Texas
Education News
February
2009
Copyright © 2009 Queue,
Inc.
IN
THIS ISSUE:
A New Vision for Public Education in Texas
New Report Finds That States Squander Opportunities
With New Teachers
Report on Best Practices in Dropout Prevention
Ò3-Point PlaySMÓ Health Competition in
Houston Schools
Texas Education Report Back Issues
(http://www.queuenews.com/TXnews.html)
Education Research Report
Back Issues (http://www.queuenews.com/EduResearchRpt.html)
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The Public Education Visioning Institute was born from the work and ideas of thirty-five public school superintendents who came together as a community of learners to create a new vision for public education in Texas. Here is a summary of their conclusions:
Why a New Direction and Why Now
Every
parent has a dream that their children will be happy and successful. Our
communities and the schools that serve them should equally share in that dream
and have a plan for making that dream a reality. Preparing students for success
in the workforce is secondary to preparing children for success in life. The
core business of schools is to provide engaging, appropriate experiences for
students so that they learn and are able to apply their knowledge in ways that
will enrich their lives and ensure their well-being. Unfortunately, the present
bureaucratic structure has taken away that focus and replaced it with a system based
on compliance, coercion, and fear. If proper focus is to be restored, the
system must be transformed into one based on trust, shared values, creativity,
innovation, and respect.
In
todayÕs digital world, most students come to school computer and technology
savvy. With their iPods, iPhones, computer games, MySpace pages, and text
messaging, they routinely use multimedia and internet resources in their daily
lives. Technology development has also resulted in widespread change in the way
students learn. To keep students fully engaged, schools must adapt to this new
and rapidly changing environment. They must embrace the potential of new
technologies and make optimum use of the digital devices and connections that
are prevalent today to make learning vibrant and stimulating for all.
A
transformed system that meets the diverse needs of students in a digital
environment demands new learning standards. Standards should reflect the
realities of the age and recognize that students are not just consumers of
knowledge, they can be creators of knowledge as well. Standards should focus on
development of the whole person, tapping curiosity and imagination, and
providing opportunities for all talents to be cultivated, nurtured, and valued.
Assessment
should inform accountability, but the present practice of one-shot, high-stakes
assessment has failed the test. Appropriate and varied assessment using
multiple tools for different purposes informs students, parents, the school,
the district and the community about the extent to which desired learning is
occurring and what schools are doing to improve. For assessment to be of any value,
it must move from the present ÒautopsyÓ model to one that more resembles a
Òdaily check up,Ó which continuously identifies student strengths, interests,
motivations, accomplishments, and other information necessary so that teachers
can design the learning experiences that will best meet each studentÕs needs.
Accountability
systems of themselves do not produce excellence. Excellence can only come from
commitment and meaning. The present accountability system has created schools
in which the curriculum is narrowed and only academic abilities are valued.
Students become expert test takers but cannot retain or apply what they ÒknowÓ
in a context other than the test environment; and creativity, problem solving,
and teamwork are stifled. The punitive approach and ÒrefereeÓ model embraced by
that system have hindered the success of students and schools. A more
appropriate coaching model is needed to transform the system into one that
inspires and stimulates.
Bureaucracies
value power and authority, while learning organizations are driven by beliefs
and values. Schools must be transformed from their current bureaucratic form,
characterized by rules and sanctions, punitive accountability systems,
routines, and standardization of everything, to learning organizations where
only the mundane is standardized and standards are used to nurture aspirations
and accommodate human variables. Learning organizations maintain a clear sense
of doing the right thing and doing it well, shared commitments and beliefs,
common purpose and vision, trust, accountability, and use of standards to
inspire. Bureaucracies discourage and are disruptive to innovation and cannot
create the dynamic conditions that foster superior performance of teachers and
students. Learning organizations capture the learning of adults, share it, and
support its application so that capacities to improve student learning are
extraordinary.
The
shift in power in setting education policy from the local community to the
state and federal government has resulted in a system where schools feel more
accountable to the Legislature than to their students and their communities.
The school districtÕs role has been relegated to one of compliance, and the
local community has been denied the opportunity to make the more important
decisions and choices regarding the education of the children and youth who
live there. A more balanced and reinvigorated state-local partnership is needed
to create the type of schools that can best provide the learning experiences to
help students succeed in todayÕs world.
Complete
report:
http://www.tasanet.org/files/visioning/visioningfinal.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.
Texas
Report:
http://www.nctq.org/stpy08/reports/stpy_texas.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 of
key indicators of student success.
