| On Board Online • January 26, 2015 By Cathy Woodruff NYSSBA is weighing in against a proposed rule change that would explicitly require schools to administer the stand-alone field tests used to vet potential questions for future state tests. NYSSBA "opposes stand-alone field tests, based on concerns expressed by its members and the parents of the children they serve," Executive Director Timothy G. Kremer wrote in a Jan. 5 letter to Deputy Education Commissioner Ken Wagner. Parents have complained that field tests rob schools of instructional time, and some districts have refused to participate. "While NYSSBA recognizes that required standardized tests need to be validated, it believes such validation should not be dependent upon stand-alone field tests," Kremer continued. "Instead, such validation should be accomplished by the insertion of sample questions in existing tests and by producing more versions of the tests." Kremer's letter also acknowledged that the State Education Department's reliance on stand-alone field tests is largely a consequence of insufficient state funding to embed more trial questions within regular "operational" exams. He noted that NYSSBA "has long advocated for the state to fully fund the state assessment program." |
| On Board Online • January 26, 2015 Before being released to the community, the Board of Examiners of Sex Offenders makes a recommendation to the sentencing court regarding the offender's risk level. The risk level is based on an examination of the facts in each particular case such as the offender's use of force, weapons, alcohol or drugs, victim's age, number of victims, assault or injury to the victim and the sex offender's relationship to the victim. The sentencing court then assigns one of the following three risk levels: Level 1 (low risk of repeat offense), Level 2 (moderate risk of repeat offense), or Level 3 (high risk of repeat offense). The risk level indicates the level of danger the offender poses to the community. |
| On Board Online • January 26, 2015 By the New York State Association of School Attorneys As a school board member, you may be faced with questions about the presence of sex offenders on school property. You may receive a phone call from a parent saying, "I've heard that the father of one of the students in my daughter's first-grade class is a convicted sex offender. I don't know the details, but other parents are reporting to me that the conviction arises from a sexual relationship that he had with a teenage girl a few years ago. Would you want a sex offender around your kid? If this guy really is a convicted sex offender, can we ban him from school property?" Unfortunately, there is not a simple "yes" or "no" answer to that question. Factors include, but are not limited to, whether the person in question is actually a registered sex offender, the offender's risk classification and whether the offender has been released on parole or is currently on probation or conditional discharge from custody or incarceration.
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| On Board Online • January 26, 2015 By Brian Benzel Leadership, especially in public settings, occasionally attracts controversy. We understand that even with well-considered procedures and efforts to ensure fair consideration of complex issues, conflicts will arise, often from unsuspected sources. At times, these conflicts are personal or become personal. Unfortunately, there are no easy answers to ease the pain of a personal conflict with a citizen, a fellow board member, or a staff member. Additionally, easy access to social media and unfiltered and unverified information in the hands of just about anyone can spread conflict quickly. The truth is that eliminating the likelihood of personalized conflicts coming your way may not be possible. But how you respond is within your control-and affects how others respond. Four strategies can help you prepare and manage your response while easing the pain and calming, rather than inflaming, the situation. 1. Create clear, deliberate, and transparent decision-making processes. Such processes can anticipate and diminish the potential for conflict. Make sure the process includes adequate time for board consideration of issues. Build a decision-making process that respects the need for public awareness, understanding, and input. Such processes should focus upon informing the staff and the public about the nature of the challenge and the need for action. Follow the adopted decision-making process as fully as the study of the issue allows. If changes become necessary, make adjustments publicly and with a full explanation. 2. Stay calm in the face of personal allegations or attacks. This response is often hard to achieve because a natural adrenaline rush can kick in and create a "fight or flight" situation. Keep your ego in check and try not to respond in this state. Rather, give yourself time to think through the reason for the attack. Talk with the superintendent, a trusted family member, a friend, or a board colleague to help you think through how to address the issue. Use this time to thoughtfully determine the best response and ways to direct your message to what the antagonists are saying to you or about you without escalating emotions. |
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| On Board Online • January 26, 2015 By Merri Rosenberg Can elementary school faculty do a good job teaching Spanish if they don't know much about the language themselves? One Orange County school district is aiming to find out - with some help from high school seniors Cassie Rodriguez, Kyra Sullivan and Kayla Campana. As part of an independent study, the seniors are helping elementary teachers plan and create materials for a Spanish language program that will be introduced in September to the first and fifth grades. It's an example of how one school district is seeking to challenge students more in both high school and early grades. Working with Spanish teacher Cassia Peeler, the students have been developing curricular materials, including tools for proper Spanish pronunciation. The students have observed classes and plan to visit other districts to examine elementary language programs. They have also created posters and developed teacher resources including a flash drive that students can use to save their lessons and audio files, so teachers can review them. |
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| On Board Online • January 26, 2015 By Linda Hoffman
You know when a tune gets stuck in your head? It's called an "earworm," and I've had one for a month: "R, E, S, P, E, C, T" by Aretha Franklin. As I was contemplating writing this column about boardsmanship for On Board, the Queen of Soul was so busy drowning out my thoughts that I decided that if you can't beat 'em, join 'em. Most of what I know about boardsmanship can be boiled down to Aretha's mantra - R, E, S, P, E, C, T. R is for Read. To be good board members, we have an ongoing obligation to read the often voluminous information that we receive in our board packets. Digesting and thinking about these reports and memos well before the meeting gives us time to ask questions and seek out more information. Keep in mind that it's bad form to embarrass your staff by surprising them during board meetings with questions that they aren't prepared to answer. It's much better to read ahead and let the superintendent or board president know before the meeting what supplementary information you think would be helpful to the board. It's not just good form to do this; it's our (can you see the R word coming?) responsibility. |
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| FOR RELEASE: January 21, 2015 CONTACT: David Albert Governor Cuomo today delivered a broad, sweeping vision for reforming the public education system. |
| On Board Online • January 12, 2015 By Russ Moore
Idaho High School Coach Fired for "Immoral" Facebook Photo Teachers' Saucy Web Profiles Risk Jobs When Young Teachers Go Wild on the Web - Recent headlines
It's a different world today than it was just a short 10 years ago. News items frequently report that someone has suffered a serious consequence because of something he or she posted on Facebook or Twitter. The three headlines above are a small sampling of what you'll find if you Google "fired for Facebook postings" or "fired for Twitter comments." In the education community, we have to face the fact that virtually all young teachers spent their adolescence and young adult lives on social media. Many have been used to sharing whatever comes to mind with online friends. Of course, they need to change that behavior when they become educators. And they truly need to understand that a youthful, naive, funny comment can have serious consequences in the adult world. Some young teachers adjust better than others. How else can you explain the teacher in the state of Washington who lost her position for writing in a personal blog that one of her administrators was ". a smug know-it-all creep ." with ". a reputation of crapping on secretaries ." Or the Pennsylvania college senior and student teacher who was deemed to have engaged in unprofessional conduct because of postings on her MySpace site, which was accessible to her students. Her comments included criticism of her supervisor and a photo of her wearing a pirate hat, drinking from a plastic cup, with the caption "drunken pirate." |
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