December 18, 2008: At-Risk Students To Take Exit Exams Early In land

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December 18, 2008: At-Risk Students To Take Exit Exams Early In

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Customized Briefing for THERESA CAVANAUGHDecember 18, 2008

Leading the News

In the Classroom

On the Job

Law & Policy

Safety & Security

Facilities

Also in the News

Leading the News

School Administrators In Two land Districts Allow At-Risk Seniors To

Take Graduation Exams Early.

The Washington Post (12/18, B1, , De Vise) reports that the state

of land requires high school students " to complete four courses before

taking the corresponding graduation exams. But new pressure to get seniors

to graduate on time has driven administrators in Montgomery and Prince

's counties to " allow schools to give " state tests to some at-risk

seniors several months before they finish the classes and again, if

necessary, to give them a better shot at getting a diploma. " According to

the Post, " one of every six seniors statewide [are] in jeopardy of not

graduating because they've failed or missed one or more of the tests. " On

Wednesday, " Superintendent of Schools S. Grasmick made public a plan

to allow some students to apply for a waiver to the testing requirement if

they were not given enough chances for extra instructional help or if they

face certain other hardships. The state Board of Education is expected to

vote on the plan today. "

According to the Baltimore Sun (12/18, Bowie), At a meeting on

Wednesday, state board members " requested some small changes " to Grasmick's

proposal. " Their intent is to give parents and guardians the greatest chance

to state their cases in an appeal process that begins with the student's

principal. " They " agreed that the local superintendent and the state

superintendent would be given a list of all students who met a set of

criteria for the waiver. " If approved, " The process would begin in February

when parents would be notified that their children have not met the

graduation requirements. By May, the principals would give local

superintendents a list of names of students who should receive the waiver.

Shortly afterward, the local superintendent will make a decision. The

student and their parents can appeal the decision to Grasmick. "

In the Classroom

Schools In Florida District See Increase In Family Assistance, Decrease In

Donations This Year.

The St. sburg Times (12/18, Solochek) reports, " Every December, before

students get out for winter break, Pasco schools try to give the neediest

among them a little holiday joy by providing gifts and food through the

Assist, Believe and Care program. This year...the need has grown while the

donations have not. " For example, Sunray Elementary School has a record 45

families who have " requested help for the holidays. " And Elementary in

Dade City " has gotten about six or eight inquiries monthly for help paying

home utilities, up from the more common one or two. " Principal Leila Mizer

said that teachers lend support to help fill such inquires, and " the school

has been fortunate to get help from schools in wealthier areas " and from

community groups. " But some of the donations that have come in previous

years have not appeared this year, Mizer noted. "

Digital Screens Seen As Replacing Chalk Boards.

The Austin (TX) American-Statesman (12/18, Banta) reports, " The

old-fashioned classroom blackboard with its eraser dust and chalked

lessons...is slowly giving way to digital screens. " The screens are about

" 49 inches tall by 66 inches wide and less than two inches thick, " and they

" look like large computer screens. They can take students on virtual tours

of foreign countries, explain math processes, present scientific concepts,

and display how much each student has learned that day. " The boards can be

" mounted on the walls of a classroom. Teachers use a battery-free, wireless

pen to call up photos, numerals, animations and blocks of text for the

students to see, hear and manipulate. " And students " can interact with

information on the board in various ways, including answering questions with

hand-held devices that resemble TV remotes. "

Students At Elementary Schools In Alabama, China " Adopt " Elephants From

Kenya.

