Tony Bennett, the State Superintendent of Indiana, was in Boise today speaking with families from across Idaho about education reform and expanding choice in public education.
Last year, Indiana also passed comprehensive education reform laws. Some of them were similar to what was passed here in Idaho through Students Come First.
The Idaho Coalition of Charter School Families invited Dr. Bennett to speak at a rally on the Statehouse steps to promote the lifting of the cap on public charter schools in Idaho.
Currently, under Idaho law, only six new charter schools can open per year. The Coalition, Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Luna, the Idaho State Board of Education, the Idaho Public Charter School Commission, several legislators and others support lifting the cap.
Right now, Idaho has 43 public charter schools statewide and about 8,000 students on a waiting list to attend a public charter school.
In his remarks to the crowd of hundreds of students, parents and legislators, Dr. Bennett recognized Idaho as a leader in reform across the country.
“When it comes to education reform, the I’s have it. And that is Idaho and Indiana,” Dr. Bennett said. “There are very few, if any, superintendents in the United States who have done for the children of their state what Tom Luna has done for the children of your state.
“I applaud the fact that Idaho is among the nation’s leaders in recognizing and rewarding great teaching because there is nothing more important in the life of a child, besides that child’s parents, than an inspired and an inspiring teacher,” Bennett continued. “To all our teachers today who are here, thank you for doing great work.”
Wednesday, February 1, 2012
IDAHO CELEBRATES DIGITAL LEARNING DAY
February 1 is Digital Learning Day in Idaho and across the country. The Idaho State Department of Education, in partnership with the Alliance for Excellent Education, is celebrating innovative teaching across Idaho and highlighting practices that make learning more personalized and engaging for students.
“Digital learning is a critical piece of the 21st Century Classroom. As we have expanded access to digital learning in the classroom through Students Come First, teachers now can individualize instruction for all students and make sure ensure every child is on a path to graduate from high school prepared to go on to postsecondary education or the workforce,” Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Luna said.
Governor C.L. “Butch” Otter declared February 1, 2012 as Digital Learning Day in Idaho.
Across the country, 37 states are participating in Digital Learning Day in some way. On this day and throughout the year, the state will work with Idaho teachers and parents to explore how digital learning can provide all students with opportunities to build the skills needed to succeed in postsecondary education, a career, and throughout life.
Through the passage of Students Come First education reform laws, Idaho is providing students and families with more choices than ever in public education. The state has expanded digital learning opportunities in the classroom, such as access to digital content, interactive technologies, and the Idaho Education Network.
All education stakeholders – districts, schools, teachers, students, librarians, parents, and business and community partners –are encouraged to register to participate in Digital Learning Day activities at http://www.digitallearningday.org/.
By signing up now, participating schools and teachers will have access to targeted toolkits outlining ideas and ways to plan their Digital Learning Day celebration, as well as updates, informational videos, webinars, and other resources.
As the host of Digital Learning Day in Idaho, Governor Otter, Superintendent Luna and the staff at the State Department of Education will honor educators who are using innovation to make a difference for students.
Idaho will continue to reach out and highlight resources that support the goals of and participation in Digital Learning Day and encourages the sharing of ideas, creative lessons, and resources with others across the state and country with several opportunities.
Here is a list of opportunities for students and teachers:
• The State Department of Education is excited to announce the launch of a yearlong statewide lesson plan award to showcase innovative practices in the classroom. The Department will award more than $108,000 in gift certificates over the course of a year from March until February of next year to teachers who develop exemplary lesson plans across all academic subjects and grades. The best examples will be showcased in the statewide instructional management system, known as Schoolnet, which provides lesson planning tools and access to Idaho’s content standards online. More information on this contest is available online at http://www.sde.idaho.gov/site/digitalLearning/.
• In addition, the Department is distributing $6,000 in lesson plan awards specifically for visual arts teachers who create lessons aligned with Idaho content standards that infuse technology and student art work. These will be displayed at the State Department of Education Art Gallery at artsonia.com. Superintendent Luna will be giving a special Superintendent’s Award for exemplary student art. More information will be announced by the end of February 2012 regarding this program.
• The Department will host an Instructional Technology Showcase. Schools, libraries, community programs, and classrooms are invited to showcase how they are using digital media and lessons to improve teaching and learning. The Department is looking for ideas and exemplars to display on the Department website in the near future. To learn more, visit https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/InstructionalTechnologyShowcaseApplicant.
For more information on these opportunities and Digital Learning Day in Idaho, visit http://www.sde.idaho.gov/site/digitalLearning/.
DEPARTMENT RELEASES 2011 YOUTH RISK BEHAVIOR SURVEY
The Idaho State Department of Education released the results of the 2011 Youth Risk Behavior Survey today, showing improvement in several areas including physical violence.
“We are pleased to see less physical violence among students across Idaho,” Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Luna said. “However, we still see some areas of concern including the use of illegal substances and the number of students considering suicide. We must work to solve these problems in our schools and communities. No student is free to learn until they are free from intimidation and fear.”
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention developed the Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS) to survey behaviors among youth related to the leading causes of mortality and morbidity among both youth and adults and to assess how these risk behaviors change over time.
The YRBS measures behaviors that fall into six behavior categories that result in: (1) unintentional and intentional injuries; (2) tobacco use; (3) alcohol and other drug use; (4) sexual behaviors that result in HIV infection, other sexually transmitted diseases, and unintended pregnancies; (5) dietary behaviors; and (6) physical activity.
The 2011 Idaho YRBS was administered to more than 1,700 students in 48 randomly selected public high schools in Idaho during Spring 2011.
Here are some of the highlights of the 2011 YRBS results in Idaho:
• The percentage of students who were in a physical fight one or more times during the past 12 months decreased from 29 percent in 2009 to 26.4 percent in 2011.
• The percentage of students who were ever hit, slapped, or physically hurt on purpose by their boyfriend or girlfriend during the past 12 months decreased from 10.6 percent in 2009 to 8.7 percent in 2011.
• The percentage of students who used methamphetamines one or more times during their life remained about flat at 3.2 percent in 2011, compared to 3.1 percent in 2009. This is a significant decrease from 6.4 percent in 2007.
• The percentage of students who seriously considered attempting suicide during the past 12 months increased from 14.2 percent in 2009 to 15.4 percent in 2011.
• The percentage of students who used marijuana one or more times during the past 30 days increased from 13.7 percent in 2009 to 18.8 percent in 2011.
To view the full results of the 2011 YRBS, visit http://www.sde.idaho.gov/site/csh/ and click on the “Resources/Data” tab near the bottom of the page.
“We are pleased to see less physical violence among students across Idaho,” Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Luna said. “However, we still see some areas of concern including the use of illegal substances and the number of students considering suicide. We must work to solve these problems in our schools and communities. No student is free to learn until they are free from intimidation and fear.”
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention developed the Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS) to survey behaviors among youth related to the leading causes of mortality and morbidity among both youth and adults and to assess how these risk behaviors change over time.
The YRBS measures behaviors that fall into six behavior categories that result in: (1) unintentional and intentional injuries; (2) tobacco use; (3) alcohol and other drug use; (4) sexual behaviors that result in HIV infection, other sexually transmitted diseases, and unintended pregnancies; (5) dietary behaviors; and (6) physical activity.
The 2011 Idaho YRBS was administered to more than 1,700 students in 48 randomly selected public high schools in Idaho during Spring 2011.
Here are some of the highlights of the 2011 YRBS results in Idaho:
• The percentage of students who were in a physical fight one or more times during the past 12 months decreased from 29 percent in 2009 to 26.4 percent in 2011.
• The percentage of students who were ever hit, slapped, or physically hurt on purpose by their boyfriend or girlfriend during the past 12 months decreased from 10.6 percent in 2009 to 8.7 percent in 2011.
• The percentage of students who used methamphetamines one or more times during their life remained about flat at 3.2 percent in 2011, compared to 3.1 percent in 2009. This is a significant decrease from 6.4 percent in 2007.
• The percentage of students who seriously considered attempting suicide during the past 12 months increased from 14.2 percent in 2009 to 15.4 percent in 2011.
• The percentage of students who used marijuana one or more times during the past 30 days increased from 13.7 percent in 2009 to 18.8 percent in 2011.
To view the full results of the 2011 YRBS, visit http://www.sde.idaho.gov/site/csh/ and click on the “Resources/Data” tab near the bottom of the page.
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Superintendent Luna Reviews Work of Technology Task Force
On
Tuesday, January 31, Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Luna presented an
update on Students Come First and the work of the Technology Task Force to the Joint
House and Senate Education Committees. The following are Superintendent Luna’s
prepared remarks for the update on the work of the Technology Task Force. A
full list of recommendations is available on the Students Come First website.
With
this, I will now turn to the Technology Task Force Report.
I
will provide a brief background on the Technology Task Force and then turn the
time over to each of the Subcommittee Chairs who are here today to report on
the recommendations that this Task Force unanimously approved in December.
Let
me quickly introduce each of the Subcommittee Chairs:
·
Rep.
Reed DeMordaunt led the One-to-One Governance and Instructional Integration
Subcommittee.
·
Stefani
Cook, Idaho’s 2011 Teacher of the Year, led the Classroom Technology
Integration Subcommittee.
