1. School Matters- www.schoolmatters.com
This insightful resource is a public source of information and analysis for the nation’s public schools. This site provides a wealth of information along with search and comparison tools to identify and understand numbers. This site can be searched by state, district, or school. The types of data available on this website include student performance, spending, revenue, taxes, school environment, community demographics, and S&P ratios.
2. Pennsylvania Value-added Assessment System (PVAAS)- https://pvaas.sas.com
This website can only be accessed by electronically securing a user name and password e-mailed to the school district’s superintendent. The types of data available on this site include progress/growth, projections of future performance on PSSA, achievement/proficiency status, and demographics. The levels of data include district, school, subgroup, and student. The content area includes math and reading.
3. PSSA Data Interactive by eMetric- http://pssa.emetric.net
This website is designed to provide quick, easy, and secure access to student performance results that are measured on the PSSA. On this site, you are able to create tables, graphs, or external files for reports. The types of data available on this site include achievement/proficiency status, reporting categories/anchors, raw scores, and percentages. The levels of data include district, school, subgroup, or student. The content areas include math and reading. The website does a great job breaking down performance scores as well as individual scores.
4. PA AYP-www.paayp.com
This website is open to the public and contains district and school reports that disclose adequate yearly progress (AYP) targets and results for the most recent year, the last two years, and next year’s target. The types of data on this website include AYP targets, status/achievement levels, academic performance, attendance, and test participation. There is also a discussion for results by parents and educators.
5. National Center for Educational Statistics Website - http://nces.ed.gov/
This is a good source of comparative financial information from throughout the United States. It also contains a search function for all US public schools and school districts.
6. Standards Aligned System - http://www.pdesas.org
The Pennsylvania Department of Education (“PDE”) web-based project known as the Standards Aligned System (“SAS”) developed by Performance Learning Systems (“PLS”) is a comprehensive approach to support student achievement. Much research has been conducted as to what makes a great school. There are many intangible components. However, research gathered by PDE supports the notion that great schools and school systems tend to have six common elements:
Clear Standards, Fair Assessments, Curriculum Framework, Instruction, Materials and Resources, and Interventions.
7. PSSA Reports: The GROW Network - http://www.grownetwork.com
This website provides customized reports for teachers, parents, administrators, and students. Provides Web tools that offer guidance based on test results, instructional materials designed to target students’ needs, and professional development resources that build skills and enhance meaningful instruction.
8. PennData - http://penndata.hbg.psu.eduhttp://penndata.hbg.psu.edu
This website serves as Pennsylvania’s statewide data collection system for data about school systems state wide. These data elements including demographics and information regarding special education services are collected twice a year from districts. This data is used for state and federal reporting.
9. Study Island - http://www.studyisland.com
This website is designed for practice in mathematics and reading. The CASD uses this program to benchmark students three times a year for progress monitoring. It is aligned to the PA Standards, Anchors, and eligible content. Reports are available as a Class Summary, Individual Report, Blue Ribbon Report (mastery), Class Gradebook Report, Class Comparison Report and Assignment Report. Study Island is correlated to the Pennsylvania PSSA.
10. Measures of Academic Progress (MAP)- http://www.nwea.org/products-services/computer-based-adaptive-assessments/map.
These tests are designed to measure growth in student learning for individual students, These scores help teachers plan instructional programs, place students in appropriate courses and screen students for special programs. Students are scored by RIT (Ready Instructionally Today) bands and shows what needs to be taught instructionally as the students are ready to
learn.
11. GMADE- http://www.pearsonassessments.com - The GMADE™ (Group Mathematics Assessment and Diagnostic Evaluation) is a diagnostic mathematics test that measures individual student skills in the main areas of math, as identified by the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics. This in-depth, group-administered test for grades K-12 helps educators pinpoint areas where students need instruction. Skills measured include Concepts and Communication, Operations and Computation, and Process and Application. GMADE is norm-referenced. Scores available include stanines, percentiles, grade equivalents, age equivalents, standard scores, normal curve equivalents and growth scale values
12. GRADE http://www.pearsonassessments.com - The GRADE™ (Group Reading Assessment and Diagnostic Evaluation) is a diagnostic reading test that determines what developmental skills students Pre-K through 12th grade have mastered and where they need instruction or intervention. GRADE is a total solution for reading assessment and instruction. This is a normed referenced test.
13. AIMSweb-http://www.aimsweb.com - AIMSweb is a benchmark and progress monitoring system based on direct, frequent and continuous student assessment. The results are reported to students, parents, teachers and administrators via a web-based data management and reporting system to determine response to intervention.
