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School districts report reduced learning opportunities from state cuts in education
funding.
Pennsylvania school districts have reported that children started the new school year with fewer teachers and school staff, larger class sizes, reduced
course offerings, outdated textbooks, reduced opportunities for extra help and cuts to extracurricular activities. 294 school districts responded to a survey conducted in August
by PASA and PASBO.
Half of the responding districts indicated they have cut instructional programming in the
2011-12 school year.
Read the report.
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Representatives Murt and DiGirolomo to introduce severance tax bill with portion to fund
education. On September 20, House members Tom Murt (R, Montgomery) and Gene DiGirolomo (R, Bucks)
circulated a co-sponsorship memo for a bill that would impose a severance tax on natural gas extraction. The proposal has bi-partisan support with 39 co-sponsors as of yesterday (14 Republicans and
25 Democrats). According to the memo, 12 percent of the revenue would be allocated to the Department of Education for Accountability Block Grants. If enacted, an estimated $43 million would be
available for this purpose in the first full year
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Push for vouchers remains at top of legislative agenda.
Governor Corbett reaffirmed that voucher legislation is his top legislative priority for
the fall. He made the assertion on his new monthly radio show. Read the story.
Meanwhile, the Secretary of Education praises school competition and criticizes school
leaders.
In an interview with the Pittsburgh Post Gazette, Education Secretary Ron Tomalis said
competition created by charter schools is good and should help to improve educational quality in traditional public schools. He also criticized traditional school leaders, saying they cared
more about the money districts lost in tuition paid to charters than the students who leave their schools.
Read the Post Gazette story.
And over at the Capitol, House Education Committee
Chair Paul Clymer says he expects to have a voucher
bill ready for consideration by October 1, more narrowly drawn than SB 1, "to help kids in failing schools."
Read more.
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Pennsylvania students post ninth straight year of improved performance in PSSA math and reading.
PSSA scores released on September 29 by the Pa Department of Education show Pennsylvania students posted gains in math and reading
for the ninth straight year. Students also posted gains in writing and science.
Statewide, 77.1 percent of students scored at grade level or above in math compared to
76.3 last year; 73.5 percent of students scored at grade level or above in reading compared to 72 percent last year. In writing, 79 percent scored at grade level or above compared to 72.6
percent last year and in science, 60.9 percent scored at grade level or above this year compared to 59.4 last year.
PLUS districts posted improvements as well. Three quarters of PLUS districts posted gains in math and reading or held
steady; percent of students at grade level or above went down slightly in only five PLUS
districts in math and four districts in reading.
Read more
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More than 100 school districts, charter schools and intermediate units sign up for PDE teacher evaluation pilot.
The Pa Department of Education announced on September 21 that 104 districts, charter
schools and IUs, including three PLUS member school districts will participate in the department's teacher and principal evaluation pilot. The department began developing the
new system two years ago with an $800,000 grant from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. A small initial pilot took place last year.
Participants in this second pilot will receive training this fall and begin
implementation of the system in the spring. Under the new system, 50 percent of an educator's evaluation would be comprised of multiple measures of student achievement. The remaining
portion, classified as traditional practices, would include areas such as classroom observations.
The PLUS districts taking part in the pilot are
Harrisburg,
Lebanon and
Wilkes-Barre.
Read more.
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