To:     LWVO

From:   Joan Platz
Education Update for February 20, 2006

1)  126th General Assembly: 
The Ohio House and Senate will hold committee meetings this week and sessions on February 22, 2006.  The Senate session on February 21, 2006 has been canceled, and the House sessions on February 21, 2006 and February 28, 2006 have been canceled.  The Ohio House and Senate Education Committees will not meet this week.

The Ohio House passed last week HB478 (Wagoner), which allows the University of Toledo and the Medical University of Ohio to join together.  The House members of a conference committee for HB79 (Raga) were also named last week.  Those members are Representatives Raga, Schlichter, and Allen.  HB79 was approved by both chambers last November, but the House failed to concur with amendments added by the Senate.  HB79 increases requirements for criminal background checks for educators, and requires that information regarding specified misconduct be collected and reported to the Superintendent of Public Instruction. The bill also delays until 2007 the requirement for school districts to certify their formula ADMs twice annually; requires the ODE to propose to the General Assembly a penalty for school districts and community schools that intentionally report inaccurate attendance data; addresses issues regarding student data verification and confidentiality; permits the ODE to have access to student data to administer the Educational Choice Scholarship Pilot Program; and specifies that ODE documents related to the Educational Choice Scholarship Pilot Program are generally public, except for confidential documents pertaining to students. 

2)  This Week at the Statehouse:

WEDNESDAY FEBRUARY 22, 2006
The School Employees Health Care Board will meet on Wednesday,  February 22, 2006 at 9:00 AM at the Riffe Center 31st floor.

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 23, 2006
The Higher Education Funding Council will meet on Thursday, February 23, 2006 at 9:00 AM in the Riffe Center, 12th floor conference room.

3)  State Board of Education Meeting: 
The State Board of Education, Sue Westendorf president, met on February 13-14, 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, met on February 12, 2006. The committee reviewed information on teacher capacity and literacy initiatives, and heard a presentation by Dr. Zelman on a proposal to create 21 math, science, and technology schools (STEM) in Ohio.  Committee members also discussed the definition of a rigorous high school curriculum, and noted that currently there are competing definitions, including Governor Taft's recommendations to increase graduation requirements in math and foreign languages.  The Committee will continue these discussions next month.

On February 13, 2006 the full Board heard a policy discussion on school choice led by Mitch Chester, Associate Superintendent for Policy and Accountability, Steve Burigana, Chief Operating Officer, and Todd Hanes, Executive Director, Community Schools.  The presentation provided information to assist the Board as it discusses the broader policy issue:  What is the role of the State Board of Education regarding the quality, performance, and oversight of community schools in Ohio? Currently there are 293 community schools and 59 sponsors.  Issues concerning community schools include student academic achievement, funding, teacher capacity, the large proportion of high risk students who attend community schools, and the unresolved lawsuit regarding the constitutionality of the community school program.  It is still unclear what authority the State Board of Education has over certain sponsors.  A policy framework should be developed regarding sponsorship, rules, and legislative recommendations to align with Board priorities and the logic model, and provide guidance for making future decisions. 

The Achievement Committee, chaired by Jim Craig and Mike Cochran, reviewed the model policy on grade acceleration and received an update from the Quality High Schools Subcommittee.

The Capacity Committee, chaired by Carl Wick approved the revised substance abuse and violence prevention policy, and approved the following rules:  Rule 3301-12-01 through 3301-12-06, the superintendent's spending orders; Rule 3301-102-02 through 3301-102-05, community school sponsorship, Rule 3301-104-01 through 3301-104-03, internet or computer-based expenditures, and Rule 3301-102-08, expected gains in student achievement.

At noon the State Board recognized Eric Combs, the 2006 Ohio Teacher of the Year.  Mr. Combs is a social studies teacher at Fairborn High School in Fairborn City School District in Greene County.  He has been teaching for five years, and entered teaching through the Troops to Teachers Program after spending 20 years in the U.S. Air Force. 

