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Friends:

Below is an announcement from Chalkboard about its Open Books project. I
did accept the invitation and wrote the letter below when I had finished.

Margaret

Dear Sue:

I was very pleased to learn that Chalkboard has unveiled the second part of
its Open Books project....but very disappointed when I turned to the
section for "staff and student data" to find that it separately lists
percentages of Special Education, Free and Reduced Lunch, English as a
Second Language and "minority" students.

Just one group of legally-defined special needs students was
forgotten--Talented and Gifted students. I guess this is more proof that
they have not only been left behind--they don't exist at all in your
"Books"--or in the minds of many Oregon school administrators.


Sincerely yours,

Margaret DeLacy

Friends:

Next weekend, the same weekend as the OATAG conference, Salem is having a quilt festival.

There will be exhibits around town including one at the Mission Mill Museum just across the street from Willamette University.



On Sunday, after our conference has ended, there will also be a tour of four homes in Salem decorated with Quilts--this tour is a benefit for our fellow non-profit, the Help Autism Now Society which provides early Autism screening information to doctors.



More information about the tour is at



Margaret

Friends:

Recently, a number of parents have asked about testing policies. These parents had children who were officially enrolled in one grade but were taking one or more classes at a higher grade level. They said their children were being required to take the Oregon state tests at their enrolled grade level when the parents felt that it would make more sense for them to be tested at the level of the classes they were actually taking.

I checked with officials at the ODE and here is what they told me about this:

Generally, the state requires that students take the test at their enrolled grade level. However, if a student is receiving instruction at a higher grade level, the student may take the test at the higher grade level. The state refers to this as a "targeted assessment". The state allows districts to establish a policy as to when a student should take a targeted assessment.

Some districts may allow teachers to decide whether to administer a targeted assessment.
Depending on district policy, students who use the online assessment system may take one or more tests in their enrolled grade and/or 1 or more tests in the grade of instruction. However, students can not take more than 3 total tests in a content area.

This might be important as part of all information you gather to help address the question as to whether a student is testing high enough for TAG identification, since they are supposed to be compared with same-aged classmates on a normed test to be identified for TAG by academic ability.

If a sixth-grade student takes the sixth-grade test and gains a score that is the same number as the average score for tenth grade, that means the sixth grader scored as well as an average tenth grader would taking the sixth grade test. It does NOT mean the sixth grader knows the material on the tenth grade test.

The OAKS includes as broad a range of questions as possible but all questions on the test for a given grade level are based on the standards for that grade level. Students must be "receiving instruction" in the grade level they are being tested on.

There is one exception: students in eighth grade who take an advanced Class must take the eighth grade assessment, even if they also take the high school level assessment. The eighth grade assessment is used for determining how many students had met the eighth-grade state standards. This is required by the Federal government. If the student's score on the high school level assessment meets the high school achievement standard, the student's score is "banked" for the student and will be reported in the student's grade 10 year. Targeting up to a high school level assessment is not an option for students until they are enrolled in the eighth grade.

Questions about these policies can be sent to Holly Edwards,
holly.edwards@... .

The state is interested in compiling a "frequently asked questions" sheet on this topic.

I hope this is helpful.

Thanks are due to the ODE staff who helped compile this information.

Margaret

Friends:

Below is a link to and excerpt from a story that appeared last month in the Denver Post. Comments from readers suggest that the program isn't as unprecedented as the article claims but it will be interesting to see what happens.

Margaret



Adams 50 skips grades, lets kids be pacesetters
By Jeremy P. Meyer
The Denver Post
Posted: 12/21/2008 12:30:00 AM MST
Updated: 12/21/2008 12:40:16 AM MST

A school district in Westminster struggling with declining enrollment and falling test scores will try something revolutionary next year that many say never has been accomplished in the Lower 48.

Adams 50 will eliminate grade levels and instead group students based on what they know, allowing them to advance to the next level after they have proved proficiency.

Friends:

Below is an excerpt from and link to a story that appeared in the New Yorker last month.

Margaret


Most Likely to Succeed
How do we hire when we can't tell who's right for the job?
by Malcolm Gladwell December 15, 2008



.....
This is the quarterback problem. There are certain jobs where almost nothing you can learn about candidates before they start predicts how they'll do once they're hired. So how do we know whom to choose in cases like that? In recent years, a number of fields have begun to wrestle with this problem, but none with such profound social consequences as the profession of teaching.