Chance-for-Success
Index
First
introduced in Quality Counts 2007, the Chance-for-Success Index
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.
Quality
Counts 2009 found that states are making considerable progress in the area of
early-childhood education. For the first time, every state and the District of
Columbia have aligned kindergarten learning expectations with elementary and
secondary standards. Further along the education pipeline, however, only three
statesÑNew York, Rhode Island, and TexasÑrequire a college-preparatory
curriculum as a condition of high school graduation.
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.
Quality
Counts 2009 includes a detailed look
at how states are tackling the challenge of educating the nationÕs
5.1 million English-language learners. Topics include: current
research, specialized teacher preparation, screening and
assessment of English-learners, and ways in which state funding
resources and priorities affect programs for English-learners. Among
the highlights:
¥
Nationally, the achievement gap between English-learners and all public school
students is significant, whether measured by proficiency on state-devised
assessments or on the National Assessment of Educational Progress. For example,
only 9.6 percent of 4th and 8th grade ELLs scored ÒproficientÓ or higher in
mathematics on NAEP in 2007, compared with 34.8 percent of students as a whole.
The gap was similar in reading: 5.6 percent of ELLs scored proficient when
measured as a group, compared with a national average of 30.4 percent.
¥
States vary widely in whether their ELL students are making progress toward
English-language proficiency. Connecticut, for example, reported that just 1.4
percent of its English-learners failed to make headway, while Maine placed 44.9
percent of its students in that category. Nationally, one-quarter of ELLs were
deemed not making progress.
¥
Although 33 states set teacher standards for the instruction of
English-learners, only threeÑArizona, Florida, and New YorkÑrequire that all
prospective teachers show they are competent to teach such students.
TX
Overall
State Grade (2009)
C+
Chance
for Success (2009)
C
Transitions
And Alignment (2009)
B
School
Finance (2009)
D+
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
A
new report on Best Practices in Dropout Prevention found that three Texas
programs had consistent, positive and meaningful effects on preventing
dropouts. The three dropout programs with the most potential for success
were CareerAcademies, Communities In Schools, and Project GRAD.
Career
Academies operate as alternative schools within a larger high school and focus
on making students career-ready by combining regular academic coursework with
career centered curricula, having students focus on one career track, and
giving them the opportunity to intern with local businesses.
Communities
In Schools is a stay-in-school program utilizing a case management model to
help students by providing services directly or linking students with other
agencies and programs in the community to help them stay in school, attain
better attendance rates, reduce behavior problems, improve academically and
graduate or receive a GED.
Project
GRAD works with high schools and their feeder schools to prevent dropouts and
encourage college attendance by providing scholarships, while focusing on
classroom management, student performance, parental involvement, graduation
rates and college acceptance rates.
In
addition to identifying the most effective dropout programs, the study provides
an overview of dropout prevention efforts and research, both nationally and
across Texas. The study found that the most effective dropout programs
utilized the following dropout strategies:
á
School-community collaboration;
á
Safe learning environments;
á
Family engagement;
á
Mentoring/tutoring;
á
Alternative schooling;
á
Active learning; and
á
Career and technology education
The
report also provides legislative recommendations and identifies dropout
prevention programs that have potential for success in Texas.
The
report stated that Òresults indicate that dropout prevention programs are
reporting successes in various settings and with different populations. The
evidence demonstrates that it is possible to achieve positive results using a
core set of effective strategies, even among the highest risk populations.Ó
To
view the full report, go to http://ritter.tea.state.tx.us/comm/leg_reports/bpdp_finalreport_20081219_toTEA.pdf
Texas
accountability growth measure approved by U.S. Department of Education
The
U.S. Department of Education has approved, with conditions, the Texas
Projection Measure (TPM), a growth measure that will be used by Texas to
determine whether students are meeting annual performance goals.
Growth
measures track individual student achievement on state tests from one year to
the next, giving schools credit for student improvement over time. The Texas
Education Agency developed the TPM as a measure for use in its federal and
state accountability systems. Once the TPM becomes available for use in
determining state and federal accountability ratings, districts and schools
will then have an opportunity to receive credit for students who did not meet
passing standards on state tests, but who demonstrate they are projected to
pass in a subsequent year.
