NASDSE 74th Annual Conference October 16, 2011 “Providing Education Excellence in Challenging Times: Connection in Practice that Matter” Christopher A. Koch, Ed.D. State Superintendent of Education

Schooling in the United States was created at an earlier time in our history… It is NOT designed to: to ensure EVERY child experiences a high quality education

24 chiefs with less than 1 year experience More than 10 3-8 1-2 Less than 1

State Education Agencies in Transition Increased Responsibilities Loss of Capacity Limited Discretionary Money Hiring and Salary Limitations From Compliance to Service Necessity for Networking and Partnerships Building District and School Capacity Responsibility for Equity Agenda Shifting Staff Roles/Functions

States went into this budget season facing a combined shortfall of $86 billion -National Conference of State Legislatures

$3.5 billion infusion to School Improvement Grant program through ARRA SIG 3.5 Million – School grants – Lowest Performing Schools

States Collectively Acting on: professional development communication Implementing College and Career Ready Standards States Collectively Acting on: professional development communication curriculum transition plans assessment Common Core Communication plans

Implementing the Common Core Add shadows

44 states participating in assessment consortia PARCC SBAC Both

Assessment Consortia Timelines 44 states participating in assessment consortia Assessment Consortia Timelines PARCC SBAC Double check - Source: Center for K–12 Assessment & Performance Management at ETS

and DC release accountability principles 44 states and DC release accountability principles

No Child Left Behind: Next Generation Accountability Systems The goals of next-generation accountability systems are: Clearly articulate the state’s expectations for school and district performance Differentiate the performance of schools and districts in valid, reliable, and meaningful ways Empower and engage educators, policy/law makers, parents, and the public through regular communication and transparent, timely reporting of actionable data Foster a commitment to innovation and continuous improvement of the system so new models are used and evaluated to improve performance across the system, increasing achievement and efficiency.

Accountability System Principles Alignment of performance goals to college- and career-ready standards; Annual determinations for each school and district that meaningfully differentiate between schools and districts and direct the provision of supports and interventions; Focus on student outcomes on a variety of indicators including those of both status and growth;

Accountability System Principles Continued commitment to disaggregation; including disaggregation of data by student subgroup (for both reporting and accountability); Reporting of timely, actionable, accessible data to all stakeholders, including outcome and richer data to drive continuous improvement; Deeper diagnostic reviews, used as appropriate, to better link accountability determinations to meaningful supports and interventions;

Accountability System Principles Building school and district capacity for sustained improvement though supports and interventions; Targeting the lowest performing schools for significant interventions Innovation, evaluation, and continuous improvement in the accountability systems over time.

College and Career Ready System Better Diagnosis Individual Student Profiles Readiness Assessments College Readiness Profiles Closer Alignment Course Design Guidance Alignment of K-12 and Higher Ed Courses Multiple Learning Pathways Stronger Partnerships Secondary and Postsecondary Communication/Action

college- and career-ready Implications For these changes Eliminate persistently low-performing schools personalized learning experiences student-centered accountability systems highly effective education workforce prioritize resources to achieve higher results new assessments college- and career-ready development and enhancement of information systems options for students …for all kids. state education agency success

Implications World-Class Knowledge and Skills Performance-Based Learning Personalized Learning Supported By: Authentic Student Voice Anytime, Everywhere Opportunities Comprehensive Systems of Support

What Does Assessment of Basic Skills Tell Us? Individuals entering teacher preparation programs have essential skills needed to enter rigorous teacher preparation programs Individuals earning teaching credentials have a minimum skill level of knowledge in reading, mathematics, English/Language Arts, and writing

Are Preparation Programs Highly Selective? Do Colleges of Education actively recruit candidates into their programs? Do Colleges of Education use ACT as a means of admission into teacher education programs? If so, are they only selecting from top 1/3 of ACT scores? Following are some limited results that show how ACT scores relate to Basic Skills testing (study completed by IERC for ISBE)

Proportion passing BST by ACT composite score

Average ACT composite and subscale scores by BST status All BST Takers Did Not Pass BST Passed BST ACT Composite 21.38 19.52 25.73 ACT English 21.45 19.34 26.41 ACT Math 20.95 19.18 25.11 ACT Reading 21.65 19.56 26.54 ACT Writing 22.64 21.06 26.75 N (%) 3203 (100%) 2244 (70%) 959 (30%)

Comparison of ACT composite scores for selected groups