Showing posts with label Chris Nicastro. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Chris Nicastro. Show all posts
Tuesday, May 06, 2014
Thursday, April 03, 2014
State Board of Education President: Everyone is on board for Common Core Standards
Everyone is on board for Common Core Standards.
That is what you might believe if you were to believe the news release issued this morning by the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE). Opposition to Common Core has been broad-based and was presented at Senate committee hearings this week.
That is not the message Education Commissioner Chris Nicastro is selling in the news release, which is printed below, though her name is not mentioned:
More than one hundred educators and business leaders from around the state gathered in the Senate Lounge at the Capitol on Wednesday to show their support for the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) in schools. The Senate Education Committee held the hearing to discuss bills that would prevent implementation of CCSS. The vast majority of Missouri schools have already developed or revised curriculum, selected and adopted new instructional materials and have started using the standards.
“These are the clearest, most concise goals that I’ve seen. My kids are now able to read complex texts, think critically about the content and make arguments based on the author’s viewpoint, not their own opinion,” said Cathy Cartier, a 10th grade English language arts teacher in the Affton school district and the 2012-13 Missouri Teacher of the Year. “The standards do not tell me how to get the kids to reach the standards. I determine curriculum. ”
The witnesses testified that the Common Core standards are more rigorous than existing educational goals in Missouri. "I believe strongly in the importance of increased standards for our children over a sustained period of time," said State Board of Education President Peter Herschend. "Since the Outstanding Schools Act of 1993, each time we have revised standards, we have increased expectations of what students should know and be able to do.”
The overall message from witnesses at the hearing was to stay the course on Common Core.
Two Senate bills, SB 514 and SB 798, would bar the State Board of Education, the Department or school districts from implementing the Common Core standards and would make void any current implementation.
That is what you might believe if you were to believe the news release issued this morning by the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE). Opposition to Common Core has been broad-based and was presented at Senate committee hearings this week.
That is not the message Education Commissioner Chris Nicastro is selling in the news release, which is printed below, though her name is not mentioned:
More than one hundred educators and business leaders from around the state gathered in the Senate Lounge at the Capitol on Wednesday to show their support for the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) in schools. The Senate Education Committee held the hearing to discuss bills that would prevent implementation of CCSS. The vast majority of Missouri schools have already developed or revised curriculum, selected and adopted new instructional materials and have started using the standards.
“These are the clearest, most concise goals that I’ve seen. My kids are now able to read complex texts, think critically about the content and make arguments based on the author’s viewpoint, not their own opinion,” said Cathy Cartier, a 10th grade English language arts teacher in the Affton school district and the 2012-13 Missouri Teacher of the Year. “The standards do not tell me how to get the kids to reach the standards. I determine curriculum. ”
The witnesses testified that the Common Core standards are more rigorous than existing educational goals in Missouri. "I believe strongly in the importance of increased standards for our children over a sustained period of time," said State Board of Education President Peter Herschend. "Since the Outstanding Schools Act of 1993, each time we have revised standards, we have increased expectations of what students should know and be able to do.”
The overall message from witnesses at the hearing was to stay the course on Common Core.
Two Senate bills, SB 514 and SB 798, would bar the State Board of Education, the Department or school districts from implementing the Common Core standards and would make void any current implementation.
From that news release, you would never guess that Common Core is one of the most controversial issues to ever face Missouri education or that its opponents include people on both ends of the political spectrum and everywhere in between.
Another thing should not be forgotten. It was our tax money that paid for preparing this patently false news release and most likely paid for the people who are so stridently in favor of Common Core.
Friday, March 07, 2014
Tuesday, February 18, 2014
DESE to take over control of Normandy School finances
(From the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education)
The State Board of Education on Tuesday approved a recommendation from the Department to impose financial oversight over the Normandy School District effective immediately. All expenditures, contracts, financial obligations and any other action with fiscal implications must be approved by the Department beginning immediately and through the remainder of the year. This oversight will ensure that any and all monies appropriated through the legislature are monitored and expended judiciously, and that any and all measures necessary to ensure the completion of the year are taken.
"Most importantly, we want Normandy students and their parents to know the students will be able to complete the school year in their current location," said Commissioner of Education Chris Nicastro. "Seniors who meet state and local requirements for graduation will receive their diplomas from Normandy as scheduled."