One of the most important tools in contemporary educational research is "value added" analysis. It uses standardized test scores to look at how much the academic performance of students in a given teacher's classroom changes between the beginning and the end of the school year. Suppose that Mrs. Brown and Mr. Smith both teach a classroom of third graders who score at the fiftieth percentile on math and reading tests on the first day of school, in September. When the students are retested, in June, Mrs. Brown's class scores at the seventieth percentile, while Mr. Smith's students have fallen to the fortieth percentile. That change in the students' rankings, value-added theory says, is a meaningful indicator of how much more effective Mrs. Brown is as a teacher than Mr. Smith.....

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This list was created for you! Please join and share your thoughts. Encourage your friends and neighbors to join too.

Thanks,

Margaret

Friends:

Some of you may be interested in Sen. Avel Gordly's Expanded Options bill.

Below is a link to the text of the whole bill and a summary prepared by the Legislature.

Margaret




Creates Expanded Options Program for students attending public
schools in grades 11 and 12 or who are 16 years of age or older.
Allows eligible students to enroll in post-secondary courses for
credit at eligible post-secondary institutions. Prohibits
institutions from charging student post-secondary course costs.
Directs resident school district to enter into agreement with
institution for limited payment of costs from State School Fund
grant of school district. Establishes cap on number of credit
hours that may be awarded at each high school under Expanded
Options Program.
Sunsets credit hours cap June 30, 2009.

Friends:

The group Community and Parents for Public Schools of Portland now offers a website which you can find at

Margaret

Friends:

Below is a link and an excerpt from a story that appeared in today's Oregonian:



Advanced classes are hard sell in Oregon
Oregon trails the national average in getting students through college-level courses during high school
Wednesday, January 26, 2005
BETSY HAMMOND

Oregon lags in the nation giving students a leg up on college via demanding Advanced Placement classes in high school, a new report says.
Washington's public high schools have made big gains getting their students to master AP classes and came close to matching the national average last year, the report says.

Nationwide, Advanced Placement classes have proliferated since 2000, according to the College Board's first annual "Advanced Placement Report to the Nation," released Tuesday.

More than 550,000 public school students took an AP course last year, and 13.2 percent of students in the class of 2004 passed at least one end-of-course AP exam, certifying they had done college-level work. That was up from 10.2 percent four years earlier, the report said.

In Oregon, 8.8 percent of students in the class of 2004 demonstrated college-level mastery of an AP class. In Washington, the figure rose to 11.6 percent.

Friends:

Dr. Salam Noor, the Assistant Superintendent directing the Office of Educational Improvement & Innovation of the Oregon Department of Education, suggested that we share this message concerning applications for Title IIA grants for staff development under the No Child Left Behind Act. Grants including TAG staff development may be considered under this program. For more information please read the old RFP information in the link below.

Margaret

Subject: FW: University/School Partnerships New RFP Schedule
Date: Fri, 28 Jan 2005 08:57:28 -0800
Thread-Topic: University/School Partnerships New RFP Schedule
From: "NOOR Salam" <Salam.Noor@...>

Friends:

This is an excerpt from the Superintendent's Pipeline:

State Board Adopts CAM Performance Standards
Teresa Levy, Oregon Department of Education

The State Board of Education adopted the performance standards for extended
application and the career-related learning standards for the Certificate
of Advanced Mastery on January 20, 2005. This completes the development of
the CAM requirements adopted in 2002 and allows school districts to fully
implement and award the CAM by the 2008-09 school year.
The Department of Education partnered with 11 Oregon high schools in a
2-year (2002-04) research and development project. Teachers developed
sufficiency and proficiency guidelines and scoring models to assess the CAM
standards. Pilot high schools included: Benson, Portland SD; Churchill,
Eugene SD; Colton, Colton SD; David Douglas, David Douglas SD; North
Clackamas SD; North Eugene, Eugene SD; Philomath, Philomath SD; Robert
Farrell, WESD; and Reynolds, Reynolds SD.

