Good
afternoon.
Now that August is here, we will again be providing you
with information via weekly messages. I wish you the greatest success in the
school year about to begin and we at ISBE pledge to you our full efforts in
support of your work.
As you are all aware, we have been undergoing many
significant changes here as a result of changes in the state’s education budget.
This message contains more detailed explanations of these changes and their
impact on services we provide. In addition, we will send you a separate e-mail
communication today specifically addressing teacher certification issues. Please
look for it.
This message includes the following
items:
·
RFP Issued for System of Support –
Mandatory bidder’s conference August 4
·
State assessment
results
·
State and federal grant policy
guidelines
·
Status of non-public school
recognition process
·
K–8 Youth essay and map making
contest – entry deadline
·
Notice of completed
rulemaking
·
Reminder regarding the
Superintendent’s six regional conferences in September.
Every day, I receive copies of numerous education news
stories that run in
Line Item Vetoes Will Mean Cuts in
Some Programs
For your reference, here is a brief recapitulation of
what has happened regarding the elementary and secondary education budget since
my last regular weekly message to you on June 27.
On July 10, Governor Blagojevich signed HB2663,
containing most of the education budget. The Governor’s intent, in his own
words, was to reduce “agency administrative costs.” The cuts were made without
our prior knowledge of areas that would potentially be affected. As the Board
has made clear in subsequent statements, the cuts eliminate more than
administration; they eliminate some programs. The summary analysis of the veto
and line item appropriation chart are on our
website:
http://www.isbe.net/news/pdf/04_veto_budget_summary.pdf
http://www.isbe.net/news/pdf/04_veto_budget.pdf
On July 15, the State Board met to discuss
the impact of the cuts on the agency’s ability to provide services to districts.
At that meeting the Board directed me to complete my analysis of the impact of
the proposed cuts and report to them regarding available options. The news
release from that meeting can be seen at:
http://www.isbe.net/news/2003/jul15-03.htm
On July 24, the Board held another special meeting to
hear my report regarding options. Sadly, the options were limited. The board
authorized me to take the necessary steps to bring our agency’s FY04 budget
expenditures in line with available appropriations, and those steps will include
the elimination of additional positions in the agency and of some programs
supported and administered by the employees in those positions. The news release
we distributed after the meeting, along with supporting materials, can be viewed
as follows:
·
News release:
http://www.isbe.net/news/2003/jul24-03.htm
·
Detailed description of
the effect on agency programs:
http://www.isbe.net/news/pdf/staff_reductions_plan_072203.pdf
·
Graph of the agency
headcount from FY85 to FY03:
http://www.isbe.net/news/pdf/yearly_headcount_graph.pdf
The Governor precisely identified cuts without seeking
input from ISBE, and their impact will be severe in some program areas,
particularly: certification of teachers; GED testing (High School Equivalency
exam); nonpublic school recognition (see separate item in this message); Private
Business and Vocational Schools (PBVS) oversight; Early Childhood and Career
Technical Education grants (ISBE oversight of the use of grants funds will be
curtailed); and Health/Life, Safety program.
The cuts required by the vetoes will go into effect on
August 15, which is also when the staff reductions will take place. The Board
will continue to discuss its long-term options in these areas, whether that
involves attempting to restore funding in the fall veto session or making the
case for funding these programs in the FY05 budget
deliberations.
This is a very challenging time for the
agency as we try to balance these cuts with our mission to support
your work. We appreciate that the state budget is in a difficult situation, and
we understand the Governor’s goal of eliminating administrative spending. Make
no mistake, though: these cuts will eliminate programs, not just administrative
spending.
I will give you more detailed information about how
these cuts will affect our operations as it becomes
available.
RFP Issued for System of
Support
As part of its system for academic accountability, ISBE
may place schools in academic difficulty in Academic Early Warning, or Academic
Watch status, based on the performance of their students on the state
assessment. Both state and federal law require that technical assistance or a
system of support be established to help these schools improve academic
performance. ISBE has issued a request for proposals (RFP) for the purpose of
identifying grantees that can establish regional support systems to provide
improvement support to schools in academic early warning and academic watch list
status, as well as to assist other schools whose performance makes placement in
Academic Early Warning or Academic Watch status in the near future likely.
The following entities are eligible to apply: Regional
Offices of Education (ROEs), Intermediate Service Centers (ISCs), public school
districts possessing sufficient staff and service capacity, colleges and
universities, and established public and private entities with proven records of
success in providing school improvement services.
Consortia or partnerships between or among these
agencies and providers are also eligible to apply. If a joint application is
submitted, then a fiscal agent must be designated, and the
authorized official from each participating entity must sign the application.
