Saturday, November 8, 2008
Legislative Report #2
Legislative Update # _____
September 26, 2008
EMERGENT DESIGN AND DEVELOPMENT
LEGISLATIVE REPORT
September 26, 2008
Things are relatively quiet in Tallahassee, as the national elections are the main news stories of the day. There are still many Florida Legislators facing election or re-election and this uncertainty results in a slowdown of Tallahassee action. The biggest news continues to be the Supreme Court’s removal of the three proposed Constitutional amendments from the ballot and the continued decline in the Florida economy.
LEGISLATIVE ACTION
As of September 24th, 28 relief bills have been filed in the Florida Senate. These are bills by which individual citizens can appeal to the Legislature seeking monetary relief (usually for actions of a governmental agency, which are held harmless past a certain monetary amount).
There are not any regular bills filed in either the House or Senate at this time. This is not unusual in an election year. We still expect many bills to be filed dealing with education for the 2009 Session.
We will continue to monitor and report to you as soon as filing begins. We are also waiting for the appointments of committee chairs and members.
ENROLLMENT
The 10 day enrollment figures for Florida School Districts reported 36,574 less students than anticipated. (1.37%)
The decline was fairly evenly distributed across the state. Duval County reported the largest loss in anticipated enrollment with a loss of 4,148 students. Reported losses among the large school districts were as follows; Miami-Dade (-1,684), Broward (-2,439), Hillsborough (-2,249), Orange (-1,933), Palm Beach (-1,493), and Pinellas (-2,076).
Three counties reported an enrollment growth of more than 200 students. Pasco County lead the gainers with a 1,598 student increase, followed by Flagler county (+262) and Sumter County (+239). Other counties reporting small increases were; Baker, Calhoun, Franklin, Glades, Lafayette, Martin, Okeechobee, Suwannee, and Union.
Many districts are expected to show student enrollment increases by the 30 day count. We will report the new numbers as soon as they are received.
BUDGETARY CONCERNS
I want to share some information concerning the current Education Budget and the projections for the future. This will help us establish the scene surrounding the 2009-2010 budget. There are no quick and easy solutions to the declining budget especially when expenses are escalating and revenue is declining. These are random facts, not to be taken as all inclusive or to add up to a specific total. They are more to help explain a very huge problem, the funding of our Education budget.
1. The 2008-09 fiscal year overall State budget has already been cut by $1.8 billion. (This has resulted in revenues for 08-09 being less than revenues in 07-08.)
2. General revenue for the current year has been projected to reflect a deficit of $1.5 billion. By law, this shortfall must be resolved prior to the end of this fiscal year – June 30, 2009. (We have been told that this shortfall will be covered by using non-recurring funds.) If so, while that is good news for this year, it will mean that these dollars won’t be available for future needs – i.e., these funds will not be available to cover shortfalls in the 2009-10 budget.
3. Lottery dollars are declining, with a deficit in projected revenue of $48 million. Tobacco Settlement Trust Fund dollars are not expected to grow. Additional dollars from these funds will not be available, if needed for next year’s budget.
4. Slot machine dollars have not lived up to expectations and the projected revenue from this source is down by $750 million over the next three years.
5. Almost $300 million is needed over the next two years to meet the class size Constitutional requirements. This is an updated figure which accounts for districts that have already met the requirement. There is some early discussion of revisiting the class size issue by the Senate. I don’t believe that there is any Legislative solution available to overrule a Constitutional Amendment.
6. In Education, the normal increase costs associated with workload and enrollment are projected to require an additional $232 million over the next two years. Major expense items such as gasoline, electricity, and textbooks, coupled with expected inflation, could add expenses of up to $600 million a year.
7. If millage rates remain unchanged, ad valorum revenues for Education could increase by $725 million by 2011-12.
8. The bottom line is that budget prognosticators expect that the maximum available General Revenue for the State in 2009-10 will be $24.7 billion. The State will require $28.2 billion to operate. This leaves a potential shortfall of $3.5 billion.
9. Article 9, Section 1 of the Florida Constitution states, “It is the paramount duty of the State to make adequate provision for the education of all children residing within its borders.”
10. The Constitution also requires that the Legislature must balance the budget before it can be approved. Either reductions must be made or new sources of revenue must be found in order to balance this potential shortfall.
