Ohio Accountability Changes Update

Update 1/15
An additional change is the looming State budget and the impact it will have on education.  An interesting video from the Governors office is a first message management step in what is sure to be an interesting legislative session.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QhvsrWWDw3I&feature=youtu.be

I had the good fortune yesterday to attend the BASA regional meeting in Dayton and have Michael Sawyers turn out to be the ODE speaker on the latest with HB 555.  Below is a link to a Google Folder with his powerpoint presentation, ODE talking points on 555, and the BASA powerpoint (ignore my notes scribbled in the margins).  When you download the powerpoint, be sure to view it with the notes visible, as the annotated comments for each slide appear there.

http://goo.gl/VsR33

If you have been following this closely, there wasn't a ton of new information, but there were plenty of clarifying points and directional arrows indicating what's coming next.  Below are the information pieces that fell into the 'late breaking' or 'needs action' categories (at least from my vantage point):

• The State Board of Education (SBE) will meet Monday and Tuesday this week (1/14 - 15).  It is expected that at the close of Tuesday the SBE will appoint a five member accountability committee to work on the specific mechanics of the report card.  (Of significance is to watch for how the State Board defines the letter grades.  Currently the A and F levels are firmly identified in the law.  The level for C is identified, but the language is vague enough - "greater than 70 but no more than 80" - that there is a possibility, albeit remote, that the standard could be higher than 70.  What will be interesting to watch is what the standard for D is set at, given that F is 50 for below)
• The major focus at the SBE meeting will be to teach the Board about HB 555, and run the members through several report card simulations based on the law in order to stimulate thinking around framing rules and policies for the new report card measures.
• The Gap Closing Formula for Annual Measurable Objectives on the new report card will most likely look very similar to the formula that was contained in the May 2012 ESEA waiver.  (Since this will be a graded item THIS YEAR, I would examine the formula for each subgroup, plug in last year's numbers, and strategize about your plan as soon as possible).
• For this school year, the standard to meet an indicator is 75% proficient or above.  This will change to 80% for the 2013 - 2014 school year, before being reset again when PARCC comes on board for 2014-2015. (Teachers in areas where the scores have hovered around 75% will need to know this NOW in order to begin strategizing).
• In the Overall Value Added Progress dimension, the measurement of students in the lowest quintile will be pegged against the state average of students in this quintile.
• There is a possibility that value added could be extended to the PARCC exams in 2016.
• The definition for Safe Harbor (designed to provide temporary relief from the academic cliff) must determined by the SBE no later than March 31st.
• The new report card will be electronic (the dashboard model) and interactive.  Any printouts would most likely be a 2 page summary of graded metrics, with the electronic version giving people the ability to drill down to reported measures.  Gone are the days of the 8 page printed report card.  (Districts will have to be very strategic in how they unpack the dashboard information for their public, as it appears that not all of the information will be available on the surface level).
• A major win for Districts was the change during the legislative process from graded to reported for Prep for Success measures (College admissions test results, dual enrollment levels, industry credentials, honors diploma, AP and IB participation and scores).  These will roll out for the 2013-2014 report card.
• The college and career ready assessment exam has the potential to be an issue (This is most likely the ACT Plan or the PSAT).  Right now it is not scheduled to come on board until 2014-2015, although it may for next year if funding and procurement issues can be worked out.  There is a feeling in the legislature that if it is paid for by the State, it should be graded (right now it is scheduled to be reported only).  The feeling of ODE (and mine as well) is that this test is diagnostic and formative in nature (it tells us where sophomores are in their CCR preparation, not where they are as an end product).  Districts need to pay attention to this and lobby hard if there is a hint it might be changed to graded in future legislation (my opinion).
• While bits and pieces of the new report card will be coming out as work is completed, a final look at what the new version will look like should not be expected before May 2013.
• Value Added information is currently being loaded into eTPES, and should most likely be available by 1/19.