Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/437906
December 2014/January 2015 isea.org • ISEA Communiqué 2 BRIEFS NEWS Education groups back 6 percent Representatives from the Iowa State Education Association, the School Administrators of Iowa and the Iowa Association of School Boards told lawmakers they back a 6 percent increase in Supplemental State Aid for the coming school year. "We don't always agree on everything, but we do agree on this," Iowa State Education Association Executive Director Mary Jane Cobb told members of a legislative task force. The education groups – which represent education professionals, administrators and local school boards, respectively – added lawmakers need to follow state law which requires the Legislature to set Supplemental State Aid two years in advance. Lawmakers have not done that in recent years. Jeff Anderson, president of the Iowa Association of School Boards, said failure to set Supplemental State Aid makes budgeting difficult for school boards since they don't know how much money they'll have to pay educator salaries, purchase materials or cover utility bills. "It's like putting together a jigsaw puzzle in the dark," he said. Delegate diversity The Iowa State Education Association Multicultural Committee encourages minority members of the ISEA to submit applications to represent the association at the 2015 National Education Association Representative Assembly. This year's assembly is held in Orlando, Florida. The NEA's RA is the largest representative body in the country. It sets policy and priorities for the country's 3 million members. NEA bylaw 3-1(g) requires 12 percent of Iowa's representatives to be ethnic minorities. A nomination form can be found on the ISEA website, www.isea.org or through a direct link here: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/401002/15. School start time Iowa Department of Education Director Brad Buck said the state would no longer automatically approve start dates for school districts which want to begin classes before September 1. "Moving forward, the director or the director's designee will only consider a school or school district's request for a waiver of the school start date if the school or the school district has adequately demonstrated that starting on or after the earliest start date specified would have a significant negative educational impact," Buck wrote in his December 12 letter. Copies of Buck's letter and Gov. Terry Branstad's letter to Buck on school start dates are posted on the ISEA Facebook page. In response, Iowa State Education Association President Tammy Wawro said the ISEA "is confident local district school boards and administrators will make good decisions when setting their local school calendars. We know this decision is best made at the local level whenever possible and support our local schools in looking out for the best interests of Iowa's students." Smarter Balanced recommendation A state task force recommended the Smarter Balanced assessment as the new statewide assessment beginning in the 2016-17 school year. The task force also made recommendations aimed at preparing schools to be able to give online assessments as well as related support for professional development and assessment measurement. The task force was created as part of the state's education reform legislation. It was charged with finding an assessment for the 2016-17 school year that met the following requirements: • Aligns with the Iowa Core standards. • Accurately describes student achievement and growth for the purposes of accountability. • Provides valid, reliable and fair measures of student progress toward college or career readiness. • Must have been piloted in Iowa schools. Lawmakers do not have to follow the task force recommendation. To learn more about Smarter Balanced, you can visit the organization's website at www.smarterbalanced.org. Six hours a week Fifteen-year-olds in the United States spend about six hours a week on homework on average, according to a new report from the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. The report, which can be viewed on the group's website, www.oecd- ilibrary.org said that's about an hour more than their counterparts spend, on average, globally. But the report also points out that wealthier students tend to spend more time on homework than their less-wealthy peers. The United States has one of the largest gaps with wealthier students spending about three hours more a week than their poorer peers. Master of Science in Special Education Advance your career or start a graduate degree from the Drake School of Education. This two-year, part-time program prepares educators to teach students with mild or moderate disabilities, behavioral disorders, or learning disabilities. Highlights of the program include: • Convenient scheduling for working adults • Expert faculty with extensive experience in the classroom • Applicable, innovative curriculum Education professionals may also pursue an endorsement-only track: Instructional Strategist I (k–8 or 5–12), Instructional Strategist II (k–12), Work Experience Coordinator, or Special Education Consultant. program information: w www.drake.edu/specialeducation e laura.kieran@drake.edu t 515-271-2168 admission information: w www.drake.edu/soe/admission e soegradadmission@drake.edu t 515-271-2552 Aspire. Achieve. Advance. The degree you need for the career you want.