Hello Everyone First of all, on the District level… I hope your summer break has been restful and eventful (fun). If you are like me, you are probably thinking “oh no…classes are going to start again, summer was too short.” I hated seeing “Back to School” commercials in July. I know there are several questions about when we are starting (teachers return on August 20 and students return on August 26) and what we are doing. I have contacted CVUSD; they will have a better explanation about where you will go and when…soon. This summer I signed three MOUs (Memorandum of Understanding: It is a temporary agreement between CVUSD and CVTA). The first one was for our Health Benefits. The District will continue to pay for our total package. There will be no “out of pocket” charges for our members. The second MOU was for West Shores high school. Since they received the SIG (School Improvement Grant) money, they have accomplished so much. Teachers, parents, students and the District wanted to continue with the advances they made: CVTA and CVUSD came up with a way to help them continue to offer Advanced Placement classes, a Homeroom, and Staff Development. These changes could only happen if the school day was extended by thirty minutes and the school year was extended by four days. The funds for this came from left over SIG money. The third MOU I signed was for technology. This one year agreement provides teachers with protection from evaluations based on iPads, teachers will also have protection if a student wanders into areas he/she should not, it gives teachers freedom of creativity (legal ownership), it eliminates one staff meeting a month, it gives teachers more peer collaboration time, and it provides ongoing staff development for technology. Since the elementary schools and middle schools have enough instructional minutes in the seven hour work day, no changes were made to their schedules. However, in order to meet the instructional minutes at CVHS and DMHS, the passing periods were extended by 3 and 4 minutes respectively (the State allows for passing periods to be used as instructional minutes). Teacher workloads were not increased and teacher/student contact time was not increased. For 2013-2014, when the bell to end the day rings, teachers can leave with the students. If you wish to read the MOUs, they are posted on our website and our Facebook page and on the District’s website. Second, on the State level… California Communities Launching Early Literacy Partnerships. EdSource Today (8/5, Mongeau) reports that communities in California “are launching innovative partnerships” for early literacy programs “in schools, libraries and even laundromats.” The partnerships, the article reports, are part of the Annie E. Casey Foundation-sponsored Campaign for Grade Level Reading, a national program dedicated to increasing the number of students reading at grade-level by the end of third grade. Los Angeles Early Childhood Education Advocate Calls For Universal Preschool. In commentary in the Los Angeles Business Journal (8/5), David Crippens, chairman of the Los Angeles Universal Preschool and the Los Angeles Workforce Investment Board Youth Council, urges Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti to invest in early childhood education to fulfill his promise “to make Los Angeles a dynamo of economic development.” He also urges Garcetti to focus on STEM education and to prioritize early childhood education teacher retention. Third and finally, on the National level… Common Core Opponents Focus Opposition On Tests. Education Week (8/2, Ujifusa) reports that Common Core foes are “training their fire on the assessments being developed” to align with the standards, since they have been unable to motivate any state’s legislature to fully repeal them. Opponents are citing concerns about costs, technological infrastructure, and “general political opposition to the common core.” The piece details the states that have pulled back from the Common Core assessment consortia, but notes that “officials from the testing consortia” deny that “support for common assessments is crumbling.” Indiana Law Puts Brakes On Common Core. NPR (8/6) reports in a “StateImpact” piece that a sweeping education bill passed by the Indiana legislature “calls for a thorough review” of the Common Core Standards, which the state Board of Education adopted in 2010. The piece notes that the standards are already being taught in kindergarten and first grade, but that the state Department of Education has asked second-grade teachers not to make the switch yet, given the “legislative pause.” The article describes the new law’s provisions regarding the Common Core Standards, noting that it mandates the retention of the state’s current assessments through 2015. Pennsylvania Education Officials Refute Common Core Fears. The Johnstown (PA) Tribune Democrat (8/6) reports that Pennsylvania education officials testifying before the state House Education Committee said that “fears” about the Common Core Standards stem from “misconceptions about what the changes mean.” The piece notes that the committee members seemed convinced, but “critics remain unconvinced.” The piece notes that critics are concerned about the state “losing control over what is taught in the classroom.”
Posted on: Tue, 06 Aug 2013 23:16:15 +0000
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