Delaware Education News
February 2009
Copyright © 2009 Queue,
Inc.
Online Version: http://www.queuenews.com/Feb08/DE_Feb08.html
IN THIS ISSUE:
Delaware Ranks High for
Educational Data Collection
Delaware Students Taking at Least One AP
Course Outpaces National Average
New Report Finds That States Squander
Opportunities with New Teachers
Quality Counts 2009 - Delaware
Arkansas, Delaware. Kentucky, Ohio and
Rhode Island Exempt Education From State Budget Cuts
Delaware
Education Report Back Issues (http://www.queuenews.com/DEnews.html)
Education Research Report Back Issues (http://www.queuenews.com/EduResearchRpt.html)
Queue, Inc. is offering
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Go to http://www.qworkbooks.com/DE/DE.html
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The
Data Quality Campaign (DQC) recently named Delaware as one of six states in the
nation having all 10 essential elements of a robust state longitudinal data
system for education.
The
DQC report is available here: http://www.dataqualitycampaign.org/
Nearly
27 percent of DelawareÕs public high school class of 2008 took at least one AP
exam during high school compared to 25 percent for rest of the country.
Percentage
wise, Delaware students also took more AP exams than the rest of the nation in
Math (Calculus, Computer Science and Statistics) and Social Science
(Macroeconomics, Microeconomics, European History, Government and Politics,
U.S. History, Geography, Psychology and World History). Participation in
Art, English and Science was close to the same percentage as compared to the rest
of the country.
In
the area of AP ÒEquity and ExcellenceÓ which shows the percentage of the entire
graduating class who scored a Ò3Ó or higher on at least one AP exam, 13.8
percent of DelawareÕs graduating class earned a Ò3Ó or higher on one or more AP
exams, compared to 15.2 percent for the rest of the nation. A score of
Ô3Õ or higher can be applied towards college credit at many colleges and
universities across the country, thereby reducing family and student costs.
In
comparing this yearÕs participation and performance results with 2007 and with
2003, the numbers continue to show progress. In 2008, 26.8% of Delaware
students participated in AP with 13.8% earning a Ò3Ó or higher. Last
year, 26.1% participated in AP with 13.8% earning a Ò3Ó or higher. Five
years ago, the percentage of students participating in AP was 17.6% with 10.1%
obtaining a Ò3Ó or higher.
In
a five year period, from 2003-2008, the number of Delaware students who
received a grade of Ò3 or higher on AP exams increased slightly. In 2008,
1,000 students received a Ò3Ó compared to 979 one year ago. In 2003, the
number of students receiving a Ò3Ó was 690.
The
ten most popular AP exams in Delaware for the class of 2008 were:
|
Most Popular AP Exams
in Delaware |
||
|
Exam |
# of Exams |
Ò3Ó or Higher |
|
English Literature |
610 |
294 |
|
English Language |
574 |
297 |
|
U.S. History |
551 |
198 |
|
Government and Politics: U.S. |
485 |
166 |
|
Calculus AB |
481 |
280 |
|
Psychology |
470 |
254 |
|
Statistics |
373 |
201 |
|
Biology |
310 |
171 |
|
European History |
281 |
130 |
|
Chemistry |
231 |
110 |
More than 15 percent of the public high
school class of 2008 achieved at least one AP¨ Exam score of 3 or higher1
Ñ the score that is predictive of college success Ñ announced Gaston Caperton,
president of the College Board. Additionally, AP students are much more likely
to earn a bachelorÕs degree in four years than their peers, thereby reducing
college costs and supporting higher educationÕs goal of on-time degree
completion.
In its fifth annual ÒAP Report to the
Nation,Ó the College Board, the not-for-profit membership association that
administers the AP Program, spotlights educatorsÕ quantifiable successes in
helping a wider, more ethnically diverse segment of students gain access to and
achieve success in college-level work. The report documents that, of the
estimated 3 million students who graduated from U.S. public schools in 2008,
more than 460,000 (15.2 percent) earned an AP Exam score of at least 3 on one
or more AP Exams during high school. This is up from 14.4 percent in 2007 and
12.2 percent in 2003.
New research shows that AP continues to
prepare students for college success in many ways, including helping offset
college costs. While the majority of students entering college today fail to
earn a bachelorÕs degree on schedule in four years,2 AP students are
much more likely to graduate within four years,3 saving the cost of
additional tuition and preventing a delay in their entry into the workforce. AP
participation and success also now helps students qualify for scholarships at
31 percent of U.S. colleges and universities.4 And studies continue
to show that students scoring at least 3 on an AP Exam experience greater
academic success in college and graduate from college at higher rates than
their comparable, non-AP peers.5
In addition to the national report,
individual reports for all 50 U.S. states and the District of Columbia provide
even more detailed information about AP in each state.
