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Monday, September 23, 2013
Fairhaven STAR document released by LA Times
L.A. Times
releases OUSD Testing irregularity document
In a story set for release Tuesday September 24th,
The Los Angeles Times has released
the reports filed by 27 schools statewide over testing irregularities in last
school year's California STAR testing.
The story includes a link on the Los Angeles Times website to the report OUSD filed over an incident
concerning National Blue Ribbon award winning school- Fairhaven
Elementary. According to the report the
teacher (who is not named in the report) was placed on Administrative leave.
The reports filed with the State of California were released
to the paper under the Freedom of
Information Act.
The story, Schools lose academic ratings after claims
of cheating, included a description of numerous problems revealed in the reports to the state.
OUSD has appealed the state’s decision to invalidate
Fairhaven’s scores based on a statistical error.
LINKS (CLICK ON):
Monday, September 16, 2013
AB 484 passes State Senate-goes to Brown
ORANGE Unified Schools INSIDE
a news service of Orange Net News /O/N/N/ Independent insight into OUSD
State Senate votes to approve AB 484-bill goes to
Brown
AB 484 would end most of the California Standardized testing
in preparation for a new testing system in 2 years.
Brown, who has indicated he would sign AB 484, has until
October 13th to sign the bill into law.
The original AB 484 was authored by Assemblywomen Susan
Bonilla (D-Concord) and sponsored by the
California Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson. After passage by the Assembly today, Assemblywomen Bonilla's office issued
this statement:
"We can't delay
our students' progress and their workforce readiness, just because we are not
up to the challenge of facing a difficult obstacle, This is the right
educational policy at the right time, and California is the right state to lead
this way forward."
"AB 484 eliminates outdated tests and allows students and teachers to be better prepared for the new computer based assessments aligned to the common core standards. This bill is essential in giving students and teachers more time in the classroom for valuable instruction instead of obsolete tests."
"AB 484 eliminates outdated tests and allows students and teachers to be better prepared for the new computer based assessments aligned to the common core standards. This bill is essential in giving students and teachers more time in the classroom for valuable instruction instead of obsolete tests."
However, the goal of a state-wide paperless test faces huge technological, infrastructure and
scheduling logistics that make the roll out of a paper-less computer test in
two years all but impossible as currently envisioned by national Edu-crats. The dirty little Smarter Balance secret is
that while Edu-crats tout the "computer" driven test, because of the
huge (mostly unspoken) obstacles that exist, a good old paper and pen version of the
test is also being developed.
One little reported provision of the bill is the fact it allows
the California State Board of Education to delay the implementation of CalMAPP
for the 2014-2015 school year if the state is not ready. That scenario is
almost guaranteed to happen because of the huge obstacles to a paradigm shift in technology and logistics.
After AB 484 is signed
by Brown, the California law would end most of
the current California California
The bill as written presents challenges for the Smarter
Balance Edu-crats. After the fiasco of the No Child Left Behind testing regime
with its fairytale goals of 2014 proficiency for all students- the AB 484
writers hedged their bets. The
provisions in AB 484 include a "poison pill". The bill is only valid for 10 years-becoming
inoperative July 1, 2024 and leave only one reporting provision in 2025. In
2026, everything under the CalMAPP would be repealed- unless
"reauthorized".
It was the required
"reauthorization" of the 2001 No Child Left Behind (NCLB) law
that finally rendered it obsolete as Congress became unable to satisfy any of
the stakeholders involved in the failed law. While provisions of the law are
still in effect, waivers and opt-outs have made NCLB ineffective and irrelevant
for any meaningful purpose.
Ending most of the California STAR testing would also end the
California California Duncan
“A request from California
“No one wants to over-test, but if you are going to support all
students’ achievement, you need to know how all students are doing. If California
With in hours California Superintendent of Public
Instruction Tom Torlakson responded with this press release:
“Our goals for 21st century learning, and the
road ahead, are clear. We won’t reach them by continuing to look in the
rear-view mirror with outdated tests, no matter how it sits with officials in Washington
“We look forward to
the opportunity to make our case to the Administration when the time comes.
