IDAHO OUTPACES NATION IN STUDENTS TAKING SAT

Idaho outpaced the nation in the percentage of students taking the SAT, a college entrance exam.

The state began offering the SAT to all high school juniors at no cost to their families in Spring 2012. Today, the College Board, which administers the SAT, released nationwide results for the Class of 2013, showing Idaho as one of only three states that provides every student with the opportunity to take the SAT college entrance exam before they graduate from high school. Maine and Delaware are the other two states that test all students on the SAT.

Idaho’s first-ever SAT School Day was administered in April 2012 to more than 16,000 high school juniors, the graduating Class of 2013.

Those graduates are the first cohort of students who completed the more rigorous graduation requirements adopted by the State Board of Education in 2008. These additional requirements included three years of math, including math during the senior year, three years of science, a senior project and the college entrance exam.  This cohort’s data is publicized in the College Board’s national report released today and can be compared with students in other states.

This school year, the number of high school juniors in Idaho’s public schools participating in Idaho’s SAT School Day increased to more than 17,000.

“Through Idaho SAT School Day, we are offering all high school students equal access to an unprecedented opportunity to take a college entrance exam at no cost to them or their families. Few states offer this to their students, and I am proud Idaho has made it available to every junior in public high school,” Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Luna said. “In addition to offering the SAT, the state also is providing students with the support they need to better prepare for postsecondary education and the workforce by raising our academic standards, giving high school sophomores the chance to take the PSAT voluntarily, and incentivizing students to take AP exams or dual credit courses before they graduate.”

“Ensuring that high school graduates are college and career ready is a critical first step to meeting the State Board’s goal to see that 60 percent of Idaho citizens between the ages of 25-34 attain a postsecondary degree or certificate by 2020,” said Don Soltman, President of the Idaho State Board of Education. “Providing students with the opportunity to take a college entrance exam helps them identify areas where they need additional preparation.”

Idaho students must take a college entrance exam – either the SAT or ACT – before they graduate from high school, and the SAT is paid for by the state. The results of the exams are used by the state and local school districts to help better prepare students for postsecondary education and the workforce.

In the first year of the statewide SAT, about one in four Idaho students met college- and career-ready benchmarks set by the SAT. Students in Maine and Delaware had similar average scores compared to students in Idaho. In Idaho, the average score for the Class of 2013 was 451 in critical reading, 456 in mathematics and 449 in writing. A score of 500 in each subject area has shown a student will be successful in postsecondary education after high school.

In Idaho, the state has put additional resources in place to help teachers prepare students to meet college- and career-ready benchmarks before they graduate from high school. In 2011, the state adopted the Common Core State Standards as Idaho’s Core Standards in mathematics and English language arts. The higher academic standards are being implemented this school year across all grades to ensure every student graduates from high school prepared to go on to postsecondary education.

The Idaho Legislature also approved additional funding this year to provide every high school sophomore the opportunity to take the PSAT. Scores from the PSAT will aid districts in determining the appropriate course or Advanced Placement (AP) options for those students who participate. In turn, when acted on appropriately, schools can use PSAT data to help increase SAT scores the following year.

Learn more about Idaho SAT School Day for high school juniors or the how sophomores can voluntarily take the PSAT.

TWO IDAHO SCHOOLS EARN NATIONAL BLUE RIBBON AWARD FOR STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT

Two Idaho schools have been named among the most prestigious in the nation for academic achievement, U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan announced today.

Gate City Elementary School in Pocatello and Sugar-Salem High School in Sugar City were among 286 schools across the country named 2013 National Blue Ribbon Schools. The Idaho State Department of Education nominated these schools for the award based on their student achievement results.

“These two schools serve as an example to their peers and their communities both in Idaho and across the country. I applaud their teachers, leaders, students, and parents for the success they have demonstrated now and in recent years,” Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Luna said.

