In Case You Missed It – Oct 14, 2019

Here are links to last week's articles receiving the most attention in NEIFPE's social media. Keep up with what's going on, what's being discussed, and what's happening with public education.

Be sure to enter your email address in the Follow Us By Email box in the right-hand column to be informed when our blog posts are published.

RACE AND POVERTY...AGAIN

Racial Disparity in Student Discipline Isn’t All About Race

From Gadfly On The Wall Blog

Black students are suspended from school at substantially higher rates than white ones.

That’s indisputable.

When teachers send kids to the office, when principals issue detentions and suspensions, the faces of those students are disproportionately black or brown.

So what does that mean?

Are minority children more badly behaved than white ones?

Or is it an indication that our public schools are overrun with racist teachers and principals?

Those appear to be the only choices in Trump’s America.

There’s either something desperately wrong with children of color or the majority of white staff at public schools can’t handle them.

But the reality is far more complex, and no matter who you are, it will probably make you uncomfortable.

The problem is that there are variables the binary choice above doesn’t even begin to explain, and chief among them is child poverty.

INDIANA ELECTION 2020

Indiana's next governor will have a greater impact on public education than in the past. For the first time the position of State Superintendent of Public Instruction will be an appointed position instead of elected.

Indiana's Governor will now have a much greater impact on education policy and the voters will have a lesser one. The Governor will not only appoint the State Superintendent, but also appoints seven of the remaining nine members of the State Board of Education (SBOE). The other two members are appointed by legislative leaders. In Indiana, this means that all members of the SBOE as well as the State Superintendent are appointed by the State's Republican supermajority.

Voters of Indiana no longer have any direct impact on education policy in Indiana. We will have to choose a Governor very carefully in order to protect public education.

Why a candidate for governor wants to end vouchers, even though it’s politically ‘not possible’

Look very carefully at this candidate’s past as you consider him.

From Chalkbeat*

One candidate vying for the Democratic nomination in Indiana’s governor’s race is seizing on the frustration of public school educators by proposing a plan so sweeping that even he acknowledges it isn’t politically viable.

In his education plan, released Thursday, candidate Josh Owens calls for raising teacher pay by dissolving the state’s voucher program, which now serves some 35,000 Indiana students. It’s one of many of his ideas that — like previous progressive proposals, including using the state’s $2 billion budget reserves to fund teacher pay initiatives — are unlikely to win the backing of the state’s Republican supermajority.

GOP schools chief Jennifer McCormick stands by Democrat Eddie Melton as he launches run for governor

It seems logical that the Superintendent of Public Instruction would be for the candidate who actually supports public schools.

From Chalkbeat

While touting bipartisanship, Republican State Superintendent Jennifer McCormick stood by Sen. Eddie Melton on Tuesday night as he announced his run for Democratic nomination for Indiana governor.

But her show of support for a potential opponent of Republican Gov. Eric Holcomb also shows the strained relationship between McCormick and Holcomb’s administration.

“When I got into office I learned two things rather quickly,” she said while introducing Melton. “One, do not over-assume there is an appetite for bipartisan activity in Indiana. Secondly, I learned, do not underestimate the power of bipartisan activity when it is used in a positive manner.”

DEVOS BREAKS THE LAW

Betsy DeVos Breaks the Law by Continuing to Collect Debt from Students After Judge Told Her Not to

From Diane Ravitch

Will billionaire Betsy DeVos go to jail for defying the direct order of a judge?

In 2015, for-profit Corinthian Colleges went bankrupt after state attorney generals complained of fraud. Thousands of its former students were left in the lurch with a mountain of debt for a worthless “education.” After the company filed for bankruptcy protection, the federal department of education ruled that as many as 335,000 students might have their debts canceled, “under The Borrower Defense to Repayment program—an initiative started in 2016 to provide loan relief for students who had been defrauded by predatory schools.” This was during the Obama administration.

However, when DeVos became Secretary of Education, she limited the program of loan forgiveness and began to hound many of the students who had been defrauded. The applications of some 160,000 students for loan forgiveness were shelved. DeVos was ordered by Judge Sallie Kim to stop hounding students to repay student loans that should have been forgiven.

But, as we have seen before, Secretary DeVos has great sympathy for for-profit corporations and no sympathy for students who were defrauded.

HE'S BA-A-A-CK

K12 Inc. Welcomes Education Reform Leader to Executive Team

Missing from this puff piece about former State Superintendent of Public Instruction, Tony Bennett, is any mention of his charter school grade-fixing scandal. In 2013, Bennett resigned as Florida Education Commissioner when news came out that he changed grades for an Indiana charter school run by a powerful Republican political donor.

The author of this article refers to Bennett as "one of the nation's foremost experts in education policy." We find that description ironic given his history of cheating in favor of political donors.

From Olean Times Herald

A powerhouse in the education reform movement has joined K12 Inc., the nation’s leading provider of online curriculum and school programs for students in kindergarten through high school.

Dr. Charles A. “Tony” Bennett—who has more than three decades of experience in school management, strategic planning, and operations—has been named Senior Vice President, Academics and External Relations. As one of the nation’s foremost experts in education policy, he will manage and implement a diverse portfolio of initiatives and programs that support, measure, track and ultimately improve student academic achievement and growth across K12-powered schools.

VOUCHER STUDIES GIVE PUBLIC SCHOOLS THE ADVANTAGE

Advantage, public schools

From School Matters

Christopher Lubienski and Sarah Theule Lubienski challenged conventional wisdom when they published research that found public schools were better than private schools at boosting student achievement.

Five years later, their conclusions have been confirmed several times over – especially by studies of state voucher programs that provide public funding for students to attend private schools.

LIBERAL ARTS, OR STEM?

Andrea Gabor: To Succeed in Business, Major in the Liberal Arts

From Diane Ravitch

Andrea Gabor blows up the myth that the path to success in business requires a major in business or that there is a “skills gap” in STEM subjects.

If you want to succeed in business, she writes, major in the liberal arts.

*Note: Financial sponsors of Chalkbeat include pro-privatization foundations and individuals such as EdChoice, Gates Family Foundation, The Walton Family Foundation, and others.

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In Case You Missed It – Dec 10, 2018

Here are links to the articles receiving the most attention in NEIFPE's social media. Keep up with what's going on, what's being discussed, and what's happening with public education.

Be sure to enter your email address in the Follow Us By Email box in the right-hand column to be informed when our blog posts are published.

HOLIDAYS IN SCHOOL

Can students pray in public schools? Can teachers say ‘Merry Christmas’? What the law allows -- and forbids.

From The Answer Sheet

Can students pray inside their public school buildings? Can teachers say “Merry Christmas” to their students? Can religious music be played in public schools?

Yes, yes and yes.

There has been a great deal of misunderstanding about what is allowed and not allowed when it comes to religious expression in public schools ever since the U.S. Supreme Court banned school-sponsored prayer in public schools in a landmark 1962 decision, saying that it violated the First Amendment. In fact, in 1995, then-President Bill Clinton issued a memo titled “Religious Expression in Public Schools,” that said in part:

It appears that some school officials, teachers and parents have assumed that religious expression of any type is either inappropriate, or forbidden altogether, in public schools.

NEIFPE'S PHYLLIS BUSH

Looking for a Grand Slam at the Bottom of the 9th!

From NEIFPE

NEIFPE's co-founder, Phyllis Bush, writes about her battle with cancer. We are proud of her strength and courage.

Whether it is taking a kid to the zoo or to Zesto for ice cream, whether it is writing a letter to your legislators, whether it is running for office, whether it is supporting your favorite charity, DO IT!

