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State Board of Education Reviews Digital Education
Texas Take: Nov. 18, 2015 – Houston Chronicle
A Texas Teaching Moment – WSJ
STAAR math tests for grades 3-8 won't be used to rate schools | Dallas Morning News
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July 28, 2016 Comments are off	Donna Bahorich
Bahorich Donna Bahorich
Standardized tests – Houston Chronicle
The sight of little kids bending over their desks and filling in answer bubbles with No. 2 lead pencils has been a staple of the educational experience for so long that these kids have had kids. Few seem to be entirely happy with the role our state plays in the high-stakes testing culture of our public schools, yet this culture seems to have developed a life of its own.
That may be changing. In an unusual twist, the State Board of Education recently turned the tables on a system that rates students and teachers and asked the public to rate our state's testing policies.
The SBOE's customer satisfaction survey arose after a lengthy grass-roots process and aims to engage people informed by front-line experience in our schools. Although it wasn't a random survey, it had considerable reach, and its findings lay the groundwork for those seeking to improve our state's assessment and accountability system.
The discontent of many of the 27,186 people surveyed comes through loud and clear: "Texans believe we have too many tests, schools are spending too much time preparing for the state assessments, and too much class time working on the preparation," according to #Donna Bahorich, chair of the SBOE who deserves credit for spearheading the survey.
Teachers find our current testing culture demoralizing. Not only would scaling back on the testing culture improve student performance, but most teacher organizations agree that fewer and more meaningful tests and less test preparation time would help attract better candidates to the teaching profession.
Test results aren't provided at a time when they can be the most helpful. In addition to requiring too many tests and putting too much emphasis on them, the delay between testing and results makes the results less useful. People "want more immediate tests results," says #Bahorich.
Curated from Standardized tests – Houston Chronicle
State education board plan urgently needs public feedback – Houston Chronicle
With runoffs settled, candidates for the State Board of Education have been chosen and now we look forward to the November election. Voters and candidates alike should work hard to see through the smoke produced by inevitable electoral fires between now and November.
The 15-member State Board of Education that I am privileged to lead has been and will remain focused on discharging the responsibility of overseeing the education of the state's school children. Texas enjoys economic success. To continue that success, the state will need to provide employers with a workforce that can compete in the modern and constantly changing economy.
We are off to a good start, but there is plenty left to do.
Since my appointment as chair of the State Board of Education in June 2015, I have traveled the state talking to parents, business leaders, administrators, teachers – anyone who would talk to me, actually – about assessments, accountability and the effective delivery of education to the young people who are often the last voices heard in policy discussions.
We are still compiling the public feedback received at the face-to-face SBOE Community Conversations completed in March. However, when discussing the goals of assessments and accountability, the words that stand out in the feedback received from parents, business leaders and educators are: "individual," "growth," "learning," "readiness," "measure," "goals" and "needs." If we can't figure out a way to understand and meet individual student needs, we won't be able to prepare them adequately for the future.
It is the goal of the 15-member Next Generation Commission on Assessments and Accountability to make recommendations to the Legislature by Sept. 1. The recommendations will be both research- and community-based. The SBOE is contributing to this process by gathering additional community-based feedback online for the commission through June.
In addition, the SBOE hopes to make an even greater impact for our students by updating the Long-Range Plan for Public Education, a duty assigned to the SBOE by law. The last LRP expired in 2006. At the SBOE meeting in April, we approved phase one of a two-phase effort to put an updated plan in place. The LRP will center on arriving at and articulating the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and challenges that currently exist and that will exist in Texas public education over the next five to seven years. Our LRP will include a considerable effort at partnering with the commissioner of education and gathering policy maker, post-secondary, K12 educator, business community, parent and general public input.
Finally, the SBOE is partnering with the commissioner of education in holding the second in our series of Learning Roundtables. The upcoming September Learning Roundtable will focus on "Educating the Children of Poverty;" 60 percent of our public school students are economically disadvantaged. We will invite national and state experts to discuss the various facets of poverty and how we can find greater success at helping our students overcome the many challenges to receiving the education they each deserve.
If we succeed in our mission to help all children, we raise generations of Texans who can sustain and noueish the economic success we currently enjoy. We alone determine our success and literally cannot afford to fail. Strong debate will occur, as to be expected with the SBOE affecting so many areas certain to bring out strong passion on all sides. However, our board has worked through many issues over the past several years with professionalism and commitment. Our first and foremost focus has been on positively benefitting the education of the 5.2 million children of Texas.
Our good intentions will be matched with the commitment and drive necessary to sustain that momentum. We owe that to students, their families and to Texas. We have the tools to forge a bright future. Let's put them to work.
Curated from State education board plan urgently needs public feedback – Houston Chronicle
by #Donna Bahorich, Chair of the State Board of Education
July 23, 2016 Comments are off	Webmaster
Letter – Donna to SBOE Regarding Superintendent Salaries
The vice chair of the SBOE sent out a recent press release calling for legislative or commissioner action aimed at charter superintendent salaries. As the charter liaison and chair of the Committee on School Initiatives, I am providing a more comprehensive look at the data for consideration.
SBOE vice chair's original press release
Bahorich Donna Bahorich News
New survey shows widespread discontent with STAAR | www.statesman.com
The findings are from an online public survey about the State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness (STAAR) and how the state uses the test results to hold students, teachers and school districts accountable. More than 27,000 students, parents, educators, business leaders and others responded to the survey, which State Board of Education Chairwoman #Donna Bahorich spearheaded. The respondents were self-selecting; it was not a random sampling of people.