Both schools also ranked as high-performing in Idaho’s Five-Star Rating System, which uses multiple measures to evaluate a school’s academic performance. Gate City Elementary School is a Five-Star School, and Sugar-Salem High School is a Four-Star School.

Since 1982, the U.S. Department of Education’s National Blue Ribbon Schools Program has recognized great American public and non-public elementary, middle, and high schools. The program recognizes schools where students perform at very high levels or where significant improvements are being made in students’ levels of academic achievement.

National Blue Ribbon Schools will be honored this year at a recognition ceremony in Washington, D.C. in October.  Here are highlights of each school and why they received the prestigious National Blue Ribbon School award:

Gate City Elementary School in Pocatello is recognized as an Exemplary High-Performing School for its continued high performance. At Gate City Elementary, 99-100 percent of students are proficient in reading in grades 3-6, and 94-99 percent of students are proficient in mathematics in grades 3-6.

“We are very proud of the exemplary high performance of the students and staff at Gate City Elementary and are honored with the selection of this school for a National Blue Ribbon Award,” said Mary Vagner, Superintendent of the Pocatello/Chubbuck School District. 

Sugar-Salem High School in Sugar City is recognized as an Exemplary Improving School for the academic growth students have made in recent years. Student proficiency has increased by 14 percent in reading and by 11 percent in mathematics over the past five years.

“Sugar-Salem High School is honored to be selected as a National Blue Ribbon School. This award is a reflection of the commitment for excellence on the part of the students, teachers, parents, and community of Sugar-Salem School District.  We see this, not as a capstone, but a foundation for the future of education in our community,” said Jared Jenks, Principal of Sugar-Salem High School. 

COMMENT ON THE DEPARTMENT’S PROPOSED RULE CHANGES

In August, Superintendent of Public Instruction proposed several changes to administrative rules in an effort to improve K-12 public education in the state of Idaho. Now is your chance to provide comments on these proposed changes before they return to the Idaho State Board of Education for final approval in November. 

In education, the Idaho State Board of Education and at least one body in the Legislature, either the House or Senate Education Committee, must approve an administrative rule before it is final. Approved administrative rules become part of Idaho Administrative Code and have the full force and effect of state law.

Superintendent Luna proposed six rule changes during the State Board’s meeting in August. These proposed changes are now open for public comment. The Department also has scheduled a public hearing October 8 to take public comments.

The rule changes vary from proposed changes to physical education requirements and math and science course offerings to adding cursive writing in elementary grades.

The Idaho State Department of Education encourages parents, teachers, school administrators, and other stakeholders in education to review these proposed changes and provide their comments. Idahoans can provide their comments in several ways:

• Visit the Department’s website to review the proposed changes in full and submit your comments. 
• Submit your comments in writing to the Idaho State Department of Education at P.O. Box 83720, Boise, Idaho 83720-0027. Be sure to reference the proposed rule number in your comments.
• Attend the state’s public hearing, which will be held at 3 p.m. on October 8, 2013 at the State Department of Education offices, 650 W. State Street, 2^nd floor, Boise, Idaho. Read the full public hearing notice to learn more details before attending.

Here is a list and brief summary of the proposed rule changes:

Cursive Writing in Elementary Grades: This is a proposed rule. It would add the requirement that elementary students must learn cursive. It does not specify grades in elementary school where cursive instruction must occur, and standards for cursive writing are left up to each local school district to decide. After public comment, this rule will go back to the State Board at its special meeting in November before going to the Legislature in 2014 for final approval. (Reference: IDAPA 08.02.03.103)

ISAT for the Purpose of Graduation: This is a temporary rule. The rule allows students who pass the ISAT in the 9^th grade to have completed their 10^th grade ISAT for the purposes of graduation. Specifically, for the Class of 2016, students who have not passed the ISAT as 9^th graders must do an alternative route crafted by the district in lieu of passing the 10^th grade ISAT as the state is transitioning to more rigorous assessments in 2015. The rule also allows students to receive content credit for classes taken prior to high school, but the classes do not count toward fulfilling graduation requirements. This rule is in effect immediately but can be altered through public comment. This rule will go back to the State Board at its special meeting in November before going to the Legislature in 2014 for final approval. (Reference:  IDAPA 08.02.03.105)