Monday morning quarterbacks are of little use to anyone.

Whatever you do, live your life to the fullest. Once again, do what matters to you.

GRADING SCHOOLS

Proposal would move away from school grades

From School Matters

Indiana would eliminate A-to-F school grades from its accountability system for the federal Every Student Succeeds Act under a proposal from the Indiana Department of Education. Does that mean school grades would go the way of the one-room schoolhouse? Not yet; grades will still be part of the separate state accountability system. But the department’s proposal is a step in the right direction and away from this overly simplistic way of evaluating and labeling schools and school districts.

Indiana StatehouseThe proposal, an amendment to Indiana’s ESSA plan, is open for public comment until Dec. 21. Once it’s submitted by the state, hopefully in January, the U.S. Department of Education will have 90 days to decide whether to approve it.

NEW JERSEY: SCHOOL TAKEOVERS

Education Law Center Calls for End to State Takeovers in New Jersey

From Diane Ravitch

State Takeovers of districts with low scores have been a disaster. The reason for low scores is always high poverty, and the state takeover doesn’t change that fact. State after state has adopted this strategy and failed. Turns out that the folks in the State Education Department are not magicians.

The Education Law Center, a civil rights group, calls for an end to the charade in New Jersey.

FLORIDA: CHARTER CLOSES

Florida: Charter School Closes Without Notice to Parents or Students or Teachers

From Diane Ravitch

Charter schools open and close like day lilies. The entrepreneurs lobby legislators to get money and tax breaks. They pay teachers as little as they have to. They siphon money away from public schools, which are stable fixtures in their community.

HOLCOMB (IN) BACKS OFF ON TEACHER PAY RAISE

Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb proposes pumping brakes on teacher pay, cutting performance bonuses

The legislature, with the help and encouragement of previous governors has already allowed teacher pay to slip more than 15% over the last 15 years when adjusted for inflation. They have stripped teachers of their seniority, reduced collective bargaining, and basically done whatever they could to make teaching in Indiana less than attractive.

So, of course, Governor Holcomb wants to "study" teacher pay to see if Indiana can afford to educate their children. NOTE: Indiana has spent more than half a billion dollars on school vouchers and haven't heard anything from the Governor about studying that boondoggle for religious schools.

And we wonder why there is a shortage.

From Chalkbeat

As educators and lawmakers call for increases in teacher pay, Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb is suggesting a far more measured approach, potentially tempering expectations that meaningful raises could be possible in the coming two years.

In his legislative agenda announced Thursday, Holcomb proposed devoting 2019 to studying teacher pay...

GEORGE H. W. BUSH

George H. W. Bush: A Tribute and a Happy Memory of My Time in D.C.

From Diane Ravitch

I’m in an airplane, flying from NYC to L.A., where I will attend the annual dinner of LAANE, the Los Angeles Alliance for a New Economy. This group fought for and won a battle to raise the minimum wage. I believe and hope they will join the struggle to support public schools and save them from the clutches of the billionaires.

As I fly, I’m watching the state funeral of President George H.W. Bush. The services are very moving. People speak of his decency, his sense of honor, his humility, his dignity, his loyalty to friends and family, his patriotism, his sense of duty and courage (he volunteered for combat duty in World War II right out of high school). Trump is sitting in the front row, scowling and looking uncomfortable. It’s not about him.

GARY PUBLIC SCHOOLS

2 Gary School Board members expected to resign; others considering leaving

From the Chicago Tribune

The remaining board members could appoint new members if resignation letters are tendered, according to a state takeover law that stripped authority from the board, relegating it to an advisory body.

...In addition to removing all authority from the school board and giving it to an emergency manager, the state took per diem meeting pay and the annual $2,000 stipend from elected board members.

Ex-school chief's ties to contractor rankle Gary lawmakers

From the Fort Wayne Journal Gazette

Former state schools chief Tony Bennett disappeared from Indiana's education scene after his 2012 re-election defeat. Even when he returned to the state after a brief stint in Florida's top education post, Bennett kept a low profile.

But his name surfaced where he is not welcome – Gary, Indiana. A subsidiary of the consulting firm he's now associated with has been paid nearly $4.2 million to manage the distressed Gary Community School Corp. Gary lawmakers Vernon Smith and Eddie Melton have called for the contract with MGT Consulting Group to be dissolved, charging Bennett played a role in creating the school district's financial problems.

“It can be reasonably argued that Tony Bennett played a substantial role in putting Gary schools into the mess that it finds itself by championing policies that treated public schools like second-class citizens in favor of charters, vouchers and home schools,” Smith said.

Gary Lawmakers Call For New School Emergency Management Contract

From WFYI Indianapolis

Sen. Eddie Melton (D-Gary) and Rep. Vernon Smith (D-Gary) say former Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Bennett’s ties to the management firm illustrate a lack of transparency from the state and raise concerns about his potential influence in the recovering district.

Hoosiers voted Bennett out of office after his first term, and critics say it’s because he supported policy changes favoring school vouchers and charter schools. Public education advocates say those changes ultimately and drastically harmed public schools.

Now, Bennett sits on the board of directors for the consulting group tied to the management firm working to fix the Gary schools’ budget, MGT Consulting.

IPS LOOKS FOR SUPERINTENDENT

Who should replace Lewis Ferebee as superintendent of Indianapolis Public Schools?

It would be nice if this time they would hire someone who cares about the community and not about their career or about choice options for a chosen few.

From Chalkbeat

Indianapolis’ education community is already mulling what kind of leader should replace Superintendent Lewis Ferebee, who announced Monday that he’s leaving to head D.C. public schools.

With the 31,000-student school district in a state of flux, school board members and advocates say there is no time to waste. The district closed high schools last year. Two candidates opposed to innovation schools — the group of charter and charter-like schools managed by outside operators that was one of Ferebee’s main achievements — were recently elected to the school board. And despite the passage of a referendum to send more taxpayer money to schools, more large cuts are looming.

PRIVATIZATION MONEY FLOWS FROM HAVE-NOTS TO HAVES

Wealth Redistributed

From Linda Lyon at RestoreReason.comhttps://restorereason.com/

I offer that the redistribution of wealth can also flow the other way as with the privatization of our public schools. Those who already “have” are redistributing the “wealth” of those who “have not”. They do this by encouraging the siphoning of taxpayer monies from our district public schools, for charters, home and private schools. Once slated for the education of all, our hard-earned tax dollars are now increasingly available to offset costs for those already more advantaged.

LOS ANGELES: UTLA FIGHTS PRIVATIZATION

Los Angeles: Our Public Schools Are Not for Sale!

From Diane Ravitch

This full-page ad appeared in the Los Angeles Times a few days ago. It was paid for by the United Teachers of Los Angeles.

NACS PRINCIPAL EXPLAINS NEW GRADUATION RULES

Carroll offers plan on graduation rules

From the Fort Wayne Journal Gazette

Carroll High School Principal Brandon Bitting knows the state's new graduation requirements can be overwhelming.

That's why he plans to ease families into the expectations at freshman orientation in February. He plans to take a “bite-size” approach in explaining the mandates.

“I don't want to panic people,” Bitting told the Northwest Allen County Schools board Monday.

Thursday marks a year since the State Board of Education voted 7-4 to institute additional graduation requirements despite hours of testimony against the plan.

FEREBEE LEAVES IPS FOR D. C.

IPS Superintendent Lewis Ferebee Named Next Leader At Washington D.C. Schools

From WFYI Indianapolis

IPS Superintendent Lewis Ferebee was named as the next leader of Washington, D.C. public schools today by the mayor.