11. If an increased revenue scenario is chosen, the questions become:
• Do you chose to increase taxes? (An additional one cent sales tax would generate $3.78 million) or
• What items do you tax that are currently exempt? The list of tax exemptions is huge and appears untouchable. I don’t think anyone will propose an income tax and if proposed, it wouldn’t pass.
I’m sure that we will receive a great deal of conflicting information involving revenue and costs, between now and May. However, we can be assured that this Legislative Session will be both challenging and very interesting.
September 26, 2008
EMERGENT DESIGN AND DEVELOPMENT
LEGISLATIVE REPORT
September 26, 2008
Things are relatively quiet in Tallahassee, as the national elections are the main news stories of the day. There are still many Florida Legislators facing election or re-election and this uncertainty results in a slowdown of Tallahassee action. The biggest news continues to be the Supreme Court’s removal of the three proposed Constitutional amendments from the ballot and the continued decline in the Florida economy.
LEGISLATIVE ACTION
As of September 24th, 28 relief bills have been filed in the Florida Senate. These are bills by which individual citizens can appeal to the Legislature seeking monetary relief (usually for actions of a governmental agency, which are held harmless past a certain monetary amount).
There are not any regular bills filed in either the House or Senate at this time. This is not unusual in an election year. We still expect many bills to be filed dealing with education for the 2009 Session.
We will continue to monitor and report to you as soon as filing begins. We are also waiting for the appointments of committee chairs and members.
ENROLLMENT
The 10 day enrollment figures for Florida School Districts reported 36,574 less students than anticipated. (1.37%)
The decline was fairly evenly distributed across the state. Duval County reported the largest loss in anticipated enrollment with a loss of 4,148 students. Reported losses among the large school districts were as follows; Miami-Dade (-1,684), Broward (-2,439), Hillsborough (-2,249), Orange (-1,933), Palm Beach (-1,493), and Pinellas (-2,076).
Three counties reported an enrollment growth of more than 200 students. Pasco County lead the gainers with a 1,598 student increase, followed by Flagler county (+262) and Sumter County (+239). Other counties reporting small increases were; Baker, Calhoun, Franklin, Glades, Lafayette, Martin, Okeechobee, Suwannee, and Union.
Many districts are expected to show student enrollment increases by the 30 day count. We will report the new numbers as soon as they are received.
BUDGETARY CONCERNS
I want to share some information concerning the current Education Budget and the projections for the future. This will help us establish the scene surrounding the 2009-2010 budget. There are no quick and easy solutions to the declining budget especially when expenses are escalating and revenue is declining. These are random facts, not to be taken as all inclusive or to add up to a specific total. They are more to help explain a very huge problem, the funding of our Education budget.
1. The 2008-09 fiscal year overall State budget has already been cut by $1.8 billion. (This has resulted in revenues for 08-09 being less than revenues in 07-08.)
2. General revenue for the current year has been projected to reflect a deficit of $1.5 billion. By law, this shortfall must be resolved prior to the end of this fiscal year – June 30, 2009. (We have been told that this shortfall will be covered by using non-recurring funds.) If so, while that is good news for this year, it will mean that these dollars won’t be available for future needs – i.e., these funds will not be available to cover shortfalls in the 2009-10 budget.
3. Lottery dollars are declining, with a deficit in projected revenue of $48 million. Tobacco Settlement Trust Fund dollars are not expected to grow. Additional dollars from these funds will not be available, if needed for next year’s budget.
4. Slot machine dollars have not lived up to expectations and the projected revenue from this source is down by $750 million over the next three years.
5. Almost $300 million is needed over the next two years to meet the class size Constitutional requirements. This is an updated figure which accounts for districts that have already met the requirement. There is some early discussion of revisiting the class size issue by the Senate. I don’t believe that there is any Legislative solution available to overrule a Constitutional Amendment.
6. In Education, the normal increase costs associated with workload and enrollment are projected to require an additional $232 million over the next two years. Major expense items such as gasoline, electricity, and textbooks, coupled with expected inflation, could add expenses of up to $600 million a year.
