Broader, Bolder, Better!

July 13, 2015 Leave a comment


Rachel Wise, District 3, Nebraska State Board of Education (June, 2015)

Rachel Wise

Rachel Wise

Two very important topics addressed at the State Board of Education meeting in June were Career Education and Nebraska’s new system of accountability, AQuESTT—Accountability for a Quality Education System, Today and Tomorrow. The Nebraska Department of Education introduced the concept of Broader—Bolder—Better to define the work of accountability, but I think the phrase applies to both topics I will write about this month.

The month of June started off with the annual Nebraska Career Education Conference in Kearney. It was an honor and privilege to attend this conference and to learn of the great work of career education teachers in schools across Nebraska. This past year, a Nebraska State Board of Education study committee chaired by John Witzel tackled the topic of career education in Nebraska. The committee’s recommendations were presented to teachers and administrators at the Kearney conference and again to the State Board. The recommendations― described as opportunities in the report― included the need to: address the teacher shortage in career education; maintain and expand the quality and student access to career education programs; infuse career readiness across grade levels and curricular areas; develop meaningful workplace experiences for students as a model for career guidance.

The next steps are to implement the strategies tied to these opportunities across schools in Nebraska. Some examples of the strategies include: defining career readiness for students in Nebraska; developing more opportunities for career-based virtual learning experiences to help students learn about career pathways in Nebraska; develop scholarships or loan forgiveness programs for teachers going into career education fields. If you know young people who are thinking about pursuing a career in education, encourage the fields of Agriculture, Business and Marketing, Family and Consumer Sciences, Health Sciences, Industrial Technology and Engineering or Information Technology. Once these recommendations are implemented, I believe Career Education in Nebraska will be Broader—Bolder—Better!

On to the next topic which is much more difficult to write about. State Board members we have all spent a great deal of time thinking about—accountability. For us, accountability is AQuESTT—Accountability for a Quality Education System, Today and Tomorrow.

In March, I wrote about the new system of accountability and the primary indicators that will be used to classify schools. This month, the Nebraska Department of Education (NDE) updated the State Board on the process that will be used to classify schools as excellent, great, good or needs improvement. Within the needs improvement classification, the three schools in most need of improvement and subsequently, intervention will be designated as priority schools. NDE staff also shared information and timelines about that identification process. Outcome measures such as growth and improvement on Nebraska State Accountability (NeSA) assessments and high school graduation rates will be used for the first step in the process called “raw classification.” After these outcome measures are calculated, a process called “evidence-based analysis” that looks at other indicators or quality factors such as teacher certification, curriculum or instructional practices will occur. All this information will be used in the “final classification” and in the development of a School Profile that designates a school’s classification level and describes the characteristics that resulted in the school’s classification. This sounds pretty complicated, and in some ways it is!! However, in looking at the plans and processes, I think once schools, communities, parents and students see the School Profiles, they will start to understand why their schools or districts were classified as excellent, great, good or in need of improvement.

The members of the State Board of Education and the Nebraska Department of Education staff are committed to more than just classifying schools and designating three priority schools. We are committed to helping schools improve. AQuESTT is being developed to inform schools on areas of strengths and needs and to help schools with systems of support so they become Broader—Bolder—Better!

This article represents my personal view, not that of the State Board of Education or my role as president. Feel free to contact me at rachel.wise@nebraska.gov. Search the Nebraska Department of Education website at www.education.ne.gov to learn more about education in our state.

 

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The Role of the Judge

August 19, 2014 Leave a comment


Rachel Wise, District 3, Nebraska State Board of Education 

Rachel Wise

Rachel Wise

Since the Nebraska State Board of Education did not meet in July, we had an incredibly full agenda for our August work session and business meeting. As I list some of the highlights of the past meeting, I want to remind readers of the State Board’s three broad areas of responsibility. That is policy-making, development and adoption of rules and regulations and quasi-judicial decision-making. In most of my articles I share information about the policy-making and regulatory responsibilities of the board, but for this article, I want to start out with the quasi-judicial role.