Extended application and CRLS promote rigor and relevance for students as
they demonstrate learning related to their interests and post-high school
goals. The standards reflect essential skills that are necessary for
success in college and the 21st century workplace. Throughout the
development of their collections, students engage in learning connected to
real-life situations. This experience helps them understand the purpose of
their learning and build the confidence they need to transition to their
next steps.

Extended Application Standard

The student will be able to apply and extend academic and career-related
knowledge and skills in new and complex situations appropriate to the
student’s personal, academic, and/or career interests and post-high school
goals.
Career-Related Learning Standards
· Personal management
· Problem solving
· Communication
· Teamwork
· Employment foundations
· Career development

The CAM standards are assessed through a collection of evidence -- a
culmination of student work that displays how a student has met the
standards. Criteria and assessment guidelines are provided in The Guide for
Schools to Build Relevant and Rigorous Collections of Evidence on the ODE
website.




Exemplars of student work will be available on the ODE website in March 2005.

CAM Requirements
To earn a CAM students must:

1. Develop an education plan and build an education profile.
2. Meet the performance standards for extended application through a
collection of evidence.
3. Demonstrate career-related knowledge and skills.
4. Participate in career-related learning experiences as outlined in the
education plan.
5. Meet CIM performance standards (English, mathematics & science) through
CIM assessment options.

For more information contact Theresa Levy, Office of Educational
Improvement and Innovation, Theresa.levy@..., (503) 378-3600, ext.
2239.

Friends:

Senator Courtney has introduced a bill to set minimum physical education and physical activity requirements for students in grades k-8.

Below is a link and a summary for the bill.

OATAG has not taken any position on the bill.

Margaret



Senate Bill 228

Establishes minimum amount of participation in physical education by kindergarten through
grade 8 public school students. Specifies requirements for physical education instruction.

Friends:

Nova had a wonderful 10-minute segment on self-proclaimed "geek" and Robotics engineer, James McLurkin. My husband (an engineer) and I enjoyed the story which you can see on the Nova website if you have streaming video. If your child is interested in the topic, take a look at the further reading resources (the second of the links below)

Margaret

James McLurkin,"Science Geek" on Nova Science Now

Friends:

Here is the latest conference announcement from the list OURGIFTED ONLINE. Please note that these conferences generate lots of mail, so if you want to participate, I'd recommend setting up a separate mailbox/filter or setting your subscription to digest. In addition, please note that these conferences have moved to Yahoo. A link to the group's Yahoo webpage is at the bottom of the message.

Date: Sat, 29 Jan 2005 05:36:42 -0000
From: "sally_l_ourgifted" <sally_l_ourgifted@...>
Subject: Announcing Dr. Sally M. Becker's Conference

Dear List Members,
Our Gifted Online Conference is pleased to announce its first
conference for 2005. It will be March 22-27 with guest expert, Sally
M. Becker, EdD. She will guide us in the following:
Organizing Your School Community in
Support of Differentiation
for the Gifted Learner

It takes a WHOLE community, ALL stakeholders - teachers, parents,
students, administrators, et.al. - to implement Differentiation for
all learners in a school. How can any one teacher, parent, student,
administrator get that ball rolling?

How can it be accepted and implemented in such a way that it
provides well for Gifted Learners in particular?

Her Bio:
Dr. Becker was born and raised in Kankakee, Il., a small farming
town south of Chicago. She "always knew" that she would be a teacher
and there are many childhood pictures of her holding school in the
basement of her family home with either her three younger sisters or
friends sitting attentively (?) in her "classroom." Sally received a
BS in Special Education for the Gifted and Elementary Education from
Kent State University in 1970. While teaching in the Chicago Public
Schools she completed a MS in Urban Education at the University of
Chicago. However, it was not until she moved to Salt Lake City and
the Salt Lake City School District that she began her long and
successful career in Gifted Education. Over the next 24 years she
taught in a pull out G/T program, coordinated that and a state wide
G/T program, became an elementary principal, and finally retired
from a district office position in which she supervised all G/T
programming K-12, AP, IB, alternative schools, and 504
accommodations. Somehow along the way she also completed an EdD. in
Educational Administration at Brigham Young University Clearly her
talents lie in providing individual learners the best possible
educational opportunities whatever their specific needs. Working
with students, teachers, administrators and parents in both the
public and private sectors plus actively participating in local,
state, and national G/T organizations has provided her with the
knowledge and experience that today make her a respected expert in
the field of gifted education. Even in retirement she continues to
work in her passion area, guiding learners in the online Gifted
Endorsement for experienced teachers through the Curry School of
Education at the University of Virginia. Sally is also most pleased
for you to know that her son is a first year high school teacher and
coach this year -- a legacy and peer of whom she is most proud.
.....
The schedule is as follows:


Tuesday, March 22
Day One: Differentiation: A Philosophy
Wednesday, March 23
Day Two: Student Needs, Wants & Advocacy
Thursday, March 24
Day Three: Parent Needs, Wants & Advocacy
Friday, March 25
Day Four: Teacher Needs, Wants & Advocacy
Saturday, March 26
Day Five: Administrator Needs, Wants & Advocacy
Sunday, March 27
Day Six: Putting It All Together and Wrapping Up
Pre-Conference Reading





Conference Reading


Additional Resources



Please remember to spread the word about the conference and invite
others to join by telling them to send an email to

OGTOC-subscribe@...

Kindest regards,
Sally_L
List Owner
Conference Coordinator
Our Gifted Online Conferences
OGTOC@...



------------------------------------------------------------------------

CALL FOR PARTICIPATION: Congress in the Classroom 2005
DEADLINE: March 15, 2005

Congress in the Classroom is a national, award-winning education program
now in its 13th year. Sponsored by The Dirksen Congressional Center, the
workshop is dedicated to the exchange of ideas and information on
teaching about Congress.

Congress in the Classroom is designed for high school teachers who teach
U.S. history, government, civics, political science, or social studies.
Forty teachers from throughout the country will be selected in 2005 to
take part in the program.

You will gain experience with The Center's educational Web site,
CongressLink - -- which features online
access to lesson plans, student activities, historical materials,
related Web sites, and subject matter experts.

Throughout the program you will work with national experts as well as
colleagues from across the nation. This combination of firsthand
knowledge and peer-to-peer interaction will give you new ideas,
materials, and a professionally enriching experience.

In sum, the workshop consists of two types of sessions: those that focus
on recent research and scholarship about Congress (and don't always have
an immediate application in the classroom) and those geared to specific
ways to teach students about Congress.

The 2005 program theme will be "Our New Congress -- the 109th."
Confirmed session titles are:
* A View from Capitol Hill
* The Importance of Teaching Democracy Appreciation
* George W. Bush's Second Term: What's in Store for Congress?
* Reporting on Congress: The Role of the Media
* How Congress Members Decide (Hint: It Looks Like a Game of Billiards)
* Teaching Congress Through Visuals
* The Struggle to Reform Congress and Its Consequences
* What are the Ten Most Important Things High School Students Should
Know about Congress?
* Congress Has a Humorous Side
* How to Get Your Point Across to Congress Members
* The Dirksen Center Web Suite as a Resource for Teachers
* Congressional Insight: A Computer Simulation of a Member's First Term
in the House of Representatives, and more.

The workshop will take place from Monday, July 25 through July 28, 2005,
at the Radisson Hotel in Peoria, Illinois. Teachers who are selected for
the program will be responsible for (1) a non-refundable $135
registration fee (required to confirm acceptance after notice of
selection) and (2) transportation to and from Peoria, Illinois. Many
school districts will pay all or a portion of these costs.
The Center pays for three nights lodging at the headquarters hotel
(providing a single room for each participant), workshop materials,
local transportation, all but three meals, and presenter honoraria and
expenses. The Center spends between $25,000 and $30,000 to host the
program each year.

Those teachers who are not selected for the program will have an
opportunity to register for the Web-based Congress in the Classroom
course.

The deadline for applications is March 15, 2005. Enrollment is
competitive and limited to forty. Selection will be determined by The
Center. Individuals will be notified of their acceptance status by April
1, 2005.

Take a look at The Dirksen Center Web site
- -- to
see what participants say about the program and to learn more about the
scheduled sessions and presenters.

