Today's OEA Winter 2015

A PUBLICATION FOR MEMBERS OF THE OREGON EDUCATION ASSOCIATION

SPECIAL SECTION

OEA CANDIDATES INSERT

TODAY’S

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OEA *

you belong here

The Empty Chair Crisis WINTER 2015 | VOLUME 89 : NUMBER 2

* In response to high numbers of school suspensions, Oregon educators begin to retool their school discipline policies to keep kids in school, where they ultimately belong

A FRESH PAIR OF EYEGLASSES. NEW SCHOOL CLOTHES. A WORKING HEARING AID. WARM WINTER COATS. AN INCREDIBLE EDUCATION. ALL BECAUSE OF YOU. OEA members impact the lives of Oregon students in profound ways – in the classroom, on school grounds, and at home.

Through the OEA Foundation, you can contribute to the wellbeing of students whose basic needs – like clothing and medical expenses – are unmet by our state’s social service programs.

This year, and particularly in this economy, consider making a tax-deductible donation to the OEA Foundation to ensure all public education students have the resources they need to succeed in school. The Foundation is unique in that 100 percent of all donations go directly back to our students – no overhead cost involved.

Make an online donation today (or sign up for monthly payroll deductions if you’re able) at www.oregoned.org/oeafoundation.

In their own unique way – Oregon’s students thank you.

DO YOU KNOW A STUDENT IN NEED? Apply for a grant from the OEA Foundation. Call 800.858.5505 to request an application, or download one at www.oregoned.org.

CONTENTS / Winter2015 VOLUME 89 . ISSUE NO. 2

Features

Departments President’s Column

05 / create the schools our students deserve

By Hanna Vaandering, OEA President

Upcoming

06 / Events for OEA Members Newsflash

24 On the Cover

24 / The Empty Chair Crisis

Amid massive numbers of school suspensions nationally, Oregon educators begin to retool their school discipline policies to keep kids in school, where they ultimately belong

By Meg Krugel

07 /Centennial Teacher Tackles Hunger 08 / Graduations Go Green » Teaching & Learning

10 / the history of the smarter Balanced Assessment Organizer's Toolbox

12 / Organizing around high-stakes testing Licensure

In-Depth

14 / Speech Language Pathologists Licensure

18 / Credit where credit is due

Eye on Equity

OEA leaders push for effective dual credit policies for students

By Jon Bell

15 / equity in Education town hall Politics & You

Special Section

16 / what to expect from the 2015 legislative session

22 / Wellness works

OEA Choice Trust has become the go-to source for employee wellness in schools

Sources + Resources

30 / Books and Opportunities Special Section

22

32/ OEA board & NEA RA DELEGATE candidates On the Web

38 /parents and teachers together — on the web

ABOVE: Beaverton educators at Highland Park Middle School have lowered suspensions through a Restorative Justice program. PhotO by THOMAS Patterson

Credits: Thomas Patterson; iStockphoto.com

TODAY’S OEA | WINTER 2015

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r e w o p m E o t t n e Assessm g n i n r a e L t n e d u t S l u Meaningf A Different Path for Oregon

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ssessment offers the opportunity to gather dependable, quality information about student learning to inform instruction on a regular basis. When used appropriately, assessment is a powerful tool to help students know where they are in their own learning, where they excel, and where they need support. Assessment also provides information to teachers and parents to assist students in their next steps of learning. With consistent ongoing teacher support and engaged students, “assessment for student learning” can be personalized to support the needs of each learner.

• What changes are needed in Oregon’s assessment processes to focus more on meaningful student learning?

• What actions are necessary to develop and enhance the assessment literacy of students, educators, parents, community members and policy makers?

• What partnerships are essential to move from an overemphasis on high-stakes standardized tests to assessments that inform day-to-day learning?

Please join the Oregon Education Association and two nationally recognized leaders in a provocative discussion to address these questions and identify opportunities to change Oregon’s system of assessment.

OEA’s 5th Annual Symposium on Creating the Schools our Students Deserve Saturday, March 7, 2015 9:30 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.

Red Lion Hotel 3301 Market Street N.E. Salem, Oregon Featuring: Dr. Rick Stiggins, Founder of the Assessment Training Institute

Stiggins

Dr. Thomas Guskey, Prof. of Educational Psychology, Univ. of Kentucky Guskey

Registration and information: www.oregoned.org/2015symposium

PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE / Winter2015 Hanna Vaandering OEA President

I

am so proud of the work we are doing to engage and empower OEA members across the state! We are truly on our way to our vision of “Improving the future of all Oregonians through quality public education.”

Educators, parents and students know what we need to create the schools our students deserve: a well-rounded education that includes art, P.E., music, library, career and technical opportunities and affordable tuition at our community colleges. Unfortunately, this is not the reality right now in K-12 or in our community colleges. We have been told to do more with less and pushed to produce outcomes without the support or resources for far too long. No more! Right now, our revenue coalition has filed a number of “Building a Better Oregon” ballot measures for 2016 to ensure that we have the best possible language to raise the revenue we need so that every Oregon student — and every Oregon family — has a fair shot at success.

(Please like our Facebook page and visit our website “Parents and Teachers Together” to get more information and get involved).

As I have shared before, for the past year, a team of 16 OEA members has been working with Dr. Nancy Golden, the Oregon Department of Education and the Governor’s Office to create a system of assessment that focuses on student learning instead of student testing. Taking the “high stakes” out of summative assessments and ensuring that all assessments are used for the appropriate purposes have been at the forefront of our work.

The team has a proposal and will be hosting forums across the state to get feedback from members. Please go to www.oregoned. org/action-center/events to find the forum date and time that works for you. We want your help in creating a better way when it

OEA President Hanna Vaandering fires up a crowd gathered to support the $15 Minimum Wage campaign during a recent rally outside the state capitol.

comes to assessments.

Finally, over 250 educators from Elgin to Coquille and Medford to Hood River welcomed legislators to the Capitol on Jan. 12.

OEA members spent the morning receiving legislative training and then took their new skills to advocate for the "Schools our Students Deserve" with their legislators. This is only the beginning! Members will be attending legislators' town halls, making phone calls, sending emails and attending our OEA Lobby Day on March 23. We would love to have you join us; for further information go to www.oregoned.org/2015lobbyday.

All of this is happening because OEA and our 42,000 members are stepping up to advocate for what we know is right for our students and for public education.

Please join us. Together we will build the schools our students deserve.

OUR 42,000 MEMBERS ARE STEPPING UP TO ADVOCATE FOR WHAT WE KNOW IS RIGHT FOR OUR STUDENTS AND FOR PUBLIC EDUCATION. Credit: Michael Endicott

TODAY’S OEA | WINTER 2015

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UPCOMING Winter2015

TODAY’S

OEA

OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF THE OREGON EDUCATION ASSOCIATION Mar. 2, 2015

NEA's Read Across America Day n What: NEA provides all the resources and tools you’ll need to plan and implement a reading celebration in your school, classroom or community on March 2. n how: For more information and resources, go to www.nea.org/readacross.

Mar. 7, 2015

OEA Symposium on Creating the Schools Our Students Deserve n What: Please join the OEA and nationally recognized leaders Dr. Rick Stiggins, Founder of

the Assessment Training Institute, and Dr. Thomas Guskey, Univ. of Kentucky Professor, in a provocative discussion to identify opportunities to change Oregon’s system of assessment. n WHERE: Red Lion Hotel, Salem, Ore. n how: For more information, go to www.oregoned.org/2015symposium.

Mar. 13, 2015

OEA Organizing Summit: Fighting For The Schools Our Students Deserve

WINTER 2015 VOLUME 89 : ISSUE NO. 2 OFFICE HEADQUARTERS 6900 SW Atlanta Street Portland, OR 97223 Phone: 503.684.3300 FAX: 503.684.8063 www.oregoned.org PUBLISHERS Johanna Vaandering, President Richard Sanders, Executive Director EDITOR Meg Krugel PRODUCTION ASSISTANT Janine Leggett

n What: OEA members who are committed to strengthening local and statewide organizing will participate in practical skill-building and training on proven organizing techniques. n WHERE: Eugene Hilton, Eugene, Ore. n how: Go to: oregoned.org/whats-new/attend-oeas-organizing-summit

CONTRIBUTORS Janine Leggett, Teresa Ferrer, Jenny Smith, Jared Mason-Gere, Julia Sanders, Thomas Patterson

Mar. 23, 2015

To submit a story idea for publication in Today’s OEA magazine, email editor Meg Krugel at meg.krugel@oregoned.org

OEA Lobby Day n What: Bring your voice to Salem on the issues that matter most to you and your students.

Lobby Day will begin with a morning training and end at the State Capitol, where you'll have the chance to meet with your legislators and lobby them on our pro-public education agenda. n WHERE: State Capitol, Salem, Ore. n how: Go to: oregoned.org/2015lobbyday

Mar. 22-24, 2015

Oregon School Employee Wellness/Education Conference n What: Build personal skills to rejuvenate health, bring a school team to learn how to create a culture of wellness, access state and national resources to support school employee wellness, and learn how healthy school employees lead to greater student success. n WHERE: The Riverhouse, Bend, Ore. n how: www.oeachoice.com/news-events.

SAVE THIS DATE! Apr. 17-18, 2015

OEA Representative Assembly n What: OEA member-delegates gather to elect new leaders, reform bylaws and policies, propose new business items, attend caucus meetings, and celebrate member achievements. n WHERE: Red Lion Hotel on the River—Jantzen Beach, Portland, Ore. n how: Go to: oregoned.org/action-center/events/representative-assembly.

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TODAY’S OEA | WINTER 2015

PRINTER Morel Ink, Portland, OR TODAY’S OEA (ISSN #0030-4689) is published four times a year (October, February, April and June) as a benefit of membership ($6.50 of dues) by the Oregon Education Association, 6900 SW Atlanta Street, Portland OR 97223-2513. Non-member subscription rate is $10 per year. Periodicals postage paid at Portland, OR. POSTMASTER Send address corrections to: Oregon Education Association Attn: Becky Nelson Membership Processing 6900 SW Atlanta Street Portland, OR 97223-2513

Newsflash New Study: Requiring Kindergartners to Read May Cause Some Harm

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hen Oregon adopted the Common Core State Standards, new demands were placed on our state’s five-year-olds. Kindergartners are now expected to “read emergentreader texts with purpose and understanding” by the end of their first year of elementary school.

In a recently published report titled “Reading in Kindergarten: Little to Gain and Much to Lose,” authors Nancy Carlsson-Paige, Geralyn Bywater McLaughlin and Joan Wolfsheimer Almon found that pushing kids into reading too soon could backfire and even lead to harmful outcomes. The authors found that there is in fact no research documenting any long-term gain of learning to read in kindergarten, a time when many children are not developmentally ready to be readers.

The report explains that kindergarten has become increasingly academic in the last 30 years. It says, “Teacher-led instruction in kindergarten has almost entirely replaced the active, play-based, experiential learning that we know children need from decades of research in cognitive and developmental psychology and neuroscience.”

Centennial Teacher Tackles Hunger

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amilies in the Centennial School district have an extra resource to get them through hard times next year. Adriann Hardin is a Business leadership teacher at Centennial High School and is advisor to the school’s nationally-recognized and award-winning Future Business Leaders of America chapter. This school year she started a non-profit organization with her students called Food for Families.

“Last June, I was approached by a community member about starting a mobile food pantry. I did some research and asked the students what they thought about the idea. Long story short, we all agreed that

we needed to start a mobile food pantry for our community and try to tackle the issue of childhood hunger,” said Hardin. With 73 percent of students qualifying for free and reduced lunch in the Centennial School District, the service is much-needed.

Food for Families hopes to start their mobile food pantry

by June of 2016. The food will be given to families on a weekly-basis from a retired school bus, which has already been donated by CSD. The OEA Foundation Board has dedicated $3,000 to help launch the Food For Families project. Donations to the organization can be made at food4families.net.

