District Administration - July/August 2012 - (Page 14)

Br iefings Newsupdate PeoPle Watch Saying goodbye After six years, gene Wilhoit, executive director of the Council of Chief State School Officers, has decided to step down. Wilhoit was a key in working with the National Governors Association to develop the Common Core State Standards. Cyberbullying laW On July 10, New York Gov. andrew Cuomo signed a law to protect students from cyberbullying along with other forms of harassment, an amendment to the Dignity for All Students law. The bill asks districts to put protocols in place to prevent bullying. Hite to PHilly Prince George County (Md.) Schools Superintendent William Hite announced in July that he is leaving the system to lead the School District of Philadelphia. Hite follows Thomas Knudsen, the district’s CEO, who has held that position since August. a turnaround diStriCt South Carolina Schools Superintendent Mick Zais proposed the creation of a statewide turnaround district for failing schools. According to Zais, other strategies for failing schools have been ineffective and this would empower these schools to change. CalMing FCat FearS Florida Education Commissioner gerard robinson wrote to the state’s parents to say that changes in the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test (FCAT) resulted in lower scores this year, but that parents shouldn’t be overly concerned. By Marion Herbert The Costs of Common Core AS SCHOOL AND STATE LEADERS across the nation prepare to implement the Common Core State Standards in the fall of 2014, a new report proposes three options—with three costs—to use. According to “Putting a Price Tag on the Common Core: How Much Will Smart Implementation Cost?” released in May by the Thomas B. Fordham Institute, a nonprofit education policy think tank, the authors explain three approaches states may make to implement the standards during the transitional phase, which is expected to span one to three years, depending on the pace of each district, before the 2014-2015 school year. Three Approaches Business as usual. Following this “traditional approach,” districts or states buy hard-copy textbooks, administer annual student assessments on paper, and deliver in-person professional development to all teachers. It’s not cheap, but it’s familiar. In California, for example, the cost is roughly $1.6 billion, according to the report. (This is not the net cost to California of taking this approach, but the total cost of implementing the Common Core standards overall.) Bare bones. This is the cheapest option and includes using open-source materials, annual computer-administered assessments, and online PD via webinars and modules. In California, it would cost $380 million. Balanced implementation. This blends the two approaches and includes a mix of instructional materials with teacher self-published texts or district-produced materials, interim and summative assessments, and in-person and online PD, including training for the trainers. In California, it would cost $681 million. At the Corning-Painted Post School Putting a Price Tag on the Common Core: How Much Will Smart Implementation Cost? By Patrick Murphy and Elliot Regenstein with Keith McNamara Foreword by Chester E. Finn, Jr. and Amber M. Winkler May 2012 District in Corning, N.Y., Superintendent Michael Ginalski says his 5,200-student district is already using a slightly modified version of the business-as-usual approach. The district received $215,000 last year in Race to the Top funding to be spent over four years to make the shift to the Common Core. It has already spent more than half of that on delivering in-person professional development, in part for teachers to develop new curricula; purchasing new novels for secondary grades, particularly for ELA; and providing infrastructure upgrades for school buildings. “We support this direction [of the Common Core]. … It’s well overdue,” Ginalski says. “Much like Title I and IDEA, it’s well intentioned, but not nearly enough money is being provided. It’s going to be a challenge.” The amount of hours for teachers to develop the new curricula and new assessments that align with the Common Core standards, as well as the leadership training involved, represents “a major, major shift culturally,” Ginalski adds. Co-author Elliot Regenstein says the report is designed to make state leaders consider which model to use, given their individual budgets and technology needs. The report does not advocate any one paraticular approach. —Angela Pascopella District Administration 14 July/August 2012

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of District Administration - July/August 2012

District Administration - July/August 2012
Contents
From the Editor
Letters
News Update
District Profile
Administrator Profile
Research Center
Professional Opinion
Supervisor's Opinion
Crisis Response
Going Mobile
Gaming Gains Respect
A Running Start for ELLs
Paul Vallas for Sale
Unsung Heroes
CIO News
Avoiding the Pitfalls of Virtual Schooling
Noteworthy Books
New Products
Product Focus
Problem Solution

District Administration - July/August 2012