14. Performance TRACKER – www.sungardps.com - Performance TRACKER is part of Performance PLUS, which is operated by SunGard. Performance TRACKER tracks and analyzes student learning and assessment data and is useful in warehousing all of a district’s data as well as state and national statistics, thereby creating a centralized database for student assessment data. One beneficial feature is the ability to view an individual student’s data history and to then target areas in need of specific intervention. Data stored in the system may be disaggregated by school, teacher, classroom, student, or demographic groups, thus providing an abundance of data-related information to educators.
15. DIBELS Data System - https://dibels.uoregon.edu/
The DIBELS data system is very useful to elementary teachers and administrators using the Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills (DIBELS). Teachers can enter their student assessment scores and track them through progress monitoring. The database saves student scores from year-to-year. Educators can compile and print out charts, tables, and graphs. Administrators can chart student progress, use the information as part of data teams, planning interventions, and for improving student performance. The site also provides resource information. The database cost $1 per student for the school year.
16. Accelerated Reader - http://www.renlearn.com/ar/
The Accelerated Reader (AR) program is an excellent program for schools and is available as a web-based program. When purchased, students have access to quizzes on thousands of books for all reading levels. Students read books on their individual reading level (which can be determined through STAR assessment as part of the program) and take quizzes. Books are assigned points based on reading level and length and students accumulate points throughout the school year. Many schools use the points along with an incentive program and/or grades. The program can be used to enrich the best readers as well as part of RTII program. The Diagnostic Report helps track the key indicators of successful reading practice—quality (average percent correct) quantity (time spent reading), and difficulty (average ATOS book level)—and pinpoint issues as they arise. Other reports track students’ reading accomplishments, favorite books by grade level, and other information that can be fun to use for rewards or tracking.
Educational Leadership
Monday, August 29, 2011
Memorable Quotes About Leadership
1. "The most valuable "currency" of any organization is the initiative and creativity of its members. Every leader has the solemn moral responsibility to develop these to the maximum in all his people. This is the leader's highest priority," ~ W. Edwards Deming in Principle Centered Leadership. 2. A true leader always keeps an element of surprise up his sleeve, which others cannot grasp but which keeps his public excited and breathless, ~ Charles deGaulle 3. Leadership has a harder job to do than just choose sides. It must bring sides together. ~ Jesse Jackson 4. "People do not care how much you know until they know how much you care," ~ John C. Maxwell 5. Leadership is not magnetic personality—that can just as well be a glib tongue. It is not "making friends and influencing people"—that is flattery. Leadership is lifting a person's vision to higher sights, the raising of a person's performance to a higher standard, the building of a personality beyond its normal limitations, ~ Peter F. Drucker, 6. "Few people are successful unless other people want them to be." ~ Charlie Brown, 7. "Not to decide is to decide." - Harry Coy, 8. "It's kind of fun to do the impossible." - Walt Disney, 9. "There is a better way to do it . . . find it." - Thomas Edison, 10. "Perpetual optimism is a force multiplier." - Colin Powell, 11. “One can’t believe impossible things.” “I daresay you haven’t had much practice,” said the Queen. “When I was your age I always did it for half-an-hour a day. Why, sometimes I’ve believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast.” Lewis Carroll, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, 12. "Schools need leaders who focus on advancing student and staff learning live with paradox. They must have a sense of urgency about improving their schools, balanced by the patience to sustain them for the long haul. They must focus on the future, but remain grounded in today. They must see the big picture, while maintaining a close focus on details. They must be strong leaders who give away power to others." Richard DuFour, and 13. “The ultimate measure of a man (or woman) is not where he (she) stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he (she) stands at times of challenge and controversy.” — Martin Luther King Jr.
Friday, August 26, 2011
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. (Good Article)
Ailing Financial Conditions of School Districts Likely to Continue, Says Hartman
Expect financial hardships of school districts to continue, says Penn State's Bill Hartman.
by Joe Savrock (July 2011)
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - School districts nationwide are experiencing unprecedented financial hardships, and the situation is likely to worsen in the coming years, says a Penn State researcher.
William T. Hartman, professor of education leadership at Penn State, gave an analysis of the critical fiscal crisis facing Pennsylvania’s school districts during a recent presentation at the National Education Finance Conference in Tampa, Fla. In his paper, titled “Train Wreck Ahead: Financial Conditions Facing School Districts,” Hartman provided an overview of key economic, political, and educational factors that impact school districts' financial operations.
On the revenue side, Hartman pointed out that all three major sources are limited or declining. “Local tax increases will be difficult due to tax limitation measures and local resistance from taxpayers,” he said. “State funding for education is now being driven by lack of state revenues from state deficits, a political ideology to cut spending, and a general hostility to public education from some politicians. Extra federal funding from the stimulus money is now gone and will not be replaced.”