7. If millage rates remain unchanged, ad valorum revenues for Education could increase by $725 million by 2011-12.
8. The bottom line is that budget prognosticators expect that the maximum available General Revenue for the State in 2009-10 will be $24.7 billion. The State will require $28.2 billion to operate. This leaves a potential shortfall of $3.5 billion.
9. Article 9, Section 1 of the Florida Constitution states, “It is the paramount duty of the State to make adequate provision for the education of all children residing within its borders.”
10. The Constitution also requires that the Legislature must balance the budget before it can be approved. Either reductions must be made or new sources of revenue must be found in order to balance this potential shortfall.
11. If an increased revenue scenario is chosen, the questions become:
• Do you chose to increase taxes? (An additional one cent sales tax would generate $3.78 million) or
• What items do you tax that are currently exempt? The list of tax exemptions is huge and appears untouchable. I don’t think anyone will propose an income tax and if proposed, it wouldn’t pass.
I’m sure that we will receive a great deal of conflicting information involving revenue and costs, between now and May. However, we can be assured that this Legislative Session will be both challenging and very interesting.
Legislative Update # 3 Oct. 27. 2008
FASSS/FCSS Update#3 October 27, 2008
Greetings ---
At the far left is a weekly update from the NCSS Legislative Advocacy group Washington Partners that discusses news about Achieve, Inc. -- the consortium of 34 states that Florida D.O.E. has partnered with and with whom our Chancellor was just in Washington with signing the Algebra II contract with! It also contains some valuable information about the recently convened Forum for Education and Democracy. The report is worth a quick read. (The other files pertaining to Achieve, Inc. were distributed at Friday's FASSS meeting and in an earlier email.)
Achieve, Inc. seems destined to be an increasingly important group on national educational issues. Unfortunately for us in Social Studies, without some intense lobbying to Achieve, this group seems very likely to replicate the SCANS initiative from an earlier generation. (SCANS = Secretary's Commission on Achieving Necessary Skills which 'left out' the social sciences at that time and which initiated our long decline as a basic core academic subject.) Achieve, Inc. is composed of Governors and CEOs (similar to the SCANS Commission) and seeks improvement in ‘employability skills and increased problem-solving skills to compete in a global economy.’ There is little or no reference to social studies on its national website. The group is often consulted with on the development of rigorous curriculum standards and their review of the new social studies standards for New Jersey represented about the only reference to our curriculum area that I could locate. Another area the group is very interested in is assessment. It assists in the development of rigorous, high quality end of course exams for many states. According to my meager sources, Achieve Inc. has no social studies assessment on the horizon. Without the Governors of some states lobbying for the need of this, such assessments probably won't happen in the near future. (Remember that no governor need worry about how his/her schools compare to any national profile with regard to civic, geographic or historical understanding -- thus I doubt they'll be asking for this without some pressure.)
Section four in the left most PDF file is an update on the Forum for Education and Democracy initiative. This last forum was sponsored by Senator Russ Feingold (D-WI) and Representative John Yarmuth (D-KY) and it appears clear that in all the testimony given here that there is absolutely nothing wrong with not holding any state accountable for its civic mission. The group seems to wish to denigrate current ‘knowledge tests’ such as NAEP and promote activities that ensure ‘team building’, ‘problem solving’ and ‘communication skills’. Interestingly, although NAEP is cited as a test of knowledge, there are performance based items on the social studies tests within NAEP that call for students to do all of these things. Moreover, the clear connection between the lack of state accountability in social studies and former Florida Governor Jeb Bush's signing into law a measure ELIMINATING American History and American Government as high school graduation requirements seems to have been lost on this group. How do we ensure the survival of “democracy” in this nation with such acts?
Again, the absence of noting this inequity of holding states accountable in our area by folks at the national level almost seems to be 'conspiratorial.' The trend from this week's NCSS news doesn't bode well for us. It appears that without more aggressive lobbying on our part we'll continue to have more "contentless-writing" assessments -- as Will Fitzhugh likes to call the SAT -- where students can just get "A's" for their skill of writing and yet demonstrate total ignorance of history or of world events. They can lie, cheat and ‘steal’ their way to a good grade on such ‘writing’ performance assessments. We appear to be going through still another round of re-engineering our math, reading, language arts, writing and science assessments and totally ignoring social studies. With the current state of ignorance about our nation and the world among youth today, this is not only dangerous but suicidal. Unfortunately it appears no voices to counter these recent developments seem evident.
