Education News: August 7, 2009

Following are some of the top headlines from the world of education for the week ending August 7, 2009.

Program that Gives Cash for Passing APs Sees Positive Results
(New York Times, August 4, 2009) A New York City program which rewards students with money when they pass Advanced Placement exams has begun to see positive results as students pass the exams at a higher rate.  The program, called Reach or Rewarding Achievement, offers up to $1,000 per test to students at twenty-six public schools and five catholic schools, all with large minority enrollments.  Overall, the passing rate rose from 32% last year to 33% this year, with over 800 more tests taken this year than last.  Results from individual schools, however, varied widely as some schools improved and some worsened.  The results of the privately funded $2 million program were announced on Wednesday, and organizers anticipate that the results will help the program receive more funding.  Edward Rodriguez, the executive director of Reach, attributed the improvement to a change that linked the reward to a student’s attendance at Saturday tutoring sessions.  In total, the program awarded $825,000 this year.

NYC Sees Gains in Testing, Though Some Remain Critical
(New York Times, August 3, 2009) One of New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s main focuses during his seven-year stint as Mayor has been on standardized testing.  They determine which schools open or close and also the bonuses received by schools’ administrations.  Standardized testing has become more important across the country due to increased accountability from No Child Left Behind.  The increased weight given to the tests has often received criticism due to concerns that it forces students to hone their test-taking skills as opposed to their critical thinking.  A New York Times analysis of test scores reveals that since 2002, passing rates have risen from 42% to 82% in math and 38% to 69% in English.  While the gap in passing rates between white and Asian students and black and Hispanic students has shrunk significantly, the gap in actual scores has remained constant.  Bloomberg is expected to use the positive results to further his cause to retain control of the city’s schools, an issue which will soon be taken up by the State Senate.  Some educators, however, attribute the gains to greater comfort with test-taking and a greater knowledge of test-taking shortcuts, neither of which are good substitutes for increased knowledge and comprehension. Additionally, some claim that easier exams are to credit for the improvement, as the 2007 National Assessment of Educational Progress showed that the city’s eighth graders had made no significant gains in reading or math since the mayor took control.

New Data Tool in Colorado Assesses Student Achievement Over Time
(Denver Post, August 7, 2009)  On Friday, Colorado state officials will officially rollout the new Colorado Growth Model, a data tool that looks at student achievement over time.  Instead of examining static scores from the Colorado Student Assessment Program, the new model will look at how much students learn over time.  While the CSAP will still be an important indicator, it will be used as part of the larger model.  Specifically, the model takes a student's CSAP performance over the years, and compares it to other Colorado students in the same grade who had similar scores in past years.  This way, each student will have a pediatrician-like academic growth percentile mapping their learning.  No other state has a similar tool, but Indiana and Massachusetts have already expressed interest.  Using the new tool, the public is able to visit schoolview.org to find out how well their school, district and/or state are doing at pushing achievement and growth.  It has taken four years and at least $1.8 million in public and private funding to develop the growth model.  The state hopes the tool will give it a leg up in the competition for a slice of the $4.35 billion Race to the Top funding that will be given out by Education Secretary Arne Duncan.

California to Reconsider Law Banning Use of Test Scores in Teacher Evaluation
(Los Angeles Times, August 4, 2009)  The California state Senate’s Education Committee will look at a 2006 law later this month that bars the use of test scores to evaluate teacher performance.  The law may need to change if the state hopes to receive Race to the Top federal education reform dollars.  The chairwoman of the Education Committee, State Sen. Gloria Romero, said she plans to hold a hearing when the committee reconvenes later this month to examine whether any laws need revision.  Several states have already revised laws to comply with the Obama administration's guidelines.  State education leaders, however, insist that federal officials are misinterpreting the law.  If the law is changed, backlash is expected from the teachers unions who have consistently resisted reforms regarding data-driven teacher evaluations. 

Survey Suggests ‘Obama Effect’ Present in Volunteer Efforts of Black Parents
(USA Today, August 6, 2009)  Last winter, it was documented that current President Barack Obama’s rise during the presidential election coincided with vast improvement by African-Americans on skills tests.  This “Obama Effect,” as the phenomenon is called, helped to narrow the black-white achievement gap.  A recent survey found that a volunteering gap may be narrowing as well, as African-American parents of children in K-12 reported that they were more likely to volunteer in the classroom since Obama’s rise to power.  The survey found that the percentage of parents willing to volunteer rose from 23% last year to 60% this year.  Over the same period, the percentage of white parents rose from 47% to 53%.  GreatSchools, a San Francisco non-profit that promotes parental involvement, released the results of the survey on Thursday.

D.C. Schools to Offer STD Tests to All High School Students in Upcoming Year
(Washington Post, August 5, 2009)  D.C. School officials are planning to offer tests for sexually transmitted diseases to all high school students in the coming school year.  This represents an expansion of a pilot program, which discovered that a significant number of students were infected.  The pilot found that 13% of 3,000 from eight high schools had an STD, most often gonorrhea or chlamydia.  Test results were provided confidentially by telephone and the city paid for treatment at the school or an STD clinic, unless a student chose to be treated by a private physician.  Students who tested positive were counseled about STDs and HIV prevention and were strongly encouraged to share the information with their parents.  The program requires students to attend a lecture on STDs, but they are allowed to opt out of providing a urine sample.  It is a near copy of a program begun in Philadelphia in 2002.  In a 2007 study, 60% of high school students and 30% of middle school students reported having had intercourse, with 20% of high school students reporting that they had had sex with four or more partners and 12% of middle school students saying that they had had three or more partners.  Many view the program as a positive step in the city’s efforts to stop its increasing AIDS rate, which is the highest in the nation.

Schools Likely to Serve as Centers for Swine Flu Immunization
(USA Today, August 6, 2009)  According to officials briefed in Washington, D.C. on Thursday, the nation’s schools could serve as mass vaccination sites if swine flu makes a strong comeback this fall.  It is not yet clear whether the schools will serve only students or wider communities as well.  According to Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, first in line for vaccinations will probably be school-age children, young adults with risky conditions such as asthma, pregnant women and health workers. While about two dozen officials representing education associations, unions and child care providers got an advance description, federal officials are expected to release updated guidelines to the public on Friday, August 7.  The guidelines were created as part of a collaboration between Health and Human Services, the Department of Education and the Department of Homeland Security.