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Sandra C. Frisch, Superintendent
Apryl Morin, Director, Community Schools Center |
Governing Authority
Newsletter
Quality People, Professional Services Inspiring Minds ~ Building Futures |
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Legislation and Compliance Update
Legislative Activity
The General Assembly wrapped up its spring 2016 session this month, passing a number of bills just before exiting for summer break. In total, of all the bills that were passed by either the House or Senate, 13 were forwarded to the Governor for his signature. As a reminder, a bill has to be passed by both the House and Senate before it can be sent to the Governor for final approval. Of the 13 bills sent to Governor Kasich, only one was education related:
- House Bill 113, which requires high school students to receive CPR training prior to graduation. This became a much larger bill with the addition of eight amendments, all education related.
Bills that you will want to continually track are as follows:
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House Bill 410, which is currently receiving hearings in the Senate Education Committee and is expected to pass when the legislature returns this fall. This bill addresses truancies and compulsory school attendance.
- House Bill 560, which was introduced by Representative Steve Hambley (R-69) has some support within the Republican caucus. The bill requires that governing authorities review student residency records on a monthly basis for each student enrolled in that community school.
With the Senate estimated to return on September 27th and the House on November 15th, there will be limited sessions before the 131st General Assembly concludes for 2016. It is not likely, however, that significant action will take place regarding education legislation during the lame duck sessions surrounding the general elections this fall. At the federal and state level, work proceeds on the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) as mandated by the requirements of the bill. The U.S. Department of Education will be publishing rules on assessments and accountability this summer as states continue to prepare their responses.
Compliance - Sponsor Performance Review Process:
As you may be aware, the compliance portion of the Sponsor Performance Review has been released by the Ohio Department of Education. Pursuant to the sponsorship contract between the Educational Service Center of Lake Erie West, your school is required to be in compliance with all applicable laws and rules.While the ESCLEW has been monitoring compliance for many of the newly released 300+ items via Epicenter and site visits throughout the school year, there are additional items that require supporting documentation. There is a short-turnaround time for completion of these tasks, being July 25, 2016 - therefore, it is imperative that school personnel be available to upload added compliance documentation on your behalf.
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Academics and Special Education Update
Ohio Standards Revision Update
This year, educators statewide are assisting the Ohio Department of Education in updating Ohio's Learning Standards, beginning with those in English language arts and mathematics. Through this process, it is their effort to best reflect the experience that Ohio educators and parents have gained with the standards during the past five years since they were first adopted. Below is a summary of what has occurred in this review to this point and what is forthcoming:
The advisory committees consist of 26 members representing 18 statewide Ohio educational organizations, along with two co-chairs per group who are content experts. Committee members are reviewing comments received during the standards revision survey pertaining to standards in their subject areas. They are determining which standards they will refer to working groups of Ohio educators who will propose revisions.
- The math advisory committee met three times during April and early May with plans to meet two more times between now and early June. They completed the review of the standards for kindergarten through grade 5 at the May 2 meeting. In their future meetings, they will review comments about revisions to grades 6-8 and the high school standards.
- The English language arts advisory committee met for the second time on May 2 to continue their discussion and review. They will now share the suggested comments and standards they want revised to the working group.The working groups consist of 30 Ohio educators in English language arts and 39 Ohio educators in math. They will suggest actual revisions to the standards that the advisory committees have selected.
- The kindergarten through grade 5 math working group met for the first time on Thursday, May 5, to begin revisions to the standards. The advisory committee selected the grades for revision recommendations. The working groups for grades 5-8 and high school will meet later in May and work through June to revise the standards the advisory committee selected.
July and August 2016 Work
The advisory committees will meet during the first week of July to review the recommended revisions from the working groups. The advisory committees will make final decisions and prepare standards for website posting to collect public comments.
- The public comment period on proposed revised standards will be four weeks. The revisions and rationale for revisions will be highlighted within the standards. The website postings will include all suggested comments on revising the standards. - The advisory committees will reconvene in early August to review public comment and determine if the working groups need to do any further revision on any standard. If the standards need further revision, the working groups will reconvene by mid-August to complete revisions by the end of August. - In September, the State Board of Education and Senate and House education committees will receive the proposed standards revisions.
The approval process will begin and continue through the fall. Ohio Department of Education staff members are facilitating the work of all committees and are assisting in the preparation of the revised standards and all supporting materials. With the completion of the revised standards, staff will work with Ohio educators who have content and instructional expertise in English language arts and mathematics to align the model curriculum and assessments with the revised standards.
Paolo DeMaria Selected as Ohio's State Superintendent of Public Instruction
Paolo DeMaria was selected as the State Superintendent of Public Instruction to lead the Ohio Department of Education. He most recently served as Principal Consultant for Education First Consulting, LLC. Previously, he served as Executive Vice Chancellor at the Ohio Board of Regents and Associate Superintendent for School Options and Finance at the Ohio Department of Education. DeMaria served as Director of the Office of Budget and Management for Governor George Voinovich and Chief Policy Advisor for Governor Bob Taft. He earned his bachelor's degree in Political Science and Economics from Furman University and a master's degree in Public Administration from The Ohio State University.
Update on the Implementation of the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA)
As you may already be aware, on Dec. 10, 2015, President Obama signed the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), a long-awaited overhaul of federal education law. ESSA represents a shift from broad federal oversight of primary and secondary education, to greater flexibility and decision making at the state and local levels. The law replaces the No Child Left Behind Act. ESSA requires that states develop plans that address standards, assessments, school and district accountability, and special help for struggling schools.
