Washington Wins Common Assessment Consortium Grant
On September 2, Sec. Arne Duncan announced the winners of the Common Core Assessment Grant: the SMARTER-Balance Assessment Consortium (SBAC), $160 million; and the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness of College and Careers (PARCC), $170 million. Part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act’s $4.35 billion Race to the Top funding, the competition requires consortia of states to collaborate and develop assessments that are aligned to the Common Core Standards, support and inform instruction, and provide accurate information about whether or not students are on track to graduate prepared for success.
Washington serves as a governing state member and fiscal sponsor of the SBAC and will help coordinate the development of a state-of-the-art adaptive online assessment exam, using “open-source” technology. The online system will provide accurate assessment information to teachers and others on the progress of all students, including:
- Summative exams, to be offered twice a year;
- Optional formative, or benchmark, exams; and
- A variety of tools, processes and practices that teachers can turn to in planning and implementing informal, ongoing assessments. This will assist teachers in understanding what students are and are not learning on a daily basis so they can adjust instruction accordingly.
Leading the SBAC consortium provides Washington an incredible opportunity to shape the future of assessment in our nation. With the Common Core Standards as their guide, it will be up to our state’s leaders to develop the tools necessary to chart a path for students toward graduating college and work ready.
Funding for the assessment grant will be distributed by Oct. 1 and the assessments will be available by the 2014-2015 school year.
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Race to the Top Assessment Program Consortia |
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Consortia |
Assessment Focus |
States Participating |
Governing States |
Funding Received |
|
Partnership for the Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC) |
Computer-based assessments anchored in college and career readiness. |
26 states |
Arizona, Illinois, Indiana, Tennessee, Louisiana, Florida, District of Columbia, Maryland, Massachusetts, New York, and Rhode Island. |
$170M |
|
Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortia (SBAC) |
Curriculum-embedded, computer-adaptive assessments. |
31 states *(including Washington state) |
Oregon, Washington, Utah Idaho, Michigan, Wisconsin and Maine. |
$160M |
For more information on the Common Core Assessment Grant, visit the U.S. Department of Education’s website.
For more information on Washington’s SBAC Consortium, visit OSPI’s website.
Seattle Contract Settles on Reform
After months of negotiation, on Sept. 2, Seattle Public Schools and the Seattle Education Association settled on a new teachers’ contract. Including such reforms as using student growth data in teacher evaluations, mutual consent hiring and additional compensation for master teachers, the contract represents a strong commitment to closing the achievement gap, accelerating student learning and supporting teachers.
Specifically, spanning the 2010-2013 school years, the contract includes:
|
Area |
Elements of the New Agreement |
|
Teacher Support & Development |
· One-hour additional paid time per week for elementary and K-8 teachers without altering school day schedule. · Greater flexibility for all schools to increase planning and collaboration time. · Doubles number of STAR mentors; increases length of program to 3 years. |
|
Performance & Evaluation |
· Four-tiered performance evaluation scale including measures of effectiveness (quantitative and subjective; a combination of observation and academic achievement data). · Multiple measures of student growth, including MAP, state and district assessments, and teacher-determined growth goals tied to evaluations. · Eliminates super-seniority. Eliminates forced placements in Tier 1 (low-performing) schools. Implements mutual consent hiring. RIFs still determined by seniority. · Low-performing teachers identified quickly, provided with defined set of supports; if unable to improve, removal is expedited. |
|
Compensation & Career Opportunities |
· 1% raise for all teachers in years two and three. · Stipends for master, mentor, demonstration and service teachers ranging from $2K-$5.2K. · Additional funds ($500/per) set aside to help struggling teachers. |
Partnership for Learning, as a member of the Our Schools Coalition, commends the leadership at Seattle Public Schools and the Seattle Education Association for their dedication to a collaborative bargaining process and their commitment to all of Seattle's students.
To learn more about the Seattle Schools Contract, check out this summary from the Our Schools Coalition.