ED Review (05/20/05)
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- Date: Tue, 24 May 2005 10:47:39 -0400
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ED REVIEW
May 20, 2005
...a bi-weekly update on U.S. Department of Education activities relevant to
the Intergovernmental and Corporate community and other stakeholders
________________________________________________________
NCLB UPDATE (http://www.ed.gov/nclb/)
On May 10, Secretary Spellings presented further details of a new No Child
Left Behind policy designed to help states better assist students with
disabilities. The guidelines follow-up on the Secretary's declaration last
month that she would provide states with additional alternatives and
flexibility to implement the law. The agency already allows states to test
one percent of students -- those with the most significant cognitive
disabilities -- using alternate assessments, based on alternate achievement
standards, and "count" their proficient scores as such. Now, another two
percent of students with disabilities may be allowed to take alternate
assessments based on modified standards.
In order to be eligible for this short-term flexibility, states must meet
certain requirements, including:
=B7 testing at least 95 percent of students with disabilities;
=B7 putting in place appropriate accommodations for students with
disabilities;
=B7 for students with disabilities who are unable to take the regular
assessment, making available alternate assessments in reading/language arts
and math; and
=B7 adjusting the minimum number of special education students=
required
to calculate Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP), or "N-size," so that it is no
larger than the overall group size.
Also, each state must request to amend their accountability plan by June 1
and furnish specifics on their actions taken to raise achievement for
students with disabilities, with evidence that such efforts are improving
achievement.
After meeting those requirements, states have two options for 2004-05 AYP
decisions:
=B7 Option 1. States that do not have modified achievement standards
for students with disabilities may make an adjustment to provide additional
credit to schools or school districts that would miss making AYP solely
because of students in that subgroup. Essentially, states will add a
"proxy" passing percentage to the proportion of special education students
who actually passed the tests; the actual passing percentage plus the proxy
would determine the special education subgroup score.
=B7 Option 2. States that do have modified achievement standards for
students with disabilities may count in AYP calculations the proficient
scores of students tested on the modified standards, up to the two percent
cap. These states must also show they have administered tests based on
modified standards for over two years, established clear testing guidelines,
used a valid method to craft the tests, and trained teachers in how to use
them.
In addition, the Secretary will consider other options offered by states.
However, the same option must be used statewide.
The Department is working on a final rule. FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE GO
TO http://www.ed.gov/news/pressreleases/2005/05/05102005.html. ("The
Pursuit of Raising Achievement," which explains the process for requesting
approval of flexibility in general, is available at
http://www.ed.gov/policy/elsec/guid/raising/disab-amendment.html. "Interim
Policy: Accountability for Students with Disabilities Accountability Plan
Amendments for 2004-05," referencing the special education flexibility
above, is available at
http://www.ed.gov/policy/elsec/guid/raising/disab-acctplan.html.)
Meanwhile, speaking May 6 at the annual meeting of the Education Writers
Association, the Secretary called on the broadcast and print media to focus
on "the quiet revolution" made possible by the No Child Left Behind Act.
FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE GO TO
http://www.ed.gov/news/speeches/2005/05/05062005.html.
________________________________________________________
MOMENT OF REMEMBRANCE
In a letter to educators, Carmella LaSpada, executive director of the White
House Commission on Remembrance, asked schools to hold a Remembrance
Ceremony as close to Memorial Day (Monday, May 31) as possible and actively
encourage students to pause on Memorial Day at 3:00 p.m. local time, to
think about the men and women who gave their lives for our freedom. The
idea of a moment of remembrance was born in 1996 when children touring
Washington, D.C., were asked what Memorial Day meant to them. They
responded, "That's the day the pools open!" Four years later, Congress
established the White House Commission on Remembrance. The mid-afternoon
time was chosen because it is an hour when a majority of Americans are
enjoying the holiday. FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE GO TO
http://www.remember.gov/.
________________________________________________________
CONGRESSIONAL ACTION
Several important pieces of education legislation are working their way
through Congress. First, on May 18, the House Committee on Education and
the Workforce unanimously approved a bill that would introduce greater
competition into the federal Head Start program, as well as strengthen
school readiness and increase the role of states and local communities.
(Secretary Spellings praised the action in a statement:
http://www.ed.gov/news/pressreleases/2005/05/05182005a.html.) Second,
recently, the full House passed a bipartisan bill to reauthorize the Carl D.
