ADE Briefs

The Arkansas Reading Association has announced that their fall conference, “READ: Literacy Leaders Crack the Code” will be held November 15-16, 2012, in Little Rock at the Statehouse Convention Center and Peabody Hotel. Cost for members will be $150 and non-members $195.

Keynote speakers for the event are Steven L Layne, Timothy Shanahan, and Linda Hoyt. There will be numerous other professional speakers and children’s book authors including Danny Brassell, Greg Tang, Gary Schmidt, Mike Artell, Courtney Sheinmel, Taryn Souders, and Kwame Alexander.

Classroom teachers, media specialists, literacy coaches, and administrators are invited to submit online proposals (www.arareading.org<http://www.arareading.org>) that highlight effective and innovative literacy practices and/or relate to Common Core State Standards.

• Do your students have trouble reading and spelling long words? Linda Farrell of Readsters is presenting her simple strategy to teach students to easily and accurately read and spell long words at the Promises of a New Day conference. Register Now!
• Are you stymied by how to use student data? At Promises of a New Day, you’ll learn best practices for capturing, managing, and using data to improve student achievement.
• How do KIPP Delta students score so high in math? By using Saxon Math! Saxon scaffolds math concepts to constantly reinforce & build on prior knowledge. See the Saxon strategies in action at Promises of a New Day.
• Are you an instructional leader in your school? Promises of a New Day includes a session to help you provide better coaching and direction through one-on-one meetings.

Governor Mike Beebe recently announced that Arkansas’s public education system placed fifth nationally in the 2012 Quality Counts analysis by Education Week, a nationally respected journal of education policy.  Governor Beebe made the announcement on Thursday, January 12, 2012.

“I am excited by Arkansas’s continued rise in the Education Week rankings, but there is more hard work ahead of us,” Beebe said.  “We’ve come a long way as a state in our pursuit of academic excellence, and we’ll continue making improvements that help our students and our state’s future.”

Arkansas ranked sixth last year and 10th the previous two years in Education Week’s annual calculations.  The analysis ranks states on six education policy and performance categories.

“We’re very pleased about the latest sign of Arkansas’s advancement in education,” said Arkansas Education Commissioner Dr. Tom Kimbrell.  “To be ranked fifth in the nation indicates that good things are happening in Arkansas schools.  Educators and policy makers across the country are taking notice.  These are OUR kids.  We take very seriously our responsibility to serve each and every child in Arkansas.”

Overall, Arkansas scored 81.6, which placed it behind only Maryland, Massachusetts, New York, and Virginia.  Of particular note, Arkansas tied for first with Maryland in the “Transitions and Alignment” category.

Arkansas placed second in the “Teaching Profession” category. It placed sixth in the “Standards, Assessment and Accountability” category.  Other categories scored were “School Finance,” “K-12 Achievement,” and “Chance for Success.”

The analysis was compiled by the Editorial Projects in Education Research Center.  It surveyed the country’s chief state school officers on a wide range of programs and policy and then independently evaluated the responses.

The rankings can be viewed at http://www.edweek.org/ew/toc/2012/01/12/index.html?intc=EW-QC12-FL 1

Arkansas Education Commissioner Dr. Tom Kimbrell spoke at length to the Arkansas Association of Educational Administrators on Wednesday in Little Rock.  His remarks on STEM Works was posted earlier.  These are excerpts on other topics in his speech:

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We thank the Governor for his commitment to our schools. And I pledge to him that we—the Department of Education and you school leaders—will use these resources wisely to improve the quality of education for every student in Arkansas!

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To improve education in Arkansas, we have to turn around our lowest-achieving schools and get them on the road toward success. We have to close the achievement gaps that separate some student groups from others.

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We can always improve, always do better. The good news is we have a plan to guide us on this journey.

Our plan sets forth our priorities: implementing Common Core State Standards and next generation assessments; supporting struggling schools; ensuring educator effectiveness; and deepening essential partnerships with stakeholders that will result in enhanced educational opportunities for Arkansas students.

Our plan gives us a vision of where we need to be. But, as the saying goes: Vision without execution is hallucination. The task before us is to put our plan into action. That’s where we find ourselves today.

