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1.
MEMORANDUM
TO:
State
Superintendent,
Dr.
Richard
Ross
FROM:
Ohio
8
Coalition
Co-­‐Chairs:
Kevin
Dalton,
President
of
the
Toledo
Federation
of
Teachers
and
Lori
Ward,
Superintendent
of
Dayton
Public
Schools
CC:
David
James,
Superintendent
of
Akron
Public
Schools;
Pat
Shipe,
President
of
the
Akron
Education
Association;
Adrian
Allison,
Superintendent
of
Canton
City
Schools;
Paul
Palomba,
President
of
the
Canton
Professional
Educators
Association;
Mary
Ronan,
Superintendent,
Cincinnati
Public
Schools;
Julie
Sellers,
President
of
the
Cincinnati
Federation
of
Teachers;
Eric
Gordon,
CEO
of
Cleveland
Metropolitan
School
District;
David
Quolke,
President
of
the
Cleveland
Teachers
Union;
Dr.
Dan
Good,
Superintendent,
Columbus
City
Schools;
Tracey
Johnson,
President
of
the
Columbus
Education
Association;
David
Romick,
President
of
the
Dayton
Teachers
Association;
Dr.
Romules
Durant,
Superintendent
of
Toledo
Public
Schools;
Dr.
Connie
Hathorn,
Superintendent
of
Youngstown
City
Schools;
Larry
Ellis,
President
of
the
Youngstown
Education
Association
DATE:
February
5,
2015
RE:
Ohio
8
Coalition
Testing
Recommendations
The
ODE
report
recommends
the
following
legislative
changes:
·∙
ODE
Recommendation
1:
Limit
the
amount
of
time
a
student
takes
state
and
district
tests
to
2
percent
of
the
school
year,
and
limit
the
amount
of
time
spent
practicing
for
tests
to
1
percent
of
the
school
year.
·∙
ODE
Recommendation
2:
Eliminate
the
fall
third
grade-­‐reading
test,
but
provide
a
summer
administration
of
the
test
for
students
who
need
it.
·∙
ODE
Recommendation
3:
Eliminate
the
state’s
requirement
that
districts
give
math
and
writing
diagnostic
tests
to
students
in
grades
1-­‐3.
·∙
ODE
Recommendation
4:
Eliminate
the
use
of
student
learning
objectives
as
part
of
the
teacher
evaluation
system
for
teachers
in
grades
preK-­‐3
and
for
teachers
teaching
in
non-­‐core
subject
areas
in
grades
4-­‐12.
The
Ohio
8
Coalition
Initial
Analysis
of
key
report
recommendations
is
as
follows:
I.
Testing
Limitations
·∙
Recommendation
by
Ohio
8:
The
Ohio
8
Coalition
believes
that
every
classroom
learning
moment
prepares
students
for
success
and
such
success
will
be
measured
through
required
assessments.
As
a
result,
we
recommend
that
test
prep
and
testing
limitations
be
viewed
comprehensively
and
should
be
determined
based
on
the
needs
of
the
child
and
by
extension

2.
2
individual
school
building
or
districts.
In
other
words,
a
cap
might
make
sense
for
certain
schools
or
school
districts
but
not
for
others
and
therefore
state
policy
should
not
mandate
a
particular
percentage
or
at
the
very
least
provide
flexibility
to
address
the
difference
in
testing
preparation
needs
of
different
students.
·∙
Concerns:
• Is
there
an
evidenced
based
rationale
behind
the
total
3%
cap
outlined
in
ODE’s
report?
• Any
policy
related
to
resting
should
distinguish
state
tests
from
local
preparation
for
those
tests.
• Any
limits
on
local
testing
should
be
a
guideline
and
not
mandated
from
the
state.
• There
must
be
a
distinction
in
policy
between
testing
preparation
for
typically
developing
students
versus
students
with
more
intensive
needs.
• How
will
practice-­‐testing
time
be
monitored/reported/tracked?
