USA Regionals: What is KSBE Up To?

1. USA Regionals: What is KSBE Up To? Dr. Alexa Posny August/September 2008

3. “My father’s favorite bedtime story is Measures of Academic Progress and Systematic Change.”

4. Number Tested: ACT

5. Five Year Trend: Composite

6. Five Year Trend: Subjects

7. Part I: Academic Achievement Part II Part III

8. Part I: Academic Achievement Part I Part III

9. An increase of 0.1… • 147 more students who are college-ready • 36 more students who enroll in college • 46 more students who persist into second year • 25 fewer students taking remedial reading 39 fewer students taking remedial math • 39 more students who persist through four years of college • 42 more students who complete a degree in five years of less

10. Kansas and Title I • 94.5% of Title I schools made AYP • 94% of Title I districts made AYP • 4 schools came off the list: • USD 457 Bernadine Sitts Intermediate Center • USD 457 Charles O Stones Intermediate Center • USD 475 Junction Middle School • USD 500 Douglass Elementary

13. KS Assessment Highlights: Reading

14. KS Assessment Highlights: Math

15. The class of 2011, born in 1993: • What Berlin wall? • They never “rolled down” a car window. • They never saw Johnny Carson live on TV. • They’re always texting “1 n other.” • Tiananmen Square is a 2008 Olympics venue, not the scene of a massacre. • Al Gore has always been running for president or thinking about it. • They were born the year Harvard Law Review Editor Barack Obama announced he might run for office some day.

17. KSBE: 5 Steps to the Future Ensure that all students meet or exceed high academic standards… --Multi-Tier System of Supports --Standards for 21st Century Schools --Integrating Accountability • Redesigning the delivery system to meet our students’ changing needs • Career Academies • Individualized Career Plans • Providing an effective educator in every classroom • Teaching in Kansas Commission • Ensuring a visionary and effective leader in every school • Kansas Educational Leadership Commission • Improving communication with all constituent groups and policy partners • Kansas P20 Education Council

19. Redesigning High Schools Integrating Academics and Career and Technical Education

20. Why Finish High School “Dropping out of high school is not a sudden act, but a gradual process of disengagement…” (The Silent Epidemic: Perspectives of High School Dropouts) “When students have the option to enroll in career/technical programs, more of them stay in school…” (2003 National Assessment of Vocational Education Report) “Contextual learning and integrated academics in technical courses are powerful tools for engaging students in high school studies.” (Lost in Transition; SREB)

21. Why Finish High School The average annual earnings of workers 18 and older with: • No diploma = $20,873 • Solely a high school diploma = $31,071 • A bachelor’s degree = $56,788 • An advanced degree = $$82,320

22. Ready for College and Ready for Work: Same or Different? • Whether planning to enter college or workforce training, students need to be educated to a comparable level of readiness in reading and mathematics • Educating some students to a lesser standard than others narrows their options to jobs that no longer pay well enough to support a family of four • Found concordance with the ACT College Readiness benchmarks with WorkKeys Level 5

23. Aligning Postsecondary Expectations and High School Practice: The Gap Defined • What postsecondary instructors expect entering college students to know is far more targeted and specific than what high school teachers view as important. • Remedial-course teachers’ ratings of mathematics and reading skills tend to align more closely with those of postsecondary instructors than with those of high school teachers.

24. Aligning Postsecondary Expectations and High School Practice: The Gap Defined • While most high school teachers across subject areas believe that meeting their state’s standards prepares students for college-level work, most postsecondary instructors disagree. • High school teachers believe that today’s high school graduates are less well prepared for postsecondary education and work than graduates in previous years, while postsecondary instructors perceive no difference.

25. Aligning Postsecondary Expectations and High School Practice: The Gap Defined • There are specific differences between high school instruction and postsecondary expectations in every major curriculum area.

26. Design 21

27. Board Policy Initiatives • Improve access to Career and Technical Education (CTE): dual enrollment; qualified admissions; promote partnerships • Implement integration of academics and CTE standards: integrated standards based on 16 career clusters; gold standard assessments • Require career planning and awareness: personalized/individualized career plans of study (ICPS) • Promote multiple strategies: data reporting across and through secondary and postsecondary programs • Support funding at federal/state/local level: additional funding based on output (results-based) versus input

28. Teaching in Kansas Regulations, Initiatives and Survey Results

29. KS 2008 Data Says… • 40% of our teachers leave the field after seven years • 36% of our teachers can retire within 5 years • 50% of reported personnel are over 45; 36% are over 50 • 12% fewer students have gone into teaching over the past six years • In 2007, there were 55 teacher biology licenses; in 2008 there were 82 • In 2007, there were 33 chemistry licenses; in 2008 there were 35 • In 2007, there were 24 physics licenses; in 2008 there were 28