The Montgomery (AL) Advertiser (12/18) reports, " Students at Carver

Elementary Magnet School have teamed with " Alabama State University's

Helping Elephants Live Project (HELP) " program to learn about elephant

conservation. " HELP " is a wildlife conservation curriculum that focuses on

the African elephant. ... The curriculum consists of three 45-minute

instructional sessions containing information about the African elephant and

strategies to prevent its extinction. " Carver students, along with students

from Xinghai Elementary School in China, adopted " two orphaned baby

elephants at an elephant orphanage in Nairobi, Kenya. Both groups of

students spent two months raising money for the elephants by contributing

pennies -- or yuan -- in coin banks in their classrooms. " The students

receive live " updates on the elephants " via a blog written by the " elephant

caretaker in Kenya. "

On the Job

Tennessee DOE Launches Electronic Learning Center.

The Murfreesboro (TN) Post (12/18) reports, " The Tennessee Department of

Education announced the launch of its electronic learning center (ELC) to

give students, parents and educators access to learning and professional

development resources anytime, anywhere. " The ELC will provide " access to

more than 280 curriculum-based audio and video tracks developed by the

Tennessee Department of Education. " Students are able to " access

curriculum-based lessons in language arts, and study skills, with math to be

added this month. " Teachers, meanwhile, " view training sessions on

Tennessee's new academic standards, School-wide Positive Behavior, reading

and other teaching resources. Additional podcasts will be developed and

added on an ongoing basis. " In addition, " the ELC has a dedicated site on

iTunes U, an area of the iTunes site that provides free education content, "

made possible " through a partnership with Apple, Inc. and the Tennessee

Board of Regents. "

School Trustees In Texas District To Consider Extending Instruction Time At

High Schools.

The Tyler (TX) Morning Telegraph (12/18, Middleton) reports that Tyler

Independent School District (TISD) " high school students could be in for

some changes in the future -- from a possible extra 30 minutes added to

their school day to a possible change in how they receive credit for

courses. " Trustees will consider " modifying the high school block schedule

and lengthening the school day by 30 minutes. " A modified block schedule is

expected to " increase the amount of instructional time available for

students and minimize single-section conflicts between advanced course

offerings and fine arts and athletics. The proposed modified block schedule

has a regular one-hour class at either end of the day, so instead of a

four-period day, students will have five periods where the first and fifth

hours are single one-hour classes that meet every day. " TISD trustees " will

also discuss awarding high school credit by averaging together the two

semesters of a course " on Thursday.

Virginia District Surveys Elementary Principals To Determine Teachers'

Planning Needs.

The Washington Post (12/18, LZ1, Birnbaum) reports that " Loudoun County (VA)

elementary school teachers who feel overworked might soon have some official

data to bolster their claims. " The School Board " is surveying the county's

elementary principals to see whether too many demands are being placed on

teachers during the school day. " Personnel Services Committee Chairman Tom

Marshall said, " The biggest complaint I've heard from elementary school

teachers is that they don't have any time to do any planning. ... A lot of

time that supposedly could be used for planning, is it being taken away by

principals? " he asked. According to the Post, Loudoun " allows elementary

teachers one class period a day, or about 40 minutes, for planning work. "

Based on the results of the committee's survey, " the School Board might set

a policy on the need for teacher planning time during the school day.

Or...central office staff members might try to address the issues on a

case-by-case basis. "

Law & Policy

Most States Do Not Have Laws Regarding Use Of Seclusion Rooms In Schools.

On its website, CNN (12/18) reports that " seclusion rooms, sometimes called

time-out rooms, are used across the nation, generally for special needs

children. Critics say that...many mentally disabled and autistic children

have been injured or traumatized " after spending time in seclusion rooms.

" Seclusion is intended as a last resort when other attempts to calm a child

have failed or when a student is hurting himself or others. " Although " 24

states have written guidelines " regarding the use of time-out rooms, " few

states have laws " on the matter, " according to a 2007 study conducted by a

Clemson University researcher. Texas, which was included in that study, has

stopped using seclusion and restraint. Georgia has just begun to draft

guidelines. " In Michigan, " a child held in seclusion [must] have constant

supervision from an instructor trained specifically in special education,

and...confinement " must " not exceed 15 minutes. "

Indiana Lawmaker To Propose That State Education Board Establish School Air

Quality Guidelines.

