There is no question that SB 149 (Seliger) was a significant hit
for students. Students who fulfill all
of the graduation requirements but fail up to two EOC exams now at least have
the hope that there is a way to graduate.
While not a "slam dunk" by any stretch of the imagination,
this legislation does offer an alternative for these students.
The validity and reliability of assessment instruments was a
focal point, as were discussion about the length of time required for a test to
be completed. Specifically, 85% of
students in grades 3-5 should take no more than 120 minutes; grades 6-8 should
take no more than 180 minutes. With the
tests are still at the root of this discussion, there is at least a glimmer of
hope that the dialog about testing that began in the 83nd session will continue
to result in changes to philosophies and implementation of assessment tests. My hat is off to TAMSA for continuing to push
the “meaningful assessment” dialog.
The failure of supporters, despite a strong push from the Lt.
Governor, to pass legislation in support of vouchers, taxpayer savings grants
or similar proposals that would divert funds from public education, is a
"hit" for public education. I
saw an editorial recently that provided a perspective that I had not seen
addressed very much, namely that the shift of dollars toward private schools
may not yield the results sought by those entities. The point made was that, through a transfer
of dollars, private schools open themselves to intervention from the very
entities that fund them.
With the lack of accountability in charters and private schools
as one of the main criticisms, this may resolve itself. Nevertheless, any program that diverts
dollars most certainly represents a "miss" for public education. Expect this to continue to be a major focus
in the 85th session.
Parent trigger and opportunity school legislation discussions,
while not moving forward this session, will remain discussion topics. The real "miss" of each of these
pieces of legislation is that they fail to put in place any plans to address
the symptoms that result in failures on these campuses. Much has been written about the fact that
many of these campuses are predominantly minority students. It's time to figure out how to provide these
students with equal opportunity, not deny them. You might look for a recent TED Talks presentation by a principal of a Philadelphia public school, found at http://bit.ly/1KfcRWM and how she chose to address issues on her campus.
Ultimately, and in the spirit of HB 2804, I would give this
legislative session a grade of a C-.
Until funding is restored to an adequate level and as long as vouchers, among other damaging subjects, remain topics of discussion, it will be very difficult for the Legislature to
ever earn anything higher than a C. Is
that what we want from our representatives in Austin?
Anticipating that the Governor will not call a special session,
now is the time for public school advocates to start the process of advocating
for students across the state. This is
not the end of the road; it is the beginning of efforts on the part of
trustees, administrators, businesses, pastor groups and many others to position
public education at the forefront of discussions in the 85th Session.