Details
about the Texas Projection Measure are available here:
http://www.tea.state.tx.us/index4.aspx?id=3518
--
Program Takes Aim at Childhood Obesity --
Aetna,
the Aetna Foundation and Magic Johnson Enterprises (MJE), in collaboration with
Action for Healthy Kids (AFHK), EoSHealth, and Harris County Hospital District,
have launched a 20-week nutrition and exercise competition between fourth- and
fifth-graders at five elementary schools in the Houston Independent School
District (HISD). The competition, named the 3-Point PlaySM, was created to help
combat childhood obesity and will build upon current HISD wellness initiatives.
Toward the end of the competition, a celebration is planned to include Magic
Johnson Enterprises and participation from Mr. Johnson himself.
The
3-Point Play program has three main components that encourage kids to: move
more; to eat healthier; and to engage students and their families in making
lasting healthy lifestyle changes. While the competition focuses on each school
acquiring points through various healthy activities, the success of the program
will be based on three measures: pre- and post-ÒFitnessgramsÓ which will be
administered to each student; active program participation; and meeting state
guidelines for physical activity minutes. Fitnessgrams include a body mass
index (BMI) measurement, a cardio-respiratory test, and strength and
flexibility testing.
The
five schools chosen for this pilot program are MacGregor Elementary, Ketelsen
Elementary, Anderson Elementary, J.R. Harris Elementary and Montgomery
Elementary. Students from each school accumulate points by using a pedometer to
help monitor steps taken and calories burned; completing family homework
assignments; and participating in health awareness activities online. Teachers,
physical education instructors and technologists from each school will
administer the curriculum and track the points from their respective schools.
Parents,
teachers and students can visit www.communityvitality.com and click on the ÒSchoolÓ
to participate in online games, announcements, healthy tips and videos
including messages from Mr. Johnson, which will coincide with the curriculum
taught in the classrooms. Point totals for each school will be uploaded on the
website weekly, so the students will know how their schools are doing.
EoSHealth, a company that provides personalized health management solutions,
has developed a database to track and measure the progress of each school that
is contained within the web site.
As
part of this program, Action for Healthy Kids, a national nonprofit
organization, will provide classroom activities, program equipment and a
dedicated project coordinator that will work with the schools during the
competition. AFHK will also administer a pre-and post-survey to the students
that will measure changes in their attitudes, knowledge and beliefs as it
relates to nutrition and physical activity.
Harris
County Hospital District, the public health care system for Harris County, will
provide the weekly classroom curriculum, homework exercises, extra-credit
activities and program incentives to each elementary school.
Corpus
Christi Independent School DistrictÕs capital needs for facility improvements
are significant, particularly in light of shifting enrollment and aging
buildings. After voters turned down a $230 million bond election in 2004, the
district received strong voter support in November 2008 for two bond propositions
totaling $192 million and a two cent operations and maintenance tax rate
increase. Fitch believes that the district will maintain a manageable debt
profile despite its substantial capital needs given the district's low debt
service tax rate and growing tax base.
Since
fiscal 2000, the district has maintained healthy unreserved general fund
balances, ranging from 15% to nearly 19% of expenditures and transfers out.
Moreover, the majority of the general fund balance has historically been
undesignated. For fiscal 2008, the undesignated general fund balance stood at
$42 million or 16% of operating expenditures and transfers out and above the
district's informal target of 15%. The total general fund balance represents
20% of expenditures and transfers out.
As
in the case of most school districts in Texas that have flat to declining
enrollment growth, the district will continue to face operating pressures. The
district levied an operations and maintenance (O&M) tax rate of $1.04 per
$100 taxable assessed value (TAV) in fiscal 2008, the maximum allowable without
voter approval under the state's funding formula. Under the funding formula,
the school district may increase its O&M tax rate up to a maximum of $1.17
per $100 TAV but requires voter approval to do so. At the district's election
in November 2008, the district requested and passed voter authorization to levy
an additional two cents for O&M effective in fiscal 2009. Moreover, the
district expects to generate additional budgetary capacity for O&M by refunding
about $23 million in outstanding lease revenue bonds with issuance of approved
general obligation (GO) bonds.
The
district is the 24th largest in the state with an enrollment of nearly 39,000
and serves a population of about 208,000. The district includes a significant
portion of the city of Corpus Christi (GO bonds rated 'AA-' by Fitch). TAV
gains have averaged 8.6% annually in the last five years with officials
projecting continued growth but at a more moderate pace. Although enrollment
has been essentially flat, increased residential development particularly in
the southern sector of the district is expected to modestly increase the
district's student population in the lower grade levels. Corpus Christi is the
eighth largest city in Texas. The area economic base consists primarily of
petrochemicals, shipping, tourism, agriculture, and the military.