This new high profile position will hold national influence as Ferebee will likely continue his work started in Indianapolis five years ago to turnaround struggling schools. He's expected to start this position full-time on January 31st. Ferebee will be paid a base salary of $280,000 but he still needs to be confirmed by the council of the District of Columbia.

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Vic’s Statehouse Notes #153 – September 12, 2013

Dear Friends,

The Grew/Sheldrake Report on the A-F controversy issued last Friday (September 6th) found that:

1. until the new A-F system is implemented, Dr. Bennett’s system should not be used to subject a school to state intervention;
2. Dr. Bennett’s IDOE “underestimated administrative and technical challenges” of the new system and did not have sufficient pilot tests;
3. IDOE consistently applied the changes prompted by Dr. Bennett’s concern about Christel House Academy to schools in similar circumstances, changing over 180 grades;
4. Dr. Bennett’s desire was “to treat a recognized good school fairly” but in the words of the report: “any further motivations underlying these actions are beyond the scope and documentation of this report.”

The report was silent on the question of why other “recognized good schools” were not singled out for corrective action as was Christel House Academy.

At the Sept. 6th press conference, as reported by Tom LoBianco of the Associated Press, the authors declined to say their report exonerated Dr. Bennett: “Grew and Sheldrake said Friday that the report does not ‘exonerate’ or ‘vindicate’ Bennett, nor condemn him. They said it only explains how his team changed the grading formula.”

Here are the details on the four points above.

1. Recommending a Hiatus on State Interventions

In a key recommendation that clearly questions the validity of Dr. Bennett’s system, the authors wrote:

For the 2012-13 school year and subsequent years until the new accountability system required by HEA 1427-2013 is implemented, state policymakers should consider not subjecting a school to state interventions described in IC 20-31-9-4 due to a sixth consecutive year of placement in the lowest category or designation of school performance. (p. 19)

One of five charges to the authors written by Speaker Bosma and President Pro Tem Long asked the authors “to examine the previous A-F metric … determining its validity.” The authors provided logs of concerns that others had raised about Dr. Bennett’s metrics and noted that over 30 speakers testified against the system in the only public hearing held in January, 2012. They did not provide, however, a narrative conclusion about the overall validity of Dr. Bennett’s A-F system except for their clear discomfort with using it for state intervention. While they use gentle language, their recommendation cited above clearly finds Dr.Bennett’s metrics invalid for use in state intervention, a powerful statement on their part.

One must ask: If the grades are not valid for state intervention purposes, why should the public think they are valid for any other purpose?

I have advocated that Dr. Bennett’s system never be used again due to the tremendous public distrust that remains and the inherent flaws that it had in the first place using growth statistics based on measuring students against their peers. Such statistics tend to assign low grades to a predictable fixed percentage. The system should be restored to criterion-referenced metrics in which any student that does well can show growth, without regard to the growth of other students.

2. Inadequate Staff and Quality Control Pilot Testing

The authors, while using calm language, were very clear that Dr. Bennett’s IDOE was not up to the task of administering the A-F grading system. Consider Findings 1, 6 and 7 on pages 17-18:

1) The authors found that IDOE under-estimated administrative and technical challenges associated with developing the new administrative rule, computer programming and testing necessary to implement the new rule, and obtaining feedback relative to 2011-12 grades. (p. 17)

6) Due to the staff turnover discussed in the subsection above, there were limitations to IDOE’s technical capability, including computer program code development, to complete work necessary to produce grades for 2011-12. IDOE’s ability to finalize the accountability system, perform quality control simulations, and to produce final output was clearly compromised by the loss of several key technical staff beginning in summer, 2011 through summer, 2012. (p. 18)

7) In part due to the loss of key IDOE technical staff, there was also inadequate time for final implementation of the accountability system from final adoption of the administrative rule in spring, 2012 to the October 30 release of 2011-12 academic year grades. There simply needed to be more time to complete final programming and perform quality control work, prior to release of each school’s final grades. Some of the quality control work was still being performed after the release of embargoed data on September 19. Thus, this work was ongoing while schools were reviewing and submitting questions and appeals. (p. 18)

This description of administrative disarray is certainly not an exoneration of Dr. Bennett.

3. Changing Grades at the Last Minute

While the authors found that last minute changes which helped Christel House Academy were applied consistently to other schools, the thought that the system was being given a drastic revision only a few days before issuing the grades is hard to fathom. It leaves any observer wondering why the system wasn’t pilot tested in a better way.

The report found that two changes were made which lifted the Christel House grade from C to A. One was to ignore high school data which was incomplete. The report found that 16 other schools, most of which were charter schools, were given the same treatment. Secondly, in studying the Christel House grade at Dr. Bennett’s request, the staff discovered what they said was a computer programming error in capping the bonus points for elementary and middle schools. Under the final rule passed in February, they said the cap was to be removed but the computer program erroneously left it in place.

Steve Hinnefeld in his School Matters blog of Sept. 9th (Detail still missing from Indiana grade-change story) has written a well-documented challenge to Dr. Bennett’s staff’s assertion that caps were not supposed to be used under the rule and that it was all a computer error that was conveniently discovered in time to help Christel House Academy. The Grew/Sheldrake report, however, has accepted the IDOE claim that the caps were imposed in error and has printed a list of 165 elementary and middle schools that were given a higher grade by removing the caps. Of the 165, 130 were public schools, 32 were private/parochial schools and 3 were charter schools. Three public high schools (Northview, Rossville and Speedway) also gained a letter grade when the caps were corrected.

4. Treating Recognized Good Schools Fairly

The report’s finding that Dr. Bennett desired “to treat a recognized good school fairly” leaves significant questions: Why did he limit his concern to Christel House Academy? Why didn’t he listen when other “recognized good schools” claimed unfair treatment in the appeal process? Why didn’t he listen when, in a documented appeal, a student got perfect scores two years in a row and yet was marked as “low growth” leaving a negative mark against the school?

MacArthur Elementary in Crown Point was a recognized good school, but it was not treated fairly. Dr. Bennett nominated MacArthur for a National Blue Ribbon award from the US Department of Education in early 2012 due to high test scores and a superb record in a mixed demographic area serving 46% on free or reduced lunch. The school’s pass rate in English was 95% in the past two years, up from 74% in 2005. The pass rate in math has exceeded 90% for the past three years (92%, 96% & 91%), up from 69% in 2005. There is no question the school is a good school and deserves the award, but Principal Marian Buchko had to write the following appeal on October 11, 2012:

“Douglas MacArthur Elementary … recently received the devastating news that our school was graded a “B”. I almost cannot put into words how demoralizing and deflating this announcement was to our entire team. Bluntly speaking, as a collective group we still have not recovered from the sting of this slap from the State. The timing of this announcement has robbed us of our intense sense of pride at being named one of the eight National Blue Ribbon Schools in the state of Indiana.” After restating the high achievement marks of MacArthur, she asked: “How can a school achieving at this level be labeled a “B” school?”

Dr. Bennett ignored the appeal, even though Superintendent Teresa Eineman reminded him in her written appeal that when Dr. Bennett was in Crown Point in January 2012 he had told them that “schools achieving above the state goal of 90-25-90 would not have to worry about their exemplary/A category being threatened by fluctuations in the 90’s for any reason.”

Dr. Bennett’s claim that he wanted to “get it right” did not apply to MacArthur Elementary.

Many school districts have a good school that was not treated fairly. The Grew/Sheldrake report did not address the question of why Christel House was reviewed and upgraded while MacArthur and others were ignored.