·
Jayson
Ronk of the Idaho Association of Commerce and Industry, led the Platform,
Specifications, and Procurement Subcommittee.
·
Andy
Grover, superintendent of the Melba School District, led the Online Learning
Implementation Subcommittee.
As part of
the Students Come First laws, we created a task force to study and develop
plans for the successful implementation of the technology components of these
laws and directed me to report back on the Task Force’s work by January 31,
2012.
You each
have a copy of the full, written report.
Under
the law, the Task Force had to be made up of at least 28 members, 17 of which I
could appoint and 11 of which were appointed by educational stakeholder groups,
the Idaho Legislature, and the Office of the Governor.
Since
we wanted to ensure we had a wide range of experienced perspectives, I expanded
the membership of the Task Force to include parents, school board trustees, and
more classroom teachers.
In
May, I asked people from across Idaho to apply if they were interested in
participating on the Task Force.
I
appointed Task Force members based on their experience, willingness to work
together and the perspective they could bring to the table.
The
Task Force included school district superintendents, district technology
directors, secondary school principals, a district business manager, a head of
a virtual public charter school, a head of a traditional public charter school
that serves grades 9-12, secondary classroom teachers, representatives of the
business community, school board trustees, parents, and at-large community
members.
12
educators served on the Task Force, 4 of whom currently serve as classroom
teachers.
You
can see from the next slide, the Task Force also included the following groups:
In
June, 38 individuals came together with different ideas, attitudes and opinions
about education reform in Idaho.
They
worked as a large Task Force together at times and also worked in subcommittees
for part of the time.
They
conducted site visits to states and districts that have successfully implemented
1:1 initiatives, including:
- Maine
- Auburn, Alabama, and
- Klein, Texas
We
heard other reports from experts in digital learning, teachers in Denver,
professors at Boise State, and teachers right here in Idaho who have
successfully integrated technology in their classrooms.
After
7 months of study and hard work, each subcommittee brought forward a series of
recommendations in December.
The
Task Force unanimously passed these recommendations.
With
their recommendations, we now will be able to provide equal education
opportunities for all Idaho students and the tools and resources Idaho teachers
need to raise academic achievement.
Now,
Mr. Chair, with your permission, I will turn the time over to each Subcommittee
Chair to present their recommendations.
Superintendent Luna Provides Update on Implementation of Students Come First Laws
On Tuesday, January 31, Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Luna presented an update on Students Come First and the work of the Technology Task Force to the Joint House and Senate Education Committees. The following are Superintendent Luna’s prepared remarks for his update on the implementation of Students Come First laws.
Thank you Chairman Goedde, Chairman Nonini and members of both committees for inviting me here today.
Last year, we passed the most comprehensive education reform in the country to improve Idaho’s public education system for every student – no matter where they live.
The fact is, in 2011, we were at a crossroads in public education in Idaho – both financially and academically.
Financially, we were facing a new normal in our economy. Public schools could no longer rely on tens of millions of new dollars each year just to maintain the status quo.
We had to find a way to spend the money we currently had differently.
Academically, we had a good education system, but it was not keeping up with the fast-paced world around us.
Just look at some of the statistics.
We know our students perform well compared to students in other states.
We know we have one of the highest graduation rates in the country.
For every 100 students who attend public schools in Idaho, 92% graduate from high school.
This is good news. But that’s not the question we face today. The question is, in today’s world, is good good enough?
You see: While our students perform well compared to students in other states and while we have one of the highest graduation rates in the country, we still have one of the lowest rates of the number of students who go on to postsecondary education.
Only 46% of students who graduate go on to college or professional-technical schools after high school.
Once there, 40% of them need remediation. As a result, 38% do not go back for their 2nd year.
Because of this, only 34% of Idahoans have a postsecondary degree or certificate.
We can’t just look at how Idaho students perform compared to other students across the United States, but how do Idaho students compare with students in other countries?
This is who our children will compete with after high school.
Let’s look at the PISA, an international assessment that looks at multiple subject areas.
On the PISA, the U.S. ranks 49th in the world.
But we don’t want to know just how our country ranks. We want to know how Idaho students rank.
So we took this model and treated all 50 states as if they were their own country and folded them into this model to see how Idaho would compare to the rest of the world.
If Massachusetts was a country in and of itself, it would rank 17th in the world. Not bad…Minnesota would rank 20th. Pretty good.
Idaho… 71st. 71st….
Knowing this, what do we do? We have a few options.
Denial is one… It seems to be a popular choice and easy choice for many.
Another option is we could do nothing. It’s not an option I recommend, but it is an option.
We could celebrate the fact that with a 92% graduation rate we have one of the highest graduation rates in the country and ignore the fact that only 46% go on to postsecondary education and nearly half of them need remediation once they get there.
We could be satisfied that our students do well in reading and math when compared to other states across America and ignore the fact that we ranked 71st in an international comparison.
Or we could choose to do something about these results. We could act instead of being acted upon. This is what we chose to do last year.
We chose to set high academic standards. We chose to set high, achievable goals.
We chose to build a new education system that gives all our teachers the tools and all of our students the opportunities and access they need to meet those goals and expectations.
We had to have a new education system: a system that could educate more students at a higher level with limited resources.
Based on these realities, the Governor and I presented – and with your leadership and courage – passed Students Come First.
With your help, we now are implementing this comprehensive education reform in Idaho.
This means that for the first time in Idaho history, we are on a clear path to accomplishing a uniform public education system.
When it comes to education reform, Idaho is not alone.
About 30 states passed some form of education reform last year.
More states – like Maine, Louisiana, Tennessee, Iowa, South Dakota, New Mexico – are introducing education reform efforts this year.
Because of your efforts here in Idaho, you are now recognized as leaders in education reform.
There is a renaissance going on all across America in education. People have come to the realization that the status quo cannot continue, must not continue. Something has to change.
Idaho’s reform efforts were by far the most comprehensive.
While some states chose to deal with just collective bargaining or school choice or teacher pay or technology, Idaho has addressed them all.
None of the reforms Idaho passed last year stands on its own.
Students Come First is comprehensive because while it is made of many different parts, each part is interconnected.
Here is how it all works together.
First, high standards are the foundation of a 21st Century Classroom. The state raised high school graduation requirements and adopted the more rigorous Common Core State Standards.
Second, we must have great teachers and leaders.
We can accomplish this through focused, relevant, individualized professional development; rigorous performance evaluations tied to student achievement; rewarding great teachers; and fair personnel practices.
Third, we must give Idaho teachers 21st Century tools for the 21st Century classroom.
That’s why Idaho is making unprecedented investments in classroom technology.
Fourth, we have to give all Idaho students advanced opportunities, like the Dual Credit for Early Completers Program.
Finally, every classroom teacher, educator and policymaker needs access to current, accurate data.
The foundation for this new data system is our statewide longitudinal data system, known as ISEE.
Thanks to a grant from the J.A. and Kathryn Albertson Foundation, we are implementing Phase II of ISEE, which is an Instructional Management System – known as Schoolnet – in every classroom in the state.
We are also working toward the next generation of assessments to gather data on student achievement.
All of these components work together to make Students Come First.
Now that we have this comprehensive new education system in place, we must measure its success.
As with anything we do in education, government, or private industry, it is critical that we measure progress along the way and make changes when necessary.
How will we know if these reforms are accomplishing our goals?
We will measure student achievement against the goals we have set, goals that were created by the Education Alliance of Idaho and are now found in Students Come First.
At a 60,000 foot level, our goal is to educate more students at a higher level with limited resources.
At a 30,000 foot level, our goal is for every student to graduate from high school and go on to postsecondary education or the workforce without needing remediation.
From there, we have to look at and monitor key student achievement measures. Here are a few:
· ISAT scores
· SAT scores
· Graduation rates
· Number of students going on to postsecondary education
This is the process my staff and I will go through every year to make sure these reform efforts are working.
As of today, these laws have been in place for about 9 months.
Since these laws passed, my staff and I have worked diligently with local school districts, and the organizations that represent, them to implement these laws successfully statewide.
In addition, a 38-member Technology Task Force met for 7 months to develop more specific recommendations for the state and local school districts on how to implement the technology components of Students Come First.
So today, let me provide you with an update on our work to implement the Students Come First laws and the work of the Technology Task Force.
Mr. Chair, with your permission, I will first provide an update on the Students Come First laws overall, and then provide an update on the Technology Task Force.
We have the chairs of each of the subcommittees for the Technology Task Force here to assist in that report.
Through these reforms, we are expanding local control, creating equal access and opportunities to all students no matter where they live, and giving parents and patrons more access to transparent information than they have ever had before.
First, we have expanded local control.
Under these laws, we returned authority and flexibility to local education leaders in every community.
Throughout the summer, I heard from trustees, superintendents and teachers across Idaho that this was the smoothest negotiating process they had ever experienced.
Teachers’ union leaders in local school districts have said they did not feel hamstrung or restricted by these new laws.
Instead, people on both sides of the negotiating table told me discussions were more civil in open, public meetings.
Master agreements were signed on time and in place before the school year began.
The fact is many of the same policies remain in place at the local level, but these policies are now a part of local board policy or the employee handbook where they can be changed if necessary, rather than found in the master agreement.