6 Do’s and Don’t of Celebrating Black History Month in the Classroom DO Be honest and forthright with your students about the presence of racism and racial privilege in our society.

DON’T Pretend that racism is a thing of the past.

Credits: iStockphoto.com

DO Invite students to share their personal stories and perspectives.

DON’T Expect every story to be positive.

DO Read literature that is written and illustrated by African-Americans to

your students. If you need suggestions, the National Council of Teachers of English has a list.

DON’T Restrict any of these practices to the month of February.

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Newsflash COME WRITE FOR US! » Do you enjoy writing, particularly about educations issues? Today's OEA is looking for freelance writers! We're interested in hearing from you and seeing your writing portfolio. Email us to inquire about opportunities and rates: webadmin@oregoned.org.

Oregon Graduations Go Green

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his year 4,000 pounds of polyester will be kept out of Oregon’s landfills thanks to a statewide program aimed at eliminating graduation waste. In 2014, Oregon Green Schools partnered with Greener Grads, a company that rents graduation caps, gowns, and tassels to graduates.

In order to participate in graduation ceremonies, students are often required to buy their gowns from one of the three large corporations selling them. Because there is no functional use for the gown after graduation, many people dispose of them immediately after receiving their diploma.

Graduation gowns are made of polyester, which is constructed of the same material used to make plastic water bottles.

Producing the gowns, which are not biodegradable, uses 3.2 million gallons of oil every year.

Beginning in 2015 Greener Grads will be collecting gowns from Oregon graduates to prepare for a statewide shift to a more sustainable rental system. This is Greener Grads’ first statewide partnership, making it a ground-breaking step toward a more sustainable future. The company hopes to save more than 1 million gowns from the landfill this year.

Share Your Story in “Becoming a Teacher”

> TAX TIME

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he teaching profession is frequently misunderstood in the media, the voice of the teacher often absent from many discussions on education. In Fact Books seeks to change that problem by publishing “Becoming a Teacher,” an anthology of stories that represent a wide variety of teaching experiences.

In Fact Books hopes to collect true stories written by teachers that have engaging narratives and also give noteworthy facts. The writing should be accurate and should include vivid details.

They are looking for all perspectives to be represented and want to hear from primary and secondary teachers of all backgrounds and schools.

Entries can be submitted by mail or online. The deadline is March 9, 2015.

Go to: www.creativenonfiction.org/ submissions/becoming-teacher for more details.

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Dues Tax Deduction for OEA Members

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embers may be able to deduct their union dues for 2014 income taxes. This includes NEA, OEA and Local dues. The deduction must meet the limitations on miscellaneous itemized deductions (deductible when “Miscellaneous” itemized deductions exceed two percent of adjusted gross income). To claim union dues as a deduction you must use the standard Form 1040. Union dues are reported on line 21 of Schedule A (Form 1040) — Itemized Deductions.

The amount of the deduction will be based on the actual dues paid in 2014.

You will likely be able to find this amount on your final 2014 pay stub listed as dues. If

your district provides a detailed Form W-2, you may also find the information there.

The $250 Educator Expenses deduction was extended through 2014. The deduction for K-12 educators can be found on line 23 of Form 1040 and line 16 of Form 1040A. Each form refers to specific instructions that explain the qualification for the deduction.

The simplest tax return, Form 1040EZ, does not provide for this deduction. If you have qualifying expenses, be sure to use one of the other forms to file your 2014 taxes. OEA does not provide tax advice to members, but you can find more information on the official IRS website: www.irs. gov or by contacting your tax consultant.

Newsflash WILL YOU BE THERE? » This Spring, OEA has a lot of exciting events coming up! From our annual education symposium, to a summit on organizing, to a lobby day at the Capitol - there are many ways to build your power! Go to: oregoned.org/action-center/events to find out more.

You Go, Girls! Albany Robotics Team Finds International Success

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he Bacon Bricks, an all-girls robotics team from Albany taught by OEA member Mark Gullickson, has developed an innovative way for students to learn about the Cartesian coordinate graphing system. They have worked collaboratively with educators and professionals in the fields of mathematics and science education, both in the USA and in Europe. They have also been working with a partnership/ buddy school in Zelenograd, Russia.

To date, they have shared their research project with more than 104,000

students all over the world.

The Bacon Bricks were selected by the national FIRST LEGO robotics organization as the featured research project team in the USA. Teachers and schools in both the USA and Russia (and others in Europe, too) have begun using their innovative solution for teaching elementary students how the Cartesian coordinate graphing system works.

Learn more about their project at: www.edutopia.org/users/ fll-lego-roboticsteam-4659-baconbricks.

Westview High School Teacher Attends State of the Union Address

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hen President Obama revealed big plans around education in the United States during his State of the Union address, Westview High School Teacher David Wilkinson was in attendance. The Beaverton language arts teacher and active union member was a guest of Congresswoman Suzanne Bonamici (D-Ore), who explained that she wanted to speak with Wilkinson about a bill she introduced that would cut down on redundant assessments.

Bonamici explained that she invited Wilkinson because of his experience as a teacher and community member.

Credits: Sara Haj-Hassan/freeimages

PPS Plans to Integrate Special Education

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new plan released by Portland Public Schools’ Special Education Director Mary Pearson would integrate special education into the general ed classroom through a co-teaching model.

“So far I’ve seen a lot of benefits of co-teaching,” said Katie Lee, speechlanguage pathologist at Irvington School. Lee began using the model this school year. “Inclusion of all students in a classroom community can improve social outcomes for both typical students and those with disabilities.”

While some are looking forward to the change, which would unroll by 2020, there are teachers who are still uneasy about the idea. “Some teachers aren’t yet ready to give up their autonomy and allow another adult to come in,” Lee explained.

HOW DOES OREGON’S TEACHER PAY STACK UP?

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regon elementary school teachers are paid less than their counterparts in California and Washington according to data collected by FindTheBest. The average teacher’s salary in Oregon is $56,032, whereas teachers in California make an average of $65,972 and Washington teachers earn an average of $59,354. The highest average pay was in Rhode Island, which was about $16,000 more than Oregon’s average. The lowest was in Arizona where the average pay was $16,000 less than Oregon’s.

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Teaching & Learning

THE HISTORY OF THE SMARTER BALANCED ASSESSMENT

BY JULIA SANDERS / Elementary School Teacher and OEA Member

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ith spring approaching, Oregon’s teachers are putting their time and energy toward getting students ready for the Smarter Balanced Assessment (SBA), the new standardized test adopted by Oregon.

Desperate to know as much as possible about what her students will face in taking the assessment, teacher and Klamath County EA President Katrina Myers has put in the hours learning about the types of questions her students will have to answer.

“At this point, all that has been available to my staff and to me has been what we have researched and what is on the ODE website,” Myers said. “I have had to try to glean whatever information is out there on my own. The school district where I teach has not provided much information about the test, nor has it provided much time for teachers to research."

Here are a few answers. On Sept. 2, 2010, Education Secretary Arne Duncan spoke about the “Next Generation of Assessments” and detailed what the new assessments would look like. Duncan promised that “for the first time, teachers will consistently have timely, high-quality formative assessments that are instructionally useful and document student growth—rather than just relying on after-the-fact, yearend tests used for accountability purposes.” He explained that to receive federal funding, states would have to develop their own assessment of the standards or choose between two tests that would be created to align with the Common Core.

Shortly thereafter, the consortia that would create the two tests was born.

SBAC (Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium) and PARCC (Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers) were given a total of $330 million in federal funds to create the new 10

TODAY’S OEA | WINTER 2015

tests. PARCC decided to use Pearson’s non-profit branch for development and SBAC went with CTB/McGraw-Hill. Both consortiums contracted with Pearson to do a state technology readiness assessment to see if the states were ready to administer a computerized test.

According to the Wall Street Journal, if all states complied with the Common Core, the cost would be between $1 and $8 billion, almost all of which would go to publishing companies like Pearson.

Following the writing phase, the Smarter Balanced Assessment then went through a multi-stage development process, which lasted three years. As part of this process, a field test of the assessment took place from March to June 2014. The data from the field test was released by SBAC on Dec. 22, 2014, drawn from 400,000 responses of more than 4 million administered field tests. Students in grades 3-8 and grade 11 were tested. On average, 41 percent of the students tested were at or above grade level in English Language Arts and 34 percent were at or above grade level in math.

These numbers have raised some concerns for teachers across the country. Myers is one of those teachers. “There is still so much ambiguity surrounding scoring and score reporting that we do not feel that we can judge whether or not it will be valid and reliable. With a projected pass rate of 41 percent, we do not see how this can be a valid or reliable assessment. What we do know, is that even without the assessment, we have worked very hard to ensure that our students are college and career ready,” Myers said.

Oregon schools are most worried about students’ typing skills, according to a survey administered by the Oregon Department of Education. Recent findings from two large-scale surveys reveal that schools across the nation are prioritizing

education technology in their classrooms because administrators are seeking Common Core-aligned instructional materials.

Only 21 percent of the districts surveyed said they felt “very confident” in their students’ typing abilities. At least 33 percent had “serious concerns.”

This has the potential to create an even larger achievement gap. “The keyboarding skills required for this assessment are not expressly taught in an organized way in our school district. The 'haves' will again have a distinct advantage in their education over the 'have-nots' because of earlier and more prevalent use of technology, which will provide them with the background needed for success on the test,” said Myers.

In addition to being inequitable, the technology requirements of the test will require many schools to turn technology intended for teaching into technology for testing. “It is really going to lock-up technology that we use for everyday teaching,” said Jenna Miller, an ELD specialist in North Clackamas.

During the field test, low-income students had a particularly difficult time performing. Of the students who are economically disadvantaged, 27 percent tested at or above grade level in ELA and 21 percent were at or above grade level in math. This new data is making teachers at low-income schools unsure about how to equip their students, many of whom don’t have computers at home. It also raises questions around whether or not the assessment is equitable to all students.

“The field is preparing for very poor scores coming out of the first year of testing. Historically, poor scores always arrive after the first of this type of test and then the field, after seeing what the test is all about, adjusts to meet the test. We then begin teaching frantically to the test, as we want our students to graduate,” said Myers.

Teaching & Learning Despite these concerns, students will be dedicating a sizable chunk of their classroom time to taking the Smarter Balanced Assessment. The test is estimated to take the average student between 7 and 8 ½ hours to complete.

In addition to requiring a lot of time, the cost of administering the test adds up to a hefty sum. According to Matthew Chingos’ November 2012 estimates for the Brookings Institution, Oregon alone will spend nearly $7 million on administering Smarter Balanced, an increase of almost $3 million from the previous OAKS test.

These issues, among others, have made some parents decide to opt-out of the test altogether (learn more about optout rights at: www.oregoned.org/stayinformed/student-assessment/opt-outoptions). Parents have the legal right to exempt their child from testing. While this is usually done with the student in mind, it does skew the test results for the school, making the data less valid. If enough students opt out, the school itself can receive lower ratings as a result.

“If I were a parent of a special education student, or of a student who has struggled with academics, I would jump on the optout option,” said Myers. It would be immaterial to me whether or not my school's scores suffer. My first priority would be my child.”

It is easy to feel like the standards, curriculum, and assessments are a onepackage deal — a giant pill that we all must swallow. It is important to remember, however, that there are other ways to teach and assess these skills.

One group is looking at alternative assessment options for Oregon’s students.

The OEA-OEIB (Oregon Education Investment Board) Assessment Group is a statewide task force that is looking at a system of assessment for Oregon. “We have been meeting and talking about what we want Oregon’s assessments to look at, taking into consideration what all stakeholders need,” explained Miller, who is part of the task force. The group is determined to find a system of assessment that will help teachers instruct, rather than one that attempts to test how well they instruct.