Conclusion

Nothing in this report has convinced me that Dr. Bennett’s metrics should be used again this fall to grade schools for 2012-13. I urge you to contact legislators and members of the State Board to let them know that restoring public confidence in the letter grading system requires that the new system due under the law by November 15, 2013 should be used for 2012-13 grades. We should not revisit a flawed formula for letter grades even one more time.

The Grew/Sheldrake Report is well worth reading it is entirety and can be found at

http://www.in.gov/legislative/pdf/Accountability_Model_Exam.pdf

Keep up your good work for public education!

Vic Smith

ICPE is working to promote public education and oppose privatization of schools in the Statehouse. We hope all members and prospective members will come to the membership meetings this fall, the first of which is Saturday, September 21st, 2-3:30pm at the Washington Township Central Office, 86th & Woodfield Crossing. Glenda Ritz is the featured speaker. At the meeting you can renew your membership for the 2013-14 membership year which began July 1st if you have not done so already.

One way to RSVP for the September 21st meeting is simply to reply to this message. Please join us!

To all who have recently renewed or supported our fundraiser in Bloomington, we say thank you! We need additional support to carry on our advocacy for public education. We need additional members and additional donations. We need your help!

Go to www.icpe2011.com for membership and renewal information and for full information on our three ICPE membership meetings this fall. Thanks!

Some readers have asked about my background in Indiana public schools. Thanks for asking! Here is a brief bio:

I am a lifelong Hoosier and began teaching in 1969. I served as a social studies teacher, curriculum developer, state research and evaluation consultant, state social studies consultant, district social studies supervisor, assistant principal, principal, educational association staff member, and adjunct university professor. I worked for Garrett-Keyser-Butler Schools, the Indiana University Social Studies Development Center, the Indiana Department of Education, the Indianapolis Public Schools, IUPUI, and the Indiana Urban Schools Association, from which I retired as Associate Director in 2009. I hold three degrees: B.A. in Ed., Ball State University, 1969; M.S. in Ed., Indiana University, 1972; and Ed.D., Indiana University, 1977, along with a Teacher’s Life License and a Superintendent’s License, 1998.

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Not Ready to Exonerate Tony Bennett in School Grading Scandal

The following op-ed, written by Northeast Indiana Friends of Public Education (NEIFPE) and the Monroe County Coalition for Public Education (including Monroe County coalition member and public school parent, Jenny Robinson) appeared on Anthony Cody's Living in Dialogue blog titled Indiana Grassroots Groups Not Ready to Exonerate Tony Bennett in School Grading Scandal. It was also posted on the Fort Wayne Journal-Gazette's Learning Curve blog, written by Karen Francisco, under the title Reputation rewrite, ed-reform style.

In his article in the September 9, 2013 Education Week, Rick Hess of the American Enterprise Institute, claims that the recent report on the Tony Bennett grading scandal, commissioned by leaders of the Indiana state legislature, has exonerated Bennett and his staff. Many of us here in Indiana would respectfully disagree.

Most of the state news reports indicated that Bennett’s claims were plausible, which was a curious word choice. There are many ways to interpret the word plausible, which seems to imply there is an appearance of truth, which may or may not be accurate.

Having said that, Steve Hinnefeld states that while acknowledging plausibility, Bennett has NOT been exonerated.

“Grew and Sheldrake said Friday that the report does not ‘exonerate’ or ‘vindicate’ Bennett, nor condemn him. They said it only explains how his team changed the grading formula...”

The only people who would consider the report "exoneration" are those who agreed with Bennett in the first place. To the best of our knowledge, Bennett was never in favor of "grading on the curve" before Christel House didn't get its "A." Perhaps the question that should be asked is this: Would Tony Bennett have made any changes if the supposed error was discovered in any of the large urban public schools like Indianapolis or Ft. Wayne? The answer is absolutely not.

While no one really seems to understand the A-F system, under the revised standards, school wide performance and improvement are predominantly based on standardized tests. At the elementary and middle school level a preliminary score is based on the percentage of students passing several state tests. The high school accountability formula gives significant weight to graduation percentages, incorporates college and career readiness (which is determined by the number of students who pass AP and IB tests or by earning at least 3 college credits, or by receiving industry certification. School districts had complained about the A-F system when Bennett first pushed it through.

While all of this may sound plausible in theory, in practice it does not take into account the variables of school demographics or of poverty levels or of any of the intangibles which work together to create a school environment. Recognizing this, in April lawmakers mandated that Bennett’s system needed to be overhauled and a new grading system be created in its place. These actions came before the grading scandal erupted in July. Currently, the Accountability System Review Panel, a review committee composed of teachers, principals and superintendents, will review the system and create a new one.

Whether what Bennett did was plausible or not is really irrelevant to those of us who are still dealing with the damage that Tony Bennett did to public schools and public school teachers in this state. Bennett’s IDOE issued punitive policies and grades with warp speed and with little transparency. The abrasive attitudes displayed by Dr. Bennett and his IDOE team were both mind boggling and sickening. Mr. Hess indicates in his article that Indiana voters sent Bennett packing because of his style. However, we would argue that Bennett's style was only a part of why we voted him out; his damaging policies were the major reason. His leadership style left little room for discussion or for debate or for field testing. His push to privatize, voucherize, and charterize Indiana public schools has left them reeling financially and has left educators dispirited as they have tried to jump through policy hoops which they knew in their hearts were educationally unsound.

Unfortunately, one of the worst of these initiatives was the A-F grading system, and this and the rest of his agenda is still being carried out by the Indiana reformers that he has left behind. When we look at that grading system, we need to ask what is the purpose of giving schools a letter grade? Is it meant to help improve how a school functions, how children learn, and how teachers teach, or it is meant to label and devalue a school community? If grades are used to label rather than to improve learning outcomes, then perhaps that system itself deserve an F.

Northeast Indiana Friends of Public Education and Monroe County Coalition for Public Education

You can access NEIFPE's blog here, and Monroe County Coalition Public Education's blog here.
http://icpe-mcsci.blogspot.com

An additional comment from a parent, Jennifer Robinson, who is a member of Monroe County Coalition Public Education:

I'm a parent of young children, not an educator, and I'm just going to talk about elementary through 8th grade here. Bennett wanted a system where absolute scores on ISTEP, combined with some degree of scoring for growth, was equated with the quality of our schools. It all came down to standardized test performance. In other words, school culture did not matter. Whether children got science and social studies, in the grades which have no ISTEP test for that subject, didn't matter. Whether they had access to school libraries staffed by certified media specialists did not matter. Art, music, P.E., didn't matter, and increasingly in southern Indiana schools lack certified teachers in those areas. Clubs, field trips, community connections didn't matter. Recess didn't matter. Class sizes didn't matter. Whether the teachers had extra knowledge of the subjects they were teaching didn't matter. (It is my understanding that funding for professional development was eliminated in the Bennett years.) Whether kids enjoyed learning and wanted to go to school didn't matter. Whether your child's teachers talked with you didn't matter (our district no longer pays teachers to hold conferences with parents). And if you had a problem with Bennett's system, or felt it was unfair to your school, he didn't want to hear about it. He rejected two pleas from Indianapolis Public Schools that the grading would be unfair to them for the same reasons that Christel House didn't do well. When such pleas came from public school administrators, in his eyes, those were mere excuses.

In my own district, the two schools that had the highest proportion of free-and-reduced-cost lunch both received "F's." In one of these schools, with the economic downturn, there were twenty-eight homeless children. There were kids coming to school who needed to sleep for two hours, and eat, before they could even begin to learn. And Bennett's grades penalized these schools for working with vulnerable children, and they made those children a liability to the school.

