Reaching State Legislators: Tools and Tactics from the Trenches (Or How to Use Data as an Advocacy Tool) Ann Sheldon,

1. Reaching State Legislators: Tools and Tactics from the Trenches (Or How to Use Data as an Advocacy Tool) Ann Sheldon, Executive Director Ohio Association for Gifted Children March 19, 2012 Ohio Association for Gifted Children March 2012

2. Background Ohio’s accountability system is based generally on state developed Ohio achievement assessments and the Ohio graduation test. The tests are not vertically aligned, not high-level, and the cut scores for proficiency and above are very low. Ratings are excellent with distinction, excellent, effective, continuous improvement, academic watch, academy emergency. Ohio Association for Gifted Children March 2012

3. Background There was a growing belief among policymakers that districts rated excellent and excellent with distinction in Ohio did not need to follow operating standards or funding rules. “Excellent districts don’t need to follow the rules. Just give them the money and let them do their job.” Ohio Association for Gifted Children March 2012

4. What if the Premise is Wrong? • What if excellent districts are not doing an excellent job? • What if the accountability system is not telling the whole story? • What if there is other information that would better inform parents, policymakers, and the community-at-large about the effectiveness of school districts? • Most importantly, who is hurt if the system is incorrect? Ohio Association for Gifted Children March 2012

5. Two Questions • Is what we are measuring in our accountability system truly reflective of how well districts are educating all of their students? • If the answer is no, what other data show we be reviewing? Ohio Association for Gifted Children March 2012

6. Question 1 – Was/Is Ohio’s Accountability System Accurately Measuring District Success? • The short answer is “no.” • The long answer is more complicated. • Construction of the multiple paths to excellence • Cut scores of Ohio developed achievement tests • Ohio tests vs. NAEP vs. International benchmarks • Value-added data • Exponential growth of excellent districts in Ohio • Unprecedented decline of gifted services. • Conclusion: The emperor has no clothes. Ohio Association for Gifted Children March 2012

7. Question 2: What Data Should We Be Viewing? Looking at Excellence through a Different Lens Because everything measured is important, many important data not measured have been ignored by districts and policymakers alike. It was important to tell a different story based on data that looked beyond proficiency: • Participation in Advanced Placement courses • ACT scores • Honors Diplomas • College Remediation rates • Level of Gifted Services Ohio Association for Gifted Children March 2012

8. Strategy for Developing the Report • The analysis for the report was conducted and shared annually to policymakers, who would show initial shock and then forget about it. • We needed a new approach: • Fewer figures and words • More pretty, colorful pictures • Social and traditional media involvement including press releases to all the state-wide education and political reporters and friendly education bloggers. Ohio Association for Gifted Children March 2012

9. Ohio Association for Gifted Children March 2012

10. Release of the Report • The Grading on a Curve: The Illusion of Excellence in Ohio’s Schools was released on 11.14.11. • Coincidentally, on the same day, State Superintendent Stan Heffner, using some of the same information that was included in the OAGC report, gave a speech outlining the inadequacies of the current accountability system at the OSBA Capital Conference. Ohio Association for Gifted Children March 2012

11. General reaction and media coverage has been strong. • Major articles in several of the major newspapers including the Cincinnati Enquirer and Cleveland Plain Dealer • Supportive editorial in the Akron Beacon Journal • Blog posts at NPR, Ohio School Choice and others • Requests from legislators on district specific information • Webinar with the Ohio Grantmakers Forum • District staff continues to use the report to look at their own data. • Not all of the reaction has been positive – Football Friday night Ohio Association for Gifted Children March 2012

12. Most eye-catching graphs/figures? • Growth of Excellent School Districts • NAEP vs. Ohio Cut Score Comparison • Accelerated and Advanced cut scores • International Comparisons • Growth of Ohio Excellent Schools vs. Decline of Gifted Services • Tale of Two Cities • College remediation rates Ohio Association for Gifted Children March 2012

13. Who is Excellent in Ohio? Source: Ohio Department of Education Ohio Association for Gifted Children March 2012

14. Source: Ohio Department of Education Ohio Association for Gifted Children March 2012

15. False Advertising -- When Advanced/Accelerated Isn’t Source: Ohio Department of Education • Raw cut scores for proficiency levels on the OAAs and OGT are appallingly low. • Cut scores for levels “accelerated” or “advanced” used to increase a district’s performance index are often particularly low. • Grade 6 reading proficient cut score - 17/49 or 35% • Grade 7 math proficient cut score - 16/50 or 32% • OGT reading and math proficient – 43% • Grade 6 reading advancedcut score – 37/49 or 76% • Grade 6 math advanced cut score – 34/50 or 68% • OGT readingadvanced level 79% reading, 77% math Ohio Association for Gifted Children March 2012

16. Is the Illusion of Excellence Harmful? Ohio Association for Gifted Children March 2012

17. Is the Illusion of Excellence Harmful? Ohio Association for Gifted Children March 2012

18. Is the Illusion of Excellence Harmful? Even as the number of excellent-rated districts grows, opportunities for gifted students disappear. Ohio Association for Gifted Children March 2012

19. For the Class of 2009, approximately 41% of students, upon enrolling in an Ohio college or university, were required to take one or more remedial level classes. Source: Ohio Board of Regents Ohio Association for Gifted Children March 2012

20. Unfortunately, the college remediation rate doesn’t improve very much when we include only excellent-rated districts. Source: Ohio Board of Regents Ohio Association for Gifted Children March 2012

21. A Tale of Two Excellent Districts Data from Ohio Department of Education District A District B 17 of 26 indicators met Mean ACT score 18 0% gifted students served No students took AP exams 81% remediation rate PPE $ 11,493 FY (10) • 26 of 26 indicators met • Mean ACT score 24 • 65% gifted students served • 81% of students taking AP exams scored 3 or better • 34% remediation rate • PPE $11,814 (FY10) Source: Ohio Department of Education Ohio Association for Gifted Children March 2012

22. What is the Shelf Life of the Report? Has Anything Changed? • We continue to get references from bloggers and legislators on the report. And we still are receiving questions from parents and districts about their particular districts. • Partly due to the pressure from the report, the State Board of Education (over the objections of ODE staff) voted 19 – 0 to included a gifted performance indicator in the accountability system to be effective in 2014-2015 school year. • The Ohio Department of Education submitted a waiver to the USDOE that completely overhauls the accountability system in Ohio. The overhaul is a mixed bag as cut scores remain low. However, the new rating system which goes from the previous labels to an A – F system will result in very few A rated districts. Ohio Association for Gifted Children March 2012

23. The Sincerest Form of Flattery… Ohio Association for Gifted Children March 2012

24. Can Any State Association Duplicate Grading on a Curve? • Almost all of the data we used was from public sources – Ohio Department of Education, the Ohio Board of Regents, and NAEP. • Research from College Board, ACT, Fordham Foundation, Eric Hanushek etc. was all available online. • Also used information mined from public testimony at the Statehouse because anecdotes are as important as data. • If you can sort an Excel spreadsheet, you can reproduce some level of this report. It took approximately three months (part time) to produce the report. Ohio Association for Gifted Children March 2012