Over Testing Resolution

The following is an email from UEA President Sharon Gallagher-Fishbaugh.


Over the past few weeks, students have been taking SAGE tests on writing. We have heard from many of you about the challenges your students have experienced with this test and others.

The UEA has assisted Rep. Marie Poulson in writing a resolution (numbered HCR7, view here) to minimize excessive testing and its negative impacts on the schoolchildren of Utah.

HCR7 is being heard in the House Education Standing Committee on Tuesday, February 17, at 4:10 p.m. in Room 30 in the House Building (view agenda). I will be testifying in support of this resolution. I encourage you, your members and anyone who can possibly join us to do so. Our presence will show our support of this resolution and the efforts of Rep. Poulson.

Even if you cannot attend, please share your testing stories by e-mailing your Legislator.

Thank you!

Sharon Gallagher-Fishbaugh
UEA President

UEA Application for Assessment Literacy Task Force

UEA is looking for master teachers, specialists, and administrators from all levels who have designed assessments, analyzed assessment data, used data for student progress, and have a basic understanding of the role of assessments in Student Learning Objectives (SLOs).  If you or someone you know who is a member of JEA have developed these skills through a master’s program, NBCT, SAGE item writing, SLO writing, or PLCs, I encourage you to apply for this unique opportunity to lead our profession through designing assessment literacy curriculum for UEA members.  See the information below and this link to the JEA website and application. 

 There is a $1500 stipend for your work on this task force.  Application deadline is Friday, November 28.

 

 

DATE:          November 11, 2014

RE:              TIME-SENSITIVE:  Call for Applications for Assessment Literacy Task Force

This memorandum serves as a call for applications to the Assessment Literacy task force. We are seeking UEA members with:

·         Experience in assessment literacy including competency designing assessment, analyzing baseline student data, developing growth targets for students, utilizing data to monitor student progress; and creating valid, reliable, developmentally appropriate student assessments

·         Knowledge of current assessment literacy curriculum and research

·         Basic understanding of Student Learning Objectives (SLO)and the correlation of assessments to the creation of SLOs.

 

The Task Force has a very tight timeline for its work setting an April 2015 deadline for reporting to the UEA Board of Directors.  Therefore, the DEADLINE FOR APPLICATIONS IS NOVEMBER 28, 2014.  The application form is attached.

We are hard at work throughout the organization gathering input and data necessary for the task force to do its work.  This is a unique opportunity for UEA and our locals to take the lead on supporting our member educators through the creation of an assessment literacy curriculum related to the creation of Student Learning Objectives.  Thank you!

Sharon Gallagher-Fishbaugh, M.A., NBCT

President, Utah Education Association
2009 Utah Teacher of the Year

Prosperity 2020 Academic Excellence Symposium

Following are my notes from the Symposium.  It was a TED Talk set up with each speaker taking about 10 minutes.  You can see news coverage and read the Prosperity 2020 plan.



Attending:  Dr. Johnson, Peggy Jo Kennett, Susan Pulsipher, Todd Quarnberg, Brian Larsen, about 15 UEA members, NEA executive committee member

4th grader John Haugland from Mountain View Elementary asked the question, "Do you believe in me?"  We can reach our highest potential. Students need educators. Believe in your colleagues and yourself. Students need all of us. What you are doing is the most important job in the state.

 Alan Hall, chairman of Prosperity 2020, and Gail Miller, business owner, welcomed all. Need educated workforce. 5 year plan to move Utah to one of the top education programs in nation. Stakeholders must work together to achieve this plan.

 Utah teacher of the year 2014 Mohsen Ghaffari spoke about his background growing up in Iran with parents who did not have a chance for much education. Teaching is not easy. Need collaboration. Education is not I trouble, but it needs help."

 Rob Hutter, Learn Captial, education venture capitalist in technology, spoke about the good and not good.  Great education return on investment, but low pay for teachers. A decade ago, there were no iPhones, Facebook, or social media. There has been an explosion of education technology companies. Responsive education revolution said more money can flow to teachers. Gave examples of lots of programs for education. He said most of the money spent should go to training teachers, not licenses.