We also expanded local control by implementing a statewide pay-for-performance plan that gives local school districts the ability to create their own plans for rewarding performance at the local level.
Before this pay-for-performance plan was in place, teachers could primarily earn money one way: based on the number of years they taught and the amount of education they have.
This is what many of us refer to as the “salary grid” or “steps and lanes.”
What this means is if I am the greatest teacher in my district and I’ve taught 8 years and have a master’s degree, I get paid the exact same amount as the least effective teacher in my district that has taught 8 years and has a master’s degree.
That’s not fair to the students in that district, and it’s definitely not fair to teachers.
Under the new plan in place in Idaho, every teacher has the opportunity to earn up to $8,000 in bonuses – above and beyond their salary.
This finally gives the State of Idaho and local districts the ability to not only recognize but financially reward those teachers who work hard work each and every day for Idaho students.
There are three ways teachers can earn bonuses under pay-for-performance:
· Working in schools that show academic growth or overall achievement
· Working in a hard-to-fill position, as determined by the local district
· Taking on a leadership duty, as determined by the local district
In the upcoming fiscal year, teachers will first receive bonuses based on student achievement, primarily focusing on academic growth.
The bonuses will be tied to student achievement goals developed at the state and local levels.
Next year, districts will work with teachers to develop local plans for rewarding hard-to-fill positions and leadership duties.
In 2011, we worked with school districts across Idaho as they developed local plans to award groups of teachers for working together to reach student achievement goals.
These plans contain goals aligned with each district’s mission and vision.
District plans include multiple measures such as:
· Idaho Reading Indicator
· End of Course assessments
· Parent involvement
· SAT scores
· Graduation rates
I could go on, but by just these few examples, you can see how local districts now have the control to reward their hard-working teachers for meeting their own local goals based on their students’ needs.
This is another example of how we have expanded local control across Idaho through Students Come First.
As I stated in my remarks to the Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee last week, I want to reiterate that under my proposal, we will not have to reduce state funding for salaries in order to pay for this next year.
Under my budget proposal, the state will fully fund the salary grid and fund pay-for-performance and other Students Come First laws in addition to salaries.
In fact, these pay-for-performance bonuses next year will represent approximately a 5 percent increase in state funding for teacher compensation.
A 5 percent increase. No other state employee will receive that type of increase in compensation in the next fiscal year.
And this plan is not just for a few. In fact, under this plan, we estimate at least 85% of teachers will earn a bonus.
This is great news for the State of Idaho, Idaho’s teachers and for Idaho’s students.
Not only are we moving toward paying our teachers more this year, but we are paying them differently and we are paying them better.
This moves us away from the one-size fits all approach to paying teachers.
Previously, we had an education system that made it almost impossible to financially reward great teachers and very difficult to address ineffective teaching.
If we want an education system that truly puts students first, we had to remove the barriers to both.
We have accomplished that.
Second, in addition to expanding local control, we are now on a clear path to creating a uniform system of public education across the State of Idaho.
What this means is that no matter where a student lives – whether their community is urban, suburban, rural or remote– they will have equal access to the same high-quality educational opportunities as every other student in the state.
This has never been possible before in the State of Idaho, but we now are on our way to accomplishing this.
The next step is creating a 21st Century Classroom in every school in every corner of our state.
The foundation of the 21st Century Classroom is higher academic standards for every student.
Last year, the Legislature approved the Common Core State Standards in mathematics and English language arts. These standards are fewer, higher, clearer and comparable with any other country in the world.
They will be first taught in classrooms in the Fall of 2013.
Through these standards, we can now make sure every student graduates from high school prepared to succeed in postsecondary education or the workforce without the need for remediation.
Our colleges and universities and the business community have told us students who meet these standards are ready for postsecondary education and the workforce.
Right now, we are working to transition to these higher standards through workshops and trainings.
Every 21st Century Classroom also must give our highly effective teachers the 21st Century tools they need to engage students, individualize instruction and raise academic achievement for every student.
Just as it is in every other part of our lives, we recognize that technology is no longer a “nice-to-have” tool in the classroom. It is an essential tool.
Now, through Students Come First, we are making sure every classroom in Idaho – no matter where it is located – has the advanced technology it needs to raise student achievement.
The state is now distributing $9 million a year in funding for advanced classroom technology statewide.
This is separate from the one-to-one laptop initiative in high schools and is available to all grades.
We distributed nearly half of this money – about $4 million – in September and will distribute the remaining funds this spring.
Every district has worked to develop a plan that shows how the advanced technology they purchase for the classroom will help teachers individualize instruction for students, raise student achievement, and provide equal access for all children in the school.
We received great plans from all across the state.
· The West Bonner School District will invest in digital cameras in all grades to incorporate photography into schoolwork. Students in elementary school will use iPods to improve language and math skills.
· In Meridian, the district found that not every classroom had equal access to digital content or interactive learning technologies. So they are using this funding to remedy that. The district will purchase projectors and document cameras for every classroom to ensure equal access.
· In Caldwell, the district reviewed instructional data to determine the level of student engagement and how technology is being used in every classroom. They found a common theme: Those classrooms with interactive technology had higher levels of student engagement, which we know leads to higher student achievement. Classrooms with little or no interactive technology had lower student engagement. Knowing this, the district is working to install interactive technology in every classroom.
· In Clark County, the district has recognized that technology can help increase the time teachers spend with students and reduce the time teachers spend on paperwork. The district will use this funding at the elementary level to buy tablets to assist teachers in classroom organization, grading, and lesson planning. They will also use it to analyze student achievement data.
These are just some of the great and innovative plans that will begin to create 21st Century Classrooms in every school in every corner of the state.
The next step is implementing a one-to-one ratio of mobile computing devices to students and teachers in every public high school in Idaho.
This is a critical step in making sure every student has equal access to the best education opportunities.
This device has endless possibilities in the classroom. It becomes the textbook in every classroom, the calculator in math, the research tool in science, the word processor in English, and it’s the portal to a world of information and knowledge.
Teachers can use these devices to integrate technology into every part of the curriculum, to bring lessons to life, help students find relevance in any subject area, or to individualize instruction for a student who is struggling or may be more advanced than others in the classroom.
Let me just show you one example of how this device can be used in the classroom:
[Video on how digital textbooks work in the classroom]
We will have examples of these digital textbooks and more classroom technology at the Department’s open house tomorrow afternoon.
The state will begin phasing in the one-to-one devices to Idaho high school teachers, principals, media specialists, and technology coordinators in September.
They will receive one year of intense professional development before students beginning receiving access to devices in the Fall of 2013.
As you know, the Technology Task Force created by this legislation met for 7 months to develop recommendations for the rollout of mobile computing devices.
They made many recommendations, which I will report on in more detail next week.
Let me discuss just two of their recommendations briefly as they pertain to the rollout of these one-to-one devices.
First, the Task Force determined this device should be a type of laptop.
The device will include the necessary hardware, software, maintenance, security and support to go along with it.
Second, the Technology Task Force also determined that in Fall 2013, devices should be deployed to one-third of students statewide by school, rather than by grade.
The Task Force learned from other states and school districts that already have a 1:1 that it is not prudent to deploy devices in a school when only some students have the device and not others.
If this happens, a teacher may have some students in a classroom with devices and others without.
Experience shows that in this case, the teacher will likely just say “everyone close the devices” and go on with the lesson.
To avoid this situation and ensure successful implementation, the Task Force recommended deploying devices to Idaho high schools in the first year, representing one-third of the students statewide, or about 27,000 students.
In Fall 2014, we will deploy devices to the second one-third of schools. In Fall 2015, we will deploy to the final one-third of schools.
To determine the first one-third of schools to receive devices, we asked local school districts and charter schools to submit letters of interest, signed by the superintendent or the school board chair, if they are interested in being in the first round.
We have been overwhelmed by the response we have received so far.
As of today, we have 81letters of interest representing 152 schools and more than 61,000 students statewide.
This represents 75% of high school students across Idaho – far more than the one-third of students we planned to deploy to in the first round.
As you may remember this was one of the most hotly contested pieces of Students Come First last year, but it is clear now that the demand for this classroom technology is out there and an overwhelming majority of schools want these devices.
In Idaho Falls, for example, they said there would be “a high probability of parental discord” if deployment was delayed to all the high schools in their district.
In Twin Falls, the superintendent wrote to say: “Based on a staff survey …, we are enthusiastically requesting to participate in the first third of the state’s high schools regarding deployment of the one-to-one mobile computing devices at all three of our high schools.”
It is clear that teachers, principals, parents and students are not hesitant but are excited about the laptops and want to participate now, not later.
In fact, every one of you has schools in your legislative districts that have requested to be part of the first one-third.
I encourage school districts to continue to submit their letters of interest until February 17 if they are interested in participating.
Technology is a great tool, and we know it will help, but it is just a tool.
As I have said all along, the teacher is the most important factor in a student’s academic success.
So as we transition to the 21st Century Classroom, we must give our highly effective teachers – not some but all – the 21st Century Classroom tools they need as well as the professional development on how to integrate these tools in the classroom.
It’s all about implementing technology effectively.
Look at the study known as Project RED. If you put any technology in the classroom, it will have an impact.
