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May 15, 2012

EdConnect Header - LA Believes

 In This Issue

 

  • Compass and Common Core Outreach and Training Continues
  • Tranisition to College and Career Ready Assessments Represented in 2012-2013 and 2013-2014 Testing Calendars
  • May 18 Deadline Approaching for Schools to Participate in Statewide Scholarship Program
  • Teachers Invited to Provide Feedback on Next Generation of Science Standards
  • Dept. Summarizes Talent Bill (Act 1)

Educator Resources (Links)

 

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Dear Colleagues:

 

This week marks the conclusion of our scheduled Louisiana Believes Teacher Town Halls.  Over the last four weeks, I've had the great privilege of traveling the state and talking to hundreds of educators.  Although I wasn't able to personally visit all 70 districts, I was pleased when educators statewide chose to participate in four Live Virtual Town Halls, and even submitted questions to us via email.  So again, I want to personally thank you for your overwhelming interest.  These conversations have been of tremendous value.

 

Particularly, with every encounter, I've become more aware of how important it is that we have faith in those who are closest to children.  Not only do educators and families know the unique needs of our students.  But they must also be empowered to make decisions on behalf of those students.  

  

Superintendents and principals should decide who should teach our children and how dollars should be spent. Teachers and school administrators should determine the content and activities that occur in the classroom.

 

This idea of choice has often been talked about in connection with struggling schools.  This is an important component.  But real choice also means having the option to attend rigorous career training, challenging Advanced Placement courses, and top-level dual enrollment courses. It means having a choice of strong pre-kindergarten programs and the option to graduate from high school early if students push themselves.  


These ideals are at the heart of Louisiana Believes.  And to turn these fundamental beliefs into higher student achievement, we will rely on the national Common Core State Standards and Compass, the state's new educator performance evaluation system.  Both tell us that if we believe our children can achieve at higher levels, we have to raise our own expectations for every lesson, every unit, and every piece of student work.  While the process will look different from school to school, it will involve five Core Elements: 
  • Goal Setting: Teachers in all subjects will set quantifiable achievement goals for each student. 
  • Assessment and Content: Teachers in all subjects will select assessments and curricular materials that align with skills students are expected to demonstrate on new Common Core assessment items.  
  • Feedback: Principals and other instructional leaders will observe all teachers and will provide feedback based on a Common Core-aligned rubric. 
  • Collaboration: Teachers will work in teams to examine student work and to articulate specific changes in instructional practice that will align student performance to Common Core standards. 
  • Identifying Leaders: Districts will use Compass effectiveness ratings to identify teacher leaders who can take on new responsibilities to support these Core Elements in their schools. 

If you haven't already done so, I encourage you to review our presentation to learn more and share your feedback with us.  To access a video presentation of our Town Hall Meeting with St. Tammany teachers, please click here.  To view the May 8 Virtual Town Hall, please click here.  The Louisiana Believes PowerPoint presentation can be accessed by clicking here.  Also, please be sure to consider serving on a Louisiana Believes Advisory Committee.  More details are provided in the article below.

 

As always, thank you for your commitment to our children.
 

John

 

John White

Louisiana Department of Education

Twitter @LouisianaSupe

Would you like to serve on a Louisiana Believes Advisory Committee?


State Superintendent of Education John White is recruiting individuals to serve on Louisiana Believes Advisory Committees.  These Committees will act as counsel to him regarding the implementation of the state's plan to ensure every child is on track to attain a college degree or succeed in a professional career. 

  

Louisiana Believes Advisory Committees:

  • Parents and Community Leaders
  • Principals and Administrators
  • Superintendents and Charter Managers
  • Teachers

Committees will be selected and named during the week of June 11.  Please click here for a memoradum, which provides more inforamtion, including Committee roles and where to submit your name. 

 

Special Note: 

The Department would like to recognize the Advanced Placement teachers whose students are right now in the middle of exams.  As we move towards offering more AP opportunities for students statewide, the Department is inviting AP teachers to offer suggestions for how they can be supported as the state increases AP participation.  Please submit suggestions to ken.bradford@la.gov.