Steve Kroes from Utah Foundation spoke about some changes in Utah achievement. Data from 1990s was surprisingly good: 10th highest in reading, and 15th highest in math. Saw elected officials who cared about students' education. The following 10 years there was a slide: now 28th in reading, and 30th in math, just average. Scores have started to rebound. Olene Walker K-3 reading initiative played a part. Back up to 28th in math. Internationally, 22 nations significantly outperform USA in math. Have high quality of life in Salt Lake City.

Natalie Gochnour is dean of U of U business school talked about the economic impact. Deep poverty of most of human history is foreign to prosperous USA. Accelerated change started with Industrial Revolution. We do not know what the future holds. Education's virtuous cycle, where education leads to ideas, which leads to better health, which leads to prosperity. Need investment and productivity. Our commitment to education has fallen from 7th in 1995 to 29th in the nation today. Education equals employment, earnings, upward mobility, tax revenue, and civil society. Utah has 32nd highest tax burden in nation. Tax changes in the last 20 years have resulted in $400 million a year less. Income inequality is growing.

Governor Herbert spoke about high expectations. He said SAGE is designed to give more accurate look at where we are. Cannot compare CRT to SAGE. Not unusual to see a drop in scores when you raise the expectations. Expects scores to climb over the years. Scores do point out that we have work ahead of us. Trust local and state school boards to make good decisions. Utah has best value for education in USA. We are not just throwing money at education. We are last in spending. Need to expand and find better ways to do things. Need to transform, not reform education. "Preserving the good and promoting the better." -- Chase Peterson. He wants to put together a comprehensive, strategic 10-year plan for education. Ambitious goal for one of top 10 states in nation in education outcomes. We can't thank our teachers enough for the work they do. Teaching is a great, rewarding profession, but it is hard. Avoid one size fits all mentality. Find ways to work together and cooperate on 10-year plan.

Greg Bell, Lane Beattie, Dave Dottie, and Richard Kendall presented the Prosperity 2020 5-year plan. Developed and endorsed by the business community. We want to be an economic powerhouse. Utah is ranked 3rd for business, but 46th for education. Good cannot be the enemy of great. Utah has not had a plan for education: growth, minority students, etc. Best education systems pursue reading proficiency by the end of third grade, math proficiency by end of eighth grade. Read by end of third grade, proficiency in math, best graduation rates. Massachusetts implemented an education plan and have seen results (they also spend 3 times more per student than Utah). Takes commitment over time. Every young person needs a certificate or degree after high school to make it. Too many drop out of college. Wasatch Front has the highest number of adults who started college but never finished.

Nadine Wimmer from KSL spoke about the need to have students reading on grade level by the end of third grade. She leads KSL's Read Today tutoring program. Program is particularly effective in 3rd through 6th grade. Program is free, because it is run by volunteers.

Brenda Van Gorder from Granite district pre-school program spoke about the importance of early childhood education. Children who start school behind others their age never catch up. High-quality pre-school makes a difference. Teach alphabet knowledge, book and phonemic awareness, and vocabulary.

Sara Krebbs, literacy coordinator for Cache County spoke about reading. Self esteem suffers when we don't have enough skills to participate. Reading is a gatekeeper skill to 85% of the content in the school day. Same with employment. Every child receives small group reading instruction for 30 minutes every day. Para professionals receive training, literacy facilitators provide that training and make and adjust groups, and classroom teachers work together. Above level readers also receive instruction they need. Must build a foundation in reading first.

Logan Hall from Salt Lake District, with students from Highland High and Hillside Middle spoke about STEM. Students did some science demonstrations.

Robert Goodman from New Jersey Center for Teaching and Learning (which was developed by NJEA) STEM program spoke about his experience starting a pre-engineering program. Www.njctl.org has free and editable course content. Need to teach physics in 9th grade, so need more physics teachers. Social justice and global competitiveness are two sides of the same coin.