Note: The position of FCSS and FASSS has always been that the best assessments remain those that BALANCE knowledge and skill (such as AP Exams, the NY State Regent's test, etc. Such sentiments and testimony and almost any discussion of the civic mission or our schools seem absent from this week's update.) Let’s hope some folks at the national level will raise their voices to counter this dangerous trend.
Greetings ---
At the far left is a weekly update from the NCSS Legislative Advocacy group Washington Partners that discusses news about Achieve, Inc. -- the consortium of 34 states that Florida D.O.E. has partnered with and with whom our Chancellor was just in Washington with signing the Algebra II contract with! It also contains some valuable information about the recently convened Forum for Education and Democracy. The report is worth a quick read. (The other files pertaining to Achieve, Inc. were distributed at Friday's FASSS meeting and in an earlier email.)
Achieve, Inc. seems destined to be an increasingly important group on national educational issues. Unfortunately for us in Social Studies, without some intense lobbying to Achieve, this group seems very likely to replicate the SCANS initiative from an earlier generation. (SCANS = Secretary's Commission on Achieving Necessary Skills which 'left out' the social sciences at that time and which initiated our long decline as a basic core academic subject.) Achieve, Inc. is composed of Governors and CEOs (similar to the SCANS Commission) and seeks improvement in ‘employability skills and increased problem-solving skills to compete in a global economy.’ There is little or no reference to social studies on its national website. The group is often consulted with on the development of rigorous curriculum standards and their review of the new social studies standards for New Jersey represented about the only reference to our curriculum area that I could locate. Another area the group is very interested in is assessment. It assists in the development of rigorous, high quality end of course exams for many states. According to my meager sources, Achieve Inc. has no social studies assessment on the horizon. Without the Governors of some states lobbying for the need of this, such assessments probably won't happen in the near future. (Remember that no governor need worry about how his/her schools compare to any national profile with regard to civic, geographic or historical understanding -- thus I doubt they'll be asking for this without some pressure.)
Section four in the left most PDF file is an update on the Forum for Education and Democracy initiative. This last forum was sponsored by Senator Russ Feingold (D-WI) and Representative John Yarmuth (D-KY) and it appears clear that in all the testimony given here that there is absolutely nothing wrong with not holding any state accountable for its civic mission. The group seems to wish to denigrate current ‘knowledge tests’ such as NAEP and promote activities that ensure ‘team building’, ‘problem solving’ and ‘communication skills’. Interestingly, although NAEP is cited as a test of knowledge, there are performance based items on the social studies tests within NAEP that call for students to do all of these things. Moreover, the clear connection between the lack of state accountability in social studies and former Florida Governor Jeb Bush's signing into law a measure ELIMINATING American History and American Government as high school graduation requirements seems to have been lost on this group. How do we ensure the survival of “democracy” in this nation with such acts?
Again, the absence of noting this inequity of holding states accountable in our area by folks at the national level almost seems to be 'conspiratorial.' The trend from this week's NCSS news doesn't bode well for us. It appears that without more aggressive lobbying on our part we'll continue to have more "contentless-writing" assessments -- as Will Fitzhugh likes to call the SAT -- where students can just get "A's" for their skill of writing and yet demonstrate total ignorance of history or of world events. They can lie, cheat and ‘steal’ their way to a good grade on such ‘writing’ performance assessments. We appear to be going through still another round of re-engineering our math, reading, language arts, writing and science assessments and totally ignoring social studies. With the current state of ignorance about our nation and the world among youth today, this is not only dangerous but suicidal. Unfortunately it appears no voices to counter these recent developments seem evident.
Note: The position of FCSS and FASSS has always been that the best assessments remain those that BALANCE knowledge and skill (such as AP Exams, the NY State Regent's test, etc. Such sentiments and testimony and almost any discussion of the civic mission or our schools seem absent from this week's update.) Let’s hope some folks at the national level will raise their voices to counter this dangerous trend.