The Board also directed the Commissioner to appoint a Transition Task Force immediately to develop a detailed plan for the operation of the Normandy Schools starting in July 2014, if the legislature fails to appropriate additional funds for the district and if the district lapses.
The Task Force will include representatives of the Normandy School District and members of the extended community including parents, local officials, existing partners and others. The Task Force would develop a transition plan, recruit and identify high-quality teachers and leaders, and advise the Department on other operational issues during the transition, if it becomes necessary.
In September 2012, the State Board classified the Normandy School District as unaccredited effective January 1, 2013. Since that time, the Supreme Court has upheld the rights of students to transfer to accredited districts. Under the current transfer law, which requires unaccredited districts to pay transportation costs for transfer students, the Department has determined the Normandy School District will not be able to survive financially through another school year.
The State Board of Education on Tuesday approved a recommendation from the Department to impose financial oversight over the Normandy School District effective immediately. All expenditures, contracts, financial obligations and any other action with fiscal implications must be approved by the Department beginning immediately and through the remainder of the year. This oversight will ensure that any and all monies appropriated through the legislature are monitored and expended judiciously, and that any and all measures necessary to ensure the completion of the year are taken.
"Most importantly, we want Normandy students and their parents to know the students will be able to complete the school year in their current location," said Commissioner of Education Chris Nicastro. "Seniors who meet state and local requirements for graduation will receive their diplomas from Normandy as scheduled."
The Board also directed the Commissioner to appoint a Transition Task Force immediately to develop a detailed plan for the operation of the Normandy Schools starting in July 2014, if the legislature fails to appropriate additional funds for the district and if the district lapses.
The Task Force will include representatives of the Normandy School District and members of the extended community including parents, local officials, existing partners and others. The Task Force would develop a transition plan, recruit and identify high-quality teachers and leaders, and advise the Department on other operational issues during the transition, if it becomes necessary.
In September 2012, the State Board classified the Normandy School District as unaccredited effective January 1, 2013. Since that time, the Supreme Court has upheld the rights of students to transfer to accredited districts. Under the current transfer law, which requires unaccredited districts to pay transportation costs for transfer students, the Department has determined the Normandy School District will not be able to survive financially through another school year.
Monday, February 10, 2014
State Board of Education reviews plans for unaccredited districts
(From the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education)
The State Board of Education met in a special work session Monday to discuss the ideas submitted during the past several months to address the needs of children in unaccredited districts. Staff members from the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education guided the discussion, which focused on the major areas of governance and policy.
"As the Department works to develop a draft plan for the appropriate role of the State in providing support and, if necessary, intervention in unaccredited schools, we will rely on the policy guidance offered by our Board," said Missouri Commissioner of Education Chris Nicastro.
The Department will assemble the first draft of the plan for presentation to the State Board at its regular meeting on Feb. 18.
"Timing is critical,” said Commissioner Nicastro. "We have a collective responsibility to ensure that every child, in every community, all over Missouri has access to a quality education. And doing so without disruption to the children we're trying to help will be essential."
Plans received, as well as public comments, are posted at www.dese.mo.gov/unaccredited-districts. Public feedback opportunities regarding the draft presented to the State Board will be available at a later date.
The State Board of Education met in a special work session Monday to discuss the ideas submitted during the past several months to address the needs of children in unaccredited districts. Staff members from the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education guided the discussion, which focused on the major areas of governance and policy.
"As the Department works to develop a draft plan for the appropriate role of the State in providing support and, if necessary, intervention in unaccredited schools, we will rely on the policy guidance offered by our Board," said Missouri Commissioner of Education Chris Nicastro.
The Department will assemble the first draft of the plan for presentation to the State Board at its regular meeting on Feb. 18.
"Timing is critical,” said Commissioner Nicastro. "We have a collective responsibility to ensure that every child, in every community, all over Missouri has access to a quality education. And doing so without disruption to the children we're trying to help will be essential."
Plans received, as well as public comments, are posted at www.dese.mo.gov/unaccredited-districts. Public feedback opportunities regarding the draft presented to the State Board will be available at a later date.
Wednesday, February 05, 2014
DESE to hold meeting on unaccredited districts tonight in St. Louis
(From the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education)
The Department will hold a public hearing regarding unaccredited school districts this evening, Feb. 5, in St. Louis.
