New York State Education Department

News and Notes

I hope your New Year has gotten off to a great start.

Deputy Commissioner Slentz and I have spent a lot of time on the road this school year, visiting classrooms across the state. It's so impressive how so many teachers have thoughtfully integrated the Common Core into their lesson plans. From Webster to Goshen to the Bronx, teachers and principals have responded to this challenge in remarkably inventive ways, engaging their students and teaching them the valuable skills they'll need to graduate ready for college and careers.

As you probably know, the deadline for having an approved principal and teacher evaluation plan was January 17. The Governor and Legislature included language in the state budget that required districts without approved plans in place by that date to forfeit their 2012-13 state aid increase.

Remarkably, more than 99 percent (685) of the state's 691 school districts met the deadline. It wasn't easy; every district and local union had to negotiate the specifics of the plan and submit it to the State Education Department (SED) in time for review and approval. SED staff worked literally around the clock, right up to midnight on the 17th, to make sure every plan we received was thoroughly reviewed.

Unfortunately, the state's largest district, New York City, didn't submit a plan and missed the deadline. Steps are underway to bring the City Department of Education, the UFT, and CSA back to the table in time to avoid jeopardizing further funding, including federal Race to the Top dollars.

But the failure of New York City and its bargaining units to reach agreement does not diminish the success of school districts and unions across the state that got the job done. Their success means teachers and principals will have the information and professional development they need to improve their practice. In turn, our students will have a better opportunity to develop the knowledge and skills they need to succeed in college and careers.  It's a great step forward for our schools, our students and our state.

In January, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation released the last of three reports about its Measures of Effective Teaching Project (MET). The MET Project, unprecedented in its scale and scope, was designed to determine the best ways to assess teacher effectiveness so that teachers can receive the feedback and support they need to improve. The findings strongly validate New York's Annual Professional Performance Review (APPR) approach and the hundreds of school district evaluation plans we've approved. The study endorses the use of multiple measures, including a mix of classroom observations, student growth on State tests and other measures. Many of the MET findings about what works best are either required by New York's new APPR system (multiple observations, careful training of observers around use of a rigorous rubric) or permitted (student surveys, multiple observers including peer observers, and observations conducted using video). This latest MET report presents strong evidence that teachers with the best results on multiple measures of teacher effectiveness in one year will produce better-than-expected student outcomes in future years. You can read the results for yourself at www.metproject.org.

John B. King, Jr.

  

 

 

The New York State Education Department (NYSED) has taken steps to align the current social studies learning standards (United States and New York State History; World History; Geography; Economics; and Civics, Citizenship, and Government) with the requirements of the Common Core State Standards. This work has been developed in consultation with teachers and leaders in P-12 schools and higher education institutions.

The draft New York State Common Core 9-12 Social Studies Framework includes a chronological approach to the Global History and Geography course of study, with the first unit addressing the Neolithic Revolution to the beginnings and causes of the Industrial Revolution (approximately 1750), and the second unit beginning with the Enlightenment and continuing through modern times.

The Board of Regents is considering establishing a Career and Technical Education (CTE) pathway to graduation. At its meeting on January 14, the Board hosted a panel that discussed their respective programs that highlight innovative practices in the middle grades that demonstrate the power of academic integration, an early college program where students may earn college credit, and a program that follows up with their graduates:

• The Ulster BOCES Custom Robotic and Design Manufacturing Technology program leads to various internationally recognized certifications. Graduates of this program possess the skills and experience needed to succeed in today's challenging manufacturing environment.
• The High School for Fashion Industries in New York City has four CTE Approved Programs in Fashion Design, Fashion Marketing, Graphic Design and Visual Merchandising that prepare students for career pathways in the fashion industry. The programs offer post secondary articulation agreements with various institutions and work-based learning student internships with such fashion industry icons as Macy's, Kleinfeld Bridal, Saks Fifth Avenue, and Li & Fung USA.
• Newark Valley Middle School offers a career exploration experience designed for 7th grade students that focuses heavily on 21st Century Skills, engages students in project and problem-based learning and provides opportunities for the development of student-driven and authentic learning opportunities. The model is based on the Enrichment Triad Model (Renzulli, 1976) and is uniquely individualized and differentiated for each student.
• The Computer Systems / Network Administration program at Cayuga-Onondaga BOCES offers junior/senior high school students the opportunity to receive college credits while preparing them for national computer certification exams. An academic integration model is used to align the curriculum to the Common Core Standards. 

See more information about the CTE panelists and programs.

The edTPA is a multiple-measure assessment system aligned to state and national standards, including the Common Core State Standards and the Interstate Teacher Assessment and Support Consortium (InTASC). Most importantly, the edTPA is on the cutting edge of teacher candidate assessment practices nationally and has been adopted by 25 states. The assessment is based on the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS) and, in order for a teacher candidate to fully demonstrate his/her readiness to become a teacher, a teacher candidate must submit a video-recorded instruction component featuring 15-20 minutes of instruction, alongside planning and assessment documentation. The candidates' videos will be scored by trained higher education faculty and P-12 teachers. This will provide developing teacher candidates with high quality feedback using rubrics aligned with the New York State Teaching Standards and New York State-approved rubrics. The edTPA process itself provides teacher candidates with multiple opportunities for self-reflection, evidence-based feedback from peers and mentors, and continual professional growth. Field testing of the edTPA will begin in the Spring of 2013. Find information about upcoming edTPA 1-Day Workshops.

New York State wishes to recognize and celebrate an exceptionally skilled and passionate educator to be an ambassador for the state's teachers and New York's nominee for the National Teacher of the Year. Nominations are due by March 29, 2013. Get the Teacher of the Year Nomination Packet 2014 here.

Free STEM professional development for 7-12 teachers in high-needs districts, starting March 25. Register here. 

 

Technology Purchases to Support the Implementation of the New York State P-12 Common Core Learning Standards: See the guidance to BOCES, districts, and schools here.

The New York State Library is pleased to announce the release of two summer reading partnering manuals for 2013:  "2013 School Library Partner Manual" and "2013 Early Literacy Partner Manual." Download the manuals here.

Driver & Traffic Safety Education Program Hit By Hurricane Sandy Receives Car Donation. See details in the December 2012 DTSE Journal.