Education

NAEP results bring PDE hype into question

edstem — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 11:02:14 GMT

The 2009 National Education Assessment of Progress results have just been released by the US Dept of Eduation.

Compared to 2007, average mathematics scores for public school students in 2009 (tested 4th & 8th grades.)

* Scores increased at both grades in the District of Columbia, Nevada, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont;

* Increased at grade 4 only in Colorado, Kentucky, and Maryland;

* Scores decreased at grade 4 only in Delaware, Indiana, West Virginia, and Wyoming;

* Scores increased at grade 8 only in Connecticut, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Missouri, Montana, New Jersey, South Dakota, Utah, and Washington;

* PA is among 30 states that showed no significant change at either grade.

This lackluster results in PA are in spite of the fact that we gave an historic - $300 million increase in Basic Ed spending last year. The results are certainly very inconsistent with Dr. Zahorchak's claims of great advancements.

This year we will pump an additional $300 million into Basic Education. Plus nearly $700 million in Federal funds will go to advancing the low achievers in PA. Will we once again see no improvement on the national math test?

Are our curriculums and the PSSAs aligned to the same content as the NAEP? Or does the NAEP test material and concepts that have not been taught?

If the curriculum is not aligned to the material on the NAEP, aren't our students being set up to fail?

http://www.ed.gov/news/pressreleases/2009/10/10142009.html

all kids will rise!

edstem — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 10:23:15 GMT

The huge increase in spending for public education in Pennsylvania means great things.

For decades the public schools have defended their lack luster results by saying they were underfunded.

Now they have the big bucks they have demanded.

Now we shall see our children's reading and math skills improve dramatically. Our schools' PSSA scores will rise! Now there will be plenty of books. Now there will enough computers. Now the teachers will get the training they need to better perform their jobs. Now the buildings will be repaired.

Special Education and Title 1 (poor kids academic programs) in particular have gotten huge increases through stimulus funds. These groups will achieve great things now! How wonderful!

Many successes will be achieved by every child.

As an added bonus, there will not be property tax increases next year. The schools have gotten this huge increase in state funding. They will get those dollars next year, too.

Billions to schools

edstem — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 10:04:15 GMT

Educators have long defended the Education System's shortcomings and outright failings by blaming us for underfunding them.

Now they will be receiving the windfall they have demanded. The Commonwealth's Basic Education Funding is rising dramatically. Additionally, hundreds of millions of federal stimulus dollars are flowing into special education classrooms. NCLB IS now adequately funded.

We now have the right to see our children's academic successes enjoy a similar, dramatic increase. Many Pennsylvania districts have accomplished outstanding improvements in their students' achievements without this windfall. It is "doable". Some Pennsylvania schools already have 100% of their children on grade level on the PSSAs. Hundreds of schools have over 90% of the children on grade level.

Perhaps our current teachers and administrators cannot do it, Fine. Get new ones. No more excuses.

Property tax increase 2010-2011

edstem — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 11:29:42 GMT

Index Calculation Required by Special Session Act 1 of 2006 for 2010-2011 is 2.9%. Districts can increase property tax milage by that amount. Rendell likes to quote this number when claiming he has controlled increases in property taxes and given citizens a voice.

BUT the PDE also provides an adjusted index. This is the true amount boards can increase taxes. It is an increase of the Act 1 index that allows for local poverty. More poverty - the board gets a higher index.

The highest adjusted index for 2010-2011 is Reading's @ 4.7%. The Reading school board can increase millage by 4.7% not the published 2.9%.

In Allegheny County, of our 43 school districts only 11 are held to the Act 1 - 2.9%.

The highest permitted millage increases:

Duquesne at 4.6%,

Clairton - 4.5%,

McKeesport - 4.4%,

South Allegheny - 4.4%

Sto-Rox - 4.4%

East Allegheny - 4.2%

Elizabeth Forward - 4.2%

Highland 4.2%,

Brentwood - 4.1%,

Wilkinsburg boro - 4.1%

Northgate - 4%

Penn Hills - 4%

Plum Boro - 4%

South Park - 4%

Steel Valley - 4%

West Mifflin - 4%

http://www.pde.state.pa.us/proptax/lib/proptax/SSAct1_AdjIndexHistory_0607-1011.pdf

Spending not the issue in High Schools

edstem — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 09:37:54 GMT

Work by the Math Science Partnership of Greater Philadelphia (MSPGP) reveals several impediments that may account for why we did not find an association between aggregate per pupil instruction expenditures in a district and the percentage of 11th grade PSSA math and reading proficiency.

