LEGISLATION

     Report on Testing Released: Researchers at the Education Policy Studies Laboratory at Arizona State University and the Great Lakes Center for Educational Research and Practice released a new study on the impact of high-stakes testing on student achievement. The study, "High-Stakes Testing and Student Achievement: Problems for the No Child Left Behind Act" September 2005, found ". . . no convincing evidence that the pressure associated with high-stakes testing leads to any important benefits for students' achievement."

     The research was conducted by Sharon L. Nichols of the University of Texas at San Antonio, and Gene V. Glass and David C. Berliner of Arizona State University. The study was based on an analysis of student performance from 25 states. The researchers found the following:

·         "States with greater proportions of minority students implement accountability systems that exert greater pressure. This suggests that any problems associated with high-stakes testing will disproportionately affect America's minority students."

·         * "High-stakes testing pressure is negatively associated with the likelihood that eighth and tenth graders will move into 12th grade. Study results suggest that increases in testing pressure are related to larger numbers of students being held back or dropping out of school."

·         * "Increased testing pressure produced no gains in NAEP reading scores at the fourth- or eighth-grade levels."

·         * "Prior increases in testing pressure were weakly linked to subsequent increases in NAEP math achievement at the fourth-grade level. This finding emerged for all ethnic subgroups, and it did not exist prior to 1996."

·         The study is available online at  http://www.asu.edu/educ/epsl/EPRU/documents/EPSL-0509-105-EPRU.pdf

Charter School News

     *A restraining order was issued on September 27, 2005 by Judge Ron Bowman, Lucas County Court of Common Pleas, to prevent the Board of Education of the Lucas County Educational Service Center from closing The International Preparatory School (TIPS). This charter school, which is located in Cleveland, OH, has been in operation since 1999, and has consistently failed to meet state standards, report required data, and operate effectively. A hearing on the injunction is scheduled in the Court of Common Pleas on October 6, 2005.

     *The Coalition for Public Education, Tom Mooney chair, learned last week that the Ohio Supreme Court will hear oral arguments on Tuesday, November 29, 2005 at 9:00 AM in an appeal of its lawsuit, Ohio Congress of Parents and Teachers, et. al. v State Board of Education, et.al., regarding the constitutionality of charter schools. Plaintiffs are asking the Supreme Court for a final ruling on its claims that the state charter school program is unconstitutional on several counts:

 1) The creation of a separate system of publicly funded, privately owned and operated community schools (also known as charter schools) not subject to strict, uniform statewide standards applicable to legitimate public schools, violates the Ohio Constitution.
2) The creation of publicly funded community schools that aren't subject to oversight by elected school boards or otherwise approved by voters violates the Ohio Constitution.
3) The community school funding formula, which effectively diverts revenue from voter approved local property tax levies to fund community schools, violates the Ohio Constitution.
4)       Loan guarantees for community schools violate the Ohio constitution, which does not allow the state to assume debt of corporations or political subdivisions absent invasion, war or insurrection.

      This lawsuit was filed in the Franklin County Court of Common Pleas by a coalition of education organizations, unions, school districts, and the League of Women Voters of Ohio in May 2001. Judge McGrath issued a ruling on April 21, 2003, and dismissed four of the constitutional claims, but ruled that other claims alleging that state officials had not enforced current laws governing charter schools, could be heard. The plaintiffs appealed the dismissed constitutional issues to Ohio's 10th District Court of Appeals. That court issued a ruling on August 24, 2004, which sustained and reversed several rulings issued by Judge McGrath of the Franklin County Court of Common Pleas. The plaintiffs then appealed that decision to the Ohio Supreme Court. The latest brief filed by the plaintiffs is available at http://www.oft-aft.org

*The ODE Center for School Finance, Paolo DeMaria associate superintendent, has included on the ODE web site information about the district spending and reporting requirements established through House Bill 66, the FY 06-07 budget bill. The topics covered include spending and reporting requirements for Base Cost Supplements and Poverty-Based Assistance (PBA), which are referred to as the Building Blocks of School Funding. PBA has replaced the Disadvantaged Pupil Impact Aid (DPIA) program.

 The information is available at htttp://www.ode.state.oh.us/School_Finance/Misc/spreq.asp

A diagram explaining the components of the Building Blocks is also available at http://www.ode.state.oh.us/treasurer/PDF/Blocks.pdf.

