Produced with support from The Pew Center on the States

Produced with support from The Pew Center on the States Our Moderator Craig Stone Online Production Manager, Education Week, edweek.org Our Guests...
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Produced with support from The Pew Center on the States

Our Moderator Craig Stone Online Production Manager, Education Week, edweek.org

Our Guests Mark Bomster Assistant Managing Editor, Education Week

Amy Hightower Quality Counts project director, EPE Research Center director

Chris Swanson Vice president of research and development, Editorial Projects in Education

Produced with support from The Pew Center on the States

2010 marks the 14th edition of the annual report  Report explores the latest iteration of the national debate over common standards  In-depth journalism and original research investigate ♦ History of the standards movement ♦ Challenges of implementing today's initiatives ♦ Promise for the nation's schools

 The new Math Progress Index  State-of-the-States Update ♦ Grades issued for policy, performance

Inside Quality Counts  Resurgent Debate, Familiar Themes ♦ Latest round of debates on common standards revives unresolved issues from the past

 A National Yardstick for Achievement ♦ States struggle to raise achievement and provide opportunities to learn for all students

 Moving from Theory to Practice ♦ Looming challenges for teaching, curriculum ♦ Making standards a classroom reality

 Focus on College and Workforce Preparation ♦ But, what does "readiness" mean?

 The Coming Political Battle ♦ State-local tensions

The Push

For Common Standards Research Highlights

A Fresh Perspective on Achievement  National Assessment of Educational Progress 2009 reading results scheduled for release in spring of 2010 ♦ Could not update the Quality Counts K-12 Achievement Index

 EPE Research Center instead sought to provide insight on state of educational performance in one key subject

 Math Progress Index assesses the nation and states on three key dimensions ♦ Performance ♦ Improvement ♦ Opportunity

 Index is comprised of 12 indicators drawn from NAEP and the College Board ♦ Scored on a 100-point scale

A National Yardstick Math Progress Index  Nation scores 64.7 points  Even high-ranking states fall short of 100-point ideal ♦ Massachusetts: ♦ Maryland: ♦ New Hampshire:

78.2 (1st) 75.1 75.1

 Large divide between top and bottom states ♦ 27-point gap between Mass. and La.

 Inconsistent showings across three index areas ♦ Thirty-eight states in top- or bottom10 for at least one category.

Widespread Improvements Found  Since 2003, nearly every state has improved math achievement at both the 4th and 8th grade levels  Achievement levels improved for low-income students in every state, but test scores for more affluent peers often rising faster ♦ Poverty gaps have not closed for about half of nation ♦ Current gaps range from 1.5 grade levels to more than 3 grade levels 20

NAEP Scale-Score Change

8th grade math 2003 to 2009

Eligible for Federal Free and Reduced Meal (FARM) Program

15

Noneligible

10 5 0 U.S.

STATES

Looking Beneath the Surface Example: ♦ In almost every state, poor students have less access to experienced math teachers (a math opportunity indicator) ♦ However, when poor 8th graders have more-equal access to such teachers, poverty gaps are smaller

Poverty Gap

larger

Further investigation reveals key connections among performance, improvement, and opportunity

smaller



smaller

Teacher-Experience Gap

larger

Do Standards Drive Achievement?  That question is much easier to ask than answer ♦ And answers from past research have differed

 An EPE Research Center study conducted for Quality Counts 2006 examined the issue

 Findings showed that: ♦ Implementing standards-based policies led to significant improvements in student achievement ♦ Effects were found for both math and reading ♦ Stronger effects found for policies tied to standards and assessment

Standards Now Standard  Establishing the framework for a standards-based education has been a core focus of state policymaking for nearly two decades  All states now have academic content standards in math, English, science, and history  Although all states have the "basics," they differ greatly on the details

51

49 40 31

States with standards in all core subjects

1997

1999

2001

2003

2005

2007

2010

Detail and Specificity  Quality Counts 2010 examines whether states have detailed grade- or course-specific standards in core subjects ♦ 50 states and the District of Columbia have standards in all four core subjects, but ♦ Only 18 states have detailed standards for all subjects

 Finer-grained analysis likely to show similar results

Number of coure subjects with detailed standards

Four 18

A 2005 EPE Research Center study found dramatic differences in states' coverage of evolution.

None 19

Three 4 Two 4

One 6

A More Extensive Framework  States have developed elaborated frameworks and systems around central standards documents

49

Assessment frameworks

45

Sample test items

38

Curriculum guides

English/Language Arts

42

39

31

Sample lesson Resources in plans all core subjects

Resources for special populations

How "Common" Are Standards?  States already look beyond their borders for guidance when writing and revising their academic standards  A large majority of states draw on some outside source 45

42

39

Any outside source

37

National organizations Other states

22

Other nations

22 16 4

Mathematics

English/Language Arts

Leading Influences  In all, 30 states were cited as an influence at least once by other states  Leading states named at least 10 times ♦ California ♦ Indiana ♦ Massachusetts

 A handful of countries also mentioned ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦

Singapore (by 8 states) Japan (6) Finland (4) Hong Kong (2) Australia, Canada, England, Netherlands (1 each)

Frequency state was cited as influencing standards of other states 10 times or more (3 states) 3 to 9 times (11 states) Once or twice (15 states and DC) Never (21 states)

What are the hurdles?  States anticipate a variety of challenges associated with adopting the recommendations of the Common Core State Standards Initiative ♦ Nearly every state expected to encounter challenges ♦ Issues range from politics to process

 Most frequently mentioned concerns ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦

