Comments on: Court slaps state board’s wrist in algebra case http://toped.svefoundation.org/2010/04/30/court-slaps-state-boards-wrist-in-algebra-case/ Analysis, opinion and ruminations on California education policy Wed, 08 Feb 2012 03:03:08 +0100 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.4 hourly 1 By: KSC http://toped.svefoundation.org/2010/04/30/court-slaps-state-boards-wrist-in-algebra-case/comment-page-1/#comment-11528 KSC Sun, 02 May 2010 05:19:24 +0000 http://educatedguess.org/blog/?p=1965#comment-11528 "There is a pattern with respect to lack of transparency on policy decisions at both the SBE and the CDE..." Let's not forget the SBE's reversal over lunch regarding the Western Sierra Collegiate charter appeal last March. During its slated time on the agenda, the appeal failed before the SBE. After a lunch break, the SBE announced that it would take another vote on the charter the following day -- after the Rocklin USD opposition left for the day. http://www.sacbee.com/2009/08/22/2130292/rocklin-schools-sue-state-board.html “There is a pattern with respect to lack of transparency on policy decisions at both the SBE and the CDE…”

Let’s not forget the SBE’s reversal over lunch regarding the Western Sierra Collegiate charter appeal last March. During its slated time on the agenda, the appeal failed before the SBE. After a lunch break, the SBE announced that it would take another vote on the charter the following day — after the Rocklin USD opposition left for the day.
http://www.sacbee.com/2009/08/22/2130292/rocklin-schools-sue-state-board.html

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]]> By: Doug McRae http://toped.svefoundation.org/2010/04/30/court-slaps-state-boards-wrist-in-algebra-case/comment-page-1/#comment-11455 Doug McRae Sat, 01 May 2010 13:22:58 +0000 http://educatedguess.org/blog/?p=1965#comment-11455 The grade 8 math dust-up two years ago was unfortunate on several dimensions. First, on a substantive level, CA does not have a co-ordinated instruction/assessment program for grade 8 math. The instruction program approved by the SBE calls for Algebra for those who are ready for it, and Algebra Readiness for those who are not yet ready for full blown Algebra [roughly 40 percent of the student enrollment]. The assessment program's Algebra I test is OK for the 60 percent taking Algebra I but the General Math test is not aligned to the Algebra Readiness framework and textbooks adopted by the SBE. It is possible to modify CA's assessment program to align with the instruction program, and meet NCLB peer review requirements [it was NCLB peer review that forced this issue for CA], but neither the CDE nor the SBE seriously investigated this option two years ago. Instead, both the CDE and SBE pursued a single Algebra test [the CDE a watered down test, the SBE the current more rigorous test] and ended up in court. Second, on a process level the court slapped the SBE for a Bagley-Keene violation on this issue. Unfortunately, both the SBE and the CDE have been guilty skirting around the edges or violating Bagley-Keene not only on the grade 8 math issue two years ago but also for the AB 2040 Panel CAHSEE Special Education issue in 2009 and the SIG persistently low-achieving schools issue this year [two months ago]. There is a pattern with respect to lack of transparency on policy decisions at both the SBE and the CDE, and these failures have led to unvetted and/or poor decisions on these issues at the SBE level. Corrections are needed on both the substantive level and the process level. Doug McRae, Retired Test Publisher, Monterey, CA The grade 8 math dust-up two years ago was unfortunate on several dimensions. First, on a substantive level, CA does not have a co-ordinated instruction/assessment program for grade 8 math. The instruction program approved by the SBE calls for Algebra for those who are ready for it, and Algebra Readiness for those who are not yet ready for full blown Algebra [roughly 40 percent of the student enrollment]. The assessment program’s Algebra I test is OK for the 60 percent taking Algebra I but the General Math test is not aligned to the Algebra Readiness framework and textbooks adopted by the SBE. It is possible to modify CA’s assessment program to align with the instruction program, and meet NCLB peer review requirements [it was NCLB peer review that forced this issue for CA], but neither the CDE nor the SBE seriously investigated this option two years ago. Instead, both the CDE and SBE pursued a single Algebra test [the CDE a watered down test, the SBE the current more rigorous test] and ended up in court. Second, on a process level the court slapped the SBE for a Bagley-Keene violation on this issue. Unfortunately, both the SBE and the CDE have been guilty skirting around the edges or violating Bagley-Keene not only on the grade 8 math issue two years ago but also for the AB 2040 Panel CAHSEE Special Education issue in 2009 and the SIG persistently low-achieving schools issue this year [two months ago]. There is a pattern with respect to lack of transparency on policy decisions at both the SBE and the CDE, and these failures have led to unvetted and/or poor decisions on these issues at the SBE level. Corrections are needed on both the substantive level and the process level. Doug McRae, Retired Test Publisher, Monterey, CA

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