February 10th, 2010 Bob
The Oklahoma Legislative session began last week and it doesn’t take long to realize it’s an election year . Attached is a list of the bills that have something to do with education. The list contains the bill numbers, the author, and usually the words “An Act Related to Schools…” Some of the bills are funding measures for may state agencies that are necessary each year, others are “shell” bills that have very little other than a number ascribed to them as yet because there will be other measures rolled up into them or they are awaiting budgetary figures and conference reports.
And there are the others…
Some of the bills have already garnered public attention such as Tom Ivester’s sb1338 which is ” An Act relating to schools; authorizing independent school districts to offer elective courses on Hebrew Scriptures and New Testament to certain students; stating purposes; prohibiting a requirement that students use specific translation as text; requiring certain courses to follow applicable law and certain guidelines; prohibiting certain courses from promoting or disfavoring any religion or nonreligious faith or religious perspective; stating Legislative intent; directing State Board of Education to adopt certain curricular standards by certain date; requiring Attorney General to review standards and ensure compliance with certain provisions; prohibiting Board from adopting standards without approval of Attorney General; directing Board to approve certain teacher training materials and resources by certain date; directing State Superintendent of Public Instruction to distribute list of approved training materials and resources to districts by certain date; requiring certain districts to provide certain materials to teachers of certain courses; prohibiting certain construction; prohibiting requirement of additional funds for certain authority; providing for codification; and providing an effective date.; Effective Date: 11/01/2010″. By the way, Bible as Literature courses are already perfectly legal and have been for some time.
and
Brian Renegar’s HB3047 ” An Act relating to schools; amending 70 O.S. 2001, Section 1210.513, which relates to participation in the National Assessment of Educational Progress; clarifying language; and providing an effective date.; Effective Date: 11/01/2010. ” Which proposes full state participation in NAEP and a audit of the state curriculum standards.
and
Gary Stanislawski’s, sb1391 “An Act relating to schools; amending 70 O.S. 2001, Section 1210.508, as last amended by Section 8, Chapter 456, O.S.L. 2009 (70 O.S. Supp. 2009, Section 1210.508), which relates to the Oklahoma School Testing Program Act; providing certain exemption for certain students; modifying required end-of-instruction tests for Geometry and Algebra II ; requiring students to take ACT assessment; directing State Board of Education to contract for administration of ACT assessment; limiting responsibility for certain fees or costs; modifying testing window dates; amending Section 6, Chapter 432, O.S.L. 2005, as last amended by Section 11, Chapter 456, O.S.L. 2009 (70 O.S. Supp. 2009, Section 1210.523), which relates to mastery of state academic content standards; modifying requirements for graduation from public high school; providing an effective date; and declaring an emergency.; Effective Date: 07/01/2010 Emergency. ” Which proposes elimination of all EOI test other than English II and Algebra I and substitute the ACT as the state graduation test (be careful what you ask for is all I can say…)
These may or may not be perfectly good ideas, but it’s easy to see why they might have an impact on schools and students across the state. To help you be a better informed Legislature watcher, I’ve attached a list of the prefiled measures that are directly related to education. That doesn’t mean something won’t get changed or amended over the next few months, but it is a starting point. If you wish to know more about each measure and follow it as it changes along the way, go to the Legislature’s web page at http://www.lsb.state.ok.us/. There you can read the text of each bill and follow it’s progress through the legislative process.
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August 27th, 2009 Bob
(announced by OSDE, August 27, 2009)
The items on the Algebra I, Geometry, Algebra II, and Biology I assessments are designed so that calculators are not required to solve any of the problems. All tasks can be solved without the use of a calculator. However, certain tasks are much more difficult if a calculator is not available. Before the first day of the test, students using a calculator for any EOI mathematics or science assessment should be familiar with the use of the specific calculator that will be utilized. Students must be instructed in the use of calculators or this tool can actually hinder students’ performance on the assessment. The appropriate calculator will be available for the online version of the EOI mathematics and science tests.
Subject-specific Requirements
Algebra I, Geometry, and Biology I:
• Scientific Calculators meeting general requirements may be used on all/specified sections.
Algebra II:
• Graphing Calculators meeting general requirements may be used on all/specified sections.
General Requirements
• Calculators are permitted but are not required.
• Calculator capabilities described for a specific subject give the maximum capabilities allowed; calculators with less capability are acceptable.
• Students may not share calculators.
• Students may use their own calculators or those provided by the school.
• Calculators that make noise must have the sound feature turned off.
• Calculators that have paper tape must have the tape removed.
• Calculators with power cords must have the cord removed.
• All calculators must have the memory cleared before and after the test session.
• Any programs or applications must be removed prior to the test session.
