Journal of the K-12 Revolution: Essays and Research from Minneapolis, Minnesota, Vol. 5, No. 4, Article #1 >>>>> Introductory Comments >>> The Hoax That Is the Minnesota Department of Education (MDE) North Star Accountability System

Article #1

Introductory Comments

The Hoax That Is the Minnesota Department of Education

North Star Accountability System

The following is the information provided in a powerpoint presentation by Minnesota Department of Education (MDE) staff members Michael Diedrich and David Duffy at the Tuesday, 28 August 2018, meeting of the Minneapolis Public Schools Board of Education Committee of the Whole. 


Consider now the presentation  >>>>> 


Minnesota Department of Education
The North Star Accountability System

Presentation at the                                     

Minneapolis Public Schools
Board of Education meeting,
28 August 2018


Identifies Districts for Support under the State’s World Best Workforce Law
>>>>> 

Identifies schools for support under the federal Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), using several indicators grouped into three stages to prioritize schools for different levels of support

>>>>>
 
Replaces the accountability system from No Child Left Behind (NCLB) and the Minnesota MCLB waiver
ESSA Programs of Emphasis and Requirements for States
>>>>>
 
ESSA Programs of Emphasis:


Funded Programs:
Academically Disadvantaged Students
English Learners
American Indian Students
Professional Development
Requirements for States:
Testing
Reporting
Accountability
School Support


Stakeholder Priorities 


>>>>>    Keep indicators separate and simple
>>>>>    Remember prioritization schools for support
>>>>>    Maintain focus on student groups:


Categories:


Racial Groups
English Learners
Students Eligible for Free and Reduced Price Lunch
Students Receiving Special Education Services


The Three-Stage Decision-Making Process 


>>>>>    Stage 1
Math Achievement
Reading Achievement
Progress Toward Reading Proficiency


>>>>>    Stage 2
(Elementary/Middle School)


Math Progress
Reading Progress
(High School)
Four-Year Graduation Rate
Seven-Year Graduation Rate


>>>>>    Stage 3


Consistent Attendance


Example:  Gopherville Elementary School
            (lowest 5% Title I elementary school)


>>>>>    Stage 1


Is the school in the lowest 25% of Title I schools for any category?
If “No” >>>>>  not in the lowest of Title I elementary schools  =  34 schools


                Math Achievement
                Reading Achievement
                Progress Toward English Language Proficiency
 
If “Yes” >>>>>  among the lowest of Title I elementary schools  =  34 schools,
then,


>>>>>    Stage 2


Is the school in the lowest 25%of the remaining schools for either
                Math Progress
                Reading Progress ?


Then>>>>>   Support from the Minnesota Department of Education


>>>>>    Stage 3


Is the school in the lowest of the remaining schools for consistent attendance?
If “No,” then >>>>>  Targeted Support
If “Yes,” then >>>>>  Comprehensive Support


Categories of School Support


Comprehensive Support  >>>>>


Ongoing technical assistance from the Regional Centers of Excellence (RCE)
for all public high schools with a four-year graduation rate below 67% overall and for any student group;   and
for the lowest 5% of Title I schools based on stages 1-3 


Targeted Support   >>>>> 


Mostly district support, with professional development opportunities from the RCEs
for schools where student groups perform below thresholds for at least one indicator in each stage;  and for Title I schools with overall performance below thresholds in Stage 1 and Stage 2.

Support from MDE will go to Title I schools with overall performance below thresholds in Stage 1.

Timeline


2018 ------------------       2021   ---------------------2024
Planning &               Planning &             Identification of
Quick Wins              Quick wins             Schools & Districts
Implementation     Implementation
&                                &

Improvement          Improvement                                                                                                                               

 

Smoke, Not Fire 

Emphasis will be on


>>>>> 

Student Experiences and Learning         

with well-directed support leading to

academic improvement, graduation,

and progress over time. 

Responsibilities of Districts with Comprehesive Support for Improvement (CSI) and
Targeted Support for Improvemernt (TSI) Schools


>>>>> 
providing oversite and leadership for each identified school in four broad areas  >>>>>

1)  communication and engagement with stakeholders

2)  conducting comprehensive needs assessment in the schools

3)  reviewing district and school level resources among and within the schools

4)  in partnership with stakeholders, designing and implementing a support and improvement plan

 

Thank You          

 

Michael Diedrich

michaeldiedrich@state.mn.us

651-582-8332

 

Dennis Duffy

dennis.duffy@state.mn.us

651-582-8304

 

………………………………………………………

 

What you just read constitutes an enormous hoax on the students of Minnesota, perpetrated yet again on those young people by the Minnesota state government, that is to say the public, agency whose staff is supposed to be acting in the best interests of young people rather than in the interest of maintaining their own cushy sinecures at which they sit ensconced on the payroll of the people.

 

The articles below expose the depth of the intellectual and moral corruption at the Minnesota Department of Education generally, and with the thrust of the cynical hoax that is the North Star Accountability System on the students of Minnesota particularly.