Senator Howard Stephenson spoke about mastery through personalized learning. Computer assisted instructional software which delivers to each student personalized feedback to every response. He visited a middle school with 75 students in a computer lab working on math software, and it was completely silent. They were getting what they needed with immediate feedback. His goal to teach every Utah student to make dopamine in their own heads. Have a shortage of computers. Students are digital natives who should not have to power down to come to school.

Blake and Bo Nemelka, Riverton High graduates and authors of "Beat the Middle: the Middle School Student's Guide to Academic Success" spoke about starting to think about college in 6th grade. Have conversations about what is needed to go to college at early ages. Students need inspiring parents and mentors. Accountability to the right factors over right period of time.

Gina Buttars, principal at Roy High, spoke about improving graduation rates and helping students be college and career ready. Power of one: child, teacher, town, team, dream.  Everyone graduates! Collaborating within their high school feeder system to focus on one goal of everyone graduating.  Home visits to students who are not coming to school. Volunteers working with elementary students who are struggling. Each staff member is focusing on one student. Increase of 5% in their graduation rate over 5 years. Average daily attendance has increased from 94% to 96%. Immense power and possibility in one dream.

Melissa Kincart is commissioner of outreach and access in higher education system. She spoke about school counselors and how they can be better utilized. Look at systems of how counselors are spending time. Key member of high school leadership teams. Counselor training is lacking in the college and career readiness area. Need more counselors.

Commissioner of Higher Education David Buhler spoke about who students go to college. Only half of students who start college finish. Need 4 years of math in high school and in first year of college. Encourage students to go to school full time, which is 15 credits per semester. You can take 15 credits for the same cost as 12 credits.

David Pattinson from American Future, which is a nonprofit supporting youth. Building relationships is important. Teach entrepreneurship. Education needs to be tied to careers.  Thinks job shadowing should be happening at younger ages. Need to learn soft skills like communication and interpersonal relationships. Tie what you teach to a career, how will students use the info later in life.  Show how exciting different jobs are.

Laura Leon is a juris doctorate candidate at the U.  She is an immigrant from Columbia and talked about her experience integrating into school. Received good support from teachers and knew if she worked hard, she could be whatever she wanted to be.

Eric Hanushek from Stanford said we have underestimated the importance of achievement.

K-12 Goals:

• Goal 1: Utah ranks in top 10 in reading - K-3 reading curriculum, PLCs, voluntary pre-school, community schools, support for at-risk students, optional full-day kindergarten - $65 million over 5 years.
• Goal 2: Utah ranks in top 10 in math - technology devices, technology-based math assessment tools, endorsements and technology training for teachers, PLCs, STEM endorsements - $42.5 million over 5 years
• Goal 3: Utah ranks in top 10 in graduation rates - additional counselors and mentors, counselor training, student advocates, academic coaches, tutors - $20 million over 5 years
• Goal 4:  K-12 Teacher compensation and PD - $280 million over 5 years

Higher Ed Goals:

• Goal 1 Higher Ed Compensation - $145 million over 5 years
• Goal 2: Utah ranks in top 10 in degrees and certificates - rewards for colleges that increase completion rates, access and outreach, initiatives for underserved students, programs that meet high-wage and high-demand workforce needs, financial aid and scholarships or lower and middle income students - $85 million over 5 years
• Goal 3:  Affordability of college and financial aid - $35 million over 5 years

 

UEA released the Education Excellence Report in January 2014.  This was research done by UEA Members on what is needed for Education Excellence.  Here is a comparison of the two reports.

 

Similarities:

• collaboration
• focus on student learning
• professional development
• providing resources
• funding

Missing from Prosperity 2020 plan:

• rigorous pre-service teaching programs
• effective, valid, reliable teacher evaluation
• policies to strengthen the teaching profession
• career options for teachers to stay in classroom
• respecting teachers as experts

Governor's Faculty Meeting

You were well represented yesterday at the 2013 Governor's Education Summit:  A Faculty Meeting with the Governor.  You can view the meeting at UEN.