Physical Education Requirements and Math and Science Course Offerings to Students: This is a proposed rule. Currently, physical education is required in elementary and middle grades, but no minimum time requirement exists. The proposed rule would establish minimum minute requirements for physical education in elementary school (60 minutes) and middle school (220 minutes). In high school, P.E. is required to be offered, but students do not have to take it in order to graduate. The rule would require students take two credits of P.E. as a graduation requirement. Students could earn at least one of their two required credits by playing a sport or other activity outside the school day. The activity must be sanctioned by the Idaho High School Activities Association or approved by the local school district. The rule also would require CPR training in at least one period of health class during high school as a graduation requirement.

The proposed rule change also would offer students more flexibility in their math and science course offerings. High school students would have the option to take dual credit engineering, dual credit computer science, or Advanced Placement (AP) computer science and count it as a mathematics or science credit. Students must have completed Algebra II standards to count AP Computer Science, Dual Credit Computer Science, and Dual Credit Engineering as a math credit. Currently, students can take these courses but only for elective credit, which does not count toward the state’s graduation requirement of three years of mathematics and three years of science. The Idaho Technology Council and leaders of technology companies in Idaho helped craft this rule change.

After public comment, this rule will go back to the State Board at its special meeting in November before going to the Legislature in 2014 for final approval. (Reference: IDAPA 08.02.03.104, 105)

Endorsement Requirements: This is a proposed rule. The proposed rule revises endorsement requirements to align to changes to educator standards for: Standard Elementary Certificate, Driver Education (6-12). English (6-12), Gifted and Talented (K-12), Library Media Specialist (K-12), Literacy (K-12), Teacher Librarian (K-12) as well as changes to Administrator Certificate. The rule also changes the name of the group Idaho uses to accreditate its teacher education programs from the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE) to the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP). After public comment, this rule will go back to the State Board at its special meeting in November before going to the Legislature in 2014 for final approval. (Reference: IDAPA 08.02.02.018, .021, .022, .023, .024, .026, .100)

Idaho Standards and Driver Education: This is a proposed rule. This proposed rule addresses standards for English Language Arts, Gifted and Talented, Library Media Specialist, Literacy, School Administrator foundation, Principal, School Superintendent and Special Education Director as well as proposed standards revisions to the Idaho Standards for Operating procedures for Idaho Public Driver Education Programs. After public comment, this rule will go back to the State Board at its special meeting in November before going to the Legislature in 2014 for final approval. (Reference:  IDAPA 08.02.02.004)

Mathematics In Service Program: This is a temporary and proposed rule. This rule articulates that standards incorporated into the “Mathematical Thinking for Instruction” courses may be taught by all Idaho-approved preparation programs under a variety of course titles. Each course must be approved by the State Department of Education to ensure fidelity in curriculum. The rule also clarifies language regarding Out-of-State Applicant requirements for the Idaho Comprehensive Literacy Course. This rule is in effect immediately but can be altered through public comment. This rule will go back to the State Board at its special meeting in November before going to the Legislature in 2014 for final approval. (Reference: IDAPA 08.02.02.016)

If you have comments to submit, please do so by the end of October. Learn more about the proposed rules or how to submit comments on the Department’s website.

SUBMIT YOUR COMMENTS ON TASK FORCE RECOMMENDATIONS

The Task Force for Improving Education submitted its final report and recommendations to Governor C.L. “Butch” Otter on September 6, 2013. The report is available on the Task Force website.

The Task Force, which met for eight months, provided the Governor with a slate of twenty recommendations approved by the thirty-one member Task Force on August 23, 2013.