But if you implement it effectively, it will have a significant impact on student achievement.
So let’s discuss our plan for professional development.
Under Students Come First, there is nearly $4 million a year built into the public schools budget for professional development for classroom teachers and building administrators.
This is historic amounts of ongoing funding for professional development. Why? Because we recognize professional development is a critical, ongoing need.
The professional development will not focus on how to turn on the device, but how to use this device in the classroom, to integrate it into everything that happens in the classroom and how teachers can engage every student every day.
A subcommittee of the Technology Task Force was charged with developing a plan for implementing professional development statewide, and they made several recommendations in December.
Stefani Cook is here to discuss those recommendations in further detail. I want to mention just one, which was for the Department to build a comprehensive professional development plan statewide.
We have begun to do this.
In this plan, the state will use a blended model that combines both face-to-face and online methods of professional development for teachers, administrators and technology coordinators.
First, we will establish regional training teams of administrators, teachers and technology coordinators to provide professional development and support to schools in implementing classroom technology at all grade levels.
Stipends will be made available for these team members.
Next, the state will identify a lead teacher and technology coordinator at every high school who will not only learn how to integrate one-to-one devices and other classroom technology effectively, but will become in-house experts and take the lead in providing training to other teachers in their building.
Stipends will also be made available for these in-house experts.
The state will also provide support and guidance for the formation of tech integration teams comprised of students in each high school, which offers a unique leadership opportunity for those with the skills and desire.
However, not all learning opportunities will be provided face-to-face.
School personnel, parents and students will all have access to a variety of tools that will be available to them online at any time they need assistance.
This is all possible because of the ongoing funding for professional development.
Because of this historic investment in professional development by the state, other organizations have been inspired to provide additional support for teachers, principals and administrators.
Boise State University, for example, recently received a $4 million grant from the J.A. and Kathryn Albertson Foundation to create the Idaho Leads Project.
This is a new statewide effort to provide intensive professional development to local educators as they work to innovate our schools and help students achieve at even higher levels.
By creating 21st Century Classrooms in every classroom across Idaho, we are able to provide Idaho students and teachers with equal access to the best educational opportunities.
No longer are they restricted by the walls of their classroom or the remoteness of their community.
Now, they can access any book they need, reach out to world-renowned experts on any topic or take field trips to faraway places.
The Idaho Education Network has created the foundation for this.
Through the IEN, every Idaho high school is now connected to high-speed broadband internet access and has at least one classroom set up for virtual education.
Some districts have increased their bandwidth by 1,000%.
With this, students in Murtaugh have taken a field trip to the Great Barrier Reef.
A science class at St. Maries watched a medical professor from St. Louis dissect a human brain and answer their questions about how the brain works.
They would never get that experience without this access to digital learning.
Afterward, Dr. Ray Vollmer of St. Louis University School of Medicine said he was embarrassed that the state of Missouri hadn’t stepped up and implemented this type of technology in its schools.
He said, “They say, it’s too far to go to St. Louis, we will look at it in a textbook. I’m a little bit embarrassed that we haven’t moved forward like you guys are. That’s a huge step. For you students, I just hope you appreciate what you got and take advantage of it.”
When I first took office, I said Idaho could become a leader in education. Under the leadership of this Legislature and Governor Otter, we now are a leader.
That is why this Legislature approved the new requirement for all students to take 2 online credits before they graduate from high school in the year 2016.
In order to implement this requirement effectively across the state, we are addressing necessary tweaks to make sure districts can implement more digital learning effectively.
The Senate has approved Senate Bill 1237 which allows a teacher in the same building to create and then teach an online course.
This gives local school districts more flexibility to create local content for digital learning.
The State Department of Education also plans to propose legislation that creates a fee structure for online course reviews and to develop an online clearinghouse so parents, students and educators know all online courses meet our standards.
As part of this clearinghouse, there will also be a rating system similar to Ebay or Amazon.com where independent feedback can be posted.
Digital learning is critical in so students have access to opportunities they might not otherwise have.
But digital learning – or learning in an online environment – also is an essential skill that our students growing up in the 21st Century must have before they leave high school.
To make sure every student has the opportunity to prepare for postsecondary education, for the first time, an estimated 18,000 high school juniors will take the SAT, paid for by the state.
This graduation requirement was set by the Legislature back in 2007.
By passing the Students Come First laws and spending what we currently have differently, we were able to providing funding for these college entrance exams.
Under Students Come First, students also can now get a jumpstart on their postsecondary education without leaving high school.
For the first time ever, high school juniors and seniors are able to complete their state graduation requirements early and enroll in up to 36 dual credits – paid for by the state.
I am convinced this will help solve the “senior slump” and other problems we face in trying to motivate students in that last year or last few months of high school.
It also will help those who may not see themselves as “college material” or prepared to go on to postsecondary education to know that they do have the skills and knowledge to go on after high school.
Surprisingly, many students and parents are just now learning about this opportunity.
I talk about this program everywhere I go, and parents and students are excited when they hear about it.
Over time, we know more and more students will participate in this program as they strive to meet their state graduation requirements earlier and take advantage of this great opportunity.
After implementing this program for a year and hearing back from school districts, I do believe there are some common-sense tweaks we can make to the program.
I will be bringing legislation forward to do that.
For example, we currently have a graduation requirement that says students must take at least 2 of their math credits in their last year of high school. This does not work for students have completed all their state graduation requirements by their junior year.
Therefore, I will bring legislation forward to clarify that. For the purposes of the Dual Credit Program, students can consider their junior year the “last year of high school.”
The next change we heard is that because of certain electives, it is difficult for students to complete graduation requirements by the end of their junior year.
It is more likely these motivated students will complete by the end of the first semester of their senior year.
Therefore, we will bring forward legislation to change the Program to include students who finish state graduation requirements by the end of the first semester of their senior year.
Third, under the Students Come First laws, we now are giving Idaho parents, taxpayers and other patrons more choice and transparency than ever before at all levels of education.
Parents now have more choices than ever.
They can choose to enroll their students in an online course, if they need an advanced course or another option.
To ensure accountability, we will put forward legislation regarding those students who choose to dual enroll in some online classes.
Under this legislation, a student can take up to 50% of classes outside of those offered by the local school district if they choose.
In another step toward transparency, all negotiations are now held in open, public meetings. These meetings must be in line with Idaho’s Open Meeting Law to ensure the public receives timely notification.
The state is also publishing a user-friendly Fiscal Report Card for every local school district and public charter school.
The Report Card will contain information such as:
· Enrollment
· Average Daily Attendance
· Teacher and Administrator Pay
· Revenues and Expenditures
Users will be able to go on and see how their district compares with similar districts in the state as well as state averages for each category.
Parents now will play a role in teacher and principal performance evaluations.
Next year, for the first time, every local school district must tie at least 50% of a teacher and administrator’s performance evaluation to student achievement measures and then also include some form of parent input.
The student achievement measures will be determined by the local school district.
Local school districts also will determine how to gather parent input and how much weight to give it in the evaluation process.
Either way, parents can now be assured that their voices will be heard.
This year, we have put forward legislation to clarify the effective date for when districts must include parent input. It was not clear to many administrators in the current law.
I want to thank you for quickly passing Senate Bill 1224. The Governor plans to sign in into law shortly.
As you can see, because of these laws, we are seeing many benefits in how our education system is changing across Idaho.
Local school boards now have more flexibility, authority, and local control than they have had in decades.
We are now on a clear path to creating a uniform system of public education.
Parents and patrons will now have access to important decision-making processes and information that used to be difficult to get.
In addition to all of this, because of Students Come First, Idaho is now poised to get out from under the federal law known as No Child Left Behind.
Why? Because we are now eligible to apply for a waiver from certain provisions of the No Child Left Behind law.
First, let me give you a brief background on where we stand with No Child Left Behind.
This federal law was passed in 2001 to bring more accountability to the federal funding states receive for public education.
At the time, the law received bi-partisan support. Since its implementation, we have learned many ways in which it could be improved.
I have always said No Child Left Behind is like the old Clint Eastwood movie: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly because there is a little bit of all of that in there.
The Good: It created a standards-based education system where schools are now accountable for every child.
The Bad: It is a one-size-fits-all model that is difficult to implement in rural states like Idaho.
The Ugly: The federal government has set goals and then also prescribed the programs states must use to meet those goals. If those programs don’t work, states are held accountable for it.
While the law has accomplished its goals of providing accountability and improving student achievement, it has now become a stumbling block to further progress.
And it is 5 years overdue for reauthorization.
Since Congress and the Administration haven’t acted, states – including Idaho – have taken the lead.
By passing Students Come First, Idaho moved toward a new education system based on academic growth and better preparing students for the world that awaits them after high school.
We now have a statewide pay-for-performance plan based on academic growth.
Teacher and administrator performance evaluations are based on objective measures of student growth.
So we should have an accountability system that measures academic growth, too.
In June, I sent a letter to Secretary Duncan telling him Idaho was going to move to its own accountability plan based on academic growth, not just proficiency.
In September, the Administration announced it was giving states the opportunity to apply for a waiver so they could build their own accountability plans.
We went to work right away.
