North Carolina student data revealed online: State Longitudinal Data Systems Revisited

A phone call from a parent alerted North Carolina Department of Public Instruction officials that private data on school students was posted online.

"Data housed on a N.C. State University computer server that contained private information for about 1,800 schoolchildren from Richmond and Wilson counties was inadvertently made available online, university officials said Tuesday.

The data, gathered from 2003 to 2006 as part of a research study on classroom practices, included names, Social Security numbers and dates of birth. The three affected elementary schools are the now-closed Ashley Chapel in Richmond County and Gardners and Wells in Wilson County."

Read more on this breach of data here.

Although the source of the error is not described, the news report alludes to a computer "glitch" of some type. How seriously should this breach be taken? Could student data be hacked, repackaged, sold, and revealed?

Recent reports reveal an Anonymous group of overseas hackers have threatened attacks on U.S. law enforcement computer systems. Of the 70 attacks claimed by the group, only Arkansas and Louisiana attacks have been verified. Officials say that no sensitive data was accessed.

Last month the U.S. National Security Council released a report in which it named cyber crime as a major threat to national security, and costing the U.S. $1 billion annually in losses.

With Race to the Top dollars, states have been developing State Longitudinal Data Systems using federal parameters and guidance. However, the Los Angeles Times reports that California's Governor Brown recently decided to reverse that State's decision in development of the SLDS saying districts had the data they needed.

In a February 2010 letter, U.S. House Representative John Kline wrote Secretary of Education Arne Duncan last year regarding this initiative:

"As part of what you described as a "cradle to career agenda," the Department of Education is aggressively moving to expand data system that collect information on our nation's students. I am concerned by recent reports that indicate the Department's hasty pursuit of this goal could compromise student privacy rights."

Kline goes on to say: "The Department's efforts to shepherd states toward the creation of a de facto national student database raises serious legal and prudential questions. Congress has never authorized the Department of Education to facilitate the creation of a national student database."

Read Rep. Kline's full letter here.

Teacher performance pay is described as the rationale for this massive data collection initiative. Does a performance pay structure through data collection outweigh the costs, risks, and privacy considerations?

For facts and details on SLDS, go to Truth in American Education.

Education Reform: "What Teachers Make"

According to his bio, Taylor Mali taught high school for nine years but today is a poet and well-known in the poetry slam movement. He performs and lectures around the world and leads the New Teacher Project, the goal to create 1,000 new teachers through "poetry, persuasion, and perseverance." He is a vocal advocate of the nobility of teaching and expresses it in this engaging 2006 presentation.

North Carolina Parents Lead Resistance Against New Tests

Parents with children in the Charlotte-Mecklenburg School (CMS) District are fighting mad over the sudden announcement of 52 new tests to be rolled out next week. The purpose of these tests is to measure teacher effectiveness. Parents want the school district to find other ways to evaluate staff that does not require excessive testing on their children. Parents are requesting to be pulled out of the testing. The school board will not permit opting-out; however, parents are saying they keep their kids home if they have to.

While North Carolina legislators attempt to reduce the level of required testing, the Charlotte-Mecklenburg School District announced it will trial 52 new tests. The school district has paid $1.9 million to design new year-end tests in reading, math, science, and social studies for grades K-8 and end-of-course exams for all high school classes. Kindergarten through second grade students will be tested one-on-one in four subjects - reading, math, science, and social studies. The test lasts one hour; for a class of 22 students, that is 44 hours of time spent on testing. An adult reads the question and the student replies or circles an answer. There must be another adult present during the testing to ensure teachers do not cheat. Schools are asking parents to volunteer to cover classroom instruction while the teacher conducts the testing.

While the CMS school district faces a shortfall of $100 million, anticipates layoffs of 560 school personnel including 400 teachers, and the closing of 10 schools, it used $1.9 million from its 09-10 budget for test development and projects ongoing costs of $300,000. CMS Superintendent explained that this testing initiative prepared for the new national exams being prepared by the federal government. National exams? That piece of information is creeping out.

