I happened
to run across a Partnership for Learning article that shared what Washington
must do to meet conditions for a continuing NCLB waiver.
What conditions? In the article I
read announcing the waiver that I posted about here, it did not speak about conditions. It seems that our state’s waiver is only conditionally approved
for one year unlike those granted to most states.
So why did
we only receive a conditional approval?
Because there are still questions at the federal level about the state’s
plan in two areas; the same areas that I have identified in my previous posts that led to my concerns or skepticism with the proposal.
- the
continued study and refinement of Washington's new accountability
index/system.
- the
use of student growth as a significant factor in its teacher-and-principal
evaluation system.
Going to the
letter from Secretary Duncan to Superintendent Dorn we find the issues
summarized in this lengthy paragraph.
To receive approval to implement
ESEA flexibility through the end of the 2013–2014 school year, Washington must
submit to the Department for review and approval an amended request
incorporating: (1) the final version of
the new index, including by attaching to the amended request any technical
documentation, administrative rules, and other relevant information; (2) rules
regarding the use of student growth as a significant factor in teacher and
principal evaluation and support systems that Washington’s Teacher and
Principal Evaluation Project Steering Committee is expected to recommend by
December 2012; and (3) a copy of the amended State statute that requires each
focused evaluation to use student growth data. If Washington’s amended
request does not include the final version of the new index, fails to
demonstrate that its final method for determining a teacher or principal’s
summative evaluation rating includes student growth as a significant factor,
fails to demonstrate that it has secured the necessary legislative change to
require that focused evaluations include student growth, or if Washington does
not receive approval of the amended request, the waivers being granted to
Washington through ESEA flexibility will expire at the end of the 2012–2013
school year, and Washington and its districts will be required to immediately
resume complying with all ESEA requirements.
What this
means is that OSPI must meet the conditions for a continuing waiver by
submitting:
- the final version of the Achievement Index.
- rules regarding the use of
student growth as a significant factor in educator evaluations.
- a copy of the state's amended
statute requiring the use of student growth data on focused educator
evaluations.
Work is
underway on the first bullet. The second
and third, however, may prove more difficult as the current language in statute
provides local associations with the opportunity to bargain over what student
data is used in teacher evaluations. It
will be interesting to follow the next legislative session to see if there are
votes to make it more restrictive like Senate Bill 5895 did when it removed the
flexibility for using one of the three state-approved evaluation models.
What did I
learn? I should have gone to the primary
source document and not relied only on the news article. I also learned that the story is not yet complete.
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