• If
testing
limits
are
based
on
a
percent
of
district
schedules,
does
that
create
inconsistencies
district-­‐to-­‐district
depending
on
their
calendars
and
does
that
put
some
students
at
an
advantage/disadvantage
over
others?
II.
High-­‐Stakes
Testing
and
the
Third
Grade
Reading
Assessment
·∙
Recommendations
by
Ohio
8:
Maintaining
the
fall
administration
of
3rd
grade
reading
to
support
teacher’s
ability
to
guide
instruction
and
tailor
programs
to
student
needs
and
continue
to
provide
opportunities
for
mid-­‐year
promotion.
The
Ohio
8
is
in
agreement
regarding
the
elimination
of
the
state’s
requirement
that
districts
give
math
and
writing
diagnostic
tests
to
students
in
grades
1-­‐3.
• The
fall
administration
of
the
state
third
grade
reading
assessment
provides
us
with
a
unique
opportunity
to
engage
parents,
teachers,
and
administration
to
plan
for
that
child’s
needs
for
the
academic
year
ahead.
This
engagement
has
proven
to
be
critical
to
our
efforts
to
advance
student
success.
• The
State
should
provide
waiver
opportunities
for
high-­‐performing
districts
to
opt-­‐out
of
the
fall
assessment.
• The
fall
administration
allows
for
an
apples-­‐to-­‐apples
comparison
with
the
second
administration
of
the
assessment.
• Should
the
fall
reading
assessment
be
removed,
The
Ohio
8
Coalition
recommends
that
districts
be
permitted
to
administer
alternative
tests
outside
of
the
assessment
cap.
• The
State
should
provide
relief
on
the
progress
monitoring
and
compliance
related
to
the
state
assessment.
·∙
Concern:
A
moratorium
(or
waivers
for
a
moratorium)
on
high-­‐stakes
testing
should
be
created
to
allow
districts
to
develop
plans
to
monitor
and
measure
student
growth.

3.
3
III.
Student
Learning
Objectives
·∙
Ohio
8
Recommendation:
Maintain
the
use
of
student
learning
objectives
as
part
of
the
teacher
evaluation
system
for
teachers
in
grades
preK-­‐3
and
for
teachers
teaching
in
non-­‐
core
subject
areas
in
grades
4-­‐12.
• In
lieu
of
a
system
that
measures
all
teachers
consistently,
SLO’s
(or
some
form
of
objective
measure)
must
still
exist.
• If
the
SLOs
are
eliminated,
teachers
must
be
included
in
the
development
of
an
alternate
or
replacement
system.
·∙
Concern:
Any
sudden
and
significant
changes
to
OTES
would
be
inappropriate
given
the
level
of
investment
and
change
that
has
occurred
in
recent
years
related
to
this
issue.
• Teachers
are
beginning
to
understand
the
current
evaluation
system
and
deserve
more
than
a
constantly
moving
target.
• While
not
ideal,
we
have
found
the
system
to
be
working
effectively
at
this
time.
• Any
changes
on
this
issue
should
allow
local
districts
and
labor
leadership
to
make
decisions
that
are
best
for
their
local
needs.
IV.
Further
Stakeholder
Participation
·∙
Ohio
8
Recommendation:
Establish
an
advisory
commission
that
includes
practitioners
from
rural,
urban,
and
suburban
school
districts
to
participate
in
the
development
of
a
statewide
framework
to:
• Step
away
from
high
stakes
testing;
• Allow
for
districts
to
monitor
and
measure
student
growth
in
a
strategic
manner
through
local
assessments;
• Maintain
accountability
for
teacher
performance;
• Establish
consistent
requirements
across
the
state
(based
on
what
needs
to
be
assessed
not
a
percentage
of
the
school
district’s
calendar-­‐
which
vary
across
the
state);
and
• Consider
the
total
testing
burden
from
the
lens
of
the
testing
schedule
not
just
the
overall
quantity.