Richard Laine Director of Education National Governors Association January 14, 2016 Starting a New Conversation Strengthening Wyomings Education System to Prepare Students for the Emerging Economy Where we are headed Rationale for elevating expectations Different approach to a new conversation to better serve all students Building an aligned system to get better results by taking advantage of new federal flexibility Standards Assessments Accountability Interventions Teachers and Principals How Wyoming will respond Labor Market Realities Skill demands are changing in the U.S. labor market Postsecondary education is the New Minimum for access to the middle class State & local leaders need to lead a more relevant, rigorous, & aligned system that connects education & workforce training to the opportunities of the economy to achieve better results for far more students, employers, & the state Increasing Need for More Education Source: Current Population Survey, multiple years. % of U.S. Workforce by Educational Attainment Wyomings Challenge Ahead Importance for Employees 6 Unemployment & Earnings Rates by Educational Attainment Unemployment Rates Median Weekly Earnings A Performance & Communication Problem NAEP & State Proficiency Levels 4 th Grade Reading NAEP/2014 State data WY 88 Tackling the hard issues step-by-step recipes technical solutions ComplicatedComplex developing systems Simple Source: Adapted from Getting to Maybe. Education reform often viewed as solving simple or even complicated problems educating a child is complex 9 Funding often reinforces: separation of programs; different metrics of success; & process over results Accountability systems often create incentives for isolation of efforts State agencies, local districts, labor/management often work separately, duplicate efforts, and compete Public and private sectors seldom collaborate Typical reforms dont work at sufficient scale nor build enough capacity Without necessary capacity, we revert to compliance Isolated Impact Source: Channeling Change: Making Collective Impact Work, 2012; FSG Interviews and Analysis, modified by Richard Laine. Traditional approaches not solving toughest, often most complex, challenges 10 Imagine a different approach Source: Channeling Change: Making Collective Impact Work, 2012; FSG Interviews and Analysis. Isolated ImpactCollective Impact Collective Impact is the commitment of a group of important actors from different agencies, levels of government, or sectors to a common agenda for solving a specific social problem Shared goals/measures key to coordinating strategies, measuring results, & improving Benefits of Using Shared Goals & Measures Provides common definition of the problem Enables coordination & collaboration Catalyzes action Tracks progress toward a shared goal Offers greater transparency of improved data Aids in continuous learning & course correction 12 Mutually reinforcing activities key to success Learn through pilots: identify high-impact strategies starting small with willing partners; learn from experience; expand or change directions Enhance value of budgets: use data & evidence-based practices to enhance value of existing & new revenues leverage others investments Build capacity: invest in the systems, strategies, & tools to enhance the effectiveness of teachers, principals, & other educators Increase coordination: strengthen what each part of the system does best & then align & coordinate the parts Strengthen policy: advocate for policy at state level to improve major components of system that support mutually reinforcing efforts/activities New federal flexibility to develop a more coherent & rigorous system Connecting the major parts: Standards Assessments Accountability Interventions Teachers and Principals The state must set challenging state academic standards in math, language arts, & science (may set standards in other subjects) The state must demonstrate that standards are aligned with credit- bearing coursework in higher education & relevant career & technical education standards ESSA Opportunities Standards States must have annual assessments: in language arts & math in grades 3-8 & at least once in HS in science at least once in elementary, middle & high school The law balances required participation (95%) with states ability to allow parents to have their students opt out State can allow districts to use nationally recognized high school exams in place of state test must be aligned to standards & equivalent to state test in content, difficulty & quality Pilot assessment program for up to 7 states Grants to states to work with districts on assessment audit ESSA Opportunities Assessments State must create accountability system with long-term goals, interim progress measures, & annual state/district report cards State must make annual determinations of student & school performance for all students and subgroups (no super subgroups) Annual indicators must include: 1) assessments; 2) graduation rates for HS & another academic indicator for elem/middle schools; 3) English proficiency for ELL; 4) at least one additional indicator of school quality or student success; 5) Participation rate At least bottom 5% of all Title I schools, HS failing to graduate at least 2/3 of their students, or schools with underperforming subgroups must be identified ESSA Opportunities Accountability For identified schools, district must develop improvement plan: Uses evidenced-based interventions Based on school needs assessment Addresses resource inequities Approved by school, district & state Monitored periodically by the state (if lack of improvement, state must intervene after no more than 4 years) Resources School Improvement Grants (SIG) eliminated but Title I set- aside increased to 7% Optional additional 3% Title I set-aside for districts serving highest percentage of identified schools ESSA Opportunities Interventions No requirement to evaluate educators or include student learning in their evaluationbut do you want to break the link between teaching & learning? Title II continues to support efforts to enhance teacher & principal quality Opportunity to strengthen the development and support of effective principals (optional 3% set-aside to enhance school leaders) ESSA Opportunities Teachers & Principals SY continues under NCLB SY NCLB school determinations and consequences SY New accountability system implemented Any school identified under NCLB or waivers continue implementing existing plan until new Title I plan approved or new accountability system implemented, whichever comes first ESSA up for reauthorization after only 4 years (oh, what fun) ESSA Opportunities Timeline Opportunity to strengthen the education pipeline (early education to K-12 to postsecondary) and its alignment to the workforce through integrated funding, aligned accountability, and coordinated governance Chief state school officer and Governor required to work together and involve other major constituencies, especially local educators ESSA Opportunities Strengthening the Pipeline Good standards & rigorous definition of what is good enough provides clarity on students progress towards successalso provides transparency in terms of how much improvement is needed to have all students succeed Assessments should reinforce good teaching & provide actionable feedback to students, educators, & parents States need external benchmark to determine what is good enough What happens after the test is as important as the time leading up to the test effective reports, intervention, & PD all matter You need twice as much capacity and just enough accountability Final Considerations Education States