Without adequate revenues to maintain or expand programs, districts are forced to turn to expenditure reductions to balance their budgets. While this would be difficult enough in normal economic times, many of the district costs are mandated by the state and federal government. “Costs of required pension increases alone will consume most of new district revenues in the coming years,” Hartman said. “This necessitates both educational program and staffing cuts, which can be painful and have serious implications for availability of adequate education for all students.”
All the while, there is no letup in the state and federal mandates for student achievement. No Child Left Behind requires districts to have all of their students at a proficiency level in basic subject areas by 2014.
“The rising and somewhat uncontrollable expenditures and the limited or reduced revenues have led to a serious structural fiscal imbalance for many districts,” said Hartman. “Continuing on the same path, annual deficits are inevitable and will increase beyond manageable levels in very short order. Any fiscal reserves the districts have will be quickly consumed. The result will be district bankruptcy.
“Administrators and school boards are faced with new realities, the likes of which they’ve never had to deal with,” continued Hartman. “It’s a whole new ball game—it’s no longer business as usual. The focus is on survival.”
What is needed, said Hartman, is a concept he calls RESET—that is, to reset a district’s expenditure level down to available revenues. “The concept is easy to understand, but it is extraordinarily difficult to achieve while maintaining the educational integrity of the district, reaching mandated student achievement levels, and meeting community expectations,” he said.
“Of necessity, the focus will be more on what is required under the school code, rather than what has been offered in the past,” said Hartman. “The list is both surprising and disheartening if even partially implemented.”
Among the academic areas that are not mandated are vocational education, business education, home economics, computer science, art, and music. The list for potential elimination goes on: elective courses not required for graduation, libraries, student services (guidance counselors, school psychologists, school nurses), extracurricular activities (athletics, band, chorus, student government), and any limits on class size.
“For each area,” said Hartman, “a series of questions can be asked: Do we want to offer the program at all? Can we offer a different amount—for example, less often or to fewer students? Can we provide it in a different, more efficient, less costly way? The first round of budget cuts and adjustments for the 2011-12 school year introduced this new reality to most school districts.”
In future years, the primary concern for school districts will be to determine their educational and fiscal future. “This means looking forward to what is possible, not backwards to what used to be,” explained Hartman. “On the fiscal side, this means finding efficiencies and cost savings to meet budget limitations and operate within available funds. On the operations side, it will encourage school administrators to look at restructuring instruction and support services. This is best achieved through a careful and inclusive process to establish district priorities and plan their resource allocation decisions.”
At the conference, Hartman was presented with a Distinguished Fellow Award. This lifetime award is given to individuals who have gained national visibility and who have distinguished themselves by their exemplary research and/or practice in the field of public education finance, both at the elementary and secondary level, as well as in higher education.
Expect financial hardships of school districts to continue, says Penn State's Bill Hartman.
by Joe Savrock (July 2011)
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - School districts nationwide are experiencing unprecedented financial hardships, and the situation is likely to worsen in the coming years, says a Penn State researcher.
William T. Hartman, professor of education leadership at Penn State, gave an analysis of the critical fiscal crisis facing Pennsylvania’s school districts during a recent presentation at the National Education Finance Conference in Tampa, Fla. In his paper, titled “Train Wreck Ahead: Financial Conditions Facing School Districts,” Hartman provided an overview of key economic, political, and educational factors that impact school districts' financial operations.
On the revenue side, Hartman pointed out that all three major sources are limited or declining. “Local tax increases will be difficult due to tax limitation measures and local resistance from taxpayers,” he said. “State funding for education is now being driven by lack of state revenues from state deficits, a political ideology to cut spending, and a general hostility to public education from some politicians. Extra federal funding from the stimulus money is now gone and will not be replaced.”
Without adequate revenues to maintain or expand programs, districts are forced to turn to expenditure reductions to balance their budgets. While this would be difficult enough in normal economic times, many of the district costs are mandated by the state and federal government. “Costs of required pension increases alone will consume most of new district revenues in the coming years,” Hartman said. “This necessitates both educational program and staffing cuts, which can be painful and have serious implications for availability of adequate education for all students.”
All the while, there is no letup in the state and federal mandates for student achievement. No Child Left Behind requires districts to have all of their students at a proficiency level in basic subject areas by 2014.
“The rising and somewhat uncontrollable expenditures and the limited or reduced revenues have led to a serious structural fiscal imbalance for many districts,” said Hartman. “Continuing on the same path, annual deficits are inevitable and will increase beyond manageable levels in very short order. Any fiscal reserves the districts have will be quickly consumed. The result will be district bankruptcy.
