as an improvement and a step in the right direction.
“Finding innovative and flexible ways to assess academic achievement is an essential extension of Georgia’s current policies,” Barr said. “One test cannot accurately reflect a student’s knowledge, and by extension, that same single test cannot accurately evaluate a school.”
Washington — U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos told a meeting Monday that the country needs to quit trying to push every student to attend a four-year college, and open up apprenticeships and other workplace learning experiences to more students.
“We need to stop forcing kids into believing a traditional four-year degree is the only pathway to success,” DeVos said at the first meeting of the White House Task Force on Apprenticeship Expansion. “We need to expand our thinking on what apprenticeships actually look like … we need to start treating students as individuals … not boxing them in.”
A $13 million dollar federal grant has been awarded to two New Orleans universities and four nonprofits in an effort to recruit and train 900 diverse teachers for Louisiana by 2020.
The U.S. Education Department’s Supporting Effective Educator Development Program grant will fund the task set forth by Xavier University and Loyola University, according to school officials Monday morning (Nov. 13) at Xavier’s campus. The schools will be collaborating with Teach For America Greater New Orleans, teachNOLA, Relay Graduate School of Education, and New Schools for New Orleans to address teacher pipeline challenges in the city.
The federal funding comes as figures from Tulane University’sEducation Research Alliance for New Orleans showed the rate of teachers leaving the profession or leaving the city was as high as 25 percent annually as of 2015. With this in mind, New Schools CEO Patrick Dobard said the funding serves as a “starting point” as organizations seek longterm sustainable strategies to fund and retain teachers in the city and the region.
Dobard said New Orleans needs to fill 800 teacher vacancies annually, and that doing so would contribute to the improved quality of its public schools. Drawing attention to the C-rating awarded to Orleans Parish schools by Louisiana’s Department of Education, Dobard stressed that “too many of our children are still not receiving the quality education that we’ve come to expect in New Orleans….”
Right now, state education departments are working to try to come up with a plan that meets all the requirements of the Federal government’s Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). One area that has received a lot of attention in ESSA is the student accountability section and the required indicators that hold schools accountable for student learning.
The first indicator under ESSA is known as the academic achievement indicator and requires states to annually measure English/Language Arts (ELA) and Math proficiency using statewide assessments. To simplify, I would call this a proficiency indicator, where states use the information from state standardized tests to see if students are meeting grade level standards. When I was a 4th grade teacher, this information was incredibly useful for me. I needed to know what level my student’s were performing at in language arts and math so that I could scaffold lesson plans, create student groups and understand which students needed to do the most catching up. These scores helped me also talk to parents about where their child was performing in relation to where he/she should be performing as a 4th grader. However, a student’s proficiency score was only a part of the puzzle, which is where the second indicator under ESSA comes in to complete the picture.
The second ESSA accountability indicator is the academic progress indicator, which looks at the growth or progress that an individual student or subgroup of students has made in elementary and middle school. States have created different policies to measure this, but the general goal is to measure an individual student’s growth over a period of time.
When I was a teacher I also had a method of measuring this for each of my students. For example, in reading I would assess their starting reading level at the beginning of the year and then map out an individual plan for each student. Each student would have to grow between 6 or 8 reading levels, depending on where they started, with the overall goal of growing the equivalent of two grade levels. Some of my students did grow two grade levels, but they would still be below where they should be at that grade. For others the two-grade boost would put them way above the 4th grade reading level. It is important for teachers and students to understand and celebrate their progress at multiple checkpoints throughout the year that are not in the form of state tests. In my classroom, this gave students a sense of purpose for their assignments because they wanted to meet the individual goal that we had set together. As a teacher, I also would constantly adjust assignments, homework, student pairs, etc. based on the new levels that students reached throughout the year.
For me, both proficiency and growth measures were crucial for the success of my students. The growth measure made learning real for students as they saw their reading levels steadily increase throughout the year. But I couldn’t rely on growth measures alone. The proficiency measure provided that benchmark to help me know what level fourth grade students should be able to perform at by the end of the year. Without this, I could not have identified the achievement gaps in my classroom and would also not have been able to communicate these to the parents of my students. After understanding the difference between growth and proficiency indicators and how to use the data from each to inform my instruction as a teacher, I do not think that it is a matter of one being more important than the other, but rather both working together to paint a more holistic picture of student learning.
Several civil rights and education advocacy groups have a simple message for Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos: Just say no to Florida’s Every Student Succeeds Act plan.
A new report from The Education Trust-New York shows that many Black and Brown students are taught by people who don’t look like them.
