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Dave
Shellhaas, Darke County Educational Service Center,
does a demonstration for
Greenville students. Photo from the Greenville
Schools Blogspot.
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Common Core State Standards
Next Generation
Educational Standards to be more rigorous
By Bob Robinson
“The goal is to go
from ‘knowing’ something to ‘deeply understanding’ something… it is a
totally different way of teaching.”
“It will be a public relations nightmare,” said Dave Shellhaas of the
Darke County Educational Service Center. “We will take a hit.”
In last year’s ranking – statewide – 23 percent of public school
districts achieved Excellent with Distinction, 41 percent Excellent, 28
percent Effective, 6 percent Continuous Improvement, 1.8 percent
Academic Watch and 0.2 percent Academic Emergency.
All Darke County Districts were rated Effective, Excellent or Excellent
with Distinction.
At the request of Director Sharon Deschambeaux, Shellhaas made a
presentation to the Darke County Chamber of Commerce Board Members
about the upcoming Common Core State Standards on Thursday. They are
being developed collectively by the states and have been adopted by 46
of them. They will begin in Ohio in 2012-15.
He said that if the new system was implemented with the same data,
these same districts would be rated as follows: 0.49 percent A, 4.6
percent A-, 7.88 percent B+, 13.96 percent B, 21.84 percent B-, 12.32
percent C+, 8.54 percent C, 8.87 percent C-, 4.6 percent D+, 3.78
percent D, 4.6 percent D- and 8.54 percent F.
Instead of more than two-thirds of Ohio Districts achieving Excellent
or Excellent with Distinction, that number would drop to less than half
(A-B). A little over a quarter would be in the comparable Effective or
Continuous Improvement range (C), down from a third, and more than
two-fifths would be on Academic Watch (D) or Academic Emergency (F), up
from the current 2 percent.
Shellhaas told the group that the first state to adopt the standards
was Kentucky. In the past year, Kentucky gave the first state test that
was aligned to the new standards.
“Although not the same as the assessments being developed in Ohio,
experts believe the rigor is similar and indicative of scores across
other states, including Ohio, in 2014-15.”
The biggest drop came at the elementary level, he noted. Previously 76
percent of elementary students scored proficient or higher in reading.
It plunged to 48 percent for K-PREP results. Seventy-three percent were
proficient or better in math. That fell to 40.4 percent. Middle
schoolers dropped from 70 percent proficiency in reading to 46.8
percent; and 65 percent to 40.6 percent in math.
Shellhaas told the Board that many districts see the change as a game
of “gotcha” designed to show public schools in a negative light.
“It is frustrating for public school districts to be given standards
and bars to reach, then when they successfully meet them, the state
changes the system,” he noted in a prepared summary for the Board.
He said the schools have done a remarkable job meeting the standards
set for them, even in challenging times with budget cuts and unfunded
mandates.
“We will get there with these standards, too,” he said, “but the public
– and local businesses – must understand it will take time.
“We cannot compare the past to the future,” he added. Public schools
will rise to this new challenge as well.
“We need the community to understand that there will be a transition
period and rally around our districts and educators. The changes cannot
take place overnight.”
He said that teachers and administrators are working hard to make this
transition as successful as possible, “so our students are not only
prepared for this new accountability system, but for their future as
well.”
The “Standards” are designed to achieve the following objectives:
Align with college and work expectations
Be clear, understandable and consistent
Include rigorous content and application of knowledge through
high-order skills
Build upon strengths and lessons of current state standards
Be prepared to succeed in our global economy and society
Be evidence-based
Shellhaas said this represents an entirely different method of teaching.
“The goal is to go from ‘knowing’ something to ‘deeply understanding’
something,” he said.
The Ohio Graduation Test (OGT) will be replaced with end of course
exams for individual subjects. Other assessments for grades 3-8 will
likely remain at the same grade levels.
“The most significant changes,” he said, “will be that the assessments
are expected to be much more rigorous and will be administered online.
These changes will definitely result in some major challenges as
districts make the transition.”
Areas of concentration will be math, literacy, science and social
studies.
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Shellhaas
and Darke County Chamber of Commerce Director
Sharon Deschambeaux, following his
presentation to the Board of
Directors. Photo courtesy of the Darke County Chamber of Commerce.
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