These impediments include: * high turnover of school district administrators

* inconsistency of policy and its implementation

* insufficient external monitoring and technical support

* disorganized data management, analysis and translation to action

* poor communication vertically and horizontally within and between schools and the district

absence of coherent and aligned k-12 curricula

system incoherence

lack of teacher staff capacity

http://www.mspgp.org/research_and_findings.php?a=detail&id=169

***

Pennsylvania Separtment of Education offers free specialized training for Principals and School Administrators (PA Inspired Leadership). Unfortunately, there is a lot of push back about participating in this targeted professional development.

It is now mandated through ACT48 and recertification.

Increased spending - lower scores

edstem — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 20:18:00 GMT

Important education study just released: FINANCIAL FACTORS ASSOCIATED WITH 11TH GRADE STUDENT ACADEMIC PROFICIENCY IN MATH AND READING IN PENNSYLVANIA An analysis of publicly available data for the 498 school districts in Pennsylvania reveals that: * 11th grade PSSA performance in math and reading is slightly negatively associated with total district expenditures per student, which ranged between $ 8,168 - $29,512 per student, while holding other contextual variables constant. * 11th grade PSSA performance in math and reading is not significantly associated with instructional expenditures per student, which ranged between $ 4,276 - $11,010 per student, with less than 1 percent of variation in district-level PSSA proficiency attributable to instructional expenditures." see: http://www.mspgp.org/research_and_findings.php?a=detail&id=169 When will Gov. Rendell have a press conference on this study?

Fund head start more eliminate PRE K Counts

edstem — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 10:33:18 GMT

Millions of the dollars that people are demanding for child care/ preschool programs are not actually getting to the kids. We are paying far too many adults to "administer" redundant programs like Pre K Counts and Head Start. Taxpayers are paying for the adults who run these programs to go to college. Taxpayers are paying for government employed adults to evaluate preschool programs and award STARS. Taxpayers are paying for administration adults to observe children in the programs in order to justify even more spending. Taxpayers are paying for more adults to promote the many child care programs the state offers including:

The Commonwealth operates/funds over $1 billion in early learning programs as follows:

• Accountability Block Grant
• Certification Services
• Child Care Works
• Children’s Trust Fund
• Early Intervention
• Full-Day Kindergarten
• Head Start Supplemental
• Keystone STARS
• Parent-Child Home Program
• Pennsylvania Nurse-Family Partnership
• Pennsylvania Pre-K Counts
• Public-Private Partnerships

Each of these programs is administered separately by costly adults who are NOT directly caring for kids. Those programs that are run under school districts are the most expensive since they add another layer of administration AND involve the teachers' unions.

Taxpayers are paying for even more adults to do press release events to get more money for the adults who do these things.

Taxpayers are also funding Pennsylvania Head Start State Collaboration Office which works to get the feds and the state to cooperate! "works to facilitate a coordinated approach to planning and service delivery: Child Care, Public Education, Children With Special Needs, Family Literacy, Welfare, National and Community Services, Homelessness, and Health Care." More adults paid by taxpayers, no money directly to kids.

Put kids first - Instead of all this adult centered spending, let's put an additional $50 million in Head Start. (We already add $40 million in pa tax dollars to the Federal funding of Head Start) Let's completely eliminate PREK Counts (which is 100% redundant to Head Start) and eliminate STARS which is also all adult focused spending.

This would directly benefit many more needy kids. Those are the children that the preschool program actually benefits intellectually and socially. Nearly all middle class and upper class kids arrive at kindergarten ready to learn.

PreSchool No magic Fix

edstem — Sat, 01 Aug 2009 12:54:48 GMT

In 2005 Governor Rendell pushed through smaller class sizes, all Day K, Pre K Counts. He added Prek Counts to the many preoschool prgrams we already funded like $40 million to the Federal Head Start program. We have paid hundreds of million over the 4 years for these new and existing services.

Sec Zahorchek has repeatedly promised this enormous expenditure would mean ALL our chidlren would be successful.

The 3rd graders this year have benefitted from all these programs. They are the first group of kids who got all this intervention and are now taking the PSSAs. We should see a very high level of success.

2009 Reading PSSA for 3rd grade is only 77% on grade level. It should be in the 90's.

8th graders, who never had All Day K, Pre K Counts or smaller class sizes, have a 2009 Reading result of 80.9% on grade level.

2009 3rd graders having all these specialized programs scored 81.9% on grade level for math.

The 2005 the 3rd graders scored 81% on grade level for math WITHOUT all these programs.

False promises based on these results.

The PSSAs are an agreed upon academic measure for all students in the state.