When we do, we hope they agree that withholding badly needed funds from California
FOR the complete text of AB 484 CLICK ON: AB 484
ARCHIVAL Information and direct news can be found
at:
the Greater Orange News Service
http://greaterorange.blogspot.com/
ORANGE
Unified Schools INSIDE
and the
Greater Orange News Service
are independent news services of /O/N/N/
“Independent Local Insight”
Tuesday, September 10, 2013
State Senate approves AB 484 despite Feds objections
The California State Senate voted approval Tuesday September 10. 2013 of Assembly Bill 484 that would let most students “test” new computer-based assessments this year and suspend usage of most of the state’s outdated multiple-choice exams.
The Senate vote comes just one day after the U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan issued a warning to California that if AB 484 is approved, the state may lose federal funding.
The legislation now heads to the Assembly for a final vote before heading to Governor Brown for his signature.
Assembly Bill 484 now calls for nearly all of the Standardized Testing and Reporting (STAR) program to be suspended during field tests of new assessments known as the Measurement of Academic Performance and Progress (MAPP). The bill calls for the new program to permanently replace California's STAR tests in the 2014-15 school year to prepare students for the Common Core standards approved by 45 states.
The revised legislation, co-authored by Senate President pro Tem Darrell Steinberg, calls for a full suspension of STAR tests in mathematics and English-language arts, while leaving science tests in place. The full suspension would however result in the suspension of test scores for the year of trial runs. It is that suspension and lack of scores that Duncan opposes.
The State Board of Education voted unanimously last week to seek a waiver consistent with state law from the U.S Department of Education to suspend all standardized testing, including federally required tests.
Support of AB 428 has lead to a very public debate between Duncan and California Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson.
The Assembly is expected to approve the bill and Gov. Brown has indicated he will sign it into law.
The California State Senate voted approval Tuesday September 10. 2013 of Assembly Bill 484 that would let most students “test” new computer-based assessments this year and suspend usage of most of the state’s outdated multiple-choice exams.
The Senate vote comes just one day after the U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan issued a warning to California that if AB 484 is approved, the state may lose federal funding.
The legislation now heads to the Assembly for a final vote before heading to Governor Brown for his signature.
Assembly Bill 484 now calls for nearly all of the Standardized Testing and Reporting (STAR) program to be suspended during field tests of new assessments known as the Measurement of Academic Performance and Progress (MAPP). The bill calls for the new program to permanently replace California's STAR tests in the 2014-15 school year to prepare students for the Common Core standards approved by 45 states.
The revised legislation, co-authored by Senate President pro Tem Darrell Steinberg, calls for a full suspension of STAR tests in mathematics and English-language arts, while leaving science tests in place. The full suspension would however result in the suspension of test scores for the year of trial runs. It is that suspension and lack of scores that Duncan opposes.
The State Board of Education voted unanimously last week to seek a waiver consistent with state law from the U.S Department of Education to suspend all standardized testing, including federally required tests.
Support of AB 428 has lead to a very public debate between Duncan and California Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson.
The Assembly is expected to approve the bill and Gov. Brown has indicated he will sign it into law.
.
Monday, September 09, 2013
PR campaign for Peralta development?
ORANGE Unified Schools INSIDE
a news service of Orange Net News /O/N/N/ Independent insight into OUSD
PR CAMPAIGN FOR PERALTA DEVELOPMENT
REQUESTED BY OUSD TRUSTEE
REQUESTED BY OUSD TRUSTEE
At
the regularly scheduled Orange Unified School Board meeting on Thursday
September 12, 2013, Action Item 13F (page 30) is a request from Trustee Rick
Ledesma for a "Community Outreach" on the controversial proposed
Peralta site lease. The item states in part: "staff be directed to provide lease information on the proposed Peralta
site lease to all parents in the District" . It continues "That
information might be presented in the form of, but not limited to, a fact sheet
flyer, town hall information meetings, and/or any other form of communication
that best describes to parents the business details of this project."
The
Agenda item ends with "but in every
case should refer parents to the District website".
The
attempt for the Ledesma PR Resolution
comes after months of near universal community opposition and organizing
against the project. The only community
members to ever speak in favor of the project have been the four trustees- OUSD
Board President Tim Surridge, Rick
Ledesma, John Ortega, Mark Wayland who have pushed the project forward. Of the hundreds of citizens who have rallied, walked
neighborhoods, attended Board meetings and of the numerous dozens who have
spoke in public about the project at OUSD Board meetings- those four trustees
are the only ones on record for the project- and they are a slim majority.
Three other Trustees are on record and have publicly spoken against the
project- Dr. Alexia Deligianni, Kathy Moffat and Diane Singer.