Waiting to enter the auditorium

On PACE to 66% by 2020

Prepare

• 90% proficiency in 3rd, 6th, and 8th grade reading and math
• 90% of high school students taking the ACT

Access

• 90% high school graduation rate
• 80% of high school students pursuing post secondary credit
• Eliminate waiting lists in required post secondary courses

Complete

• 13% of Utahns with a board-approved certificate
• 14% of Utahns with associates degree
• 28% of Utahns with Bachelor's degree
• 11% of Utahns with graduate degree

Economy

• 90% of graduates employed in chosen field earning living wages or better

Governor Herbert talked about the statistics of public education in Utah.

• 1,072 neighborhood public schools
• 97 charter schools
• 26,000 teachers
• 600,000 students
• $3.4 billion on education in 2013-14
• $6500 per students
• Need 4% increase in degrees and certificates awarded each year to make the 66% by 2020 goal

At each level, teachers have specific jobs to do.  In elementary, teachers should give students a good start to their education, proficiency in literacy, use of SAGE, and helping students achieve a year of growth.  Middle school teachers should have 90% proficiency in Math and Language Arts and 90% of students taking the EXPLORE test.  In high school, students should take the PLAN and ACT tests, more advanced classes, have an SEOP for transition to post-secondary education, and improve graduation rates.

He also said that education will require a long-term investment.  That as the economy grows and there are more efficiencies in state government that those savings can go to education.  He wants teachers to embrace technology, raise the bar, and realize this will not be easy.  More money is not the cure all, and we need to be more resourceful with our current resources.  "I have confidence in you.  I know your task is not easy."

State Superintendent Menlove said the 2014 legislative requests from the state office include:

• Money for reading intervention
• Funds to support middle grade math instruction
• Technology infrastructure and support
• Addressing improving graduation rates

Dave Buhler, Commissioner of Higher Education, noted that in 1960, Utah ranked 3rd in the nation for the percent of residents with a Bachelor's degree of higher.  In 1980, Utah had dropped to 8th place, and now Utah is in 21st place.  He also commented that students in high school need to be taking advantage of the opportunity to take rigorous and advanced classes, particularly in math.

The Governor concluded by saying he was "most proud of teachers for doing more with less," that "the best value in public education in the nation is in Utah", and the state "can do better in resources and outcomes."




There was a reception following the faculty meeting where the JEA members were able to meet and talk with Governor Herbert.

Computer Adaptive Testing Meeting

I attended the Computer Adaptive Testing meeting held by USOE last week.  These are my notes.  This is the USOE website where this information is found. 

UCAS-Utah Comprehensive Accountability System
SAGE- Student Assessment of Growth and Excellence

Accountability is only as good as the assessments.

School growth score calculation:  600 total = 300 growth (200 all students + 100 below proficient) + 300 achievement (percent at or above proficient for elementary and middle / high 150 at or above proficient + 150 for graduation rate)

AIR (American Institutes for Research) will create the assessments. AIR is a non-profit company which has experience in CAT (Computer Adaptive Testing) other states. Utah will have technology enhanced, machine-scored graphic response, machine-scored natural language, and machine-scored simulations to provide immediate results.  Assessments will work on iPad.

Utah is determining the questions unique to Utah. Focus in design is on student accessibility and providing tools to enable students to show what they know. You can enter accommodations for each student.

Three parts: formative (tools for teachers), interim and summative (similar tests given at beginning, middle, and end of year), instant and detailed reporting. Only end of year is required by law. Point of interim assessments is to provide tools to help teachers know what students are learning so they can make adjustments in instruction.

Features include:  standards-based, adaptive, accessible, instant-detailed reporting, link to formative tools.