The hearing will take place from 6:30-8 p.m. at the University of Missouri-St. Louis, JC Penney Conference Center, 1 University Blvd., St. Louis, MO 63121.
The hearing will be an opportunity to gather feedback on plans submitted for transforming unaccredited school districts in the state. With this feedback, the Department will create a statewide plan for support of and, if necessary, intervention in unaccredited schools.
“We want to ensure all children in Missouri have access to quality schools,” said Missouri Commissioner of Education Chris Nicastro. “Your feedback is a very important part of the process. Please join in the conversation about the future of our children.”
Persons wishing to make public comments may sign up to do so at the hearing. Those speaking are asked to limit their remarks to three minutes. Anyone wishing to share their thoughts may do so by visitingwww.dese.mo.gov/unaccredited-districts.
For those who cannot attend the hearing, the Department’s presentation, Overview of Plans for Unaccredited Districts, may be viewed at:http://dese.mo.gov/divimprove/sia/msip/documents/Presentationonstatewidesupportandintervention.pdf
Additional hearings will be held after the Department presents its draft plan to the State Board of Education on Feb. 18. Dates for those hearings will be announced later.
Hearings took place last week in Kansas City. Others will take place later this week in Springfield and Sikeston.
Friday, January 31, 2014
Chris Nicastro thinks we are stupid- Missouri Standards are Common Core with a different name
Chris Nicastro thinks we are stupid.
With all of the flak, the controversial Ms. Nicastro, Missouri's Education Commissioner, has received over Common Core Standards (among other things), over the past few months, there has been more and more mention of Missouri Standards, as if this is something new that has just been introduced.
The only thing is, there isn't anyone in the state who is buying it.
The so-called Missouri Standards are the Common Core Standards, with the only change being that they are called Missouri Standards because Ms. Nicastro thinks we are not smart enough to figure it out.
Sadly, that also appears to be the approach that is being taken across the country. That's the subject of an article in today's Washington Post:
“You got a whole bunch of politicians, increasingly cross-pressured between activists who don’t want this and the obvious imperative that we have to improve our public schools,” said Andrew Rotherham, a former Clinton White House aide and a co-founder of Bellwether Education, a nonprofit organization dedicated to improving education for low-income students. “The anti-Common Core folks clearly have the momentum right now, so politicians are trying to figure out ways to address the politics of this without tossing it out the window.”
In each case, the new name is designed to impart a local flavor to the standards. One of the main criticisms of the Common Core is that national standards are replacing homegrown benchmarks.
“Here’s what we’re going to ensure: These are Florida standards,” Florida Gov. Rick Scott (R) told a gathering of state GOP officials this month. “They’re not some national standards; they’re going to be Florida standards. This is our state. We’re not going to have the federal government telling us how to do our education system.”
Also this month, South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley (R), who is facing reelection, told a gathering of Republican women: “We don’t ever want to educate South Carolina children like they educate California children. We want to educate South Carolina children on South Carolina standards, not anyone else’s standards.”
Christopher Johnson, a branding expert, doubts that new names will quell opposition to the Common Core.
“It’s something that might be politically expedient in the short term,” said Johnson, who writes the Name Inspector blog. “They might succeed in bamboozling people who are opposed to the idea of nationwide standards by giving them local names. . . . But I think it’s skirting around the issue.”
With all of the flak, the controversial Ms. Nicastro, Missouri's Education Commissioner, has received over Common Core Standards (among other things), over the past few months, there has been more and more mention of Missouri Standards, as if this is something new that has just been introduced.
The only thing is, there isn't anyone in the state who is buying it.
The so-called Missouri Standards are the Common Core Standards, with the only change being that they are called Missouri Standards because Ms. Nicastro thinks we are not smart enough to figure it out.
Sadly, that also appears to be the approach that is being taken across the country. That's the subject of an article in today's Washington Post:
“You got a whole bunch of politicians, increasingly cross-pressured between activists who don’t want this and the obvious imperative that we have to improve our public schools,” said Andrew Rotherham, a former Clinton White House aide and a co-founder of Bellwether Education, a nonprofit organization dedicated to improving education for low-income students. “The anti-Common Core folks clearly have the momentum right now, so politicians are trying to figure out ways to address the politics of this without tossing it out the window.”
