Archive for November, 2011

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From ODE: “Revised Standards and Model Curricula Meetings Scheduled Throughout School Year”

November 17, 2011

ODE is conducting late afternoon and evening workshops this school year to help educators respond to Ohio’s revised academic content standards and model curricula in social studies, English language arts, mathematics and science. Each subject-specific session includes a general introduction to the revised standards and model curricula, and describes how participants can deepen their content knowledge and make other classroom practice changes to increase student achievement. Registrants should plan to take one workshop session in each of the subject areas they teach during each of these two periods: Focus 1 – now through December (Standards and Model Curricula 101); and Focus 2 – January through May (Curriculum Revision). In other words, an elementary teacher who teaches all four subjects may want to take four workshops during Focus 1 and four workshops during Focus 2. A teacher who teaches only social studies would take one workshop during Focus 1 and one during Focus 2.

Registration is available in STARS by searching the keywords: Targeted Professional Development. Fall sessions are listed now; 2012 meeting dates will be listed by Dec. 1. Participants should download the materials needed for the meetings from ODE’s Academic Content Standards section by visiting their specific content area (accessible through links at left) and opening the relevant Targeted Professional Development page. The Academic Content Standards section also is accessible at the bottom of ODE’s home page under the Educators heading. Contact hours will be awarded for attendance. For questions about registration, contact lisa.simpson@ode.state.oh.us.

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EngineerGirl! Essay Contest for Grade 3-12 Girls and Boys

November 14, 2011

We are pleased to announce the National Academy of Engineering’s EngineerGirl! website’s 12th annual Essay Contest. Students are asked to write about the role of engineering in providing safe and nutritious food. Details and rules can be found on the EngineerGirl! website: http://www.engineergirl.org/CMS/Contest/food2012.aspx.

Participation is open to both girls and boys in grades 3-12 and submissions must be entered by 6:00 pm (EST) on March 1, 2012. All winning entries will be published on the EngineerGirl! website and winners will receive cash prizes: first place winners $500, second place winners $250, third place winners $100.  The 2012 EngineerGirl! Essay Contest was made possible by the generous support of Lockheed Martin Corporation.

The EngineerGirl! website is designed to spark the curiosity of young people, girls in particular, and encourage them to consider careers in engineering. EngineerGirl! provides career descriptions, profiles of successful women engineers, information about exciting engineering projects, and interactive tools for girls, parents, teachers, and guidance counselors, all designed to encourage girls to pursue an engineering education and career. Launched in 2001, the site is visited by more than 18,000 unique visitors a month and has been featured by the Girl Scouts of America, the Society of Women Engineers, and local and national media in the United States and around the world. Engineer Girl! is a trusted and entertaining resource for young girls, parents, educators, and volunteer engineers involved in student outreach. In a 2011 poll, girls’ reported that viewing the EngineerGirl! website or participating in its annual essay contest caused 63% of them to consider a career in engineering and 81% to consider studying engineering in college. Please visit www.engineergirl.org to learn more.

We look forward to reading some exciting and creative essays and we hope you will help us to spread the contest announcement. If you have questions, or seek clarification, please contact the EngineerGirl! team at engineergirl@nae.edu.

Best,

Vickie

Victoria Gunderson, Ph.D.
Mirzayan Science & Technology Policy Fellow
National Academy of Engineering
vgunderson@nae.edu
www.engineergirl.org

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Is Your District Evaluating Resources to Teach the New Science Standards?

November 13, 2011

The Ohio Department of Education has developed a rubric to help evaluate resources and materials for use in science instruction. The Science Resource Filter may be found along with other resources on the ODE website for implementing the revised Science Education Standards and Model Curriculum.

ODE Science Resource Filter

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From ODE: Preview of School and District Rankings Released

November 11, 2011

Transparency in Public Reporting Continues as State Superintendent Heffner Releases Preview of School and District Rankings

Parents and communities will have new information to better understand how effectively Ohio’s public schools are helping students learn with a new ranking of Ohio public school buildings’ performance released today by Superintendent of Public Instruction Stan W. Heffner. The Ohio Department of Education (ODE) will release a final list by September 2012 as required by state law. The draft ranking list can be viewed here.

“Educators, parents and communities can make informed decisions about improving their schools when they have the right information. The ranking list is a powerful tool we can use to see how local schools stack up with similar communities around the state,” Heffner said. “Next year, this list will be coupled with financial data to give the public a clear way to see who is delivering the most return on the community’s educational investment.”

Each school building in city, local and exempted village school districts, as well as joint vocational school districts, community schools and STEM schools are ranked using a Performance Index (PI) score. PI scores combine individual students’ results on all tested subjects in grades 3-8 on Ohio’s Achievement Assessments (OAAs) and on the 10th-grade Ohio Graduation Test (OGTs). The Performance Index score has been widely used and endorsed by Ohio educators since its adoption in 2003.*

The PI scores are not new, and it has been possible to create ranking lists with them using existing interactive tools on the ODE website. Such district and county rankings have been done frequently by independent groups, but this is the first statewide ranking completed and released by ODE.

The rankings are required under House Bill 153. The final ranking list is required to be released by September 2012.

*Calculating the Performance Index All assessments have five performance levels, which include: Advanced; Accelerated; Proficient; Basic; and Limited. The percentage of students scoring at each performance level is calculated, and then multiplied by the point value assigned to that performance level. The points earned for each performance level are totaled to determine each school’s Performance Index score, where applicable.

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November 8 Election Results for Ohio Schools

November 8, 2011

School tax levy, income tax question, and bond issue results so far from around the state from the November 8, 2011 General Election:

Issues that passed (unofficial results):

Issues that failed (unofficial results):

Election results still pending:

[Updated 12/6/11 4:00 pm]

Complete levy results will be available in the OSBA database.

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November 8 School Levies, Bond, and Tax Issues Right Around the Corner

November 3, 2011

According to the Secretary of State’s office, Ohioans will be casting votes concerning 163 school tax levy, income tax questions, and bond issues during the November 8, 2011 General Election. For details on many of these issues, see the Ballotpedia entry “November 8, 2011 ballot measures in Ohio.”

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