tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-73201425264635192172024-02-19T01:04:13.024-08:00EdLogNews commentary and analysis from the
Louisiana Federation of TeachersLouisana Federation of Teachershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08367793647653159034noreply@blogger.comBlogger745125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7320142526463519217.post-38086016836416994462013-12-18T13:03:00.000-08:002013-12-18T13:03:54.479-08:00BESE, you got some ‘splaining to do!<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Whenever
comic icon Lucille Ball got into farcical trouble on the old <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">I Love Lucy</i> series, husband Desi Arnaz
would exclaim, “Lucy, you got some ‘splaining to do!”</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">The
Board of Elementary and Secondary Education is having a Lucy moment this week, being
called to explain multiple follies, mostly committed in the name of “choice,”
but some as what might be considered fraud.</span></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">First,
the fraud-y stuff. </span></span></b></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">NOLA.com
reporter Lauren McGaughy writes that <a href="http://www.nola.com/politics/index.ssf/2013/12/bese_audit_walter_lee_shrevepo.html">BESE
member Walter Lee</a> has apparently been double billing the DeSoto Parish
School Board – where he was superintendent of schools – and BESE for travel
expenses. He also allegedly got sweetheart deals on buy-backs of parish-owned
vehicles. And he “<span style="color: #363636;">determined his own pay raises,
granting himself substantial salary increases that conflicted with
recommendations by the system's business director.”</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="color: #363636; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">BESE President Chas Roemer says he will take “appropriate
action” and ask for repayment and maybe censure of the 13-year veteran BESE
member.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="color: #363636; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><a href="http://louisianavoice.com/2013/12/15/doe-vehicles-for-personal-use-after-vallas-fiasco-never-now-they-just-lease-em-year-round-for-7-doe-employees/">More
travel news</a> comes from Louisiana’s indispensible investigative journalist,
Tom Aswell. His <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Louisiana Voice</i>
reports that seven Department of Education employees with a combined income
topping $1 million are driving large, courtesy of the state.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="color: #363636; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">In just over a year, those seven high rollers ran up $63,700 in
car rental fees, not including fuel. Aswell reports that “they </span><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">have been cruising around town in vehicles like Jeep Grand Cherokee, Jeep
Liberty, Jeep Compass, GMC Terrain, Nissan Murano, Chevrolet Yukon, and
Cadillac Escalade at monthly rentals as high as $1,450.”</span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 6.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN" style="font-size: 11pt;">“These Enterprise rentals,” Aswell writes, “ are not the occasional rentals
for quick one- or two-day trips on departmental business; they are perks by
every definition of the word—used year-round, nights and weekends, for personal
use as well as the occasional business-related trip. And perks are taxable
in-kind income.”</span></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="color: #363636; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">On to the “choice” parade of sleazy hits:</span></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="color: #363636; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">The biggest slam on BESE’s credibility as an agent of reform
came from Legislative Auditor Daryl Purpera. <a href="http://www.nola.com/education/index.ssf/2013/12/high-profile_school_voucher_pr.html#incart_river">This
article</a> by NOLA.com reporter Danielle Dreilinger quotes the state official
as saying that Gov. Jindal’s voucher program “doesn't have enough safeguards to
ensure participating private schools spend public money properly and educate
the students they admit.”</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="color: #363636; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Because LFT and others filed a successful lawsuit against the
state, vouchers have to be funded outside the Minimum Foundation Program, with
a line item in the general fund budget. This year, that amounts to nearly $45
million divided among 118 private and religious schools. More than 6,700
students participate.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="color: #363636; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">While State Superintendent of Education John White contends that
the state has sufficient safeguards to protect parents and taxpayers, Purpera
disagreed.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="color: #363636; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">"Without specific criteria, LDOE cannot ensure it is
holding schools accountable for their academic performance and treating schools
consistently," Purpera wrote.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="color: #363636; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">The state could have been saved the trouble, as <a href="http://www.katc.com/news/lft-had-warned-state-about-voucher-accountability/">this
report from KATC-TV</a> in Lafayette notes. Over a year ago, the LFT urged BESE
to adopt a more stringent accountability procedure for the voucher program. Our
effort was rebuffed.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="color: #363636; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">As LFT President Steve Monaghan said, </span><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">“This sent a
very clear signal. The mission of the department of education was to champion
vouchers and privatization by any means necessary, and that’s why more than a
year later we have audit report stating the obvious, and what we had attempted
to fix in October 2012.”</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">While
we’re on the subject of accountability, BESE recently adopted a blanket renewal
for many charter schools around the state. Just six days later, the FBI raided
Kenilworth Science and Technology Charter School for as-yet unknown reasons,
according to <a href="http://theadvocate.com/home/7831089-125/kenilworth-charter-renewed-despite-tangled">this
story</a> by <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Advocate</i> reporters
Charles Lussiere and Will Sentell.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Kenilworth
is under the auspices of The Pelican Educational Foundation, which is
apparently linked to a shadowy Turkish outfit known as the Gulen movement. In
2011, the Pelican Foundation’s charter for Abramson Science and Technology
Charter School in New Orleans <a href="http://lft-aft.blogspot.com/2011/08/articles-reveal-rich-and-powerful.html">was
revoked</a> for “allegations of inappropriate use of school space for religious
processions, concealing student-on-student sexual harassment and intimidating
teachers."</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">In
this <a href="http://www.wbrz.com/news/bese-looking-into-kenilworth-charter-contract/">WBRZ-TV
report</a> by Rob Krieger, BESE President Chas Roemer wonders if Kenilworth
violated the terms of its charter.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 15.6pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Maybe these
scandalous episodes are the natural outcome of the veil of secrecy that shrouds
BESE and the Department of Education. Countless public information requests
have been ignored, leading <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Washington
Post</i> blogger <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/answer-sheet/wp/2013/12/12/secret-policymaking-on-school-reform-is-on-the-rise/">Valerie
Strauss</a> to include Louisiana in her list of states in which education
policy “</span><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">is
increasingly being made in secret or without public input — and with a lot of
private philanthropic money.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 15.6pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 15.6pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">“In Louisiana,”
she wrote, “the 19th Judicial District Court recently ruled that the
state Department of Education does not have to provide researchers with raw
data that would help them determine if school reform efforts are working — and
can pick and choose to whom it provides the information. The court ruled
that the data is not subject to the Public Records Act, <a href="http://www.researchonreforms.org/html/documents/CourtRulesLDOECanSelectEvaluators.pdf">according
to Research on Reforms, Inc.</a>, which sued the department for the
information. The suit was filed after the organization requested raw data and
was denied it — even though the department had given it to other researchers
already.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 15.6pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Finally,
there is this week’s revelation that a voucher school in Baton Rouge subjects
potential teachers to an inquisition before they can be hired, <a href="http://theadvocate.com/home/7873297-125/teachers-union-criticizes-hosanna-christian">reported
here</a> by <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Advocate’s</i> Will
Sentell.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Hosanna
Christian Academy requires teachers to answer invasive, personal questions
about their religious faith, living arrangements and private lives – questions
that no other employer, public or private, would be allowed to ask.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">The
Statement of Faith on the application expresses a clear preference for dunking
over sprinkling where baptism is concerned. That the applicant is expected to
be of the Christian faith is not in doubt.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">All
of which might be okay, except that the school derives most of its income from
public tax dollars in the form of vouchers. The state pays tuition for about
460 of the school’s 675 students. Last year, Hosanna collected $1.4 million in
public funds.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">That
led LFT President Steve Monaghan <a href="http://la.aft.org/press/religious-test-employment-application-raises-concerns-lft-says">to
say</a>, “We understand the church’s desire to hire whomever they wish. We do
not believe that the taxpayer dollars should be used for such discriminatory
employment practices, however.”</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN" style="font-size: 11pt;">“Those kinds of issues consumed
Europe in religious wars for centuries,” Monaghan said. “That is precisely why
the U.S. Constitution’s first amendment erects a wall of separation between
church and state. That is why no public funds should be provided to
institutions with religious preconditions for employment.”</span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 6.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN" style="font-size: 11pt;">No official response from BESE was forthcoming. According to Sentell, “Chas
Roemer, president of BESE, was unavailable for comment and his message mailbox
was full.”</span></span></div>
Louisana Federation of Teachershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08367793647653159034noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7320142526463519217.post-6326149302352037962013-12-18T08:43:00.002-08:002013-12-18T08:43:22.506-08:00Suspected thief unwelcome in Baton Rouge schools<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<![endif]-->Principals in East Baton Rouge Parish schools have received a message from the superintendent’s office, telling them that Montrell McCaleb and his organization, Empowering Students, are unwelcome in the schools. <br /><br /> <a href="http://www.educatingourfuture.org/" target="_blank">McCaleb’s Web site</a> features pictures of him with Gov. Jindal, and a long list of corporate sponsors, including Raising Cane’s, Infiniti of Baton Rouge, Acura of Baton Rouge, Coca-Cola, The Advocate, Kleinpeter Dairy, Piccadilly Cafeterias and many more.<br /><br />The Web site says that "Team Empowerment was founded in 2013 with the purpose of providing youth and young adults grades 3-8 with assistance with their academic studies and prepare them for the new Common Core Standards."<br /><br />Earlier this year, McCaleb was booked with theft from the Capitol Area Transportation Service, where he was a member of the governing board. <a href="http://theadvocate.com/home/7057877-125/former-cats-board-member-booked" target="_blank">He is accused of stealing</a> “nearly $1500 in bus system funds to pay his private satellite TV and cell phone bills.” <br />
<br />Here is the message that Superintendent Taylor sent to principals: <br /><br /><i>It is our understanding that Montrell McCaleb may contact you or e-mail you to request an appointment to discuss services he provides through his organization, Empowering Students. <br /><br />Dr. Taylor asked me to let all principals know that under no circumstances has he given permission for Mr. McCaleb to contact you on his behalf about his program. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us. Thank you.</i>Louisana Federation of Teachershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08367793647653159034noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7320142526463519217.post-24347884501524824782013-12-03T07:29:00.001-08:002013-12-03T08:19:37.431-08:00Rep. Vance McAllister visits the LFT conventionCongressman Vance McAllister makes his first public appearance as a member of congress at the LFT's 49th annual convention in Alexandria on November 25.<br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/nE9rfwEjrrE?feature=player_detailpage" width="360"></iframe><br />Louisana Federation of Teachershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08367793647653159034noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7320142526463519217.post-6175303120438347222013-12-03T07:26:00.001-08:002013-12-03T07:26:19.540-08:00Gen. Russel Honore addresses the LFT convention Gen. Russel Honore tells news media why he visited the Louisiana Federation of Teachers' 49th annual convention in Alexandria on November 25.<br />
<br />
<br /><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/jVDEJK0gWmo?feature=player_embedded" width="360"></iframe>Louisana Federation of Teachershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08367793647653159034noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7320142526463519217.post-55147224445892915612013-11-06T13:06:00.000-08:002013-11-06T13:06:37.897-08:00Analysis: Gov. Jindal is Playing Politics with Race and Education BOULDER, CO (November 6, 2013) -- The past several months have seen a
well-orchestrated political outcry, led by Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal,
attacking the US Department of Justice (DOJ) for filing a legal motion in a
long-standing desegregation case. The motion asks the court to require Louisiana
to collect and report relevant data about the impact of that state’s voucher
policy on racial segregation.<br />
<br />
The political campaign against the DOJ raises legal and educational issues
involving vouchers and racial segregation. <em>Much Ado about Politics, </em>a
Policy Memo published today by the National Education Policy Center (NEPC),
concludes that the DOJ’s motion is routine, is important, and is in fact
consistent with wording in the Louisiana voucher law itself. According to author
and NEPC director Kevin Welner, “Jindal and other opponents either misunderstand
or misrepresent the DOJ’s actions.”<br />
<br />
Louisiana’s new voucher law may undermine established desegregation orders
issued as a result of unconstitutional discrimination by the state of Louisiana
as well as many of its school districts. The recent DOJ motion is not designed
to stop the implementation of the state’s voucher program. Instead, the motion
seeks to bring the program within the scope of existing law and to avoid
predictable harm to children that would occur if the racial isolation of
Louisiana students were increased.<br />
<br />
Governor Jindal and his allies have argued that such segregation-related
orders and concerns should be set aside because the voucher law allows some
students to transfer away from schools that are not rated “A” or “B”. Implicit
in this argument, which is generally wrapped in civil-rights rhetoric, is the
empirical claim that implementation of the voucher policy will meaningfully
improve those students’ opportunities to learn.<br />
<br />
Policy Memo author Kevin Welner explains the flaw in Jindal’s argument, “The
research evidence offers little reason to expect any meaningful academic
advantage from vouchers. But the evidence does offer reason to expect that the
vouchers may result in greater segregation.” While there is nothing inherent in
a voucher policy that makes it likely to increase segregation; the specific
design and implementation of the policy are key.”<br />
<br />
Welner, an attorney and policy analyst, cautions: “A serious attempt to avoid
segregation would begin with a look at the evidence of how a given policy is
actually playing out. The politicians currently attacking the DOJ are wrong to
try to divert attention from the evidence we have about the impacts of voucher
programs.”<br /><br />
The NEPC policy memo, <em>Much Ado about Politics (and Much Ignored about
Research Evidence): Analyzing the Voucher/Desegregation Dispute between Gov.