What does the board do in its quasi-judicial role? We make some very difficult decisions about the certificates of educational professionals―teachers, coaches, administrators, etc. At this meeting, we had four certification cases about which we had to make “judgments.” This is some of the most challenging work that we do as a board. Educational professionals have an ethical code of conduct they must follow and at times, some individuals make very poor choices or decisions. The Nebraska Professional Practices Commission (PPC) is the first line of decision-makers when an educational professional is alleged to have violated the code of conduct. Typically, all of the evidence in any case is introduced when the PPC hears from witnesses and receives documents as evidence. In cases where the PPC believes an educator’s certificate should be suspended or revoked, then all of the case materials are filed with the State Board of Education who becomes the final quasi-judicial decision-maker. While decisions on whether educators lose their certificates for a short-time or for a lifetime are very difficult, in my opinion, this is one of the most important roles we fulfill as board members.

On to a more uplifting topic, accountability!! At the August meeting the Nebraska Department of Education presented a draft framework of an accountability and quality system for Nebraska schools ― called A QuESTT (Accountability for a Quality Education System, Today and Tomorrow}. Under this system, schools will be classified as excellent, great, good or needs improvement. As required by LB 438, three schools most in need of improvement will be identified as priority schools. Tenets of the system are as follows: College and Career Readiness; Assessment; Positive Partnerships, Relationships and Student Success; Educator Effectiveness; Transitions; and Educational Opportunities and Access. During the next few months specific indicators, measures and timelines will be identified. Public hearings and public comment opportunities will be held to gather input before finalizing the new system.

We are now moving closer to adopting more rigorous college and career ready, English Language Art Standards in Nebraska. On August 5th, public hearings were held throughout the state to gather additional input on the standards. The next step is a final review and validation by postsecondary education, then back to the State Board in September.

Finally, I would like to take a moment to thank Lynn Cronk, who stepped down from the State Board of Education as a result of her move from Grand Island to Lincoln. Lynn has been a longtime public servant, serving first on the Grand Island School Board and then the State Board of Education for almost four years. Lynn demonstrated a strong passion for education and was a champion for all students.

This article represents my personal view, not that of the State Board of Education or my role as president. Feel free to contact me at rachel.wise@nebraska.gov. Search the Nebraska Department of Education website at www.education.ne.gov to learn more

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Choosing Flexibility

July 15, 2014 Leave a comment


By

Rachel Wise

Rachel Wise

Rachel Wise, District 3, Nebraska State Board of Education (July, 2014)

As I mentioned last month, the State Board of Education is not meeting in July, so this month, the topics are “my choice” and the article focuses on two educational topics that, for me, are very important.

This month I will address accountability and the federal Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA.) In my personal view, these two topics are interwoven and both important to the State Board of Education. In July 2013, I shared with you that I typically try to write articles that are informative and factual, well, watch out for the fireworks…I will now throw some opinions your way. As we know, if we read it on the Internet, or even in a newspaper, it must be true!!

Joe Dejka, a reporter with the Omaha World-Herald, provided an excellent overview of ESEA—now commonly known as the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001. The June 23rd OW-H article highlighted a State Board of Education discussion about pursuing an ESEA Flexibility “waiver” from certain federal government requirements. ESEA has an unrealistic goal of requiring all students to be 100 percent proficient in reading and math by 2014 Yes, that would be this year! In my opinion, if the State Board applies for ESEA Flexibility, it should occur only after Nebraskans across the state have an opportunity to voice their views on the issue.

So, before I continue painting the picture of what the Nebraska Department of Education and local schools will have to do to receive ESEA Flexibility, I think it is only fair to point fingers. The United States Congress has a job to do and, in the case of reauthorizing the federal ESEA law, that just has not happened!! I know you are surprised by this lack of action at the federal level!! Because Congress has not reauthorized ESEA—action that should have occurred in 2007–we find ourselves in this very difficult position.

Before I continue, I urge you to contact your Congressional representatives to encourage bipartisan collaboration on the reauthorization of ESEA.

Since reauthorization appears unlikely at this time, let’s look at what Nebraska’s request for ESEA Flexibility would entail. Nebraska would apparently be required to develop and implement a plan that would include: academic content standards that are college and career ready; issue annual report on the state’s college going rate and college credit accumulation rates for all students; establish an accountability system that includes student achievement on assessments, and the identification of focus and priority schools; ensure districts implement teacher and principal evaluation system that connects teacher evaluations to student performance and support systems; and, my favorite—reduce duplication and unnecessary burdens on school districts! The good news: several of the elements required at the federal level are included in the state’s Quality Education Accountability Act. The bad news: many of those elements have not yet been defined and that work will take input from the public and time to put in place.