Monday, October 6, 2008
NCSS Loses an Opportunity to Lobby for National Equity on NAEP
The National Council for the Social Studies sent letters to both Presidential candidates shortly before the November election. Although the letters clearly addressed the desire for continued support of many Congressional appropriations related to Social Studies, the letters neglected to mention the long standing attempt over the last four Congresses to give our curriculum equity on the National Assessment for Educational Progress tests which hold the states accountable for how well they compare to one another and to a national standard. NCSS has refused, despite repeated urging by FCSS, to make public to its members a request for support for these measures for many years. This letter to Senator McCain was identical to that sent to Senator Obama and represents still yet another lost opportunity to address the inequity of our curriculum at the national level on NAEP.
_________________________
October 8, 2008
Senator John McCain
John McCain 2008
P.O. Box 16118
Arlington, VA 22215
Dear Senator McCain:
As you and Senator Obama compete for the highest office in the land and share your views and plans for US policies home and abroad over the next four years, the importance of a strong and accountable public education system cannot be understated. As you know, training and retaining a quality teaching workforce, addressing the dropout crisis that plagues public high schools, giving young people crucial 21st Century Skills that facilitate success in the workplace and college, addressing the persistent achievement gap and a maintaining a strong higher education system are crucial to an effective citizenry and healthy economy.
On behalf of the National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS) and its more than 25,000 members, we would like to share our views and priorities on a number of issues that will be considered by the next Administration. As you and your prospective Secretary of Education work with lawmakers on Capitol Hill to consider policies that affect K-12 schools and classrooms, we ask you to consider these views.
NCSS defines social studies as "the integrated study of the social sciences and humanities to promote civic competence." The mission of the Council is to provide leadership, service and support for all social studies educators. During this presidential election year, we are reminded how important it is that citizens know their civic responsibilities. It is important that federal investments validate the role of social studies in exposing young people to civic engagement, economics and financial literacy, global awareness, historical reasoning and other subjects that yield increasingly crucial 21st Century skills.
As you know, the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) is a law that has had an enormous impact on public education throughout the nation and has brought vital focus to the need to define school wide academic success as success for every child. NCSS wholeheartedly endorses this goal, but believes the law can be both strengthened and improved. NCSS is concerned that social studies is getting short shrift in the classroom as teachers and administrators focus almost exclusively on achievement test results in math and reading. If American students are to succeed in the global market place of the 21st Century, it is the teaching of social studies, science and other core disciplines that will serve as the means to stimulate interest in academics and prepare students for their roles as citizens.
The Center on Education Policy (CEP) released a report in 2007 that asserts that since the enactment of the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act, 44% of districts surveyed have reduced time for social studies. That percentage leapt to 51% in districts with “failing schools.” Denying students the opportunity to build social studies vocabulary and background knowledge lowers reading comprehension and ironically increases the achievement gap. This is clearly an unintended consequence of NCLB and one that deserves the attention of policy makers.
Powerful social studies teaching begins with a clear understanding of the subject’s unique purposes and goals. Social studies is a discipline that facilitates the teaching of a number of subjects and arms young people with the knowledge and skills they need to be effective and responsible citizens. An emphasis on reading knowledge alone ignores the value of important content and analysis. Rigorous and relevant social studies curriculum can—and does—teach reading skills while imparting important knowledge and skills. The same is true in mathematics. Economics, financial literacy, geography and other disciplines have mathematics lessons and content imbedded in their teaching. NCSS firmly believes that by incorporating a social studies curriculum into the school day, the reading and math skills of the students will actually be enhanced.
Finally, as social studies educators strive to give young people the skills and knowledge they need to become effective citizens, it is crucial they have access to quality professional development to meet the demands of the ever-changing classroom. There are a number of federal programs that assist districts, administrators and principals in their efforts to support their classroom teachers. We ask you to adequately fund these initiatives, including the Teaching American History grant program, National History Day, Civic Education, Excellence in Economic Education, Teacher Quality Enhancement Grants and NCLB Improving Teacher Quality State Grants. Adequate federal funding for existing programs and innovative new ideas can and do help tens of thousands of students and teachers to gain important skills and experiences, ultimately producing responsible citizens.
No matter who takes up residence in the White House in January, he and his staff will face challenges, and we look forward to working with the team as it faces appropriations battles, considers the reauthorization of the No Child Left Behind Act and addresses important issues that affect classrooms, teachers, administrators, parents and students.