FRONT AND CENTER:

FOCUSING ON FIVE CORE ELEMENTS

 

COMPASS AND COMMON CORE OUTREACH AND TRAINING CONTINUES

The work of the Department is focused on the five Core Elements. Thus, supporting the efforts of districts, schools, and teachers to effectively implement Compass and the Common Core State Standards is the agency's highest priority.  Over the last several months, the Department has heightened trainings around both initiatives and will continue hosting trainings throughout the summer.  For a complete calendar of trainings on Compass and Common Core State Standards, please click here.

Next Round of Webinars to Feature 

Guidance on Interpreting Value-Added Scores 

  

As we prepare for the release of Value-Added reports for the 2011-2012 school year, the Department is hosting more than a dozen webinar events for teachers, principals, and district administrators.  The live webinars will feature a brief overview of the Value-Added Model, as well as guidance for interpreting the reports.  We invite you to join us for one of these sessions.  It's not necessary for you to register prior to the webinar.  Simply click on the link for the session you would like to join a few minutes before the scheduled start time, and you'll be able to access the broadcast.  An archived recording will be posted to the LDOE website for those who are unable to join any of the live sessions.

Also, Value-Added reports will be made available according to the following schedule:   

  • June 4: District Access
  • June 6: Principal Access
  • June 10: Teacher Access
  • July 15:  End of Course Value-Added Reports
 

Did You Forget to Verify Your Student Roster?

 While the May 11 deadline for teachers to verify their rosters has passed, principals and data managers will continue verification of rosters for use in value-added calculations until 6:00 pm on May 18.   So if you're a teacher and you haven't verified your roster, please notify your principal of any outstanding changes that may need to be made.

 Did You Know?

 Over the last several weeks, approximately 14,400 teachers and principals from 96 districts and charter schools verified their rosters.  Last year, just over 5,000 teachers and principals verified their rosters.

Department Releases Compass Teacher Rubric; Host Webinars for Educators

In our May 1 issue of Ed·Connect, we announced that Louisiana has adopted an abridged version of Charlotte Danielson's Framework for Effective Teaching as its official teacher support and evaluation tool.  The Framework for Louisiana's Teaching Rubric is comprised of five key components from the Danielson framework.   

 

Last week, hundreds of district and school leaders participated in webinars on Louisiana's Danielson model.  To view the webinar, please click here.  For a copy of the PowerPoint presentation on Louisiana's Danielson Model, please click here.  For an overview of Louisiana's Danielson model, please click here.

 

Guidance for Setting Student Learning Goals and Webinars Released Last Week

 

Just last week, districts and school leaders participated in webinars focusing on Setting Student Learning Goals.

Student Learning Goals, which represent a teacher's vision for what each student should be able to accomplish, should be set by all teachers at the beginning of the academic year.  While value-added data will be used for the student growth component of the Compass evaluation system when it's available, a Student Learning Goal provides all teachers with a tangible, end point, that when achieved, should correspond to strong value-added results for all teachers. 

For teachers who teach Non-Tested Grades and Subjects and do not have value-added data, the attainment of these pre-determined Student Learning Goals will be used to determine the growth component of the state's Compass evaluation system. 

To aid educators in establishing Student Learning Goals, the LDOE has published a Common Assessments List, which the agency is recommending districts use to offer valid student achievement data.   However, districts may opt to select other assessments as long as such assessments depict valid measures of student learning.  To provide further guidance to districts, principals, and teachers, the LDOE has posted a Student Learning Goals Template and Student Learning Goals Samples.

To view the PowerPoint presentation on Setting Student Learning Goals, please click here.  For more information about Setting Student Learning Goals, please click here.  And to submit questions, please feel free to contact us at Compass@la.gov.

 

School Teams to Participate in Summer Institutes

 

To enrich understanding of the Common Core State Standards and how the new standards will impact instruction, the Department is providing training to district administrators, principals, and teachers.  In late March, the Department offered Regional Training Workshops to district-level teams, who will redeliver the training to teachers in their districts.  However, the most extensive training will occur this summer:  

  • Through 44 one-day sessions in six statewide locations, three-member teams from each school - an administrator, ELA specialist or teacher, and math specialist or teacher - will be trained to effectively support the instructional changes necessitated by the transition to the CCSS. These trainings will be organized to accommodate each school level, elementary, middle, and high school, and will be held on June 4-7 and July 9-12.  The school-level teams will redeliver this information to their colleagues.
      
