To:     LWVO
From:   Joan Platz
Education Update for January  9, 2006

1)  126th Ohio General Assembly:  Governor Taft signed into law on
January 4, 2006 HB 236 (Carey), which implements Issue 1.  Issue 1 is
a constitutional amendment (Article VIII, Section 2p) approved by
voters on November 8, 2005, and authorizes the state to issue bonds
to support research, development, facilities, and infrastructures for
industrial sites in Ohio, and makes an appropriation.  The law will
go into effect in 90 days.

Governor Taft will present the "State of the State Address" on
January 25, 2006 at noon during a joint session of the Ohio House and
Senate.

2)  This Week at the Statehouse:  The Ohio House and Senate will hold
sessions this week on January 10-11, 2006, and committee hearings on
January 10-12, 2006.

The House Education Committee, chaired by Representative Setzer
(644-8051), will meet on Tuesday, January 10, 2006 at 3:30 PM in room
018.  The committee will hear testimony on HB254 (Collier), which
requires school districts and chartered nonpublic schools to operate
for 1060 hours of instruction a year for grades one through six and
1200 hours for grades seven through twelve; HB276 (Stewart), school
policies prohibit bullying; and HB422 (Hughes), which requires
community schools and chartered nonpublic schools to adopt school
safety plans, exempts school safety plans and school building
blueprints from the Public Records Law, requires all public and
nonpublic schools to conduct at least one school safety drill
annually, and increases the fine for failure to conduct any required
drill to one thousand dollars.

The Senate Education Committee chaired by Senator Padgett (466-8076)
will meet on January 10, 2006 at 4:00 PM in the North Hearing Room.
The committee will hear a presentation from the College Board on the
Advanced Placement Program, and hear testimony on HB 184 (Faber),
which requires school districts and community schools to display
donated copies of mottoes of the United States of America or the
State of Ohio in school buildings.

The House Finance and Appropriations Committee, chaired by
Representative Calvert (466-8140), will meet on Wednesday, January
11, 2006 at 9:30 AM in room 313.  The committee will hear testimony
on HB 250 (Trakas), which authorizes two or more school boards to
create a taxing district for the joint funding of behavioral health,
autism, and related services to students.

The Higher Education Funding Study Council, chaired by Representative
Webster (644-5094), will meet on Thursday, January 12, 2006 at 9:00
AM on the 12th floor of the Riffe Center.

The Partnership for Continued Learning will meet Wednesday, January
18, 2006 at 1:00 PM on the 31st floor of the Riffe Center at 77 S.
High Street, Columbus.

3)  State Board of Education to Meet: The State Board of Education,
Sue Westendorf president, will meet January 9-10, 2006 at the Ohio
School for the Deaf, 500 Morse Road, Columbus, OH.  The State Board
of Education's Quality High Schools Subcommittee, chaired by Carl
Wick and Deborah Owens Fink, will meet on January 8, 2006 at 5:00 PM
at the Embassy Suites, 2700 Corporate Exchange Drive in Columbus.

On Monday, January 9, 2006 the Executive Committee, chaired by Sue
Westendorf, will meet at 8:00 AM to review an update from the
Policies and Procedures Subcommittee and Quality High Schools
Subcommittee.

The Achievement Committee, chaired by Jim Craig and Mike Cochran, and
the Capacity Committee, chaired by Carl Wick and Jennifer Sheets,
will meet at 8:30 AM.

The Achievement Committee will review the proposed federal
legislative platform; review an update from the Quality High Schools
Subcommittee; review an update on High Schools That Work; review the
legislative recommendation #13 regarding students who do not take the
achievement tests; and discuss the proposed non-test indicators for
the Local Report Card.

The Capacity Committee will review rules for supplemental teaching
license, superintendent's spending orders, pupil transportation, and
community schools; discuss proposed federal legislation; discuss
HB254 (Collier) minimum school year; and approve the substance abuse
and violence prevention policy.

The full Board will meet at 10:30 AM to hear an update on the
creation of the Peebles Local School District; a proposal to the
USDOE to incorporate value added accountability into Ohio's AYP
System; and recognize the School Physical Fitness and Wellness
Advisory Council.

Following lunch at 12:30 PM the Board will hear an update from the
Quality High Schools Subcommittee, reports from Board committees, an
update on state and federal legislative actions, and a report on the
Substance Abuse and Violence Prevention Policy; and review the
Federal Legislative Platform and the proposed Community School
Expected Gains rule.

The Board will conduct a Chapter 119 Hearing at 4:00 PM on the following rules:

*Ohio Administrative Code (OAC) Rules 3301-11-01 through 3301-11-15,
The Ohio Educational Choice Scholarship Program.
*OAC Rules 3301-24-05, Licensure.
*OAC Rule 3301-24-12, Alternate Superintendent License and Alternate
Administrative Specialist License.
*OAC Rule 3301-24-13, Relinquishment of License or Teaching Field.
*OAC Rules 3301-30-01 through 3301-30-04, Department of Youth
Services Program Standards and Rule 3301-30-01 Ohio Department of
Youth Services' Schools.
*OAC Rules 3301-35-01 through 3301-35-07 and Rule 3301-35-09 through
3301-35-14, Operating Standards for Ohio Schools.
*OAC Rules 3301-44-01, 3301-44-02 and  3301-44-05 through 3301-44-09,
Postsecondary Enrollment Options.
*OAC Rule 3301-98-01, Reimbursement of Background Checks for
Individuals Participating in an OhioReads Program.