In addition to her work with the OEAOEIB Assessment Group, Miller helped field test a part of the Smarter Balanced that is a performance-based task carried out in the classroom. Because it is led by the teacher in the traditional classroom setting, the performance task is a part of the assessment that is more authentic to the teaching and learning experience.

“I find that performance tasks, especially if they are done well and the students are engaged, can really get the students thinking,” said Miller, who field-tested the SBA performance tasks last year with her reading intervention group. “I spent time with students going through the performance task together, looking at the format and the rubrics, at how to tackle the questions. When they did it on their own, they didn’t feel as overwhelmed because they had seen it before.”

The performance task, along with an increase in written-response questions, seem to be the only pieces of the SBA that align with Duncan’s promise of “formative assessments that are instructionally useful and document student growth.” Even with these improvements, the data from the assessments will begin to arrive in the spring and continue into next fall, making it impossible for teachers to use it to inform instruction or improve student outcomes in the current academic year.

If we aren’t doing this for the students, then who are we doing it for and why? Are the millions of dollars and the countless hours of preparation worth it? “No test is needed to tell us where we have been successful and where we still need to work. This test is only for politicians,” said Katrina Myers, who argues that teachers have accurately assessed their students for a long time.

“Our profession is under attack and as a collective group, perhaps we can change the tide of mandated testing that is inundating our students,” said Myers. “I plan to continue to teach the elements of English that I believe are important to my students' future, and when I really know what the test will test, then I will help students find success. Until then, it will be business as usual in my classroom.”

10 Facts on the Origins of the Common Core n

The development of the Common Core was led by the National Governors Association Center for Best Practices (NGA) and the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO).

n

The NGA and CCSSO started the Common Core State Standards Development Work Group and Feedback Group to create a set of standards.

n

The Work Group could make decisions about the Common Core while the Feedback Group could provide advice.***

n

No one in either the Work Group or the Feedback Group specialized in early childhood education.***

n Out of 66 people, there was only one

teacher in either group.*** n

8 of the 29 people in the Work Group were employed by Achieve, Inc. ***

n

Achieve, Inc., is a non-profit that receives contributions from corporations such as Exxon Mobil, JP Morgan Chase Foundation, Chevron, DuPont, Alcoa and Microsoft.**

n

The Gates Foundation gave over $200 million to promote the creation and adoption of the Common Core in 2013 alone. *

n

Recipients of Gates funding include the U.S. Department of Education, the NGA, the CCSSO, the Fordham Institute, the Foundation for Excellence in Education, and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. *

n

The Common Core was constructed beginning with the skills required by college and career readiness.

The study of those skills was then distributed all the way down to kindergarten. Developmental readiness was not a major concern.

*Statistics from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation Grants Database, 2013. **Information from Achieve, Inc.’s website *** Information from the National Governors Association for Best Practices website.

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Member Perspective

FED UP WITH HIGH-STAKES TESTS? ORGANIZE! OEA members speak up – and against – the overuse of high-stakes assessments MEMBER PERSPECTIVE BY PETER BAUER / OEA Member, Eugene

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ith the new Smarter Balanced tests being implemented this spring, educators, students and parents across Oregon are beginning to question the effectiveness and validity of the newest high stakes test to appear on the educational 'reform' agenda. Within the next year, school “reformers” will try to tie these results to teacher evaluations and school ratings on school and district report cards.

While some treat Smarter Balanced tests as just another wave that will ebb and flow in the sea of reforms, others aren’t willing to stand down any longer.

OEA, along with our partners at ODE and OEIB, have been working since February 2014 to come up with a more appropriate system of assessment for all students in Oregon. Under the proposed “Oregon System of Assessment,” the goal would be to shift from continuing the over-emphasis on high-stakes standardized assessments of dubious value to assessments that support dayto-day learning, designed by educators to inform teaching and learning for each and every student.

During this legislative session, which began Feb. 2, OEA will support a moratorium on the use of Smarter Balanced tests (LC 1745). The bill will allow time for this high-stakes standardized test of the Common Core standards to be properly piloted and analyzed to determine the value of the assessments in helping students learn.

These are two fantastic examples of OEA — Oregon's educators — working within the existing structures of power to lead, by creating new approaches and organizing to drive change.

But, to be truly transformative, we must continue to build from the ground up, 12

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Engaging parents - and students! - is key to any successful organizing event.

local by local.

In Eugene, the Community Alliance for Public Education (CAPE) was formed to defend public education and show solidarity with educators. This coalition is made up of community members, parents, educators from Bethel, Eugene, and Springfield, and professors from Pacific University and the UO. (Check them out on Facebook — www.facebook. com/ReclaimRenewPublicEd). Although the Smarter Balanced tests become a reality this spring, CAPE has been organizing around this issue for over a year.

So far, CAPE has organized and participated in six community events in Eugene, including a community forum last May with Dr. Nancy Golden, Oregon’s Chief Education Officer. This

past October, we passed out samples of Smarter Balanced questions at Eugene’s Week of Action event. In November, CAPE hosted a town hall with Seattle test boycott organizer Jesse Hagopian , which was attended by over 150 people.

At each event, CAPE worked to educate community members about the impact of testing on students and teachers.

When thinking of standardized tests and their effectiveness, CAPE members asked three basic questions: 1. How much does it cost to implement the test (including licensing fees and updates to the existing technological infrastructure)?

2. How much time is spent out of the classroom taking the test (including tutorials and practice tests)?

3. What are the potential consequences for teachers and students when highstakes standardized tests are tied to funding, graduation and evaluation?

While CAPE is the Eugene example of community organizing around highstakes standardized testing, this work has taken place from Southern Oregon to Bend to Portland and beyond.

It is important to recognize and embrace the power of community organizing. As parents and students begin to engage in the work and start opting out of highstakes standardized tests, it forces elected officials and policy-makers to take notice.

As educators, it’s imperative that we stand up for what we believe in, and if we can get a coalition of parents and students to take action, our message gains clout. Once parents are educated on what high-stakes tests really mean for their students and schools, it will be a great way to build alliances within each community. We can build on this organizing to create a broad base of support for the kind of useful, progressive assessment system that OEA

Organizer's Toolbox

Community members gather to support fellow educators during a Week of Action event in downtown Eugene last October.

members have been working to create. A better way!

In my opinion, the teachers who opt out their own children are champions. These brave souls are publicly taking a stand against a system that they don’t believe helps teachers teach or students learn.

Thank you for your courage!

And, to those who have been working to create a better way: thanks for being the education leaders we need to take back our schools and our profession from the corporate 'reformers'.

Both groups of active OEA members are leading the way to building the kinds of schools Oregon's students deserve.

So, before you passively sit through your next staff meeting or half day training on SBAC, imagine the answers to these three questions: n How will you use the results of SBAC to inform the instruction in your classroom? n How could the cost of implementing SBAC be better spent in your classroom and school?

Credits: Becca Uherbelau

There is power in community organizing through groups like Oregon Save Our Schools and CAPE.

How much instructional time are you losing from your classroom by implementing SBAC? These tests were created by people, which means they can be changed by n

people like you and me!

For an online toolkit that will inspire you to take action and includes a list of legal dos and don’ts, visit parentsandteacherstogether.com.

TODAY’S OEA | WINTER 2015

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Licensure

SPEECH LANGUAGE PATHOLOGISTS LICENSURE IN OREGON School districts can still continue to employ speech language pathologists (SLPs) who are licensed either by TSPC or the Oregon BSPA

BY TERESA FERRER / Consultant, Center for Great Public Schools

S

peech language pathologists (SLPs) have long been a shortage area, so districts have had flexibility to hire outside of TSPC licensure and have done so for many years. In both cases, however, those individuals must be assigned according to what each license allows.

For instance: SLPs with Oregon Boardonly licenses can work in schools and outside staffing agencies, where TSPC only licensed SLPs are limited to working in schools, ESDs and charter schools.

Also SLPs with TSPC only licenses can be assigned additional duties within the scope of other educators, where Oregon Board only licensed SLPs may not.

For these reasons and in pursuit of National Accreditation, many SLPs statewide have pursued and maintained BOTH licenses. This is a costly and duplicative process, although it has expanded the ability of the SLP educator to work and be assigned more broadly in and out of a school district.

What is new and not broadly known is that, under the likely to pass ORS 681.230 amended statute, as of July 1, 2016 no newly prepared SLP can be licensed through TSPC. From that date forward, all newly prepared SLPs must go through the Oregon Board of Examiners to obtain a license to work in ANY capacity in this field.

All current TSPC only licensed SLPs can STILL continue to renew their TSPC licenses as before and schools will still be able to employ them and hire those that hold TSPC licenses from before the change. However, this change has prompted many SLPs who are

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TODAY’S OEA | WINTER 2015

dual licensed to let their TSPC license go.

Since eventually TSPC-only licensed SLPs will retire and the profession will be built on Oregon Board licensed SLPs alone, many no longer see a need to maintain two expensive licenses, along with their national accreditation.

A GUIDE TO UNDERSTANDING THE REQUIREMENTS OEA has developed an easy, user-friendly guide to understanding the requirements of Oregon Board licensure to assist TSPC only SLPs who might be interested.

We encourage you to begin your research on this process by answering the following questions, and then referring to our guidance document at: www.oregoned.org/ stay-informed/licensure.

• Do you have a master’s degree in speech language pathology/ communication disorders from an ASHA accredited program?

• Did you complete a clinical fellowship according to ASHA guidelines after obtaining your graduate degree?

• Have you passed the required PRAXIS exam in speech language pathology?

• Can you document recent professional development that meets the board requirements?

There are also TSPC only licensed SLPs who are inquiring about how to qualify and switch over to Oregon Board Certification so that they can expand their employment outside of the school setting.

OEA strongly advises those educators to do the following two things: 1. Check with your local association president or UniServ Consultant to assure that your contract will recognize you as a professional staff person if you do NOT hold a TSPC license. And if not, are there plans to revise the contract or develop a memorandum of agreement with the district to do so.

2. Check with your local association president or UniServ Consultant to see if the district understands and agrees in writing that Oregon Board licensed SLPs will be restricted to assignments that are strictly clinical and do not include teaching any other classes.

The Beaverton Education Association, under the leadership of BEA President Karen Hoffman and Vice President Karen Lally, have been actively engaged with members and the district in smoothing this transition for their large group of mostly TSPC-licensed SLPs. “It is important to our Association that SLPs are retained in our bargaining unit regardless of TSPC licensure changes. We value their membership and want this to be a seamless process,” Hoffman said. Both of these leaders can offer great guidance to any other local leaders wanting to do the same.

Eye on Equity

WHAT DOES EQUITY IN EDUCATION LOOK LIKE? Education leaders and community members respond at Portland-area town hall event

BY MARY MEREDITH DREW

T

eachers, students, parents, and community members packed the library at Boise Eliott Elementary in Portland on Jan. 15 for the Teaching with Purpose Town Hall for Equity in Education, an extension of the Teaching with Purpose Conference that took place this past October, focusing on culturally responsive education.

Principal Kevin Bacon welcomed the attendees, describing his K-8 school as a strong presence in the community, dedicated to families and the success of its students. Conference and town hall organizer Karanja Crews, a Portland teacher and Boise Eliott parent, described the evening’s purpose as continuing the important conversations that had started at the conference. To develop the evening's common goals, Crews asked the audience to share with their neighbors what equity in education meant to them.

Oregon's Chief Education Officer Dr. Nancy Golden discussed OEIB’s interest in educational equity, saying that OEIB’s job is to create a seamless system for students, from birth until they move successfully to college and/or career.

OEIB has created an “equity lens” to use when deciding which projects and policies to invest in, Golden said. Oregon has 1,000 educators of color who are not employed, and Golden is determined to investigate and rectify that situation. She said OEIB is committed to recruiting and retaining a diverse workforce.

