1. 2007 Article VII # ELFA 8 Education, Labor, and Family Assistance

2. Purpose of the Bill
Tracking and improving student and teacher performance through results-oriented measures.
Analysis of student/teacher performance data – used to determine when intervention and sanctions are necessary

3. Enhanced Accountability Teacher Quality Standards
Several Key Issues
Higher Standards
Enhanced Accountability
Teacher Quality Standards

4. Several Key Issues Higher Standards
Uniform standards for pre-K including curriculum and teacher certification requirements
Review of the Regents Learning Standards (ELA review will be completed by July 2008)

5. Enhanced Accountability
Several Key Issues
Enhanced Accountability
July 2008 – student progress reports reflecting multiple years of testing
July 2010 – individual student academic growth, linked to individual teachers (pending federal approval)
School Leadership and School Progress report cards – the performance of the district leadership
School superintendents and school boards – subject to removal
Cadre of distinguished educators will be developed to assist improving troubled schools

6. Several Key Issues Enhanced Accountability (continued)
July 2008 – 5% of all schools will be required to restructure and reorganize within four years – improvement targets will be tightened
Contract for Excellence will be required if increased financial support under new Foundation Aid formula
Improve student achievement (class size reduction, increased student time on-task, teacher quality initiatives, middle and high school restructuring, and full-day pre-K
March 15, 2007 – Contract for Excellence was counter-proposed by the legislature.

7. Several Key Issues Teacher Quality Standards
Post-secondary teacher prep programs will be reviewed
Statutory standards are established for tenure determinations (which includes whether the teacher adequately contributes to the academic success of students)
Incentives to encourage HQ teachers to work in low performing schools

8. Budget Implications
$7 billion over the next four years for aid to schools
THE BILL IS EFFECTIVE IMMEDIATELY!

9. Pre-K
Uniform quality standards for all pre-K operated by school districts (state and locally funded)
Minimum qualifications for personnel providing instruction
Curriculum standards with strong instructional content
Progress will be reported to the public

10. Review of Learning Standards
Schedule will be adopted
ELA – completed no later than the end of the school year
Recommendations will be sought from teachers, school administrators, teacher educators, and others with educational expertise

11. Enhanced State Accountability System

12. Status, Growth and Value- Added Models Defined
Contract for Excellence requires SED to implement growth and value-added models and meet any Federal requirements for such models.

13. Status Models Defined
Status or improvement models, the current requirement for measuring Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) under No Child Left Behind, measure progress by tracking the improvement at the same grade levels within the school over time. (This year’s grades 3-5 compared to last year’s grades 3-5.)

14. Growth Models Defined
Growth models generally refer to accountability models that assess the progress of a cohort of individual students over time with the intent of measuring the progress these students have made (Performance in fourth grade compared to performance in third grade).

15. Value-Added Models Defined
Value-added models generally refer to a specific type of growth model in which student demographic data or other statistical controls are used to attempt to analyze the specific effects of a particular school, program, or teacher on student learning.
These models ask whether the school has increased the measured achievement of students more than expected based on data from similar schools.

16. Purpose of Status, Growth, and Value Added Models
Status model: Determine whether an increasing percentage of students are gaining proficiency over time.
Growth model: Determine how much progress groups of students are making over time.
Value-added model: Determine success of schools, programs, or teachers by measuring student growth over time while controlling for non-school variables that impact on student performance.

17. Enhanced State Accountability System
Growth Model pending federal approval
Enhanced Growth Model that includes a Value-Added Assessment Model (if external experts determine it to be valid and reliable) and the approval of the USDOE
July 2008 – Student progress reports to show performance on state assessments over multiple years of testing
Support educators in use of data to assist in student learning

18. Consequences for Consistent Lack of Improvement in Academic Performance

19. 2007-2008 –significantly increase the number of schools required to restructure or reorganize
Goal – up to a total of 5% of the schools in the state within four years
Commissioner shall develop plans for intervention in schools under restructuring or SURR status that fail to demonstrate progress on established performance measures with input from distinguished educators

20. Two-Step Process for State Intervention
Appointment of school review team
Will conduct resource program and planning audits
Assist school in developing and implementing improvement plan
Cost will be incurred by the districts

21. Two-Step Process for State Intervention
Appointment of joint school intervention team
For schools that have to demonstrate progress as specified in their plan
Develop, review & recommend plans for reorganizing or reconfiguring schools that are recommended to be closed.
Cost will be incurred by the districts

22. Superintendent
After deficient performance by the district for over a period of two years, the superintendent shall be required to cooperate fully with a distinguished educator (or team)
Deficient performance over a period of four years – cause for removal.
Cost incurred by the district

23. Distinguished Educators
Non-voting members of the BOE paid by the school district
Review any plans for schools and either endorse them or make recommendations for modifications
BOE submits plan with recommendations or submits explanation for not amending the plan
Commissioner may direct district to modify the plan
After deficient performance over a period of 6 years, the commissioner shall commence a proceeding to remove the BOE or individual members of such BOE

24. Distinguished Educators
Building principals and superintendents who have demonstrated consistent growth in academic performance
Comparable demographics
Expressed their willingness

25. School Leadership and School Progress Report Cards
Assist boards of education, the state and the public in assessing the performance of school leaders, including superintendents and building principals and the schools they lead
School’s progress in achieving standards of excellence including parental involvement, curriculum, teacher quality and accountability measures

26. Will also…
Evaluate the effectiveness of all teacher preparation programs
Explore the development of a pre-K -16 data system that tracks student performance from pre-K through attendance at public colleges in this state and links students to teachers or instructors

27. Tenure Determination
Minimum standards and procedures for tenure determinations for members of the teaching staff of all school districts and BOCES (July 2008)
Contributes to successful academic performance

28. Tenure Determination
Analysis of data and other information on the performance of the teacher’s students
Peer review by other teachers
An assessment of teacher’s performance by building principal