Jindal and the US Department of Justice</em>, can be found on the NEPC website
at <a href="http://nepc.colorado.edu/publication/much-ado"><strong>http://nepc.colorado.edu/publication/much-ado</strong></a>.Louisana Federation of Teachershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08367793647653159034noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7320142526463519217.post-31154352214281967132013-09-18T15:22:00.000-07:002013-09-19T07:21:55.248-07:00The truth about the Bush/Jindal voucher agenda<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal joined Florida Governor Jeb Bush
in Washington today to push their failed voucher agenda and rail against a
Justice Department lawsuit aimed at requiring the state to follow existing
desegregation agreements.</span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Last month, Attorney General Eric
Holder filed suit against the state for failing to properly clear its voucher
scheme with federal courts that hold sway over the decades-old cases. The
filing is expected to be heard this month by Federal District Judge Ivan
Lemelle, who had ruled earlier this year that the voucher scheme violates a
38-year old desegregation agreement in Tangipahoa Parish.</span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">“This case is actually very simple,
despite efforts and talking points that paint it as an assault on poor
children,” said Louisiana Federation of Teaches President Steve Monaghan. “The
Louisiana Department of Education had an obligation to address specific
questions presented by the U.S. Justice Department because it could have
an impact on desegregation agreements in a number of Louisiana school
districts. The state failed to provide the information to the Justice
Department, leaving the Justice Department with no alternative but to file
amendments to the existing lawsuit.”</span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Monaghan said the adoption of the
voucher scheme and the subsequent refusal to provide requested
information has been a constant that has led to an unprecedented number of
lawsuits. </span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">“Constitution and law have been
consistently treated as mere suggestions. Then, vilification of those who
dare to challenge, followed by outrage when the court sends a strong
rebuke has been the pattern,” Monaghan said. “The only difference is this time
is the act has been taken to the national stage.”</span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Separating fact from fiction</span></b></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Bush and
Jindal say they are standing up for choice and their agenda is masked in
rhetoric of supporting children. But the facts are clear-- choice and vouchers
don’t improve student achievement, are often discriminatory, and deny children
a high-quality learning experience that ensures they have the critical thinking
and problem solving skills they need to succeed.</span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">With schools
<a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/answer-sheet/wp/2013/08/29/report-public-schools-more-segregated-now-than-40-years-ago">more
segregated now than 40 years ago</a>, the Department of Justice must continue
to serve as a watchdog to ensure all children are treated equally.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Louisiana’s voucher
scheme does not help children</span></b></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><a href="http://www.policymic.com/articles/46349/louisiana-student-vouchers-private-schools-get-an-f-by-the-program-s-own-standard">A
recent release of state testing results</a> revealed the Louisiana students
attending private schools through Governor Jindal’s school voucher program
perform a whopping 30 points below average. Only 40% of these students leave
the year performing at or above grade level.</span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Voucher schools avoid public
oversight and accountability</span></b></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><a href="http://www.nola.com/opinions/index.ssf/2013/07/new_living_word_was_a_waste_of.html">In
a recent Louisiana state audit</a>, the New Living Word School failed because
it was not accounting for its funds properly and was removed from the voucher
program. </span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">State
Superintendent John White touted this as an example of appropriate
accountability and oversight, also claiming that 51 of 52 schools passed the
audit. However, New Living Word School was the only school of the 52 that could
be audited because the bookkeeping at the other schools made them unauditable.</span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Only 7 of
115 schools participating in the program in 2012-1013 indicated in their annual
reports that they had special education classes.</span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Louisiana
schools with children enrolled through the voucher program are using materials
from Bob Jones University Press and ABeka Book. These publishers are not on the
state-approved textbook list. They teach that dinosaurs and humans lived at the
same time and that KKK fights the “decline in morality” and push anti-science
and creationist teachings.</span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">At one
voucher school in Louisiana, pregnant students are expelled.</span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Vouchers Do Not Increase Student
Achievement</span></b></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">A September
2002 General Accounting Office report that reviewed 78 privately funded school
voucher programs that used family income as their only eligibility criteria and
permitted families to use their award at nearly any private school concluded,
“there is no significant difference in achievement gains between voucher users
and nonusers.”</span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Milwaukee
vouchers<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">:</b> A February 2013 report
found that the Milwaukee public school students outperform voucher students.</span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Fifty-seven
percent of voucher school students scored proficient or higher in reading,
compared to 60 percent of Milwaukee Public School students who reached
proficiency in reading. Forty-one percent of the students in voucher schools
reached proficiency in math on the test, while 50 percent of their Milwaukee
Public School counterparts reached proficiency.</span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">District of
Columbia vouchers: After studying the program since its beginning and
collecting data from 2004 to 2009, University of Arkansas researcher Patrick J.
Wolf and his team found that “There is no conclusive evidence that the [voucher
program] affected student achievement.”</span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Cleveland
vouchers: A 2007 study found no differences for voucher students in five out of
six subjects.</span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Voucher Schools Lack
Accountability</span></b></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Voucher
schools don’t have to disclose their budgets to parents, taxpayers, or state
authorities, enabling fraud and financial mismanagement.</span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Vouchers Do Not Increase “Choice”
For the Vast Majority of Students and Are Often Discriminatory</span></b></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">In
jurisdictions where voucher programs exist, private school operators decide how
many, if any, voucher students they will admit. They also decide who to admit.</span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">According to
a U.S. Department of Education (“USDE”) survey of urban private schools, up to
85 percent of schools would “definitely or probably not” want to participate in
a voucher program if they were required to accept “students with special needs,
such as learning disabilities, limited English proficiency or low achievement.”</span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Only 1.5
percent of vouchers are in special education in the Milwaukee program, compared
to 19 percent of the students enrolled in public schools.</span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">In the
District of Columbia, 21.6 percent of those families who reject vouchers did so
because the private school options lacked the special needs services that their
children needed. Significantly, 12.3% of students who accepted vouchers but
then withdrew, cited a lack of special needs services as the reason for
leaving.</span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Only
one-third of voucher schools accepted students with severe disabilities in the
Cleveland vouchers program.</span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">As the New
York Times <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/21/education/georgia-backed-scholarships-benefit-schools-barring-gays.html?_r=4&">has
reported</a>, some Georgia schools funded through tuition tax credits ban LGBT
students, students suspected of being LGBT or even students who support LGBT
people.</span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Americans Overwhelmingly Oppose
Vouchers.</span></b></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">According to
a poll <a href="http://pdkintl.org/noindex/2013_PDKGallup.pdf">conducted by
Gallup and PDK</a>, 70 percent of Americans oppose private school vouchers —
the highest level of opposition to vouchers ever recorded in this survey.</span></div>
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Louisana Federation of Teachershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08367793647653159034noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7320142526463519217.post-14902471621210126932013-09-12T08:26:00.000-07:002013-09-12T08:28:06.054-07:00Can Louisiana's teacher evaluations be trusted?<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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</xml><![endif]--><i><b>In Louisiana’s topsy-turvy world of teacher evaluations,
over half of the teachers in one of the state’s highest-rated schools are on a
fast track to dismissal. In this article, teacher/researcher Herb Bassett
raises interesting questions about the process.</b></i><br />
<br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia","serif";">by Herb Bassett</span><br />
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia","serif";">State Superintendent John White showed his true colors
when he recently praised four FirstLine charter schools that "fell in the
top 10 percent of Louisiana schools in terms of improving test scores, yet
ranked fewer than 10 percent of their teachers highly effective. </span></div>
<br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia","serif";">'Amazing results,' he wrote."</span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia","serif";">He did not mention that one of the four schools,
while ranked in the 99th percentile of improvement, declared 68 percent of its
teachers Ineffective. Most of its teachers are now on a fast track to
dismissal. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia","serif";">In each of the other three schools, at least 69
percent of their Value-added Assessment Model (VAM) teachers ranked Highly
Effective, but none received an observation rating of Highly Effective. Not
one.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia","serif";">If the VAM computer model ranked so many
teachers Highly Effective, why could the principals not find at least one
example of Highly Effective teaching in an observation?</span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia","serif";">These results clearly do not reflect student
achievement or teacher quality. They deserve condemnation, not praise.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia","serif";">What does this bode for teachers and students on
the coming Common Core assessments? White has predicted that due to the
"rigor" of the new standards, achievement scores will go down.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia","serif";">As strange as it seems, teachers will not see
lower ratings under VAM - even with the dramatic drop predicted for student
scores. The VAM computer model simply ranks the teachers from highest to
lowest. No matter whether the scores rise or drop dramatically, there will
always be a bottom ten percent ranked Ineffective and a top twenty percent
ranked Highly Effective. These quotas were set by the Louisiana Department of
Education. Yes, the Department arbitrarily decided that ten percent of teachers
are Ineffective and twenty percent should be Highly Effective.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia","serif";">Then why does the Compass Report show that only
four percent of all teachers are Ineffective?</span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia","serif";">The computer model does not rank all teachers.
The majority of teachers are not subject to the quotas. The purpose of the
Compass Report was to show the discrepancy, and to coerce evaluators of the
non-VAM teachers into matching the VAM system quotas.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia","serif";">White, however, seems to relish the thought of
evaluations that cut short the quota for Highly Effective teachers.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia","serif";">Superintendent White now controls the cut-off
scores for the achievement levels on the new assessments. Having seen him
praise unjustifiably low teacher evaluations, should parents trust him to
decide whether their children pass or fail the new assessments?</span>Louisana Federation of Teachershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08367793647653159034noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7320142526463519217.post-65770255064865470382013-09-11T12:48:00.001-07:002013-09-11T13:17:25.834-07:00Educators slam flaws in Value Added Model<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtle Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="21" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="31" SemiHidden="false"
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UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="33" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Book Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="37" Name="Bibliography"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" QFormat="true" Name="TOC Heading"/>
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st1\:*{behavior:url(#ieooui) }
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<![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]>
<style>
/* Style Definitions */
table.MsoNormalTable
{mso-style-name:"Table Normal";
mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0;
mso-tstyle-colband-size:0;
mso-style-noshow:yes;
mso-style-priority:99;
mso-style-qformat:yes;
mso-style-parent:"";
mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt;
mso-para-margin:0in;
mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:11.0pt;
font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";}
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<![endif]-->
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;"><b>Editor's note: The letter below was sent from the administration and faculty of the W.W. Lewis Middle School in Calcasieu Parish to members of the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education and officials in the Department of Education:</b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
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<w:WordDocument>
<w:View>Normal</w:View>
<w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom>
<w:TrackMoves/>
<w:TrackFormatting/>
<w:DoNotShowRevisions/>
<w:DoNotPrintRevisions/>
<w:DoNotShowMarkup/>
<w:DoNotShowComments/>
<w:DoNotShowInsertionsAndDeletions/>
<w:DoNotShowPropertyChanges/>
<w:PunctuationKerning/>
<w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/>
<w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>
<w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent>
<w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>
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<w:LidThemeOther>EN-US</w:LidThemeOther>
<w:LidThemeAsian>X-NONE</w:LidThemeAsian>
<w:LidThemeComplexScript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript>
<w:Compatibility>
<w:BreakWrappedTables/>
<w:SnapToGridInCell/>
<w:WrapTextWithPunct/>
<w:UseAsianBreakRules/>
<w:DontGrowAutofit/>
<w:SplitPgBreakAndParaMark/>
<w:DontVertAlignCellWithSp/>
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<w:DontVertAlignInTxbx/>
<w:Word11KerningPairs/>
<w:CachedColBalance/>
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<br />
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<w:WordDocument>
<w:View>Normal</w:View>
<w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom>
<w:TrackMoves/>
<w:TrackFormatting/>
<w:DoNotShowRevisions/>
<w:DoNotPrintRevisions/>
<w:DoNotShowMarkup/>
<w:DoNotShowComments/>
<w:DoNotShowInsertionsAndDeletions/>
<w:DoNotShowPropertyChanges/>
<w:PunctuationKerning/>
<w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/>
<w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>
<w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent>
<w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>
<w:DoNotPromoteQF/>
<w:LidThemeOther>EN-US</w:LidThemeOther>
<w:LidThemeAsian>X-NONE</w:LidThemeAsian>
<w:LidThemeComplexScript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript>
<w:Compatibility>
<w:BreakWrappedTables/>
<w:SnapToGridInCell/>
<w:WrapTextWithPunct/>
<w:UseAsianBreakRules/>
<w:DontGrowAutofit/>
<w:SplitPgBreakAndParaMark/>
<w:DontVertAlignCellWithSp/>
<w:DontBreakConstrainedForcedTables/>
<w:DontVertAlignInTxbx/>
<w:Word11KerningPairs/>
<w:CachedColBalance/>
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<m:mathPr>
<m:mathFont m:val="Cambria Math"/>
<m:brkBin m:val="before"/>
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<m:smallFrac m:val="off"/>
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<m:lMargin m:val="0"/>
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<m:defJc m:val="centerGroup"/>
<m:wrapIndent m:val="1440"/>
<m:intLim m:val="subSup"/>
<m:naryLim m:val="undOvr"/>
</m:mathPr></w:WordDocument>
</xml><![endif]-->
<br />
<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:WordDocument>
<w:View>Normal</w:View>
<w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom>
<w:TrackMoves/>
<w:TrackFormatting/>
<w:DoNotShowRevisions/>
<w:DoNotPrintRevisions/>
<w:DoNotShowMarkup/>
<w:DoNotShowComments/>
<w:DoNotShowInsertionsAndDeletions/>
<w:DoNotShowPropertyChanges/>
<w:PunctuationKerning/>
<w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/>
<w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>
<w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent>
<w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>
<w:DoNotPromoteQF/>
<w:LidThemeOther>EN-US</w:LidThemeOther>
<w:LidThemeAsian>X-NONE</w:LidThemeAsian>
<w:LidThemeComplexScript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript>
<w:Compatibility>
<w:BreakWrappedTables/>
<w:SnapToGridInCell/>
<w:WrapTextWithPunct/>
<w:UseAsianBreakRules/>
<w:DontGrowAutofit/>
<w:SplitPgBreakAndParaMark/>
<w:DontVertAlignCellWithSp/>
<w:DontBreakConstrainedForcedTables/>
<w:DontVertAlignInTxbx/>
<w:Word11KerningPairs/>
<w:CachedColBalance/>
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<m:mathPr>
<m:mathFont m:val="Cambria Math"/>
<m:brkBin m:val="before"/>
<m:brkBinSub m:val="--"/>
<m:smallFrac m:val="off"/>
<m:dispDef/>
<m:lMargin m:val="0"/>
<m:rMargin m:val="0"/>
<m:defJc m:val="centerGroup"/>
<m:wrapIndent m:val="1440"/>
<m:intLim m:val="subSup"/>
<m:naryLim m:val="undOvr"/>
</m:mathPr></w:WordDocument>
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<br />
<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:WordDocument>
<w:View>Normal</w:View>
<w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom>
<w:TrackMoves/>
<w:TrackFormatting/>
<w:DoNotShowRevisions/>
<w:DoNotPrintRevisions/>
<w:DoNotShowMarkup/>
<w:DoNotShowComments/>
<w:DoNotShowInsertionsAndDeletions/>
<w:DoNotShowPropertyChanges/>
<w:PunctuationKerning/>
<w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/>
<w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>
<w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent>
<w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>
<w:DoNotPromoteQF/>
<w:LidThemeOther>EN-US</w:LidThemeOther>
<w:LidThemeAsian>X-NONE</w:LidThemeAsian>
<w:LidThemeComplexScript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript>
<w:Compatibility>
<w:BreakWrappedTables/>
<w:SnapToGridInCell/>
<w:WrapTextWithPunct/>
<w:UseAsianBreakRules/>
<w:DontGrowAutofit/>
<w:SplitPgBreakAndParaMark/>
<w:DontVertAlignCellWithSp/>
<w:DontBreakConstrainedForcedTables/>
<w:DontVertAlignInTxbx/>
<w:Word11KerningPairs/>
<w:CachedColBalance/>
</w:Compatibility>
<m:mathPr>
<m:mathFont m:val="Cambria Math"/>
<m:brkBin m:val="before"/>
<m:brkBinSub m:val="--"/>
<m:smallFrac m:val="off"/>
<m:dispDef/>
<m:lMargin m:val="0"/>
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<m:defJc m:val="centerGroup"/>
<m:wrapIndent m:val="1440"/>
<m:intLim m:val="subSup"/>
<m:naryLim m:val="undOvr"/>
</m:mathPr></w:WordDocument>
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<br />
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<w:WordDocument>
<w:View>Normal</w:View>
<w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom>
<w:TrackMoves/>
<w:TrackFormatting/>
<w:DoNotShowRevisions/>
<w:DoNotPrintRevisions/>
<w:DoNotShowMarkup/>
<w:DoNotShowComments/>
<w:DoNotShowInsertionsAndDeletions/>
<w:DoNotShowPropertyChanges/>
<w:PunctuationKerning/>
<w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/>
<w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>
<w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent>
<w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>
<w:DoNotPromoteQF/>
<w:LidThemeOther>EN-US</w:LidThemeOther>
<w:LidThemeAsian>X-NONE</w:LidThemeAsian>
<w:LidThemeComplexScript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript>
<w:Compatibility>
<w:BreakWrappedTables/>
<w:SnapToGridInCell/>
<w:WrapTextWithPunct/>
<w:UseAsianBreakRules/>
<w:DontGrowAutofit/>
<w:SplitPgBreakAndParaMark/>
<w:DontVertAlignCellWithSp/>
<w:DontBreakConstrainedForcedTables/>
<w:DontVertAlignInTxbx/>
<w:Word11KerningPairs/>
<w:CachedColBalance/>
</w:Compatibility>
<m:mathPr>
<m:mathFont m:val="Cambria Math"/>
<m:brkBin m:val="before"/>
<m:brkBinSub m:val="--"/>
<m:smallFrac m:val="off"/>
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<m:defJc m:val="centerGroup"/>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;">This is being sent with endorsement from Wayne Savoy,
Superintendent of Education for Calcasieu Parish Schools.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;">Attention BESE Board and LADOE Officials:</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We wish to
address three major concerns that could have a negative effect on VAM scores
for many 8<sup>th</sup> grade teachers as well as student scores across the
state.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The first issue effects 8<sup>th</sup>
grade teachers and the other two affect all teachers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 8.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The first
concern is with the construction of 8<sup>th</sup> grade LEAP tests and how the current test affects
teachers’ VAM scores.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;">In middle school, Sciences and Social Studies are taught
in the following grades:</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 3;"> </span>Science<span style="mso-tab-count: 3;"> </span>Social Studies</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>6<sup>th</sup> grade<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Physical
Science<span style="mso-tab-count: 2;"> </span>World History</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;">7<sup>th</sup> grade<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Life Science<span style="mso-tab-count: 3;"> </span>American
History</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;">8<sup>th</sup> grade<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Earth Science<span style="mso-tab-count: 2;"> </span>Louisiana History</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;">6<sup>th</sup> and 7<sup>th</sup> grade students take an
iLEAP test that covers <b>only</b> the material they were taught during that
school year.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However, in 8<sup>th</sup>
grade the students take a test that is comprehensive for all three middle
school years.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Science LEAP test covers not only the Earth Science that 8<sup>th</sup>
grade students were taught, but Physical and Life Sciences from 6<sup>th</sup>
and 7<sup>th</sup> grades as well.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We
understand the need for a comprehensive exam, but to have one teacher’s VAM
score tied to what other teachers have or have not taught makes the score
invalid.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><span style="color: black;"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Social
Studies LEAP covers not only the
Louisiana History that 8<sup>th</sup> grade students were taught, but also
World and American History from 6<sup>th</sup> and 7<sup>th</sup> grade.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>On the LEAP
test, students are then required to remember or reproduce information that they
were taught 1-2 years earlier.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>8<sup>th</sup>