Capitalizing
on the longtime frustration with development in the north Orange County Metro center, the neighborhood opposition has organized a
coalition that unites political and geographical factions from across the City
of Orange
That
community leader also noted that the PR campaign's Fiscal Impact in the Agenda
Item is listed as Unknown. "Voting to spend school money on a PR
campaign for high density apartments is just another nail in the Peralta
Project coffin... and political careers."
Shrewdly,
the Save Peralta Property organizers have a two pronged organizing
path- as a neighborhood association with an
integrated communications outreach
as well as organizing politically.
After
being "flip-flopped" by Mark Wayland in the last election cycle, the
group is already gearing up to target Surridge and Ledesma in the 2014 cycle,
while protecting allies Singer and Moffat. "Next election we want a new majority that represents the voters, not
the developers".
Not
taking any chances on the all or nothing attitude of the 4 against the world
mentality of the Surridge majority, the Save Peralta group has already began to
focus on the city approval focus with the tag line "Stop the Residential Rezoning".
With
Ledesma and Surridge apparently willing to put their seats on the line for a losing
cause, that goal may not be far fetched. That is most apparent in the politics of the
publicity campaign. The Ledesma PR
Resolution specifically refers the "parents" back to the OUSD
website. The OUSD website currently has
six Peralta information links. Those
links open 119 pages of information. Parents who are intrigued by any OUSD
communication on the proposed Peralta apartment complex and do a Google web
search for more information will be directed to over a year's worth of publicity on numerous
sites CLICK ON GOOGLE.
As
one long time Greater Orange political activist noted "Surridge lost the political message as soon as those lawn signs
went up".
The
The
Save Peralta signs are so popular, the group has had trouble keeping up with
the demand. A neighborhood leader added
"If Ledesma expects to see hundreds
of OUSD parents rallying around signs with YES to High Density
Apartments...he is delusional".
To
further illustrate the political naivety and disconnect of the OUSD Board leadership, the September 12 meeting
includes Information Item 13 E (Agenda page 6)-put on the agenda by Tim
Surridge. The topic? Apparently Surridge's favorite:
"Board President Surridge
requests that the Board of Education discuss the disposal and/or utilization of
the Riverdale school site to maximize District revenue."
BLUE
RIBBON SCHOOL WAIVER
Just
as the Edu-crats start to fall all over themselves running from the dying last
gasps of the failed testing regiments of now sadly laughable law named No Child Left Behind (NCLB) OUSD's
September 12th Agenda features a Believe-it-or-Not moment.
Fairhaven Elementary
School-last year recognized as a National
Blue Ribbon
School-
With the intrigue of 2 student IEP's and the allowable reading test questions to students- and the difference between 18 out of 369 or 18 out of 370 students
(equaling 4.86% as opposed to the deadly 5% threshold) has turned district
educators into statisticians that would make Major League Baseball aficionados
or NFL fantasy league players jealous.
Yes we know Fairhaven is the home of the Safe Harbor
 |
| It could be Edu-crats NCLB self image! |
Need
more proof than the latest state scores and the dozens of federal waivers being
granted that the worst fears of NCLB have come true? Just read pages 9 and 10
of the OUSD Board Agenda and see image of their "god" the edu-crats
have molded education into.
INSIDE
the OUSD Board Agenda
The following are noteworthy
highlights of the OUSD Agenda. For the complete agenda see the link below.
Closed
Session
- 4 B -Appointment of
Administrators to open positions
- 4 C- Evaluation of
the Superintendent
Action
Items
- 12
A Walk to School Week
recognition CLICK ON WALK
- 12 B Lights on After School! recognition CLICK ON LIGHTS
- 12
E Adoption of Unaudited Budget
Actual
Information
Items
- 13 C Report on District and State Testing
Results (APR)
NEXT OUSD BOARD MEETING September
12, 2013
Next OUSD Board Meeting -OUSD BOARD ROOM
CLOSED SESSION- 5:30 pm
OUSD Regular Session: 7:00 pm
For AGENDA-CLICK ON
For more information call the OUSD
Superintendent’s office at 714-628-4040
For budgeting questions call Business Services at
714-628-4015
ARCHIVAL Information and direct news can be found
at:
CLICK ON Greater Orange News Service
ORANGE
Unified Schools INSIDE
and the
Greater Orange News Service
are independent news services of /O/N/N/
“Independent Local Insight”