Rep. Lew Frederick, a former journalist, spoke next. He had reported on the issue of disproportionate discipline of children of color in the 70’s, citing that it is still a significant problem. Frederick objected to the way teachers and parents are being left out of decision making in education.

“Making sure teachers are involved should be a given,” he insisted. “... I hear

Credit: Hands on Greater Portland

that kindergarten teachers do not see their students’ test scores until the end of the school year. How does that make any sense? I want to figure out how we break that cycle.”

Members of the audience were eager to speak. Parents questioned why Oregon employs so few teachers of color in our schools, noting that it is necessary to have education leaders with whom students of color can identify. Teachers urged OEIB to invest in classrooms across the board, rather than funding special projects that serve a limited number of children.

During the panel, OEA President Hanna Vaandering spoke about Oregon's dismal class size ranking (2nd highest class size in the country, currently). “We have an all-day kindergarten class right now with 44 students,” Vaandering said.

“We are 48th in the nation in funding higher ed, and yet we’ve set goals of 4040-20? You cannot talk about outcomes without talking about input and about equity for every student. They need the learning conditions that will help them be successful."

Portland Association of Teachers (PAT) President Gwen Sullivan, a teacher

and parent of two children in the district, said she was proud to represent Portland’s teachers. “We know that 60 to 70 percent of kids will fail the Smarter Balanced tests,” she said. “[The test] hasn’t been proven to be valid or reliable; it’s not been proven to be free from cultural, socioeconomic, or linguistic bias. That goes against our own equity policy,” she said.

“And speaking of strategic investments, when you put money in one place without putting more money in the system you create another problem somewhere else.

Fund the schools, and then talk about strategic investments.”

Vaandering urged parents and educators to take part in any opportunity where decisions are being made about public education."Meetings are happening when parents aren’t there, and when educators aren’t there. They’re happening without the voice of the students. We’ve got to turn that around.

We’ve got to be there. We’re ready in Oregon to create a better way for public education.”

Crews intends to continue the conversation with another town hall later this year.

TODAY’S OEA | WINTER 2015

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Politics & You

WHAT YOU CAN EXPECT FROM THE 2015 LEGISLATIVE SESSION

BY OEA STAFF

O

n Jan. 12, Oregon’s 79th Legislative Assembly was sworn into office. On the same day, more than 250 OEA members spent the day in Salem, descending upon the Capitol to meet their legislators and become familiar with the workings of the building. These politically engaged educators broke into regional groups throughout the day to plan for legislative action during the session and learn about OEA’s political agenda over the next six months.

On Feb. 2, the 60 members of the House and 30 members of the Senate began their work. We have an aggressive, proactive agenda planned for this legislative session.

The main focus, as usual, is on the dollars allocated to fund the schools our students deserve. Gov. John Kitzhaber floated his recommended budget of $6.914 ­— a level that would cause significant cuts. With the Governor’s recommended budget, most Oregon school districts would face serious budget cuts, including teacher and staff layoffs, higher class sizes, fewer school days, and elimination of valuable programs and services that help meet the needs of all students. The resulting cuts would be made

worse by the Governor’s proposal to change the school funding formula — further destabilizing local budgets. The proposal is nearly $600 million short of the amount schools need to maintain current programs and add full-day kindergarten.

The Legislative Co-Chairs of Ways and Means made progress and proposed a $7.235 billion education spending budget — this is a “current services level” budget. Even so, Oregon schools will be faced with a difficult dilemma — whether to implement full-day kindergarten or maintain current programs and class sizes for students in grades 1-12.

Speaker Tina Kotek meets with members from Portland Association of Teachers about education policy issues.

Get involved!

Make a difference. n

n

16

Sign up for OEA-PIE and contribute to the impact that OEA makes on candidate elections around the state.

Help set our priorities for the 2016 elections: www.oregoned.org/oeapie.

Attend the Statewide Lobby Day on March 23rd in Salem. Speak directly with your local legislators and share the story of your students and the impact the budget has on them.

TODAY’S OEA | WINTER 2015

At this level — which is estimated to reduce funding by $47 per student in the first year of the biennium — most districts will not be able to do both.

This session and into the future, we’ll continue to work together toward the schools that our students deserve. OEA’s legislative agenda beyond the budget includes advocating for assessment reform, ELL student success, school safety, healthcare reimbursement reform, and proactive elections accessibility bills. For more information, visit www.oregoned.org/stay-informed/ politics/legislature-election.

! vists Acti OEA ou’re Y ed! it v In

March 23, 2015 State Capitol /Salem, Ore.

OEA LOBBY DAY Bring your voice to Salem on the issues that matter most to you and your students.

Our lobby day will begin with a morning training at the Salem Convention Center; we’ll move to the State Capitol where you’ll have the chance to meet with your legislators and lobby them on our pro-public education agenda.

www.oregoned.org/2015lobbyday

n Call your Legislator directly and

introduce yourself as an educator who cares. n

Get involved in the school board

elections in your area. More than 500 school board members statewide are up for re-election this year and the school board is the ground level for bargaining and contract agreements.

Sixteen OEA educators make up our Political Cadre, a team of politically engaged members who receive a stipend for going above and beyond — planning and activating their local and UniServ councils in political work such as PIE fundraising, school board races, and legislative action. If you're interested in applying to be a cadre member, email: oea-gr@oregoned.org.

Credits: Above: Elizabeth Nahl; Below: Trent Lutz

Politics & You

ELLs THE FOCUS OF COALITION EFFORT

A

controversial proposal to change the school funding formula has led to a positive outcome for students in Englishlanguage (ELL) and bilingual programs. Rather than simply reallocating existing resources, OEA and stakeholder groups from education and community-based organizations are working to craft a series of programmatic improvements to the way ELL students are identified, served, and exited.

The original proposal from the Oregon Department of Education would have increased the extra “weight” attributed to ELL students in the distribution formula from .5 to .6, but ended all funding for those students after just four or seven years, depending on the student’s entry score on an English-language proficiency test. The ODE proposal also included a requirement that the funding follows the student, with 90 percent of the value of the weight being mandated for schools’ ELL budgets. Even more controversial, the proposal called for $250 per student in bonuses to districts that awarded diplomas to long-term ELL students. No new revenue was proposed to support these changes — only reallocation of existing resources.

In response, OEA built a coalition with other stakeholders that also included ORTESOL President Barbara Page; and OEA members Matthew Oleson, Portland Teacher; Pat Muller, McMinnville Teacher; Kathleen Hagans Jesky, Canby Teacher; and OEA Ethnic Minority Affairs Director Alejandra Barragan, Reynolds Teacher, to develop a plan that would make a difference in ELL programs for the 2015 legislative session.

Based on the team’s hard work, Rep. Joe Gallegos of Hillsboro is sponsoring legislation that makes programmatic changes that will serve students better. Some of the highlights include: n Align Oregon ELL laws to federal Title III requirements with respect to definitions, equity standards, parent engagement,

ESEA REAUTHORIZATION UNDERWAY

The reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) is in full swing nationally. The NEA wants a new accountability system with a focus on equity in the next phase of No Child Left Behind. In a recent letter sent to Education Secretary Arne Duncan, NEA President Lily Eskelsen García fleshed out a plan for an "opportunity dashboard" that NEA thinks should be part of the next NCLB. The dashboard would include data on the resources available to students in schools that is disaggregated by subgroup as students' test scores are now.

Credit: iStockphoto.com

n n

n

n n n n

n

minimum provider qualifications, and program goals.

Require uniform coding and transparency by school districts of ELL budgets (all ELL expenses and revenue sources).

Expand methods of assessment for ELL students to a list of approved choices of assessment tools and improve accommodation options to increase student success in exiting the program as appropriate.

Create Individual Student Response Plan for students with delayed exit, interrupted formal education, or who for those who have not developed literacy/numeracy in any language.

Encourage districts to create homework help drop-in centers.

Establish an account at ODE to receive funding for purchase of school library books written in languages other than English.

Improve parent communication by expanding methods for delivery of ELL-related information.

Encourage establishment of an ELL Plus option for students who are proficient in most but not all tested “domains”, via differentiation, TAP, Step Up, Gear Up, and other student programs and supports as appropriate.

Establish early identification of “families in isolation” (defined as no individual in a household speaking English well) at school entry or whenever a family applies for public assistance.

"You know my views about the overuse and misuse of standardized tests and their corrupting influence on the quality of teaching and learning in our schools, so I will not take time to restate them here.

I want to focus on an area where I think there is agreement," Eskelsen García wrote. "One of the most important flaws of NCLB is that it failed to create any mechanism that would help address the inequity of opportunities and resources for students across this country."

Among the measures that the NEA would like to see included in the dashboards: access to advanced coursework like AP courses, high-quality early

education, and arts and athletic programs. States should be required to work to even out students' access to such resources, and there should be financial incentives to "encourage states to develop, adopt, and implement equitable financing mechanisms that provide funding sufficient for every student to meet state content and performance standards," the letter said.

"When half of American children are now living in low-income families, I believe we have more than just the fierce urgency of now to act. I believe we have a crisis of opportunity to solve," the letter said.

TODAY’S OEA | WINTER 2015

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A

CREDiT WHERE CREDiT IS DUE

s the 2015 legislative session gets underway, big changes are on the drawing board for Oregon’s dual-credit and accelerated learning programs. With an eye toward the state’s aggressive 40-40-20 goal, the Oregon Education Investment Board has proposed an expansion of college credit classes for high school students.

Dual-credit or accelerated learning programs offer both high school and college credit opportunities for high school students. Options are varied depending upon the district and school, geographic location, students’ academic ability and even their financial resources. Some schools offer Early College programs, in which high school students take courses on college campuses. Others have college-level courses taught at the student’s high school.

Questions remain about which approach will best serve students and accurately replicate the college coursework.

OEA member educators are engaged not only in teaching dual credit programs, but

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TODAY’S OEA | WINTER 2015

OEA LEADERS PUSH FOR EFFECTIVE DUAL CREDIT POLICIES FOR STUDENTS

BY JON BELL & JARED MASON-GERE PHOTOS BY THOMAS PATTERSON

in analyzing policy and advocating for programs that will best meet students’ needs.

In the rural town of Hermiston, Ore., English and communications teacher Ericka Keefauver teaches college credit courses through Eastern Promise, a proficiencybased college credit program for high school students. Students take a proficiency exam or submit a portfolio of work at the end of the course, which is graded by both high school and college instructors. If they score high enough, they earn the college credit.

“It’s a push from the state, so we have to offer some opportunities,” Keefauver said, referring to her students who live in a rural community with no access to a nearby community college where they’d be able to take advanced coursework.

This legislative session, Oregon lawmakers will consider Senate Bill 84, a wideranging proposal that would establish standards and funding mechanisms for accelerated college credit programs. As it was submitted, the bill would require all school districts to have these programs at every high school, transferable to accredited postsecondary institutions. Students would not be required to pay for the courses or credits.

As the state pursues dual-credit expansion, eyebrows have begun to raise over just how state officials are going about it.

OEA members are actively engaged, pushing to ensure any new mandates provide an accurate experience and represent true college-level work.

“It’s important that accelerated learning programs create a realistic experience for students, provide them accurate exposure

to college coursework, and set them up for success,” said Traci Hodgson, a history and women’s studies instructor at Chemeketa Community College. “At the end of the day, that’s what we’re fighting for: making sure these programs best serve our students.”

Kevin Furey, a professor of economics at Chemeketa Community College, first started to catch wind of potential changes to dual-credit programs as the community college faculty adviser to the Oregon State Board of Education, a post he held from 2012 through 2014. He said education officials changed an Oregon Administrative Rule to make it easier for high schools to offer these programs, and when they were asked how that was going to work, their answers were vague.

“You got the feeling that people weren’t being forthright with you, that something was afoot,” he said. “We weren’t sure what it was, but it was something.”