grade teachers have so much material to cover from their own curriculum that
they cannot possibly address 6<sup>th</sup> and 7<sup>th</sup> grade GLEs as
well, yet the students are tested on that material.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;">8<sup>th</sup> grade Social Studies LEAP test:</span></div>
<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="MsoNormalTable" style="border-collapse: collapse; margin-left: -5.3pt; mso-padding-alt: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 452px;">
<tbody>
<tr style="height: 12.75pt; mso-row-margin-right: 12.1pt; mso-yfti-firstrow: yes; mso-yfti-irow: 0;">
<td nowrap="" style="border-bottom: none; border-left: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-right: none; border-top: solid windowtext 1.0pt; height: 12.75pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 157.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="209">
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial Narrow","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Narrow";">Strands/ Categories</span></b></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="border-bottom: none; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: solid windowtext 1.0pt; height: 12.75pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 20.2pt;" valign="bottom" width="27">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="border-bottom: none; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: solid windowtext 1.0pt; height: 12.75pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 40.5pt;" valign="bottom" width="54">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial Narrow","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Narrow";">Items</span></b></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 12.75pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 74.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="99">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="border-bottom: none; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: solid windowtext 1.0pt; height: 12.75pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 35.4pt;" valign="bottom" width="47">
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial Narrow","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Narrow";">% of </span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial Narrow","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Narrow";">Total</span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial Narrow","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Narrow";">points</span></b></div>
</td>
<td style="border: none; mso-cell-special: placeholder; padding: 0in 0in 0in 0in;" width="16"><div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 12.75pt; mso-yfti-irow: 1;">
<td nowrap="" style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-right: none; border-top: none; height: 12.75pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 157.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="209">
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 12.75pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 20.2pt;" valign="bottom" width="27">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 12.75pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 40.5pt;" valign="bottom" width="54">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
</td>
<td colspan="2" nowrap="" style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border: none; height: 12.75pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 109.4pt;" valign="bottom" width="146">
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 12.75pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 12.1pt;" valign="bottom" width="16">
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 12.75pt; mso-row-margin-right: 12.1pt; mso-yfti-irow: 2;">
<td nowrap="" style="border-left: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border: none; height: 12.75pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 157.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="209">
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial Narrow","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Narrow";">GEOGRAPHY</span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border: none; height: 12.75pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 20.2pt;" valign="bottom" width="27">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border: none; height: 12.75pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 40.5pt;" valign="bottom" width="54">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 12.75pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 74.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="99">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border: none; height: 12.75pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 35.4pt;" valign="bottom" width="47">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
</td>
<td style="border: none; mso-cell-special: placeholder; padding: 0in 0in 0in 0in;" width="16"><div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 12.75pt; mso-row-margin-right: 12.1pt; mso-yfti-irow: 3;">
<td nowrap="" style="border-left: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border: none; height: 12.75pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 157.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="209">
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial Narrow","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Narrow";"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A. The World in Spatial Terms</span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border: none; height: 12.75pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 20.2pt;" valign="bottom" width="27">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border: none; height: 12.75pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 40.5pt;" valign="bottom" width="54">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 12.75pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 74.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="99">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border: none; height: 12.75pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 35.4pt;" valign="bottom" width="47">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
</td>
<td style="border: none; mso-cell-special: placeholder; padding: 0in 0in 0in 0in;" width="16"><div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 12.75pt; mso-row-margin-right: 12.1pt; mso-yfti-irow: 4;">
<td nowrap="" style="border-left: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border: none; height: 12.75pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 157.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="209">
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial Narrow","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Narrow";"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>B. Places and Regions</span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border: none; height: 12.75pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 20.2pt;" valign="bottom" width="27">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border: none; height: 12.75pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 40.5pt;" valign="bottom" width="54">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial Narrow","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Narrow";">15</span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 12.75pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 74.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="99">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border: none; height: 12.75pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 35.4pt;" valign="bottom" width="47">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial Narrow","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Narrow";">25</span></div>
</td>
<td style="border: none; mso-cell-special: placeholder; padding: 0in 0in 0in 0in;" width="16"><div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 12.75pt; mso-row-margin-right: 12.1pt; mso-yfti-irow: 5;">
<td nowrap="" style="border-left: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border: none; height: 12.75pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 157.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="209">
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial Narrow","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Narrow";"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>C. Physical and Human Systems</span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border: none; height: 12.75pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 20.2pt;" valign="bottom" width="27">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border: none; height: 12.75pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 40.5pt;" valign="bottom" width="54">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 12.75pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 74.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="99">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border: none; height: 12.75pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 35.4pt;" valign="bottom" width="47">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
</td>
<td style="border: none; mso-cell-special: placeholder; padding: 0in 0in 0in 0in;" width="16"><div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 12.75pt; mso-row-margin-right: 12.1pt; mso-yfti-irow: 6;">
<td nowrap="" style="border-left: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border: none; height: 12.75pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 157.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="209">
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial Narrow","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Narrow";"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>D. Environment and Society</span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border: none; height: 12.75pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 20.2pt;" valign="bottom" width="27">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border: none; height: 12.75pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 40.5pt;" valign="bottom" width="54">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 12.75pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 74.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="99">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border: none; height: 12.75pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 35.4pt;" valign="bottom" width="47">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
</td>
<td style="border: none; mso-cell-special: placeholder; padding: 0in 0in 0in 0in;" width="16"><div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 12.75pt; mso-row-margin-right: 12.1pt; mso-yfti-irow: 7;">
<td nowrap="" style="border-left: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border: none; height: 12.75pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 157.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="209">
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial Narrow","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Narrow";">CIVICS</span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border: none; height: 12.75pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 20.2pt;" valign="bottom" width="27">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border: none; height: 12.75pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 40.5pt;" valign="bottom" width="54">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 12.75pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 74.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="99">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border: none; height: 12.75pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 35.4pt;" valign="bottom" width="47">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
</td>
<td style="border: none; mso-cell-special: placeholder; padding: 0in 0in 0in 0in;" width="16"><div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 12.75pt; mso-row-margin-right: 12.1pt; mso-yfti-irow: 8;">
<td colspan="2" nowrap="" style="border-bottom: none; border-left: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-right: solid black 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 12.75pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid black .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 177.2pt;" valign="bottom" width="236">
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial Narrow","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Narrow";"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A. Structure and Purposes of Government</span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border: none; height: 12.75pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 40.5pt;" valign="bottom" width="54">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 12.75pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 74.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="99">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border: none; height: 12.75pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 35.4pt;" valign="bottom" width="47">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
</td>
<td style="border: none; mso-cell-special: placeholder; padding: 0in 0in 0in 0in;" width="16"><div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 12.75pt; mso-row-margin-right: 12.1pt; mso-yfti-irow: 9;">
<td colspan="2" nowrap="" style="border-bottom: none; border-left: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-right: solid black 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 12.75pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid black .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 177.2pt;" valign="bottom" width="236">
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial Narrow","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Narrow";"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>B. Foundations of the American Political
System</span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border: none; height: 12.75pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 40.5pt;" valign="bottom" width="54">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial Narrow","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Narrow";">12</span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 12.75pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 74.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="99">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border: none; height: 12.75pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 35.4pt;" valign="bottom" width="47">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial Narrow","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Narrow";">20</span></div>
</td>
<td style="border: none; mso-cell-special: placeholder; padding: 0in 0in 0in 0in;" width="16"><div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 12.75pt; mso-row-margin-right: 12.1pt; mso-yfti-irow: 10;">
<td nowrap="" style="border-left: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border: none; height: 12.75pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 157.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="209">
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial Narrow","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Narrow";"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>C. International Relationships </span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border: none; height: 12.75pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 20.2pt;" valign="bottom" width="27">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border: none; height: 12.75pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 40.5pt;" valign="bottom" width="54">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 12.75pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 74.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="99">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border: none; height: 12.75pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 35.4pt;" valign="bottom" width="47">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
</td>
<td style="border: none; mso-cell-special: placeholder; padding: 0in 0in 0in 0in;" width="16"><div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 12.75pt; mso-row-margin-right: 12.1pt; mso-yfti-irow: 11;">
<td nowrap="" style="border-left: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border: none; height: 12.75pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 157.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="209">
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial Narrow","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Narrow";"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>D. Roles of the Citizen</span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border: none; height: 12.75pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 20.2pt;" valign="bottom" width="27">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border: none; height: 12.75pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 40.5pt;" valign="bottom" width="54">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 12.75pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 74.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="99">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border: none; height: 12.75pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 35.4pt;" valign="bottom" width="47">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
</td>
<td style="border: none; mso-cell-special: placeholder; padding: 0in 0in 0in 0in;" width="16"><div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 12.75pt; mso-row-margin-right: 12.1pt; mso-yfti-irow: 12;">
<td nowrap="" style="border-left: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border: none; height: 12.75pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 157.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="209">
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial Narrow","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Narrow";">ECONOMICS</span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border: none; height: 12.75pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 20.2pt;" valign="bottom" width="27">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border: none; height: 12.75pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 40.5pt;" valign="bottom" width="54">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 12.75pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 74.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="99">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border: none; height: 12.75pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 35.4pt;" valign="bottom" width="47">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
</td>
<td style="border: none; mso-cell-special: placeholder; padding: 0in 0in 0in 0in;" width="16"><div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 12.75pt; mso-row-margin-right: 12.1pt; mso-yfti-irow: 13;">
<td colspan="2" nowrap="" style="border-bottom: none; border-left: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-right: solid black 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 12.75pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid black .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 177.2pt;" valign="bottom" width="236">
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial Narrow","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Narrow";"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A. Fundamental Economic Concepts</span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border: none; height: 12.75pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 40.5pt;" valign="bottom" width="54">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 12.75pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 74.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="99">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border: none; height: 12.75pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 35.4pt;" valign="bottom" width="47">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
</td>
<td style="border: none; mso-cell-special: placeholder; padding: 0in 0in 0in 0in;" width="16"><div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 12.75pt; mso-row-margin-right: 12.1pt; mso-yfti-irow: 14;">
<td colspan="2" nowrap="" style="border-bottom: none; border-left: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-right: solid black 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 12.75pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid black .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 177.2pt;" valign="bottom" width="236">
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial Narrow","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Narrow";"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>B. Individuals, Households, Businesses</span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border: none; height: 12.75pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 40.5pt;" valign="bottom" width="54">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial Narrow","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Narrow";">9</span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 12.75pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 74.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="99">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border: none; height: 12.75pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 35.4pt;" valign="bottom" width="47">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial Narrow","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Narrow";">15</span></div>
</td>
<td style="border: none; mso-cell-special: placeholder; padding: 0in 0in 0in 0in;" width="16"><div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 12.75pt; mso-row-margin-right: 12.1pt; mso-yfti-irow: 15;">
<td nowrap="" style="border-left: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border: none; height: 12.75pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 157.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="209">
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial Narrow","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Narrow";"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>and Governments</span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border: none; height: 12.75pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 20.2pt;" valign="bottom" width="27">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border: none; height: 12.75pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 40.5pt;" valign="bottom" width="54">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 12.75pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 74.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="99">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border: none; height: 12.75pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 35.4pt;" valign="bottom" width="47">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
</td>
<td style="border: none; mso-cell-special: placeholder; padding: 0in 0in 0in 0in;" width="16"><div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 12.75pt; mso-row-margin-right: 12.1pt; mso-yfti-irow: 16;">
<td nowrap="" style="border-left: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border: none; height: 12.75pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 157.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="209">
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial Narrow","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Narrow";"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>C. The Economy as a Whole</span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border: none; height: 12.75pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 20.2pt;" valign="bottom" width="27">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border: none; height: 12.75pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 40.5pt;" valign="bottom" width="54">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 12.75pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 74.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="99">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border: none; height: 12.75pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 35.4pt;" valign="bottom" width="47">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
</td>
<td style="border: none; mso-cell-special: placeholder; padding: 0in 0in 0in 0in;" width="16"><div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 12.75pt; mso-row-margin-right: 12.1pt; mso-yfti-irow: 17;">
<td nowrap="" style="border-left: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border: none; height: 12.75pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 157.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="209">
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial Narrow","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Narrow";">HISTORY</span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border: none; height: 12.75pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 20.2pt;" valign="bottom" width="27">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border: none; height: 12.75pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 40.5pt;" valign="bottom" width="54">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 12.75pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 74.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="99">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border: none; height: 12.75pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 35.4pt;" valign="bottom" width="47">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