“Administrators and school boards are faced with new realities, the likes of which they’ve never had to deal with,” continued Hartman. “It’s a whole new ball game—it’s no longer business as usual. The focus is on survival.”
What is needed, said Hartman, is a concept he calls RESET—that is, to reset a district’s expenditure level down to available revenues. “The concept is easy to understand, but it is extraordinarily difficult to achieve while maintaining the educational integrity of the district, reaching mandated student achievement levels, and meeting community expectations,” he said.
“Of necessity, the focus will be more on what is required under the school code, rather than what has been offered in the past,” said Hartman. “The list is both surprising and disheartening if even partially implemented.”
Among the academic areas that are not mandated are vocational education, business education, home economics, computer science, art, and music. The list for potential elimination goes on: elective courses not required for graduation, libraries, student services (guidance counselors, school psychologists, school nurses), extracurricular activities (athletics, band, chorus, student government), and any limits on class size.
“For each area,” said Hartman, “a series of questions can be asked: Do we want to offer the program at all? Can we offer a different amount—for example, less often or to fewer students? Can we provide it in a different, more efficient, less costly way? The first round of budget cuts and adjustments for the 2011-12 school year introduced this new reality to most school districts.”
In future years, the primary concern for school districts will be to determine their educational and fiscal future. “This means looking forward to what is possible, not backwards to what used to be,” explained Hartman. “On the fiscal side, this means finding efficiencies and cost savings to meet budget limitations and operate within available funds. On the operations side, it will encourage school administrators to look at restructuring instruction and support services. This is best achieved through a careful and inclusive process to establish district priorities and plan their resource allocation decisions.”
At the conference, Hartman was presented with a Distinguished Fellow Award. This lifetime award is given to individuals who have gained national visibility and who have distinguished themselves by their exemplary research and/or practice in the field of public education finance, both at the elementary and secondary level, as well as in higher education.
Wednesday, August 10, 2011
from the NY TIMES ---Overriding a Key Education Law
Overriding a Key Education Law
By SAM DILLON
Published: August 8, 2011
Alex Brandon/Associated Press
Arne Duncan, secretary of education, in 2009. He said the No Child Left Behind law was hurting efforts to improve schools.
Related
Times Topics: No Child Left Behind Act | Arne DuncanMr. Duncan told reporters that he was acting because Congress had failed to rewrite the Bush-era law, which he called a “slow-motion train wreck.” He is waiving the law’s proficiency requirements for states that have adopted their own testing and accountability programs and are making other strides toward better schools, he said.
The administration’s plan amounts to the most sweeping use of executive authority to rewrite federal education law since Washington expanded its involvement in education in the 1960s.
Conservatives said it could inflame relations with Republicans in the House who want to reduce, not expand, the federal footprint in education. But Mr. Duncan and White House officials described their plan as offering crucial relief to state and local educators as the No Child law, which President George W. Bush signed in 2002, comes into increasing conflict with more recent efforts to raise academic standards.
The law made its focus the use of standardized test scores in schools, particularly those serving minority students.
“I can’t overemphasize how loud the outcry is for us to do something right now,” Mr. Duncan told reporters on Friday in a conference call that he said could not be reported until midnight Sunday.
Melody Barnes, director of President Obama’s White House Domestic Policy Council, who joined Mr. Duncan in the announcement, said that all states would be encouraged to apply for waivers from the law’s accountability provisions, but that only states the administration believed were carrying out ambitious school improvement initiatives would get them.
“This is not a pass on accountability,” Ms. Barnes said. “There will be a high bar for states seeking flexibility within the law.”
Under the current law, every school is given the equivalent of a pass-fail report card each year, an evaluation that administration officials say fails to differentiate among chaotic schools in chronic failure, schools that are helping low-scoring students improve, and high-performing suburban schools that nonetheless appear to be neglecting some low-scoring students.
About 38,000 of the nation’s 100,000 public schools fell short of their test-score targets under the federal law last year, and Mr. Duncan has predicted that number would rise to 80,000 this year.
Skeptics said Mr. Duncan’s predictions were exaggerated, but a huge number of schools are falling short under No Child’s school rating system. Eighty-nine percent of Florida’s public schools, for instance, missed federal testing targets, although 58 percent of Florida schools earned an A under the state’s own well-regarded grading system.
When Mr. Duncan sketched an outline of the administration’s waiver plan in June, Representative John Kline, the Minnesota Republican who is chairman of the House education committee, demanded that Mr. Duncan show by what legal authority he would override the federal law. Mr. Duncan responded by citing provisions of the No Child law itself that give the education secretary broad waiver powers.