We met with members of the State Board of Education, the Legislature, the Idaho Association of School Administrators, the Idaho Education Association, the Idaho School Boards Association, the Idaho Commission on Hispanic Affairs and other groups to begin creating a new system of increased accountability for Idaho schools.
Under this new accountability plan, instead of reporting AYP – whether a school passes or doesn’t pass based on ISAT proficiency – we have now developed a Five-Star Scale to measure school performance.
The Five-Star scale uses multiple measures every year to determine a school’s performance.
With this, we will now have an accountability plan that is aligned with the goals and objectives that we have set for our students.
Dr. Carissa Miller presented to the Senate Education Committee yesterday and will present to the House Education Committee as well.
A draft of this new accountability plan posted on our website, and is up for public comment until February 1.
I encourage you to review it and give us your feedback, if you have not already.
These are examples of how the Students Come First laws are being implemented in school districts across Idaho, and we are now starting to see the benefits.
As you can see, we have just begun the implementation process.
The real benefits of these reform efforts will be realized in the next few years when we see higher student achievement because we have created equal access and opportunities for students no matter where they live in Idaho.
Thank you Chairman Goedde, Chairman Nonini and members of both committees for inviting me here today.
Last year, we passed the most comprehensive education reform in the country to improve Idaho’s public education system for every student – no matter where they live.
The fact is, in 2011, we were at a crossroads in public education in Idaho – both financially and academically.
Financially, we were facing a new normal in our economy. Public schools could no longer rely on tens of millions of new dollars each year just to maintain the status quo.
We had to find a way to spend the money we currently had differently.
Academically, we had a good education system, but it was not keeping up with the fast-paced world around us.
Just look at some of the statistics.
We know our students perform well compared to students in other states.
We know we have one of the highest graduation rates in the country.
For every 100 students who attend public schools in Idaho, 92% graduate from high school.
This is good news. But that’s not the question we face today. The question is, in today’s world, is good good enough?
You see: While our students perform well compared to students in other states and while we have one of the highest graduation rates in the country, we still have one of the lowest rates of the number of students who go on to postsecondary education.
Only 46% of students who graduate go on to college or professional-technical schools after high school.
Once there, 40% of them need remediation. As a result, 38% do not go back for their 2nd year.
Because of this, only 34% of Idahoans have a postsecondary degree or certificate.
We can’t just look at how Idaho students perform compared to other students across the United States, but how do Idaho students compare with students in other countries?
This is who our children will compete with after high school.
Let’s look at the PISA, an international assessment that looks at multiple subject areas.
On the PISA, the U.S. ranks 49th in the world.
But we don’t want to know just how our country ranks. We want to know how Idaho students rank.
So we took this model and treated all 50 states as if they were their own country and folded them into this model to see how Idaho would compare to the rest of the world.
If Massachusetts was a country in and of itself, it would rank 17th in the world. Not bad…Minnesota would rank 20th. Pretty good.
Idaho… 71st. 71st….
Knowing this, what do we do? We have a few options.
Denial is one… It seems to be a popular choice and easy choice for many.
Another option is we could do nothing. It’s not an option I recommend, but it is an option.
We could celebrate the fact that with a 92% graduation rate we have one of the highest graduation rates in the country and ignore the fact that only 46% go on to postsecondary education and nearly half of them need remediation once they get there.
We could be satisfied that our students do well in reading and math when compared to other states across America and ignore the fact that we ranked 71st in an international comparison.
Or we could choose to do something about these results. We could act instead of being acted upon. This is what we chose to do last year.
We chose to set high academic standards. We chose to set high, achievable goals.
We chose to build a new education system that gives all our teachers the tools and all of our students the opportunities and access they need to meet those goals and expectations.
We had to have a new education system: a system that could educate more students at a higher level with limited resources.
Based on these realities, the Governor and I presented – and with your leadership and courage – passed Students Come First.
With your help, we now are implementing this comprehensive education reform in Idaho.
This means that for the first time in Idaho history, we are on a clear path to accomplishing a uniform public education system.
When it comes to education reform, Idaho is not alone.
About 30 states passed some form of education reform last year.
More states – like Maine, Louisiana, Tennessee, Iowa, South Dakota, New Mexico – are introducing education reform efforts this year.
Because of your efforts here in Idaho, you are now recognized as leaders in education reform.
There is a renaissance going on all across America in education. People have come to the realization that the status quo cannot continue, must not continue. Something has to change.
Idaho’s reform efforts were by far the most comprehensive.
While some states chose to deal with just collective bargaining or school choice or teacher pay or technology, Idaho has addressed them all.
None of the reforms Idaho passed last year stands on its own.
Students Come First is comprehensive because while it is made of many different parts, each part is interconnected.
Here is how it all works together.
First, high standards are the foundation of a 21st Century Classroom. The state raised high school graduation requirements and adopted the more rigorous Common Core State Standards.
Second, we must have great teachers and leaders.
We can accomplish this through focused, relevant, individualized professional development; rigorous performance evaluations tied to student achievement; rewarding great teachers; and fair personnel practices.
Third, we must give Idaho teachers 21st Century tools for the 21st Century classroom.
That’s why Idaho is making unprecedented investments in classroom technology.
Fourth, we have to give all Idaho students advanced opportunities, like the Dual Credit for Early Completers Program.
Finally, every classroom teacher, educator and policymaker needs access to current, accurate data.
The foundation for this new data system is our statewide longitudinal data system, known as ISEE.
Thanks to a grant from the J.A. and Kathryn Albertson Foundation, we are implementing Phase II of ISEE, which is an Instructional Management System – known as Schoolnet – in every classroom in the state.
We are also working toward the next generation of assessments to gather data on student achievement.
All of these components work together to make Students Come First.
Now that we have this comprehensive new education system in place, we must measure its success.
As with anything we do in education, government, or private industry, it is critical that we measure progress along the way and make changes when necessary.
How will we know if these reforms are accomplishing our goals?
We will measure student achievement against the goals we have set, goals that were created by the Education Alliance of Idaho and are now found in Students Come First.
At a 60,000 foot level, our goal is to educate more students at a higher level with limited resources.
At a 30,000 foot level, our goal is for every student to graduate from high school and go on to postsecondary education or the workforce without needing remediation.
From there, we have to look at and monitor key student achievement measures. Here are a few:
· ISAT scores
· SAT scores
· Graduation rates
· Number of students going on to postsecondary education
This is the process my staff and I will go through every year to make sure these reform efforts are working.
As of today, these laws have been in place for about 9 months.
Since these laws passed, my staff and I have worked diligently with local school districts, and the organizations that represent, them to implement these laws successfully statewide.
In addition, a 38-member Technology Task Force met for 7 months to develop more specific recommendations for the state and local school districts on how to implement the technology components of Students Come First.
So today, let me provide you with an update on our work to implement the Students Come First laws and the work of the Technology Task Force.
Mr. Chair, with your permission, I will first provide an update on the Students Come First laws overall, and then provide an update on the Technology Task Force.
We have the chairs of each of the subcommittees for the Technology Task Force here to assist in that report.
Through these reforms, we are expanding local control, creating equal access and opportunities to all students no matter where they live, and giving parents and patrons more access to transparent information than they have ever had before.
First, we have expanded local control.
Under these laws, we returned authority and flexibility to local education leaders in every community.
Throughout the summer, I heard from trustees, superintendents and teachers across Idaho that this was the smoothest negotiating process they had ever experienced.
Teachers’ union leaders in local school districts have said they did not feel hamstrung or restricted by these new laws.
Instead, people on both sides of the negotiating table told me discussions were more civil in open, public meetings.
Master agreements were signed on time and in place before the school year began.
The fact is many of the same policies remain in place at the local level, but these policies are now a part of local board policy or the employee handbook where they can be changed if necessary, rather than found in the master agreement.
We also expanded local control by implementing a statewide pay-for-performance plan that gives local school districts the ability to create their own plans for rewarding performance at the local level.
Before this pay-for-performance plan was in place, teachers could primarily earn money one way: based on the number of years they taught and the amount of education they have.
This is what many of us refer to as the “salary grid” or “steps and lanes.”
What this means is if I am the greatest teacher in my district and I’ve taught 8 years and have a master’s degree, I get paid the exact same amount as the least effective teacher in my district that has taught 8 years and has a master’s degree.
That’s not fair to the students in that district, and it’s definitely not fair to teachers.
Under the new plan in place in Idaho, every teacher has the opportunity to earn up to $8,000 in bonuses – above and beyond their salary.
This finally gives the State of Idaho and local districts the ability to not only recognize but financially reward those teachers who work hard work each and every day for Idaho students.
There are three ways teachers can earn bonuses under pay-for-performance:
· Working in schools that show academic growth or overall achievement
· Working in a hard-to-fill position, as determined by the local district
· Taking on a leadership duty, as determined by the local district
In the upcoming fiscal year, teachers will first receive bonuses based on student achievement, primarily focusing on academic growth.
The bonuses will be tied to student achievement goals developed at the state and local levels.
Next year, districts will work with teachers to develop local plans for rewarding hard-to-fill positions and leadership duties.
In 2011, we worked with school districts across Idaho as they developed local plans to award groups of teachers for working together to reach student achievement goals.