Thank you for your attention to these views. As the campaign continues, if we can provide you with any additional information, please contact NCSS Executive Director Susan Griffin at 301.581.1800 or sgriffin@ncss.org.
Sincerely,
Susan Griffin Michael Yell
Executive Director President
_________________________
October 8, 2008
Senator John McCain
John McCain 2008
P.O. Box 16118
Arlington, VA 22215
Dear Senator McCain:
As you and Senator Obama compete for the highest office in the land and share your views and plans for US policies home and abroad over the next four years, the importance of a strong and accountable public education system cannot be understated. As you know, training and retaining a quality teaching workforce, addressing the dropout crisis that plagues public high schools, giving young people crucial 21st Century Skills that facilitate success in the workplace and college, addressing the persistent achievement gap and a maintaining a strong higher education system are crucial to an effective citizenry and healthy economy.
On behalf of the National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS) and its more than 25,000 members, we would like to share our views and priorities on a number of issues that will be considered by the next Administration. As you and your prospective Secretary of Education work with lawmakers on Capitol Hill to consider policies that affect K-12 schools and classrooms, we ask you to consider these views.
NCSS defines social studies as "the integrated study of the social sciences and humanities to promote civic competence." The mission of the Council is to provide leadership, service and support for all social studies educators. During this presidential election year, we are reminded how important it is that citizens know their civic responsibilities. It is important that federal investments validate the role of social studies in exposing young people to civic engagement, economics and financial literacy, global awareness, historical reasoning and other subjects that yield increasingly crucial 21st Century skills.
As you know, the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) is a law that has had an enormous impact on public education throughout the nation and has brought vital focus to the need to define school wide academic success as success for every child. NCSS wholeheartedly endorses this goal, but believes the law can be both strengthened and improved. NCSS is concerned that social studies is getting short shrift in the classroom as teachers and administrators focus almost exclusively on achievement test results in math and reading. If American students are to succeed in the global market place of the 21st Century, it is the teaching of social studies, science and other core disciplines that will serve as the means to stimulate interest in academics and prepare students for their roles as citizens.
The Center on Education Policy (CEP) released a report in 2007 that asserts that since the enactment of the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act, 44% of districts surveyed have reduced time for social studies. That percentage leapt to 51% in districts with “failing schools.” Denying students the opportunity to build social studies vocabulary and background knowledge lowers reading comprehension and ironically increases the achievement gap. This is clearly an unintended consequence of NCLB and one that deserves the attention of policy makers.
Powerful social studies teaching begins with a clear understanding of the subject’s unique purposes and goals. Social studies is a discipline that facilitates the teaching of a number of subjects and arms young people with the knowledge and skills they need to be effective and responsible citizens. An emphasis on reading knowledge alone ignores the value of important content and analysis. Rigorous and relevant social studies curriculum can—and does—teach reading skills while imparting important knowledge and skills. The same is true in mathematics. Economics, financial literacy, geography and other disciplines have mathematics lessons and content imbedded in their teaching. NCSS firmly believes that by incorporating a social studies curriculum into the school day, the reading and math skills of the students will actually be enhanced.
Finally, as social studies educators strive to give young people the skills and knowledge they need to become effective citizens, it is crucial they have access to quality professional development to meet the demands of the ever-changing classroom. There are a number of federal programs that assist districts, administrators and principals in their efforts to support their classroom teachers. We ask you to adequately fund these initiatives, including the Teaching American History grant program, National History Day, Civic Education, Excellence in Economic Education, Teacher Quality Enhancement Grants and NCLB Improving Teacher Quality State Grants. Adequate federal funding for existing programs and innovative new ideas can and do help tens of thousands of students and teachers to gain important skills and experiences, ultimately producing responsible citizens.
No matter who takes up residence in the White House in January, he and his staff will face challenges, and we look forward to working with the team as it faces appropriations battles, considers the reauthorization of the No Child Left Behind Act and addresses important issues that affect classrooms, teachers, administrators, parents and students.
Thank you for your attention to these views. As the campaign continues, if we can provide you with any additional information, please contact NCSS Executive Director Susan Griffin at 301.581.1800 or sgriffin@ncss.org.