The justification for the hundreds of millions of tax dollars funneled to PreK Counts and ALL Day K is that these children will do better academically for their whole pre-12 career. If that would happen, it would be wonderful. Imagine doing away with all Title 1 funding because these children are achieving. That would open the door to many opportunities for all children. Those dollars could go to gifted education which is always slighted by PA.

Many studies have found that children lose ground once they leave Head Start and specialized Preschools. When they reach 3rd or 4th grade they are no longer showing the progress.

At best, we can say that, based on 2009 3rd grades' PSSA scores, we have maintained last year's math score. We had expected to see an serious uptick. These are the struggling kids who now have been equipped to stay on grade level. But their reported progress is extinguishing.

I am not surprised by these glowing reports the PDE is putting out. They are trying to preserve their massive tax increase. They overlooked mentioning that 3 grades' reading scores fell this year. 4th grade kids scored lower than they did in 3rd grade the year before. 11th grade again fell dramatically from their 8th grade score. (not tested in 9th or 10th grades)

Show me the Preschool kids PSSA scores in 3rd grade. That is the verdict, not anecdotal comments by preschool teachers or parents who are delighted with taxpayer subsidized childcare.

2% increase in state funding for 19 Allegheny school districts

edstem — Sat, 01 Aug 2009 00:55:53 GMT

Rep Eachus (Luzerne County) is holding out for $500 million increase to education line items, including $300 million to basic education funding which pays the teachers in the districts.

Eachus got a $4500 donation from PSEA - PA teacher's Union. Followthemoney.org

He also got $35,755 from lobbyists and lawyers.

http://www.followthemoney.org/database/StateGlance/candidate.phtml?c=88209

His school district - Hazleton will get a 20% increase in state funding if he wins. Only four districts will get such a 20% or greater increase..

There are 500 Pa public school districts. Over 75 districts will get only a 2% increase - that is two percent. 19 of them are in Allegheny County!

Per PDE:"The 2009-2010 proposed Basic Education Funding appropriation is $5,982,396,000, which includes a $418,000,000 increase (8.0%) over the amount appropriated in 2008-2009.

Also included in the total is $338,254,550 for PA Accountability Grants, Education Assistance Program Funding and Basic Education Formula Enhancements."

"A minimum increase will be provided to each school district, if necessary, so that its total increase including its state share phase-in allocation shall equal a minimum 2.0 percent increase over its 2008-2009 Basic Education Funding allocation." PDE web site

http://www.pdeinfo.state.pa.us/education_budget/cwp/view.asp?a=3&Q=71004&education_budgetNav=|

Should Chartiers Valley post Dr. Tammy Whitfield's position?

arlington12 — Sun, 14 Jun 2009 14:18:05 GMT

There is much much more to this situation than our community knows. The Board members are making decisions based on their own personal agendas as well as the sick paranoid views of others in the district. There are at least 4 Board members who are siding with individual(s) who want to maintain control of their position and environment in our district. The other two who voted with them don't have minds of their own and follow the leaders. The truth is that Dr. Whitfield has made the people working in the district accountable and they don't like or want this. So they contact these particular Board members and advise them on who they want out in exchange for helping them to get reelected. It makes you wonder, what are they trying to hide? What are these people doing that they need to revert to such despicable acts?

What is happening is ethically criminal. We as a community need to dismember this group of individuals by voting them out as well as getting rid of the one(s) in the district who are behind this situation. We need new people who are educated individuals. Educated in their field and the best practices on how to run a school district. People who are trustworthy, have character and are willing to go out on a limb for the good of our children, tax-payers and the district as a whole. This present Board of Directors had an agenda that was calculated and this is how they run our district. There are a couple that base their votes on the issues at hand not on their personal views or political bullying. I believe that we also need better communication in our district. If our Board had better communication with our administrators, teachers, parents and community then we would have a stronger district. Honest communication about what is happening, whether it is hiring and firing, new construction, athletics, developing new curriculum or a new menu in the cafeteria. This empowers everyone. But this is not what this Board and individual(s) wants because it removes the power from them. By the way, where is Mr. Skender in all of this? He is our Administrator and he has felt the wrath of our Board also.

Dr. Whitfield's credentials are impeccable. Her track record over the years speak for themselves. There is not a valid reason for this to have happened to her. If someone had dropped the ball in the process of reviewing her contract in a timely manner, then speak up and admit that you made a mistake. This is the right thing to do. We are all very busy and oversights can happen, we are all human. But the fact is they won't do the honest thing. So now Dr. Whitfield is forced to hire an attorney to fight for what is right. The end result is that our district may ultimately be forced to use our district monies to pay for this Board's stupidity.