"Texans believe we have too many tests, schools are spending too much time preparing for the state assessments, and too much class time working on the preparation," #Bahorich said in the report released this week. "They want more immediate tests results."
The survey's findings include:
63 percent favored getting rid of a state test for a national test like the SAT, ACT or the Iowa Test of Basic Skills, which is used by several states
87 percent favored students and teachers getting immediate feedback on tests
97 percent want a test that doesn't have trick questions or developmentally inappropriate questions, many of which critics say are found on the STAAR
80 percent support allowing students to graduate or move on to the next grade even if they fail the test. Fifth and eighth grade students must pass the STAAR to move to the next grade and high school students must pass five STAAR end-of-course exams to graduate.
87 percent favor reducing the role of assessments in teacher evaluations
94 percent want better ways to test students with special needs
7:00 a.m. Wednesday, July 20, 2016 |
Curated from New survey shows widespread discontent with STAAR | www.statesman.com
July 14, 2016 Comments are off	dcook
commentary Donna Bahorich State Board of Education
Bahorich: Keep our focus on the future | www.mystatesman.com
The 15-member #State Board of Education (SBOE) that I am privileged to lead has been and will remain focused on discharging the responsibility of overseeing the education of the state's school children. Texas enjoys economic success. To continue that success, the state will need to provide employers with a workforce that can compete in the modern and constantly changing economy.
Since my appointment as chair of the State Board of Education in June 2015, I have traveled across the state talking to parents, business leaders, administrators, teachers — anyone who would talk to me, actually — about assessments, accountability and the effective delivery of education to the young people who are often the last voices heard in policy discussions.
We are still compiling the public feedback received at the SBOE Community Conversations forums, which finished up at the end of March. However, when discussing the goals of assessments and accountability, the words that stand out in the feedback received from parents, business leaders and educators are "individual," "growth," "learning," "readiness," "measure," "goals" and "needs". If we can't figure out a way to understand and meet individual student needs, we won't be able to prepare them adequately for the future.
It is the goal of the 15-member Next Generation Commission on Assessments and Accountability to make recommendations to the legislature by Sept. 1. The recommendations will be both research- and community-based.
In addition, the SBOE hopes to make an even greater impact for our students by updating the Long-Range Plan (LRP) for Public Education, a duty assigned to the SBOE by law. The LRP will center on arriving at and articulating the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and challenges that currently exist and that will exist in Texas public education over the next five to seven years.
Curated from Bahorich: Keep our focus on the future | www.mystatesman.com
Donna Bahorich State Board of Education
SBOE committed to task of helping Texas students – San Antonio Express-News
With runoffs settled, candidates for the #State Board of Education have been chosen, and now we look forward to the November election. Voters and candidates alike should work hard to see through the smoke produced by the inevitable electoral fires between now and November.
The 15-member State Board of Education that I am privileged to lead has been and will remain focused on overseeing the education of the state's school children. Texas enjoys economic success. To continue that success, the state will need to provide employers with a workforce that can compete in the modern and constantly changing economy.
Since my appointment as chairwoman of the State Board of Education in June, I have traveled the state talking to parents, business leaders, administrators, teachers — anyone who would talk to me, actually — about assessments, accountability and the effective delivery of education to the young people who are often the last voices heard in policy discussions.
We are still compiling the public feedback received at the SBOE Community Conversations, which finished at the end of March. However, when discussing assessments and accountability, the words that stand out in the feedback from parents, business leaders and educators are "individual," "growth," "learning," "readiness," "measure," "goals" and "needs." If we can't figure out a way to understand and meet individual student needs, we won't be able to prepare them for the future.
It is the goal of the 15-member Next Generation Commission on Assessments and Accountability to make recommendations to the Legislature by Sept. 1. The recommendations will be both research- and community-based. The SBOE is contributing to this process by gathering community-based feedback for the commission.
Curated from SBOE committed to task of helping Texas students – San Antonio Express-News
Donna Bahorich State Board of Education Texas State Board of Education
Elections aside, State Board of Education keeps focus on future | The Star-Telegram
#State Board of Education member Thomas Ratliff listens to testimony during a board meeting. Ratliffe did not run for re-election and will leave the board in January.
This 15-member state board that I am privileged to lead has been and will remain focused on discharging the responsibility of overseeing the education of the state's children.
Texas enjoys economic success. To continue that success, the state will need to provide employers with a workforce that can compete in the constantly changing economy.
Since my appointment as chair of the State Board of Education in June 2015, I have traveled the state talking to parents, business leaders, administrators, teachers — anyone who would talk to me — about assessments, accountability and the effective delivery of education to the young people who are often the last voices heard in policy discussions.
However, on the goals of assessments and accountability, the words that stand out in the feedback received from parents, business leaders and educators are
Curated from Elections aside, State Board of Education keeps focus on future | The Star-Telegram
With runoffs settled, candidates for the #State Board of Education have been chosen and now we look forward to the November election. Voters and candidates alike should work hard to see through the smoke produced by inevitable electoral fires between now and November.
Future Bright for Texas SBOE
No Contested Seats on SBOE Change Parties
Republicans Prevail in Texas State Board of Education Races
Trump trickle-down could impact education board races | The Texas Tribune
Donna Bahorich
SBOE News
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