Sincerely,
Susan Griffin Michael Yell
Executive Director President
Friday, October 3, 2008
Legislative Committee Submits Letters of Concern to Chancellor Haithcock and FL Education Commissioner Dr. Eric Smith
On October 3, 2008, a delegation of Florida Social Studies educators and FCSS/FASSS Lobbyist Bob Bedford met with both the Commissioner and Chancellor of Florida public schools. Letters of concern with supporting documentation were left with both officials. Although both officials expressed some dismay that the organizations were not entirely happy with the newly revised state social studies Next Generation Sunshine State Standards, they were very supportive of other requests contained within the letter. Later that day, FASSS president Jason Caros, emailed a thank you letter to both persons. (See other postings for this and his report of the meeting.) Promises of support for the announced goals contained within this letter were made, especially with regard to implementation of an accountability program for social studies within the state of Florida.
____________________________________
Florida Association of Social Studies Supervisors
Florida Council for the Social Studies
October 3, 2008
Dr. Frances Haithcock
Chancellor, Florida D.O.E.
Turlington Building, Suite 514 325 West Gaines Street Tallahassee, Florida 32399
Dear Dr. Haithcock,
Florida educators are anticipating the curriculum changes that will soon result from the State Board of Education adoption of the Next Generation Standards for Social Studies. Since at least 1986 social studies teachers have gone on record with the Department to urge state accountability for our discipline area. Knowing the success of any such accountability program depends upon the quality of the state’s curriculum standards, we have also long urged the revision of Florida’s social studies curriculum standards. We applaud the Department for undertaking this initiative. Draft standards have been produced with the input of representative stakeholders and experts in the field. The standards apparently will soon be approved by the State Board of Education and then be permanently released to educators and the public.
We would be remiss, however, if we did not inform you at this that we have concerns both as the developmental process and the current status of these draft standards. We are unanimous in our belief that in order to have produced exemplary standards, the revision process should have been given the time that it deserved. Unfortunately, this has not been the case.
There were problems from the onset of the curriculum revision process. Too few classroom teachers with elementary experience were part of the initial meetings. There were many months of inactivity for members of the committee as leadership changes and funding issues delayed its work. The draft standards were released at the worst possible time – literally at the end of last school year – when teachers had little time to review them and offer constructive comments. Finally – based upon the limited time that was available to writers this past summer – the writing teams were unable to correct some of the gaps and weaknesses which still remain. As a result, although the standards are exemplary in many respects and in some ways superior to the previous standards, we feel additional time and resources should be devoted to this initiative.
Page two October 3, 2008
Perhaps not surprisingly, we found our colleagues in the area of science and language arts voicing similar concerns over the same process when they developed their curriculum standards. We therefore urge that the process of developing and refining the Next Generation social studies standards be continued and that additional resources be provided for their development.
We additionally urge that the Department take steps to move forward with plans to develop end of course high school assessments that will include social studies. We recommend in particular that the Commissioner commit to the development of an exemplary assessment in American History at the high school level. At no time in Florida’s history have we been able to accurately determine to what extent districts live up to the civic and historical mission of our schools. Many national reports and our own state’s rapid demographic changes increasingly make such an assessment vital to the preservation of the Republic. The draft standards for American History at the high school level would facilitate the construction of such an assessment even as work on these standards might continue to be refined at other grade levels.
It is our hope and expectation that the vacancy left by Mr. Levon Terrell be immediately filled by a full time experienced and qualified specialist for Social Studies within the Department. We also wish to once again urge that social studies be added to the state’s Student Progression Law for the elementary grades and to FCAT as soon as this is practically possible. We urge that increased attention be devoted to the importance of non-fiction reading on all Departmental curriculum packets and on FCAT. The revisions to the Third Grade Assessment Portfolio, for example, are insufficient in meeting the vital need for our students to acquire the necessary background knowledge so essential for improved reading comprehension. Nor do these selections model exemplary social studies readings. We welcome your support for the elementary teacher survey being currently conducted by the Florida Joint Center for Citizenship. This survey seeks to ascertain the status of social studies teaching in grades K-5 and to evaluate the impact of testing in our area. Finally, we welcome your presence at the upcoming Florida Council for the Social Studies Annual Conference being held October 24-25 in St. Petersburg in order to establish and maintain an excellent link of communication between yourself and Florida’s social studies teachers.