There is still more to come and the one(s) working in the district and the Board members who are spearheading this situation will eventually cause their own demise by their actions.

Head Case!

bossman — Sun, 10 May 2009 16:36:45 GMT

I've been ignoring this guy lately.(Burghman) He's a head case, and thinks he has all of the answers. He uses books, charts, and graphs which are not usually pertinent to the subject. He doesn't stay on topic. He only answers what he thinks he knows.

He also calls people names. I'm a little better than that.

Let him espouse himself and think that he is the end-all and be-all and knows everything. He lives in the past. I don't think he knows it's 2009. He never has a solution to a problem, only refers back to an earlier time. He's affixed on Bush and Chaney and blames them for Adam eating the apple.

Better to be thought a fool instead of opening one's mouth and removing all doubt. He's removed all doubt..

Now, I'm going to try to ignore him again. It's so hard to do though, because he posts the stupidist things as answers.

Well, here goes.

Bossman Mike

Sto-Rox Schools financial problems

rgp15101 — Fri, 01 May 2009 17:20:48 GMT

Here we go again,

I just can't understand how an organization can get themselves into financial binds with all the supposed controls and reporting that exist.

A 3 million dollar deficit did not just come into being , it started somewhere.

Where are the administratiors, school finance managers and of course the school board?

When will you people learn to live within the budget? There is going to be over a million in fed . stimulus , have you taken that into consideration?

If you don't have it to spend then don't spend it.

The state needs to come in and disolve the board and set up true administrators who will make the tough decisions as to staffing , programs and cost reductions. It is apparent that the management does not have the ability or authorization to make these decisions.

Enough is enough..

How is the poor economy affecting your family’s college decisions?

PG Admin1 — Fri, 03 Apr 2009 19:20:44 GMT

Amid the worst economy in decades, many high school seniors and their parents are caught between the college they always hoped for and one they can afford. Some families are picking public schools over higher-priced private colleges, while other students will live at home and commute to a nearby school.

What has been your experience in balancing economic realities with the desire for a college education?

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Hmmmm?

swaybar — Fri, 03 Apr 2009 15:37:46 GMT

Of the 3 posts getting the most responses, one is about a Brittany Spears pretend concert, one is about a soap opera's cancellation.

That can't be good can it?

How Convenient and Timely

bossman — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 13:15:38 GMT

University of Pgh. announces a wage freeze on its Oakland employees.

A couple of months ago, all State college presidents received a nice wage increase.

Is there something wrong here?

Bossman Mike

Bound to Happen

bossman — Wed, 11 Feb 2009 13:49:10 GMT

I see the Steel Valley School Board is looking towards the stimulus package to help them balance their budget.

I thought the package was to create jobs. I didn't see any mention of balancing the budget relating to jobs.

This is exactly what the Republicans are talking about. Pork! Using the money to throw at all kinds of projects, none of which will create any meaningful jobs.

If this district would get their spending under control, they wouldn't need a stimulus package. Just look at your Athletic Director, his salary and his responsibilities. You don't need a genius to decipher the problem here.

Bossman Mike

What do you think of delaying school due to the Super Bowl?

PG Admin1 — Mon, 02 Feb 2009 13:25:03 GMT

Pittsburgh Public Schools and some suburban districts announced a two-delay in the start of classes Monday, the morning after the Super Bowl. What's your reaction to the decision? (You may also vote in a PG poll).

How does your household cope with two-hour delays and snow days?

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ENOUGH OF THIS FOOLISHNESS

PENN HILLS FLYER — Thu, 29 Jan 2009 18:48:16 GMT

Breaking News has this brief article,Pittsburgh Schools are on a two hour delay Monday!I knew our public officials were part brain dead,but this has to be the most inane decision on closing or delaying school that I have ever seen!Our Children can't afford to miss class simply for a football game shes!

University Raises

bossman — Fri, 19 Dec 2008 21:21:19 GMT

I see there has been a freeze put on raises for state university employees.

Did I miss it or something? I don't recall seeing that this included the presidents of those universities. Seems to me I did read about them getting increases a few weeks ago. Isn't it odd that there were a few weeks span between these two announcements!

I guess what's good for the goose isn't always the same for the gander.

Reaction to CMU dean's resignation over improperly awarded master's degree

PG Admin1 — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 12:46:51 GMT

The dean of Carnegie Mellon University's Heinz School has resigned after the university discovered "an error in judgment involving the approval of excessive transfer credits and excessive units for independent study in lieu of course work" for a student who received a master's degree in 2004 [ read Post-Gazette story ].

What's your reaction?

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