Paducah Sun, Feb. 5, 2012
Educators react to poor score
BY REBECCA FELDHAUS
State and local educators are taking with a grain of salt a recent report that gave Kentucky a D-plus.
A study from the National Council on Teacher Quality ranked Kentucky 41st in the nation in teacher quality. The study criticized teachers in the commonwealth for not being ready to implement new common core academic standards under Senate Bill 1. The 2009 bill included new standards for all core curriculum as well as a statewide teacher accountability model. Teachers in all Kentucky public schools began teaching new standards in English language arts and math this year.
Donald Shively, Paducah Public Schools assistant superintendent for curriculum and instruction, said most districts expect a dip in student scores and teacher feedback during implementation years. Teachers have been attending professional development to focus on the new standards. Shively said he can speak only for his district, but expects the scores to go up in the next few years once students show progress on revamped standardized tests.
“I think as we roll out Senate Bill 1 and implement core academic standards, I think we are as up to date as we can be as a district with what we’ve been given up to now,” Shively said.
The next State Teacher Policy Yearbook comes out in January 2014. Because the document is close to 9,000 pages and includes all states, the council can’t produce it annually. The council publishes a “Blueprint for Change” for each state in the year following a yearbook release. Shively said his district will continue the work it is doing for new standards because he believes it will, in time, lead to greater success.
Most of the recommendations for Kentucky relate to actions that could only be changed through amendments to state law. Districts throughout the commonwealth will have to wait for lawmakers to take action before they can implement council-recommended changes. Shively can only take steps in his own district, and he is confident in its progress.
Shively said the grade was disappointing, but said other factors come in play when analyzing education. He referred to the report released Jan. 12 from Education Week magazine, in which Kentucky jumped from 34th to 14th in the nation for its work in new academic standards. Shively said he doesn’t dismiss either study.
Phil Rogers, executive director of the Education Professional Standards Board, said his department is already working with the 30 teacher preparation programs in the state to make changes in programming. Rogers said many districts, such as McCracken County schools, took time over the summer to break down the new standards on their own, in addition to requirements from the state.
“(The study) is an accurate statement,” Rogers said. “It’s not a fair statement because there’s an incredible amount of work going on that’s moving this forward.”
Rogers, like Shively, said his agency will look into the study. He feels comfortable the state will improve in studies like the one from the National Council on Teacher Quality because things are already changing.
The Education Professional Standards Board is working with teacher preparation programs to require 200 classroom hours before young teachers begin their student teaching. Elementary school teachers will also encounter a new test before getting their certification.
Rogers said the test and increased classroom hours are examples of steps the state is making to propel teacher effectiveness and student achievement forward.