Secretary of Education Arne Duncan is a "big fan" of CMS Superintendent Gorman. Duncan said that like CMS, the vast majority of school districts across the nation are being forced to do more with less.

“These are just tough times… There are no easy answers. That’s reality, and it’s not going to change anytime soon. We can either cry about it or we can figure out how to use every single dollar wisely and how we can create innovative partnerships and bring in the philanthropic community, the business community, and how we engage parents in different ways,” he said.

If there are even more new tests coming down the pike, how is this test development and example of using money wisely under such budgetary constriction?


http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2011/03/31/2184241/gorman-defends-cms-testing-as.html
http://www.thecharlottepost.com/index.php?src=news&srctype=detail&category=News&refno=2975

SB736: Regarding Tenure

What works in D.C., Miami, or Singapore, may not work in Brevard County. The term tenure fires up emotions. A comment came up on the Grumpyelder blog that there is no tenure in Florida. I was surprised at the comment, arched an eyebrow, and went looking for facts. Well, there is no tenure in Florida and hasn't been since the mid-1980's through legislation. I notice that when legislators talk about tenure now, they qualify it with "or what we call a professional contract."

After successfully completing new teacher requirements, teachers are offered a three-year professional contract that can be rescinded under specific circumstances, which are stated in law. SB736 would remove three-year professional contracts and any assurances of a job the following year. New evaluation systems, 50% based on student achievement scores, would determine whether a teacher would be offered employment again, or not.

Since salaries are varied and higher in other areas of the State, how will elimination of a professional contract help Brevard keep the competitive edge to attract, hire, and retain highly prepared and effective teachers? If local school districts want to be able to offer a professional contract, then that should be a local decision and not directed from Tallahassee or Washington D.C.

Merit Pay: Senator Wise files SB 736

Posted For

Sandra in Brevard




Barely two working days after public testimony, Senator Wise submitted a bill regarding performance pay procedures for teachers and administrators. The bill is scheduled to be discussed in the Senate PreK12 Education Committee on February 9 and 10. Senator Wise is the chair for that committee. No legislative analysis is available. Fiscal impact is not yet available. Mechanisms for funding the measure are considered by the Appropriations committee.

The Orlando Sentinel published the announcement of the filing of the bill at 6:48 PM this evening.

You can access the full text of the bill by going to http://www.flasenate.gov/ Then enter the bill number in the search field. You can open the bill text in web or PDF format. As the bill moves through committee, it can be revised. A legislative analysis should appear eventually in the same location as the bill text.

It is late, but I looked the bill over. The bill designates the Commissioner of Education responsible for creating a formula to assess growth to include a student's prior performance, subject, and grade
level. The formula may "consider other factors", which include but "are not limited to" attendance, disciplinary records, disabilities, level of English language proficiency. Gender, ethnicity, and socioeconomics are not to be included in the formula. The bill states that 50% of teacher evaluations must include this student growth data for "students assigned to the teacher over the course of at least three years." The percentage decreases based on available data on the student. This particular piece of the bill does not make sense to me, but I await the commentary and analysis by others more versed in this.

The bill specifies greater latitude for types of tests districts may use for growth by 2014, including end-of-course tests developed at state levels, commercial tests, industry certified, or district developed. It appears that after the period of probationary status, teachers would be offered annual professional contracts only that may be renewed or not renewed without reason at the end of each year.

Finally, the bill proposes what level of increase teachers who meet or exceed evaluation measures. I await the legislative analysis on the cost of this plan. Cost was the problem for me last year and remains the problem for me this year.

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Grumpy Note;  the end of last week Wise was talking about Road Blocks in Merit Pay: Senator Wise hints at significant roadblocks to bill development, he is quoted as saying he hopes to 'have a bill ready in the second or thrid week of March  "

What a difference a weekend and a helpful lobbyist makes, the Orlando Sentinel story mentions an educatcation advocacy group.. a little looking on Sandra's partand she found  The Foundation for Florida's Future, an influential group formed by former Gov. Jeb Bush.

 For the moment, that's all I need to say

 

 

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