It turned out that the state was aiming to expand Eastern Promise through a replication grant program. Furey said the expansion was designed, however, to increase the

Traci Hodgson is passionate about retaining the college experience for accelerated learning students.

"AT THE END OF THE DAY, THAT’S WHAT WE’RE FIGHTING FOR: MAKING SURE THESE PROGRAMS BEST SERVE OUR STUDENTS." TRACI HODGSON A HISTORY AND WOMEN’S STUDIES INSTRUCTOR AT CHEMEKETA COMMUNITY COLLEGE

pool of qualified instructors by loosening the requirements for teachers. For one of the expanded programs, Willamette Promise, high school principals were given the authority to determine who was qualified to teach a college-level course.

Furey and Hodgson are among those advocating for other models of accelerated learning. The College Credit Now program

is one in which Chemeketa Community College participates and is broadly supported by Chemeketa faculty. Other programs offered in Oregon school districts include the Two-Plus-Two program for students pursuing career-technical courses and the Expanded Options program, targeting atrisk students. Altogether, tens of thousands of public school students avail themselves of classroom-based and online programs.

Susan Huffman, an English teacher at North Marion High School, asked her principal and superintendent to opt out of Willamette Promise, saying there was no real curriculum that accompanied the Willamette Promise program. Students were merely required to do two writing assignments in conjunction with their regular high school English class, one of which was to be a personal reflection.

“I just really felt that this was not the best way for my kids,” Huffman said. “My kids need instruction, they need practice to be well-prepared for writing. This was not offering any of that. To me, two essays isn’t preparing kids for college.”

TODAY’S OEA | WINTER 2015

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OREGON'S DUAL CREDIT OPTIONS: ANALYSIS AND RECOMMENDATIONS Submitted by the OEA Community College Council

O

ur recommendations represent the professional assessment of the community college educators represented by the Oregon Education Association's Community College Council. In order for dual credit courses to work as a bridge from high school to a successful college experience, these courses must mirror actual college courses in both academic rigor, college educational culture, and instructor qualification. We believe that the best option would be for high school students to take college courses on college campuses, and therefore we strongly recommend that the State develop strategies to expand what we have called the: A. Whole College Immersion Experience; and B. Early or Middle College options.

We also recognize that many high schools are not physically close enough to have their students take classes directly on college campuses, so we recommend that the State also develop strategies to create and expand: C. College Comes to the High School; and D. Supported Online College Courses with a High School Mentor options.

In addition, the State should find a way to reimburse students who want to enroll in online college courses.

To expand the College Credit Now option, the State should make available summer online graduate courses and funding to allow teachers to gain the credentials they need to teach these courses.

Finally, we believe that the Eastern Promise model should be used sparingly if at all.

There are a number of potential problems with the proficiency assessments. Quality concerns would multiply with the lowering of instructor qualification standards.

There are better options for Oregon's students, both urban and rural, that more effectively introduce them to college.

Traci Hodgson took part in developing the Community College Council's dual credit recommendations.

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TODAY’S OEA | WINTER 2015

157,731

Number of community college credits earned by Oregon high school students in dual credit programs in 2012-13.

51,517

Number of Career and Technical Education course credits earned by Oregon high school students in 2012-13.

$21,000,000

Estimated community college cost savings to Oregon families and students as a result of all those credits combined.

Source: Division of Community Colleges and Workforce Development

And it’s not just the Eastern Promise imitators that have failed to make the grade. The original prototype also has its detractors. In its initial years of operation, Eastern Promise’s intent of reaching lowincome and minority students who otherwise would see college as unattainable has missed the mark. Students taking advantage of the program are those who were clearly headed for college anyway. In effect, more affluent, college-bound students are taking advantage of the program with our low-income students' needs going unmet.

In the tiny eastern Oregon town of Echo where Mike Heriza teaches at Echo High School, this reality is especially true.

“With the dual credit programs, you really get the top students,” said Heriza, who teaches college-level classes through Eastern Promise in writing, drama and one on the novels of John Steinbeck. “The kids are really motivated, so it’s fun to teach them.

I think the parents and the community appreciates (the dual credit opportunities) because it saves them a lot of money, too.”

Beyond this, Keefauver has concerns that the state’s push for greater college credit opportunity may not help students get a true sense of what college courses are like.

“I don’t always think that high school students have the skills to do these types of assignments at this level,” she said. “It makes me nervous to think of some of them graduating with an associate’s degree and then taking 300-level classes.”

Another concern, according to Hodgson, is that both high school teachers and college instructors will have even more work — grading, administering tests, planning and more — piled onto their already-overflowing plates. In addition, some worry that the lack of solid curriculum in programs like Willamette Promise won’t do much to get students ready for college-level work.

Striving Toward A Solution

Responding to these and other concerns, OEA’s Community College UniServ Council and high school teachers across the state have stepped forward. According to a white paper written by the Community College Council (see sidebar), the Eastern Promise model, particularly one that would lower requirements for teachers, should not be used. The council is asking Credits: Thomas Patterson

Ericka Keefauver, AP English teacher at Hermiston High School, is thankful she can provide her students the option of pursuing college credit.

"I DON’T ALWAYS THINK THAT HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS HAVE THE SKILLS TO DO THESE TYPES OF ASSIGNMENTS AT THIS LEVEL. IT MAKES ME NERVOUS TO THINK OF SOME OF THEM GRADUATING WITH AN ASSOCIATE’S DEGREE AND THEN TAKING 300-LEVEL CLASSES." ERICKA KEEFAUVER ENGLISH AND COMMUNICATIONS TEACHER AT HERMISTON HIGH SCHOOL

the state to invest in programs that would bring college instructors to high schools to

teach courses or to support online courses paired with high school mentors. They are actively working to make sure that policymakers understand that the new, lesser programs threaten to displace existing programs with much higher success rates.

Absent scrutiny, they argue, the state will miss the fact that program quality will take a back seat to program quantity.

“There are a variety of well-intentioned proposals being put forward in Salem that could lead to a less rigorous experience than a student would experience in an actual college setting,” Hodgson said. “We do a disservice if we tell someone they’re getting a college course when they’re not.”

In both the K-12 and community college arenas, OEA members are actively working to make existing state mandates work as well as possible.

“If we don’t stand up for students, educators, and common sense policies, who will?” asked Hodgson. “This work isn’t always easy, but I know my advocacy is making a difference for community colleges and education throughout Oregon.” n TODAY’S OEA | WINTER 2015

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Wellness works OEA Choice Trust has become the go-to source for employee wellness in schools

H

ealthier employees. More successful students. Flourishing communities.

Believe it or not, a little school employee wellness goes a long way in achieving all three of these. And while wellness might seem like a simple concept — and it is, really — sometimes it takes a little helping hand to get it off the ground.

In Oregon, that helping hand is OEA Choice Trust, an organization inspiring schools to create healthy workplaces for all staff; which also positively influences the wellbeing of students.

“OEA Choice Trust has recognized that public school employee health is essential to the success of education,” said Cheri Higgins, a health teacher at Talmadge Middle School in Independence and the current chair of the OEA Choice Trust Board of Trustees. “ When employees are healthier and feel valued, it can lead to lower substitute costs/absenteeism, improved morale and ultimately to improved student health and academic success.”

The Trust helps school districts, education service districts and community colleges all over Oregon launch employee wellness programs. It recently sharpened its focus, uniting everything that it does under a lofty new vision: “All Oregon public school employees are healthy, resilient and engaged as champions for healthy school environments and vital communities. As a result, they are fulfilled in their work, model health for students and are better equipped to foster student success.”

The primary way that OEA Choice Trust 22

TODAY’S OEA | WINTER 2015

strives toward this vision is through its employee wellness grant program. As of 2013, the Trust had awarded more than $1.6 million to 34 Oregon public school employee groups to start wellness programs, an effort that has touched more than 18,000 lives. The grants, usually lasting three to five years, have been used to fund everything from employee health assessments and fitness classes in yoga, Zumba and karate to converting an extra classroom into a gym. Culture changes such as offering healthy snacks and beverages during staff meetings, improving access to clean drinking water and encouraging walking meetings have also resulted from the grants. Some grantees have also taken

steps to add staff wellness to their school wellness policy.

“OEA Choice Trust helps school employees create healthy workplaces that support their total health,” Higgins said.

“It empowers school districts, ESDs and community colleges to design customizable employee wellness programs that really work.”

The Trust has also positioned itself as the go-to source for expertise, best practices and a long list of other resources that school employees all over Oregon can tap into for anything related to wellness.

That includes OEA Choice Trust’s free Blueprint for School Employee Wellness, a comprehensive, easy-to-use guide for launching a successful employee wellness program, strategies based on worksite wellness research or even simple advice

Tools to get worksite wellness underway

T

he employee wellness grant program that OEA Choice Trust offers to K-12 school districts, education service districts and community colleges across Oregon may be the largest tool that the Trust brings to bear for wellness, but it’s certainly not the only one.

In addition to its grant program, OEA Choice Trust also offers a wealth of expertise and experience to help schools create wellness programs to support employees. Two of the Trust’s offerings in particular can help make employee wellness a reality no matter the educational setting.

on how to kick up wellness efforts without spending a penny. (A few examples: Make staff members schedule — and take — their breaks; hold walking meetings instead of sitting ones; and make sure employees have access to clean, free drinking water.)

So, why does OEA Choice Trust do it?

Simple. Wellness works.

Not only do wellness programs help employees live healthier lives, but research has also shown that healthy workplaces help school employees manage stress, stay energized and be more focused in their work.

The results include better educational outcomes for students, fewer sick days for employees and role models who set a tone of wellness for entire communities.

“OEA Choice Trust is leading the way to create healthy school environments for all students and educators across Oregon,” said Hanna Vaandering, president of the Oregon Education Association and an OEA Choice Trust board member.

“The partnership we have built with OEA Choice Trust has truly made a difference in the lives of our students and the 42,000 OEA member educators in Oregon.”

To find out more about OEA Choice Trust, visit www.oeachoice.com. n Credits: Robert Delahanty

• OEA Choice Trust Blueprint for School Employee Wellness — The idea of employee wellness is an appealing one, but without a guide — or even a place to start — the concept can be daunting. OEA Choice Trust’s Blueprint for School Employee Wellness has been designed to make it easy to get started,

to achieve real results and to make a meaningful difference. Available at www.oeachoice.com, the Blueprint for School Employee Wellness lays out six important steps for creating a successful employee wellness program, steps that can help start a new program from scratch or tighten up an existing one that may just need a little more attention to achieve real success.

• The 2015 Oregon School Employee Wellness Conference — Now in its fourth year, the Oregon School Employee Wellness Conference aims to engage school employees in creating healthier school environments that support the physical, social and emotional health and well-being of staff and students.

Held this year from March 22-24 at The Riverhouse Hotel & Convention Center in Bend, the conference is focused on three themes: building awareness and skills to improve health; implementing school-wide approaches to create a healthy environment for staff and students; and developing community partnerships to leverage resources and achieve shared wellness goals. This year’s conference also offers networking opportunities, the chance to both relax and be active in the natural beauty of Central Oregon and a keynote presentation from motivational speaker Dave Weber. Registration is free, and more information is available at www. oeachoice.com/news-events.

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TODAY’S OEA | WINTER 2015

The Empty Chair Crisis Amid millions of school suspensions issued nationally, Oregon educators begin to retool their school discipline policies to keep kids in school, where they ultimately belong

By Meg Krugel | Photography by Thomas Patterson

3 Million.

Nationwide, that’s the number of students who faced out-of-school suspensions in 2010, according to the National Education Association. That’s 3 million students who lost valuable instructional time in the classroom and the positive influence of a meaningful community one finds in a school setting. School discipline, and how it’s handled, is the number one predictor – even over poverty – of whether or not a student will graduate, which means in 2010, we shuffled 3 million students onto a path headed straight toward school dropout, greater likelihood of unemployment, and even imprisonment.

