New Hampshire & Florida Public School Systems

Structure of the Public Schools New Hampshire Pre-School: - voluntary and often connected with day care - no age requirements K-12 Schools Charter Schools Non-Public Schools Home Education 12 Technical Colleges - Tuition: $164 per credit Colleges and Universities Florida Voluntary Pre-School for children, 4 & above (state funded, starts ) K-12 schools Free state tutoring for those who qualify (Low SES) Kindergarten starts at age 6 or will be 6 by Feb. 1st. Private schools Charter Schools Home Education 28 Community Colleges In-state Tuition: $9,397 Out-of-State: $13, Colleges & Universities

Teacher Preparation & Licensure New Hampshire 5 alternatives for certification Finish approved program and receive recommendation from that institution. For out of state: graduate from approved program and employed as certified teacher 3 out of the last 7 years. Demonstrating competency, skills, and knowledge through written exam and oral review. Shortage areas: accomplish state entry level requirements; have Individual Professional Development Plan created leading to full certification On the job training: –Bachelor’s degree (2.5 GPA & 30 credits in content area) –School district willing to assume responsibility for training and supervising. UNH requires all students in education program to obtain masters degree (including 1 yr. Internship) before obtaining licensure.

Teacher Preparation & Licensure Florida Upon graduation (either Masters or Bachelors) must take the FTCE (Florida Teacher Certification Exam) Multiple Choice (120 questions) –Pedagogy, professional practices SAE (subject area exam) must be taken in all areas that you seek certification General Knowledge Test required to show competency in general skills, math, reading, English (essay) If they don’t pass any part of the exam, may get conditional license and re-take exam Only have three years to retake and pass the exam. Any teacher who earned their degree from another state must still take FTCE to receive a professional license in Florida.

Curriculum & Assessment (NH) NH State law: 193-C (New Hampshire Educational Improvement and Assessment Program) established in Curriculum Frameworks Curriculum frameworks are present at all levels in English/LA, math, science, and social studies. Created by educators at all levels, business people, policy makers, and community leaders –Purpose at state level: Serve as a basis for the development of mandatory statewide assessment –Purpose at local level: Serve as a guide for decisions about curriculum development and delivery. –Does not have statewide curriculum –Does establish standards defining what students should know and be able to do.

Curriculum & Assessment (NH) Assessment Program: required Tested at end of grade 3: English and math Tested at end of grade 6 & 10: English, math, science, and social studies NHEIAP Test: combination of multiple choice and open ended ?’s Test developed by educational contractor in conjunction with NH Content Communities. Results are standards-referenced Each student’s level of achievement is defined as Novice, Basic, Proficient, or Advanced Results from NHEIAP test produce individual-student proficiency reports and diagnostic reports. Grades 3, 6, & 10 have been tested in this way since District improvement plans are tied in with results.

Curriculum and Assessment (FL) Sunshine State Standards were adopted in 1996, currently under review; concerns related to rigor, specificity, vertical alignment, developmental appropriateness and number of benchmarks The standards have been written in seven subject areas, each divided into grade clusters. Have been expanded to have grade level expectations. Purpose: Sate level: set, align, and apply expectations for all FL students Local level: serve as a guide for decisions about curriculum development and delivery. Grade level expectations will eventually become the basis for state assessments in grades 3-10.

Curriculum and Assessment (FL) Assessment Program (required) Florida Comprehensive Assessment test (FCAT) and FCAT SSS Found in law Section , F.S., and pupil progression plan in Section F.S. Costs $16.57 per student (1/3 of the state’s budget.) Developed by DOE’s test-development contractors and reviewed by teachers, curriculum supervisors,and parents. Cleared for community sensitivity High achieving schools get more financial resources Grades 3-10 take test Take writing in February Reading, math, science are taken in March Test has multiple choice, bubble in on grids (math), short answer, and essay There are 5 levels to show progress Level 3 (300 or above) is considered proficient If you are not level 2 or higher in 3rd grade, you will not be promoted You must pass Grade 10 test before you can graduate Can re-take if you earn a failing score Contains two basic components: 1) Criterion referenced tests for areas where standards have been developed 2) Norm-referenced tests in reading & math

Adequate Yearly Progress (NH) AYP currently determined by NHEIAP test. 2nd indicator- HS: graduation rate; JH and elementary: attendance rate Will transition in next two years to using New England Common Assessment Program (NECAP) to report AYP Claim is NECAP better allows following scores of individual students.

Adequate Yearly Progress (FL) AYP is defined by results from the FCAT There must be at least 15% representation within the school for a subgroup to count Schools with a D or F can’t be considered as making progress Those students who are performing below proficiency will develop annual target goals to put them on the needed trajectory

Recent Assessment Results NH 4 & 8 grade scored higher than national average in math and reading on 2005 NAEP NAEP score comparisons since 1992 show steady improvement in math, while reading scores remain consistent 2005 NHEIAP: shows steady increases in percent scoring at a “Basic” level or above in reading and math

Recent Assessment Results FL students are continually scoring grades 3-10 above the national average 2005 NAEP scores have shown that FL has surpassed national math average in grades 4 & 8 NAEP scores have declined only slightly in reading in grade 8, as did the national average. Still an increase over long term planning

$ spent on Education New Hampshire Average teacher Salary $43,941 Average teacher minimum salary (w/BA) $28,598 Sate Aid Not determined by pupil Several factors are used for allocation Based on need and money being raised by local taxes. Estimated cost per pupil Elementary- $ Junior high- $ High school- $

$ spent on Education Florida Average teacher salary $40,598 Average teacher minimum salary (w/BA) $37,637 w/ MA $44,536 State Aid is determined through the Florida Education Finance Program (FEFP) FEFP formula recognizes –Varying local property tax bases –Varying education program costs –Varying costs of living –Varying cost for equivalent educational programs Estimated Cost per pupil Regular: $4,769 Exceptional: $8,910 At Risk: $6.144 Vocational: $5,454 Average operating cost: $5,687

Strengths & Weaknesses of the Systems NH Strengths State curriculum frameworks detail priorities state-wide and connect assessment data with classroom practice State aid determined by need, not simply by number of students. Well-educated teaching force Number of charter schools allows choice to parents Students well above national average on NAEP NH Weaknesses Seemingly weak licensure requirements threaten quality of teachers

Strengths & Weaknesses of the Systems FL Strengths Teacher certification is required Has state standards to ensure all learners are being assessed on the same concepts Has a variety of options open to families for choice of schooling Continually scoring high or above average on NAEP Data Driven: Uses their data to influence their decision making Uses data to target specific areas for improvement Uses disaggregated data to examine wide-range goals Use of data to examine relationship between cost and program effectiveness FL Weaknesses Teacher certification is required Data burn-out

Interesting Facts Average Student Teacher Ratio is % of NH teachers have Their Masters Degree 73% of NH graduates attend College (52% in 4 yr.) Annual dropout percentage: 3.8% Student ratio to teachers: % of FL teachers have their Masters Degree 78% of seniors take the SAT or ACT 71% graduation rate 60% go on to continuing education Free tutoring for low qualifying SES

Resources New Hampshire Department of Education Florida Colleges and Universities Site