We look forward to your thoughts on the above ideas and in discussing with you ways that Florida students may be better prepared to lead productive lives as responsible citizens in a truly interdependent world.
Sincerely,
Jason Caros
President, Florida Association of Social Studies Supervisors
Vice President Elect, Florida Council for the Social Studies
____________________________________
Florida Association of Social Studies Supervisors
Florida Council for the Social Studies
October 3, 2008
Dr. Frances Haithcock
Chancellor, Florida D.O.E.
Turlington Building, Suite 514 325 West Gaines Street Tallahassee, Florida 32399
Dear Dr. Haithcock,
Florida educators are anticipating the curriculum changes that will soon result from the State Board of Education adoption of the Next Generation Standards for Social Studies. Since at least 1986 social studies teachers have gone on record with the Department to urge state accountability for our discipline area. Knowing the success of any such accountability program depends upon the quality of the state’s curriculum standards, we have also long urged the revision of Florida’s social studies curriculum standards. We applaud the Department for undertaking this initiative. Draft standards have been produced with the input of representative stakeholders and experts in the field. The standards apparently will soon be approved by the State Board of Education and then be permanently released to educators and the public.
We would be remiss, however, if we did not inform you at this that we have concerns both as the developmental process and the current status of these draft standards. We are unanimous in our belief that in order to have produced exemplary standards, the revision process should have been given the time that it deserved. Unfortunately, this has not been the case.
There were problems from the onset of the curriculum revision process. Too few classroom teachers with elementary experience were part of the initial meetings. There were many months of inactivity for members of the committee as leadership changes and funding issues delayed its work. The draft standards were released at the worst possible time – literally at the end of last school year – when teachers had little time to review them and offer constructive comments. Finally – based upon the limited time that was available to writers this past summer – the writing teams were unable to correct some of the gaps and weaknesses which still remain. As a result, although the standards are exemplary in many respects and in some ways superior to the previous standards, we feel additional time and resources should be devoted to this initiative.
Page two October 3, 2008
Perhaps not surprisingly, we found our colleagues in the area of science and language arts voicing similar concerns over the same process when they developed their curriculum standards. We therefore urge that the process of developing and refining the Next Generation social studies standards be continued and that additional resources be provided for their development.
We additionally urge that the Department take steps to move forward with plans to develop end of course high school assessments that will include social studies. We recommend in particular that the Commissioner commit to the development of an exemplary assessment in American History at the high school level. At no time in Florida’s history have we been able to accurately determine to what extent districts live up to the civic and historical mission of our schools. Many national reports and our own state’s rapid demographic changes increasingly make such an assessment vital to the preservation of the Republic. The draft standards for American History at the high school level would facilitate the construction of such an assessment even as work on these standards might continue to be refined at other grade levels.
It is our hope and expectation that the vacancy left by Mr. Levon Terrell be immediately filled by a full time experienced and qualified specialist for Social Studies within the Department. We also wish to once again urge that social studies be added to the state’s Student Progression Law for the elementary grades and to FCAT as soon as this is practically possible. We urge that increased attention be devoted to the importance of non-fiction reading on all Departmental curriculum packets and on FCAT. The revisions to the Third Grade Assessment Portfolio, for example, are insufficient in meeting the vital need for our students to acquire the necessary background knowledge so essential for improved reading comprehension. Nor do these selections model exemplary social studies readings. We welcome your support for the elementary teacher survey being currently conducted by the Florida Joint Center for Citizenship. This survey seeks to ascertain the status of social studies teaching in grades K-5 and to evaluate the impact of testing in our area. Finally, we welcome your presence at the upcoming Florida Council for the Social Studies Annual Conference being held October 24-25 in St. Petersburg in order to establish and maintain an excellent link of communication between yourself and Florida’s social studies teachers.
We look forward to your thoughts on the above ideas and in discussing with you ways that Florida students may be better prepared to lead productive lives as responsible citizens in a truly interdependent world.
Sincerely,
Jason Caros
President, Florida Association of Social Studies Supervisors
Vice President Elect, Florida Council for the Social Studies
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