At 4:45 PM the Board will convene to review questions regarding
written reports and resolutions, hear an update on the work of the
School Readiness Solutions Group, the ODE Management Audit, and
review the 2004-5 Annual Report on Ohio Community Schools and the
Quarterly Budget Report.

The State Board will meet on Tuesday, January 10, 2006 starting at
8:30 AM, and hear a policy discussion on School Funding presented by
Superintendent of Public Instruction, Dr. Susan Tave Zelman and Paolo
DeMaria, Associate Superintendent, Center for School Finance.

The Board will then move into its business meeting, and immediately
convene into executive session.  After reconvening its public
meeting, the Board will hear a report from the Superintendent of
Public Instruction, Dr. Susan Tave Zelman; public participation on
agenda Items; and consider action on five personnel items, and the
following resolutions:

*Rescind Rules 3301-23-20, 3301-23-21, and 3301-23-22 of the Ohio
Administrative Code (OAC) Teacher Certification.
*Intent to adopt OAC Rule 3301-24-14, Supplemental License.
*Rescind OAC Rule 3301-69-08, The Career Enhancement Programs Subsidy.
*Amend OAC Rule 3301-92-04, Reporting Data.
*Amend OAC Rule 3301-92-05, Certification of Adequate Revenue.
*Adopt the 2006-07 Local Report Card Indicators.
*Commend Eric Combs for being selected as the 2006 Ohio Teacher of the Year.
*Resolution regarding the Peebles Local School District.
*Motion regarding the Federal Legislative Platform.

The Board will then consider old business, new business,
miscellaneous business, and hear public participation on non-agenda
items.  The Board will then adjourn.

For more information about the meeting of the State Board of
Education, please visit www.ode.state.oh.us and follow the links to
the State Board of Education meetings.

4)  Florida Voucher Program Found Unconstitutional:  The Florida
Supreme Court issued a ruling on January 5, 2006, finding the state's
school voucher program, called the Opportunity Scholarship Program,
to be unconstitutional.  The 5-2 opinion states that the program,
which currently provides 700 students with state funds to attend
private schools, violates the state constitution's requirement for a
uniform system of free public schools, because it diverts public
money to schools that follow separate and different standards than
public schools. The program therefore is inconsistent with the
Florida Constitution which requires a "...uniform, efficient, safe,
secure, and high quality system of free public schools".

5)  Education Week Releases 10th Annual Quality Counts 2006: This
year Education Week's annual report on the status of education in the
United States, "Quality Counts 2006", focuses on the success of
education reform efforts related to standards, assessment,
accountability, and teacher quality to improve student achievement
over the past ten years.

"Quality Counts 2006" also includes articles on the impact of
standards-based policies on student achievement and education reform,
and how the 50 states and the District of Columbia progressed in four
graded categories -- Standards and Accountability, Efforts to Improve
Teacher Quality, School Climate, and School Resources and the Equity
of school finance systems.  This data is included on the State Policy
Report Card which is accessible through
http://www.edweek.org/ew/toc/2006/01/05/ until February 4, 2006.

Overall states averaged a C+ across the four graded categories
included on the State Policy Report Card based on the results of 24
indicators.  Ohio's overall score is a B-, but Ohio scored at or
above average in all the categories:  Standards and Accountability -
A-; Efforts to Improve Teacher Quality - B; School Climate - C+; and
Resource Equity - C;

According to the report for Ohio,

"The state earns its highest grade for policies related to standards
and accountability. Ohio scores particularly well in the area of
academic standards. Its standards for the four core subjects at
nearly every grade span have been rated as clear, specific, and
grounded in content by the American Federation of Teachers. The
single exception is for elementary-level standards in social studies."
"Ohio also posts a better-than-average grade in teacher quality. The
state receives full credit for its measures related to professional
support and training for teachers. Ohio is one of 15 states that
require and finance mentoring for new teachers. However, Ohio loses
points in the area of teacher education and qualifications because it
does not require a minimum amount of student-teaching or other types
of clinical experiences."
"The state receives an average grade for school climate, with room
for improvement on indicators related to parent involvement and
student engagement. Ohio fares better on measures of class and school
size. And it has a strong showing for school facilities because it
tracks the condition of its schools and provides funds for school
construction."
"Ohio earns an average grade for resource equity. Ohio's
wealth-neutrality score shows that, as in most states, its wealthier
districts tend to have higher per-pupil funding levels than its
poorer districts."

The following are excerpts from the Executive Summary of "Quality
Counts 2006" for the nation:

"The results are at once heartening and sobering. They're heartening
because when looked at over more than a decade, student achievement
has gotten better, particularly in mathematics and particularly for
low-income and minority students.  An increasing number of states
also have embraced a standards-based-education framework, with some
of the earliest and most ardent adopters of standards-based
accountability systems making some of the most progress in student
achievement."

"In math, improvement has come at the "basic" and "proficient" levels
on NAEP, both for students overall and for black, Hispanic, and
low-income youngsters."

"The national average in reading barely budged from 1992 to 2005,
inching up just 2 points in both grades 4 and 8.  But, even here
somewhat better news lies beneath the surface.  The scores for black,
Hispanic, and low-income youngsters in 4th grade reading increased at
nearly triple the national average, or about two-thirds of a grade
level."

"Nationally, the achievement gaps narrowed somewhat for all groups in
reading and math and at both grade levels-except between black and
white students in 8th grade reading."