Commissioner's Newsletter
May 4, 2004
Dear School Administrator:
The end of the school year is approaching rapidly. The legislative session will be over in less than two weeks. It is a busy time for everyone. This letter includes several timely and important items for your information.
STAN JOHNSON IS NEW ASSISTANT COMMISSIONER
I am pleased to announce that Stan Johnson, superintendent
of the School of the Osage
R-II School District in Lake Ozark, has accepted my invitation to become the
new Assistant Commissioner for the Division of School Improvement, effective
July 1. This post has been vacant since last December, when we promoted Bert
Schulte to the position of Deputy Commissioner.
Most of you know Stan. He is the immediate past president of the Missouri Association of School Administrators. He understands the challenges that confront Missouri school districts today, and I am looking forward to his joining DESE’s leadership team.
As you know, the U.S. Department of Education has announced several "adjustments" in No Child Left Behind regulations in recent weeks, in order to give school districts and states more flexibility in meeting some of the requirements of NCLB. We previously sent you some information about changes that could affect the recent administration of the MAP tests. Some of the changes in federal policy were too late to affect this year’s testing cycle, but they could be significant for next year.
In order to make sure that you are aware of the additional flexibility that has been granted, here is a quick rundown of the policy changes. Not all of the items listed here are "new." Some occurred during the past year but may not have been widely publicized.
Adequate Yearly Progress
Performance data for small schools (schools with less than
30 test takers in a subject area) will be aggregated over three years for
Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) purposes. Aggregated data will be compared
to current year data; the higher of the two will be used for AYP purposes.
In other words, if a subgroup with fewer than 30 members achieves AYP,
that data will be counted for the current year.
Schools go into school-improvement status if they do not
meet AYP for two consecutive years in the same subject area.
Thirty (30) has been the required cell size for subgroups
of students to be counted for AYP purposes. The U.S. Department of
Education has granted Missouri’s request to increase this number to 50 for
two groups: students with individualized education programs (IEPs) and
students with limited English proficiency (LEP). For all other subgroups,
the minimum cell size remains at 30. This change will be incorporated into
our analysis of 2004 MAP scores.
If a district, building or subgroup does not meet the minimum MAP participation rate requirement (95%), the participation rates will be averaged over the most recent two or three years. This may help some schools or subgroups meet the 95% participation requirement.
Students with Limited English Proficiency
Students with limited English proficiency will be counted
in their subgroup for two years after they no longer receive services.
Students with limited English proficiency who have been in
this country less than one year are required to take the MAP math
assessment, but the communication arts assessment is optional for these
students. A translator may be used for the math assessment but not for
communication arts. None of the MAP scores of LEP students who have been
in this country for less than a year will be used in AYP calculations.
(The MAP communication arts exam is optional for LEP students because ALL
LEP students also are required to take the annual "MAC II" English
Language Learning Assessment.)
MAP-Alternate (MAP-A)
If a student with a significant cognitive disability participated in the MAP-A in 2004, his/her results, if scorable, will be reported for communication arts if the student is enrolled at grade 11, or enrolled in grade 4 or 8 for math. Students’ 2004 MAP-A results will be reported in terms of the MAP achievement levels. Other MAP-A assessments are not given in the same grades/content areas as MAP, so these cannot be reported in terms of MAP achievement levels. MAP-A eligible students who do not have an achievement level will be reported as "Level Not Determined" (LND) for Missouri School Improvement Program (MSIP) calculations, but will continue to be removed from LND for AYP calculations.
If you need more information about any of these issues, please contact Dr. Dee Beck, coordinator of federal programs, at 573-751-3520.
COMING SOON: SURVEY ON STUDENT ID SYSTEMS
A group of DESE personnel and other Missouri educators have been exploring ways of reducing the recordkeeping load for school districts. Among the ideas under considera-tion is the adoption of a statewide student identification system, which would include the use of a state-level ID number for every public school student. We know that a number of Missouri school districts already use such systems for their own purposes and that a growing number of states are adopting or considering such systems.