But it turned out that his own rules, which he wouldn't have even considered modifying for other schools, could be rearranged at the last minute in the special case of a donor's charter school, a school that he had held up as an example. This was proof for teachers in public schools across Indiana that the deck was indeed stacked against them. Bennett just knew (and it was to his political advantage to believe) that Christel House was a good school, and the whole grading system had to be altered to fit reality as he knew it. It was a grading system that worked on a curve, with a guaranteed percentage of losers. It was to be linked to teacher's evaluations and pay. It had punitive consequences for individual children (who would want to be the valedictorian of an "F" school?) and for neighborhoods branded with failure. And it had been developed with so little care that it could be thrown into disarray and totally rearranged for one school's grade.

If you want to know why Bennett and co. changed the grade, read the e-mails. Thanks to AP reporter Tom Lobianco, they are online for all of us to see.

Tony Bennett emails batch 1

Tony Bennett emails batch 2

Tony Bennett emails batch 3

Tony Bennett emails batch 4

Tony Bennett emails batch 5

Jennifer Robinson, Monroe County Coalition Public Education.

###

Action for the Week - August 9, 2013

Here is our action of the week. Let's write letters to the Indiana Inspector General, David Thomas and to the Indiana Attorney General, Greg Zoeller to ask them to investigate whether fraud has been committed by former Superintendent of Public Instruction, Tony Bennett and members of his staff.

Office of the Inspector General
315 West Ohio Street, Room 104
Indianapolis, Indiana 46202
Telephone: 317-232-3850
Fax: 317-232-0707
Email: info@ig.in.gov

Indiana Attorney General's Office
Indiana Government Center South
302 W. Washington St., 5th Floor
Indianapolis, IN 46204
Phone: 317.232.6201
Fax: 317.232.7979
E-mail: Constituent@atg.in.gov

Vic’s Statehouse Notes #150 – August 8, 2013

Dear Friends,

The fiasco of Tony Bennett’s A-F system continues on. Last fall his flawed system was a prime factor in his electoral defeat and now emails revealing his request for a higher grade for Christel House Academy have led to his resignation from his position in Florida.

Yesterday at the State Board of Education meeting, Glenda Ritz said that the A-F probe requested by Governor Pence has “verified manipulation”. She gave no details pending completion of the full review being done in concert with external reviewers appointed by Speaker Bosma and Senate President Pro Temp Long. Legislative leaders asked their reviewers to report by September 2nd.

The flawed system continues to hurt schools that were not singled out for an upwardly revised grade like Dr. Bennett’s favored school.

Few commenting on this story week have clearly stated that the General Assembly voided this A-F system and mandated a new system by November 15, 2013. Calls for public confidence in the current system are futile now that we have learned that system was not only fatally flawed but was administered in a totally inappropriate manner. The schools of Indiana have had to endure a full year of invalid and now thoroughly discredited letter grades bringing untold damage to school reputations as they engage in high stakes local competition with voucher schools. The current A-F system should never be used again.

A Flawed System and HEA 1427

Last spring, long before the recent revelations of Tom LoBianca’s Associated Press story about Dr. Bennett’s emails, a consensus had emerged in the General Assembly that the A-F system was flawed and had to be replaced.

In Senate Bill 416 initiated by Senator Charbonneau and later sponsored by Senator Yoder, language was introduced in the Senate Education Committee on February 20th saying that the current A-F rule “is void. The publisher of the Indiana Administrative Code and Indiana Register shall remove this rule from the Indiana Administrative Code.” Sen. Banks began the discussion of the bill by saying he has personally become convinced that Indiana’s A-F system is flawed. The Senate Education Committee unanimously passed the bill that day 11-0.

Senate Bill 416 was later withdrawn, but its language landed in House Enrolled Act 1427 which passed the House 53-45 and the Senate 34-15 and was signed by Gov. Pence:

“Sec. 5. (a) Not later than November 15, 2013, the state board shall establish new categories or designations of school performance under the requirements of this chapter to replace 511 IAC 6.2-6. “

Since 511 IAC 6.2-6 is the A-F system, the law seems totally clear. We are to have a new A-F system by November 15th. The law reads on:

“The new standards of assessing school performance:

(1) must be based on a measurement of individual student academic performance and growth to proficiency; and

(2) may not be based on a measurement of student performance or growth compared with peers.”

These points correct the main flaw of the current system in using statistics in the Indiana Growth Model which compared the performance of students to other students, metrics known in the statistics world as “norm-referenced” measures. The preferred metrics measure students against fixed standards, known as “criterion-referenced” measures. The new law continues:

511 IAC 6.2-6 is void on the effective date of the emergency or final rules adopted under this section.

Thus, the new A-F rules could be adopted even before November 15, 2013 if the State Board passes an emergency rule.

Given the animosity toward and the general disrespect for the current A-F system on the part of the public, I thought that rules would be hammered out this fall in time to hand out letter grades for 2012-13 using the new system. Who would want to see another year of school letter grades using the old discredited system? It is not even clear that the growth statistics of the Indiana Growth Model, based on the bell shaped curve and processed by an out-of-state contractor, would be available for use this fall to comply with Dr. Bennett’s A-F system.

The Response of Governor Pence

Thus, Dr. Bennett’s A-F system was completely discredited and scheduled for demolition by the Republican-led General Assembly last spring. All this occurred by a vote on April 26th, long before any charges of letter grade manipulation were raised by Tom LoBianco’s story on July 28th. Given this history, the response by Gov. Pence reported in the Star on August 2nd is hard to understand:

“The Governor supports our A-to-F grading system and believes that the people of Indiana should have confidence in the integrity of that system, said Pence’s spokeswoman, Kara Brooks.” (Indianapolis Star, August 2, 2013, page A4)

Does that sound like the statement of the person who signed HEA 1427 into law, calling for a totally new A-F system by November 15th? Does he support our A-to-F grading system when the Republican majority in the General Assembly didn’t and passed a law to change it?

Now we know through email revelations that the flawed A-F system was also administered in a flawed and unjust way.

Anomalies Ad Infinitum

Dr. Bennett’s defense last week was that Christel House Academy’s “C” represented an anomaly in the system that needed to be repaired with last minute changes. The Star (August 2, page A4) quoted Dr. Bennett as saying, “We were watching all the anomalies. We were trying to get it right.”

His flawed system, however, had many anomalies, but he only responded to the one involving his biggest donor’s school. Consider a few other anomalies that he ignored:

1) National Blue Ribbon Schools

Crown Point’s MacArthur Elementary, after years of tremendous success in an attendance area with over 50% free lunch, was nominated by Dr. Bennett’s Indiana Department of Education and approved by the US Department of Education for the coveted National Blue Ribbon School award in August, 2012, the culmination of relentless effort by a dedicated staff. Spring test scores in 2012 once again showed well above 90% passing on ISTEP, confirming the school’s national award. The principal and staff were shocked to learn in September, 2012, that Dr. Bennett’s A-F system gave this nationally recognized school a B rather than an A, tarnishing its national award winning status. Direct verbal appeals to Dr. Bennett and a formal written appeal made no difference.

2) Early Childhood Schools

Liberty Early elementary in MSD Decatur got a D. It serves only pre-kindergarten and kindergarten students. These students have not been tested on ISTEP+. So how did they get a D? In Dr. Bennett’s flawed system, early childhood centers are given grades based on the average of the elementary schools that they feed students to. The elementary students are tested in grades 3 through 6, so Liberty Early elementary was graded on the performance of students that the school had not enrolled for three years.

