A focus on education

At the request of the House Appropriations Committee, CIS of Georgia submitted a report to the Georgia Department of Audits and Accounts Performance Audit Division. The report provided information on which school systems are participating in CIS, the services being provided and how state grant funds appropriated to CIS are being used. The Committee also wanted to know the ROI, as well as compare graduation rates of CIS participants to rates of non-participants and statewide rates. If you do not want to review the 22 page audit report and appendixes, click here for the highlights.

From The Gold Dome… By Cindy Morley, External Relations, CIS-Georgia

House Education Committee Chairman Brooks Coleman wants to hear from teachers, principals, superintendents and local school board members on a number of educational issues that will be discussed in the legislature next year. Rep. Coleman and other members of the House Education Committee, along with Senate Education Committee members, State Board of Education members, the governor’s education advisers and representatives from Georgia’s Planning and Budgeting Office are conducting listening sessions throughout the state. The focus is on testing, teacher and leader evaluations, pay for performance, as well as math and reading instruction. The goal, according to Chairman Coleman, is to prepare for next session’s review of recommendations from the Education Reform Commission.

Legislators want feedback on a number of issues including:

• How teachers are handling reading K-3 reading and K-5 math, Best practices, Barriers, and suggestions.
• How the state can improve teacher/leader evaluations, and how can differentiated pay/pay for performance be implemented, as well as how can the process be implemented, what objective measures can be used and how it should be phased in.
• Examining if changes made to testing in SB 364 is sufficient. (Note: SB 364 reduces the number of state required tests from 32 to 24 during a student’s K-12 experience, and reduces the percentage of student growth measures on evaluations from 50 percent to 30 percent for teachers, and 70 percent to 40 percent for leaders)
• How school climate can be improved.

 

Any changes recommended by the Education Reform Commission will have a major impact on education across the state, including students served by Communities In Schools.

What happened March 21-24

NOTE: The 2016 session of the General Assembly ended Thursday, March 24. And lawmakers used every last second on the clock to finish their work. Some actions taken on the final day may not be included in this report. We will follow with a wrap-up of the highlights next week. We will also be following Gov. Nathan Deal’s action on legislation — if he signs or vetoes the bills.

General Assembly Highlights

With the recommendations from the Governor’s Education Reform Commission coming just weeks before the  beginning of this most recent legislative session, many expected education issues to grab most of the attention at the Gold Dome these past three months. However, Governor Nathan Deal chose to put his education agenda on hold. As a result, legislators managed to sidestep many controversial education issues this year, and instead focus on issues that were highly favored and positive among the education community.

 

One of the most popular actions taken by lawmakers was the passage of SB 364, which reduces the number of assessments students take, and trims their impact on teacher evaluations. This bill by Sen. Lindsey Tippins (R-Marietta) is now headed to the Governor’s desk for his signature with the support of almost every education organization in the state. Gov. Deal has until May 3 to act on it.  Read SB 364 here

 

Legislators passed SB 355, the Student Protection Act, which addresses opting out of standardized testing, allowing students to take assessments with pencil and paper, and requiring the state School Superintendent and State Board of Education to develop guidelines for local districts on this opt-out by Sept. 1, 2016.

The bill sets provides a process for legally opting out of state mandated tests (through a doctor’s excuse, therapist excuse, notes from psychologists, etc.) and specifies that school systems must provide educational activities for students opting out of tests. SB 355 here.

 

Legislators passed HB 402 which allows for a 5% reduction in workers’ compensation insurance for companies participating in the Work-Based Learning programs of school districts. This will mean more opportunities for Work-Based Learning and internships for CIS served students. See HB 402 here.

 

Two bills of concern:

The lawmakers passed two bills that have caused some concern among administrators and teachers on both the K-12 and post-secondary education levels.

 

HB 792 would allow anyone over the age of 18 or enrolled in classes to carry a stun gun or taser on a public college or university campus. This includes high school students who might be enrolled in college classes through the Move On When Ready initiative. Read HB 792 here.

 

However, lawmakers did not offer any legislation that would address the Governor’s concerns over the Campus Carry bill (HB 859). Gov. Nathan Deal had asked that concerns such as a lack of provisions for day care centers on college campuses and high school students who are dually enrolled in college classes be considered. Read HB 859 here.

 

Other bills that passed the General Assembly:

HB 229, including SB 3, the Strengthening and Supporting Families Act which provides for a short-term power of attorney to grandparents

HB 614, allowing a district to participate in a program putting cameras in special ed classrooms

HB 659, providing for transparency of financial information of schools and school systems; also includes SB 310, the Transparency in Education Act which requires state officials and agencies to notify the Education Committees when applying for a competitive grant of $20 million or more; and SB 374, authorizing a pilot program for alternative financial reporting on Title I spending

 

No Hope for HOPE Funding

HB 22, which would have provided full HOPE funding for students taking courses at technical colleges, never made it through the House. Through this bill, author Rep. Stacey Abrams (D-Smyrna) had hoped to make funding available on the basis of need instead of academic achievement. This could have had a major impact on CIS-served students.

 

ESSA:

When federal lawmakers passed the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) last year, they immediately gave local districts more flexibility in how they use Title I and Title IV funds. Now that state officials and state education departments will be calling the shots, they are tasked with developing plans on how to proceed on issues such as accountability, school interventions, English-Language learners, and student support services. As of this week, only 10 state legislatures have wrapped up their 2016 session. Nationwide about 500 bills were introduced that deal with assessments in some fashion, and so far there have been 34 bills to revoke a state’s adoption of Common Core. That number is down from 49 in 2015. Georgia is not among these states. As national and state officials begin looking at ESSA and new regulations, we will be following the movement and will be reporting this to you. Stay tuned!

 

State Board of Education:

The State Board of Education adopted the new Science standards, but tabled action on the adoption of the new Social Studies standards until at least their May meeting. The Board members expressed concerns about the standards submitted, and wanted to ensure the process was transparent. The Advisory Committee will be reconvened to review the changes. The Board also approved a College Readiness Math course, a fourth math option for college bound students.

Bills passed by the General Assemby:

HB 402: Which allows for a 5% reduction in workers’ compensation insurance for companies participating in the Work-Based Learning programs of school districts. This will mean more opportunities for Work-Based Learning and internships for CIS served students.

 

HB 65: Which requires local boards of education and certain charter schools to hold at least two public meetings on their proposed annual operating budget.

HB 801: Adds computer science to the list of HOPE-eligible advanced science courses. The bill also weights STEM courses by half a point in HOPE grade point average calculations.

SB 329: Expands dual enrollment options from last year and requires these courses to meet the rigor requirements for HOPE eligibility.

HB 659:  Expands dual enrollment options from last year and requires these courses to meet the rigor requirements for HOPE eligibility.

HB 959: Title 20 Re-write Bill clarifies speech rights for local school board members and allows students scoring above a certain level on Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate and in dual enrollment courses to skip corresponding End of Course Tests. The bill also creates a unique identifier for children of military families. HB 879: Would allow high school graduates who have achieved a high level of proficiency in a language other than English to be awarded a seal of biliteracy. The bill was amended late and now includes the language of SB 355, a bill addressing testing opt-out and prohibits punitive “sit and stare” policies and codifies the Georgia Department of Education’s opt-out guidance.

 

SB 364  Senate Bill 364 which Sen. Lindsey Tippins (R-Marietta) says will “have more positive impact on any education bill” is headed to the Governor’s desk. Senators voted 47-2 to accept the House changes to the bill which will impact student testing and teacher evaluations.

“We listened for a year to the students, teachers and administrators across the state,” said Tippins. “