On Friday, Mr. Kline said in a statement, “I remain concerned that temporary measures instituted by the department, such as conditional waivers, could undermine” efforts by Congress to rewrite the law.
Mr. Kline’s committee has completed three overhaul bills focusing on elimination of federal programs, financial flexibility for states, and charter schools. But the committee has not yet produced bills rewriting the law’s crucial school accountability and teacher effectiveness provisions.
Senator Tom Harkin, the Iowa Democrat who is chairman the Senate education committee, said he understood why Mr. Duncan was pursuing the waiver plan, since “it is undeniable that this Congress faces real challenges reaching bipartisan, bicameral agreement on anything.”
By SAM DILLON
Published: August 8, 2011
Alex Brandon/Associated Press
Arne Duncan, secretary of education, in 2009. He said the No Child Left Behind law was hurting efforts to improve schools.
Related
Times Topics: No Child Left Behind Act | Arne DuncanMr. Duncan told reporters that he was acting because Congress had failed to rewrite the Bush-era law, which he called a “slow-motion train wreck.” He is waiving the law’s proficiency requirements for states that have adopted their own testing and accountability programs and are making other strides toward better schools, he said.
The administration’s plan amounts to the most sweeping use of executive authority to rewrite federal education law since Washington expanded its involvement in education in the 1960s.
Conservatives said it could inflame relations with Republicans in the House who want to reduce, not expand, the federal footprint in education. But Mr. Duncan and White House officials described their plan as offering crucial relief to state and local educators as the No Child law, which President George W. Bush signed in 2002, comes into increasing conflict with more recent efforts to raise academic standards.
The law made its focus the use of standardized test scores in schools, particularly those serving minority students.
“I can’t overemphasize how loud the outcry is for us to do something right now,” Mr. Duncan told reporters on Friday in a conference call that he said could not be reported until midnight Sunday.
Melody Barnes, director of President Obama’s White House Domestic Policy Council, who joined Mr. Duncan in the announcement, said that all states would be encouraged to apply for waivers from the law’s accountability provisions, but that only states the administration believed were carrying out ambitious school improvement initiatives would get them.
“This is not a pass on accountability,” Ms. Barnes said. “There will be a high bar for states seeking flexibility within the law.”
Under the current law, every school is given the equivalent of a pass-fail report card each year, an evaluation that administration officials say fails to differentiate among chaotic schools in chronic failure, schools that are helping low-scoring students improve, and high-performing suburban schools that nonetheless appear to be neglecting some low-scoring students.
About 38,000 of the nation’s 100,000 public schools fell short of their test-score targets under the federal law last year, and Mr. Duncan has predicted that number would rise to 80,000 this year.
Skeptics said Mr. Duncan’s predictions were exaggerated, but a huge number of schools are falling short under No Child’s school rating system. Eighty-nine percent of Florida’s public schools, for instance, missed federal testing targets, although 58 percent of Florida schools earned an A under the state’s own well-regarded grading system.
When Mr. Duncan sketched an outline of the administration’s waiver plan in June, Representative John Kline, the Minnesota Republican who is chairman of the House education committee, demanded that Mr. Duncan show by what legal authority he would override the federal law. Mr. Duncan responded by citing provisions of the No Child law itself that give the education secretary broad waiver powers.
On Friday, Mr. Kline said in a statement, “I remain concerned that temporary measures instituted by the department, such as conditional waivers, could undermine” efforts by Congress to rewrite the law.
Mr. Kline’s committee has completed three overhaul bills focusing on elimination of federal programs, financial flexibility for states, and charter schools. But the committee has not yet produced bills rewriting the law’s crucial school accountability and teacher effectiveness provisions.
Senator Tom Harkin, the Iowa Democrat who is chairman the Senate education committee, said he understood why Mr. Duncan was pursuing the waiver plan, since “it is undeniable that this Congress faces real challenges reaching bipartisan, bicameral agreement on anything.”
Wednesday, August 3, 2011
Public School Code Update- House Bill 1352
From: Tomalis, Ronald [rtomalis@pa.gov]
Sent: Tuesday, August 02, 2011 3:08 PM
To: 'all-lea@lists.cas.psu.edu'
Subject: Public School Code Update
To: All School Districts, Intermediate Units, Career and Technology Centers, and Charter Schools
From: Ronald J. Tomalis, Secretary of Education
Subject: School Code Update
As part of the 2011-12 state budget, Governor Tom Corbett signed into law House Bill 1352, which makes several changes to the Public School Code of 1949. Below is an overview of the changes made by Act 24 of 2011.
Please note that this is a summary and further guidance on the implementation of these provisions will be forthcoming.