A mandatory bidders’ conference will be held at ISBE on
Additional specifics on the RFP, bidders’ conference and
webcast are available at
www.isbe.net.
State Assessment
Results
The results of the state assessments have been shipped
to each district in the state. Districts have 45 days from receipt of the data
in which to notify ISBE of any errors or discrepancies in the data.
This 45-day period ends on
State And Federal Grant Policy
Guidelines
All entities who receive either state or federal grant
money from ISBE need to be aware of the ISBE grant policies for proper
implementation. The State and Federal Grant Administration Policy handbook can
be downloaded and printed off the web site of the Division of Funding and
Disbursement Services:
http://www.isbe.net/funding/PDF/fdsprochandbook.pdf.
The policy guidelines that must be followed and will be
enforced for all grant programs are found in Section A
POLICY, pages 3 and 4 of this document. As we begin FY04, please make special
note that no obligation or activity that will be charged to a grant can occur
until a substantially approvable document is signed and submitted by the entity
to ISBE. If you have any questions, please contact staff in the Division of
Funding and Disbursement Services at 217/782-5256.
Non-public schools in
Non-public schools seek recognition for various reasons
including that:
·
It gives assurance that the
school’s educational program has been approved by ISBE and meets at least
minimum state requirement;
·
It is an aid/requirement to
entrance in many colleges, universities, and other post-secondary institutions
and training programs;
·
It is a requirement for membership
in the Illinois High School Association and student participation in Illinois
Elementary School Association sanctioned sports, contests, tournaments,
etc;
·
It is a requirement for
acceptance/assignment to most military training programs;
·
It is a requirement for eligibility
of students to sit for licensing examinations in fields covered under the
Illinois Nursing Act;
·
Teaching in a recognized nonpublic
school is often used to determine placement on the salary schedule when teachers
transfer to other schools, both public and private, especially in other states;
and,
·
Student transfers from recognized
schools are expedited and credits can be generally accepted.
In May, ISBE sent letters to all non-public schools in
the state informing them that in order for their applications for recognition to
be processed for the 2003-2004 school year, the schools had to send their
applications to ISBE (schools in Chicago) or to the local Regional Office of
Education (all other schools) no later than June 30, 2003. All applications that
met that deadline were processed before the Governor’s cuts were announced, and
those schools will be notified of their status next week. Any application
received after June 30 will not be processed because of the budget cuts. The
recognition program will shut down fully August 15.
Contest: K-8 Summer Essay and Map-Making
Challenge
The Midwest Literary Festival is sponsoring a contest
for students in K-8 grades. Students may draw a map or write an essay about the
Lewis and Clark expedition. Deadline for entries is
630/466-5715.
Notice of Emergency Rulemaking and Invitation to
Comment
on Accompanying
Regular Amendments
Part 25
(Certification)
At its June meeting, the State Board of Education
adopted emergency amendments to the rules for Certification (Part 25) and
released very similar regular amendments for public comment. These documents
have been posted on the agency’s web site at
www.isbe.net/rules; choose “Rules Currently
in Effect” to view the emergency amendments effective June 26, 2003, or
“Proposed Rules and Amendments” to view the version on which comments may be
submitted.
Much of this material will serve to assure
Another principal purpose of these amendments is to
clarify current policies and practices for issuing elementary, secondary,
special, and early childhood certificates and to make explicit how the
requirements are applied to candidates who are completing approved programs,
those who come to
Finally, Sections 25.20 and 25.30 are being amplified to
eliminate a point of confusion regarding professional education by reinserting
specific coursework requirements in place of a cross-reference. This is not a
substantive change and merely serves to state all applicable requirements for
each certificate in one location.
Affected
Sections: 25.20, 25.30,
25.35, 25.40, 25.80, and 25.92 (new); Section 25.11 in proposed amendments
only.
Notice of Completed
Rulemaking
Please be advised that two other rulemaking items
recently adopted by the State Board of Education are now in effect. Both these
sets of rules have been posted on the agency’s web site at
www.isbe.net/rules; choose “Rules Currently in Effect” and scroll to the relevant Part number.
(If you print only the affected Sections, remember to include the table of
contents for the Part, which changes every time the Part is
amended.)
Transitional
Bilingual Education (Part 228)
These amendments are technical revisions needed to
implement P.A. 92-604, which took effect in July of 2002 and changed the
requirements for the notice districts must provide to parents of children
enrolled in bilingual education programs. The statute added a great deal of
specificity regarding the content and timing of these notices. Section
228.40(a)(1) has been amended to provide a
cross-reference to that statutory language.
P.A. 92-604 also strengthened parents’ right to have
their children removed from bilingual education programs on demand. The
revisions to Section 228.40(a)(2) reflect that new
statutory provision.