And of those 3 million students, none were more impacted than students of color, who are suspended or expelled at three times the rate of their white classmates,

according to school discipline data from the US Department of Education Office for Civil Rights. Additionally, students with disabilities are twice as likely to be suspended as non-disabled students, and LGBT-identified students are 1.4 times more likely to be suspended than their straight peers.

Though it’s hard to admit, Oregon is no stranger to these statistics. A study conducted by Regional Education Laboratory (REL) Northwest in 2011-2012 found that the percentage of Oregon students receiving exclusionary discipline was higher for American Indian, black, Hispanic and multiracial students than for white students. In addition to addressing the disparate data, for Oregon educators, the loss of instructional time associated with suspension and expulsion of these students is of highest concern.

Highland Park Middle School students show their work in Michael Gould's sixth-grade math class.

Thankfully, to our state’s credit, change is brewing.

“There seems to be a slight downward trend in the use of suspensions, but that doesn’t mean we are closing the gap,” said Vicki Nishioka, Senior Advisor at Education Northwest. “If we only look at suspensions for all students and we don’t look at how it’s impacting different groups (i.e., racial, ethnic, special education) of students, we may lower suspensions but we may not reduce disparities.”

Three years ago, the Oregon Leadership Network (OLN) brought together six school districts in Oregon (Beaverton, Portland, Tigard-Tualatin, Forest Grove, Reynolds and Centennial) united under a common goal: reduce discipline disparities across the board. The elimination of discipline disparities is a network-wide priority as expressed by the OLN State TODAY’S OEA | WINTER 2015

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With the implementation of Restorative Justice, Michael Gould now has more time to spend teaching his students. Principal David Nieslanik is pictured in the background.

Steering Committee and the OLN superintendents.

“OLN identified disproportionate discipline rates as a critical issue of equity, and saw it as an important step in increasing academic achievement, improving teacher/student relationships, and building safer schools for every student,” explained Nishioka, who leads the OLN's work on school climate through Education Northwest.

Last year, the OLN looked at school discipline policies and identified areas where policies could be strengthened to promote keeping kids in schools. This year, OLN is exploring new ways of supporting teachers by building professional development tools that will help teachers address discipline issues when they arise, without detracting from classroom learning.

Nishioka said school discipline policies should build on the strengths of the district or school and reflect the culture of their community. “It’s not a one-sizefits-all because every district is different in their strengths and challenges,” she said.

The OLN encourages school leaders to 26

TODAY’S OEA | WINTER 2015

collaborate with teachers and parents to develop policies and practices that can replace school suspensions. This collaborative culture is essential in lowering rates of suspensions.

For Nishioka, there is one clear rule of thumb in this work: “Rigid policies that move to suspensions as one of the first responses don’t lead to safer schools. Instead, schools that focus on prevention and building positive relationships between teachers and every student provide environments that support student learning.”

Restoring Justice to the Classroom

Over the course of his 15-year career as a math teacher at Highland Park Middle School in Beaverton, Michael Gould has watched his school’s discipline policies turn a complete 180 degrees. In his first 10 or so years teaching at Highland Park, the school had what he calls a “punitive system,” in which referrals were flooding in and inundating the school administration; kids were being suspended left and right

for minor infractions, spending their days at home where no real learning was taking place, or worse, hanging out on the streets by themselves.

Enter a new program called Restorative Justice about three years ago, and Highland Park’s referral rates are at an all-time low. Through Restorative Justice, or “RJ,” conversations happen regularly to address behavior issues — first in the classroom, and then, if necessary, in a mediated setting with all parties involved in the “circle” (student, principal, teacher, parent, and any ‘target’ of the behavior).

“There has been a huge decline in referrals, and I attribute that to teachers, who are taking on the idea that we can do Restorative Justice in the classroom. [Before], kids didn’t really look at their actions as harming someone else. They just ‘got caught’,” said Gould. “With Restorative Justice, they’re in a position where they have to be eyeball to eyeball with the person who was harmed in some way. As they talk through that, it really opens their eyes.

It’s been a very, very positive turnaround.”

For Gould and his colleagues, the work

begins in September to build positive relationships with every single student so that when an RJ circle must take place due to misbehavior, the student is much more receptive to the conversation. It’s timeintensive work, but compares in no way to the hours Gould used to spend writing referrals and dealing with problems. “The end result is that I have a lot more time to teach,” he said.

The numbers speak for themselves.

When David Nieslanik started at Highland Park four years ago as Vice Principal, 309 referrals were written for repeat offenders out of 389 total referrals. Last year, during Nieslanik’s first year as Highland Park’s Principal, only 40 repeat offenders were given referrals. This year, the school is on track to have even lower numbers. As an added plus, the school, which is roughly 40 percent students of color, is keeping the proportionality of referrals right in line with its student demographics (24 percent of the students are Hispanic, and Hispanic students made up 20 percent of referrals last year, as an example).

Nieslanik is a true champion of Restorative Justice because he’s seen it work, time and again. “A teacher has the opportunity to tell the kid how they feel when the kid disrupts their class, and the student has the right to have their voice heard.”

But for some teachers, the plummeting referral rates at Highland Park mean some are more hesitant to send a student to the principal’s office, even if they really need to do so. Sarah Watterson, a science teacher and Beaverton Education Association (BEA) Board Member, said this is true of her colleagues who know the disproportionate data and know that reducing school suspensions is a huge priority. The greater the success rate, she said, the more teachers can feel like they are “failing” the system if they make a referral.

It’s a concern that Nieslanik thinks about frequently as a school leader. “We aren’t getting rid of suspensions. We tell our teachers, if you need to refer a kid or have a consequence, we will do that,” Nieslanik said. “Our goal is: how do you support that student better in the classroom? At the same time, make sure that Credits: Left: Thomas Patterson, Right: Meg Krugel

Joel Nixon teaches in the therapeutic preschool program inside the Gladstone Center for Children and Families.

your classroom is safe. Make sure that you are teaching, and that your teaching is not interrupted. ” Equipping teachers to more effectively address behavior issues through the Restorative Justice lens doesn’t happen overnight. Through monthly “Climate meetings" between administrators and BEA Building Representatives, Highland Park is looking at ways to tighten up behavior plans and provide ongoing support to teachers. So far, the work has included redefining a discipline flowchart, providing ongoing support for classroom management, and rolling out Positive Behavior Interventions and Support (PBIS) strategies that are in the interests of students and their teachers.

Addressing Behavior Early On

Though there are just seven students enrolled in the Clackamas County therapeutic preschool program inside the Gladstone Center for Children and Families, on any given day, the classroom staffs a mix of 4 or 5 early childhood teachers and

classroom assistants. The average 1-to-2 ratio is absolutely essential for keeping the classroom safe for these 3-5-year-olds.

These students don’t necessarily have learning delays typical of other Special Education students, but instead, are referred to the classroom because they often have experienced some form of early trauma or have early onset mental health issues. The majority of the students are in foster care and some may be working toward reunification with their birth families. As such, a typical day in the therapeutic classroom ebbs and flows – one minute, all students will be playing and learning harmoniously and the next moment, aggression erupts.

The Positive Discipline model that informs the philosophy of the classroom cautions that neither punishment nor rewards help develop life skills. Several break spaces exist in the room and students are often encouraged to take a “positive timeout.”

Therapeutic preschool teacher Joel Nixon spends a large part of his day observing his students in open-ended and creative play, documenting their behavior patterns on a small clipboard and sharing each TODAY’S OEA | WINTER 2015

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child’s successes and emotional experiences with their families, as well as crunching the data and presenting it to the student’s home school district, as they begin to write the student’s school-age Special Education Individualized Education Plan.

Nixon, an early childhood specialist and Licensed Clinical Social Worker, knows that the path these students are on is a tenuous one; the educational experiences they have within the first few years of their lives will in large part determine their success in elementary school and beyond.

Nixon is part of the statewide Early Childhood Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports (ECPBIS) workgroup, and a sub-workgroup called Safety First, which has developed the only de-escalation and physical restraint curriculum approved by ODE for children under the age of 5. Apart from his teaching responsibilities, his dayto-day work involves working with special education teachers, school psychologists, kindergarten teachers and others to develop a system in which his students can be successful outside of a therapeutic setting.

“It seems to go best when the school district has a flexible program. They might have a resource room, or a self-contained classroom that the child can spend a portion of the day in,” Nixon said. “The goal of the district is to have the child be successful in a general education classroom as much as possible, and [it works best] when they go about it in a thoughtful way.”

Last year, the Civil Rights Data Collection showed that more than 8,000 public preschoolers were suspended at least once during the 2011-12 school year. Yes, that means 4-year-olds, forced out of a school setting before they even learn to spell their own name. According to an article in Education Week, black children make up about a fifth of all preschool pupils but close to half the children who are suspended more than once. Boys of all races represent 54 percent of the total number of preschoolers, but more than 80 percent of those suspended more than once.

It’s surprising data because many, including U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan, are shocked to discover the idea that preschool students can even face 28

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HB 2192 Last year, the Oregon legislature passed HB 2192 to address suspension crises in our state. The new law: n Recognizes that school is the safest

place for students to be during the day. n Promotes behavior and discipline

practices which are already used in more than 60 percent of Oregon schools that are shown to be effective in keeping schools safe while keeping more students learning. n

Encourages schools to reduce the use of suspension and expulsion in order to keep more struggling students in school where they can learn the academic and social skills they are often lacking.

n

Increases the discretion and authority of school administrators to assess school safety and employ a broad range of discipline and other interventions that promote both safety and learning.

n

Repeals ineffective and confusing “zero tolerance” policies that have led to inconsistent and inappropriate discipline for tens of thousands of students.

n

Disrupts the “school-to-prison pipeline” by reducing the use of school exclusion, which has increased the risk of some students to enter the justice system.

n

Will help reduce the high rates of suspension and expulsion of students with disabilities and students of color.

— Text provided by Youth, Rights & Justice

out-of-school suspensions. During a press event last March, Duncan called the data “mind-boggling.”

However, that same research also indicates that suspension and expulsion rates plunge when teachers feel competent about working with challenging young children and supporting their emotional development. That’s exactly the goal

Nixon has in his work in Clackamas County, and across the state. He’s part of a pilot program this year that will be doing intensive coaching with five early childhood educators in special education classrooms in Clackamas County on how to work more effectively with kids who exhibit challenging behaviors. Next year, those educators will coach at least five more individuals, and the program will, Nixon hopes, continue to grow exponentially.

The timing, he said, could not be more critical. It’s little secret that families are still reeling and recovering from the economic crash that began in 2008. Children who were born during this economic downturn are just beginning to enter the public school system. “That’s resulted in what we have now – an explosion of preschoolers who have challenging behaviors, which you can trace back to the loss of jobs and increased stress on the household. When parents are stressed, they can't do their best parenting,” Nixon said.

Bringing the Community Together

Bringing an end to zero-tolerance policies has become the clarion cry for many parent groups, advocacy groups like the Dignity in Schools Campaign, and even the NEA. In 2013, delegates at the NEA Representative Assembly expressed their unified commitment to ending the school-toprison pipeline, which is fueled by punitive discipline policies and an over-reliance on out-of-school suspensions.

But the work is challenging, and it’s critical (especially as districts move toward programs like Restorative Justice and PBIS) that educators receive effective training on how to best go about bringing an end to suspensions. Otherwise, teachers find themselves stranded in unsafe classroom situations without the tools to do their job. Last year, to help members master that process, NEA partnered with the Advancement Project, the Opportunity to Learn Campaign and the American Federation of Teachers to release a restorative practices toolkit. (Find it online: www.otlcampaign.org/restorative-practices).