The
Port of Corpus Christi ranks as the sixth largest in the nation in terms of
tonnage and 44th in the world. Padre Island National Seashore, with 68 miles of
beach, and Mustang Island State Park are leading tourist attractions. The
Corpus Christi Army Depot is the largest industrial employer in south Texas,
and there is a U.S. Navy installation in the area. Wealth levels are below
state and national norms, although this is somewhat offset by the area's lower
cost of living. The October 2008 unemployment rate for the city at 4.9% is
better than the state and national averages of 5.4% and 6.1%, respectively.
Mesquite
Independent School District has chosen iOptiSwitch¨ 304 optical termination
units to cost-effectively manage its network expansion and migration away from
expensive leased fiber-optic network services.
The
Mesquite Independent School District (MISD) is comprised of 31 elementary
schools, nine support facilities, eight middle schools and five high schools,
with more than 30,000 students and 3,000 faculty and staff at the 53
facilities. Its network is comprised of two 30-mile arches of 144-count fiber
linking to an east and a west hub. The district has two sets of single-strand
MRV optics to connect each hub with separate directional runs, forming an
asymmetric bandwidth ring.
As
the MISD expanded and added sites, it needed to expand its network to reach
them, which meant either laying its own fiber or leasing expensive circuits
from carriers. With the network management needs and the impending necessity to
grow its network to handle converged, bandwidth-intensive services for video in
the classroom and other forms of interactive learning, the district opted to
implement its own fiber network with the OS304, acting as a media converter
between the fiber-optic based MAN and the copper-based LAN.
ÒEvery
day, we read the digital diagnostics on more than 240 optics, measuring
transmit-receive for each one, thereby maintaining the visibility to see the
long-term effects of restored fiber after a network problem,Ó said Clay
Cottles, technical services department manager for the Mesquite Independent
School District. ÒThe OptiSwitch units along with the companyÕs consistent
ability to guide us to the correct answers gave us the confidence we needed to
go forward with this implementation.Ó
Frenship
ISD is located immediately to the west and south of the city of Lubbock,
encompassing 122 square miles and approximately 44,000 individuals, with a
portion of the district in the city's boundaries. The district is part of the
larger Lubbock MSA, which is an economic hub in West Texas. While area wealth
levels are below average, they are affected by the large student population at
Texas Tech University and somewhat mitigated by a lower cost of living in the
region. The district contains the city of Wolfforth with a 2007 population
totaling 3,400 residents that has grown by almost 40% since the 2000 Census.
Historically
a more rural, agricultural area, available land combined with proximity to the
regional Lubbock employment base and improved transportation corridors has
recently spurred residential development and accompanying retail/commercial
development. Estimates indicate only 50% of the district is currently built
out. Tax base growth remained strong in fiscal 2009 at nearly 11% and outpaced
increases in enrollment at slightly more than 13% annually over the past five
years. With almost 7,000 students, recent enrollment gains have been
substantial, although district officials report enrollment growth levels are
projected to decline slightly over the near term from previous estimates of 6%-7%
annually due to the local impact of the housing construction slowdown.
Fiscal
2008 continued the district's trend of adding to general fund balance, bringing
the total to almost $13 million or nearly 28% of spending. Despite its growth
pressures, the district has maintained an unreserved general fund balance of no
less than 22% since fiscal 2002. Contributing to the strong results in fiscal
2008 was the state's unanticipated payment of approximately $2 million in
revenues to the district for a higher level of per-student funding, resulting
from a successful challenge to the state's funding formula by a comparable
district.
District
officials report this higher level of per-student funding is expected to
continue into future fiscal years. A balanced budget was adopted for fiscal
2009 and revenues and expenditures remain on target according to district
officials. It is anticipated that the district will add roughly
$200,000-$300,000 to general fund reserves by the close of the fiscal year. The
district budgets conservatively and has historically outperformed budget
projections through cost containment measures.
Debt
levels are high, even after factoring in state support for a portion of
existing debt service. The debt level is primarily due to issuance of the
majority of the district's largest-ever $128 million authorization, which was
approved with record voter turnout by approximately 70% of the voters in 2007.
Even after this refunding issuance, direct debt per capita approximates $3,300
per capita and 7% of taxable assessed valuation. District officials report that
plans for issuance of the remaining $28 million portion of the authorization
will be delayed at least a year until the summer of 2010, since enrollment
growth pressures have moderated somewhat and the remaining elementary school
facility is not immediately needed. This authorization is expected to meet the
district's capital needs for the next five to seven years. Principal
amortization is slow at about 25% retired in 10 years.
