SC Legislative Alert EAA

 

 

TO:                 SCSBA Advocacy Network Members

FROM:            Scott Price, SCSBA General Counsel

Re:                  Education Accountability Act Reform Bill (H.4662)

DATE:             Friday, April 4, 2008

 

Action Needed

Please contact members of the Senate Education Committee (see below), even if they are not your senators, before 9:30 a.m. Wednesday, April 9 to ask their support for additional changes to the Education Accountability Act Reform Bill (H.4662).They are:

1. Change the start date for administering the new test - Elementary and Middle School Assessment Program (EMSAP) - to 2009 instead of the 2010 currently in the bill. Of all of the issues relating to EAA reform, the public has been most vocal in its insistence to replace PACT as quickly as possible with a test that is useful to teachers.
2. Support the current version of H.4662 that includes EMSAP performance level terms Exemplary, Met, and Not Met.
3. Amend the school and district rating terms to change the term “Unsatisfactory” to ”Priority” (Justification: the Unsatisfactory label has not sparked any significant sense of public and community urgency involving a local unsatisfactory school.  Over the past decade, the label "unsatisfactory" has only served to act as a weight upon the shoulders of educators and the children who attend these schools, and may even impair a school’s ability to attract good teachers.  North Carolina, in competition with this state for much-needed economic development, uses labels that signify a supportive approach to accountability.)
4. Amend the section on school and district report cards to require that executive summaries of the most pertinent accountability information be sent home to parents, with all other information available upon request or on each district's web site. This was passed in a proviso amendment (1A.41) to the House budget.  Significant time and expense – nearly $500,000 - can be spared by summarizing the most pertinent accountability information with all other information available upon request or on each school and district's web site.
5. Amend the section mandating a review of the accountability system every five years by the Education Oversight Committee and the State Board of Education to include a third group of broad-based education stakeholders. The additional group would allow both state policy makers and practitioners to determine what changes, if any, are necessary to propel student achievement.
6. Amend the section authorizing the Education Oversight Committee to determine the school and district ratings criteria to require the EOC to work with the State Board of Education and a broad-based group of education stakeholders. The inclusion of these groups would provide input from those in the “trenches” to examine the reality and viability of achieving the goals of the system.

Education Committee

(Click on names for links to contact information)

John Courson, Chairman

Ralph Anderson

Catherine Ceips

Mike Fair

Greg Gregory

Larry Grooms

Wes Hayes, Jr.

Darrell Jackson

Phil Leventis

John Matthews, Jr.

Kay Patterson

Harvey Peeler, Jr.

Luke Rankin

W. Greg  Ryberg

Randy Scott

Nikki Setzler

Linda Short

 

Sample Email/Letter

 

Dear  [name of legislator]:

I am writing to encourage your support for additional changes to the Education Accountability Act Reform Bill (H.4662), which will be discussed by the Senate Education Committee this Wednesday. H4662 makes a number of significant and positive changes to the EAA, however other changes are worthy of your support, including:

1. Change the start date for administering the new test - Elementary and Middle School Assessment Program (EMSAP) - to 2009 instead of the 2010 currently in the bill. Of all of the issues relating to EAA reform, the public has been most vocal in its insistence to replace PACT as quickly as possible with a test that is useful to teachers.
2. Support the current version of H.4662 that includes EMSAP performance level terms Exemplary, Met, and Not Met.
3. Amend the school and district rating terms to change the term “Unsatisfactory” to ”Priority” (Justification: the Unsatisfactory label has not sparked any significant sense of public and community urgency involving a local unsatisfactory school.  Over the past decade, the label "unsatisfactory" has only served to act as a weight upon the shoulders of educators and the children who attend these schools, and may even impair a school’s ability to attract good teachers.  North Carolina, in competition with this state for much-needed economic development, uses labels that signify a supportive approach to accountability.)
4. Amend the section on school and district report cards to require that executive summaries of the most pertinent accountability information be sent home to parents, with all other information available upon request or on each district's web site. This was passed in a proviso amendment (1A.41) to the House budget.  Significant time and expense – nearly $500,000 - can be spared by summarizing the most pertinent accountability information with all other information available upon request or on each school and district's web site.
5. Amend the section mandating a review of the accountability system every five years by the Education Oversight Committee and the State Board of Education to include a third group of broad-based education stakeholders. The additional group would allow both state policy makers and practitioners to determine what changes, if any, are necessary to propel student achievement.
6. Amend the section authorizing the Education Oversight Committee to determine the school and district ratings criteria to require the EOC to work with the State Board of Education and a broad-based group of education stakeholders. The inclusion of these groups would provide input from those in the “trenches” to examine the reality and viability of achieving the goals of the system.

Thank you for your leadership and for your efforts to ensure our State provides students with the opportunity to excel.

 

Sincerely,

[Your name]

[Title and Address]