3) Reconstituted Schools

William Bell School #60 in the Indianapolis Public Schools got an F. It serves only K through 2 students who have not taken ISTEP+. It reopened in the fall of 2012 as a Reggio magnet school under the direct guidance of Butler University. Nearly all of the students were new under the new magnet program philosophy, yet under the feeder school rules based on students from past years, Dr. Bennett celebrated its rebirth offering a new philosophical option by giving it an F.

4) Injustice to High Scoring Students

One frustrated principal in northern Indiana had a bright 5th grader who has scored Pass+ since the 3rd grade who in 2012 scored 39 scale score points above the Pass+ cut off score for English/Language Arts. Yet, based on the bell curve statistics the student was marked as “Low Growth.” The principal asked “How is that possible?” with an added comment “It is so maddening.”

5) Perfect Scores

A central Indiana superintendent and principal verified that an elementary student with a perfect score for two years in a row was labeled as “Low Growth.” An appeal to IDOE on made no difference.

Yes, that said “perfect score.”

If you ask any school leader in Indiana, they will share their own anomaly about a particular unjust letter grade, many related to counting English tests given to recent immigrant students who don’t speak English or to counting test scores for cognitively disabled students as if they were not disabled.

Given this record of flaws, the law dismantling the current A-F system and now emails indicating the rules were manipulated, it would be a travesty to use these rules one more year to grade our schools using the 2013 ISTEP+ data. Schools should not be damaged again by this flawed system that was apparently easily manipulated to help favored schools. The peer based statistics should be sent packing and never confuse Indiana parents again.

Going forward, any plan to use Dr. Bennett’s discredited metrics one more time should be abandoned. Emergency rules should be in place “no later than November 15, 2013” in accordance with HEA 1427. Last year, school letter grades were announced on October 31st. New rules need to be in place by that time this year to report grades for the 2012-13 school year if state leaders expect the public to regain any respect for A-F school letter grades in Indiana.

This ongoing fiasco must end.

Best wishes,

Vic Smith

ICPE is working to promote public education and oppose privatization of schools in the Statehouse. We need all previous members of ICPE to renew their memberships for the 2013-14 membership year which began July 1st. Please join us! To all who have recently renewed, we say thank you! We have reduced but not yet eliminated our debt from the General Assembly session. We need additional support to carry on our advocacy for public education. We need additional members and additional donations. We need your help!

WE NEED YOUR HELP NOW! We oppose new laws that---

• allow your tax dollars to be diverted from public school students to fund tuition for religious and private schools.
• allow for-profit companies to take over public schools.
• allow tax breaks for home school textbooks but not for public school texts.

Join the INDIANA COALITION FOR PUBLIC EDUCATION

THE ICPE IS A BIPARTISAN NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATION OPPOSING SCHOOL VOUCHERS AND PRIVATIZATION.

Go to www.icpe2011.com for membership and renewal information.

Some readers have asked about my background in Indiana public schools. Thanks for asking! Here is a brief bio:

I am a lifelong Hoosier and began teaching in 1969. I served as a social studies teacher, curriculum developer, state research and evaluation consultant, state social studies consultant, district social studies supervisor, assistant principal, principal, educational association staff member, and adjunct university professor. I worked for Garrett-Keyser-Butler Schools, the Indiana University Social Studies Development Center, the Indiana Department of Education, the Indianapolis Public Schools, IUPUI, and the Indiana Urban Schools Association, from which I retired as Associate Director in 2009. I hold three degrees: B.A. in Ed., Ball State University, 1969; M.S. in Ed., Indiana University, 1972; and Ed.D., Indiana University, 1977, along with a Teacher’s Life License and a Superintendent’s License, 1998.

Vic’s Statehouse Notes #102– December 19, 2012

Dear Friends,

Dr. Bennett is trying to rewrite the history of full day kindergarten in Indiana in his final weeks in office.

Perhaps you received the press release that came out from Dr. Bennett’s office on December 10th on the status of full day kindergarten. The first two paragraphs appeared as follows:

PRESS RELEASE                                       Media Contact: Stephanie Sample

For Immediate Release                                                         (317) 232-6615

Monday, December 10, 2012                                        ssample@doe.in.gov

Full Day Kindergarten Funding More than Doubles

State funding for full day kindergarten increased by $107.9 million for the 2012-2013 school year, reaching a total of $189.8 million. The funds will be distributed December 14 to 338 public school corporations and charter schools for the 79,110 students who enrolled in full day kindergarten programs this year. In 2011-2012, 66,401students were enrolled in full day kindergarten programs, with a total state funding distribution of $81.9 million.

This year’s rapid increase in enrollment and funding is the result of 2012 legislation spearheaded by Governor Mitch Daniels and passed by Indiana lawmakers to guarantee $2,400 per full day kindergarten student. The funding is provided through the Full Day Kindergarten Grant, which was created in 2005 and represents one of the key education policies in the Governor’s first term.

Dr. Bennett’s ode to the legacy of Governor Daniels suffers from a crucial problem.

It isn’t true.

The Full Day Kindergarten Grant was created in 2001 during the second term of Gov. Frank O’Bannon. Documentation copied from the 2001 budget (HEA 1001) is here.

I observed the major legislative battle over full day kindergarten funding in the 1999 session. After much debate, many rallies, an opposing Senate “cafeteria plan” and high expectations that $110 million dollars would be included in the budget for full day kindergarten, it all collapsed in the final days of the session. By 2001, the dot.com recession had undermined revenue to the point that no serious effort to fund full day kindergarten was debated in the 2001 session. “There was no money.” Unexpectedly, in the final version of the 2001 budget, a $10 million “Full Day Kindergarten Grant” appeared and the program was started, as attached.

In the post 9/11 recession, serious revenue shortfalls led Governor O’Bannon to cut 15% from most line item programs, lowering the Full Day Kindergarten Grant to $8.5 million. That is the level that was funded in the 2003 budget and again in 2005, Gov. Daniels’ first budget.

Credit for starting the Full Day Kindergarten Grant in 2001, as I recall the story, was attributed to the final conference committee negotiations between Rep. Bauer and Sen. Borst, no doubt influenced and supported by Gov. O’Bannon, who had made a strong push for full day kindergarten in the 1999 battle. Sen. Borst was said to be favorably influenced to support full day kindergarten by his daughter, a dedicated and successful early childhood teacher and later administrator in MSD Perry Township.

Let the historical record stand corrected.

To me, the most interesting part of this episode is that it reflects the ongoing, constant effort to “enhance the brand” of reformers. Governor Daniels has created in Indiana an educational marketplace of schools, and in a marketplace, marketing is everything. Attention to marketing schools is now a bigger priority for school survival than attention to curriculum or instruction.

An example of this was seen in the December 5th State Board of Education meeting, when Charter Schools USA brought a national leader in school reform, Jeanne Allen, well known founder of the Center for Education Reform in Washington, DC, to the state board meeting to defend their reputation. She had visited the takeover schools in Indianapolis and reassured the State Board that all was well. This headed off any questions that might have been expected about the parent protest at Howe High School in September or the subsequent firing of a co-principal at Howe. Charter Schools USA used a skillful marketing technique to protect their reputation with the State Board. In this educational climate, it’s all about marketing.

No doubt more people have seen the incorrect assertion than Gov. Daniels started the Full Day Kindergarten Grant than will see this correction. Marketing wins again.

