Listed below is an email that I sent to Dr. Paulo DeMaria (State Superintendent for Public Instruction) and Dr. Chris Woolard (ODE’s Accountability Guru). I also included all members of Ohio’s State Board of Education and members of the Education Committee from the Ohio General Assembly. From time to time I write and share my views and information. I’ve found that members of the State School Board and those in the General Assembly listen. They write back and call for clarification. Members at the Ohio Department of Education do neither.
We are either at, or are approaching, a tipping point in Ohio. If you’re reading this you’ve either been subject to, or part of (or both) decades of failed attempts to improve Ohio’s public education system. The voice from the local level has been consistent and it has been clear. People (moms, dads, community members without kids, students, educators, mail carriers, retail workers, all sorts of constituents etc.) have indicated that they are sick of the over-testing of kids through state mandated assessments. Business on the other hand is indicating that certain skills are continuing to lack in prospective hires; however it hasn’t been in the basics.
The skills needed to be successful in life beyond high school and any form of post-secondary schooling, are generally the same. People need to think critically, be creative, work collaboratively and communicate clearly (through writing and in their speech). Of course people also need to show up on time, look you in the eye, not mumble, learn from their mistakes and problem-solve. These are the exact kinds of things that aren’t measured by Ohio’s state mandated exams at any level–primary school through high school. Nevertheless, we continue to debate what the right number of graduation points should be and consider whether or not the “relaxed standards” should be implemented for another year.
If the number of graduation points is lower than what was originally pulled out of a former Ohio School Board Member’s Magical Hat of Ohio, it is labeled as “watering down” expectations. While some are concerned that the elimination of the high school end of course exams may render a high school diploma meaningless (which honestly is a pretty rude accusation to those of us that collected one of those meaningless diplomas during the dark ages of no test-based accountability) they won’t acknowledge that the mindless assessment/test based accountability system has failed to make the conditions right for educational reform to do what it was intended to do–REFORM! You could have the number be set at “20” and it still won’t be the catalyst for success. Why–because mandating students to earn a certain number of points on a standardized test does not provide you with evidence that they can be creative, think critically, communicate, collaborate, problem-solve, etc. It only provides you with evidence that they test well in (insert subject here) on (insert test date here).
Our policy makers and elected officials are stuck in the weeds and unable to lift themselves up to allow dreaming and daring to occur. The public can help. We need to empower them with a message: “it’s ok to lift your head up and dream permission.” As it relates to Public Education in Ohio, our ruts have ruts. It’s time to grade the road.
That was my soap box…here’s my email:
Dear Paolo and Chris,
As you, the State School Board and other elected officials discuss alterations to our current failed state accountability model I wanted to provide some information that I’m suspecting hasn’t been shared. I hope that you take the time to at least look over parts of what I’m sharing.
The first document is a Board Resolution by the Olmsted Falls School Board that weighs in on the utility of an A – F system and how it runs counter to our locally defined vision for education–the vision that we are held accountable to by our community.
The second document is an article by Michael Fullan entitled Choosing the Wrong Divers for Whole System Reform. I’m suspecting many of those receiving this email have not read this due to the history of Ohio’s accountability system and the lack of success within that system. It may work for some, but it hasn’t been successful for Ohio. Ohio has adopted nearly every “wrong driver” as a matter of state law and policy. I pray nightly that our elected officials will consider something drastically different.
The third document is an essay by John Turner for the Texas Association of School Administrators called The A-F Accountability Mistake. It could have been titled, “Ohio’s A-F Accountability Mistake” instead. If you have not heard John speak I would recommend that you do. He welcomes challenging questions from those that hear him and he speaks in a very clear and concise manner.
As people deliberate and have their special caucusing committees work on law and policy that impacts those of us in the field, I hope that our elected officials heed the advice of the experts that write about these matters and will listen to constituents from around Ohio. The vast majority of people do not want an A – F accountability model. They don’t want letter grades that rank districts and they certainly don’t want a bunch of grades boiled down into a “super grade.” If anyone hears this (the Super Grade) being recommended you should know that it is an awful recommendation and there is no research to support it as an effective reform option. It costs too much, it doesn’t work, it sucks the life-force out of many in the field because it is demeaning and it doesn’t make sense to parents or community members. When these sorts of metrics are created, those of us at the local level are forced to create counterbalancing metrics that make sense to our communities because the state has confused them. I can share with you the success metrics that we’ve created in Olmsted Falls and demonstrate how much money we’ve spent on them as well.
Please take the time to do it right or face the reality that you will need to over spend to do it over.
Thanks for your consideration.
Dr. Jim Lloyd
Attachments:
OFCSD Board Resolution Commitment to Create Engaged & Focused Learning
OFCS Superintendent's Update 