The EDifierApril 21, 2010 The Pittsburgh Post Gazette reported on April 18 that the state of Pennsylvania is offering modified state tests in math for all special education students, and it is field-testing simplified-format tests in reading and science for this same group. The modified tests, called PSSA-M (Pennsylvania System of School Assessment-Modified), are offered in an effort to raise state proficiency scores.
Is a special test necessary for special education students? In our report Special education: A better perspective, we take a look at special education and the special education student. While a majority of special education students do not require special services, our study found that, regardless, there is an achievement gap between special education students and their peers. This is particularly important because many schools and districts, not just in Pennsylvania but around the nation, are missing AYP targets under NCLB based soley on the performance of special ed students. Of course, there are other reasons schools miss AYP, but the special ed population is one of the main reasons. Although the gap has narrowed recently, more research is needed to find out what’s working.
Our report found that the “vast majority of students who are identified with disabilities might have been classified as simply “low achieving” just a few years ago.” This raises the question: Are modified tests really a good measure of how well this population is learning? Of course, the jury is out on this one since there is no research to answer the question. We do know, however, that “when school districts target resources and support, the acheivement of students with disabilities does increase.” Learn more about the special education student and what schools and school boards can do by reading the Center’s full report. ~ Pamela Karwasinski
February 24, 2010 How can a school district improve academic performance while keeping costs down? Iredell-Statesville Schools in North Carolina has the answer. In 2002, the district made a commitment to achieving the above, and since that time graduation rates have climbed; reading proficiency is up; SAT scores are higher; and math, writing, and computer proficiency scores are so good that the district tops the state in meeting AYP goals. To top it all off, the district received the 2008 Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award for Education, the highest presidential award for “organizational innovation and performance excellence.” Click here to read the full story.
Speaking of keeping costs down, do you know where your school’s funds come from and how they’re spent? Check out the Center’s guide, Money matters: A primer on K-12 school funding. –Pamela Karwasinski
October 30, 2009 Last week, Public Agenda and Learning Point Associates released the results of a study they conducted of 890 public school teachers. The study was funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and the Joyce Foundation. Among other things, Public Agenda wanted to find out why teachers enter the field, their thoughts on the pros and cons of teaching, and the teachers’ future plans.
Teaching for a living: How teachers see the profession today, identifies three groups of teachers: The idealists (23 percent of the sample), the contented (37 percent of the sample), and the disheartened (40 percent of the sample) and describe the characteristics of teachers in each group.
As we’ve heard time and again, and the survey found, those most disheartened with teaching work in low-income schools, view teaching as overly demanding, and cite lack of administrative suppport as a major drawback to teaching.
At the Center, we wanted to know what makes teachers satisfied. Our Wanted: Good teachers looks at the current research on teachers and offers some things districts can do to recruit the best teachers and keep them. –Pamela Karwasinski
September 29, 2009 By now, it’s been long enough to settle into the familiar school routine. For many of us, that includes the question “Do you have any homework?”
But somewhere in that daily ritual, I wouldn’t be surprised if you wondered “What is this stuff for, anyway?”
The Center for Public Education has the answer. Like many of the problems we tackle here, there’s not a black-and-white answer. But there are some clear, understandable reasons for why homework does or doesn’t help.
* Older students benefit more from homework than younger students.
* Homework may have nonacademic benefits, such as good work habits.
* The amount of homework completed by students seems to be more positively associated with student achievement than the amount of homework assigned by teachers.
…You saw that last one coming, didn’t you. Do your own homework: read the full study. –Rebecca St. Andrie
August 10, 2009  This has been a tough week to clamor for space in the news cycle, what with the dramatic return of two journalists from North Korea and the news that Paula Abdul is leaving American Idol. So it’s surprising to me that the most popular article on the New York Times web site this week is about how being a statistician is becoming, in the words of a Google exec, “a sexy job.” A well-paid one, too.
Of course, this could just be an indicator about who reads the NYT online. But I like to think it’s also a good sign that Americans are becoming less dataphobic. Necessity no doubt has a lot to do with it. As our study on 21st century education points out, statistics are the fundamental mathematics of citizenship and day-to-day living in today’s world. One can’t survive without the ability to weigh risks, make sound financial and health decisions, and be a critical consumer of news and information without a pretty good grounding in probability and data.
Last week, we blogged on the common core standards being drafted by the Council for Chief State School Officers and the National Governors Association, and applauded the math section’s emphasis on data and statistics. The standards are expected to be put out for public comment in the next several weeks. We hope that the dataphiles among us — sexy or otherwise – will make our voices heard. – Patte Barth
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