Out
of all 50 U.S. states and the District of Columbia, Maryland achieved the
highest percentage (23.4) of public school students scoring at least a 3 on an
AP Exam. Maine attained the largest single-year increase in the percentage of
high school graduates who scored a 3 or higher on an AP Exam while Vermont
realized the largest five-year gain. The report highlights the six states with
the highest five-year gains: in addition to Vermont, these include Maine,
Maryland, Arkansas, Washington and Oregon.
Additionally,
Maryland, New York, Virginia, Connecticut, Massachusetts and California all saw
more than 20 percent of their students graduate from high school earning at
least one AP Exam score of 3 or higher. AP achievements for each stateÕs class
of 2003, class of 2007 and class of 2008 are detailed in the report.
Delaware Report:
http://www.collegeboard.com/html/aprtn/pdf/state_reports/09_0467_St_Report_DELAWARE_X1a_081223.pdf
A
new report released by the not-for-profit, non-partisan National Council on
Teacher Quality (NCTQ) finds that the laws and regulations of a majority of
states discourage promising new teachers from sticking with the profession,
while doing little to identify and move out ineffective teachers.
The
report finds that states: 1) do not require sufficient support and evaluation
of new teachers, a problem since most districts rarely opt to exceed state
requirements; 2) do not require or even allow a teacherÕs effectiveness to be
considered when granting tenure, although states control how and when tenure is
awarded; 3) cling to anachronistic compensation schemes rather than advancing
differentiated pay systems; 4) are lagging in the development of the systems
necessary for identifying effective teachers; 5) place a disproportionate
emphasis on providing pension benefits to retiring teachers at the expense of
providing benefits that would appeal to younger teachers; and 6) allow far too
many ineffective teachers to remain in the classroom and gain tenure, including
teachers who repeatedly fail to meet the stateÕs own licensing standards.
NCTQ
President Kate Walsh said, ÒThe third through fifth years of teaching represent
an opportunity lost for teacher quality. ThatÕs certainly when teachers begin
to add real value, and itÕs also when they tend to make decisions about staying
or leaving. States can help districts do much more to ensure that the right
teachers stay and the right teachers leave."
The
2008 State Teacher Policy Yearbook finds that state regulations are in need of
significant reforms in order to improve teacher quality and offers states
specific guidelines for rectifying substandard policies. Each stateÕs Yearbook,
as well as a national summary, is immediately available for free download at www.nctq.org/stpy.
Delaware Report:
http://www.nctq.org/stpy08/reports/stpy_delaware.pdf
Quality
Counts 2009
is the 13th edition of Education WeekÕs series of annual report cards tracking state
education policies and outcomes. Drawing heavily on data from the Editorial
Projects in Education Research CenterÕs annual state policy survey, the report
once again offers a comprehensive state-by-state analysis (http://www.edweek.org/ew/qc/2009/17src.h28.html) of key indicators of
student success.
Chance-for-Success
Index
First
introduced in Quality Counts 2007, the Chance-for-Success Index (http://www.edweek.org/ew/qc/2009/17src.h28.html) combines information from
13 indicators intended to offer perspective on the role that education plays as
a person moves from childhood, through the formal K-12 school system, and into
the workforce. Among these indicators, upon which the states are graded, are
family income, parental education and employment, high school graduation rates,
and adult educational attainment, employment status, and annual income.
Transitions
and Alignment
As
in the past, this yearÕs report tracks and grades the states on 14 indicators
assessing how well the states smooth the transition through the educational
pipeline, including early-childhood education, college readiness, and the economy
and workforce.
School
Finance
In
the area of school funding, this yearÕs report analyzes school spending
patterns and how equitably that funding is distributed among districts within
each state.
DE
Grades
Overall
State Grade (2009)
Grade
C+
Chance
for Success (2009)
B-
Transitions
And Alignment (2009)
D
School
Finance (2009)
B-
K-12
Achievement (2008)
C-
Standards,
Assessments, And Accountability (2008)
B+
The
Teaching Profession (2008)
C+
State
Report Cards:
http://www.edweek.org/ew/qc/2009/17src.h28.html
Georgia
Cuts within Education limited to 2 percent
Full report:
http://www.nasbo.org/Publications/PDFs/Fall2008FiscalSurvey.pdf