Some readers may think one solution would be to just not take any federal education funds. For many schools, federal funding is a very important part of their budget, and it would be very difficult for local school districts or the state to make up for the loss of those federal dollars. If the State Board does nothing–like the U.S. Congress–our schools will be in a very difficult situation. What is the State Board of Education to do? Research options, become informed and get input from Nebraskans. ESEA Flexibility will not happen overnight and not without input from the public. In my opinion, we need to urge the U.S. Congress to work to reauthorize ESEA. In reality—my reality—we need to explore the feasibility of requesting an ESEA Flexibility waiver from certain federal requirements.

This article represents my personal view, not that of the State Board of Education or my role as president. Feel free to contact me at rachel.wise@nebraska.gov. Search the Nebraska Department of Education website at www.education.ne.gov to learn more about education in our state.

 

 

 

 

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State Board Highs and Lows

March 8, 2014 Leave a comment


Rachel Wise, District 3, Nebraska State Board of Education (March, 2014)

State Board Highs and State Board Lows!

Rachel Wise

Rachel Wise

This month I will write about a recent State Board high — an action that my board colleagues and I are very excited about. I will then address what I consider a State Board low — something I would really rather not write about, but feel compelled to inform and acknowledge.

Let’s get to the good news. On March 4th, the State Board of Education unanimously adopted Nebraska Fine Arts Standards. As eloquently stated by Debbie DeFrain, the Nebraska Department of Education Director of Fine Arts, “these standards will help lead the way in developing citizens of tomorrow through excellence: in continuous improvement; in quality of life; in promoting richness of humanity; and, in recognizing the importance of fine arts in healing, uplifting and maintaining the human spirit.” Many individuals and organizations across the state were involved in developing the standards and participated throughout the process. It was clear that the needs of students and the ability of local schools to implement standards remained at the forefront of their work. Supporting this process and voting to adopt the Fine Arts Standards has been a high among my board experiences.

So, now for the low. Let’s revisit an article that I wrote last April regarding assessment. Nebraska State Accountability (NeSA) is a system of assessments or “testing” developed to measure student progress on Nebraska standards. In Nebraska, students are assessed as follows:  writing – grades 4, 8 and 11; reading – grades 3-8 and 11; math – grades 3-8 and 11; science – grades 5, 8 and 11. All of these tests are administered during pre-set times from January through early May. Eighth and 11th grade students take the 90-minute Nebraska state writing test online. Fourth grade students take the test in a paper/pencil format in two, 40-minute sessions. So you may be wondering why is writing about a writing test a low?

Last year, 8th and 11th grade students taking the state writing test encountered technical difficulties and many students were not able to finish the test or get an accurate score. The contractor, Data Recognition Corporation, stopped using a sub-contractor from last year and began providing those testing services to Nebraska this school year. Long story short—problems were again encountered and 2 to 3 percent of Nebraska students experienced technical difficulties while taking their writing test this year. As a State Board member, the low is knowing that students encountered a frustrating situation while taking the writing test. For many college students today, taking online classes and encountering technical difficulties with a class or an online test is part of the learning experience. However, technical difficulties should not be a part of the learning experience of an 8th or 11th grade student taking a state test!

So what is the Nebraska Department of Education and State Board prepared to do? We have not paid Data Recognition Corporation and are working diligently to garner assurances that the technical difficulties will not occur in the upcoming online reading, math and science tests. We also have apologized for the challenges this has created for some students and staff in some schools across the state.

Next month, I am optimistically looking forward to writing only about the highs of representing District 3 on the State Board of Education.

One more high, Voices for Children recently published its 2013 Kids Count in Nebraska Report. If you care about kids, this is a very important report to read. You can access the 2013 report or any of the reports since 2006 at www.voicesforchildren.com/kidscount.

This article represents my personal view, not that of the State Board of Education or my role as president. Feel free to contact me at rachel.wise@nebraska.gov. Search the Nebraska Department of Education website at www.education.ne.gov to learn more about education in our state.

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