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In a true culture of responsibility, we would never think in terms of “our kids” or “those kids.” We would see in every child the curiosity about the world, the eagerness to grow and to learn, and a great desire to succeed. For a true “culture of responsibility” to take hold in our state, every one of us must step up to do our part of the work.

We are doing that in a number of ways:

Common Core State Standards and Assessments—Never before in the history of this state have we seen such collaboration and support for new learning standards that will lead our students to college and career readiness.

I’m so proud of the work of Dr. Laura Bednar and her Learning Services team. They are on target with a three-year strategic implementation plan including professional development opportunities delivered in a variety of ways.

I can report the work of PARCC is moving full steam ahead. PARCC has just released an Invitation to Negotiate for item development. This is a major milestone in PARCC’s work and a critical step towards on-time delivery of the PARCC assessments. I encourage you to go to PARCC Online to review the ITN and summary documents.

ESEA Flexibility—John Hoy and Phyllis Stewart are leading the Department’s efforts in drafting an application that will provide our schools flexibility regarding specific requirements of NCLB and an opportunity to better focus on improving student learning and increasing the quality of instruction.

We’ve secured the services of Education Counsel in guiding our work. Ed Counsel is an innovative advocacy organization committed to strengthening education systems. The staff is experienced in the workings of Washington, DC and particularly USDE. Our goal is a clear, concise plan that builds upon our current accountability system yet simplifies the terms and strategies for school improvement.

We’ll be submitting that plan February 21.

Teacher Effectiveness—Dr. Karen Cushman is working with the legal team to develop rules that will help school leaders base key personnel decisions on meaningful evaluations of teacher effectiveness measured in part on student learning. This is important and deliberate work.

Breakfast in the Classroom—I want to thank you for your support of Breakfast in the Classroom as part of our combined effort to increase academic achievement.

Academic Distress—As you know, the State Board of Education wants to toughen up the state’s criteria for determining whether a school district is academically distressed. We’ve been working on that and believe we can develop a plan that is manageable. That work is ongoing.

Rewrite of the Standards of Accreditation—The standards have not been revised in 10 years. We’ll be developing a plan for a rewrite in the coming months.

Fiscal Session to begin in February—We will be monitoring all proposed legislation to protect education funding. Again, we thank the Governor for holding the line on public school funding.

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So, if you ask “How’s school?” I would say “School is great!”

I look forward to 2012 as we work together to improve education in Arkansas. Thank you for your continued support of our work!

Education Commissioner Makes Announcement

The Governor’s Workforce Cabinet recently announced that 15 districts throughout the state and one technical center have been chosen as the first participants in the administration’s STEM Works initiative. The announcement
was made on Wednesday, January 11, 2012.

“We’re proud that a diverse range of schools applied to participate in our STEM Works program,” Governor Mike Beebe said.  ”In Arkansas, education and economic development must work hand in  hand to build the strong workforce so important to our state’s future prosperity.  These schools will be leaders in this work.”

STEM is short for “Science, Technology, Engineering and Math.”  Governor Beebe on Aug. 16, 2011, announced the creation of  STEM Works with the aim of educating more K-12 students in the fields that need  the most qualified workers and have the most potential for expanding the state’s economy.  Another project goal is equipping Arkansas colleges with the tools they need to better educate future K-12 teachers in these core subjects.

The districts and the tech center were designated by the cabinet to participate either in Project Lead the Way or the New Tech Network.  The New Tech high school model integrates STEM education and extensive project-based learning throughout the curriculum.  Project Lead the Way includes several introductory courses in engineering or biomedical sciences that show how basic concepts taught in the classroom are used in the work world.

“Our goal was to have 10 STEM Works schools for the 2012-2013 school year and we’ve surpassed that,” said Arkansas Education Commissioner Dr. Tom Kimbrell.  ”We’ll all work together to make sure these schools are successful and can be models for schools seeking to participate in the future.”

Joining Project Lead the Way are Gravette, Jonesboro, Prairie Grove, Riverview, and Star City. The Northark Technical Center, which serves 14 districts in northern Arkansas, was also chosen for Project Lead the Way.

