ARRA, ESEA and Accountability

RESOURCES, ASSURANCES, METRICS, AND A LISTENING TOUR

TRANSFORMING STATE ASSESSMENT AND ACCOUNTABILITY SYSTEMSMay 7, 2009

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Education and related programs (including tax credit bonds) = $130.24 billion

U.S. Department of Education discretionary funding = $96.76 billion◦ FY 08 funding = $59.18 billion ◦ARRA increase = 164%!

NEA national and state funding tables available at: http://www.nea.org/economystories

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Note: this chart does not contain information on Impact Aid construction ($100 million), education for homeless children ($70 million), and statewide data systems ($250 million)

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State Fiscal Stabilization Fund application has been available since April 1.

Nine states approved:◦CA, IL, ME, MN, MS, OR, SD, UT, WI

Approved states get 67% of their allocation.

Phase 2 application in June.

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SEAs in all states have access to 50% of ARRA Title I and IDEA funds.◦Remaining 50% will require submission of new

info.

Education for Homeless Youth - $70 million (100%)

Impact Aid - $40 million (100% of formula monies; $60 million in competitive grants to follow)

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Pell & Work Study - $17.3 billion (100%) State Stabilization Fund - $16.1 billion (33%) IDEA, Parts B & C - $6.1 billion (50%)  Title I - $5 billion (50%) Title I School Improvement - $3 billion

(100%)

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Enhancing Education through Technology – $650 million (100%)

Vocational Rehabilitation - $270 million (50%) *Statewide Data Systems - $250 million

(100%) *Teacher Incentive Fund - $200 million (100%) *Teacher Quality Enhancement - $100 million

(100%)◦ * = competitive grants

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ARRA IMPACTS STATE ACCOUNTABILITY POLICIES

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Assurances Affect Accountability

College and career-ready standards

High-Quality Assessments, including for ELL and Students with Disabilities

Statewide longitudinal data systems

Effective interventions (NOT punishments!) for turning around low-performing schools

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“Race to the Top”- $4.35 billion competitive grants to States making most progress toward the assurances

“Investing in What Works and Innovation” - $650 million for competitive grants to LEAs and non-profits that have made significant gains in closing achievement gaps to be models of best practices

2010 grant awards will be made in two rounds - late Fall 2009, Spring/Summer 2010

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Secretary Duncan Proposes Metrics

In a 4/1 letter to Governors, Sec. Duncan says that states will be required to collect and report on several data metrics.

In application for phase two stabilization funds, states will provide plan for collecting and reporting these data.

Metrics will be available for public comment in the Federal Register soon.

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Teacher effectiveness and ensuring that all schools have highly qualified teachers –◦ the number and percent of teachers in the highest-

poverty and lowest-poverty schools in the state who are highly qualified;

◦ the number and percent of teachers and principals rated at each performance level in each local educational agency’s (LEA’s) teacher evaluation system; and

◦ the number and percent of LEA teacher and principal evaluation systems that require evidence of student achievement outcomes.

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Higher standards and rigorous assessments that will improve both teaching and learning:◦ the most recent state reading and mathematics NAEP

scores on 2009-10 State Report Cards;

◦whether the state is taking steps to enhance the quality of state academic assessments, including whether the state is engaged in activities consistent with section 6112(a) of the ESEA to (1) work in collaboration or consortia with other states or

organizations to improve the quality, validity, and reliability of state academic assessments;

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(2) measure student academic achievement using multiple measures of academic achievement from multiple sources;

(3) chart student progress over time; and (4) evaluate student academic achievement using

comprehensive instruments, such as performance and technology-based assessments;

◦whether the state has developed and implemented valid and reliable assessments for students with disabilities and the percent of students with disabilities tested on state mathematics and English Language Arts (ELA) assessments;

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whether the state has developed and implemented valid and reliable assessment for English language learners and the percent of English language learners tested on state mathematics and ELA assessments; and

the number and percentage of students by school who graduate high school and go on to complete at least one year’s worth of college credit (as applicable to a degree) within two years.

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Intensive support, effective interventions, and improved achievement in schools that need it the most: ◦ the number of schools in restructuring status that have

demonstrated substantial gains in student achievement, closed, or consolidated within last three years;

◦ of the schools in restructuring status, the number of schools in the bottom five percent that have demonstrated substantial gains in student achievement, closed or consolidated within the last three years;

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◦ the number and percent of schools in restructuring status that have made progress on state assessments in mathematics and ELA in last year; and

◦whether the state allows charter schools and whether there is a cap restricting the number of such schools, the number of charter schools currently operating in the state, and the number of charter schools closed within the last three years for academic purposes.

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Better information to educators and the public, to address the individual needs of students and improve teacher performance:

◦ progress towards implementing a statewide data system which includes each of the 12 elements described in the America COMPETES Act, to track progress of individual students, from preschool through postsecondary education, and match students to individual teachers; and

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◦whether all teachers in mathematics and ELA in tested grades receive timely data on the performance of their students and estimates of individual teacher impact on student achievement, in a manner that informs instruction and includes appropriate benchmarks.

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No federal or state targets or goals for metrics:

◦ “…while it is our expectation that states can and should make progress on each of the proposed metrics above, states are not required to demonstrate progress in order to get phase two Stabilization funds. We are only asking states to ensure that states have in place systems to report on final metrics that are developed through rulemaking so that parents, teachers, and policymakers have clear and consistent information about where our schools and students stand.”

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THAT’S NOT ALL!

TITLE I REGULATIONS

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Title I Regulations

441-page Final Regulation released by former Secretary Spellings on 10/28/08◦ http://www.ed.gov/policy/elsec/reg/title1/telcon.html

Covers three major areas:◦ Graduation rates and AYP◦ SES/School choice◦ Assessments/growth models/accountability

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April 1 Duncan letter to Chief State School Officers: http://www.ed.gov/policy/elsec/guid/secletter/090401.html ◦ “On the whole, these regulations support the

educational goals for which I will advocate as Secretary: greater transparency, particularly for parents; flexibility in return for accountability; improved assessment and data systems to better track the growth of students and improve instruction; and increased focus on high school graduation. I have decided to propose changes in a few of the regulations, while leaving the majority of these regulations in effect.”

Duncan Maintains Regs

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ARRA and ESEA Education Standards Likely to See Toughening◦ http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/15/education/15educ.html

?_r=2&ref=global-home

◦ “…the federal role in education policy, once a state and local matter, is likely to grow.”

◦ “With these assurances and the Race to the Top Fund, we are laying the foundation for where we want to go with N.C.L.B. reauthorization,” Mr. Duncan said in an interview. “This will help us to get states lining up behind this agenda.”

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Duncan Starts ESEA Tour

5/4/09: Education Secretary Launches National Discussion on Education Reform◦ "Listening and Learning Tour" Seeks Grassroots

Input on Improving America's Schools

◦ “…Duncan will travel to 15 or more states in the coming months to solicit feedback from a broad group of stakeholders around federal education policy in anticipation of the reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act.”

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Duncan Starts ESEA Tour Duncan: “[We want to h]ave a national dialogue about

how to best deliver a complete and competitive education to all children—from cradle through career. We want to hear directly from people in the classroom about how the federal government can support educators, school districts and states to drive education reform. Before crafting education law in Washington, we want to hear from people across America—parents, teachers and administrators—about the everyday issues and challenges in our schools that need our national attention and support."

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Duncan Starts ESEA Tour

Tour started on Monday in West Virginia.

Other states targeted for potential events include Michigan, Vermont, California, Montana, Wyoming, New Jersey, Tennessee, North Carolina, Washington D.C., Ohio, Indiana, Florida, Utah, and Alaska. Additional states and events may be added during the course of the tour.

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Obama Education Plan

1. Early Education: A Strong Foundation for Success

◦Research demonstrates that the years before kindergarten comprise the most critical time in a child’s life to influence educational outcomes. It’s time that our nation make the early investments that will transform lives, create opportunity and save money in the long term.

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Obama Education Plan

2. K-12: Fostering a Race to the Top◦ To excel in the global economy, we must adopt world-class

standards, assessments, and accountability systems to upgrade the quality of teaching and learning in America’s classrooms.

◦ Teachers are the single most important resource to a child’s learning. America must re-invest in the teaching profession by recruiting mid-career professional and ensuring that teachers have the world’s best training and preparation. We must take action to improve teaching in classrooms that need it most, while demanding accountability and performance.

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Obama Education Plan

3. Driving Innovation and Expecting Excellence◦America’s schools must be incubators of innovation and

success. Where charter schools are successful, states should be challenged to lift arbitrary caps and make use of successful lessons to drive reform throughout other schools.

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Obama Education Plan◦ America’s competitiveness demands a focus on the needs of

our lowest-performing students and schools. Our middle- and high- schools must identify students at-risk of dropping out, and we must scale-up models that keep students on a path toward graduation. Reform in America’s lowest-performing schools must be systemic and transformational. For some, partnerships and additional support can bring about change and drive improvement. Others may need to move beyond the late 19th century and expand the school day.

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Obama Education Plan

4. Restoring America’s Leadership in Higher Education◦Our competitiveness abroad depends on opening the doors of higher

education for more of America’s students. The U.S. ranks seventh in terms of the percentage of 18-24 year olds enrolled in college, but only 15th in terms of the number of certificates and degrees awarded. A lack of financial resources should never obstruct the promise of college opportunity. And it’s America’s shared responsibility to ensure that more of our students not only reach the doors of college, but also persist, succeed, and obtain their degree.

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Opportunities and Challenges

This conference is even more timely and important than when we planned it.

ARRA assurances require all states to review standards, assessments data systems, and interventions in low-performing schools.

Money available to stimulate state and local improvements.

Title I regs – new requirements. Obama education plan. Obama listening tour.