</td>
<td style="border: none; mso-cell-special: placeholder; padding: 0in 0in 0in 0in;" width="16"><div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 12.75pt; mso-row-margin-right: 12.1pt; mso-yfti-irow: 18;">
<td nowrap="" style="border-left: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border: none; height: 12.75pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 157.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="209">
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial Narrow","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Narrow";"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A. Historical Thinking Skills</span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border: none; height: 12.75pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 20.2pt;" valign="bottom" width="27">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border: none; height: 12.75pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 40.5pt;" valign="bottom" width="54">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 12.75pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 74.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="99">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border: none; height: 12.75pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 35.4pt;" valign="bottom" width="47">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
</td>
<td style="border: none; mso-cell-special: placeholder; padding: 0in 0in 0in 0in;" width="16"><div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 12.75pt; mso-row-margin-right: 12.1pt; mso-yfti-irow: 19;">
<td nowrap="" style="border-left: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border: none; height: 12.75pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 157.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="209">
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial Narrow","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Narrow";"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>B. United States History</span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border: none; height: 12.75pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 20.2pt;" valign="bottom" width="27">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border: none; height: 12.75pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 40.5pt;" valign="bottom" width="54">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial Narrow","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Narrow";">24</span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 12.75pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 74.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="99">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border: none; height: 12.75pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 35.4pt;" valign="bottom" width="47">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial Narrow","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Narrow";">40</span></div>
</td>
<td style="border: none; mso-cell-special: placeholder; padding: 0in 0in 0in 0in;" width="16"><div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 12.75pt; mso-row-margin-right: 12.1pt; mso-yfti-irow: 20;">
<td nowrap="" style="border-left: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border: none; height: 12.75pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 157.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="209">
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial Narrow","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Narrow";"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>C. World History</span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border: none; height: 12.75pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 20.2pt;" valign="bottom" width="27">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border: none; height: 12.75pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 40.5pt;" valign="bottom" width="54">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 12.75pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 74.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="99">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border: none; height: 12.75pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 35.4pt;" valign="bottom" width="47">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
</td>
<td style="border: none; mso-cell-special: placeholder; padding: 0in 0in 0in 0in;" width="16"><div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 12.75pt; mso-row-margin-right: 12.1pt; mso-yfti-irow: 21;">
<td nowrap="" style="border-left: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border: none; height: 12.75pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 157.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="209">
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial Narrow","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Narrow";"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>D. Louisiana History</span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border: none; height: 12.75pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 20.2pt;" valign="bottom" width="27">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border: none; height: 12.75pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 40.5pt;" valign="bottom" width="54">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 12.75pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 74.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="99">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border: none; height: 12.75pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 35.4pt;" valign="bottom" width="47">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
</td>
<td style="border: none; mso-cell-special: placeholder; padding: 0in 0in 0in 0in;" width="16"><div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 12.75pt; mso-row-margin-right: 12.1pt; mso-yfti-irow: 22;">
<td nowrap="" style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-right: none; border-top: none; height: 12.75pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 157.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="209">
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 12.75pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 20.2pt;" valign="bottom" width="27">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 12.75pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 40.5pt;" valign="bottom" width="54">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border: none; height: 12.75pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 74.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="99">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 12.75pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 35.4pt;" valign="bottom" width="47">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
</td>
<td style="border: none; mso-cell-special: placeholder; padding: 0in 0in 0in 0in;" width="16"><div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 12.75pt; mso-row-margin-right: 12.1pt; mso-yfti-irow: 23; mso-yfti-lastrow: yes;">
<td nowrap="" style="border-left: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border: none; height: 12.75pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 157.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="209">
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial Narrow","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Narrow";">TOTAL</span></b></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border: none; height: 12.75pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 20.2pt;" valign="bottom" width="27">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border: none; height: 12.75pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 40.5pt;" valign="bottom" width="54">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial Narrow","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Narrow";">60</span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 12.75pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 74.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="99">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border: none; height: 12.75pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 35.4pt;" valign="bottom" width="47">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial Narrow","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Narrow";">100</span></div>
</td>
<td style="border: none; mso-cell-special: placeholder; padding: 0in 0in 0in 0in;" width="16"><div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;">A large percentage of this test comes from material the
students were to have learned in grades 6-7, so the 8<sup>th</sup> grade
teacher gets a VAM score based on what two other teachers have done or not done
in grades 6-7.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The VAM score is
therefore invalid.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For Social
Studies, even though much of the material for all three grades comes from the
same strand and/or benchmark, the teaching would be specific for the area of
history being studied.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For example; all
three grade levels teach Foundations of the American Political System from the
Civics strand.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However, it is from three
different perspectives- World, American, and Louisiana.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>While this is a key concept and must be explored by students from all
three perspectives and in all three grade levels, an 8<sup>th</sup> grade
teacher whose focus is on Louisiana should not be held accountable for the same
concept from a World view point that was taught two years earlier. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;">8<sup>th</sup> grade Science LEAP
test:</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="MsoNormalTable" style="border-collapse: collapse; margin-left: -5.3pt; mso-padding-alt: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 254px;">
<tbody>
<tr style="height: 12.75pt; mso-yfti-firstrow: yes; mso-yfti-irow: 0;">
<td nowrap="" style="background: silver; border-bottom: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; height: 12.75pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 60.05pt;" valign="bottom" width="80">
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial Narrow","sans-serif"; font-size: 8.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Narrow";">Strand</span></b></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="background: silver; border-bottom: none; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: solid windowtext 1.0pt; height: 12.75pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 36.15pt;" valign="bottom" width="48">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial Narrow","sans-serif"; font-size: 8.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Narrow";">Multiple </span></b></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="background: silver; border-bottom: none; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: solid windowtext 1.0pt; height: 12.75pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 34.5pt;" valign="bottom" width="46">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial Narrow","sans-serif"; font-size: 8.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Narrow";">Short </span></b></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="background: silver; border-bottom: none; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: solid windowtext 1.0pt; height: 12.75pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 34.5pt;" valign="bottom" width="46">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial Narrow","sans-serif"; font-size: 8.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Narrow";">ECR</span></b></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="background: silver; border-bottom: none; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: solid windowtext 1.0pt; height: 12.75pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 25.5pt;" valign="bottom" width="34">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial Narrow","sans-serif"; font-size: 8.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Narrow";">Score</span></b></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 12.75pt; mso-yfti-irow: 1;">
<td nowrap="" style="background: silver; border-bottom: none; border-left: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 12.75pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 60.05pt;" valign="bottom" width="80">
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="background: silver; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border: none; height: 12.75pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 36.15pt;" valign="bottom" width="48">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial Narrow","sans-serif"; font-size: 8.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Narrow";">Choice</span></b></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="background: silver; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border: none; height: 12.75pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 34.5pt;" valign="bottom" width="46">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial Narrow","sans-serif"; font-size: 8.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Narrow";">Answer</span></b></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="background: silver; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border: none; height: 12.75pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 34.5pt;" valign="bottom" width="46">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial Narrow","sans-serif"; font-size: 8.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Narrow";">Items</span></b></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="background: silver; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border: none; height: 12.75pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 25.5pt;" valign="bottom" width="34">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial Narrow","sans-serif"; font-size: 8.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Narrow";">Points</span></b></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 12.75pt; mso-yfti-irow: 2;">
<td nowrap="" style="background: silver; border-top: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; height: 12.75pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 60.05pt;" valign="bottom" width="80">
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="background: silver; border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 12.75pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 36.15pt;" valign="bottom" width="48">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial Narrow","sans-serif"; font-size: 8.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Narrow";">(1 point)</span></b></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="background: silver; border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 12.75pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 34.5pt;" valign="bottom" width="46">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial Narrow","sans-serif"; font-size: 8.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Narrow";">(2 points)</span></b></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="background: silver; border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 12.75pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 34.5pt;" valign="bottom" width="46">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial Narrow","sans-serif"; font-size: 8.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Narrow";">(4 points)</span></b></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="background: silver; border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 12.75pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 25.5pt;" valign="bottom" width="34">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 12.75pt; mso-yfti-irow: 3;">
<td nowrap="" style="border-bottom: none; border-left: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 12.75pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 60.05pt;" valign="bottom" width="80">
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial Narrow","sans-serif"; font-size: 8.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Narrow";">1. Science as Inquiry</span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border: none; height: 12.75pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 36.15pt;" valign="bottom" width="48">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial Narrow","sans-serif"; font-size: 8.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Narrow";">8</span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border: none; height: 12.75pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 34.5pt;" valign="bottom" width="46">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial Narrow","sans-serif"; font-size: 8.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Narrow";">0</span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border: none; height: 12.75pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 34.5pt;" valign="bottom" width="46">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border: none; height: 12.75pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 25.5pt;" valign="bottom" width="34">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial Narrow","sans-serif"; font-size: 8.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Narrow";">8</span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 12.75pt; mso-yfti-irow: 4;">
<td nowrap="" style="border-bottom: none; border-left: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 12.75pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 60.05pt;" valign="bottom" width="80">
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial Narrow","sans-serif"; font-size: 8.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Narrow";">2. Physical Science</span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border: none; height: 12.75pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 36.15pt;" valign="bottom" width="48">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial Narrow","sans-serif"; font-size: 8.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Narrow";">8</span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border: none; height: 12.75pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 34.5pt;" valign="bottom" width="46">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial Narrow","sans-serif"; font-size: 8.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Narrow";">1</span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border: none; height: 12.75pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 34.5pt;" valign="bottom" width="46">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border: none; height: 12.75pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 25.5pt;" valign="bottom" width="34">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial Narrow","sans-serif"; font-size: 8.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Narrow";">10</span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 12.75pt; mso-yfti-irow: 5;">
<td nowrap="" style="border-bottom: none; border-left: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 12.75pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 60.05pt;" valign="bottom" width="80">
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial Narrow","sans-serif"; font-size: 8.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Narrow";">3. Life Science</span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border: none; height: 12.75pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 36.15pt;" valign="bottom" width="48">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial Narrow","sans-serif"; font-size: 8.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Narrow";">8</span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border: none; height: 12.75pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 34.5pt;" valign="bottom" width="46">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial Narrow","sans-serif"; font-size: 8.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Narrow";">1</span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border: none; height: 12.75pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 34.5pt;" valign="bottom" width="46">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border: none; height: 12.75pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 25.5pt;" valign="bottom" width="34">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial Narrow","sans-serif"; font-size: 8.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Narrow";">10</span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 12.75pt; mso-yfti-irow: 6;">
<td nowrap="" style="border-bottom: none; border-left: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 12.75pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 60.05pt;" valign="bottom" width="80">
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial Narrow","sans-serif"; font-size: 8.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Narrow";">4. Earth and Space Science</span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border: none; height: 12.75pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 36.15pt;" valign="bottom" width="48">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial Narrow","sans-serif"; font-size: 8.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Narrow";">8</span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border: none; height: 12.75pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 34.5pt;" valign="bottom" width="46">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial Narrow","sans-serif"; font-size: 8.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Narrow";">1</span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border: none; height: 12.75pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 34.5pt;" valign="bottom" width="46">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border: none; height: 12.75pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 25.5pt;" valign="bottom" width="34">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial Narrow","sans-serif"; font-size: 8.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Narrow";">10</span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 12.75pt; mso-yfti-irow: 7;">
<td nowrap="" style="border-top: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; height: 12.75pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 60.05pt;" valign="bottom" width="80">
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial Narrow","sans-serif"; font-size: 8.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Narrow";">5. Science and the
Environment</span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 12.75pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 36.15pt;" valign="bottom" width="48">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial Narrow","sans-serif"; font-size: 8.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Narrow";">8</span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 12.75pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 34.5pt;" valign="bottom" width="46">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial Narrow","sans-serif"; font-size: 8.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Narrow";">1</span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 12.75pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 34.5pt;" valign="bottom" width="46">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 12.75pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 25.5pt;" valign="bottom" width="34">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial Narrow","sans-serif"; font-size: 8.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Narrow";">10</span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 12.75pt; mso-yfti-irow: 8;">
<td nowrap="" style="background: silver; border-bottom: none; border-left: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 12.75pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 60.05pt;" valign="bottom" width="80">
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="background: silver; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border: none; height: 12.75pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 36.15pt;" valign="bottom" width="48">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="background: silver; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border: none; height: 12.75pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 34.5pt;" valign="bottom" width="46">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="background: silver; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border: none; height: 12.75pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 34.5pt;" valign="bottom" width="46">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="background: silver; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border: none; height: 12.75pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 25.5pt;" valign="bottom" width="34">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 12.75pt; mso-yfti-irow: 9;">
<td nowrap="" style="background: silver; border-top: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; height: 12.75pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 60.05pt;" valign="bottom" width="80">