School Employees
· Suspends the state’s continuing professional development requirements for educators and school and system leaders until June 30, 2013; however, this provision would not apply to a new superintendent, assistant superintendent, principal, assistant principal, IU executive director, IU assistant executive director and director of a Career and Technology Center, who are still required to complete a leadership development program aligned with Pennsylvania’s school leadership standards. Those not required to complete a leadership development program during this two-year period can still participate in Act 45 and Act 48 activities, which will count toward their professional development requirements. For those who opted not to take courses during the 2-year suspension of the requirements, they will have the same number of hours of continuing professional education and the same amount of time to complete those requirements as they did at the time the suspension took effect. For additional information, contact Dave Volkman at dvolkman@pa.gov.
· Adds several offenses that would bar or suspend an individual’s eligibility for school employment and creates standardized reporting requirements for current or prospective school employees to provide notification of arrests or convictions for certain offenses. For more details, contact Steve Fisher at sfisher@pa.gov.
· Allows individuals who hold a graduate degree in business, management or finance and have at least four years of relevant work experience to serve as a superintendent or assistant superintendent. Individuals with this background must successfully complete the state’s professional development program for school leaders (PIL). For more details, contact Dave Volkman at dvolkman@pa.gov.
· Provides alternative certification pathways for second-career professionals to become teachers and school administrators through residency programs. Contact Terry Barnaby at tbarnaby@pa.gov for more information.
· Allows individuals who hold a teaching certificate issued by another state to be eligible for comparable Pennsylvania certification if the candidate holds a bachelor’s degree, has at least two years of successful classroom experience, demonstrates subject matter competency in the applicable area, and satisfies statutory requirements related to their criminal background check, medical history and being of good moral character. For more information, contact Terry Barnaby at tbarnaby@pa.gov.
Provides an alternate route to teaching for individuals who possess a bachelor’s degree, pass relevant subject exams, and complete an approved program in education within three years of issuance of the certificate. In addition, candidates for administrative certificate of vocational director certification must hold a bachelor’s degree from an accredited college school, three years of relevant professional experience and must be of good moral character. Candidates must complete a graduate program in education or within two years of employment in a school or system leader position provide evidence that they successfully completed the state’s professional development program for school leaders (PIL). The Secretary of Education is authorized to evaluate and approve all post-baccalaureate certification programs and qualified providers of such programs, which may include providers other than institutions of higher education; and to develop guidelines for the approval of flexible post-baccalaureate instructional certification programs. For more information, contact Terry Barnaby at tbarnaby@pa.gov.
School Finances
· Provides for an additional $100 million in Accountability Block Grants in the 2010-11 fiscal year to be distributed by formula and expendable on ABG eligible expenses in either the 2010-11 or 2011-12 fiscal years. For additional information, contact Bob Staver at rstaver@pa.gov.
· Allows school districts to reopen their 2011-12 budgets to reflect state and federal appropriations for fiscal years 2010-11 and 2011-12. Contact Benjamin Hanft at bhanft@pa.gov for additional information.
· Provides for payments for Basic Education Funding, Special Education Funding, community colleges, libraries, intermediate units, pupil transportation and remaining Accountability Block Grant funds. For additional information, contact Benjamin Hanft at bhanft@pa.gov.
· Exempts school districts from securing PDE approval for construction projects, plans and specifications, and leases when state reimbursement is not requested. For additional information, contact Mike Walsh at micwalsh@pa.gov.
· Removes provisions requiring the Commonwealth to reimburse charter and cyber charter schools for the employer’s share of Social Security payments. Contact Benjamin Hanft at bhanft@pa.gov for additional information.
· Requires public reporting of Intermediate Units’ (IU) annual financial reports and detailed information associated with certain IU financial transactions in excess of $50,000. For more information, contact Jeannine Weiser at jweiser@pa.gov.
District Administration
Limits preK-12 data collection for the 2011-12 and 2012-13 school years to only that which is necessary to: comply with federal mandates; populate the Pennsylvania Value-Added Assessment System; meet DPW requirements with regard to supervising and licensing or registering a child care provider; satisfy requirements for criminal background checks and state payments or reimbursements; and meet school safety reporting requirements. Contact Dave Ream at davream@pa.gov for more information.
Eliminates the requirement for a school entity to maintain a dual enrollment committee. Contact Bob Staver at rstaver@pa.gov for more information.
Permits school districts to admit beginners after the first two weeks of the school year. Contact Steve Fisher at sfisher@pa.gov for more information.
Requires school districts to maintain certified safety committees. Districts that do not form such a committee would lose a portion of their state subsidy equal to the discount the district would have received under the Workers’ Compensation Act. This would not apply to districts that self-insure. (Continuation of prior year provision.) For additional information contact Mike Kozup at mkozup@pa.gov.