UTIPS Core system will be replaced by formative system in AIR and will have an open-source library including UTIPS questions with instructional resources. Power in the system is in teachers using formative tools to adjust teaching.

Formative system will be live fall 2013 with UTIPS items and AIR items aligned to core. Assessments teachers have made under UTIPS Core will not be available. Teachers will have to reenter these in February when formative questions go live. No beginning and mid year assessments for 2013-2014. The end of year in spring 2014 will not have instant results available and those questions will be used as the pilot. System will be fully operational in 2014-2015.

Different approach to questions. More in depth understanding.

DWA will only be done for two more years. There will be writing response items within the CAT system. The testing will not look like DWA which is not aligned to new core.

Item difficulty changes based on student answers. Want difficulty to be at about 50% correct level. Recalculates ability after each item. Will not publish percent proficient or correct, because it is meaningless. Content measured will be the same. Must teach same content to all students including resource students. Don't restrict curriculum. Hope to have only 2-3% that will top out and not have any other questions available. Need to tell students next year that the test is designed to adapt to them so they will get about 50% correct. This will be more correct for lower students and less correct answers for higher end students.

Accessibility: text-to-speech, magnification, increased font size, highlighter, answer eliminator, keyboard navigation, text-to-Braille, tactile graphics, signing type

Various reports on individual students will be available. All systems are connected: formative, interim, summative.

Demo of formative system during webinar on April 3 at this website starting at 2:00 p.m.  Archived at this website under Monthly Webinars.

Teachers can be trained as a test item writer or as a reviewer.

Combination of accountability using growth and CAT is a big deal in a positive way.

Teachers need a paradigm shift. Assessing needs to be part of instruction. Formative will be part of how we teach and deliver instruction.

Council of Local Presidents

Judy Park from the Utah State Office of Education spoke about Computer Adaptive Testing.  The test will adapt from the lowest level of content within a grade and/or subject to the highest level of content.  There are some informational meetings scheduled to share information about the new testing system.  I encourage you to attend on of the meeings in our area:

• Tuesday, March 19 at Elk Ridge Middle from 4 - 6 p.m.
• Wednesday, March 20 at Granite District Office (2500 S. State) from 4 - 6 p.m.
• Thursday, March 21 at Salt Lake District Office (440 E. 100 S.) from 4 - 6 p.m.

There are questions about flipping to EFT and seeing the large amount.  The system takes the entire year's dues and divides by the number of EFT months remaining without considering the amount already paid by payroll deduction.  Members should be told that the amount is incorrect and is adjusted by Michelle, our administrative assistant, to be the correct amount per month for the remaining months after the member has flipped.

NEA has an anti-bullying program called "Bully Free, It Starts with Me."  UEA has a goal to reduce and eventually eradicate bullying and arrassment, in all their forms, among students and adults. 

Sara Jones and I presented information about the Evaluation Organizing Project.  Our first step is to inform all members about the Public Education Employment Reform Act of 2012 (SB64).  We will be showing a video to all licensed educators over the next two months.  You can view the presentation on the myUEA.org website now.

Sue Dickey and Ryan Anderson, NEA Directors, shared their report.  "Raise Your Hand" campaign is about leading the profession of public education.  They work to build relationships with members of Congress to influence policy at the national level. 

Excellent Letter

The following letter is from JEA member Leslie Thompson.  She gave me permission to share it with you.  She has articulately expressed what many of us as classroom teachers are feeling. 



February 23, 2013

Dear Superintendent Johnson, Representative McCay, and Governor Herbert:

 

For several reasons, this has been the most challenging year of my teaching career. One reason is that I'm teaching a new curriculum, but my students will still be tested on the old one. Another reason involves our district’s recent implementation of PLCs (Professional Learning Communities) and constant demand for statistics and results when there hasn't been enough time to gather either. A fellow teacher and I have dedicated a surplus of 80 hours outside of our contract time to develop and begin implementing the required common assessments. In addition to preparing a new curriculum for three different courses, writing a new assessment, participating in committees and clubs, and losing class time to PLCs (which I believe in, but they need time to actually work before I can assess their success), assemblies, testing, and completing requisite test-prep packets (by this I mean students filling out bubble sheets about whether or not they want to mow lawns when they grow up), I'm expected to do my day job – help kids improve and hone their reading analysis, writing and thinking skills. And I'm doing it for less money than I was a few years ago.