These plans contain goals aligned with each district’s mission and vision.
District plans include multiple measures such as:
· Idaho Reading Indicator
· End of Course assessments
· Parent involvement
· SAT scores
· Graduation rates
I could go on, but by just these few examples, you can see how local districts now have the control to reward their hard-working teachers for meeting their own local goals based on their students’ needs.
This is another example of how we have expanded local control across Idaho through Students Come First.
As I stated in my remarks to the Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee last week, I want to reiterate that under my proposal, we will not have to reduce state funding for salaries in order to pay for this next year.
Under my budget proposal, the state will fully fund the salary grid and fund pay-for-performance and other Students Come First laws in addition to salaries.
In fact, these pay-for-performance bonuses next year will represent approximately a 5 percent increase in state funding for teacher compensation.
A 5 percent increase. No other state employee will receive that type of increase in compensation in the next fiscal year.
And this plan is not just for a few. In fact, under this plan, we estimate at least 85% of teachers will earn a bonus.
This is great news for the State of Idaho, Idaho’s teachers and for Idaho’s students.
Not only are we moving toward paying our teachers more this year, but we are paying them differently and we are paying them better.
This moves us away from the one-size fits all approach to paying teachers.
Previously, we had an education system that made it almost impossible to financially reward great teachers and very difficult to address ineffective teaching.
If we want an education system that truly puts students first, we had to remove the barriers to both.
We have accomplished that.
Second, in addition to expanding local control, we are now on a clear path to creating a uniform system of public education across the State of Idaho.
What this means is that no matter where a student lives – whether their community is urban, suburban, rural or remote– they will have equal access to the same high-quality educational opportunities as every other student in the state.
This has never been possible before in the State of Idaho, but we now are on our way to accomplishing this.
The next step is creating a 21st Century Classroom in every school in every corner of our state.
The foundation of the 21st Century Classroom is higher academic standards for every student.
Last year, the Legislature approved the Common Core State Standards in mathematics and English language arts. These standards are fewer, higher, clearer and comparable with any other country in the world.
They will be first taught in classrooms in the Fall of 2013.
Through these standards, we can now make sure every student graduates from high school prepared to succeed in postsecondary education or the workforce without the need for remediation.
Our colleges and universities and the business community have told us students who meet these standards are ready for postsecondary education and the workforce.
Right now, we are working to transition to these higher standards through workshops and trainings.
Every 21st Century Classroom also must give our highly effective teachers the 21st Century tools they need to engage students, individualize instruction and raise academic achievement for every student.
Just as it is in every other part of our lives, we recognize that technology is no longer a “nice-to-have” tool in the classroom. It is an essential tool.
Now, through Students Come First, we are making sure every classroom in Idaho – no matter where it is located – has the advanced technology it needs to raise student achievement.
The state is now distributing $9 million a year in funding for advanced classroom technology statewide.
This is separate from the one-to-one laptop initiative in high schools and is available to all grades.
We distributed nearly half of this money – about $4 million – in September and will distribute the remaining funds this spring.
Every district has worked to develop a plan that shows how the advanced technology they purchase for the classroom will help teachers individualize instruction for students, raise student achievement, and provide equal access for all children in the school.
We received great plans from all across the state.
· The West Bonner School District will invest in digital cameras in all grades to incorporate photography into schoolwork. Students in elementary school will use iPods to improve language and math skills.
· In Meridian, the district found that not every classroom had equal access to digital content or interactive learning technologies. So they are using this funding to remedy that. The district will purchase projectors and document cameras for every classroom to ensure equal access.
· In Caldwell, the district reviewed instructional data to determine the level of student engagement and how technology is being used in every classroom. They found a common theme: Those classrooms with interactive technology had higher levels of student engagement, which we know leads to higher student achievement. Classrooms with little or no interactive technology had lower student engagement. Knowing this, the district is working to install interactive technology in every classroom.
· In Clark County, the district has recognized that technology can help increase the time teachers spend with students and reduce the time teachers spend on paperwork. The district will use this funding at the elementary level to buy tablets to assist teachers in classroom organization, grading, and lesson planning. They will also use it to analyze student achievement data.
These are just some of the great and innovative plans that will begin to create 21st Century Classrooms in every school in every corner of the state.
The next step is implementing a one-to-one ratio of mobile computing devices to students and teachers in every public high school in Idaho.
This is a critical step in making sure every student has equal access to the best education opportunities.
This device has endless possibilities in the classroom. It becomes the textbook in every classroom, the calculator in math, the research tool in science, the word processor in English, and it’s the portal to a world of information and knowledge.
Teachers can use these devices to integrate technology into every part of the curriculum, to bring lessons to life, help students find relevance in any subject area, or to individualize instruction for a student who is struggling or may be more advanced than others in the classroom.
Let me just show you one example of how this device can be used in the classroom:
[Video on how digital textbooks work in the classroom]
We will have examples of these digital textbooks and more classroom technology at the Department’s open house tomorrow afternoon.
The state will begin phasing in the one-to-one devices to Idaho high school teachers, principals, media specialists, and technology coordinators in September.
They will receive one year of intense professional development before students beginning receiving access to devices in the Fall of 2013.
As you know, the Technology Task Force created by this legislation met for 7 months to develop recommendations for the rollout of mobile computing devices.
They made many recommendations, which I will report on in more detail next week.
Let me discuss just two of their recommendations briefly as they pertain to the rollout of these one-to-one devices.
First, the Task Force determined this device should be a type of laptop.
The device will include the necessary hardware, software, maintenance, security and support to go along with it.
Second, the Technology Task Force also determined that in Fall 2013, devices should be deployed to one-third of students statewide by school, rather than by grade.
The Task Force learned from other states and school districts that already have a 1:1 that it is not prudent to deploy devices in a school when only some students have the device and not others.
If this happens, a teacher may have some students in a classroom with devices and others without.
Experience shows that in this case, the teacher will likely just say “everyone close the devices” and go on with the lesson.
To avoid this situation and ensure successful implementation, the Task Force recommended deploying devices to Idaho high schools in the first year, representing one-third of the students statewide, or about 27,000 students.
In Fall 2014, we will deploy devices to the second one-third of schools. In Fall 2015, we will deploy to the final one-third of schools.
To determine the first one-third of schools to receive devices, we asked local school districts and charter schools to submit letters of interest, signed by the superintendent or the school board chair, if they are interested in being in the first round.
We have been overwhelmed by the response we have received so far.
As of today, we have 81letters of interest representing 152 schools and more than 61,000 students statewide.
This represents 75% of high school students across Idaho – far more than the one-third of students we planned to deploy to in the first round.
As you may remember this was one of the most hotly contested pieces of Students Come First last year, but it is clear now that the demand for this classroom technology is out there and an overwhelming majority of schools want these devices.
In Idaho Falls, for example, they said there would be “a high probability of parental discord” if deployment was delayed to all the high schools in their district.
In Twin Falls, the superintendent wrote to say: “Based on a staff survey …, we are enthusiastically requesting to participate in the first third of the state’s high schools regarding deployment of the one-to-one mobile computing devices at all three of our high schools.”
It is clear that teachers, principals, parents and students are not hesitant but are excited about the laptops and want to participate now, not later.
In fact, every one of you has schools in your legislative districts that have requested to be part of the first one-third.
I encourage school districts to continue to submit their letters of interest until February 17 if they are interested in participating.
Technology is a great tool, and we know it will help, but it is just a tool.
As I have said all along, the teacher is the most important factor in a student’s academic success.
So as we transition to the 21st Century Classroom, we must give our highly effective teachers – not some but all – the 21st Century Classroom tools they need as well as the professional development on how to integrate these tools in the classroom.
It’s all about implementing technology effectively.
Look at the study known as Project RED. If you put any technology in the classroom, it will have an impact.
But if you implement it effectively, it will have a significant impact on student achievement.
So let’s discuss our plan for professional development.
Under Students Come First, there is nearly $4 million a year built into the public schools budget for professional development for classroom teachers and building administrators.
This is historic amounts of ongoing funding for professional development. Why? Because we recognize professional development is a critical, ongoing need.
The professional development will not focus on how to turn on the device, but how to use this device in the classroom, to integrate it into everything that happens in the classroom and how teachers can engage every student every day.
A subcommittee of the Technology Task Force was charged with developing a plan for implementing professional development statewide, and they made several recommendations in December.
Stefani Cook is here to discuss those recommendations in further detail. I want to mention just one, which was for the Department to build a comprehensive professional development plan statewide.
We have begun to do this.
In this plan, the state will use a blended model that combines both face-to-face and online methods of professional development for teachers, administrators and technology coordinators.
First, we will establish regional training teams of administrators, teachers and technology coordinators to provide professional development and support to schools in implementing classroom technology at all grade levels.
Stipends will be made available for these team members.
Next, the state will identify a lead teacher and technology coordinator at every high school who will not only learn how to integrate one-to-one devices and other classroom technology effectively, but will become in-house experts and take the lead in providing training to other teachers in their building.
Stipends will also be made available for these in-house experts.
The state will also provide support and guidance for the formation of tech integration teams comprised of students in each high school, which offers a unique leadership opportunity for those with the skills and desire.
However, not all learning opportunities will be provided face-to-face.