For the last several years, the Portland

Parent Union, under the leadership of Sheila Warren, has called for a moratorium on out-of-school suspensions with Portland Public Schools. The moratorium follows the work of the national Solutions Not Suspensions campaign — a grassroots initiative of students, educators, parents, and community leaders who’ve called on states and districts to keep students in the classroom and help educators work with students and parents to create safe and engaging classrooms that protect the human rights to education and dignity.

ESL teacher Linea King fully supports the idea of a moratorium, and in fact, has implemented something similar in her own classroom at Cesar Chavez K-8 school in North Portland. At the start of this school year, King told her students she would no longer be using “time outs” in the classroom as a way of punishing students, a strategy that used to be a go-to for King Credit: Opportunity to Learn

in dealing with behavior issues.

“I came in this year and said to my students, ‘I am not going to break the circle of our community… the classroom community is a circle, and when somebody is missing from that, the circle is broken. As a class, we are a complete community and we need to be a complete circle,” King said.

Ending the suspension crisis goes beyond just agreeing to stop writing referrals or issuing time outs, though. Ultimately, no progress can be made until addressing inequities and racial biases come to the fore of our daily work with students.

King has addressed this critical concept through her local association role as Community and Human Relations Chair. Through the work of Warren, the Portland Parent Union, and leaders from Rethinking Schools, King helped start Restorative Listening Dialogues between Portland teachers and parents. Warren has

continued to carry the torch in keeping these dialogues alive. “A huge part of this work is allowing teachers to let down their defenses… looking at what kinds of subconscious messages are happening in their heads when they look at boys of color, and particularly black boys,” King said.

“I think a lot of times, [white] teachers who love working in schools with high populations of communities of color feel like they don’t need to work on their own biases because they love their kids and feel like that makes them not racist,” King said.

To the contrary, King explained, educators need to go through a constant cycle of selfreflection around racial biases, especially those that are deeply engrained due to the world in which we live.

The work to reduce suspensions is challenging and time consuming — but educators and advocates from all walks agree — ultimately well worth the endeavor. n TODAY’S OEA | WINTER 2015

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Sources + Resources The following information is provided as a resource to members of the Oregon Education Association. Their publication within Today’s OEA is not to be construed as a recommendation or endorsement of the products or services by the Oregon Education Association, its Board of Directors or staff.

AWARDS, GRANTS, SCHOLARSHIPS

The SPARK Grant Finder Tool

n WHAT: This tool helps locate funding for Physical Education, After School, Early Childhood, Classroom Activity, or Coordinated School Health program. Grants can be used for curriculum, teacher training, or equipment. n HOW: For more information, go to www.sparkpe.org/grants/grantfundingresources.

applicant, school administrators, other teachers, students, or any other interested parties.Winners receive $1,500 cash award and $500 for hotel/travel expenses if attending Awards luncheon. n WHO: Middle School and High School teachers n WHEN: Application deadline is Mar. 15, 2015 n HOW: For more information, go to http://americanlawyersauxiliary.org/ annual-awards/law-related-educationteacher-of-the-year-award.

Free Access to Grant Announcements

WHAT: This website offers free access to a complete and current database of Federal, State and Private Foundation grants available to schools and non-profit organizations. n HOW: For more information, go to www.

Grants4Teachers.com, or contact the Grant Hotline at 1-800-642-7354 ext 2375 or email grants@ssww.com. n

EPA Environmental Education in the Northwest

WHAT: The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is accepting grant applications for its Environmental Education Grants Program. The grants support locally-focused environmental education projects that promote environmental awareness and stewardship. n WHEN: Applications are due on Mar. 6, 2015. n HOW: For more information on the grants and how to apply, visit www2.epa. gov/sites/production/files/2014-12/documents/2014_ee_local_grants_rfp.pdf

OPPORTUNITIES

WHAT: The American Lawyers Alliance (ALA) Law-Related Education Teacher of the Year Awards recognize the vital role that teachers play in Civics Education.

Nominations may be submitted by the

Conference: Geography: Putting History in its Place

WHAT: The Center for Geography Education is Oregon’s annual teacher conference offering presentations such as place-based education, geography and the civil war, mapping strategies, Family Geography Nights, and much more. Cost: $20 (pre-service Teachers $10) n WHEN: Mar. 7, 2015 n where: Western Oregon University, Monmouth, Ore. n HOW: Go to www.pdx.edu/geographyeducation/node/94 to download Information flyer and registration form. n

Sight for Students

n WHAT: Sight for Students is a VSP charity that provides free vision exams and glasses to low-income, uninsured children under age 18. The program operates nationally through a network of community partners who identify children in need and VSP network doctors who provide the eye care services. n HOW: For more information, go to www. sightforstudents.org.

n

Law-Related Education “Teacher of the Year” Award

in your classroom by providing students with increased book access and promoting recreational reading through teacher read alouds. n WHO: For K-12 teachers and administrators. n when: Mar. 7, 2015 n where: University Place Hotel and Conference Center, Portland, Ore. n HOW: For more information and to register, go to http://oregonread.org/ spring-institute.

James Madison Graduate Fellowships

Children’s Clean Water Festival

WHAT: The James Madison Fellowship offers secondary level teachers (grades 7-12) of government and history up to $24,000 to complete a Master’s degree in fields related to the U.S. Constitution. Fellowship applicants compete only against other applicants from the states of their legal residence. n WHEN: Application deadline is Mar. 1, 2015. n HOW: For more information on eligibility and how to apply, go to www.jamesmadison.gov.

WHAT: The Children’s Clean Water Festival is an environmental education event that reinforces STEM, Common Core and Next Generation Science concepts through water-focused classroom presentations, exhibits and stage shows. n WHO: Students in 4th/5th grade n WHEN: Mar. 10, 2015 n where: University of Portland n HOW: For more information, go to www. cleanwaterfestival.org.

Oregon Reading Association Spring Institute

Online CyberSafety Course

n

n

FOR THE CLASSROOM

n

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TODAY’S OEA | WINTER 2015

WHAT: During this interactive session, learn how to bring back the joy of reading

n

WHAT: Think Before You Link is a free interactive online curriculum resource that offers students critical information

n

Sources + Resources on cybersafety, cybersecurity, and cyberethics. Additionally, the accompanying educator guides will help educators navigate the content, and provide activity ideas that connect these lessons to core classroom curriculum. n WHO: For students in grades three through eight. n HOW: For more information on this program and to access the curriculum, go to www.thinkbeforeyoulinkinschool.com/ educators.

Free Interactive Museum Art App

WHAT: This app contains eight handson activities inspired by works in the National Gallery of Art Collection. n WHO: For students ages 9-11 n HOW: Learn more at www.eschoolnews. com/2014/09/01/app-week-art-938.

BOOKS

A People's Curriculum for the Earth

By Bill Bigelow (Editor), Tim Swinehart (Editor) Rethinking Schools, Limited, 2014; ISBN-13: 9780942961577; $24.95 (List Price); Available at www.rethinkingschools.org This book is a collection of articles, role plays, simulations, stories, poems, and graphics to help teach about the environmental crisis. The book features some of the best articles from Rethinking Schools magazine alongside readings on climate change, energy, water, food, and pollution — as well as on people who are working to make things better.

n

Free Interactive Programming Lessons

WHAT: Codecademy offers in-depth interactive lessons in HTML, JavaScript, and other programming languages for free. n HOW: Learn more at www.codecademy. com. n

Revision Decisions: Talking Through Sentences and Beyond

By Jeff Anderson and Deborah Dean Stenhouse Publishers, 2014; ISBN-13: 9781625310064; $24.00 (List Price); Available at www.stenhouse.com Starting at the sentence level, the authors show how to create learning experiences where students discover and practice the many options available to them as writers. The book offers a series of ten lesson sets with printable handouts that will give students a repertoire of revision techniques using elements such as serial commas, interrupters, and sentence branching.

Sneaky Math: A Graphic Primer with Projects WEBSITES

Resources for East Asia

WHAT: National Consortium for Teaching about Asia (NCTA) website offers a list of online resources about East Asia, including a ‘Class Apps’ that features short classroom-applicable video presentations by consulting scholars, seminar leaders, teacher alums, and authors. n how: Go to http://nctasia.org/resources.

By Cy Tymony Andrews McMeel Publishing, 2014; ISBN-13: 9781449445201; $12.00 (List Price); Available at www.barnesandnoble.com

n

Let's Move! Active Schools

WHAT: The program provides simple steps and tools, including monetary support and training, to help schools create active environments where students get 60 minutes of daily physical activity through quality physical education and physical activity before, during and after school. n HOW: For more information, go to www. letsmoveschools.org. n

The author shows how math is all around us through intriguing and easy projects, including 20 pass-along tools to complement math education programs. The book is divided into seven sections: 1. Fundamentals of Numbers and Arithmetic; 2. Algebra Primer; 3.

Geometry Primer; 4. Trigonometry Primer; 5. Calculus Primer; 6.

Sneaky Math Challenges, Tricks, and Formulas; 7. Resources

Artful Teaching: Integrating the Arts for Understanding Across the Curriculum, K-8

By David M. Donahue (Author, Editor), Jennifer Stuart (Editor) Teachers College Press, 2010; ISBN-13: 9780807750803 ; $26.95 (List Price); Available at www.barnesandnoble.com The authors in this volume share exemplary arts-integration practices across the K-8 curriculum by describing how the arts offer an entry point for gaining insight into why and how students learn. The book includes examples of public school teachers integrating visual arts, music, drama, and dance with subject matter, including English, social studies, science, and mathematics.

TODAY’S OEA | WINTER 2015

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O EA BOARD CANDIDATES OEA MEMBERS SEEK ASSOCIATION POSITIONS » Candidates’ statements are printed exactly as submitted and have not been corrected for spelling, grammar, or punctuation. PLEASE NOTE: Candidate statements that exceeded the 100-word limit were cut off at the District 03b (3 year term) John Scott

Teacher Parrish Middle School Salem-Keizer School District

STATEMENT My goal is to help lead our association in becoming more proactive, with respect to equity. Equity within our schools for our students, our members, and the communities we serve. I am dedicated to finding real solutions to our issues and provide resources, training, and help facilitate the understanding that changes must be made. I have the skills, desire, and ability to help lead in our state association. I am looking to rally others and lead Oregon in real progress in equity to create the schools our students deserve, that our members deserve.

QUALIFICATIONS Local: Salem-Keizer Education Association » Executive Board » Building Representative » Bargaining Team » Professional Action Committee for Education » Ethnic Minority Chair State: OEA » EMAC member » Teaching with Purpose » OEA Representative Assembly Delegate » Summer Leadership member National: NEA » NEA Representative Assembly Delegate » Pacific Regional Leadership Conference » Black Caucus Conference » Minority / Women's Leadership Conference

District 04 (3 year term) Laura Scruggs

Coordinator: Global Institute of Teacher Advancement Springfield School District

District 05 (3 year term) Tina Leaton General Education/ 5th Grade Edgewood Elementary Eugene School District

STATEMENT My goal as an association leader is to build understanding between our locals whether large or small; urban, suburban or rural; K-12, Community College, or Educational Service District (ESD); certified or classified. I believe the intentional use of technology is key to increasing our communication and thereby our knowledge of education across Oregon. Additionally, I believe in supporting our members as educators first.

We can then weave in an understanding of the need for and means by which we advocate for one another.

STATEMENT I have felt honored to serve as the District 5 OEA Board member for the last couple of years. This is a wonderful way to contribute to my local as well as our state and truly make a difference. I have learned a great deal about leadership and wish not only to continue learning, but I hope to remain an effective link to the future of the Eugene Education Association and the Oregon Education Association.