If you are interested in registering for the Congress in the Classroom
2005 workshop, you can complete an online registration form found at:
.
Cindy Koeppel
The Dirksen Congressional Center
2815 Broadway
Pekin, Illinois 61554
Phone: 309.347.7113
Fax: 309.347.6432

Friends: Below is a message from the public relations office of Superintendent Castillo.

Note the mission statement at the bottom: "Supporting schools and communities through continuous improvement and accountability systems that accelerate students to meet Oregon Standards"

I wonder why the Superintendent doesn't also support systems that "accelerate students to EXCEED Oregon standards--or even systems that support students who have ALREADY exceeded Oregon standards." There are a lot of them. In some grades a substantial proportion of all students have exceeded Oregon standards. You won't read about them in the Oregon Report Card, though--all their data is reported there as "numbers of students who meet or exceed" See .
You can find the data buried in individual district/school reports if you go to . I had hoped to compile a table of the trends in students who have "exceeded" over the past few years but have been stymied by apparent anomalies in the data (different numbers reported for the same year).

Margaret




Subject: Closing the Achievement Gap Conference & Student Success Awards Banquet - Portland, April 29
Closing the Achievement Gap Conference & Student Success Awards Banquet - Portland, April 29, 2005

A new ODE webpage has been launched to provide information and event registration for the second annual statewide Closing the Achievement Gap Conference and its new partner event, the Student Success Awards Banquet.

Details on both events are featured on the ODE website at: www.ode.state.or.us -- from the home page, click on "Closing the Achievement Gap" under the Superintendent's Priorities on the right hand side of the page.

Portland State University will co-host the daytime Conference with ODE at Smith Center on Friday, April 29, 2005. The Banquet will be held that evening, 6:00-8:00pm, at the Oregon Convention Center, Portland Ballroom. Separate online registration is required for the two events; these links are posted on the website.

A Call for Workshop Presenters form has also been posted for the Conference. The deadline to submit is February 28, though we will continue to review proposals as needed to reach our goal of selecting a diverse slate of workshops. ODE staff from all offices, as well as our colleagues in the field, are welcome to submit workshop proposals; please complete the form with the information requested and follow the forwarding instructions. Information on the types of workshops sought is included on the form.

Coordination and staffing for these events are being provided by the Office of the Superintendent and the Office of Educational Improvement and Innovation.
Corporate support for the Banquet is being provided by Verizon, among others



The Oregon Department of Education
proudly presents the 2nd Annual

Closing the Achievement Gap
Conference

When: April 29, 2005, 8:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.

Where: Portland State University, Smith Center
Workshop Themes: Family & Community Involvement; Data-Informed Planning; Using Technology to Bridge the Achievement Gap; Techniques for Teaching Diverse Students; Managing Student Transitions from Preschool through College; High Quality Instructors and Instruction

Luncheon Keynote Speaker: Robert Barr, PhD
Co-Author/Researcher: "Saving our Students, Saving our Schools;" Dean of School Improvement and Policy Studies at Boise State; nationally recognized in the areas of at-risk youth, school improvement, and alternative education.

~ Demonstration Site Displays ~

~~ Educational Exhibits ~~

Cost: $30 (includes workshops & luncheon)
To register, visit the Oregon Department of Education website: www.ode.state.or.us

(See Superintendent's Priorities "Closing the Achievement Gap")

Supporting schools and communities through continuous improvement and accountability systems
that accelerate students to meet Oregon Standards

Friends:

In reply to my previous e-mail concerning the "mission statement" that was included in the announcement for the "Closing the Gap" conference, I am very pleased to forward the response from Gene Evans, the Public Relations representative for the Oregon Department of Education who has given permission to share it.

Margaret

Subject: RE: "Closing the Gap" conference in Portland, fwd. and comment
Date: Thu, 3 Feb 2005 09:13:47 -0800
From: "EVANS Gene" <Gene.Evans@...>
To: "Margaret DeLacy" <margaretdelacy@...>

Thanks for the good catch, Margaret. We'll make that very change.
Susan Castillo does NOT believe it is enough for students to simply meet
the standard, and she is working to make that a central part of the new
Oregon accountability system.

"Friends: Below is a message from the public relations office of
Superintendent Castillo.
Note the mission statement at the bottom: "Supporting schools and
communities through continuous improvement and accountability systems
that accelerate students to meet Oregon Standards"
I wonder why the Superintendent doesn't also support systems that
"accelerate students to EXCEED Oregon standards--or even systems that
support students who have ALREADY exceeded Oregon standards." There are
a lot of them..... "

You’re Invited!