Crandall
Independent School District is located in Kaufman County, approximately 25
miles southeast of Dallas. Due to ample and inexpensive land and its proximity
to the Dallas-Ft. Worth metroplex, the county's population grew by 35% in
2000-2007 to over 96,000. The Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex area unemployment
rate increased to 5.7% as of November 2008 from 4.1% as of November 2007.
County wealth levels remain above state and national averages.
The
district's trend of solid financial reserves was maintained in fiscal 2008 as
evidenced by an $806,000 general fund surplus. Unreserved general fund balances
totaled $5.2 million or 33% of spending in fiscal 2008. The district has a
formal fund balance policy of 2 months of expenditures or 3 months, if
possible. The fiscal 2009 operating budget is balanced after awarding 4.5%
teacher pay raises; however, the school district currently expects a ($300K)
deficit in fiscal 2009 due to cost over-runs related to a capital project.
The
district experienced a sizable increase in population, student enrollment, and
TAV due to the development of numerous master-planned residential communities,
over the past three years. The largest development project, known as Heartland,
totals 2,500 acres just outside the City of Crandall and is projected to be
comprised of 8,000 residential units. Heartland has donated seven school sites
to the district and signed a developer agreement that provides infrastructure
assistance for future school construction, which reduces the district's capital
requirements.
The
construction at the Heartland development has slowed over the past year to 100
homes per year from 300-400 homes per year, reflecting the effects of the
national economy. In addition, several other developments are now on hold or
have been scaled back. Despite the slow-down as a result of this project and
numerous other developments, TAV increased by 7% in fiscal 2008/2009.
In
response to the surge in enrollment due to residential real estate development,
voters approved a $50 million authorization in November 2007 for the
construction of two new schools, building renovations, and technology upgrades.
The $20 million offering in February 2008 resulted in a 75% increase in the
district's general obligation debt levels. Debt levels currently are high at
$3,610 per capita and 7.7% of TAV, after adjusting for 26% state support.
Overall debt levels are also high at $4,580 per capita and 9.7% of TAV. The
current offering is expected to have no tax rate impact, and the total tax rate
is expected to remain at $1.48. Given the recent slow-down in development as
well as flexibility in the district's capital program, issuance of the
remaining $30 million authorization for another school will take place in 2013,
at the earliest.
Red
Oak School District to Save Over $2.5 Million
Through
Energy Conservation
The
Red Oak Independent School District (ROISD) in Red Oak, Texas, is implementing
$2,499,420 in facility enhancements designed to improve operations, comfort and
efficiency at 10 district buildings totaling more than 855,000 square feet. The
Energy Solutions division of TAC will complete the work as a performance
contract with the district. TAC guarantees that ROISD will reduce its utility
costs by more than $264,000 annually when the project is completed in the fall
of 2009.
As
the Red Oak ISD, located south of Dallas and serving more than 5,000 students,
worked through projects on its latest bond program it became apparent that the
approved funds may not be enough to cover all the districtÕs needs.
Furthermore, a recent consultation with the districtÕs electric utility
provider indicated that the district could expect a substantial increase in
energy charges with the next rate negotiation.
ÒThe
energy savings project with TAC allows us to make needed improvements, such as
installing high efficiency classroom lighting and a centralized energy
management system (EMS), as well as implement other energy saving projects,
without depleting our bond funds,Ó said John Humphrey, assistant superintendent
of Business and Finance, ROISD. ÒThe increased efficiency will also be a
cushion against future utility rate increases since we will be using less
energy.Ó
Performance
contracting offers many long-term benefits for school districts, such as
improved facility efficiency, occupant comfort, financial management and
environmental protection. Typically, new, more efficient equipment and upgraded
facility automation systems maximize energy efficiency and generate utility
savings. TAC guarantees the amount of savings performance contracting projects
will achieve and agrees to pay the difference if that amount is not realized.
Crucial
components of the project are occupancy sensors that TAC will install
throughout the schools. The sensors will turn off the lights when a room is not
occupied and alert the energy management system to place the room on standby
mode, so that less heating or cooling is required until the room is occupied
again.
The
project will lower annual production of pollution and greenhouse gases, which
includes reducing carbon emissions by 603 tons, CO2 emissions by 2,210 tons,
SO2 emissions by 19 tons and NOx emissions by 8 tons. This is comparable to
planting 54,792 trees, reducing annual car miles driven by 4,449,669 or saving
222,483 gallons of gas per year.