School Safety
· Clarifies that school safety reports must be filed with PDE on an annual basis. (This was a clarification; previous language referenced semiannual reporting.) For additional information, contact Mike Kozup at mkozup@pa.gov.
· Re-establishes the Safe Schools Advocate for school districts of the first class and moves the office from PDE to the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency. Contact Mike Kozup at mkozup@pa.gov for more information.
Higher Education
· Allows post-secondary students to choose not to be individually identified in federally required data submissions. For more information, contact Wil DelPilar at wdelpilar@pa.gov.
· Moves to the school code the transfer and articulation provisions previously enacted in the fiscal code. These require state-owned universities to accept associates degrees for transfer with full junior standing, and requires state-related universities to identify at least 30 general education credits that can seamlessly transfer for credit from institutions participating in the state’s Transfer and Articulation system. (Continuation of prior year provision.) Contact Julie Kane at jukane@pa.gov.
Other Changes to the School Code
· Requires the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association to establish a policy by August 8, 2011, that allows students who attended a school entity that abolished its athletic program in whole or part to participate in another district’s athletic program. For more details, contact John Tommasini at jtommasini@pa.gov.
· Codifies language previously enacted regarding employment pools for former employees of the Scranton School for the Deaf and the Scotland School for Veterans Children. (Continuation of prior year provision.) Contact Diana Hershey at dihershey@pa.gov for more information.
In a separate action, Governor Corbett signed into law Senate Bill 330, Act 25 of 2011. This eliminated most referendum exceptions that were contained in Special Session Act 1 of 2006 allowing a school board to increase taxes above the statutory index without seeking voter approval. As a general matter, the referendum exceptions maintained are costs to pay interest and principal for certain debt already incurred and interest and principal related to electoral debt, special education costs that exceed the index, and pension costs that exceed a certain index. This law also allows small businesses to pay school property taxes in installments. For more information, contact Benjamin Hanft at bhanft@pa.gov
(Penn*Link)
Sent: Tuesday, August 02, 2011 3:08 PM
To: 'all-lea@lists.cas.psu.edu'
Subject: Public School Code Update
To: All School Districts, Intermediate Units, Career and Technology Centers, and Charter Schools
From: Ronald J. Tomalis, Secretary of Education
Subject: School Code Update
As part of the 2011-12 state budget, Governor Tom Corbett signed into law House Bill 1352, which makes several changes to the Public School Code of 1949. Below is an overview of the changes made by Act 24 of 2011.
Please note that this is a summary and further guidance on the implementation of these provisions will be forthcoming.
School Employees
· Suspends the state’s continuing professional development requirements for educators and school and system leaders until June 30, 2013; however, this provision would not apply to a new superintendent, assistant superintendent, principal, assistant principal, IU executive director, IU assistant executive director and director of a Career and Technology Center, who are still required to complete a leadership development program aligned with Pennsylvania’s school leadership standards. Those not required to complete a leadership development program during this two-year period can still participate in Act 45 and Act 48 activities, which will count toward their professional development requirements. For those who opted not to take courses during the 2-year suspension of the requirements, they will have the same number of hours of continuing professional education and the same amount of time to complete those requirements as they did at the time the suspension took effect. For additional information, contact Dave Volkman at dvolkman@pa.gov.
· Adds several offenses that would bar or suspend an individual’s eligibility for school employment and creates standardized reporting requirements for current or prospective school employees to provide notification of arrests or convictions for certain offenses. For more details, contact Steve Fisher at sfisher@pa.gov.
· Allows individuals who hold a graduate degree in business, management or finance and have at least four years of relevant work experience to serve as a superintendent or assistant superintendent. Individuals with this background must successfully complete the state’s professional development program for school leaders (PIL). For more details, contact Dave Volkman at dvolkman@pa.gov.
· Provides alternative certification pathways for second-career professionals to become teachers and school administrators through residency programs. Contact Terry Barnaby at tbarnaby@pa.gov for more information.
· Allows individuals who hold a teaching certificate issued by another state to be eligible for comparable Pennsylvania certification if the candidate holds a bachelor’s degree, has at least two years of successful classroom experience, demonstrates subject matter competency in the applicable area, and satisfies statutory requirements related to their criminal background check, medical history and being of good moral character. For more information, contact Terry Barnaby at tbarnaby@pa.gov.