In each case, the new name is designed to impart a local flavor to the standards. One of the main criticisms of the Common Core is that national standards are replacing homegrown benchmarks.
“Here’s what we’re going to ensure: These are Florida standards,” Florida Gov. Rick Scott (R) told a gathering of state GOP officials this month. “They’re not some national standards; they’re going to be Florida standards. This is our state. We’re not going to have the federal government telling us how to do our education system.”
Also this month, South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley (R), who is facing reelection, told a gathering of Republican women: “We don’t ever want to educate South Carolina children like they educate California children. We want to educate South Carolina children on South Carolina standards, not anyone else’s standards.”
Christopher Johnson, a branding expert, doubts that new names will quell opposition to the Common Core.
“It’s something that might be politically expedient in the short term,” said Johnson, who writes the Name Inspector blog. “They might succeed in bamboozling people who are opposed to the idea of nationwide standards by giving them local names. . . . But I think it’s skirting around the issue.”
The article itself is somewhat simplistic in its branding of Common Core opponents. There are far more reasons to oppose Common Core than the handful that are mentioned.
The idea, however, that Common Core opponents are idiots who can be fooled by these transparent label changes, is ridiculous.
Wednesday, January 29, 2014
Tuesday, January 28, 2014
Unaccredited school districts to be topic of public hearing
(From the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education)
State education officials will hold a public hearing regarding unaccredited school districts on Wednesday, Jan. 29 in Kansas City.
The hearing will take place from 6:30-8:00p.m. at the Paseo Academy, 4747 Flora Avenue, Kansas City, MO 64110. It will be an opportunity to gather community feedback on plans submitted for transforming unaccredited school districts in the state. With this feedback, the Department will create a statewide plan for support of and, if necessary, intervention in unaccredited schools. An overview of the plans can be viewed here.
“We want to ensure all children in Missouri have access to quality schools,” said Missouri Commissioner of Education Chris Nicastro. “Your feedback is a very important part of the process. Please join in the conversation about the future of our children.”
Persons wishing to make public comments may sign up to do so at the hearing. Names will be drawn out randomly as time permits. Those speaking are asked to limit their remarks to five minutes. Anyone wishing to share their thoughts may do so by visiting www.dese.mo.gov/unaccredited-districts.
Similar hearings are planned in St. Louis (Feb. 4), Springfield (Feb. 6) and Sikeston (Feb. 6).
Monday, January 27, 2014
Wednesday, January 15, 2014
State School Board approves new teacher certification requirements
(From the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education)
Teachers seeking certification in Missouri will be meeting new requirements after a State Board of Education vote Tuesday. The proposed rule changes were presented to the Board after a period of public feedback that ended Jan. 1.
Teachers, school administrators, and representatives from higher education, professional organizations, the Missouri Advisory Council of Certification for Educators, the Department and members of the Missouri General Assembly provided feedback through the public comment period. Much of the feedback pertained to early childhood education, with more than 40 percent of the comments focused in that area. The rest of the nearly 700 comments were spread over other aspects of certification.
“This is an important step toward meeting the Top 10 by 20 goal of preparing, developing and supporting effective educators,” said Commissioner of Education Chris L. Nicastro. “As educator preparation and certification improves, our teachers will have the tools they need to help our children succeed.”
The new requirements for certification are scheduled to go into effect August 1, 2017. The Office of Educator Quality will work with the Missouri Advisory Council of Certification for Educators and other key stakeholder groups to complete any final revisions on rules language prior to the requirements going into effect. The Office of Educator Quality will also assist institutions of higher education regarding implementation of the new certification requirements.
Tuesday, January 14, 2014
Monday, January 13, 2014
Video report: What does CEE-Trust report mean for Kansas City School District?
If you want to see how much value this report has, consider much of it has based on "reforms" that have been done in New York City and New Orleans.
Sunday, January 12, 2014
Bill Gates-funded group to release report on "saving" Kansas City Schools Monday
The Bill Gates-connected CEE-Trust is the one that Education Commissioner Chris Nicastro tried to hire for this job without going through the bidding process and then rigged the bids to where only the CEE-Trust could meet them.
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