Best wishes,

Vic Smith

Many thanks to all who participated in the “Do It Now Challenge” to join or renew memberships in the Indiana Coalition for Public Education! We had a good response, but more members are needed to have the voice in the Statehouse that we need. I urge you to share this invitation to support ICPE with your public education friends. I have attached another membership form as a convenience. Go to www.icpe2011.com for more information.

I wish you a great holiday and I look forward to working with you to support public education in 2013.

Some readers have asked about my background in Indiana public schools. Thanks for asking! Here is a brief bio:

I am a lifelong Hoosier and began teaching in 1969. I served as a social studies teacher, curriculum developer, state research and evaluation consultant, state social studies consultant, district social studies supervisor, assistant principal, principal, educational association staff member, and adjunct university professor. I worked for Garrett-Keyser-Butler Schools, the Indiana University Social Studies Development Center, the Indiana Department of Education, the Indianapolis Public Schools, IUPUI, and the Indiana Urban Schools Association, from which I retired as Associate Director in 2009. I hold three degrees: B.A. in Ed., Ball State University, 1969; M.S. in Ed., Indiana University, 1972; and Ed.D., Indiana University, 1977, along with a Teacher’s Life License and a Superintendent’s License, 1998.

Vic’s Election Notes on Education #10– November 4, 2012

Dear Friends,

For advocates for public education, the choice in the gubernatorial race is clear. Only John Gregg can give Glenda Ritz a new State Board of Education to repair the flawed A-F system and to give education policies a new direction in support of public education in Indiana.

The Democrats, John Gregg for Governor and Vi Simpson for Lt. Governor, are both advocates for public education. In my direct observations in the Statehouse since I started watching the General Assembly in 1997, both have consistently voted to provide better funding for public schools. John Gregg as Speaker of the House and Vi Simpson as a leading member of the finance committee have been direct participants in building the school funding formula, and I came to know them both as true friends of public schools. Both have consistently voted against public money going to private school tuition via vouchers or tax credits. Vi Simpson was the leader of the Democrats in the Senate when all 13 Democrats voted against the 2011 voucher bill. It was not enough, but she spoke eloquently in support of public schools.

The Republicans, Mike Pence for Governor and Sue Ellspermann for Lt. Governor, are not advocates for public education. Mike Pence has made it clear he would not restore the $300 million cut from public school funding in the revenue crisis of December 2009. He voted for private school vouchers for Washington, DC, a highly controversial measure that barely passed Congress nearly a decade ago. Congress then ended the DC voucher program in the huge February 2009 stimulus bill. In tough budget bargaining after the 2010 elections, the resurgent Republican caucus brought DC vouchers back to life. Mike Pence has vocally supported vouchers throughout these legislative battles. He has endorsed an expansion of Indiana’s new voucher program and has said he wants to invest more money into it. The current voucher program was sold as a cost savings because to be eligible students must be in a public school first and then transfer to a private school. No doubt he would like to remove that restriction. Sue Ellspermann, in her only session as a member of the General Assembly, voted for the 2011 voucher law that I and many other public school advocates had strongly opposed.

For their support of public education, I support John Gregg for Governor and Vi Simpson for Lt. Governor.

The State Board of Education: Appointed by the Governor

The biggest impact John Gregg could have on correcting the direction of education in Indiana would be to bring us a new State Board of Education. The current board has two recent appointees, but the veterans on the board have a long record of ignoring stakeholders on key issues:

1. The April 2010 public hearing on whether schools should have letter grades attracted 57 speakers, and 56 opposed the plan. No member of the State Board was there to listen. A week later, the board voted with only one dissenting vote to have letter grades with no formula in place for how the grades would be determined.
2. The January 2012 public hearing on how the grades would be determined attracted 35 speakers, and they all opposed the plan, including the Indiana Chamber of Commerce and the Charter School Association. Only one member of the 11-member board was there to listen. Three weeks later, the board passed the controversial A-F system which undervalues our schools and hurts out-of-state job recruitment by giving 18% D’s and F’s while Florida, a state that Indiana outperforms on the National Assessment, gives 6% of its schools D’s and F’s.
3. The June 2012 public hearing on lowering the standards for teacher licensing, known as REPA 2, attracted 30 speakers, and they all opposed the plan. Only one member of the State Board was there to listen. They have conveniently put off the final vote on this controversial change until after the election.

Indiana needs a State Board of Education that will listen to the stakeholders when they have concerns. Absentee board members say they read the testimony, but that is no substitute for being there to listen in person to those who have driven to the hearing to express their concerns and, in some cases, their outrage.

We don’t have legislative hearings in the General Assembly without a quorum present. We need a State Board that attends public hearings. We need a State Board that listens to the people.

Historical Perspective

I have been totally amazed at the differences a decade has made in the State Board. After the new accountability plan (PL 221) was passed in 1999, the State Board held several hearings over a two year period before all parties came together to agree on a plan, the one that lasted from October 2001 until Tony Bennett dismantled it in February 2012. The State Board in 2001, appointed by Gov. O’Bannon, actually attended the hearings and listened. They withdrew proposed plans and started over at least twice before a final plan was agreed to by all. Dr. Reed and the State Board were acting as mediators between the business community and the education community to devise the best plan, and a compromise plan was finally reached in October 2001.

Now fast forward to 2012. The education community and the business community testified in agreement in January’s public hearing that the proposed A-F system was flawed. It didn’t matter. This State Board didn’t care to listen to stakeholders. They and Dr. Bennett had the votes, and they passed the A-F system that every speaker thought was defective. Only John Gregg can correct this injustice and reign in the State Board of Education from its policies which undervalue our schools and lower the standards for becoming a teacher in Indiana.

It’s Time to Vote

This is the last in my series of “Election Notes” because the election is two days away. The direction of public education in Indiana would improve remarkably if Glenda Ritz and John Gregg can be elected. There are still many things you can do in this grassroots campaign to bring victory:

1. Call people. Think of other friends and family across the state who may not have heard about these education issues. Give then a quick call on Monday.
2. Visit people. Going door-to-door to homes where they don’t know you is best done between 4pm and 6pm on Monday. Print off your Glenda Ritz handouts from the attachment and spend two more hours talking with neighbors. I was out Sunday afternoon and found an encouraging number of neighbors who have already heard of the problems Tony Bennett’s policies have caused for public schools.
3. Distribute Ritz handouts at a polling place on Tuesday. This is probably a self-appointed task because it’s a big state and the Ritz campaign can only organize people to do this in some locations. Copy off a supply of handouts and stand outside your favorite polling place for as many hours as you can arrange. Give a friendly invitation to all who come to vote to consider Glenda Ritz as you hand them a flyer. This can make a bigger difference in the election than you might think. I have done this at my polling place for several years, and each time I can count between 10 and 20 votes that I have influenced because I am a neighbor they know and I have information about a race they have not heard much about. Now consider what a 10 vote swing in every precinct in the state would mean in the totals. That is the potential. Go for it!

The future of public education in Indiana is at a crossroads in this election. Will we elect a leader who will continue down the road to privatization and for-profit takeover schools, or will we elect a leader who will focus public money on public schools and return common sense to grading schools and testing students?

This is a democracy, and we have our chance to influence this choice. I urge you to vigorously share your thoughts with voters for two more days, and then let the people speak. This election will set the path for education in Indiana for years to come.

Keep up the good work!
Best wishes,

Vic Smith

“Vic’s Election Notes on Education” is not linked to any organization and is not being distributed by me to any organization. It is only being distributed to those who have previously sent personal requests for my commentaries. If you want to pass it along to others, you do not need to ask my permission. If you want to be taken off the distribution list, just let me know. If you know of others who want to be added to the list, just send me an email.