Following lunch Susan Bodary, Executive Assistant for Education and the Workforce, Office of the Governor, reviewed the key components of Governor Taft's proposed "Ohio Core"  graduation requirements for high school students.  The Governor is proposing that the Ohio Core become the "standard" curriculum for high school students starting in 2011.  The Ohio Core includes four years each of mathematics and English language arts, three years of science and social studies, and two years of a foreign language.  Physical education & health, the arts, and technology are not mentioned in the documents describing the Ohio Core.  If the state minimum credits for graduation remain at 20, students will have three elective credits to complete after meeting the requirements of the Ohio Core.  Community schools currently do not have to comply with the 20 credit minimum graduation requirement outlined in Operating Standards for Ohio's Schools, so it is unclear how students attending community schools will be affected by the Governor's proposal.  A waiver option from the Ohio Core graduation requirements will also be available for students.

The Board also discussed state and federal legislative topics, including HB 431 (Peterson), which establishes a voucher program for students with disabilities called the Special Education Scholarship. The ODE recommended that the Board oppose HB431 for the following reasons:

*HB432 is inconsistent with the Board's Closing the Achievement Gap priority.
*HB431 does not require private providers to provide a "free and appropriate education" to children participating in the program.
*HB431 is inconsistent with research and federal policy that calls for children to be placed in the least restrictive educational environment with access to the general curriculum.  This policy was reinforced with the reauthorization of the Individuals with Disabilities Education and Improvement Act.
*HB431 makes special education a separate program, rather than a set of related services to help students achieve.
*The number of complaints regarding special education services does not support the need for this bill.  170 complaints regarding special education services were filed in 2004 out of 260,000 students who received special education services in 2004.

Board members had many questions regarding this bill, and were not ready to vote to oppose it. Several members asked why the bill was brought forward in the first place, if there wasn't a need for parents to have more choices for special education.  After the discussion the Board decided to send HB431 to the State Board of Education's Achievement Committee to determine if it was "fatally flawed", or could be amended to align it more with Board policy.

State Board of Education member Michael Cochran, District 6, then urged members to oppose the proposed Tax Expenditure Limitations (TEL) constitutional amendment, which is expected to be on the November 2006 ballot.  Mr. Cochran stated that TEL would be a devastation to local governments and local school districts.  The TEL would require a majority of registered voters in a district, rather than a majority of voters voting in a particular election, to approve ballot initiatives.  The Board decided to send the TEL amendment to the State Board of Education's Subcommittee on Funding for review.

The Board also heard a review of the rules that the Board will consider for approval, heard a presentation regarding the School Readiness Solutions Group, chaired by Steve Millett and Eric Okerson, and conducted a Chapter 119 Hearing on Ohio Administrative Code Rule 3301-23-44 regarding temporary licenses.

The State Board met on Tuesday, February 14, 2006, and heard an update on the School Substance Abuse and Violence Prevention Policy, and conducted a policy discussion on Quality Middle and High Schools led by Dr. Susan Tave Zelman and Mitch Chester, Associate Superintendent, Center for Policy and Accountability.

The Board then called its business meeting to order, and moved into executive session.  After reconvening its public meeting, Superintendent of Public Instruction, Dr. Susan Tave Zelman presented her monthly report, which included information about a proposal to create a regional system of 21 Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) High Schools.  The Board then took action on two territory transfers, nine personnel items, and the following resolutions:

*Adopted the Ohio Administrative Code (OAC) Rules 3301-11-01 through 3301-11-15, The Ohio Educational Choice Scholarship Program.
*Approved a resolution of intent to adopt OAC Rules 3301-12-01 through 3301-12-06, Spending orders for the Superintendent of Public Instruction.   This rule, required through HB66, pertains to the spending of certain state funds by a school district in academic watch and emergency under R.C. 3317.017.  The Superintendent of Public Instruction may authorize a spending practice review, and make recommendations to a district to develop a budget plan or separate accounts for state funds, or issue an order that directs the expenditures of state funds.
*Amended OAC Rules 3301-24-05, Licensure.
*Adopted OAC Rule 3301-24-12, Alternate Superintendent License and Alternate Administrative Specialist License.
*Adopted OAC Rule 3301-24-13, Relinquishment of License or Teaching Field.
*Rescinded OAC Rules 3301-30-01 through 3301-30-04, Department of Youth Services Program Standards and adopted Rule 3301-30-01 Ohio Department of Youth Services' Schools.
*Amended OAC Rules 3301-35-01 through 3301-35-07 and Rule 3301-35-09 through 3301-35-14, Operating Standards for Ohio Schools.
*Amended OAC Rules 3301-44-01, 3301-44-02 and 3301-44-05 through 3301-44-09, Postsecondary Enrollment Options.
*Approved a resolution of intent to amend OAC Rule 3301-83-01, calculation of pupil transportation operation payments.
*Approved a resolution to rescind and adopt OAC Rule 3301-85-01, Distribution of payment for the purchase of school buses.
*Amended OAC Rule 3301-98-01, Reimbursement of Background Checks for Individuals Participating in an OhioReads Program.
*Approved a resolution of intent to amend OAC Rules 3301-102-02 through 3301-102-05, sponsorship of community schools.
*Approved a resolution of intent to amend OAC Rules 3301-104-01 through 3301-104-03, internet or computer-based expenditures.
*Approved a resolution of intent to amend OAC Rules 3301-102-08, expected gains in student achievement and graduation rate for community schools.
*Approved a resolution to adopt the Substance Abuse and Violence Prevention Policy.
*Approved a motion regarding changes to the State Board's policy manual.

*Approved the following resolution to modify Ohio's Science Standards and Model Curriculum by a vote of 11-4 (Board members Baker, Sheets, Ross, and Griffin were not in attendance):

RESOLVED, That the Superintendent of Public Instruction be, and she hereby is, directed to take the following actions immediately:

1. Delete the model lesson plan, "Critical Analysis of Evolution," from the State-Board-approved curriculum and remove its availability from print sources, technology sources, and any other State Board of Education/Ohio Department of Education mechanism that makes it available for use.

2. Delete the following sentences from the Grade 10 Life Science Benchmark H:

"Describe how scientists continue to investigate and critically analyze aspects of evolutionary theory. (The intent of this benchmark does not mandate the teaching or testing of intelligent design.)"

and delete Indicator 23 in its entirety, and adjust all print sources, technology sources, and any other State Board of Education/Ohio Department of Education documents to reflect the removal.

3. The Achievement Committee of the State Board of Education is charged to consider whether the deleted model lesson, Benchmark H, and Indicator 23 should be replaced by a different model lesson, benchmark and indicator, and if so, to present any recommendation to the entire State Board for adoption.

4. Communicate the fact of the above actions to all public school superintendents and high school principals in Ohio.

The Board then adjourned.  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)  Bills Introduced: 

HB520 (Schaffer) - School Building Assistance.  Prohibits ranking a school district participating in the School Building Assistance Expedited Local Partnership Program in a higher percentile on the eligibility list for state classroom facilities assistance after the district's electors have approved a bond issue for the portion of the basic project cost, and grants priority for such assistance to certain school districts participating in the Expedited Program that have a higher percentile ranking than three years ago.

5)  Update from the ODE:  New model lessons for the arts, aligned to Ohio's academic content standards for fine arts, will soon be posted on the ODE's Instructional Management System (IMS).  This is the second set of lessons to be developed by writing teams working with the ODE arts consultants, and includes 7 lessons for dance, 6 lessons for drama/theatre, 11 lessons for music, and 7 lessons for visual art.  A form to provide feedback about the lessons is also included on the IMS web site.  The IMS is available at http://ims.ode.state.oh.us/ode/ims/Default.asp?bhcp=1.