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial Narrow","sans-serif"; font-size: 8.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Narrow";">Comprehensive Science Task</span></b></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="background: silver; border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 12.75pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 36.15pt;" valign="bottom" width="48">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="background: silver; border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 12.75pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 34.5pt;" valign="bottom" width="46">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="background: silver; border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 12.75pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 34.5pt;" valign="bottom" width="46">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="background: silver; border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 12.75pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 25.5pt;" valign="bottom" width="34">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 12.75pt; mso-yfti-irow: 10;">
<td nowrap="" style="border-bottom: none; border-left: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 12.75pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 60.05pt;" valign="bottom" width="80">
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial Narrow","sans-serif"; font-size: 8.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Narrow";">1. Science as Inquiry</span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border: none; height: 12.75pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 36.15pt;" valign="bottom" width="48">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border: none; height: 12.75pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 34.5pt;" valign="bottom" width="46">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial Narrow","sans-serif"; font-size: 8.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Narrow";">1</span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border: none; height: 12.75pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 34.5pt;" valign="bottom" width="46">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border: none; height: 12.75pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 25.5pt;" valign="bottom" width="34">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial Narrow","sans-serif"; font-size: 8.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Narrow";">2</span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 12.75pt; mso-yfti-irow: 11;">
<td nowrap="" style="border-bottom: none; border-left: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 12.75pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 60.05pt;" valign="bottom" width="80">
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial Narrow","sans-serif"; font-size: 8.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Narrow";"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Dimension 1 (Questioning, </span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border: none; height: 12.75pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 36.15pt;" valign="bottom" width="48">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border: none; height: 12.75pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 34.5pt;" valign="bottom" width="46">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border: none; height: 12.75pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 34.5pt;" valign="bottom" width="46">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border: none; height: 12.75pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 25.5pt;" valign="bottom" width="34">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 12.75pt; mso-yfti-irow: 12;">
<td nowrap="" style="border-bottom: none; border-left: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 12.75pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 60.05pt;" valign="bottom" width="80">
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial Narrow","sans-serif"; font-size: 8.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Narrow";"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Planning, Doing and </span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border: none; height: 12.75pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 36.15pt;" valign="bottom" width="48">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border: none; height: 12.75pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 34.5pt;" valign="bottom" width="46">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border: none; height: 12.75pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 34.5pt;" valign="bottom" width="46">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border: none; height: 12.75pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 25.5pt;" valign="bottom" width="34">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 12.75pt; mso-yfti-irow: 13;">
<td nowrap="" style="border-top: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; height: 12.75pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 60.05pt;" valign="bottom" width="80">
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial Narrow","sans-serif"; font-size: 8.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Narrow";"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Recording)</span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 12.75pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 36.15pt;" valign="bottom" width="48">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 12.75pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 34.5pt;" valign="bottom" width="46">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 12.75pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 34.5pt;" valign="bottom" width="46">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 12.75pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 25.5pt;" valign="bottom" width="34">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 12.75pt; mso-yfti-irow: 14;">
<td nowrap="" style="border-bottom: none; border-left: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 12.75pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 60.05pt;" valign="bottom" width="80">
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial Narrow","sans-serif"; font-size: 8.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Narrow";">1. Science as Inquiry</span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border: none; height: 12.75pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 36.15pt;" valign="bottom" width="48">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border: none; height: 12.75pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 34.5pt;" valign="bottom" width="46">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial Narrow","sans-serif"; font-size: 8.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Narrow";">2</span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border: none; height: 12.75pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 34.5pt;" valign="bottom" width="46">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border: none; height: 12.75pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 25.5pt;" valign="bottom" width="34">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial Narrow","sans-serif"; font-size: 8.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Narrow";">4</span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 12.75pt; mso-yfti-irow: 15;">
<td nowrap="" style="border-bottom: none; border-left: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 12.75pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 60.05pt;" valign="bottom" width="80">
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial Narrow","sans-serif"; font-size: 8.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Narrow";"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Dimension 2 (Interpreting and
Communicating)</span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border: none; height: 12.75pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 36.15pt;" valign="bottom" width="48">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border: none; height: 12.75pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 34.5pt;" valign="bottom" width="46">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border: none; height: 12.75pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 34.5pt;" valign="bottom" width="46">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border: none; height: 12.75pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 25.5pt;" valign="bottom" width="34">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 12.75pt; mso-yfti-irow: 16;">
<td nowrap="" style="border-top: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; height: 12.75pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 60.05pt;" valign="bottom" width="80">
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial Narrow","sans-serif"; font-size: 8.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Narrow";">2. Physical Science</span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 12.75pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 36.15pt;" valign="bottom" width="48">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 12.75pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 34.5pt;" valign="bottom" width="46">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border: none; height: 12.75pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 34.5pt;" valign="bottom" width="46">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial Narrow","sans-serif"; font-size: 8.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Narrow";">1</span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border: none; height: 12.75pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 25.5pt;" valign="bottom" width="34">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 12.75pt; mso-yfti-irow: 17;">
<td nowrap="" style="border-top: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; height: 12.75pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 60.05pt;" valign="bottom" width="80">
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial Narrow","sans-serif"; font-size: 8.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Narrow";">3. Life Science</span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 12.75pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 36.15pt;" valign="bottom" width="48">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
</td>
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<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border: none; height: 12.75pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 34.5pt;" valign="bottom" width="46">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial Narrow","sans-serif"; font-size: 8.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Narrow";">(in each of</span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border: none; height: 12.75pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 25.5pt;" valign="bottom" width="34">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial Narrow","sans-serif"; font-size: 8.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Narrow";">4</span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 12.75pt; mso-yfti-irow: 18;">
<td nowrap="" style="border-top: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; height: 12.75pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 60.05pt;" valign="bottom" width="80">
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial Narrow","sans-serif"; font-size: 8.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Narrow";">4. Earth and Space Science</span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 12.75pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 36.15pt;" valign="bottom" width="48">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 12.75pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 34.5pt;" valign="bottom" width="46">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border: none; height: 12.75pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 34.5pt;" valign="bottom" width="46">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial Narrow","sans-serif"; font-size: 8.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Narrow";">the four</span></div>
</td>
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<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 12.75pt; mso-yfti-irow: 19;">
<td nowrap="" style="border-bottom: none; border-left: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 12.75pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 60.05pt;" valign="bottom" width="80">
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial Narrow","sans-serif"; font-size: 8.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Narrow";">5. Science and the
Environment</span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border: none; height: 12.75pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 36.15pt;" valign="bottom" width="48">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border: none; height: 12.75pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 34.5pt;" valign="bottom" width="46">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border: none; height: 12.75pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 34.5pt;" valign="bottom" width="46">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial Narrow","sans-serif"; font-size: 8.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Narrow";">strands)</span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border: none; height: 12.75pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 25.5pt;" valign="bottom" width="34">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 12.75pt; mso-yfti-irow: 20;">
<td nowrap="" style="border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; height: 12.75pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 60.05pt;" valign="bottom" width="80">
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="border-left: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; height: 12.75pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 36.15pt;" valign="bottom" width="48">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="border-left: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; height: 12.75pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 34.5pt;" valign="bottom" width="46">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="border-left: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; height: 12.75pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 34.5pt;" valign="bottom" width="46">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="border-left: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; height: 12.75pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 25.5pt;" valign="bottom" width="34">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 12.75pt; mso-yfti-irow: 21;">
<td nowrap="" style="background: silver; border-bottom: none; border-left: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 12.75pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 60.05pt;" valign="bottom" width="80">
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="background: silver; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border: none; height: 12.75pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 36.15pt;" valign="bottom" width="48">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
</td>
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<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="background: silver; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border: none; height: 12.75pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 34.5pt;" valign="bottom" width="46">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="background: silver; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border: none; height: 12.75pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 25.5pt;" valign="bottom" width="34">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 12.75pt; mso-yfti-irow: 22; mso-yfti-lastrow: yes;">
<td nowrap="" style="background: silver; border-top: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; height: 12.75pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 60.05pt;" valign="bottom" width="80">
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial Narrow","sans-serif"; font-size: 8.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Narrow";">Total Score Points</span></b></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="background: silver; border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 12.75pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 36.15pt;" valign="bottom" width="48">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial Narrow","sans-serif"; font-size: 8.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Narrow";">40</span></b></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="background: silver; border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 12.75pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 34.5pt;" valign="bottom" width="46">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial Narrow","sans-serif"; font-size: 8.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Narrow";">14</span></b></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="background: silver; border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 12.75pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 34.5pt;" valign="bottom" width="46">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial Narrow","sans-serif"; font-size: 8.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Narrow";">4</span></b></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="background: silver; border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 12.75pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 25.5pt;" valign="bottom" width="34">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial Narrow","sans-serif"; font-size: 8.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Narrow";">58</span></b></div>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;">The LEAP test is
approximately 24% Physical science (taught in 6<sup>th</sup> grade), 17% Earth
Science (taught in 8<sup>th</sup> grade), 17% Life Science (taught in 7<sup>th</sup>
grade), 17% Environmental Science (taught in all grades) and 24% Inquiry.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This shows that at least 41% of the 8<sup>th</sup>
grade test is based on 6<sup>th</sup> and 7<sup>th</sup> grade material.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The 6<sup>th</sup> and 7<sup>th</sup> grade
tests do not include Science task questions in which students are required to
set up graphs and draw conclusions based on a given scenario.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This could be an issue if the information
needed to complete the task came from another grade level’s material.</span><span style="color: black;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><span style="color: black; font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;">Neither of these graphs reflects the fact that a constructive
response item could come from another grade level’s material.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is difficult
enough to expect an 8<sup>th</sup> grade student to write on a topic that he or
she was taught 2 years earlier, and invalid to have the score reflect on an 8<sup>th</sup>
grade teacher.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The student has already
taken an iLEAP test on that material.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Shouldn’t that test be enough to determine Proficiency without it
reflecting on an 8<sup>th</sup> grade teacher?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The 8<sup>th</sup>
grade math and ELA LEAP tests are set
up in a similar manner (as comprehensive middle school exams) but the results
are not as potentially harmful to the teacher.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Both of those subjects have concepts that are built upon, unlike Science
and Social Studies who have so many isolated GLEs.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The problem then is if 6-7<sup>th</sup> grade
teachers have not been successful in teaching the concepts, the 8<sup>th</sup>
grade teacher’s VAM score suffers and is therefore invalid.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In schools with
a high student turnover rate, an 8<sup>th</sup> grade teacher’s score could be
affected by students who studied 6<sup>th</sup> or 7<sup>th</sup> grade Science
or SS at another school, multiple schools, or even in another state.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Shouldn’t a
teacher’s VAM score be based solely on what <u>that</u> teacher has done with a
student?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>How can the state rate a
teacher “Ineffective” based on another teacher’s effectiveness in teaching 1-2
years earlier?</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One possible
solution would be to break a student’s 8<sup>th</sup> grade score into two
categories- one for a comprehensive Science and Social Studies score and one
score which reflects only what a student scored on material from his or her 8<sup>th</sup>
grade subject.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>By doing this, the
teacher’s VAM score could be a valid representation of only what that 8<sup>th</sup>
grade teacher was responsible for teaching.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Our second
concern is in the form of a question.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Our current understanding is that a student’s test score history for
several years is used to predict an iLEAP or LEAP
score for that student.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Following this
premise, if a student scored Unsat for 2-3 years in a subject, then his
predicted score would be Unsat as well.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Our question is- If the student does score Unsat, as predicted, would
that score still count against the teacher because he was not Proficient even
though Unsat is the predicted score?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If
so, how is that valid for a teacher’s VAM score?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 8.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Part A of our
third concern is about the attendance factor for SLTs.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><span style="color: black; font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana; mso-fareast-font-family: Batang;">We
were told to use 80% attendance as the factor by which we would determine which
students would and would not be included in our SLT. No one questioned
that, and we just added it to our SLTs as directed. Recently we realized
what 80% attendance really means.</span><span style="color: black; font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: Batang;"></span></div>
<ul style="margin-top: 0in;" type="disc">
<li class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana; mso-fareast-font-family: Batang;">80% attendance is a student missing school
one day a week, every week</span><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: Batang;"></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana; mso-fareast-font-family: Batang;">Could a teacher be effective if a
student missed one day a week?</span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana; mso-fareast-font-family: Batang;">Think about the repercussions on student
learning if teachers missed one day a week every week</span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana; mso-fareast-font-family: Batang;">80% means a student could miss 36 days of
school a year and still count towards their SLT</span><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: Batang;"></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana; mso-fareast-font-family: Batang;">10 absences a year is the maximum- <em><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;">by
the state's own standard</span></em></span><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: Batang;"></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana; mso-fareast-font-family: Batang;">80% attendance means we have basically not
excluded anyone from our SLT count</span><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: Batang;"></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana; mso-fareast-font-family: Batang;">80% means we are still accountable for those
who do not value education enough to attend school</span><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: Batang;"></span></li>
</ul>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .25in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana; mso-fareast-font-family: Batang;">Even if we increase the
attendance factor to 90%, a student could potentially miss 18 days a year and
still count against a teacher’s SLT and VAM score.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We do not believe students who miss 18-36
days a year can grasp the numerous concepts taught in six or more subjects. </span><span style="color: black; font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: Batang;"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana; mso-fareast-font-family: Batang;">Looking at it from this perspective,
if teachers verify their CVR roster from 1 Oct until testing, that is about 175
actual school days minus about 30 days from the start of school until 1 Oct and
about 20 days after testing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That leaves
roughly a 125 day window. Using 125 days, 80% attendance still means a
student could be absent 25 days and count against a teacher on their SLT.