The need for high level of stakeholder input and support (18 states) Disruption to ongoing state efforts (17) Misalignment between state expectations and common standards (16) Insufficient quality, content, or rigor of common standards (14) Complex testing and accountability implementation (14)

 Few states reported expected difficulties related to ♦ Initiative's aggressive timeline (3 states) ♦ Conflicts over local control of schools (2)

Beyond Common Standards  Momentum behind common standards is great, and political and economic factors are favorably aligned

 But long-term success of the movement will hinge on follow-through around key issues ♦ Reaching an understanding on key terms

♦ Deciding how alike states' standards and expectations should be ♦ Detail and grain size (putting content in common standards) ♦ Aligning curriculum with common standards

♦ Supporting high-quality instruction ♦ Measuring student performance against new expectations ♦ Coordination among state actors, agencies, and branches of government ♦ Maintaining commitment and support in light of likely changes to political landscape

State of the States

State of the States 2010  Quality Counts tracks state progress across six areas of policy and performance ♦ Policy categories now updated on a rotating basis

 Quality Counts 2010 ♦ Common Standards ♦ Chance for Success ♦ Standards, Assessments, & Accountability ♦ Teaching Profession ♦ School Finance

 Quality Counts 2011 ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦

Special Focus (TBD) Chance for Success K-12 Achievement Transitions & Alignment School Finance

Overall Grade  Nation earns a C across six policy and performance categories

 Most states earn grades of C or lower  Top states ♦ Maryland: B+ ♦ New York: B ♦ Massachusetts: B

 Bottom states ♦ Nebraska: D+ ♦ Nevada: D+ ♦ Dist. of Columbia: D+

B+

B

B- C+

C

C- D+

Opportunities to Succeed  Chance-for-Success Index captures the role of education "from cradle to career"

78.0

93.3

 Thirteen indicators spanning: early foundations, the school years, and adult outcomes  National Grade:

C+

 Top states ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦

Massachusetts (1st): New Jersey: New Hampshire: Connecticut:

A AAA-

 Bottom states ♦ Mississippi: ♦ New Mexico: ♦ Nevada (51st):

D+ D+ D+

67.0 Chance-for-Success Index

The Teaching Profession  Category captures three key dimensions of teaching policy ♦ Accountability for quality ♦ Incentives and allocation ♦ Building and supporting capacity

 Licensure remains an essential tool to regulate quality

 Incentive strategies are less prevalent

 National Grade C ↑ Top State ♦ South Carolina A

↓ Bottom States ♦ Oregon

F

♦ Alaska

F

 Pay-Parity Index ♦ Teachers earn 89 cents for every dollar earned by comparable workers

Standards, Assessments, & Accountability  Long-standing policy category captures core elements of standards-based policy agenda ♦ Strongest showing of any Quality Counts category ♦ 20 states receive grades of A or A-

 States have expanded their policy frameworks beyond the central academic-content standards themselves  Assessments remain "traditional" in most states

↑ Top States  National Grade: B

♦ West Virginia ♦ 10 other states

↓ Bottom States ♦ Maine ♦ Montana ♦ Nebraska

A A

CD+ D-

School Finance  Quality Counts grades states on two distinct aspects of school finances ♦ Spending: state investment in education, vs. relevant benchmarks ♦ Equity: how education dollars are distributed within a state

 States fare relatively better on equity, but wide financial disparities exist across districts in many states  Most recent fiscal data from before recession (2007) ♦ Future trends uncertain

? ?

$9,683

$7,873 1998

2000

Per-pupil spending (constant 2007 dollars) 2002

2004

2006

2008

 National Grade C

↑ Top States ♦ Wyoming A♦ 4 other states B+

↓ Bottom States

♦ Idaho D ♦ 4 other states D

Online Resources From

Education Week and the EPE Research Center

 Quality Counts 2010 Full report plus Web-only features, including: ♦ Interactive state report cards

♦ Online grading calculator

♦ www.edweek.org/go/qc10  National and State Highlights Reports

♦ www.edweek.org/go/qc10/shr

 Education Counts ♦ www.edcounts.org

 Live Online Webinar, Chat

♦ Archived versions will be available on demand

Contact the EPE Research Center

Christopher B. Swanson Vice President Editorial Projects in Education

Amy M. Hightower Director EPE Research Center By email: [email protected] By phone: 301-280-3100

Question & Answer Session

Questions and Answers

Question #1 Will the common academic standards also include charter and private schools? Define common academic standards and how will this impact elective classes.

Question #2 When comparing our students to counterparts in other industrialized nations, ours do quite poorly. The biggest gap is between our gifted students and gifted from other countries. What will be done to raise the ceiling, modify curriculum, and offer acceleration options to meet this need so that our high-end learners are not left behind?

Question #3 Have the states agreed to change their state tests to conform to the "new" common core standards? What are the three major changes in subject matter content in the "new" common core standards? What devices will be used by the US DOE to get states to align their test results with each other?

Question #4 Who should be involved and who is best positioned politically and substantively to lead the development of common standards? Governors? Chief state school officers? US DOE? What should be the relationship between common standards and NAEP?

Question #5 What makes this new surge any more promising, other than more jobs for the bureaucracy, given our history since 1983 & "A Nation at Risk."

Question #6 Did the research and the report cover the arts? Unfortunately, I have to ask this as not everyone sees the arts as academic.

Question #7 What types of assessment will be used to measure whether or not these common standards have been met?

An on-demand archive of this webinar is going to be available at www.edweek.org/go/webinar in less than 24hrs. Please visit often, and send this link to your friends. Thanks for taking part today. We really appreciate it. The Editors @ edweek.org

Produced with support from The Pew Center on the States

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