Greetings,

The Ohio Education Association (OEA) opposes Senate Bill 180 (R-Jon Husted) and House Bill 312 (R-Seth Morgan), legislation that proposes counterproductive education policies under the premise of making Ohio more competitive for federal Race to the Top (RTTT) school improvement grants.  While the OEA supports the overall goals of the RTTT program, recent education reforms passed by the General Assembly have put Ohio in a strongly competitive position without resorting to speculative policy changes that are not appropriate given our state’s needs.  The bills do the following:

Charter Schools:  Lifts charter e-school moratorium for each community school that an entity sponsors that, on or after September 1, 2009, has a rating of “in need of continuous improvement” or higher, the sponsor may enter into a contract to sponsor a new internet- or computer-based community school, including a conversion school. 

Licensure & Value-Added Data:  Requires that applicants for the professional educator license, senior professional educator license, and the lead professional educator license to demonstrate that students in the applicant’s classroom achieve a value-added measure. 

Fast-track Licensure:  Requires the state board of education to issue an initial professional educator license to any applicant who has completed at least two years of teaching in another state as a participant in the Teach for America program.

Model Teacher and Principal Evaluations:  Requires the Educator Standards Board (ESB) to develop model teacher and principal evaluation instruments and processes that include student performance over time as determined by value-added data and other standardized evidence of student achievement gains.  The model evaluation instruments would also be based on the ESB’s state standards for teachers and principals.

Subject: Please Oppose SB 180/HB 312

Dear [decision maker name automatically inserted here],

As an educator, I oppose Senate Bill (SB) 180 and House Bill (HB) 312, which propose to lift the moratorium on new internet- or computer-based community schools (e-schools), require the use of value-added data in licensure eligibility, require the use of value-added data in model teacher and principal evaluation instruments, and qualify individuals who have completed two years in the Teach for America program for a professional educator license.

I understand SB 180/HB 312 have been introduced under the pretense of making Ohio more competitive for federal "Race to the Top" grants. However, I believe that recent education reforms passed by the General Assembly have put Ohio in a strongly competitive position without resorting to speculative policy changes that are not appropriate given our state's needs. Taken together, the proposals in SB 180/HB 312 threaten to undercut recent education reforms targeted at strengthening charter school accountability and teacher quality:

First, it is premature to lift the moratorium on e-schools before standards are developed that ensure accountability and transparency in the operation of these schools. The Ohio General Assembly has already established parameters for lifting the moratorium on new e-schools, which requires the legislature to establish standards governing their operation.

Second, value-added data is not designed to be a valid and reliable measure for use in high-stakes decisions such as licensure eligibility. Value-added measures contain potential sources of errors in teacher effects, and there is no basis for attributing student achievement gains to the skill of a single teacher, particularly at the secondary level where content frequently overlaps several courses.

Third, value-added data is also not designed to be a valid and reliable measure for use in high-stakes decisions about teacher evaluation. Student performance is affected by factors both within and outside of the school, most of which are not under the direct control of educators. If used, it should be based on how the educator utilizes the data in order to inform teaching methods and curriculum adjustments.

Fourth, the Teach for America (TFA) program is a fast-track teacher preparation program that has not demonstrated that it equips beginning teachers for effective practice. As a result, the average length of stay in the profession for TFA members is two to three years, and they typically do not become career teachers. Automatically providing these individuals with a professional educator license will dilute the quality of the teaching force in Ohio and could decrease the number of students enrolled in teacher education programs in Ohio.

I urge you to oppose Senate Bill 180/House Bill 312 and maintain Ohio's focus on meaningful education reforms that strengthen our public education system so that all students have access to high quality schools and are prepared for success in the 21st Century.

Sincerely,

[Your Name]