Perkins Vocational and Technical Education Act. House and Senate lawmakers
are working to reconcile differences in their bills. And, this week, Govs.
Tom Vilsack (IA) and Mitt Romney (MA) testified on high school reform
(http://edworkforce.house.gov/hearings/109th/fc/highschool051705/wl51705.htm=
).
________________________________________________________
NEW COMMISSIONER
Edward Kame'enui, an international authority on learning problems and
special education, has been named the nation's first Commissioner for
Special Education Research. He will lead a newly established office within
the Institute of Education Sciences (IES), the research arm of the Education
Department. A native of Hawaii, Kame'enui started his special education
career in 1971 as a teacher and houseparent at a residential treatment
center, in Wisconsin, for children with serious emotional and behavior
problems. He joins IES from the University of Oregon, where he has been a
faculty member for the past 17 years. FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE GO TO
http://www.ed.gov/news/pressreleases/2005/05/05182005.html.
________________________________________________________
SCHOOL-BUSINESS PARTNERSHIPS
"The How-To Guide for School-Business Partnerships," an exciting new
resource from the Council for Corporate & School Partnerships, is designed
for school officials and/or business leaders who are interested in effective
partnerships. The guide is a result of extensive research and personal
interviews with individuals who have experience creating, implementing, and
evaluating successful partnerships. FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE GO TO
http://www.corpschoolpartners.org/guide.shtml. (Quite appropriately, the
Council notes that the guidelines are not intended to serve as an exact
prescription, but rather to provide a framework in which to build a
partnership that fits local needs.)
Also: On May 17, Secretary Spellings addressed the Business and Professional
Women's Leadership Summit, calling education "the key" to "helping the next
generation take advantage of the freedoms we enjoy." FOR MORE INFORMATION,
PLEASE GO TO http://www.ed.gov/news/speeches/2005/05/05172005.html.
________________________________________________________
READY FOR COLLEGE?
"Troubling" is the word Indiana University researchers used to explain the
findings of its 2004 survey of 90,530 high school students in 26 states,
when compared to earlier surveys of community college and four-year college
students. For example, fully 55 percent of high school students polled said
they devoted no more than three hours a week to class preparation (with 65
percent reporting getting A's or B's). On the other hand, half the
first-year, four-year college students reported spending over 10 hours a
week studying outside of class, and one-quarter of community college
students (with less than 30 credit hours) spent 11 or more hours preparing
for courses each week. FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE GO TO
http://www.iub.edu/~nsse/hssse/.
________________________________________________________
QUOTE TO NOTE
"As we watch nations...take the first steps toward democracy, we remember
that democracy begins with education. And after more than two centuries,
education still lies at the heart of our great experiment and our quest for
'a more perfect union.' We can't fulfill the promise of equal opportunity
until we first provide every boy and girl with a quality education. It's a
promise we need to keep."
-- Secretary of Education Margaret
Spellings (5/17/05)
________________________________________________________
UPCOMING EVENTS
On June 1, from 10:00 to 11:30 a.m. at the Sumner School (1201 17th Street,
N.W., Washington, D.C.), the National Center for Education Statistics will
hold a briefing on the results from "The Condition of Education 2005." This
congressionally mandated report contains 40 indicators on conditions and
trends in elementary, secondary, and postsecondary education, with a special
analysis on the teacher workforce. To RSVP, please contact Elizabeth
Osterman at mailto:eosterman@xxxxxxx by May 27. (Note: On June 1, the
report will be posted by 9:00 a.m. at http://nces.ed.gov/.)
Then, on June 2, the Department's Center for Faith-Based and Community
Initiatives will host a workshop in New Orleans to assist faith-based and
community organizations applying to become supplemental educational service
providers. The workshop is free, but pre-registration is required. The
deadline for registration is May 31. FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE GO TO
http://www.ed.gov/about/inits/list/fbci/suppserv-workshops.html.
The Department's next "Education News Parents Can Use" broadcast, the final
broadcast of the 2004-05 season, is scheduled for June 21. The topic:
service learning. FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE GO TO
http://registerevent.ed.gov/downlink/event-flyer.asp?intEventID=3D186.
_______________________________________________________
Please feel free to contact the Office of Intergovernmental Affairs with any
questions:
Deputy Assistant Secretary -- Ken Meyer, (202) 401-0404,
mailto:Ken.Meyer@xxxxxx
Program Analyst -- Adam Honeysett, (202) 401-3003,
mailto:Adam.Honeysett@xxxxxx
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