Ed Reform in Washington State 4.5, 4.6

Purpose of Understanding If you don’t know where you are going, how will you know when you get there? How do teachers decide what you are going to learn each day?

Educational Reform Act The 1993 Educational Reform Act (House Bill 1209) established common learning goals for all students in Washington State. There had never been common goals for which students and educators were accountable.

Washington State Learning Goals. Provides the skills and knowledge the legislature determined students need to live, learn, and work as adults. These goals form the foundation of our instructional programs. Teachers and school districts are given wide latitude in choosing curriculum and teaching methods to help students achieve the goals and are held accountable for the effectiveness of their teaching.

The Standards – Essential Academic Learning Requirements To meet these goals, the Legislature established an 11-member commission on Student Learning. Working with teams of teachers, students, parents, businesses and community members, the commission identified what all students should know and be able to do. These standards are called the Essential Academic Learning Requirements (EALRs) or Essential Learnings. They establish clear and high academic standards for students in science, social studies, arts, technology, and health/fitness.

The Role of Assessment: The HSPE As of August 2009 renamed. Elementary and middle-school test are called Measurements of Student Progress (MSP) High-school test is known as the High School Proficiency Exam (HSPE)

The Role of Assessment: The HSPE Accomplished teachers use assessment as an integral and important part of student learning. First they determine what is important, or essential, for students to know and be able to do as a result of the lesson (the objective). Then they determine the best way to teach the objective by selecting curriculum and methods based on their knowledge of their students.

The Role of Assessment: The HSPE During and following instruction, teachers evaluate how the students are learning. This evaluation is called an assessment. The assessment lets the teacher know if their teaching strategies have been successful. There are many kinds of assessment methods: informal and formal observation, self-evaluation, tests, written reports, portfolios, performance tasks (i.e., doing a science experiment or building a math model), etc.

The Role of Assessment: The HSPE Authentic assessment, also called performance-based assessment, is having students perform a “real life” task. This method is most relevant for the student and provides the teacher excellent insight into the student’s understanding.

The Role of Assessment: The HSPE If the student meets the standard set by the assessment, he or she is ready to go to the next level of learning. If the student has not mastered the “essential learning,” the teacher determines the best way to re-teach the information. In that way, assessment drives instruction and curriculum.

HSPE As we have learned, Washington State has identified four areas of “Essential Learning's” that all students need to know and be able to do. The Commission on Student Learning is also responsible for measuring student progress toward the Essential Learning's.

HSPE In Washington, the EALRs are the overall objectives. Local school districts and educators are given wide latitude in choosing the curriculum and teaching practices used to achieve the goals. The HSPE is the tool that measures whether their instruction has successfully taught the EALRs. With the HSPE results, schools have information on what students are learning. Students who have not mastered the Essential Learning's must be re-taught, using a variety of strategies, since they cannot graduate until they have reached the state goals.

The Role of Assessment: No Child Left Behind ( NCLB) The stated goal for NCLB is to have all students (100%) - achieving at grade level by 2014. The law requires that states focus intensively on challenging academic standards in reading, math and science. The law also requires that a highly qualified teacher is in every classroom. NCLB is based on four pillars. These are: 1) stronger accountability for results, 2) more freedom for states and communities 3) proven education methods 4) more choices for parents.

The Role of Assessment: No Child Left Behind ( NCLB) Title 1 schools are the only ones that are subject to specific requirements for corrective action. The state of Washington uses the HSPE as the determiner in the reporting requirements.

The Role of Assessment: Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) AYP is primarily a measure of year-to-year student achievement on the HSPE. It is a part of the NCLB Act. Each year the state must “raise the bar” in gradual increments so that by 2013-2014 all (100%) students will achieve proficiency in each subject area.

Adequate Yearly Progress Each school and district must meet the yearly AYP goals as a whole and by disaggregated student population groups. These groups are specified by law to be ethnicity, students with disabilities, limited English proficiency, and students who are economically disadvantaged. AYP applies to each school in the state that serves students in grades 4, 7, and 10.

The Role of Assessment: Grade Level Expectations (GLEs) GLEs are a connected series of learning competencies necessary to create proficient students in reading, writing, science, communications, social studies (2007), the arts (2008) and health & fitness (2009). They describe the knowledge and skills that students should acquire from kindergarten through high school. A continumn exists for each subject area that describes the journey students experience along the pathway.

Assignment Due 11/18 Using your notes, your knowledge of education reform, the learning goals handout, and the OPSI website, create a: Flowchart, mind map, or graphic organizer that displays HB 1209, Learning Goals, EARLs, NCLB, AYP, and GLEs. With each component define and explain its importance. Finally, interpret the impact for both students and teachers.