 State
 

EMAIL CONTACTS

* How to reach STRS board members:

*Dennis Leone:  dennisleone@adelphia.net

*John Lazares:   1-513-967-8786 cell
jklazares@fuse.net

asburyd@strsoh.org ( Exec. Direc. STRS)

Active Board Members:
rbrown33@columbus.rr.com  or
BrownRo@strsoh.org
RamserC@strsoh.org
billrakism@strsoh.org
billirak@worldnet.att.net
mflannagan@buckeye-access.com
buser_1@cob.osu.edu S. Buser-investment apppointee)
jfisher947@aol.com (Judith Fisher-investment appointee)
gmeyers@hcr-manorcare.com (Meyers-investment appointee)

State Rep on STRS board:

steven.puckett@ODE.state.OH.US 
(rep for Zelman, state super. of public instruc).
614-466-7578

Retiree STRS Board Members:
Dennis Leone (info above)
Jeff Chapman:  TwoTeach@aol.com

also send to STRS general address:
for general questions relating to meetings, etc.

HCcomments@strsoh.org

Atten: Patti Dillion (responsive and attempts to be accurate)

Damon Asbury:  asburyd@strsoh.org

Joyce Baldwin: Damon's ass't: BaldwinJ@strsoh.org

*OEA:
alleng@ohea.org  (Pres. OEA)
exec_committee@ohea.org
leibensp@ohea.org (Treas/Sec)

*ORTA:
mardon@wcnet.org (Bright)
hornickle@juno.com  ( Hornickle)
Dhornickle01@sceinet.com
rstearn1@columbus.rr.com   (Pres.)
blin@akron.edu    (Scatterday)
jrToller@charter.net  (Toller)
dtravis@orta.org     (Exec. direc.)
ahanning@orta.org  (legis.)
diorio.1@osu.edu  (Lou DiOrio: OCHER)

*OFT:
tmooney@oft-aft.org  (OFT Pres; AFT VP)
hgrim@oft-aft.org  (OFT)

*joandonley@aol.com  (Pres.-CEA-R)

Legislators: (some titles may have changed)

Governor Taft:
governor.taft@@gov.state.oh.us
614-466-3555

State House of Reps:
614-466-8842
www.legislature.state.oh.us

State Senate:
614-466-8842
www.legislature.state.oh.us

Speaker of House:
Jon Husted:
rep37@ohr.state.oh.us
937-293-4275; 614-644-6008

*Rep: Larry Householder
614-466-2575 466-2500
rep91@ohr.state.oh.us

*Sen. Schuring:
sd29@mailr.sen.state.oh.us
ORSC

*Rep. Michelle Schneider:
district35@ohr.state.oh.us
ORSC

Sen. Lynn Wachtmann:
lwachtmann@mailr.sen.state.oh.us

*Adam.Francis@mail.house.gov  (Wash. ass't  for Tiberi)

OEC: ethics@ethics.gov
OEC: davidfreel@ethics.ohio.gov

*Federal Government:
www.info.gov

*Sen. De Wine
614-469-6774

*Sen. Voinovich
614-469-6697

*Rep. Hobson
740-654-5149

*Rep. Pryce
614-469-5614

*Rep. Tiberi
614-523-2555

Authors of bills:SB133 and HB 227:

Tom Niehaus:
district88@ohr.state.oh.us

Rep. Schneider -above

Teresa Fedor
fedoroffice@maild.sen.state.oh.us

Sen. Fedor's legis. ass't:
mmccall@maild.sen.state.oh.us

Sen. Goodman: dgoodman@mailr.sen.state.oh.us

Sen.Goodman's legis. ass't.:
jlehner@mailr.sen.state.oh.us

Rep. Charles Blasdel, (HB227)
Chair of Banking, Pensions, and Securities Committee
district01@ohr.state.oh.us
or
rep01@ohr.state.oh.us

Sen. Lynn Wachtmann, (SB133) Chair of Health, Human Serv. and Aging Comm.
SD01@mailr.sen.state.oh.us
or
lwachtmann@mailr.sen.state.oh.us

MEDIA:
*jhirsh@wkrc.com  (jeff hirsh, ch. 12 in cincin.)

*paul.kostyu@cantonrep.com  (paul kostyu, reporter of "The Canton
Repository")

*(Plain Dealer reporter): Ted Wendling: TWENDLIN@plaind.com

Dispatch:
bwolf@dispatch.com
bmarrison@dispatch.com

letter@dispatch.com (200 words or less; name, address, phone)

*Cols. Public School board:
superintendent@columbus.k12.oh.us


*OHIOEANDA@AOL.COM     (Bill Phillis, Exec. Direc. of Ohio Equity and
Adequacy for Educ

There is also  House Committee

Linda Reidelbach
Joyce Beaty

House Insurance Committee

Geoffrey Smith
Jim Hughes

These 4 at 77 S. High St.
Columbus, OH
43266-0603

Senate
Statehouose
Columbus, OH 43215

Health & Human Services and Aging Committee
David Goodman

Senate Insurance
Ray Miller

You can also go online to find other legislators.
 Senate Building Room #128, First Floor Columbus, Ohio 43215 Telephone: 614/466-7584 Fax: 614/466-7662 Email: jjordan@mailr.sen.state.oh.us