QUALIFICATIONS Local: Springfield Education Association » Bargaining Chair (2008-Present) » OEA-RA Representative (2000-Present) » NEA-RA Representative (2004-2008) » Bargaining Team Member (2001-2008) » Middle School Representative to the Executive Board (2003-2007) » New Member Representative to the Executive Board (2000-2003)

QUALIFICATIONS Previously held positions: » Eugene Membership Committee Member » PIE director for Eugene » Member of the OEA Legislative Contact Team » Building Representative » Eugene PR Committee Member » Participant in several of the Pacific Regional Conferences

Local: Bandon Education Association » South Coast UniServ President (1998-1999) » President (1997-1999) » OEA-RA Representative (1997-1999) » Vice President (1995-1997) » Building Representative (1993-1995) State: Oregon Education Association » Board Member District #4 (2013-Present) » Cabinet: Center for Advocacy and Affiliate Services (2013-Present) » Structures Committee (2012-Present) » New Member Award-1998?

Currently Held Positions: » OEA Political Cadre Member » Member of the Eugene Executive Board » Leader of our Legislative Contact Team » Contact and scheduler of our Legislative Breakfasts » Participant in NEA West Summit – 2 years » OEA RA Delegate – 14 years » NEA RA Delegate – 5 years » Current OEA Board member

District 05 (3 year term)

District 14 (3 year term)

District 19 (1 year term)

District 07 (3 year term)

District 17 (3 year term)

District 20 (1 year term)

No Name Submitted – Write-in ballot

No Name Submitted – Write-in ballot

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No Name Submitted – Write-in ballot

No Name Submitted – Write-in ballot

No Name Submitted – Write-in ballot

No Name Submitted – Write-in ballot

100th word. Elections for OEA Board Directors and NEA RA State Delegates are determined by mail-in ballots, due to OEA Headquarters received or postmarked by March 10th (Bylaws, Article 7, Section 4, C.1.)

District 10a (3 year term) Diana C. Collins

Middle School Science, Language Arts, Social Studies Teacher Robert Gray Middle School Portland School District

District 18 (3 year term) Kelvin Calkins

4th Grade Teacher May Street Elementary Hood River County School District

STATEMENT Portland teachers have a strong message: we are fighting for the schools our students deserve. It will be my mission to bring this message forth to strengthen OEA. The last 5 years I have been dedicated to increasing the participation and influence of our members in educational policy at the local, state and national level.

As your Board Director, I will question, critique and build coalitions to direct the policies of OEA to best serve PAT members' and students' interests. Let me serve your interests; elect Diana Collins for OEA Board Director.

STATEMENT As my qualifications indicate, I have been a leader in my local and in OEA for some time, and I greatly appreciate the trust members have placed in me over the years.

I am also a full-time elementary school teacher and know firsthand the ever-increasing challenges that educators face. I believe we need to focus our organizing efforts on increasing funding for our schools and stopping the insanity that is statewide testing.

I look forward to continuing to advocate for members as an OEA Board director as well as in my other roles.

QUALIFICATIONS Local: » PAT Political Cadre » PAT Legislative Committee Member » Teachers' Voice in Politics, PAT PAC, Board Director » Teachers' Voice in Politics, PAT PAC, Secretary » PAT External Organizer » PAT Building Organizer » PAT Building Rep

QUALIFICATIONS Local: Hood River » President » Vice President » Chair: Grievance, Bargaining

State: OEA » OEA-RA Delegate » OEA Legislative Action Committee National: NEA » NEA-RA Delegate » NEA Leadership Summit » Congressional Advocacy Team Liaison Personal: » 2nd generation Mexican-American » Daughter of a 35 year teacher » Communication Degree » Teacher: • Title 1 • K-8 • Middle School » Gender Equality Advocate » Soccer Coach for Roosevelt HS and Jefferson HS » Soccer Player

UniServ: » President » Political Action Chair » Coalition for District Excellence » Legislative Candidate Interviews » Bargaining/Grievance Cadre OEA: » Region III Vice President » Executive Committee » Board of Directors » Strategic Action Planning Task Force » Budget Committee » Staff Bargaining » Strategic Action Oversight Committee » Management Selection Committees » Chair Cabinet/Center Teaching and Learning » Chair Cabinet/Advocacy and Affiliate Services » Presidential Citation—Advocacy

District 26a (3 year term) Nanci JH Stauffer Instructional Coach Edy Ridge Elementary Sherwood School District

STATEMENT I am running for OEA Board Director for district 026 because I believe in our member driven organization.

I believe in the structure of OEA which includes wide representation of members across all of Oregon. I would like the opportunity to work with my colleagues to help carry out the directives of Representative Assembly, help shape policy as OEA works on education reform issues, and help create strategies regarding ballot measures and political influence within Oregon. As a Board Director I will represent the varied voices of my UniServ Council, members, and the broad voices of education professionals.

QUALIFICATIONS Local: Sherwood Education Association » President » Vice President » Grievance Committee Chair UniServ: 3Valley » Treasurer » Social Coordinator/Organizer State: OEA » Representative Assembly Delegate » PIE Convention Delegate » Summer Leadership Conferences » Education Summit Conferences National: NEA » NEA Representative Assembly Delegate » Pacific Regional Leadership Conferences

NEA: » NEA-RA—Presented Invocation » NEA-RA—Chair OEA Const. & Bylaws » NEA-RA—Chair OEA New Business State: » Senate Commission on Education Excellence » Teacher Advisor—State Board of Education » ODE Teacher of the Year Selection Panel TODAY’S OEA | WINTER 2015

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NEA RA STATE DELEGATE CANDIDATES Region I Candidates 4 Positions (3 year terms)

Katrina Ayres

Suzanne Cohen

Sarah Coyle

Lisa Davidson

Substitute Teacher Beaverton School District

Teacher, PAT Vice President, OEA Board Director Portland Association of Teachers

Sam Fisher

Kristin Fouts

Jennifer Handsaker

Emma Jackson Ford

1st Grade Teacher Clackamas River Elementary Estacada School District

4th Grade Teacher Hiteon Elementary Beaverton School District

Science Teacher Parkrose High School Parkrose School District

Librarian/Teacher Rosa Parks Elementary Portland School District

Kathleen Jeskey

Tom Kane

Elizabeth Nahl

Jennifer Underhill

Child Development Specialist Butternut Creek Elementary Hillsboro School District

1/2 Teacher North Plains Elementary Hillsboro School District

Classroom Teacher / Canby EA Secretary Cecile Trost Elementary Canby School District

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Teacher, Social Studies & Language Arts Alliance High School at Meek Pro-Tech Portland School District

TODAY’S OEA | WINTER 2015

Secondary Social Studies, 7-12 Hillsboro Online Academy Hillsboro School District

Teacher 3rd Grade Glencoe Elementary Portland School District

NEA RA STATE DELEGATE CANDIDATES Region I Candidates 4 Positions (3 year terms)

Joseph Thomas Vermeire

Janelle Wagner

Middle School Teacher Miller Education Center Hillsboro School District

Second Grade Teacher Parklane Elementary Centennial School District

Barbara B. Wickham

Science Teacher 7th Grade R. A. Brown Middle School Hillsboro School District

John Wickham 6th Grade Science Teacher Stoller Middle School Beaverton School District

Cynthia G. Williams

2nd Grade Teacher/ Oregon City EA President Gaffney Lane Elementary Oregon City School District

TODAY’S OEA | WINTER 2015

35

NEA RA STATE DELEGATE CANDIDATES Region II Candidates 4 Positions (3 year terms)

Chuck Albright

James “Mike” Cook

Anne Goff

3rd Grade Teacher Gearhart Elementary Seaside School District

Lead Mechanic Salem-Keizer School District

Full-Time Release President Springfield EA Three Rivers UniServ

Region III Candidates 4 Positions (3 year terms)

Kathleen Coon

Michael Endicott

Special Education Support Professional Allen Dale Elementary Grants Pass School District

Art Teacher North Middle School Grants Pass School District

Karen Laurence

Karen Watters

3rd Grade Teacher Elgin School District

Kindergarten Teacher Sutherlin East Primary Sutherlin School District

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TODAY’S OEA | WINTER 2015

Kathryn Huerta Special Education Paraprofessional Riverside Elementary Grants Pass School District

Gary Humphries

7th/8th Grade Computer STEM Teacher Sunridge Middle School Pendleton School District

Use your everyday purchases on amazon.com to support students in need!

AmazonSmile is a simple and automatic way for you to support your favorite charitable organization every time you shop, at no cost to you. When you shop at smile.amazon.com, Amazon will donate .5% of the purchase price to your favorite charitable organization.

As a registered charity with AmazonSmile, the Oregon Education Association Foundation will use 100 percent of all contributions to ensure students come to school ready to learn.

Signing up is simple.

1

Go to: smile. amazon.com

2

Sign in to your amazon. com account

3

In the field “pick your own charitable organization” type in “Oregon Education Association Foundation”

4

Select the top result

That’s it! You’re ready to begin helping students meet their most basic needs.

For more on the OEA Foundation, go to: www.oregoned.org/ OEAFoundation

OEA FOUNDATION

ON THE WEB / Winter 2015 » www.parentsandteacherstogether.com

INTRODUCING: PARENTS AND TEACHERS TOGETHER

W

ith the Parents and Teachers Together website, OEA is launching a forum to share information about current issue priorities, and help educate visitors about the challenges and opportunities facing public schools.

This month, the issue spotlight is on the Smarter Balanced assessment, and the overemphasis on high-stakes standardized testing in Oregon public schools.

Oregon educators report that 33 percent of class time is spent on test prep. While Oregon school districts struggle to find enough instruction hours and fully fund the school year, those precious classroom hours could be used in a better way.

Current Issues

At the same time that we are spending millions of dollars on new standardized tests, Oregon ranks 2nd in the nation in largest class size and is losing valuable programs like art, music, P.E., library services, and career and technical opportunities. We know that students are best served when educators and parents are part of the education policy-making process. A group of OEA educators is working closely with Oregon leaders this year to design a new system of assessment.

Solutions page

OEA members have developed a set of policy goals and solutions that are shared here on the Parents & Teachers Have a Better Way page. These include 38

TODAY’S OEA | WINTER 2015

creating a students’ assessment bill of rights, and many others. One example is the common-sense step of removing the school and educator ratings tied to the Smarter Balanced assessment from the Oregon Report Card until the assessment has been proven as valid, reliable and unbiased.

we offer a toolkit for educators and parents, educator FAQs, as well as current research and articles on assessments.

Stand With Us

We believe that parents and educators want students to succeed. Stand with us!

We’re standing up for smaller class sizes, community colleges, and restoring P.E., art, music, and career/technical opportunities.

We know that standardized tests are only one of many assessment tools utilized in the classroom. Instead of spending millions of dollars on standardized tests, we should be investing in schools to give every child the opportunity to succeed.

That means smaller class sizes and more funding for schools. Join us!

Resources

Take a few minutes to check out the website, sign up to get involved, and look through the Resources page where

Engage and Be Heard

More than 7,000 Oregonians are part of the conversation on our active Facebook page Parents & Teachers Together.

Check it out and stay up to date on our current issues and the latest Oregon education news.

Tell your story

We want to hear from you! We’re featuring a rotating set of questions to inspire you to share your stories with us.

We want to hear from educators, parents, and students about the challenges and opportunities you face. You may see your story quoted on our Facebook page soon!

The Official Publication of Oregon Education Association

OEA • NEA 6900 S.W. Atlanta Street Portland, OR 97223 tel: (503) 684-3300 fax: (503) 684-8063 www.oregoned.org

Periodicals POSTAGE PAID at Portland OR

! vists i t c A OEA ou’re Y ted!

Invi

March 23, 2015 State Capitol /Salem, Ore.

OEA LOBBY DAY Bring your voice to Salem on the issues that matter most to you and your students.

Our lobby day will begin with a morning training at the Salem Convention Center; we’ll move to the State Capitol where you’ll have the chance to meet with your legislators and lobby them on our pro-public education agenda.

www.oregoned.org/2015lobbyday