Provides an alternate route to teaching for individuals who possess a bachelor’s degree, pass relevant subject exams, and complete an approved program in education within three years of issuance of the certificate. In addition, candidates for administrative certificate of vocational director certification must hold a bachelor’s degree from an accredited college school, three years of relevant professional experience and must be of good moral character. Candidates must complete a graduate program in education or within two years of employment in a school or system leader position provide evidence that they successfully completed the state’s professional development program for school leaders (PIL). The Secretary of Education is authorized to evaluate and approve all post-baccalaureate certification programs and qualified providers of such programs, which may include providers other than institutions of higher education; and to develop guidelines for the approval of flexible post-baccalaureate instructional certification programs. For more information, contact Terry Barnaby at tbarnaby@pa.gov.
School Finances
· Provides for an additional $100 million in Accountability Block Grants in the 2010-11 fiscal year to be distributed by formula and expendable on ABG eligible expenses in either the 2010-11 or 2011-12 fiscal years. For additional information, contact Bob Staver at rstaver@pa.gov.
· Allows school districts to reopen their 2011-12 budgets to reflect state and federal appropriations for fiscal years 2010-11 and 2011-12. Contact Benjamin Hanft at bhanft@pa.gov for additional information.
· Provides for payments for Basic Education Funding, Special Education Funding, community colleges, libraries, intermediate units, pupil transportation and remaining Accountability Block Grant funds. For additional information, contact Benjamin Hanft at bhanft@pa.gov.
· Exempts school districts from securing PDE approval for construction projects, plans and specifications, and leases when state reimbursement is not requested. For additional information, contact Mike Walsh at micwalsh@pa.gov.
· Removes provisions requiring the Commonwealth to reimburse charter and cyber charter schools for the employer’s share of Social Security payments. Contact Benjamin Hanft at bhanft@pa.gov for additional information.
· Requires public reporting of Intermediate Units’ (IU) annual financial reports and detailed information associated with certain IU financial transactions in excess of $50,000. For more information, contact Jeannine Weiser at jweiser@pa.gov.
District Administration
Limits preK-12 data collection for the 2011-12 and 2012-13 school years to only that which is necessary to: comply with federal mandates; populate the Pennsylvania Value-Added Assessment System; meet DPW requirements with regard to supervising and licensing or registering a child care provider; satisfy requirements for criminal background checks and state payments or reimbursements; and meet school safety reporting requirements. Contact Dave Ream at davream@pa.gov for more information.
Eliminates the requirement for a school entity to maintain a dual enrollment committee. Contact Bob Staver at rstaver@pa.gov for more information.
Permits school districts to admit beginners after the first two weeks of the school year. Contact Steve Fisher at sfisher@pa.gov for more information.
Requires school districts to maintain certified safety committees. Districts that do not form such a committee would lose a portion of their state subsidy equal to the discount the district would have received under the Workers’ Compensation Act. This would not apply to districts that self-insure. (Continuation of prior year provision.) For additional information contact Mike Kozup at mkozup@pa.gov.
School Safety
· Clarifies that school safety reports must be filed with PDE on an annual basis. (This was a clarification; previous language referenced semiannual reporting.) For additional information, contact Mike Kozup at mkozup@pa.gov.
· Re-establishes the Safe Schools Advocate for school districts of the first class and moves the office from PDE to the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency. Contact Mike Kozup at mkozup@pa.gov for more information.
Higher Education
· Allows post-secondary students to choose not to be individually identified in federally required data submissions. For more information, contact Wil DelPilar at wdelpilar@pa.gov.
· Moves to the school code the transfer and articulation provisions previously enacted in the fiscal code. These require state-owned universities to accept associates degrees for transfer with full junior standing, and requires state-related universities to identify at least 30 general education credits that can seamlessly transfer for credit from institutions participating in the state’s Transfer and Articulation system. (Continuation of prior year provision.) Contact Julie Kane at jukane@pa.gov.
Other Changes to the School Code
· Requires the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association to establish a policy by August 8, 2011, that allows students who attended a school entity that abolished its athletic program in whole or part to participate in another district’s athletic program. For more details, contact John Tommasini at jtommasini@pa.gov.
· Codifies language previously enacted regarding employment pools for former employees of the Scranton School for the Deaf and the Scotland School for Veterans Children. (Continuation of prior year provision.) Contact Diana Hershey at dihershey@pa.gov for more information.
In a separate action, Governor Corbett signed into law Senate Bill 330, Act 25 of 2011. This eliminated most referendum exceptions that were contained in Special Session Act 1 of 2006 allowing a school board to increase taxes above the statutory index without seeking voter approval. As a general matter, the referendum exceptions maintained are costs to pay interest and principal for certain debt already incurred and interest and principal related to electoral debt, special education costs that exceed the index, and pension costs that exceed a certain index. This law also allows small businesses to pay school property taxes in installments. For more information, contact Benjamin Hanft at bhanft@pa.gov
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