Increasing the attendance rate to 90% and using the CVR window means a
student could be absent 12.5 days.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This
seems a little more realistic for SLTs and VAM scores, although still above the
state’s maximum 10 day absentee policy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span></span><span style="color: black; font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: Batang;"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana; mso-fareast-font-family: Batang;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><span style="color: black; font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: Batang;"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana; mso-fareast-font-family: Batang;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Part B of the third concern is that we
have been told that an alternate formula will be used to calculate predicted
test scores for students with attendance problems.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This leads us to believe that the same 80%
attendance variable will be used by the state for VAM teachers to determine
which students’ scores are calculated with which formula.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The numbers in the above paragraphs prove
that 80% attendance is not a valid number.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>It removes few if any students from the equation used to determine
teacher effectiveness in VAM scores or SLTs.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We respectfully
request that the BESE Board and State Department of Education work to resolve
these issues as soon as possible.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>No one
would want teachers to be rated ineffective because of invalid data.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>With tenure and possible teacher compensation
relying on teacher effectiveness and test scores, the consequences could be
devastating to careers and school systems.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
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<![endif]-->Louisana Federation of Teachershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08367793647653159034noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7320142526463519217.post-78599226683614517362013-08-29T12:23:00.001-07:002013-08-29T12:23:52.948-07:00Bad Law forces good people to the courtroom, again (Baton Rouge – August 29, 2013) Trying to forestall an expected avalanche of lawsuits against local school boards, the Louisiana Federation of Teachers will ask a state judge to rule that Louisiana’s teacher tenure law violates due process guarantees in both the Louisiana and United States Constitutions.<br /><br />Federation President Steve Monaghan said that his executive board has voted unanimously to amend an active lawsuit to address fatal flaws in the poorly drafted and hastily enacted Act 1 of 2012.<br /><br />“A proverbial super storm is forming in school districts across our state,” said Monaghan. “It’s the product of a flawed state teacher evaluation system and revisions in due process rules that are devoid of fairness and reason.”<br /><br />Monaghan said that real harm is already occurring as dozens of teacher evaluation grievances are being processed by local school systems. Many of these could ultimately result in court cases.<br /><br />“Unless Act 1 is once again ruled unconstitutional,” Monaghan said, “teachers will increasingly be forced into the courtroom in district-by-district challenges. This scenario will rip communities apart and drain limited resources needed to educate children.”<br /><br />“It is unfortunate that school boards will be compelled to bear the brunt of these contentious proceedings, because local administrations and local school boards did not cause this train wreck,” he said. “They are in an untenable position. They are compelled to follow the law, even bad law.” <br /><br />In June of 2012, LFT challenged the constitutionality of Act 1, the so-called tenure law, and Act 2, which set up the state’s controversial school voucher scheme. Last March, 19th Judicial District Judge Michael Caldwell ruled Act 1 unconstitutional because it violated a provision that forbids bundling multiple objects in one piece of legislation.<br /><br />In the Act 2 case, Judge Tim Kelley ruled that using public education funds to pay for school vouchers is unconstitutional, a decision that was upheld by the State Supreme Court.<br /><br />Late in the 2013 legislative session, after affirming Judge Kelly’s ruling, the Supreme Court sent the Act 1 case back to Judge Caldwell’s court for further consideration. <br /><br />The Federation will again urge Judge Caldwell to rule that Act 1 unconstitutionally bundled multiple objects into one bill. The Federation is amending its petition to include the complaint that Act 1 violates the due process rights of teachers under the Louisiana and United States Constitutions.<br /><br />The lawsuit will be amended to include the following specific complaints:<br /><br />
<ul>
<li>Under Act 1 (2012), a tenured teacher accused of being ineffective or facing any other charge is afforded a hearing only after the teacher has been fired. The Act authorizes superintendents to terminate a tenured teacher before any hearing is held, which violates the basic principles of due process.</li>
<li>Under Act 1 (2012) The post-termination hearing is conducted by a three-person panel consisting of one person appointed by the superintendent, one person appointed by the teacher’s principal and one individual chosen by the teacher. The panel is decidedly weighted against the teacher.</li>
<li>Under Act 1 (2012), the panel’s role is merely advisory and holds no authority to reverse, amend, or otherwise alter the decision of the superintendent. A toothless panel makes a mockery of an already poisoned process. </li>
</ul>
<br />“It is well established fact that very important laws were ill conceived, poorly drafted, and hastily enacted with little public input,” Monaghan said. “As a result, there has been chaos and rancor contributing to a dramatic increase in the number of teachers leaving the profession.” <br /><br />The LFT president said that lawmakers missed an opportunity to find remedies during the 2013 session, when a bill was introduced to postpone the effects of the state’s new evaluation system for one year. <br /><br />“The delay would have allowed time for the legislature and state board of education to tweak or fix the evaluation system,” Monaghan said, “and allow time for cooler heads to infuse fair process into the revised tenure law.<br /><br />“However, HB 160, which was unanimously approved by the House Education Committee, and passed by the full House by 102 to zero was killed by four members of the Senate Education Committee,” Monaghan said. “That single failure compels us to file our amended petition.”<br /><br />Recently, a Monroe district judge ruled in favor of a Louisiana Association of Educators lawsuit claiming that the tenure provisions of Act 1 violate teacher rights.<br /><br />“Consequentially, we now face potential lawsuits that no one wants in every judicial district in Louisiana,” Monaghan said. “Without a reasonable resolution, public education will get bogged down in court and the unintended consequences will be innumerable.”Louisana Federation of Teachershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08367793647653159034noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7320142526463519217.post-75372278986924104142013-08-28T10:01:00.002-07:002013-08-28T10:01:59.614-07:00Scandalous Tennessee for-profit school has LA ties<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">A for-profit online school in Tennessee had the lowest
results of any similar school in the state and should have been shut down. But
because of a well-financed lobbying and public relations campaign, the school
will continue to drain resources from public education in the state.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Why is this important to us in Louisiana? Because the
Tennessee Virtual Academy’s parent company, K12 Inc., also runs the Louisiana
Virtual Charter Academy and virtual learning programs in a few parishes.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">According to <a href="http://www.tennessean.com/interactive/article/20130825/NEWS04/308250064/Tenn?nclick_check=1">this
report</a> in The Nashville Tennessean, “<span lang="EN" style="color: #2c2c2c;">students in the Tennessee Virtual Academy made less progress as a group in
reading, math, science and social studies than students enrolled in all 1,300
other elementary and middle schools who took the same tests. The school fell
far short of state expectations for the second year in a row.”</span></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="EN" style="color: #2c2c2c;">Louisiana
used to have a successful and popular state-run program called the Louisiana
Virtual School. It has been eliminated by the current administration, to be
replaced by providers like K12 Inc.</span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="EN" style="color: #2c2c2c;">The
Tennessee Virtual Academy was declared “unacceptable” by state education
officials nearly a year ago. When lawmakers attempted to rein in the school,
K12 Inc. launched a campaign to save its funding. </span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="EN" style="color: #2c2c2c;">To fight the
legislation, K12 Inc. brought in both a high-powered Nashville lobbying firm
and another one founded by the chief advisor to the governor of the state.</span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 14.4pt;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">As a result of the intense
campaign, The Tennessean reported, “<span lang="EN" style="color: #2c2c2c;">the school stands to collect about $5 million in state funds this school
year. Last year, the school took in an estimated $15 million.”</span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 14.4pt;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span>K12 Inc. has been at the center
of other scandals as well. In Florida, according to <a href="http://stateimpact.npr.org/florida/2012/09/11/florida-investigates-k12-nations-largest-online-educator/">this
National Public Radio report</a>, the Department of Education investigated K12 “</span><span lang="EN" style="color: #444444;">over allegations the company uses
uncertified teachers and asked employees to help cover up the practice...K12
officials told certified teachers to sign class rosters that included students
they hadn’t taught, according to documents that are part of the investigation.”</span></span></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">In the extremely lucrative world of for-profit
education companies, K12 is not the only shady player.<span> </span>In Pennsylvania, the head of the state’s
largest online schools is “<span>alleged
to have stolen nearly $1 million in public money and improperly diverted a
total of $8 million to avoid federal income taxes,” according to <a href="http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/DigitalEducation/2013/08/what_does_federal_indictment_m.html">this
Education Week report</a>.</span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span>No
one doubts the potential benefits of virtual learning. But the way that states
like Louisiana, Tennessee, Pennsylvania, Florida and others have opened their
treasuries to for-profit providers provides a tempting target for profiteers.</span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span>The
Louisiana Virtual School was accomplishing its mission competently and
scandal-free. Why would elected officials choose to replace it with a model
that has ushered in vultures to pick the bones of public education?</span></span></span></div>
Louisana Federation of Teachershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08367793647653159034noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7320142526463519217.post-59849235447798680862013-08-23T07:41:00.001-07:002013-08-23T07:44:04.875-07:00Flurry of surveys re-opens debate on education reforms (Baton Rouge – August 22, 2013) New surveys demonstrate that parents overwhelmingly favor public education as the best choice for children, Louisiana Federation of Teachers President Steve Monaghan said today. The results call into question continued efforts to privatize the state’s education system and judge teachers by standardized test results, he added.<br /><br />“Seventy percent of Americans oppose vouchers for private and religious schools,” Monaghan said. “That is the highest negative ever recorded in 45 years of research by Phi Delta Kappa and the Gallup organization.”<br /><br />Monaghan’s comments came after release of the annual <a href="http://pdkintl.org/noindex/2013_PDKGallup.pdf" target="_blank">PDK/Gallup Poll </a>of the public’s attitudes toward public schools.<br /><br />Reflecting public support for neighborhood schools, Monaghan said, was the PDK/Gallup finding that 71 percent of public school parents would grade the school their oldest child attends as “A” or “B.”<br /><br />Another poll released about the same time, from the <a href="http://www.apnorc.org/PDFs/Parent%20Attitudes/AP_NORC_Parents%20Attitudes%20on%20the%20Quality%20of%20Education%20in%20the%20US_FINAL_2.pdf" target="_blank">Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research</a>, shows that 76 percent of public school parents rate their child’s education as good or excellent, and that 82 percent have high opinions of their children’s teachers.<br /><br />“These are careful, scientific surveys,” Monaghan said, “that need to be taken seriously as we debate the nature of education reform in Louisiana.”<br /><br />The state’s reliance on standardized tests for determining everything from teacher salaries to school funding does not seem to have great public support. In the PDK/Gallup poll, for example, only 22% of Americans believe that increased testing has helped the performance of local public schools. A solid majority (58%) reject the notion that teacher evaluations should include “how well a teacher’s students perform on standardized tests.”<br /><br />In the AP-NORC survey, parents agreed that the proper use of standardized tests should be “to identify areas where students need extra help.” But according to Monaghan, the testing imposed under new state law has little diagnostic value, and is used primarily to label teachers, students and schools.<br /><br />Also in the AP-NORC survey, parents were asked to rank the importance of different factors in determining teacher salaries. The top three responses were classroom observation by local school officials, the type of training or advanced degrees obtained by the teacher and years of teaching experience. In Louisiana, all three have been eclipsed by testing, and state officials downplay the importance of degrees and experience.<br /><br />The PDK/Gallup poll shows support for community charter schools, as well as a belief that students can “receive a better education at public charter schools than at other public schools.”<br /><br />“We’d like to see more research on that question,” Monaghan said. “Apparently people see charter schools as places where there is parental support, where discipline is enforced, where disruptive students can be removed and where learning is prized. Instead of abandoning traditional public schools, we need to inculcate those values into them.”<br /><br />The PDK/Gallup survey also reveals general support for “increasing opportunities for students to earn high school credit online over the Internet.”<br /><br />While that may seem to bolster Louisiana’s controversial Course Choice pilot, Monaghan urged caution.<br /><br />“Louisiana had a viable public school online learning program,” Monaghan said, “but it was supplanted by Course Choice, which is little more than an online voucher scheme. Course Choice opens the state treasury to profiteers as certainly as any other voucher program.” <br /><br />Not all of the survey results would lead to policies favored by the Louisiana Federation of Teachers, Monaghan said. But the deeper issue revealed by surveys like these is that no real policy debate was allowed when still-contested reforms were rammed through the 2012 legislative session.<br /><br />“Not since the days of Huey Long have such radical policies been imposed so quickly and with such overwhelming political force,” Monaghan said. “We are seeing the consequences of that action as courts overturn policies and teacher morale plummets.<br /><br />“We need to reopen the education reform debate in Louisiana. It should be informed by surveys like these, by scientific research, and by input from educators and parents. Political ideology and potential profits should be left at the door when we discuss the education of our children.”<br />Louisana Federation of Teachershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08367793647653159034noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7320142526463519217.post-21126857850073112132013-08-19T14:16:00.001-07:002013-08-19T14:16:56.460-07:00Important lessons from the New Orleans "reform"<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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A <a href="http://escholarship.org/uc/item/3dd2726h#page-1">new
article in the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Berkley Review of Education</i></a>
is a scathing review of the education “reform” movement in New Orleans since Hurricane
Katrina.</div>
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<br /></div>
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In the article, titled “New Orleans Education Reform: A
Guide for Cities of a Warning for Communities?” writer Kristen Buras deconstructs
the praise heaped on the collapse of the city’s public education system and its
replacement with a largely charter school network.</div>
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<br /></div>
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Buras and members of the Urban South Grassroots Research Collective
take issue with the conventional wisdom that believes New Orleans is better off
under a regime of quasi-private charter schools.</div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: TimesNewRomanPSMT;">“Instead, she writes, “we assert
that current reforms, including human capital and charter school development,
have been immensely destructive to African American students, veteran teachers,
and historically black neighborhoods in New Orleans. Ours is a warning for
communities nationally. These ‘reforms’ are not a guide for cities; they are a