Some readers have asked about my background in Indiana public schools. Thanks for asking! Here is a brief bio:

I am a lifelong Hoosier and began teaching in 1969. I served as a social studies teacher, curriculum developer, state research and evaluation consultant, state social studies consultant, district social studies supervisor, assistant principal, principal, educational association staff member, and adjunct university professor. I worked for Garrett-Keyser-Butler Schools, the Indiana University Social Studies Development Center, the Indiana Department of Education, the Indianapolis Public Schools, IUPUI, and the Indiana Urban Schools Association, from which I retired as Associate Director in 2009. I hold three degrees: B.A. in Ed., Ball State University, 1969; M.S. in Ed., Indiana University, 1972; and Ed.D., Indiana University, 1977, along with a Teacher’s Life License and a Superintendent’s License, 1998.

Vic’s Election Notes on Education #9– November 3, 2012

Dear Friends,

Tony Bennett’s school letter grade system has produced D’s and F’s for 18.6% of all Indiana Schools, in contrast to Florida where 6% of all schools get D’s and F’s. Yet Indiana clearly outscores Florida on a common test taken in all states, the National Assessment of Educational Progress.

The evidence that Indiana schools perform better than Florida schools can be found here, which is the testimony I gave in Public Comments after letter grades were approved and made public at the October 31st meeting of the State Board of Education. I wanted to make sure board members had seen the actual National Assessment results which show they are undervaluing Indiana schools compared to Florida. Despite all the tax breaks and business recruitment efforts made by the General Assembly to attract businesses to Indiana, don’t look for any businesses to move here from Florida or from other places when our schools have been undervalued by a flawed system.

The state totals announced on Wednesday were –

41.0% of schools were graded A
20.1% of schools were graded B
20.4% of schools were graded C
11.6% of schools were graded D
  7.0% of schools were graded F

While Tony Bennett called this “a positive day,” the system remains flawed and mystifying to many educators, especially at the elementary and middle school level. Consider these two schools that Tony Bennett apparently believes are “bad” schools:

• Liberty Early elementary in MSD Decatur got a D. It serves only pre-kindergarten and kindergarten students. These students have not been tested on ISTEP+. So how did they get a D? In Tony Bennett’s drive to hold every school accountable, early childhood centers are given grades based on the average of the elementary schools that they feed students to. The elementary students are tested in grades 3 through 6, so Liberty Early elementary was graded on the performance of students that the school has not interacted with for three years.
• William Bell School #60 in the Indianapolis Public Schools got an F. It serves only K through 2 students who have not taken ISTEP+. It reopened this year as a Reggio magnet school under the guidance of Butler University. Nearly all of the students are new this year under the new magnet program philosophy, yet under the feeder school rule cited above and based on students from past years, Tony Bennett celebrated its rebirth by giving it an F.

Has all common sense left Tony Bennett in implementing this A-F system?

The Indiana Growth Model

The controversial growth model is used for elementary and middle schools in the A-F system to bump up or bump down the grade after the primary grade is determined based on total percent passing. Growth is based on bell-curve statistics comparing students to a statewide cohort of peers. The growth metrics continue to produce mystifying and inexplicable results which anger educators:

Exhibit 1

One frustrated principal in northern Indiana had a 5th grader who has scored Pass+ since the 3rd grade who this year scored 39 scale score points above the Pass+ cut off score for English/Language Arts. Yet, the student was marked as “Low Growth.” The principal asked “How is that possible?” with an added comment “It is so maddening.”

Indeed.

Exhibit 2

The Indiana Association Public School Superintendents has distributed an analysis of the growth model written by Chris Himsel, superintendent of Northwest Allen County Schools and formerly the director of testing in Lafayette. His comments, dated October 26th, are telling:

“Because the score is based on a normal curve that compares kids within score bands, no predictability or transparency exists. Likewise, kids whose scores increase at a rate 2 or 3 times the rate that the cut score increases can be low growth while other students whose scale score decreases compared to the previous year can be considered high growth – it all depends on who the student is compared to. Likewise, a student whose score increases 25 points may be high growth one year, and a different student in the same grade level the following year may be considered low growth for the exact same 25 point increase the next year. This does not make sense and does not measure growth. It measures competition among students and assumes no matter how much or how little learning is taking place that some students are high, others are typical, and some are low. . . .

I will need to explain it to parents and media members in the next few weeks, and I do not know how I will accomplish it since I do not understand it myself. I do not understand how some students can have their score decrease and be considered high growth while others see dramatic increases in their scale score and are considered low growth. I do not understand how one cut off for determining growth bonus points or growth penalty points is 36.2%, another is 42.5%, another 39.2%, another is 44.9%, etc. It looks like the policymakers are trying to determine a cut off that identifies a particular quantity of students or schools in certain categories. “

His full statement was written in response to a legislator who had asked about the A-F system, and he attached a page which you can find here showing how random and unpredictable scores can be under Tony Bennett’s Indiana Growth Model. The attached page alone is a powerful indictment of how the system plays out and gives a strong rationale for revising the A-F formula.

Exhibit 3

A central Indiana superintendent and principal have verified that an elementary student with a perfect score for two years in a row was labeled as “Low Growth.” An appeal to IDOE made no difference.

Yes, that said “perfect score.” How many individuals and schools need to be hurt by this system before we conclude that it must be revised?

That’s three strikes, and this A-F system should be out.

What more needs to be said. We need a change.

The Election is in Three Days

After all the hearings and all the commentary about problems in the A-F system, Tony Bennett has not listened and continues to enthusiastically defend the system. Elections in a democracy were devised for situations like this. When leaders don’t listen, new leaders can be elected. Voting for Glenda Ritz is the only avenue left to correct the A-F system that has already damaged many schools and stands to hurt economic development efforts in many communities.

A new poll announced Friday (Nov. 2nd) shows Tony Bennett at 40% and Glenda Ritz at 36%. Obviously, many remain undecided. Your efforts today, Sunday, Monday and Tuesday could make THE difference in bringing victory to this improbable grassroots campaign to defeat the million-dollar campaign of Tony Bennett propelled by out-of-state money.

Here is a Glenda Ritz handout that you can copy and take door-to-door in the closing days of this race. Does participation in our democracy make a difference? Absolutely.

The candidate with the most votes on Tuesday will set policies for the next four years. Before the election, please reach out to 20 additional friends and neighbors who are undecided or unaware of these issues to make sure that the next four years will be led by Glenda Ritz. Your work at the grassroots will make all the difference.

Best wishes,

Vic Smith

“Vic’s Election Notes on Education” is not linked to any organization and is not being distributed by me to any organization. It is only being distributed to those who have previously sent personal requests for my commentaries. If you want to pass it along to others, you do not need to ask my permission. If you want to be taken off the distribution list, just let me know. If you know of others who want to be added to the list, just send me an email.

Some readers have asked about my background in Indiana public schools. Thanks for asking! Here is a brief bio:

I am a lifelong Hoosier and began teaching in 1969. I served as a social studies teacher, curriculum developer, state research and evaluation consultant, state social studies consultant, district social studies supervisor, assistant principal, principal, educational association staff member, and adjunct university professor. I worked for Garrett-Keyser-Butler Schools, the Indiana University Social Studies Development Center, the Indiana Department of Education, the Indianapolis Public Schools, IUPUI, and the Indiana Urban Schools Association, from which I retired as Associate Director in 2009. I hold three degrees: B.A. in Ed., Ball State University, 1969; M.S. in Ed., Indiana University, 1972; and Ed.D., Indiana University, 1977, along with a Teacher’s Life License and a Superintendent’s License, 1998.