To help us explore the pros and cons of this idea more fully, we need to know more about the systems currently in use by Missouri school districts. To obtain this information, the Office of Social and Economic Data Analysis (OSEDA), at the University of Missouri-Columbia, will be contacting superintendents and asking them to complete a short, online survey about student ID systems and how they are used locally. You should be contacted about this within the next two weeks. OSEDA is conducting this survey on our behalf, and I would appreciate it if you will respond.
"TOP 10 LISTS" ARE NOW AVAILABLE
Earlier this year, we decided that we would NOT produce and publish the annual "Top 10 Lists," based on schools’ 2003 MAP scores because of the proliferation of "lists" in recent years, the growing focus on Adequate Yearly Progress as a measure of schools’ performance, and the increasing number of districts that administer only the communication arts and math portions of the MAP. Consequently, we felt that the Top 10 lists had lost much of their value and relevance.
However, we have received numerous requests from school districts that view the Top 10 lists either as useful incentives for students and staff or as recognition for individual schools. In response to those requests, we have once again calculated the Top 10 lists, but only for the areas of communication arts and math. We are going to make these lists available on our Web site, but we are not going to publicize their release at the state level. It will be up to you and your staff to determine how you want to use the information included in this year’s lists.
As in previous years, there are two separate sets of Top 10 lists:
Most-Improved Schools. These lists recognize schools based on the largest net increase in the combined percentage of students scoring Proficient or Advanced, from 1999 to 2003, in communication arts and math.
Highest-Performing Schools. These lists recognize schools for sustained high performance, based on the percentage of students scoring Proficient or Advanced in communication arts and math, from 1999 to 2003.
SPECIAL EDUCATION’S TEACHER RECRUITMENT CAMPAIGN
The Department’s Division of Special Education has recently launched a campaign to help school districts recruit and retain teachers in the field of special education. The theme of the project is "Special Education Teachers: Making a Difference that Lasts a Lifetime."
All teachers need to know they are valued and appreciated, especially special education teachers who often see themselves as isolated and without many opportunities for peer collaboration. As a result, part of the focus of this campaign is the retention of special education teachers. Materials for the campaign include a DVD that features special education teachers from across the state, talking about their experiences and challenges and sharing the commitment they have to their profession.
The campaign also aims at recruiting new special education teachers. The outreach is directed to high school students who are considering their career options. Through the use of print materials, Web-based information and a DVD, the campaign is providing information about the rewarding and challenging experience of teaching children with special needs.
High schools, counselors and libraries should have received a set of attractive posters, brochures, bookmarks and a DVD to help inform students about career opportunities in special education. Materials also have been sent to colleges and universities with teacher education programs to ensure those programs are given consideration by college students. Public libraries will receive bookmarks to catch the eye of adults who are thinking about a career change and who might consider special education.
I hope this project will be helpful to you and your faculty and informative for students who may be considering a teaching career.
"TALENT POOL" NOMINATIONS ARE NEEDED
As the end of the school year approaches, you will probably be honoring retirees, outstanding teachers and other employees who have made noteworthy contributions. I hope you will submit the names of deserving colleagues for the annual DESE "talent pool." We collect the names of distinguished teachers and principals each year who may become candidates for prestigious state-level and national recognition programs. We also use the talent pool when seeking local educators to serve on state-level task forces or committees.
The talent pool nomination form and instructions are available online.
At this time, we are especially seeking nominations of outstanding elementary classroom teachers with 5-10 years of experience. Your nominations should be confidential. I hope you will think about faculty members whom you think are deserving of recognition and submit your recommendations by May 28 (not May 15 as stated in the instructions).
MISSOURI ACADEMY FOR NEW SUPERINTENDENTS
I am happy to announce the third year of operation for the Missouri Academy for New Superintendents, a cooperative project of the Department of Educational Leadership at Saint Louis University, the Missouri Association of School Administrators and the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education.
The Academy is a one-year professional development experience that includes participants from throughout the state. In order to take part, you must have at least one year of experience, but no more than four years of experience, as a superintendent. This program is intended to help superintendents during their initial challenging years.
For more information about the Academy and how you may apply, please contact Dr. Gary Wright in the Department of Educational Leadership at Saint Louis University (314-977-4067).
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I hope your school district’s end-of-year activities and special events go smoothly.
Sincerely,
D. Kent King