Gadfly Bites 9/18/20 – Putting the “test” in testimony

1. In case you missed it earlier this week, Fordham’s Chad Aldis testified before the Senate Education Committee urging the resumption of state testing this school year. (The Center Square, 9/16/20) And Chad wasn’t the only one. He was echoed by Ohio Excels president Lisa Gray, representing the business community in the state. (Gongwer Ohio, 9/16/20)
    
2. In case I don’t say it enough around here: Jeremy Kelley is da bomb. He has, once again, taken the meager data released on this year’s school report cards and managed to craft a super interesting piece comparing local districts on graduation rates, credentials earned, honors diplomas issued, dual enrollment credits, and remediation-free ACT/SAT scores. This is all lagging data, unfortunately, so a bit out of date, but fascinating nonetheless. I will reiterate what I said Wednesday: the lack of test-based data from 2019-2020 allows for one positive outcome: an ability to focus squarely on what data we do have without the smokescreen heat that comes from the other stuff. (Dayton Daily News, 9/17/20) Speaking of which, it is usually those data-filled report cards that editorial boards are quick to say don’t mean much. What are we to make of the fact that editors at the Toledo Blade don’t think the new data-vacuum report cards don’t mean much either? I think they just don’t like report cards at all. (Toledo Blade, 9/18/20)
    
3. Speaking of Toledo City Schools, Superintendent Durant this week announced that the currently all-remote district will begin transitioning to a hybrid in-person/remote schedule in early October. They are the largest district in the state so far to make such a change after the school year began. It is interesting to note (and interesting to me that it is only noted in the very last paragraph, after the info on sports) that families will not be allowed an all-remote option if they had not already done so via the Toledo Virtual Academy before the start of the year. Bold strategy, IMO. (Toledo Blade, 9/17/20)
    
4. South-Western City Schools here in central Ohio has also begun the transition from all-remote to a hybrid learning model. Here’s a nicely-detailed look at what the in-person part of that hybrid model looks like so far in one district elementary school. (Columbus Dispatch, 9/18/20)
    
5. Even if this remote/virtual learning lark proves fleeting, we can only hope that the digital divide, both urban and rural, will end up closed forever due to efforts undertaken during the pandemic. Case in point: the awarding of 951 BroadbandOhio Connectivity Grants to districts and schools across Ohio earlier this week. Awesome news. (Columbus Dispatch, 9/17/20)
    
6. Finally this week, we have some very old news reaching us from pre-rona days. Three Ohio school districts in Ohio won a court victory this week in a very old school funding case. Because he’s da bomb, as previously noted, and because Dayton City Schools was one of the victors, I’ll let Jeremy Kelley explain it for us: a Franklin County Common Pleas Court judge ruled that the state “improperly calculated funding tied to charter school enrollment” from 2004 through 2007, “as well as ‘add-in students’ who enrolled in charter schools after the state’s annual October enrollment count.” The process “resulted in [those districts] getting less funding than called for in the state formula.” (Dayton Daily News, 9/17/20) The legal wranglings in this case have gone on for more than a decade. No word yet on whether the state will appeal the verdict…nor any discussion of how much the districts’ lawyers stand to reap from the big win $23.67 million windfall. Also included in the win windfall: Cleveland Metropolitan School District, to the tune of $13.7 million… (Cleveland.com, 9/17/20) …and the having-a-very-good-week-indeed Toledo City Schools, cha-chinging up $4.8 million. (Toledo Blade, 9/17/20)
   

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