Affected
Section:
228.40
Effective
Date:
Alternative
Learning Opportunities Program (Part 240)
Section 13B-50.15 of the School Code [105 ILCS
5/13B-50.15] provides that regional offices of education that operate approved
Alternative Learning Opportunities Programs (ALOPs) on behalf of school
districts that established such programs “are entitled to receive general State
aid at the foundation level of support.” The law, however, does not explicitly
state whether these regional offices can submit a claim directly to the State
Board of Education to receive General State Aid (GSA) or receive it from the
school district or districts that contracted with the regional office to operate
the ALOP.
These amendments provide that regional offices of
education may directly submit GSA claims to the State Board, provided that there
is a cooperative agreement between the regional office and school district(s)
that are establishing the program. This provision to allow for submission of the
claim by the regional office does not apply to other entities, such as
intermediate service centers, community colleges, health and human services
agencies, and other public and private, not-for-profit agencies, that may be
under contract with a school district to operate an
ALOP.
Since students may enter an ALOP in the middle of a
school year, the amendments further provide that GSA can be claimed only for the
time period during which those students are enrolled in the program. A similar
provision is included for school districts.
Affected
Section:
240.90
Effective
Date:
State Superintendent’s September Regional
Conferences
As we have told you previously, the centralized
Superintendent’s conference traditionally held in
The registration form can be accessed at
http://www.isbe.net/pdf/suptconf_reg.pdf,
and agenda for the meetings at
http://www.isbe.net/pdf/suptconf_agenda.pdf.
Robert Schiller
State Superintendent
of Education
4.
First-of-a-Kind
Report: What Does Research Say About How To Prepare Quality
Teachers?
(Daily Southtown)
Proponents
of school funding reform are weighing their next step in the wake of Attorney
General Lisa Madigan’s decision that the state constitution does not prescribe
"a specific level of funding by the state."
Apparently
hoping Madigan would issue an opinion that would bolster a possible lawsuit over
funding levels, Sen. Miguel Del Valle (D-Chicago), chairman of the Senate
Education Committee, asked Madigan for a formal opinion on whether the
constitution requires the state to give every student access to a "minimally
adequate education."
A
But
Madigan’s answer, issued at the end of May, stated that there is no such
guarantee in the constitution. Nor does it require any "specific level of
educational funding," Madigan said. The Illinois Supreme Court has ruled
repeatedly, Madigan said, that the level of school funding is "the province of
the General Assembly," not the courts.
Madigan
concluded that the judgment of the attorney general on how much funding the
state should provide "cannot be substituted" for that of the General Assembly,
nor can the courts’.
Now reform
proponents are considering whether to push for a constitutional amendment to
force the state to meet the 50 percent target. Most reform advocates are
skeptical that the Legislature will ever approve a reform package that would
include a tax increase of some kind at the state level. Re-election is the top
priority of many legislators, and
Madigan
described herself as an education supporter during her campaign, and said that
if she was elected she would be an "advocate of changing the way the schools are
funded." She specifically mentioned that the method of school funding in
Reform
advocates, especially those from the Southland, ought to consider that approach.
The state’s heavy reliance on property taxes to fund public education results in
vast disparities in funding between school districts. Affluent communities with
expensive homes and lots of businesses have far more money to spend on their
schools than communities with little property wealth.
The
undeniable fact is that a disproportionate percentage of minority children are
in schools that suffer from the current funding system. On the face of it, that
looks discriminatory.
Of course,
a lawsuit would take time, perhaps years, and implementation of a court-ordered
solution might take years more. But the Legislature has demonstrated for decades
that it is not going to address this issue. And a referendum
on a constitutional amendment would likely lead to a court battle itself.
The state’s inadequate and unfair funding system needs
to be junked and replaced with a system that is fair to all
(Daily Southtown)
Two
financially struggling school districts,
Each
district expects to save about $60,000 a year by sharing District 81 Supt. Al
Gegenheimer, who will split his time between the two. Union officials said they
will use the savings to help restore some teaching positions that were cut
because of budget problems.
We commend
these two districts for finding an innovative way to help weather the type of
financial crisis that has befallen many school districts statewide.
With the
state failing to adequately support public education and legislators showing no
immediate signs of fixing the problem, districts such as these have been forced
to — as Will County regional Supt. Richard Duran said — "think outside the
box.’’
Leaders in
Union District 81, which has about 180 students at one school, say they have
researched the idea. They say
But a
centralized administrative staff might allow the districts to trim expenses. A
larger, consolidated district might be able to bargain for products and services
at better prices.
Until the
state commits to encouraging consolidation and fixing the flaws in school
funding, school districts such as Union District 81 and Laraway District 70C
must by themselves find courage to further examine the
idea of unification.