The Indianapolis Star (12/18, ) reports that Indiana's Board of

Education " would be required to establish guidelines for indoor and outdoor

air quality at new or expanding school sites under legislation expected to

be proposed for debate in the Statehouse next year. " Rep.

(D-Indianapolis) " said he was prompted to act after a recent Indianapolis

Star report revealed potential air pollution problems near schools in

Indiana and other states. The story noted no agency in Indiana tracks

outdoor air quality at school sites. " 's proposal " requires officials

to check water and indoor and outdoor air quality at school sites. "

Safety & Security

More Than 1,000 Serious Incidents Of Misconduct Reported At Philadelphia

Schools In Two-Month Period.

The Philadelphia Inquirer (12/18, Graham) reports that according to

Philadelphia school officials, " In the first two months of this school year,

1,048 serious incidents of student misconduct...were recorded inside city

public schools. " Of the reported incidents, " 11 involved cases where a gun

was brought to school; 91 were for drug or alcohol offenses; 460 cases were

for assaults on staff; [and] 486 involved incidents where students ganged up

on other students. " Thirty-two of the students involved in such incidents

" were withdrawn from the district before any action was taken. Of the total

who remained, 32 percent were transferred to disciplinary schools, " and

" Twenty-three percent were classified as having special needs, and a

determination was being made whether a transfer to disciplinary school is

appropriate. " Eight percent of the incidents " were handled by transferring

kindergarten, first- and second-grade pupils laterally to other schools or

keeping them in the same school. "

Facilities

Installation Of Air Conditioning Units In Baltimore County High Schools May

Take Up To 10 Years.

Following a story reported yesterday in the Baltimore Sun regarding " the

possible inclusion of air conditioning in " Baltimore County's high school

renovation program, the Baltimore Sun (12/18, Gencer) reports, " Installing

air-conditioning systems in Baltimore County schools that lack them could

take seven to 10 years at current funding levels, " according to the

district's executive director of physical facilities. He explained that an

" engineering analysis and site surveys...to retrofit slightly more than half

of the 171 school, center, and program buildings that do not have air

conditioning " would be required prior to beginning the project.

Also in the News

USA Today Hails NCLB, Offers Other Education Reform Ideas.

The USA Today (12/18) editorializes that Don Shalvey, who runs Aspire, " one

of the nation's most successful charter school networks, " says he " needs

inexpensive financing to launch high-quality schools. " US Secretary of

Education-designate Arne Duncan " needs low-cost ideas to improve education

in tough economic times. By guaranteeing Shalvey's construction loans, the

Education Department could lower his cost of borrowing a few percentage

points and improve educational options " in South Central Los Angeles. USA

Today also calls for the renewal of NCLB, as the law " has worked. States

such as Massachusetts, which drew up the most rigorous standards and

accountability, have gotten the biggest payoffs. " Though NCLB " does have

flaws. ... Fix what needs to be fixed, and move on. " Among other

recommendations, USA Today also calls for extending " accountability to

higher education. Bush's Education secretary, Margaret Spellings, has been

working to provide more information about graduation rates and how much

students learn at various institutions. That's not popular in academia, but

with soaring tuition and fees, it makes sense. "

NCLB Viewed As Transforming Schools Into " Test-Prep Factories. " In

an opposing view in USA Today (12/18), author Alfie Cohn writes, " Our

children can't take much more education 'reform.' Oddly, that word has come

to signify a continuation, or intensification, of the current disastrous

approach exemplified by [NCLB]. " According to Cohn, " Our schools -- and

particularly those in the inner city -- are being turned into test-prep

factories. The last thing we need is more of the same. " Also, NCLB " has

provided no new information about which schools need help, nor has it

provided that help. Instead -- in the name of 'accountability' -- it has

created pressure to ratchet up the least valuable forms of instruction. "

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