I'm not asking for a raise. I'm asking for an improvement in the way we see education and the role of teachers. We frequently hear that teachers are the constant and most effective factor in improving student skills – but a truer statement is that teachers are the most effective of the controllable factors within a school system. Since schools can't control parents or poverty, which are greater factors in student success, we focus on just telling teachers to do more with less. The constant barrage of teacher bashing and trying to fire "bad teachers" is ruining the profession for the majority of us who are good. And I promise you, I'm good at my job. You may ask my students, the parents of my students, or the administrators who talk to those students and work with me directly. Better yet, instead of asking my students about my teaching, ask them about the world – ask them about what they've learned and how they think. Read some of their essays or watch some of their presentations. I know that actually asking the people who matter what they think takes too much time. So, fine. Look at my test scores. They're good. Pick a test, any test: SRI? CRT? ACT? Department common assessment? My kids take them all and I'm not worried about their scores – but those scores are byproducts of ten years of other great teachers, good parents, healthy kids, and the fact that I lucked out and teach honors and AP classes. You are welcome to look at my test scores, but they paint a small portion of the picture of who my students are and how effective I am at my job.

There is money in saying that education is bad. Large companies and corporations make money when teachers are blamed – they can develop programs and sell textbooks and tax payers pay them to fix me. So we'll continue to say our education system is broken because corporate profits are more important than our kids. But if we're really worried about student success, and we really want to find models of success to emulate and implement, let's do that. The answer isn't charter schools or school vouchers. We like to compare our kids to kids in more academically successful countries – and it's not charter schools that make those countries’ students successful. Nope, it's a combination of low poverty rates and teachers who are well trained, well compensated, and well respected. It's not programs or textbooks or private schools. It is good curriculum with minimal testing. It is training teachers and giving them the time and respect to do what they do well and improving the living conditions of children so they can actually have the energy to be successful. That's it. It's simple – not easy, but simple.

Right now, you are the people who have the most control over the students I care about. Please care about the students more than politics. Please actually read the research about what makes schools better – research by people and organizations without a vested financial interest in your believing one way or another; research by people who care about kids more than pocketbooks. Of course I would love a raise; but what I'd love even more is the respect I deserve and the support to actually work with my students to help them be better citizens – fewer tests, more actual time in class with each student, and an environment that encourages them to value academics and be creative, critical, innovative, and interested.

I know that we live in a conservative climate and that the current desire to test kids and get rid of "bad teachers" through merit pay and other de-centives permeates the rhetoric. I don't believe it opposes the conservative values of our culture to localize the control of education to the school level, eliminate bureaucracy, and stop paying large corporations to tell us how to do our jobs. A good education is a fundamental right for all children and is necessary for our great country to be successful. Privatizing education and pitting teachers against each other will not accomplish the goal of encouraging all children to think critically while preparing them for a diverse workforce and participation in their communities. There are better ways that have the benefit of being both simpler and more just for all kids.

This article and this one outline some of the ideas I've shared here. I think they’re worth considering, even if you think the ideas are too "liberal." In my perfect society, we'd care more about the value of an idea than whether it came from a liberal or a conservative person. But maybe teaching our kids to think this way – to question and analyze and consider multiple perspectives – is the reason we want them to take bubble tests and forget to think. If teachers actually got to help kids be critical thinkers, we might get a generation who questioned their leaders and thought for themselves. But I'd like to believe that we all really do want to do the right thing and are just struggling to define what that right thing is. These articles should help with that definition.

Thank you for your time and consideration.

