• Insights from President Bill Sims
• Celebrate Ohio Charters
• Regional International Education Summits

Grants

Events

Quality Values and Principles

Insights from President Bill Sims

Ohio School Local Report Cards: What's To Learn?

The Ohio school grade report cards are a testament to the number of ways in which one can evaluate the performance of a school: proficiency tests; attendance; graduation rates; performance index; value added (gains testing); performance of “sub-groups;” financial management, and among others things, the sum that constitutes what is called Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP).

The state auditor released a statement last month, missed by most in the media, saying that the number of unauditable schools dropped from 19 in 2006 to 3 in 2007. Further, she said in her statement, “ That represents an 84 percent decline in the number of new unauditable community schools statewide so I believe our efforts are working.” Is 3 too many? Yes. Is that significant improvement? Yes. (There are also 10 townships and villages with a 2008 unauditable designation)

The Ohio Alliance for Public Charter Schools recently released its second annual study of the value-added (growth) scores of traditional and charter schools in the “Big-8” districts. This is the critical measure of how well schools are doing with the real academic growth of children in their schools. For the second year in a row, charter schools out-performed the traditional schools overall and in 5 of the 8 “Big-8” Districts. Was it by a lot? No, but overall it was better. Make no mistake, proficiency and levels of achievement still matter along with value-added results, but parents want to know their children are making progress, whether they are at or above grade level or desperately below grade level.

This year, because of the provisions of House Bill 79 and the performance rules therein, there are two charter schools in the state scheduled to be closed for chronic underperformance. One of these schools is serving special needs children and according to a Columbus Dispatch editorial, “98 percent of the children have special-education needs, mostly autism.” If the same quality closure provisions applied to traditional public schools, there would be approximately 16 traditional school buildings subject to closure this year. Because they are not subject to the same closure provisions, they will not close.

As a state, we are getting better at judging the performance of our schools and we are raising the performance bar. But we need to be even more circumspect in how rules and provisions affect different kinds of schools. Should dropout prevention schools (district or charter) rescuing kids from the streets be closed using the same rubric? Grade reports remain the same for these schools although they may apply temporarily for closure waivers. The same should hold true for schools, charter or district, whose charters are specifically focused on providing services for children with special needs.

As we build a state education system that provides opportunities for all, that same system has to have the ability and agility to meet and compete globally with 21st century skills. The state school assessment mechanisms must be discreet enough to evaluate the performance of our different kinds of schools as well as the more subtle, high-level thinking skills that our high-tech “flat world” now demands. High quality with consequences for poor performance must be paramount. Ohio can afford nothing less.

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Celebrate Ohio Charters

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Regional International Education Summits

Ohio’s International Education Advisory Committee is pleased to announce five regional summits for educators, business and community leaders interested in seeing that Ohio students are prepared for the global economy. The agenda for each event is being planned by local hosts to feature engaging speakers and opportunities for networking.

Ohio students will soon be adults seeking opportunities in the global marketplace where they will have the opportunity to interact with people from other cultures on a daily basis. They will need to collaborate with them to meet global challenges in the economy, health care, the environment, and national security. Join education and community leaders from the local region for a meeting designed to discover the best use of local resources to prepare our students for that future.

Educators will learn:

   • How employers are defining global competence.

   • Strategies for integrating international content into their school systems.

   • Resources that link Ohio students to the world in new ways.

Community leaders will learn:

   • Why global competence is essential to every student’s success.

   • How they can develop that awareness in their community.

   • The critical role cultural institutions and community organizations can play in expanding the horizions of students.

Business leaders will learn:

   • How to help schools develop the skills needed in the workforce of the future.

   • New information about the international reach of Ohio’s business community.

   • Which school districts are actively engaged in, or interested in, developing partnerships with businesses regarding global initiatives.

Date  

October 2 - University of Cincinnati

October 13-14 - Bowen-Thompson Student Union Bowling Green State University

October 30 - Intercontinental Hotel Cleveland

November 14 - Online Computer Library Center (OCLC) Dublin

November 19 - Baker University Center Ohio University

For more information contact amber.schneider@ode.state.oh.us.

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