  • Also, district-level staff will begin training on how to use Louisiana's new Common Core-Aligned Comprehensive Curriculum for ELA and math (kindergarten and 1st Grade) during four sessions:  June 5-7; June 12-14; June 19-21; and June 26-28. 

State to Fund AP Training for Teachers and Administrators

 

In the previous issue of Ed·Connect, we announced state-funded AP training opportunities:

  • First, Local Educational Agencies (LEAs) that are participating in Race to the Top Phase 3 will have the opportunity to enroll their teachers in College Board Advanced Placement Summer Institutes during June and July.  Additionally, these LEAs will have the opportunity to send leadership teams to the Advanced Placement Summer Institute for Administrators.  These trainings will be provided at no charge to the LEA. 
  • Other LEAs will have the opportunity to send teachers to Laying the Foundation (LTF) trainings.  The LTF program provides math, science, and English teachers with the content knowledge, teaching strategies, and assessments required to prepare students to take on AP-level coursework.  The program provides instruction on how to teach higher-order thinking skills, as well as strategies to incorporate the Common Core State Standards.  LTF materials can be integrated into any curriculum to raise instructional rigor.  During the week of July 9-13, training will be held in the southern region; during the week of July 22-26, training will be held in the northern region. 
  • In accordance with State Travel Regulations, the LDOE will pay registration fees and travel for teachers for costs associated with their attendance at these trainings.  The Department will fund registration fees for administrators participating in the AP trainings. However, in an effort to support this initiative, LEAs are asked to cover travel expenses for administrators. 

If you're interested in registering for AP training, please contact your school administrator or fill out an AP Application and submit it to your school administrator.  Also, for more information please contact Dr. Tiffanye McCoy-Thomas at Tmccoy.thomas@la.gov or (225) 219-0451. You may also view an information webinar on these AP training opportunities by clicking here.  

TRANSITION TO COLLEGE AND CAREER READY ASSESSMENTS REPRESENTED IN 2012-2013 AND 2013-2014 TESTING SCHEDULES

  

The 2012-2013 and 2013-2014 testing schedules have been revised and posted on the Department's website at www.louisianaschools.net/testing/.   Both schedules represent changes related to Louisiana's implementation of the Common Core State Standards and aligned assessments, as well as proposed changes to the state's accountability measures. 

 

To facilitate the transition to the English Language Arts (ELA) and mathematics Common Core State Standards, the Department is developing transitional LEAP, iLEAP, and EOC assessments for grades 3-8 and high school.  Please click here for a memorandum outlining these changes.  Also, please click here to read a press release about the transition to the ACT test series.		 
Students to Receive 2012 Spring Testing Results This Week

 

The spring 2012 test results will be released online to districts and schools through the LEAPweb Reporting System (www.leapweb.org).  Student-level scores for LEAP, iLEAP, GEE, LAA 2, and the English Language Development Assessment (ELDA) will be available May 18, 2012.

 

State-, District- and School-Level results will be publicly released by the Department during the week of May 21.

 

Reports for the new assessments, Academic Skills Assessment (ASA) and ASA LAA2, will be available May 31, 2012. The ASA and ASA LAA 2 were first administrated in spring 2012 and are specifically designed to evaluate the skills of students enrolled in non-diploma pathways.  Students are not required to make a certain score on these tests to be promoted to the next grade or to earn a State-Approved Skills Certificate (SASC) or GED.

MAY 18 DEADLINE APPROACHING FOR SCHOOLS TO

PARTICIPATE IN STATEWIDE SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM

 

This week marks the final week for approved nonpublic schools and public schools rated A and B to notify the Department of their intent to participate in the statewide scholarship program during the 2012-2013 school year. 

Through the enactment of Act 2, Governor Jindal and state legislators established the statewide program, which allows eligible students to apply for state-funded scholarships to attend approved nonpublic schools or high performing schools labeled A or B.  The new law calls for statewide expansion of the existing Student Scholarships for Educational Excellence Program, which was launched in New Orleans in 2008. 

About 950 out of 1,300 schools, or 71.5 percent of Louisiana public schools, with a collective enrollment of approximately 450,000 students, earned a C, D or F ranking in 2011.  Statewide, priority for the 2012-13 school year scholarships will be given to students attending D and F schools.