On May 19, 2016, the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools (NAPCS) reported key changes and concerns regarding ESSA and charter schools. Main points are as follows:
The Ohio Department of Education (ODE) reported in June that ESSA requires new
accountability items for states, and adding a "non-academic" indicator to the state's special
education accountability system, which will be included on the state report cards.
Additionally, ESSA maintains the annual testing requirement, but allows for greater flexibility at the state level. They anticipate further regulations at the federal level, on certain items that remain unclear and will continue with stakeholder engagement, through regional meetings, webinars, and surveys between August-October. The ESCLEW Community Schools Center will continue to follow ESSA developments closely, and remain committed to being actively engaged in the process and providing frequent updates to our partners.
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School Spotlight
Momentum Award Winners - Apex Academy and Pinnacle Academy
Congratulations to Apex Academy and Pinnacle Academy, who have been recognized by the State Board of Education for excellence in its value added performance, and the first ever annual Momentum Awards. The Momentum Award recognizes schools that have received A's on every value-added measure included on Ohio's School Report Cards. For your students, you are keeping the learning momentum high. As one of the first winners of this award, you are part of an elite group of schools that are demonstrating that children of every background and ability level can achieve. Your report card for the 2014-2015 school year showed that your school ensured its pupils received a year's worth of academic growth in reading and mathematics. This is especially commendable when you have a diverse array of students with diverse educational backgrounds and learning needs.
Members of the ESCLEW team congratulate you. Please convey our thanks to your teachers, support staff and parents for believing that every child can be academically successful and committing to make sure that every child is.
MATHCON 2016
On April 23, 2016, Concept Schools organized another successful event, MATHCON 2016, hosting 570 finalists from around the country at the University of Illinois at Chicago. These phenomenal students, ranging from grades 5 to 12, were the top performers out of the 45,000 who had taken the online test back in March 2016. Kudos to Concept for another extremely successful event.
Concept Young Scholar Program (CYSP)
Horizon Science Academy Cleveland High School organized an award ceremony for Concept Young Scholar Program (CYSP) students on June 2, 2016. CYSP is a multifaceted program for all Concept Schools that focuses on academic challenges, healthy lifestyle, building confidence, volunteerism, exploration, and many fun activities. Through the CYSP, students learn more and have more confidence in their learning. They engage in a systematic process that guides, recognizes, and rewards their progress. The program offers a more challenging curriculum and engaging activities such as Math Olympics, Science Olympiad, college trips, overnight events, and the Congressional Award program. CYSP students set goals in four areas: personal development, voluntary public service, physical fitness, and expedition/exploration. Students work with teacher advisors who help them set achievable goals, assist them in planning activities, and monitor student progress. Each scholar has a chance to earn a Gold, Silver or Bronze medal. Congratulations to Horizon Science Academy Cleveland for this engaging program.
Summit Academy in Painesville hosts literacy night with 'Star Wars' theme
 Summit Academy Community School: Painesville Elementary presented an empowering and engaging literacy night on March 24 called "Star Wars: The Force of Literacy Awakens." This creative literacy event was intended for fourth- through eighth-grade students and their families. It was organized by Summit Academy art teacher Audrey Leonard, Summit Academy Title I tutor Beth Lansing and an array of other staff. "The focus is just getting parents and families involved in making reading an important part of their kids' life inside and outside of school," Leonard said. Kudos to Summit Academy Painesville Elementary for creating an engaging student night.
 ECOT Student Awarded Honeywell Scholarship
Kudos to ECOT student, Courtney Long who is one of only 10 students nationwide to win the Horatio Alger Honeywell scholarship worth $10,000. This annual award recognizes outstanding students that face great adversity and have exhibited a commitment to pursuing their college degree in science, technology, engineering, or math (STEM).
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Upcoming Training Opportunities
OSBA, Columbus
Saturday, Jul. 16, 2016 | 9 a.m. - 4 p.m.
OSBA, Columbus
Wednesday, Sep. 14, 2016 | 10 a.m. - 2 p.m.
Webinar
Thursday, Sep. 15, 2016 | 1 p.m. - 2 p.m.
Galaxy Banquet Center, Wadsworth
Friday, Sep. 16, 2016 | 8:25 a.m. - 3:30 p.m.
OSBA, Columbus
Wednesday, Sep. 21, 2016 | 10 a.m. - 2 p.m.
Villa Milano, Columbus
Wednesday, Sep. 28, 2016 | 5 p.m. - 8:30 p.m.
Thursday, Sep. 29, 2016 | 5:30 p.m. - 8:30 p.m.
OCQE Training
September 10th - Dayton
September 24th - Columbus
October 8th - Cleveland
October 22nd - Toledo
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 Resources
Report: 6.5 Million Schoolchildren Missed 15 or More Days a Year
Over 6.5 million students missed 15 or more days of school in the 2013-14 school year, according to a report from the U.S. Department of Education. Some schools are using mentoring and positive reinforcement to help keep students in class. Go to http://links.ohioschoolboards.org/SU345 to read the report.
Turning Improvement Inside Out - Changing Schools Vol. 75, Spring 2016
A Policy Makers Guide to Improving School Leadership
Whether the goal is to enhance instruction, create a culture of excellence, or broaden education options for parents, it's nearly impossible to improve schools without strong leaders. This is hardly news; much evidence has indicated the importance of effective principals for decades. Yet reform strategies have largely lacked a coherent plan to upgrade leadership, even though it's clearly a fundamental piece of the school improvement puzzle. That's where A Policymaker's Guide to Improving School Leadership comes in. This online resource was designed to help policymakers and advocates focus on what makes a great principal-and how to get more of them in the schools that need them most. https://edexcellence.net/publications/a-policymakers-guide-to-improving-school-leadership
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