Named as New Tech districts were Arkadelphia, Dumas, El Dorado, Highland, Hope, Marked Tree, Riverview (which was also chosen for Project Lead the Way), Russellville and Van Buren.

Lincoln and Cross County began participating in New Tech this school year, and they were also awarded grants by the cabinet as part of STEM Works.  On Monday, Cross County and Lincoln each were granted conversion charters by the State Board of Education, which will help provide flexibility to operate New Tech programs.

New Tech schools will receive $150,000 each while Lincoln and Cross County, as existing New Tech schools, will each receive $75,000. Project Lead the Way schools will each receive varying amounts up to about $95,000, depending on need.

“As a state, we have a moral obligation to all of our students — not just the top 5 or 10 percent — to offer the STEM skills that will be required in every 21st-century career,” said Arkansas Department of Career Education Director William L. “Bill” Walker, Jr.  “STEM Works will expand the opportunities for more students to explore careers in STEM fields.”

The Governor’s Workforce Cabinet includes the Governor’s Office, the Department of Education, the Department of Career Education, the Department of Higher Education, the Department of Workforce Services, the Arkansas Economic Development Commission, the Arkansas Science and Technology Authority, and the Arkansas Association of Two-Year Colleges.

Superintendent Andrew Tolbert presented the district’s request to have a conversion charter for grades K-3. He said the district’s proposal is based on a school in Denver, Colo.

Board member Joe Black asked about the involvement from community leaders and parents. “We want all in the community to have a stake in this,” Tolbert said.

The board approved the request unanimously.

The Osceola district is requesting a conversion charter for a STEM academy for grades 5-8.

Superintendent Mike Cox said the conversion would be the next step in the district’s school improvement process. District officials said the project-based learning will help students understand why educational concepts are relevant to the real world.

SBE member Brenda Gullett questioned whether the district is fully meeting charter standards as judged by the ADE’s Charter Review Council and wondered whether more work needs to be done.  Dr. Kimbrell said the council hasn’t had a chance to review new submissions from the district but that three of those standards would likely now be met by the district.

Member Vicki Saviers praised leadership in the district for making changes but wondered whether the district has the capacity to institute this proposed charter given past problems in the district. She wondered whether a charter was the best route to take. Member Toyce Newton expressed similar concerns.

Cox said, “We’ve turned this school district around. We’re not where we need to be, but I feel like this is the next step. We need a little extra help and that’s what I’m asking for today. A good vote by the State Board will help change perceptions [of the district in the community.]”

Board member Brenda Gullett said a charter shouldn’t be viewed as a way to recruit students to the district.

Kimbrell said Cox shouldn’t be penalized for what went on before him. He said charter schools have more accountability than traditional public schools because they are required to follow their charter or face the possibility of being shut down.

Saviers said she won’t stand in Cox’s way if he feels like he has the ability to pull it off.

The Board unanimously approved the charter request.

The Lincoln district in Washington County is requesting approval for a conversion charter to help with STEM education.

Board member Brenda Gullett asked why the district needs to be a charter since they already have a New Tech school. District officials said they need flexibility for student schedules and teacher planning time.

The SBE  unanimously approved the request from Lincoln.

Cross County is seeking approval for a conversion charter to improve project-based learning.

One district official, Stephen Prince, said that project-based learning will be an especially good way to help rural students who don’t necessarily have the broad range of experiences that some other students may have. He said a real-world project would be having students design a bridge for the campus and produce a cost-analysis for building it.

He said learning stations could help students with varying strengths help students with weakness in those areas. And those students with weaknesses in some areas may have strengths in other areas to help other students who have weaknesses in those areas.

Superintendent Matt McClure was told by SBE member Vicki Saviers said that she believes that Cross County is an example of what a district can do to help rural students. “It sounds like you are doing a great job,” Saviers said.

SBE member Joe Black said Cross County is one of the more progressive counties in the Delta as far as economic development. He said it furthers solidifies the need to have education and economic development working together.

Dr. Kimbrell said ADE is conducting an in-house review of the educational standards in the state to see what is nothing but hinderance and can be removed.

The SBE unanimously approved the request for a conversion charter.