School personnel, parents and students will all have access to a variety of tools that will be available to them online at any time they need assistance.
This is all possible because of the ongoing funding for professional development.
Because of this historic investment in professional development by the state, other organizations have been inspired to provide additional support for teachers, principals and administrators.
Boise State University, for example, recently received a $4 million grant from the J.A. and Kathryn Albertson Foundation to create the Idaho Leads Project.
This is a new statewide effort to provide intensive professional development to local educators as they work to innovate our schools and help students achieve at even higher levels.
By creating 21st Century Classrooms in every classroom across Idaho, we are able to provide Idaho students and teachers with equal access to the best educational opportunities.
No longer are they restricted by the walls of their classroom or the remoteness of their community.
Now, they can access any book they need, reach out to world-renowned experts on any topic or take field trips to faraway places.
The Idaho Education Network has created the foundation for this.
Through the IEN, every Idaho high school is now connected to high-speed broadband internet access and has at least one classroom set up for virtual education.
Some districts have increased their bandwidth by 1,000%.
With this, students in Murtaugh have taken a field trip to the Great Barrier Reef.
A science class at St. Maries watched a medical professor from St. Louis dissect a human brain and answer their questions about how the brain works.
They would never get that experience without this access to digital learning.
Afterward, Dr. Ray Vollmer of St. Louis University School of Medicine said he was embarrassed that the state of Missouri hadn’t stepped up and implemented this type of technology in its schools.
He said, “They say, it’s too far to go to St. Louis, we will look at it in a textbook. I’m a little bit embarrassed that we haven’t moved forward like you guys are. That’s a huge step. For you students, I just hope you appreciate what you got and take advantage of it.”
When I first took office, I said Idaho could become a leader in education. Under the leadership of this Legislature and Governor Otter, we now are a leader.
That is why this Legislature approved the new requirement for all students to take 2 online credits before they graduate from high school in the year 2016.
In order to implement this requirement effectively across the state, we are addressing necessary tweaks to make sure districts can implement more digital learning effectively.
The Senate has approved Senate Bill 1237 which allows a teacher in the same building to create and then teach an online course.
This gives local school districts more flexibility to create local content for digital learning.
The State Department of Education also plans to propose legislation that creates a fee structure for online course reviews and to develop an online clearinghouse so parents, students and educators know all online courses meet our standards.
As part of this clearinghouse, there will also be a rating system similar to Ebay or Amazon.com where independent feedback can be posted.
Digital learning is critical in so students have access to opportunities they might not otherwise have.
But digital learning – or learning in an online environment – also is an essential skill that our students growing up in the 21st Century must have before they leave high school.
To make sure every student has the opportunity to prepare for postsecondary education, for the first time, an estimated 18,000 high school juniors will take the SAT, paid for by the state.
This graduation requirement was set by the Legislature back in 2007.
By passing the Students Come First laws and spending what we currently have differently, we were able to providing funding for these college entrance exams.
Under Students Come First, students also can now get a jumpstart on their postsecondary education without leaving high school.
For the first time ever, high school juniors and seniors are able to complete their state graduation requirements early and enroll in up to 36 dual credits – paid for by the state.
I am convinced this will help solve the “senior slump” and other problems we face in trying to motivate students in that last year or last few months of high school.
It also will help those who may not see themselves as “college material” or prepared to go on to postsecondary education to know that they do have the skills and knowledge to go on after high school.
Surprisingly, many students and parents are just now learning about this opportunity.
I talk about this program everywhere I go, and parents and students are excited when they hear about it.
Over time, we know more and more students will participate in this program as they strive to meet their state graduation requirements earlier and take advantage of this great opportunity.
After implementing this program for a year and hearing back from school districts, I do believe there are some common-sense tweaks we can make to the program.
I will be bringing legislation forward to do that.
For example, we currently have a graduation requirement that says students must take at least 2 of their math credits in their last year of high school. This does not work for students have completed all their state graduation requirements by their junior year.
Therefore, I will bring legislation forward to clarify that. For the purposes of the Dual Credit Program, students can consider their junior year the “last year of high school.”
The next change we heard is that because of certain electives, it is difficult for students to complete graduation requirements by the end of their junior year.
It is more likely these motivated students will complete by the end of the first semester of their senior year.
Therefore, we will bring forward legislation to change the Program to include students who finish state graduation requirements by the end of the first semester of their senior year.
Third, under the Students Come First laws, we now are giving Idaho parents, taxpayers and other patrons more choice and transparency than ever before at all levels of education.
Parents now have more choices than ever.
They can choose to enroll their students in an online course, if they need an advanced course or another option.
To ensure accountability, we will put forward legislation regarding those students who choose to dual enroll in some online classes.
Under this legislation, a student can take up to 50% of classes outside of those offered by the local school district if they choose.
In another step toward transparency, all negotiations are now held in open, public meetings. These meetings must be in line with Idaho’s Open Meeting Law to ensure the public receives timely notification.
The state is also publishing a user-friendly Fiscal Report Card for every local school district and public charter school.
The Report Card will contain information such as:
· Enrollment
· Average Daily Attendance
· Teacher and Administrator Pay
· Revenues and Expenditures
Users will be able to go on and see how their district compares with similar districts in the state as well as state averages for each category.
Parents now will play a role in teacher and principal performance evaluations.
Next year, for the first time, every local school district must tie at least 50% of a teacher and administrator’s performance evaluation to student achievement measures and then also include some form of parent input.
The student achievement measures will be determined by the local school district.
Local school districts also will determine how to gather parent input and how much weight to give it in the evaluation process.
Either way, parents can now be assured that their voices will be heard.
This year, we have put forward legislation to clarify the effective date for when districts must include parent input. It was not clear to many administrators in the current law.
I want to thank you for quickly passing Senate Bill 1224. The Governor plans to sign in into law shortly.
As you can see, because of these laws, we are seeing many benefits in how our education system is changing across Idaho.
Local school boards now have more flexibility, authority, and local control than they have had in decades.
We are now on a clear path to creating a uniform system of public education.
Parents and patrons will now have access to important decision-making processes and information that used to be difficult to get.
In addition to all of this, because of Students Come First, Idaho is now poised to get out from under the federal law known as No Child Left Behind.
Why? Because we are now eligible to apply for a waiver from certain provisions of the No Child Left Behind law.
First, let me give you a brief background on where we stand with No Child Left Behind.
This federal law was passed in 2001 to bring more accountability to the federal funding states receive for public education.
At the time, the law received bi-partisan support. Since its implementation, we have learned many ways in which it could be improved.
I have always said No Child Left Behind is like the old Clint Eastwood movie: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly because there is a little bit of all of that in there.
The Good: It created a standards-based education system where schools are now accountable for every child.
The Bad: It is a one-size-fits-all model that is difficult to implement in rural states like Idaho.
The Ugly: The federal government has set goals and then also prescribed the programs states must use to meet those goals. If those programs don’t work, states are held accountable for it.
While the law has accomplished its goals of providing accountability and improving student achievement, it has now become a stumbling block to further progress.
And it is 5 years overdue for reauthorization.
Since Congress and the Administration haven’t acted, states – including Idaho – have taken the lead.
By passing Students Come First, Idaho moved toward a new education system based on academic growth and better preparing students for the world that awaits them after high school.
We now have a statewide pay-for-performance plan based on academic growth.
Teacher and administrator performance evaluations are based on objective measures of student growth.
So we should have an accountability system that measures academic growth, too.
In June, I sent a letter to Secretary Duncan telling him Idaho was going to move to its own accountability plan based on academic growth, not just proficiency.
In September, the Administration announced it was giving states the opportunity to apply for a waiver so they could build their own accountability plans.
We went to work right away.
We met with members of the State Board of Education, the Legislature, the Idaho Association of School Administrators, the Idaho Education Association, the Idaho School Boards Association, the Idaho Commission on Hispanic Affairs and other groups to begin creating a new system of increased accountability for Idaho schools.
Under this new accountability plan, instead of reporting AYP – whether a school passes or doesn’t pass based on ISAT proficiency – we have now developed a Five-Star Scale to measure school performance.
The Five-Star scale uses multiple measures every year to determine a school’s performance.
With this, we will now have an accountability plan that is aligned with the goals and objectives that we have set for our students.
Dr. Carissa Miller presented to the Senate Education Committee yesterday and will present to the House Education Committee as well.
A draft of this new accountability plan posted on our website, and is up for public comment until February 1.
I encourage you to review it and give us your feedback, if you have not already.
These are examples of how the Students Come First laws are being implemented in school districts across Idaho, and we are now starting to see the benefits.
As you can see, we have just begun the implementation process.
The real benefits of these reform efforts will be realized in the next few years when we see higher student achievement because we have created equal access and opportunities for students no matter where they live in Idaho.
Monday, January 30, 2012
Teachers Across the State Win Shares of $100,000 in CenturyLink Grant Money for the Innovative Use of Technology in Education
CenturyLink will provide a total of $100,000 to twelve winning teachers across the state of Idaho this year as part of the company's “Innovative Uses of Technology in Education” Grant Program, now in its eighth year. CenturyLink, which merged with Qwest in April of last year, has awarded more than $590,000 in grant money to Idaho teachers during that time. The program began after a statewide evaluation of technology in public schools in 2003 found many teachers needed support in integrating technology into the curriculum.