Sincerely,

Leslie Thompson, M.Ed.
Riverton High School
English Department

Meeting with Dr. Johnson

I had my monthly meeting with Superintendent Johnson on Thursday.  I asked about principal transfers.  She said she expects some, and they will happen after the Teacher Transfer Fairs. 

We talked about the four common practices of successful elementary schools in Jordan District:  well-functioning PLC's, Balanced Literacy, Math and Reading Benchmarks, and Interventions.  If your principal is really pushing these items, it is because s/he is being told to do them from the district level.

NCUEA Conference Day 3

Yesterday was the final day of the conference.  Diane Ravitch was the keynote speaker. She was part of the Bush administration and supported NCLB. She has seen the effects and changed her position. She wrote a book called "The Death and Life of the Great American School System" which discusses how choice and testing have harmed public schools.  She spoke about the narrative of failing public schools full of bad teachers who don't care about kids, because the union makes sure they have a lifetime job. She does not support this. She said unions are not the reason schools are failing. Finland is 105% union, because all teachers and principals belong to the same union. Teach for America (TFA) is not a teacher training program, it is a leadership training program where young people are not teaching very long then becoming superintendent. The problem is privatization and de-professionalization of teaching.

The union doesn't give tenure. We need to stop using the word. Tenure only means we have due process, not lifetime employment. Last in, first out (LIFO) campaign followed. Problems with firing older teachers. She understands the conservative thinking, because she worked in their think tanks for many years. They want vouchers. Charters are a substitute for vouchers. This is a campaign for choice, which leads to privatization.  Unions are the enemy of all the conservative think tanks want to accomplish. The ideas she thought were bad have now been adopted by Obama. Under first President Bush, she was swayed to support testing and vouchers. She sees the problems now. Testing, accountability, and choice is the single message coming out of Congress. She doesn't think it is right that states must compete for federal funds. The majority of kids with needs will not get the money they need because of the competition. Federal funds should be distributed by formula based on need. NCLB needs to go away.

‎100% proficiency goal is unrealistic. What NCLB has done is set up public education to fail. This is demonizing the profession and demoralizing teachers. Congress is not looking at the big picture. Race to the Top is NCLB 2.0. To be eligible for federal funding, you must increase the number of charter schools. Most charter schools are not out-performing public schools. The general public has been led to believe charters are better. Charters do not have to meet same requirements as public schools.  With all the advantages of charter schools, charters are not doing a better job educating students. A public school is not a "chain store" to close if it doesn't make money.  Conservatives are  not privatizing firefighters and police force. Some places are starting to privatize libraries, which is also wrong. Low-level corporate thinking is the problem. Best corporate thinking is to treat your employees like gold (i.e. Google). Students know they can withhold their efforts on tests to hurt their teachers.

Tea party people like the conservative narrative. The governors are cutting benefits for teachers and taxes for large corporations. New Orleans district is rebuilding from TFA and receiving praise. Diane can't find foundations that support public education, but the big ones support "reform" (Gates, Walton - owners of Walmart). Democrats for Education Reform are gaining support. Billionaires around the nation are spending a lot on politics to push the conservative agenda for privatization. They are recommending for other people's children what they would not allow for their own children. Stand for Children, Teach First, Educators for Excellence, are some of the other organizations that are influencing policy and laws in other states.

NEA needs to persuade Obama administration that if they don't change their education policy, teachers won't come out to vote for him. Jeb Bush is working hard for privatization. Cyber-charters are the cash cow of education. Full per pupil spending but not all the services of a public school (librarians, teacher help, socialization) are provided for that amount. Test scores and graduation rates are very low for cyber-charters. 