stark threat to the education, cultural integrity, and political-economic power
of communities struggling for a semblance of justice.”</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: TimesNewRomanPSMT;">The article briefly described
the series of events following Katrina that led up to the reconstruction of the
city’s school system. Those included the mass firing of thousands of veteran,
mostly African-American educators, and drastic revisions to state laws under
pressure from the federal government and business interests.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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The
well-researched, peer reviewed article includes several lessons learned from
the “<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: TimesNewRomanPSMT;">destructive reforms
that education entrepreneurs hope to spread.” Hopefully, paying attention to
these lessons will save other school districts from repeating New Orleans’
mistakes:</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: TimesNewRomanPS-ItalicMT; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">First Lesson: Marginalization of indigenous veteran
teachers and leaders is viewed as innovative by education entrepreneurs, who
recruit inexperienced staff to teach in charter schools at the expense of our
children.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: TimesNewRomanPS-ItalicMT; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">Second Lesson: The development and expansion of
privately managed charter schools threaten to restructure public education as a
business, with indigenous traditions and place-based curricula giving way to
management practices that have little connection to students and what they need
to achieve and thrive.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: TimesNewRomanPS-ItalicMT; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">Third Lesson: Rather than universally respecting
students’ right to learn, charter schools focus on cost containment in special
education and may exclude or fail to adequately serve students based on such concerns.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: TimesNewRomanPS-ItalicMT; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">Fourth Lesson: Human capital and charter school
development are reforms imposed from above without genuine community engagement
regarding how to improve local public schools.</span></div>
</blockquote>
<br />
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<br /></div>
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Buras
is currently writing about the mass firings of New Orleans teachers for a book
to be published in the near future.</div>
Louisana Federation of Teachershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08367793647653159034noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7320142526463519217.post-84050187062301517252013-07-24T08:58:00.000-07:002013-07-24T09:16:45.877-07:00Blogger asks: How can Teach for America stop making enemies?Blogger John Thompson <a href="http://blogs.edweek.org/teachers/living-in-dialogue/2013/07/john_thompson_how_teach_for_am.html?cmp=ENL-EU-VIEWS2" target="_blank">has an answer</a> for Teach for America CEO Elisa Villanueva-Beard’s complaint that many progressives and union activists aren’t happy with TFA.<br />
<br />
"It's disheartening,” she says, “that people who should be our partners in a larger movement for social justice are fighting the wrong enemy."<br />
<br />
Thompson says she has it backwards. TFA declared war on public education when it threw in its lot with “the test-driven school ‘reform’ movement that started this educational civil war by scapegoating teachers who have different beliefs regarding the best ways to improve schools.”<br />
<br />
“The problem,” Thompson writes, “is the propaganda spread by too many former TFAers who quickly rose to political prominence. After spending a couple of years or so in the classroom, too many of them feel entitled to impose their cheap and easy silver bullets of ‘High Expectations!’ and ‘No Excuses!’ as if they could reverse the legacies of extreme poverty.”<br />
<br />
From Superintendent John White at the top, and generously sprinkled through the ranks at the State Department of Education, are exactly the types of whom Thompson writes.<br />
<br />
Why do so many now see Terach for America as the enemy? We can start, Thompson writes, with “the way that Teach For America, along with a host of other education reformers, from Bill Gates to the Walton family, have systematically denied the role of poverty, and insisted that its increase be studiously ignored in favor of an emphasis on high stakes tests. We could address the contemporary school reform movement which threatens to make career teachers an endangered species. This neither fights poverty, nor helps poor children -- in fact it does the opposite. <br />
<br />
“When Gates and the ‘Billionaires Boys Club ignore education research and impose their opinions on schools throughout this diverse nation, that is a huge problem. The hubris (and, perhaps, profit motives) that prompts their dictates is an enemy. And, don't get me started on the anti-teacher public relations campaigns that the big boys fund.”<br />
<br />Louisana Federation of Teachershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08367793647653159034noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7320142526463519217.post-43964226999430185542013-07-24T08:56:00.000-07:002013-07-24T08:56:38.923-07:00BESE member stays, but ethics board vice-chair goesThe dispute over whether BESE member Kira Orange-Jones should resign because of a conflict of interest (she is executive director of Teach for America in New Orleans, and BESE funds TFA) has claimed a victim, but it’s not Orange-Jones.<br />
<br />
<br />
As <a href="http://www.tribunetalk.com/?p=4705" target="_blank">reported here</a> by the New Orleans Tribune, Scott Schneider has resigned his post as vice-chair of the Board of Ethics, perhaps because of news reports about his role in the Orange-Jones scandal.<br />
<br />
It happens that staff attorneys for the ethics board recommended that the state’s ethics code “would prohibit Kira Orange Jones, while she serves as a member, from providing compensated services to Teach For America at a time when TFA has or is seeking a contractual, business or financial relationship with either the Louisiana Department of Education or the Recovery School District.”<br />
<br />
According to The Tribune, Schneider convinced the ethics board to overrule its staff attorneys and declare that Orange-Jones has no conflict of interest.<br />
<br />
In the process, though, Schneider neglected to mention that his employer, Tulane University, has a strong partnership with Teach for America.<br />
<br />
Orange-Jones is still on BESE, but Schneider is gone from the ethics board.<br />
<br />
Louisana Federation of Teachershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08367793647653159034noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7320142526463519217.post-18159908616469062402013-07-24T08:52:00.001-07:002013-07-24T08:53:58.069-07:00Losing lawyer wins big defending Jindal agendaThe attorney general is the official lawyer for the State of Louisiana, and would defend lawsuits against the state at no additional cost to taxpayers.<br />
<br />
In spite of that, Gov. Jindal has hired his ally and former executive counsel, Jimmy Faircloth, to represent the state against allegations that the Jindal agenda violates the constitution.<br />
<br />
Thus far, Faircloth’s record has been spotty at best. He lost a constitutional challenge to the way Gov. Jindal wanted to fund his voucher scheme, he lost a challenge to the constitutionality of the governor’s plan to turn state retirement plans into cash-balance plots, and a court is waiting to rule again on the legality of Gov. Jindal’s Act 1 education overhaul.<br />
<br />
What Faircloth has succeeded at is billing the state. As reporter Tom Aswell <a href="http://louisianavoice.com/2013/07/23/former-jindal-executive-counsel-faircloth-has-history-of-losing-state-legal-cases-but-gets-big-fees-930k-in-2-years/" target="_blank">reveals here</a>, Faircloth has been paid nearly $1 million over the past two years to defend the Jindal agenda.<br />
<br />Louisana Federation of Teachershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08367793647653159034noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7320142526463519217.post-51160860452812390202013-07-19T14:40:00.000-07:002013-07-19T14:41:59.897-07:00Did the CREDO study fudge charter school data?<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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Many charter school supporters are touting a <a href="http://credo.stanford.edu/documents/NCSS%202013%20Final%20Draft.pdf">study</a>
by Stanford University’s CREDO (Center for Research on Education Outcomes),
which claims to document greater academic growth in charter schools than in
their public counterparts.</div>
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The Louisiana Department of Education was quick to use the study
as <a href="http://www.louisianabelieves.com/newsroom/news-releases/2013/06/25/in-case-you-missed-it...-credo-charter-study">evidence</a>
that we are “among eleven states where charter school performance outpaced
traditional public school growth…”</div>
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<br /></div>
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As always with controversial subjects like charter schools,
there were conflicting reports about the accuracy of the study. But in a man-bites-dog
twist, one of the loudest critics of the new CREDO study is an ardent supporter
of charter schools, Jeanne Allen of the Center for Education Reform.</div>
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Allen told National Public Radio reporter Claudio Sanchez
that CREDO “manipulated data and made conclusions about policy based on that
data” that are “absolutely un-credible.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
As Sanchez wrote for <a href="http://www.npr.org/2013/07/16/201109021/the-charter-school-vs-public-school-debate-continues">this
story</a>, “the CREDO study did not compare real kids to real kids. Instead,
researchers took selected data and created a ‘composite’ student to represent
public school kids.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
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As Jeanne Allen put it, "They compared those (charter
school) students to students that don't even exist."</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Allen told the reporter that it is possible to collect data
on individual student achievement over time and create a legitimate study.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“But it takes a lot of patience and money that too many
studies have been unable or unwilling to spend to get to that crucial question,”
Sanchez wrote. “Are charter school students learning more than kids in
traditional public schools?”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
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As long as the debate over charter schools is based on
flawed research apparently aimed at bolstering a political agenda, it won’t be
possible to answer that question.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
In Louisiana, the politicians and venture capitalists have
decided that charter schools and other privatization schemes are the way to
improve educational achievement. They are all too happy to use bogus reports to
support their cause.</div>
Louisana Federation of Teachershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08367793647653159034noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7320142526463519217.post-12472250704825225472013-05-20T09:28:00.001-07:002013-05-20T09:28:11.662-07:00Scam and scandal in the Course Choice fraudA motivational speaker without education credentials is paid $145,000 per year to coordinate a "Course Choice" program that will drain millions of dollars from public schools in Louisiana.<br />
<br />
He only works four days a week at the State Department of Education because he commutes to Louisiana from his home in Los Angeles.<br />
<br />
And the program he runs is already mired in scandal.<br />
<br />
This is the state of public education in the age of Gov. Bobby Jindal and Superintendent of Education John White.<br />
<br />
EdLog has already introduced readers to <a href="http://lft-aft.blogspot.com/2012/10/in-van-down-by-river.html" target="_blank">Dave "Lefty" Lefkowith</a>, the erstwhile motivational speaker, associate of former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush and purveyor schemes to deregulate energy and manipulate water rights in Florida.<br />
<br />
Lefty is the star of <a href="http://theadvocate.com/home/6002366-125/education-official-commutes-from-los" target="_blank">this article</a> by Advocate reporter Will Sentell, who writes that Lefkowith leapfrogged from a $35,000 contract to the $145,000 position as Assistant Superintendent of Portfolio (whatever that means).<br />
<br />
All without having to move from sunny California to muggy Louisiana.<br />
<br />
Now we're starting to learn more about the course choices that seem to beg for a criminal investigation.<br />
As Gannett journalists Mary Nash-Wood and Vickie Welborn report <a href="http://www.thetowntalk.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2013130512001" target="_blank">here</a>, students in Northwest Louisiana are being registered for the courses without their knowledge.<br />
<br />
The company that seems to be improperly registering students without permission is called FastPath, and it stands to make between $700 and $1,275 for each student enrolled in a course. Company officials declined to be interviewed for the article.<br />
<br />
We know that FastPath recruiters cut a swath through low-income areas of Caddo and Webster Parishes, promising tablet devices to prospective students, including profoundly disabled children who may not have the ability to use the devices.<br />
<br />
"Neither students nor their parents are responsible for the tablet devices if they are lost or stolen," according to the Gannett article. "And they can keep them even if they don’t pass the course."<br />
<br />
And who are the education experts trolling for Course Choice students?<br />
<br />
FastPath's <a href="http://batonrouge.craigslist.org/edu/3788713851.html" target="_blank">want ad on Craig's List</a> for "student enrollment specialists" says they have to be 18 years or older, have no criminal record, and have automobile insurance.<br />
<br />
"By conducting community outreach through program marketing," the ad says, "this position will promote parental choice in education and the FastPath Learning program. The duties of this position are primarily focused on marketing the program and enrolling students in the program using a mobile device, such as a netbook, notepad, or internet enabled smart phone."<br />
<br />
The pay is $16 per hour.<br />
<br />
Thanks to indispensable journalist Tom Aswell, <a href="http://louisianavoice.com/2013/05/16/course-choice-provider-who-enrolled-1100-students-without-their-knowledge-tied-to-bush-romney-tex-dropout-scandal/" target="_blank">we know a lot more</a> about FastPath.<br />
<br />
The chairman of the FastPath board is former U.S. Secretary of Education Rod Paige, who served under President George W. Bush.<br />
<br />
Paige was appointed secretary largely because of the"Houston Miracle," his vaunted success as superintendent of the Houston Independent School District. Which turned out to be a fraud, because HSID falsified its dropout statistics during Paige's tenure.<br />
<br />
Jindal. White. Lefkowith. Paige. These are just a few of the names that will go down in infamy for the scam they are perpetrating on the taxpayers and school children of Louisiana.<br />
<br />
The State Supreme Court has ruled that Jindal,White <em>et al</em> cannot use Minimum Foundation Program funds to pay for the Course Choice scam. The legislature now has an opportunity to cancel Course Choice before even more damage can be done. <br />
<br />
Question is, will lawmakers have the courage to do the right thing?<br />
<br />
Louisana Federation of Teachershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08367793647653159034noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7320142526463519217.post-55847518954374015472013-05-10T08:11:00.000-07:002013-05-10T08:14:34.818-07:00voucher ruling throws budget into disarrayNow that the Supreme Court has ruled that Gov. Jindal's voucher scheme can't be funded by public education's Minimum Foundation Program, where will the money come from to make this year's final payment to the private and religious schools that have accepted some 5,00 students across the state? And what will happen to the program next year?<br />
<br />
Neither the Department of Education nor Gov. Bobby Jindal have provided answers. WBRZ-TV reporter Rob Krieger tried to get some information in this report.<br />
<br />
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 20.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #323232; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The debate in the Senate
Education Committee Wednesday was supposed to be about amending the
constitution in order to elect the state superintendent of education. That
became a side issue as witnesses described allegations of fraud in the State
Department of Education and laid bare Superintendent of Education John White’s
sparse credentials to hold the office.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #323232; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">When the dust settled,
the committee rejected SB 41 by Sen. Bob Kostelka (R-Monroe), but only time
will tell how much damage was inflicted on Superintendent White and his
department by supporters of the bill.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #323232; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The first blood was
drawn by Sen. Kostelka, who said the superintendent of education is in charge
of the biggest single state budget item, totaling $5.35 billion per year. He
said the state “should have a superintendent who is accountable to the people
and not a rubber stamp for the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education.”</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #323232; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Under White’s regime,
Kostelka said, the public has been denied access to information about the department.