Here are the winners from around the state. Read more about the winners from the Treasure Valley in the post below.
- The Lewiston winner is Pamela Johnson who was awarded $10,000 to purchase 4 Interactive White Boards and 4 projectors so that Jenifer Junior High School students will have the opportunity for an interactive geography experience.
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| Pamela Johnson Receives Her Award. |
- The Post Falls winner is Jen Cleave, who received $3,062 to purchase two Walk and Talk Smart boards that will engage and transform Ponderosa Elementary School 5th Grade students in math and technology using an innovative and inquiry-based approach.
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- The Malad winner is Kerry Evans who was awarded $9,980 to purchase 20 iPads for her fourth grade class. Miss Evans believes the use of technology will motivate the students to write more and this engagement will strengthen their reading and writing skills. The other two 4th grade classrooms at Malad Elementary will act as control groups. Reading and writing data will be taken on all three classrooms prior to implementation of the iPads and at the end of the year. Comparisons will then be made to see if use of the iPads had a significant effect on student achievement in reading and writing.The Malad winner is Kerry Evans who was awarded $9,980 to purchase 20 iPads for her fourth grade class. Miss Evans believes the use of technology will motivate the students to write more and this engagement will strengthen their reading and writing skills. The other two 4th grade classrooms at Malad Elementary will act as control groups. Reading and writing data will be taken on all three classrooms prior to implementation of the iPads and at the end of the year. Comparisons will then be made to see if use of the iPads had a significant effect on student achievement in reading and writing.
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| Jen Cleave's Class Anticipates Their New Smartboards. |
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- The Troy winner is Mark Murdock, who was awarded $7,352 to purchase 4 Mac Minis, a projector and software so that Troy School District students can create, compose, perform and evaluate music in mini studios.
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| Kerry Evans Receives Grant Money to Buy iPads for Her Class. |
- The Deary winner is Jan Jacobs, who received $9,594 to purchase Lego Education Robotic sets to assist Whitepine School District’s Elementary and High School students in preparing for entry into a 21st Century workforce with a greater emphasis on technology literacy and critical thinking skills.
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- The Potlatch winner is Laura Wommack, who was awarded $9,254 to purchase a laptop and the necessary equipment and supplies to build, launch and recover rockets and scientific balloons with payloads.
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| Jan Jacobs Receives almost $10,000 for Lego Education Robotic Sets. |
- The Blackfoot winner is Randall Brady who was awarded $8,466 to purchase a projector, an iPad, 2 Macbook Pros, 4 Roland Rhythm Coaches and a 3 year subscription to SmartMusic. These items will enable the Snake River High School Band director to design and the students to view the marching show before they go out on the field to perform it. Music assessments will be recorded so that students can receive visual feedback and will be able to easily view concerts and other online music resources.
- The Rigby winner is Stefani Cook, who received $9,997 to purchase Ipads, Kindles, a camcorder and various software so that Rigby High School students can experience a blended learning environment while completing English, History and Physical Education courses.
“In reviewing more than one hundred applications, we have been very impressed with the level of interest and overall excellence of the grant proposals,” Schmit said. “There are many teachers in Idaho who are doing innovative things with technology in their classrooms. This is a great opportunity for CenturyLink to make a positive difference in students’ lives by identifying some of those teachers, recognizing them for their outstanding work, and supporting them with financial assistance to expand their use of technology even further. From our past experience with these grants, students are genuinely excited to experience the learning opportunities provided by these teachers through their creative use of technology.”
Southern Idaho Teachers Win $32,000 in Grants from CenturyLink for Innovative Technology Projects
Borah High School students with severe to moderate cognitive disabilities and severe physical disabilities will be able to produce high quality signs, plaques, name tags and awards with the use of a Roland Desktop Engraver. Seventh graders at West Junior High School will take a virtual field trip of the National World War II Museum with a museum educator. Eagle Middle School 8th grade Science classes will go “Technological” with laptop computers. Eighth grade Literature students at Middleton Middle School will use ThinkPad Tablets to create book trailers, power points, movies and other forms of presentations.
The Southern Idaho teachers are among 12 statewide winners who are recipients of the CenturyLink “Innovative Uses of Technology in Education” Grant Program which is now in its eighth year. The program began after a statewide evaluation of technology in public schools in 2003 found many teachers needed support in integrating technology into the curriculum. CenturyLink, which merged with Qwest in April of last year, will provide a total of $100,000 to the twelve grant winners across Idaho this year, bringing the total over the eight years to $590,000. CenturyLink Idaho Vice President and General Manager, Jim Schmit, and Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Luna presented all three teachers with their awards in their classrooms on Monday, Jan. 30th.
The Borah High winner is Neal Jareczek who was awarded $6,405 to purchase a Roland EGX 350 Computer Engraver, software and accessories. The new engraving machine will enable students with limited physical ability to engrave high quality items and will expand engraving fonts from 8 to 55 and hundreds of layout possibilities. He applied for the grant in honor of one of his students -- Todd Bair -- who had muscular dystrophy and passed away last year at the age of 17.
The West Junior High winner is Paige Somoza who was awarded $9,934 to purchase the Pearl Harbor Virtual Tour program and a Tandberg 990 Video Conferencing System. By experiencing the Pearl Harbor Virtual Tour program, West Junior High students will have a deeper understanding of Japanese and American motivations and actions during World War II.
The Eagle Middle School winner is Karen Miller who was awarded $5,940 to purchase 12 Laptop Computers to be used in the 8th grade Science labs. These laptops will give students the opportunity to carry out their own research, immediately perform analysis and share those findings with other students.
The Middleton Middle School winner is Sarah Thompson who was awarded $9,995 to purchase 16 Lenovo ThinkPad Tablets with keyboard docks and software. Utilizing these Tablets to integrate multimedia activities will allow for students to improve their writing, critical thinking, presentation skills and abilities.
“These teachers know and understand the important role technology can play in the classroom to help individualize instruction and raise academic achievement for every student,” Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Luna said. “I am grateful to CenturyLink for its continued commitment to Idaho’s teachers and students every year as they work to bring these innovative ideas to life and create the 21st Century Classroom in every school.”
“In reviewing more than one hundred applications, we have been very impressed with the level of interest and overall excellence of the grant proposals,” Schmit said. “There are many teachers in Idaho who are doing innovative things with technology in their classrooms. This is a great opportunity for CenturyLink to make a positive difference in students’ lives by identifying some of those teachers, recognizing them for their outstanding work, and supporting them with financial assistance to expand their use of technology even further. From our past experience with these grants, students are genuinely excited to experience the learning opportunities provided by these teachers through their creative use of technology.”
The Southern Idaho teachers are among 12 statewide winners who are recipients of the CenturyLink “Innovative Uses of Technology in Education” Grant Program which is now in its eighth year. The program began after a statewide evaluation of technology in public schools in 2003 found many teachers needed support in integrating technology into the curriculum. CenturyLink, which merged with Qwest in April of last year, will provide a total of $100,000 to the twelve grant winners across Idaho this year, bringing the total over the eight years to $590,000. CenturyLink Idaho Vice President and General Manager, Jim Schmit, and Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Luna presented all three teachers with their awards in their classrooms on Monday, Jan. 30th.
The Borah High winner is Neal Jareczek who was awarded $6,405 to purchase a Roland EGX 350 Computer Engraver, software and accessories. The new engraving machine will enable students with limited physical ability to engrave high quality items and will expand engraving fonts from 8 to 55 and hundreds of layout possibilities. He applied for the grant in honor of one of his students -- Todd Bair -- who had muscular dystrophy and passed away last year at the age of 17.
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| Neal Jareczek is a special education teacher at Borah High School who runs the Borah BEST program. He will use this grant award to purchase engraving technology and teach students with disabilities job skills. |
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| Paige Somoza is a 7th grade history teacher at West Junior High. She will use the grant award to purchase video teleconferencing equipment so her students can take a virtual field trip of the World War II museum in New Orleans. |
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| Karen Miller is an 8th grade science teacher at Eagle Middle School. She will use the CenturyLink grant award to purchase laptops for her students to use in the science lab to analyze results and build spreadsheets. |
The Middleton Middle School winner is Sarah Thompson who was awarded $9,995 to purchase 16 Lenovo ThinkPad Tablets with keyboard docks and software. Utilizing these Tablets to integrate multimedia activities will allow for students to improve their writing, critical thinking, presentation skills and abilities.
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| Sarah Thompson teaches 8th grade language at Middleton Middle School and wants to use a classroom set of Lenovo tablets to engage students in multimedia activities, improve writing skills and build critical thinking skills. |
“In reviewing more than one hundred applications, we have been very impressed with the level of interest and overall excellence of the grant proposals,” Schmit said. “There are many teachers in Idaho who are doing innovative things with technology in their classrooms. This is a great opportunity for CenturyLink to make a positive difference in students’ lives by identifying some of those teachers, recognizing them for their outstanding work, and supporting them with financial assistance to expand their use of technology even further. From our past experience with these grants, students are genuinely excited to experience the learning opportunities provided by these teachers through their creative use of technology.”
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