No other country uses test scores as part of evaluation. Principals in New York want the new evaluation system piloted somewhere before full implementation. The real problem is poverty. Testing and evaluation is a diversion tactic. The biggest predictor of success on any test is family income.  Why is Finland number one if they don't have standardized tests? New book out "Finnish Lessons". Finland spent 30 years transforming education system. Young people compete to get into teacher preparation programs. Teaching is a well-respected profession. Only 4% poverty. Less diversity than us, but better test scores than other similarly homogeneous countries.  Accountability must include all people who make decisions about education. Tests should be used for diagnostics and not for punishment. Students who are overly tested do not learn to think creatively. Incentives and sanctions, carrots and sticks, reward high tests and punish low tests. 21st-century thinking is that most important motivation is intrinsic, so carrots and sticks don't work. Family is important to school success. Poverty is not an excuse, it is a fact. Anyone who says they can turn around a school in a year is lying. Transformation takes time.

We are in a dark time for education. It will survive because of millions of teachers and parents who support them.  We need to tell President Obama that his policies mirror President Bush's policies, and that the evaluation tied to test scores is wrong. He needs to publicly change his position. San Diego has community based school reform that is making gradual steady progress. 

The final session was about moving from payroll deduction to Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT). We need to have conversations with individual members during this process. In Australia after the loss of payroll deduction, they began to gain members. Other forms of payment include EFT, credit card, or cash. District will not be involved and will no longer know how many members we have.  PCI Compliance for credit card information is strict rules about security with paperwork, computer access, and internal processes and requires additional audits. Members only website for self-enroll in EFT or credit card payment, which is through Bank of America, is secure and BOA handles PCI. 2 weeks for EFT and 6-8 weeks foe credit card payments to work.

Update all member information (school, phone, address, email). We need to use home email accounts. Utah has been working with NEA on this conversion. Weekly conference calls to stay updated. NEA is still building the system.  Alabama had 60% of members flip the first time they were asked. AEA had 93% of all members flip by the date necessary. In Arizona, they polled members about issues that helped drive the message for the flip. Database was updated as part of the process.

Historically there is a 1-2% EFT failure rate where member has overdraft fee. Have to contact members about failures of transfers. Failed transactions cost UEA $2. Each transaction costs NEA $0.02-0.05 per transaction. In states already using EFT, the average fail rate was 1.93%, with the most recent month being 0.91%. The charges for credit card transactions are much higher. Per transaction cost is $0.09-0.35. The failure rate is 11%. Credit card is much more expensive.

The system is currently not set up for new members. We need to set up a complex and smart system because of all the variables involved (district, part-time/full-time).


The NCUEA conference has been a good experience. In addition to all the training sessions, I have been able to connect with other local presidents from Utah and around the nation. Knowing we are not alone in our fight to save public education renews my commitment to continue moving forward.

Meeting with Superintendent Johnson

Wednesday, Cindy and I met with Dr. Johnson for our monthly meeting.  We discussed items for our upcoming Joint Committee Meeting.  One of those items is an Elementary Prep/Collaboration Time Task Force to study options of how to include time during the elementary contract day for preparation and collaboration.  The Task Force will study what other districts do, as well as brainstorm ideas.  These ideas will then be presented to the Joint Committee in April.

Dr. Johnson talked about the SMARTER Balanced Consortium assessments that are being developed.  These assessments are going to be for the Common Core of State Standards.  She also said that there could be a change in evaluation systems to go to using a valid and reliable assessment (from SMARTER Balanced Consortium) of student growth as part of teacher evaluation for performance pay.  This will take several years, and Dr. Johnson has said she wishes to be collaborative with JEA, so teachers have a voice in what changes to the evaluation would be.

We also discussed JEA, District Administration, and the School Board being trained in Interest Based Bargaining (IBB).  This is a different model of negotiating than has been used in Jordan School District.  Dr. Johnson said she has been trained and used IBB as a member of the District Negotiations Team in Clark County.  School Board President Rick Bojak told me that the School Board is interested in going to IBB also.  This is a paradigm shift.  Last year during mediation, the mediator suggested IBB training.  JEA was interested, but the District was not.  We see the District's willingness to be trained in IBB as a positive step toward a smoother negotiations process in the future.