30. KS Teacher Vacancies… • In June 2007, there were 1144 teacher vacancies across the state • In August 2007, there were 476 teacher vacancies that remained • In June 2008, there were 846 teacher vacancies across the state • In August 2008, there are 375* teacher vacancies that remain *Estimated

31. Why Do Teachers Leave? • Isolation from colleagues • Assignments outside their area of training • Lack of appreciation or respect • Feeling discouraged • Feeling frustrated • Feeling left out of the decision-making • Poor school management • Lack of classroom resources specifically • Too many regulations • Lack of mentoring or induction programs • Class size • Not enough support from administration • Undisciplined, poorly motivated students • Uninvolved parents • Unreasonable expectations • Lack of resources

32. Licensure Regulation Changes August 10, 2007 • Removed GPA (2.5) for conditional teaching license • Offered a restricted school specialist license • Recognized experienced Out-of-State (OoS) school counselors without teaching background • Expanded provisional license options • Offered a one-year nonrenewable without existing offer of employment • Offered three additional options for added endorsements: • Science—additional science with content test • 15 content credits plus test for middle level • Secondary with 50% of program plus test • Expanded innovative/experimental programs for IHEs

33. Licensure Regulation Changes July 18, 2008 • Changed “conditional” to “initial” license • Created new licenses • Transitional license • Interim alternative license • Enhanced access to professional license as the initial Kansas license for veteran OoS educators • Offered reinstatement based on OoS experience • Added endorsements: • OoS license with endorsements by meeting specified coursework • Passing the content assessment • Reduced renewal requirements for standard substitute to 50 professional development points • Reinstated “masters plus experience” renewal option • Emergency substitute renewed for two years • Removed prohibition on compensation paid to student teachers • Edited the issuance of restricted license for one school year – reissued with successful progress report

35. KPA = Transitional Performance Assessment • Each conditionally licensed teacher must complete a year-long, district-administered induction and mentoring program to pass the teaching performance assessment as a prerequisite to receiving a professional teaching license. • During this transitional period, school districts are expected to provide and supervise the year-long induction mentoring program. • Districts will not be required to submit a program plan for approval for this transitional licensure requirement. • Over the course of the next year, the State Board will consider permanent changes to the teaching performance assessment as originally outlined in the regulations.

36. Transitional Performance Assessment = Performance Assessment • Teacher Performance Assessments will occur at the preservice level • There will be no prescribed teacher performance assessment • A model is being developed by the IHEs • The model will be voluntary • The model covers the “waterfront” • The model will change over time; the model will change teacher preparation programs over time

38. Findings: Perceptions of the presence of teaching conditions in Kansas appear to have improved since 2006 Teaching conditions have an impact on teacher employment plans. Teachers and administrators view working conditions differently. Teachers’ perceptions of teaching and learning conditions do not significantly vary by school level and years of experience.

39. Select Survey Questions

40. School Leadership is Key to Teacher RetentionQ: Which aspect of your work environment MOST affects your willingness to keep teaching in your school?

41. School Leadership Trends • Almost 2/3rds (61%) of teachers believe that the school leadership in their building is effective. • A little more than 2/3rds (67%) believe they work in supportive environments. • 64% believe they can raise issues and concerns. • 68% consistently get support when needed. • 69% agree that school leadership communicates clear expectations.

42. Working Conditions Influence Teacher Employment Decisions

43. Remain in Teaching in Their School • 89% or nine out of ten teachers want to remain in their current school • 6% indicate that they want to continue teaching, but in a different school or district • Only 5% want to leave classroom teaching altogether

44. Select Survey Questions

45. Teachers Need Time to Plan and Collaborate • Less than half (46%) of educators believe the non-instructional time (time without student contact that could be used for planning, meetings, etc.) that teachers receive is sufficient. • Only 53 percent agree that teachers have time available to collaborate with colleagues. • Only one-quarter (28%) of Kansas educators report receiving, on average, an hour per day of non-instructional time. • Only 40% believe efforts are made to minimize the amount of routine paperwork required of teachers.

46. Professional Development

48. Teaching in KS Commission What is the Teaching in KS Commission? • A commission formed to focus on the teacher shortage including the preparation, recruitment, and retention of teachers

49. Teacher Summit 5 Common Concerns • Working Conditions • Training Programs • Salary and Benefits • Image and Promotion • Regulations and Requirements Task Force Directives

50. Educator Recruitment and Retention Summit • Working conditions: teacher planning time, career-ladders • Teacher preparation: consistency across programs; compensate student teachers • Salary and benefits: salaries on a continuum • Image and promotion: statewide marketing campaign; grow your own • Regulations/requirements/data: change transfer credit rule; set funding one year ahead