Tuesday, February 22
6:30 - 8:30 PM
Madison High School - Cafeteria
2735 NE 82nd Ave
Portland

The Chalkboard Project will be hosting one of 14 Regional Meetings at
Madison High School, on Tuesday, February 22nd. This is a unique
opportunity for citizens in the area to provide their feedback on a number
of issues on public education.

Chalkboard Project is a collaborative effort among five independent Oregon
foundations. Our job is to connect Oregonians with the best research
possible so that people may decide for themselves what kinds of solutions
will transform our schools into some of the best in the nation. To learn
more, visit www.chalkboardproject.org.

On Tuesday, February 22nd, we will bring our findings to you and ask for
your feedback. We'll then share Oregonians' vision for our K-12 public
school system with the state's decision makers: policy makers, educators,
and community leaders. Together, we can move towards a reasonable plan of
action to transform our schools to some of the best in the nation.

Two hours of your time on Tuesday, February 22nd will make an incredible,
positive impact on our public school system. Please return the attached
RSVP so that we’ll know to expect you. We can’t wait to meet with you and
gather your valuable input!


Amy VanCamp Katherine Pfeiffer
vancamp@... katherine@...

503-542-4282 ph/ 503-542-4286 fax
www.chalkboardproject.org




RSVP
Chalkboard Project regional meeting --
Portland
When: Tuesday, February 22nd, 6:30 pm to 8:30 pm
Where: Madison High School – Cafeteria
2735 NE 82nd Ave


Please email, call or fax your RSVP by Monday, February 21st.

Yes, I/We can come to the Regional Meeting in Portland!
Name:Phone:Email:
(optional)
Gender:Parent Y/N:Age
range: 18-34 35-44 45-64 over 64 Group or
Organization:
Please share with us how you heard about this event:
If you belong to a group or know of others who would like to participate in
Chalkboard, please feel free to pass this along.

? Please arrive 15 minutes before the start of the discussion to
check in.
? Refreshments will be provided.
? There will be a drawing for door prizes.

Space is limited so your immediate response is appreciated!

Amy VanCamp Katherine Pfeiffer
vancamp@...
katherine@...
503-542-4282 ph/ 503-542-4286 fax
www.chalkboardproject.org

Friends:

Carolyn Tomei (D) who represents southeast Portland and Milwaukie has been reassigned from the Oregon House Education Committee to the Water Committee because of her expertise in that area. She is being replaced by Rep. Arnie Roblans (D-Coos Bay) who for many years worked as a public school principal.

Margaret

Oregon Public Broadcasting - Workshop Writer for American History multimedia project

Location: Oregon, United States
Institution Type: Other
Position Type: Temporary
Submitted: Friday, February 4th, 2005
Main Category: U.S. History
Secondary Categories: American Studies

Hi,
Our Teaching American History project will be hiring another workshop writer for 7 of the units of our series "America's History in the Making". These units span chronologically from early colonization through Reconstruction.

Our project, funded by the DOE, is creating, testing and distributing professional development materials for American history teachers. These multimedia workshops include video, print, web interactives and live activities. The workshop writer will be writing the live activities and the instructions for the facilitators (we have others already hired for writng the video, print and web materials).

For samples of our previous multimedia work, please see
www.opb.org/edproductionportfolio

Applicants must have demonstrated skill developing and writing professional development activities for workshop settings.

Work will be performed between March 1st, 2005, and November, 2005. Applicants must be available over the summer. This is an extremely part-time position, does not require travel or relocation, and in the past has often been filled by teachers and professional development providers while working a full-time job. Writer must have regular access to computer and email and able to download and send large (90MB) documents.

Please send writing sample of professional development activities and a CV by February 21, 2005 to
mmaloney@...
or
Meighan Maloney
7140 SW Macadam Ave
Portland, OR 97219

No phone calls please! Materials will not be returned.

Please forward to other lists as appropriate. Thanks much!

Contact Info:
Meighan Maloney
7140 SW Macadam Ave
Portland, OR 97219
mmaloney@...

Website: