High Schools
Reform efforts of policymakers,
legislators, business leaders now turn to redesigning our
high schools
Assessments Task Force
High
School Grduation Task Force
Compulsory
School Attendance Task Force
Most recently updated May 8, 2006
The Delaware Department of Education
has received a $2+million grant from the National Governors Association (NGA) to
"redesign high schools."
Click here
to see the entire proposal, including goals and strategies. It gives
in much detail what the Dept. of Education's vision is of how high schools should
change to prepare all students for work and/or college.
The goals of the DoE plan tie directly
into the high school reform goals of the NGA , based on research and recommendations
put forward by an organization called ACHIEVE . And
ACHIEVE has also recommended that states make their graduation requirements more
rigorous, with attention that all students, whether college or work-bound, take
the same subjects.
They call this their
American Diploma Project.
Another change is to require that all high school students be mentored by a faculty
member including developing an Individual Learning Plan so that all students fully
grasp what is required of them to be best prepared for college or work.
New!!
This idea will be piloted in several schools and districts
next fall. They are: Milford High School, Central Middle School in Capital, Dover
High School and all of the Christina High Schools: Glasgow, Newark and Christiana.
At the close of the 2005 National
Education Summit on High Schools, Achieve and 13 states formed the American Diploma
Project (ADP) Network an action-oriented coalition committed to improving America's
high schools. Since the Summit, the Network has grown to include 22 states, which
togther educate more than 22 million students or 48 percent of all U.S. students.
Delaware is one of those states.
Forces at work on High School Reform
in Delaware
As with most education issues, the
issues that these task forces are discussing will soon become issues that come before
the General Assembly or the State Board of Education. But for now, you and your
members need to know what Delaware's policy, legislative and business leaders are
talking about.
We strongly encourage you to e-mail
your comments, suggestions, or questions about any of this information to DSEA President
Barbara Grogg . DSEA President Barbara Grogg will also send a
letter to the homes of all middle and high school teacher/specialist members; and
plans to visit every high school early next year to hear directly from you, if we
can work it out, middle school members as well.
1. Task
Force on Best Practices of Educational Assessments
Established by
House Joint Resolution No.
4
A 15-member Task Force is charged with examining the best practices in state assessment
programs and to recommend the next steps in improving the Delaware State Testing
Program (DSTP).
Recommendations are due to the Governor
and General Assembly by May 31, 2005
DSEA President
Barbara Grogg
appointed DSEA Director of Instructional Advocacy
Vicky Cairns
to the DSEA seat on this task force.
Summary of Activities to date:
The task force had its first orientation meeting on November 22, at which Robin
Taylor, DoE's Associate Secretary for Assessment and Accountability, walked the
group through the historical perspective of student testing in DE, back to 1978.
Charges and challenges to the task force were identified.
Comments ranged from how important extended response questions are, to how the school
year currently totally revolves around testing, to whether we need a Delaware-generated
test, to the concern of a need to coordinate all the initiatives going on right
now.
At its second meeting December 15, the committee discussed the current DSTP test
which tests students on grade level standards (required by NCLB) compared to a test
which tells you the exact levels where students are performing. Secretary Woodrfuff
indicated that the ideal would be a system of testing that did both.
The earliest the DSTP could
be changed would be the 2008-2009 school year.
The Task Force is looking at a system of testing that would be both formative (test
where student is regarding learning) as well as summative (meet the accountability
requirements of the state and of the No Child Left Behind Act). Click here to open
a pdf document of a chart that the committee is currently contemplating.
For an update on Task Force work, click here to open up the May issue of DSEA ACTION!,
and then click over to page 16, "State testing system may change -- in two years
or so."
The Task Force report is due to the
Governor and General Assembly by May 31.
DSEA is represented on this group
by
Vicky Cairns, dir. of instructional advocacy . Some members of
the Task Force have put forth a chart to include items/concepts that the Task Force
has discussed. The DRAFT "Next Generation State Assessment System"
chart includes:
** Growth tests which are computer adaptive, 45-60 minutes in length
** Constructed response item tests to satisfy No Child Left Behind requirements
** A certain number of state-required, high school end-of-Grade/Course tests - computer
based, 45-90 minutes long
** Writing assessments in grades 2-12
The proposed new system would take the place of the current DSTP testing system.
DSEA staff and leaders are discussing
our response. You can be a huge help by letting us know what your thoughts are on
the elements in the chart. Please review the chart and let either
President Barbara Grogg or
Vicky Cairns
know your thoughts by May 15.
2. State
Board's P-20 Council Committee to Revise High School Graduation Requirements
Created by
House Joint Resolution 9
www.legis.state.de.us/LIS/LIS143.nsf/vwLegislation/HJR+9?Opendocument
This Committee has 25 members, including two from DSEA.
President Barbara Grogg appointed DSEA Director of Legislation and Political Organizing
Jack Polidori and Milford school guidance counselor
Charles Brown .
Summary of activities to date:
The committee has held three meetings with at least two more expected. Much of the
policy guidance emanates from the work of
Achieve , a
national educational policy organization and its
American Diploma Project .
Achieve also did the high
school/workplace/college research for the National Governors Association.
The following issues are emerging:
o How many credits should we require as a minimum for graduation. Currently, the
regs demand 22: 4 in English/language arts; 3 in science; 3 in math, 3 in social
studies, 3 in career pathways, 3 in electives, 1 in computer literacy, 1 in physical
education, and in health.
o What happens if we increase it to, say, 24. Does that cause fewer kids to graduate
(and, thereby, increase the dropout rate)? o How should the required credits be
defined? If we stay with 22, what happens if we specify another credit (from 3 to
4) of math or another credit of math and/or science/social studies? Should we, within
the current 22, push for 4 credits each in math, science, and social studies?
o What are the cost ramifications? How many more teachers would be needed? Can they
be found? Do we have the space?
o Should we simply require a certain number of credits or should we also specify
the kind of credits? For example, in math, should we explicitly state Algebra I,
Geometry, and Algebra 2?
o Should we add another credit in physical education in recognition of the increasing
presence of obesity?
o Should we require a course in the arts (music/arts)? But that circles right back
into the discussion about number of credits.
Committee members recognize that most college-bound students already are completing
well in excess of the minimum 22 credits. For these students, the key issue is ensuring
that they have a challenging senior year, with a fourth year of math.
For the non-college bound student, the group is concerned that they receive enough
math and science to succeed in college or the workplace.
"For all students, regardless of
their post-secondary education goals, the committee is struggling with the essential
need for them to be prepared to function effectively as citizens in our democratic
society," comments DSEA's Jack Polidori.
3.
Task Force to Consider Raising the Compulsory Age for school attendance from 16
to 17 or 18 Years of Age
Created by House Concurrent
Resolution 6
o A report is due to the General Assembly by June 30, 2005 regarding the costs and
benefits of raising the age of required school attendance from 16 to 17 or 18 years
of age.
o DSEA Executive Director Howard Weinberg has appointed
DSEA's Dir. of Instructional
Advocacy Vicky Cairns to the DSEA position on this task force.
Summary of Activities:
Grave concerns have been expressed about whether there are sufficient alternative
programs available to support an extra year of school for students who likely don't
want to be there in the first place.
Robin Case, DoE's director of Career and Technical Education and School Climate,
made a comprehensive presentation on the current status of alternative programs.
It answered as well as raised a lot of questions.
Pros and cons of tying school attendance with driving privileges were heavily discussed.
There are two bills already in the General Assembly regarding teenage driving:
HB 112 (W. Smith) Raises minimum driving age to 17
HB 56 (J. VanSant) Revises requirements for graduated driving license from 15 years
10 months to 16 years; increases drivers permit time to 18 months; and requires
a permit sticker on the car being driven by a permit holder.
Check out DSEA's legislative abstract of bills for
a summary and status of these bills.
The Task Force meets again in January with the intention of formulating its recommendations.