The public now has the opportunity to submit comments on the recommendations until September 27, 2013.  Please submit your comments to taskforce@osbe.idaho.gov.

PARTICIPATION INCREASES IN IDAHO SAT SCHOOL DAY

More high school juniors than ever participated in the second annual Idaho SAT School Day, an opportunity for high school students to take the SAT college entrance exam at no cost to the student or their family.

In Spring 2013, 17,306 high school juniors took the SAT, up from 16,566 students in 2012.

“I am pleased to see more Idaho students taking advantage of Idaho SAT School Day. This is a great opportunity for every high school junior to prepare to go on to postsecondary education and the workforce,” Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Luna said. “At the state level, we are working to increase our academic standards and provide the tools and resources necessary so every student can meet the college- and career-readiness benchmarks before they graduate.”

The results this year continue to show that an estimated one in four high school juniors taking the exam are meeting college- and career-readiness benchmarks set by the College Board. States like Maine and Delaware, which test all students on the SAT, showed similar results in their initial years of testing.

Idaho SAT School Day was first implemented in 2012 to help all Idaho students meet a new high school graduation requirement for high school juniors to take a college entrance exam. The goal is to ensure high school students are better prepared to apply for postsecondary education before they leave high school.

In years past, students voluntarily chose whether or not to take the ACT or SAT to prepare for postsecondary education and most paid for their own exams. Now, all high school juniors are required to take a college entrance exam by the end of their junior year, whether they take the SAT paid for by the state and administered on Idaho SAT School Day or the ACT, which is not paid for by the state.

Before Idaho SAT School Day was implemented, fewer than 3,000 students took the SAT before graduation.

The average scores for Idaho high school juniors remained similar year over year: 452 in critical reading (448 in 2012), 452 in mathematics (454 in 2012), and 446 in writing (447 in 2012). A score of 500 in each subject area has shown a student will be successful in postsecondary education after high school.

Student scores on college entrance exams – the SAT or ACT – are now part of Idaho’s new Five-Star Rating System. This is one measure the state uses to evaluate how Idaho schools are preparing students for postsecondary education and the workforce.

The state is working to better prepare students to meet college- and career-ready benchmarks before they graduate from high school.

First, the state adopted the Common Core State Standards as Idaho’s Core Standards in mathematics and English language arts. The higher academic standards are being implemented this fall to ensure every student graduates from high school prepared to go on to postsecondary education.

Second, the Idaho Legislature approved additional funding this year to provide every high school sophomore the opportunity to take the PSAT. Scores from the PSAT will aid districts in determining the appropriate course or Advanced Placement (AP) options for those students who participate. In turn, when acted on appropriately, schools can use PSAT data to help increase SAT scores the following year.

For more information on Idaho SAT School Day, including results by district, visit http://www.sde.idaho.gov/site/assessment/collegeEntranceExam.htm.

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Editor’s Note: Please take caution in reading and reporting the data on Idaho SAT School Day versus national results that are released for the ACT and SAT. The Idaho SAT School Day data only measures the results of high school juniors taking the SAT paid for by the state. The national results for the ACT and SAT measure the results of a cohort of students (sophomores, juniors and seniors) who graduate in a given year and selected to take the SAT or ACT during their high school years.

Here is more on the national ACT and SAT results for your information:

·         National ACT results were published August 21, 2013. These results reflect students in the Class of 2013 who chose to take the ACT, which is not paid for by the state. According to this data, 8,624 graduates in the Class of 2013 chose to take the ACT at some point in their high school career, down from 11,842 in the Class of 2012. Of those taking the ACT, 32 percent met all four ACT college readiness benchmarks, significantly above the national average of 26 percent. The average composite score was 22.1.

·         National SAT results will be released in at the end of September. These results will be for the Class of 2013 and will reflect data of high school juniors who participate in Idaho SAT School Day in April 2012. This data will differ from the data provided in this press release but will be comparable to the data provided for the first-ever Idaho SAT School Day, held in April 2012.