Educator Effectiveness in

ESEA Reauthorization

March 8, 2011

CCSSOState Consortium on

Educator Effectiveness (SCEE)

Presenters

Adam Ezring, Senior Advocacy Associate, CCSSO

Scott Palmer, partner and co-founder of Education Counsel

Circe Stumbo, Consultant, CCSSO, Moderator and Discussant

Janice Poda, CCSSO, Discussant

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Webinar Logistics

Everyone is muted

Use the chat function to make a comment or ask a question

You may chat privately with individuals on your team

If you have problems, you may send William Bentgen a message via chat or email at williamb@ccsso.org

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SCEE Framework

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Poll

Poll

1. How many people are you responding for?

2. How familiar are you with CCSSO’s March 2010 ESEA policy statement?

a. Very familiar

b. Somewhat familiar

c. I have a sense of the positions but am not very familiar

d. Have not reviewed

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Poll

3. How familiar are you with the ongoing national debates about reauthorization as they relate to educator effectiveness?

a. Very familiar

b. Somewhat familiar

c. I have a sense of the debates but am not very familiar

d. I have not been tracking the reauthorization debates about educator effectiveness

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ESEA Reauthorization

OVERVIEW and PROSPECTS

Bold, Broad Reforms

This is a period of significant education policy reform at the state and local levels, driven in part by federal reforms

There is broad consensus on education policy reforms

There is broad interest in a new federal role and state-local-federal partnership

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Bold, Broad Reforms

At the federal level, we have seen and will continue see the shift toward educator effectiveness play out several major pieces of legislation Race to the Top

State Fiscal Stabilization Fund

Teacher Incentive Fund

Blueprint for ESEA Reauthorization

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Opportunities and challenges to Reauthorization this year

Movement in the Senate

Support from ED and the president

Momentum behind college- and career-readiness

Consensus on need for reform

If not fixed, administration may “fix” through rules

General interest in new state-federal roles

Complications in the House

No resources

Back-up in essential Congressional actions

Debate about accountability vs. mandates

Incentives for Republicans not to collaborate

If not done right, will just have tweaks, not overhaul

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Possible Timeline

If significant progress is not made by summer, unlikely reauthorization will take place before the presidential elections

This likely would put us in an Administrative focus under Section 9401 "waiver" authority, which also creates opportunities for state leadership

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ESEA Reauthorization

TOPICS IN EDUCATOR

EFFECTIVENESS

ESEA and Educator Effectiveness

Congress likely will address educator effectiveness in reauthorization

Evaluation of teachers and principals is at the heart of the debate

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Evaluation at the heart, but a full range of issues on hand

Professional Standards

Teacher and Leader Preparation Programs

Initial Licensure and Re-Licensure

Recruitment, Hiring, and Distribution

Compensation

Working Conditions

Mentoring and Induction

Ongoing Professional Development

Teacher and Leader Evaluation

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Clues from Race to the Top: (D) Great Teachers & LeadersD(1) Providing high quality pathways for aspiring

teachers and principals

D(2) Improving teacher and principal effectiveness based on performance

D(3) Ensuring equitable distribution of effective teachers and principals

D(4) Improving the effectiveness of teacher and principal preparation programs

D(5) Providing effective support to teachers and principals

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ESEA and Other Key Legislation

Educator effectiveness debate focused in ESEA Title II ($3 billion program), but issues arise across ESEA—and other federal programs

Title II current focus is Highly Qualified Teachers (HQT)

Other key legislation: TIF, Title II of the Higher Education Act (HEA), Education Sciences Research Act (ESRA)

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Title II and Other Federal Legislation

Current ESEA discussions of Title II

Formula funding to move to evaluations based on student achievement

Competitive funding for TIF-like program

Greater focus on teacher prep and alternative pathways, merging with Title II of the Higher Education Act

Potential continued focus on equitable distribution

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Related Provisions and Interests

Next generation assessments and accountability

Data systems: Linking student achievement and growth to teachers, leaders, and preparation programs

Evaluation of ESEA programs and requirements

Innovation and transformational leadership

Workable solutions for rural schools23

CCSSO’s Statement

Require states to

set professional educator standards and

establish meaningful teacher and principal evaluation systems

• based on multiple measures

• that include returns on student achievement,

• but leave states and districts the flexibility to design those evaluation systems and define their use;

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ESEA Reauthorization

DISCUSSION

Discussion

What do you think about the potential shift in federal law toward requiring teacher evaluation based on student achievement, while leaving the mix of measures up to states and districts? 

Does this give too much of a federal push?  Not enough?

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What should we measure as evidence of effectiveness?

Student achievement and growth?

Observable behaviors that we know impact student achievement, growth, and experiences?

Responsibility to the profession and to other professionals in the education environment?

Knowledge of content and how to teach content?

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What should we measure as evidence of effectiveness?

What role can the updated InTASC standards and the ISLLC 2008 standards play in the discussions around educator effectiveness?

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Discussion

If the requirement to develop a statewide system of educator evaluation is being included in reauthorization, what kind of timelines would be workable for developing, piloting, and refining statewide evaluation systems?

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Discussion

Do you want to keep HQT/HOUSSE or does that get phased out?

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What other issues are on your radar?

Data systems and use

Systems of support

Inequitable distribution

Alternate routes

Preparation

Educator recruitment

Preparation

Retention

Professional development

Capacity building

Formula funding vs. competitive grants

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Concerns

Hyper-focus on teachers without equivalent focus on school leaders

Focus on individuals and not teams

Focus on growth not achievement raises concerns about equity, the initial basis for standards-based reform

Locus of authority (federal, state, local)

Other?

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Next Steps

Share your discussions with your delegation to CCSSO’s Legislative Conference

Follow the blog; post your comments

Sample meeting agendas are on the Collaboration Site

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Coming Up

March 22, 2:00-3:00 pm EDT

Special webinar for state team leads

April 12, 2:00-3:30 pm EDT

Monthly Webinar: Policy Implications of the New InTASC Standards

May 10, 2:00-3:30 pm EDT

Monthly Webinar TBA: Follow-Up with Summit Speaker(s)

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Coming Up

April 27, Washington, DC

2:00-5:00 pm, Summit orientation for SCEE team leads

April 28-29, Washington, DC

National Summit on Educator Effectiveness

April 30, Washington, DC

State Team Action Planning

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National Summit on Educator Effectiveness

Opening keynote by David E. Houle

Lots of state team time

Time to network with peers in other states

Some time with SCEE partners and some private time just with state teams

Closing keynote by Michael Fullan

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National Summit on Educator Effectiveness

Topics cover gamut of the SCEE agenda, including data systems (you may want to have someone on the team who is familiar with your state’s infrastructure and plans for your data systems)

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Thank you to our presenters,

discussants, and all the state teams who participated

today!