True, consolidation likely would eliminate jobs. Some
independence may be lost. But those are concerns reserved for adults — and
should not impact what might be the right decision for
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First-of-a-Kind
Report: What Does Research Say About How To Prepare Quality
Teachers?
The report cautions
governors and education officials that almost no teacher preparation strategy
has more than limited research evidence to support it. At the same time, the
report attempts to draw implications for policy from the small amount of
research evidence that does exist.
"To be sure, the lack of
solid research about teacher preparation is disappointing," said Michael Allen,
a program director at ECS and author of the report, "Eight Questions on Teacher
Preparation: What Does the Research Say?" "On the other hand," Allen said, "I
believe the report can provide some very helpful guidance for policymakers and
should, at the very least, caution them that those individuals who insist the
research supports their position are likely overstating their case."The report,
called "a monumental undertaking" by David Imig, chief executive officer of the
American Association of Colleges, is the most comprehensive effort to date to
analyze teacher preparation research and determine what evidence it provides,
and how it might guide education policies and
teacher
preparation
programs.
"The report is very
clear that higher education and the federal government need to get serious about
supporting better educational research in many domains, including research on
effective strategies to prepare teachers," Imig said.
The discovery that there
is little concrete evidence about one of the most important areas of
high-quality education should "serve as a call to arms for policymakers, teacher
educators, researchers and funders," said Ted Sanders, ECS president.
Eight Questions on
Teacher Preparation summarizes 92 research studies selected from a group of 500
and explores topics such as:
How much teachers
benefit from having varying amounts of subject-specific knowledge (e.g., a minor
in mathematics versus a bachelor’s degree)
How much classroom
experience prior to certification contributes to teacher effectiveness
The pros and cons of
traditional teacher preparation routes versus alternative
routes
The report also
discusses the appropriate role of research in policy decisions and recommends
ways teacher preparation research can be improved to be more useful. Those
recommendations include:
Improve the quality and
increase the amount of teacher preparation research to make it more useful to
policymakers and teacher educators
Connect teacher
preparation research to student achievement
Create a culture that
believes education practice should be research-based much like medical
practice
Cristopher T. Cross, ECS
Distinguished Senior Fellow and a former assistant secretary for research in the
U.S. Department of Education, said the report will "at last give policymakers a
map to what [research-based information] exists and where
we
are simply flying in the
dark."
Former Wyoming Governor
Jim Geringer, 1999-2000 ECS chairman, said, "I still remember every great
teacher I had during my school days. But what made them great? Up until
recently, we’ve left that question unanswered except by the stories that
parents
and students tell about
their experiences.
"We should answer that
question through quality research-based on clear standards so that we can
properly guide teacher preparation and properly support teachers," Geringer
said. "We owe it to our kids and those who are called to
teach."
Eight Questions on
Teacher Preparation was developed with a grant from the U.S. Department of
Education’s (USDE) Fund for the Improvement of Education. Subsequent reports
about research related to teacher recruitment and retention and licensure
and
certification will be released over
the next 18 months.
Eight
Questions on Teacher Preparation and a summary of it are available on the ECS
Web site at
http://www.ecs.org/tpreport. A print copy
of the 140-page report is available for $20 (plus postage and handling) by
calling ECS at 303.299.3692. Ask
for publication
#TQ-03-01.
NAEP Report Shows
Writing Scores Improve In Fourth and Eighth Grades, Remain Flat In 12th
Grade
(From White House daily
report)
The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP)
in a report released this morning found that "the writing of American students
in fourth and eighth grades has improved significantly since 1998, but the
average writing performance of high school seniors was unchanged." The report
added, "At all three grades, about 75 to 85 percent of students were able to
reach the Basic achievement level, a standard of partial mastery for their grade
that indicates at least minimal effectiveness in getting their main points
across. The proportion at Proficient rose significantly at both fourth and
eighth grades. Even so, only about a quarter to 30 percent could reach the
standard for Proficient writing, which requires an
organized and coherent response with clear language and supporting detail."
Education Secretary Rod Paige said in a statement,
"Overall, there is good news in this NAEP report. White, Black and Hispanic
students all had higher average scores than four years ago, and it’s encouraging
to see that scores for lower-income students have gone up at both the fourth and
eighth grades. ... Meanwhile, we still have to find creative ways to encourage
our high school seniors. Their results haven’t changed since 1998. While it
appears that our nation’s schools are moving in the right direction in producing
better writers, there is cause for guarded optimism. We still have a lot of work
to do: despite these significant gains, more than two-thirds of the nation’s
students still perform below the proficient level in writing. We need to make a
collective effort to help our students become better writers. It will require
diligence because one size does not fit all in any endeavor to improve student
performance in any subject. We must find out what works best for which
students."