Numerous lawsuits have been filed under the freedom of information act in order
to view what should be public records.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #323232; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Noting that most of
the education overhauls pushed by White and the Jindal administration last year
have been ruled unconstitutional by district courts, Sen. Kostelka said a new
direction is needed, and “a clean break is the best way.”</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #323232; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Sen. Kostelka ticked
off a laundry list of abuses by the department, including a plan to divulge personal
student data to a company that would share it with for-profit organizations,
the “utter failure” of the Recovery School District to turn around failing
schools, and reports of overpayments and lack of supervision involving millions
of dollars spent by the RSD.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #323232; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The senator said that
White’s credentials to head the department are sketchy at best: “We have a 30-something
superintendent with a degree in English who spent six weekends at the Broad
Academy,” a business-oriented organization that issued White the only
certification that qualifies him for the job.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #323232; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Devastating testimony
was presented by Herb Bassett of Grayson, a highly qualified math teacher and
band director. Bassett said that he has sent evidence to lawmakers revealing “deceit,
distortion manipulation of scores and data suppression.”</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #323232; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Bassett documents what
he called “</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">the
gross inflation of the high school performance scores. The Department covered
up the inflation by intentionally mislabeling an important column of data in
the initial public release of the scores.”</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">“The
Transition Baselines,” he said, “showed that the GEE (Graduation Exit
Exam)—which was being phased out—and the new EOC (End of Course) tests were
mis-calibrated by 7.5 points. That’s half a letter grade. Had it been correctly
labeled, the inflation would have been obvious.”</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Bassett
said that BESE was given a different set of scores than was shown to the
public. Because the scores given to BESE were the correct ones, he said, “This
shows intent to deceive.”</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Bassett
was interrupted by Sen. Jack Donohue (R-Mandeville), who said that these
allegations are very serious, and that he would expect someone from the department
or BESE to answer the charges.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Later,
BESE President Chas Roemer (R-Baton Rouge) appeared in opposition to the bill.
When asked about the allegations of fraud, he said that he had no knowledge
about them, but that he would “look into it.”</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Committee
Chairman Conrad Appel (R-Metairie) asked Roemer to investigate the charges and report
back to the committee.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Louisiana's indispensable investigative journalist, Tom Aswell, has much more on the story in <a href="http://louisianavoice.com/2013/05/01/senate-education-committee-vote-was-a-foregone-conclusion-charges-of-doe-test-data-fraud-was-huge-political-bombshell/" target="_blank">this blog post. </a></span><span style="color: #323232; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span></div>
Louisana Federation of Teachershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08367793647653159034noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7320142526463519217.post-62745643169344062242013-04-18T09:56:00.000-07:002013-04-18T10:03:39.266-07:00LEAP sample questions blind side teachers, raise questionsTeachers are starting to get a glimpse of what awaits when the state transitions to common core standardized tests, and they don't like what they see.<br />
<br />
Educators felt blind sided when LEAP tests administered last week included essay questions being piloted for new exams, according to <a href="http://www.wbrz.com/news/some-teachers-claim-leap-testing-tricked-students/" target="_blank">this story</a> by WBRZ-TV reporter Chris Nakamoto.<br />
<br />
As LFT President Steve Monaghan told the reporter (see video below) something is horribly wrong with a system that imposes these high-stakes tests on public school students, but pays for vouchers in schools that don't evaluate teachers based on test scores or grade the schools according to the test results.<br />
<br />
Bigger shocks are in store. Most students will be required to take PARCC exams on computers. That will raise several problems.<br />
<br />
Part of the state has no access to broad-band Internet, thanks to Gov. Jindal's refusal to accept federal funding to expand braodband service in Northeast Louisiana.That will make it difficult for students to log on to the test.<br />
<br />
What's more, most schools rely on laptops for students, but those do not hold a charge long enough for the estimated three hours it will take to complete the test. Will extension cords and power strips be adequate?<br />
<br />
Then there is the issue of preparing students to take a complete test - including all of their computations, because scratch paper won't be allowed - on the computer. Will the newness of the process alone result in a decline in scores?<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
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<br />
Unlike Louisiana, Florida's two largest teacher unions, affiliated with the American Federation of Teachers and National Education Association, have merged into one powerful organization.<br />
<br />
Seven accomplished Florida teachers have joined with their unions in a
federal lawsuit charging that the state's new evaluation system—which is based
on the standardized test scores of students or subjects they do not
teach—violates their due process and equal protection rights under the U.S.
Constitution's 14th Amendment.<br />
<br />
The teachers, who work in Alachua, Hernando and Escambia counties' public
schools, brought suit in federal court against the Florida commissioner of
education, the State Board of Education and the school boards of those three
counties. The school systems have implemented high-stakes evaluations tied to
the state's standardized student assessment, known as FCAT, in order to comply
with SB 736.<br />
<br />
Under the law, teachers who are rated unsatisfactory for two
consecutive years (or two out of three years in a row) are subject to
termination or nonrenewal. Transfers, promotions and layoffs are based on the
assigned performance rating. And, as of July 1, 2014, salaries will be based on
the assigned performance rating as well.<br />
<br />
"This lawsuit highlights the absurdity of the evaluation system that has come
about as a result of SB 736," says Andy Ford, an AFT vice president and
president of the Florida Education Association, an affiliate of the AFT and the
NEA. The FEA and the NEA jointly filed the federal lawsuit this month. "Teachers
in Florida are being evaluated using a formula designed to measure learning
gains in the FCAT math and reading tests. But most teachers, including the seven
in this lawsuit, don't teach those subjects in the grades the test is
administered. One of the teachers bringing this suit is getting evaluated on the
test scores of students who aren't even in her school."<br />
<br />
SB 736, the <em>Tampa Bay Times </em>recently observed, has succeeded only in
undermining public confidence in public schools. "The law anticipated using
student performance on end-of-course subject exams to inform 50 percent of a
teacher's evaluation. Such exams don't yet exist for the vast majority of
classes students take," the paper said. "But rather than delay implementation
until such measurement tools could be designed, the Legislature said school
districts could substitute results from the FCAT, even for the teachers—be it
art, Spanish or kindergarten—whose classes are never part of FCAT testing."Louisana Federation of Teachershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08367793647653159034noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7320142526463519217.post-83366663188476689142013-04-11T12:51:00.002-07:002013-04-11T12:51:56.859-07:00Report shows need to move away from test fixation<br />
<br />
A new report from the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development is yet another lesson from overseas demonstrating the need for a course correction in the United States—away from our obsession with a punitive accountability approach that uses high-stakes standardized tests as its centerpiece and towards a more supportive accountability approach that continuously improves teacher performance and student learning, AFT president Randi Weingarten says.<br />
<br />
The report, <a href="http://www.oecd.org/edu/school/synergies-for-better-learning.htm" target="_blank">Synergies for Better Learning: An International Perspective on Evaluation and Assessment</a>, urges a balanced and holistic approach to evaluation, assessment and teacher improvement so that the overall emphasis is on efforts to help, not punish, teachers and to give students a great education. It recommends that teacher evaluations feed into professional development, ensure that underperformance is identified and adequately addressed, and ensure input from teachers and other stakeholders.<br />
<br />
"It should give pause to those U.S. education leaders and so-called reformers who are fixated on high-stakes tests to the virtual exclusion of using multiple measures to inform instruction and improve teacher quality," Weingarten says.<br />
<br />
"The report's recommendations echo what Vicki Phillips (of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation) and I said in a <a href="http://on.tnr.com/16VuX9l" target="_blank">column in the April 11 New Republic</a>. A high-quality teacher development and evaluation system requires elements that are designed to improve teacher practice and student learning, including matching high expectations with high levels of support, using evidence of teaching and student learning from multiple sources, providing constructive feedback to teachers, and aligning teacher development and evaluation to the Common Core State Standards."Louisana Federation of Teachershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08367793647653159034noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7320142526463519217.post-78974678481848845932013-04-11T11:52:00.002-07:002013-04-11T11:55:02.952-07:00Economists: Don't eliminate the state income taxThe Louisiana Budget Project - partner with LFT in Better Choices for a Better Louisiana - today cited a Nola.com editorial in which economists from three universities say it would be a mistake to eliminate Louisiana's income tax:<br />
<br />
Economists from LSU, UNO and Tulane say eliminating the state's income tax "is simply not good public policy. It is irresponsible." Co-authoring a Nola.com editorial, Jim Richardson of LSU, Tim Ryan of UNO and Steven Sheffrin questioned the financial and economic wisdom of Gov. Jindal's claim that the state should eliminate the personal income tax irrespective of revenue offsets or expenditure cuts. The economists noted cutting the income tax likely won't create new jobs or improve Louisiana's business climate rankings in a meaningful way. They said the state's tax burden is already the second lowest in the nation, and any future attempts to raise revenues for public services would fall on businesses. The economists concluded by reminding readers Louisiana is currently in a structural deficit - where expenditures are greater than receipts - and eliminating income taxes, which supports almost 25 percent of the state budget, will make that deficit worse.<br />
<br />
Louisiana's current budget deficit is $1.3 billion, and Jindal's attempt to close the gap by cutting budgets for public services drew a <a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001fEwFRPyO2fk7ZzGh_cuBOjdG_37NKSgF4gWK9CTtBUVVdiA21Y3D3Q0PXrmRV9NYDFexKD34-Pts12BFvhYCsB6Jq7_9FdYtrOEpmt5qbwZTrU3G2I3a5VdGEMqiK_ml9DS-TveRJbJUbaY2AkmpKVjcbjdysq6YSkKIGKv6dwnlsxxkeC_HF18kAMyCxiAY" target="_blank">second day of public outcry</a> during the House Appropriations Committee meeting on Wednesday. Among other concerns, lawmakers received warnings that budget cuts could cause rural hospitals, domestic violence shelters and food banks to close. Even the Louisiana Nursing Home Association criticized the governor's proposal, saying it would take $183 million out of a trust fund established to help pay nursing homes to care for Medicaid patients<br />
<br />Louisana Federation of Teachershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08367793647653159034noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7320142526463519217.post-11048528192616894952013-04-10T12:53:00.001-07:002013-04-10T12:53:18.583-07:00Enough is Enough: Rally at the capitol on April 30!<br />
<br />
The Louisiana Federation of Teachers is joining with a large coalition of organizations to rally at the state capitol on April 30 in opposition to the Jindal administration’s policies.<br />
<br />
This true grass-roots movement began in central Louisiana last month, when more than 500 people held a candle light vigil to protest the closing of Huey P. Long Hospital in Pineville. Rallies have sprung up across the state since then.<br />
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As the movement grew, so did its objectives and interests. The movement now represents broad-based discontent with the direction the state has taken. It has become a coalition interested in preserving what our forefathers knew as the common good – a belief that a decent society educates its young, protects its weak, heals its sick and provides a dignified retirement for those who spent their lives in service to the people. In recent years, all these have become victims of the Jindal administration.<br />
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Organizations that have committed to work on and participate in this event include the Louisiana Federation of Teachers, the Louisiana Association of Educators, the Louisiana Association of Retired State Employees, the East Baton Rouge NAACP, AFSCME, several Central Trades and Labor Councils, Earl K. Long Medical Center employees, Equality Louisiana, Louisiana Movement, the East Baton Rouge Democratic Executive Committee, and the list continues to grow every day.<br />
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A Web site for the event is under construction, and literature is being developed to promote the event. Louisana Federation of Teachershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08367793647653159034noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7320142526463519217.post-39446534602320133872013-04-10T11:35:00.000-07:002013-04-10T12:16:07.173-07:00LFT president rails against DOE’s $128 million administrative budget<br />
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As the House Appropriations Committee began its study of the state’s $24.7 billion general fund budget on Tuesday, LFT President Steve Monaghan asked members to closely monitor the Department of Educaiton’s $128 million administrative budget.<br />
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Monaghan, the only representative of a teacher organization to address the committee, said that many aspects of the department’s budget are problematic. As an example, he cited a “lack of transparency” in the way the department hires highly paid administrators.<br />
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“Once upon a time we at least know who was being hired to do what,” Monaghan said. “Now it seems that we discover those things without any rhyme or reason.”<br />
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Monaghan noted that funding for public schools through the Minimum Foundation Program has been frozen for the past five years, even as the department brought in minimally qualified administrators at high salaries.<br />
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“The department’s priorities seem to be more ideological than instructional,” he said.<br />
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Monaghan’s complaint echoed <a href="http://louisianavoice.com/2013/03/13/louisiana-doe-hires-top-dollar-out-of-state-appointees-who-control-kids-education-but-whore-not-registered-la-voters/" target="_blank">published reports</a> that top hires at the department are being brought in to sell the administration’s privatization and voucher plans at the expense of traditional public schools.<br />
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“There was a time when research drove decisions,” Monaghan told the committee. “It doesn’t seem that research is driving decisions now.”<br />
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“I bring a message from the classroom that conditions are getting much worse,” Monaghan told lawmakers. “Please be watchdogs and help us with this fight.”<br />
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To view Monaghan's testimony, <a href="http://house.louisiana.gov/H_Video/WM/2013/Apr_2013/0409_13_AP.asx" target="_blank">please click here.</a> His testimony begins at about the 2:17:52 mark.<br />
<br />Louisana Federation of Teachershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08367793647653159034noreply@blogger.com0