The Department will publish the list of participating nonpublic and high performing public schools on May 22.  In the case that the number of eligible students indicating a preference for a particular school exceeds the available scholarship spots in that school, scholarships will be awarded to student applicants through a prioritized lottery process.  Applicants will be notified of the results of the lottery, no later than Tuesday, July 31, 2012.

For more information on the scholarship program, please visit the Department's website at: 
www.louisianaschools.net/topics/scholarships_for_excellence.html

 

To read an editorial written by State Superintendent John White and published in the Advocate May 14, please click here.

TEACHERS INVITED TO PROVIDE FEEDBACK

ON NEXT GENERATION OF SCIENCE STANDARDS

 

Teachers, administrators and parents are being encouraged to review and offer feedback on the initial draft of the Next Generation of Science Standards (NGSS).  The Board of Elementary and Secondary Education (BESE) will consider adopting the science standards once finalized, likely at the end of the 2012.

 

The window for public review will be open until June 1, 2012. The NGSS document and review instructions will be available at http://www.nextgenscience.org.  In the event the link does not work, please highlight, copy, and paste it into your web browser.

 

The development of the Next Generation Science Standards is a joint effort between the National Research Council, the National Science Teachers Association, the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and Achieve.  The purpose of this initiative is to create the foundation for all students to have a solid K-12 science education.

 

The new standards are being drafted based on the Framework for K-12 Science Education, which was developed by the National Research Council, the staffing arm of the National Academy of Sciences, and released in July 2011.  The vision laid out in the Framework identifies what students need to know and be able to do to be a functional citizen, which includes being scientifically literate and an effective member of the U.S. workforce. 

 

While all teachers are invited to provide input, science teachers are encouraged to review the new science standards document and learn more about the Next Generation Science Standards here.  Should you have questions, you may contact Ann Wilson, Science Program Coordinator, at ann.wilson@la.gov.

                                  DEPARTMENT SUMMARIZES TALENT BILL (HB 974)

 

A few weeks ago Governor Bobby Jindal signed House Bill 974.  The new statute, Act 1, allows districts and schools to use measures of teacher effectiveness to guide personnel policies and decisions and calls for teachers to be compensated based on experience, license area, and effectiveness, without decreasing any teacher's salary or affecting retirement.  The statute further preserves tenure for current teachers, except the small number who earn an "ineffective" rating.

 

It's important to note that Act 1 doesn't do away with tenure, nor does it impact teachers' plans for retirement. And while districts are required to compensate teachers based on effectiveness, the law prohibits any current teacher's salary from being decreased.  In fact, last month, prior to final approval of the legislation, Ed*Connect featured Myths and Facts, which might also be helpful to you.

 

Through the LDOE's Network Team structure, the Department is providing guidance to district leaders to assist them in adjusting their policies to the new changes.  This will include sharing of best practices with respect to tenure, compensation, and staffing policies from other Louisiana districts, as well as leading districts across the country.  In the meantime, we want to provide you with a brief overview of Act 1 as it relates to school personnel and the decisions local districts will be making over the next few months. 

 

By July 1, 2012:  Local School Boards will Update local tenure policies to ensure:

  • Teachers who have not acquired tenure by Sept. 1, 2012 must earn Highly Effective ratings for five out of six years in order to be granted tenure;
  • Beginning in the 2013-2014, teachers receiving a rating of Ineffective lose their tenure; and
  • The superintendent has the authority to dismiss a tenured teacher due to poor performance.
District Superintendents will:

  • Delegate the hiring and placement of teachers and other school personnel to the school principal;
  • Along with school principals, base all school personnel employment decisions on the performance, effectiveness, and qualifications, and eliminate the use of seniority as the primary criterion when making any personnel decisions;
  • As needed, negotiate collective bargaining agreements in accordance with local policy revisions.

By September 1, 2012, Local School Boards will:
 

  • Develop and adopt reduction in force policies for teachers and certified school personnel based primarily upon demand, performance, and effectiveness for adoption by the local board.

By January 1, 2013, Local School Boards will:
 

  • Establish salary schedules for teachers and school employees based on effectiveness, demand by subject area or area of certification, and experience (with no single component comprising more than 50% of the salary formula).

To view Act 1 in its entirety, please visit: http://www.legis.state.la.us/billdata/streamdocument.asp?did=789546.