Prohibited Calculators
• Pocket organizers
• Handheld or laptop computers
• Electronic writing pads or pen-input devices
• Calculators built into cellular phones or other electronic communication devices
• Calculators with a typewriter keypad (QWERTY format)
• Calculators with programs or applications that cannot be removed or disabled (e.g., Polynomial Root-Finder and Simultaneous Equation Solver on TI-86)
• Calculators with built-in computer algebra systems (CAS), such as, but not limited to: Casio: Algebra fx 2.0, ClassPad 300, and all model numbers that begin with CFX-9970G. Texas Instruments: All model numbers that begin with TI-89 or TI-92 Hewlett-Packard: HP-48GII and all model numbers that begin with HP-40G or HP-49G
Test Security and Validity
Using a calculator that does not meet the above requirements invalidates the test results and is a violation of test security and test validity. Any violation will be reported to the State Superintendent and may result in revocation of teaching and/or administrative certificates.
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February 20th, 2009 Bob
Even though February is a short month, A LOT of stuff is happening in science education. Catch up on the latest, including information about these legislative actions in a special edition Janagram:
House Bill 1706
House Bill 1706 ( proposed committee substitute) calls for the elimination of Grade 5 Science assessment, all Social Studies assessments (grade 5, 7, 8, and high school EOI), as well as high school geometry EOI, and the Arts Assessment process in Grade 3-8.
Senate Bill 1111
This bill creates a new “Education Oversight Board” and moves all student assessment, school data collection (the WAVE), and supporting federal monies to this new agency. The bill requires an outside organization to do a curriculum crosswalk of Oklahoma PASS with the NAEP framework and also eliminates the Grade 5 Social Studies assessment and the Grade 8 U.S. History/ Constitution/ Government assessment.
Senate Bill 766
SB 766 requires the State Department of Education to adopt readiness standards for high school level preparation for middle school students, including standards for math, science and English.
Oklahoma Legislature Home Page
See <http://www.lsb.state.ok.us/> to read the full text of the bills listed above, track a bill, or locate your senator or representative.
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September 15th, 2008 Bob
The following updated documents are now accessible from the Oklahoma State Department of Education Website, Accountability and Assessment page http://sde.state.ok.us/AcctAssess/core.html
Core/Curriculum Tests:
Blueprints for the EOI Test: Algebra I, Algebra II, Geometry, English II, English III, Biology I, and US History.
Item Specification and Sample Items: Grades 3 ‑ 8, (Science 5 and 8 will be updated at a future date).
Released Items 2008‑2009: EOI Biology I and Answer Key, Algebra I and Answer Key.
Test Administration Resources:
End‑of‑Instruction: Testing Cumulative Record Form 2007‑2008. Test Interpretation Manuals: Grades 3‑8, EOI, OMAAP.
Presentations: Test Interpretation Inservice 2008.
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August 25th, 2008 Bob
The Office of Accountability and Assessments is pleased to offer workshops for Oklahoma science educators concerning the End-of-Instruction (EOI) Biology and Grade 5 and 8 sciences assessments.
Primary objectives of the workshops include the following:
- To understand the use of PASS, Test Specifications and Item Specifications, and the testing format for the EOI and OCCT science assessments
- To provide an overview of test item development, including dual alignment of PASS content and process standards and DOK levels.
- To gain experience and knowledge creating own items and how to teach this testing process to students
- To build professional collegiality and networking among science teachers.
The training will be delivered by staff members from Pearson’s and Data Recognition Corporation’s (DRC) Science Content Support teams experienced in working with Oklahoma’s science assessments. Representatives from the State Department of Education will also be available during the workshop to respond to questions.
Biology I workshops will be held from 9:00 a.m.-3:30 p.m.
¨ Lawton: Tuesday, October 7, Great Plains Technology Center
¨ Oklahoma City: Wednesday, October 8, Francis Tuttle Technology Center - Rockwell Campus
¨ Tulsa: Thursday, October 9, Tulsa Technology Center – Peoria Campus
Grades 5 and 8 Science workshops will be held from 9:00am – 3:30 pm
¨ Durant: Monday, September 29, Kiamichi Technology Center, Durant, OK
¨ Tulsa: Tuesday, September 30, Clarion Hotel, Broken Arrow, OK
¨ Chickasha: Wednesday, October 1, Canadian Valley Technology Center – Chickasha Campus
¨ Woodward: Thursday, October 2, High Plains Technology Center, Seminar A Main Building
¨ Oklahoma City: Friday, October 3, Francis Tuttle Technology Center – Reno Campus
Space is limited and registration is required.
For additional information contact Gaile Loving at 405-521-3341, or email Gaile_Loving@sde.state.ok.us
To register you must contact your local District Test Coordinator to obtain the proper url for the registration site.
Direct your questions to the following numbers and e-mail addresses:
Biology: Pearson at 1- 866-294-9970 or okeoionline@support.pearson.com
Grades 5 and 8 Science: DRC at 1-866-546-9404 or email OK@datarecogntioncorp.com.
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